Saturday, July 22, 2006

Material girl

music

Gucci now has video?
Probably temporary link showing 2007 cruise collection. Because I like.

Paper or Plastic?
I had two bags at home that, with their bold science conference labels, were definitely not fashion runway material. They were too large and unwieldy for school. I already had a white canvas bag for, who knows, like, if I ever went to the beach. The point is that my two conference bags had no function...
Meanwhile, I wanted to stop growing my useless stash of supermarket plastic bags and paper bags. For inspiration, I looked to the women of Aix-en-Provence, always alluring, addicted to understated seduction. Years ago, I had watched them walk down to the street markets clutching simple baskets, to hold fruits and a baguette, say.
When Mediterrenean-inspired fashionista meets ex-science conference attendee meets environmentally conscious food buyer, you have me at the supermarket, answering the "paper or plastic" question with "I brought my own bag(s)." I'm really proud of this.

Want
What I want these days, in addition to a fab job, is still mostly media - books, music, movies.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Araro̩mi

music

I'm going to finish up school this year.
If you've been just dying to call me Dr. O. - sorry, it's not going to happen.
I'm taking a Masters degree and moving by the end of this year.

If you're a friend who wants to know where to, please allow some time for me to work out the details.
Since I'm not trying to be too busy anymore, this year is a great time to get in touch with me.
If you just want to cyber-stalk, I'm on 43things.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Stolen copper wires

music

I just heard this story about copper wire stolen nearby from a communication company. I didn't know this happened in the US.

Nineteen years ago, my family lived on TinCan Island in Lagos, where we hadn't electricity for a long stretch. The power outage went on for weeks, longer than normal for that time and place. The reason was stolen copper wire.

We cooled off on mats outdoors on the veranda, sharing riddles and stories. My father explained what sea breeze was. We fanned the twins, who were then babies, with a raffia fan. The joke was that they were oyinbo, because they were born into air-conditioning and couldn't endure being hot.

In Lagos of the eighties and nineties, street light parts got stolen - lamps, wires, and metal. Once, during a fuel crunch, some people poked a hole in a remote petrol pipeline and as the news travelled, people rushed to fetch petrol as they fetch water - in kegs and buckets and open basins.