Collectif

I Made Magnets

marniekb — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:40:23 +0000

I like crafty things, I just do not have the time to make them.

Today was different, today I made magnets. I am proud.

SnagFilms Film Widget

marniekb — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:04:01 +0000

Arguably one of the most famous pictures ever taken, “The Afghan Girl” represents a people who continually struggle for survival in a war torn country. Check out this moving documentary from Snag Films about Steve McCurry’s journey to find this woman seventeen years after he took his first award-winning picture.

Drinking Literature

marniekb — Fri, 23 May 2008 21:56:46 +0000

When I was young, I used to read allot. I was an only child; the other children I played with all had siblings that lived with them. My siblings would come much later and never live with me.
My best friend lived across the street; she had four brothers and sisters combined. We played so much that I usually never noticed any feelings of lack. I liked being alone when I chose.
At times, inevitably, I would want to play or just be with someone, but not have the chance. Sometimes my best friend and her family would go to the beach and leave me to find other things to keep loneliness at bay.
This is when I drank literature.
Yes, I would read, but I became the protagonist or empathically felt my way through the bumps and jolts of the author’s pleasure of the third person narrative. Literature became me and I became it. It was inside me; the way coffee makes your pee smell. I don’t drink coffee anymore….
Today, nostalgically, I drank literature. I miss the comfort it provides in a lonely world.

More-Pangea Day

marniekb — Fri, 23 May 2008 14:46:58 +0000

Last week was the beginning of the worldwide live broadcast event named Pangea Day. Tagline-“In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it’s easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that – to help people see themselves in others – through the power of film.”

Pangea Day was a great event.

We met some very cool people who we ended up spending the day with. Pangea had free food and drink for those of us who made donations and we were allow to come and go as we pleased to refresh the free nosh. This was much appreciated because I never get up in movies, it almost feels as though I am trapped-a prisoner of the film-as I do not want to disturb the viewers who will surely get pissed as I forcefully whisper “Excuse me!” as I clumsily step/trip/fall my way past them.

One movie named “More” in particular rocked.
“More is the story of an old, tired inventor who struggles through a joyless life – leading the same cold, colorless existence accepted by the identical drones around him. Yearning for his carefree days as a child, he struggles to finish the invention he hopes will give his life meaning and worth. His world, and the world of those around him, is transformed when his secret invention is completed.”
Check it out.

Parkour

marniekb — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 02:54:50 +0000

Parkour‘s history dates back before World War I. Through a French naval officer’s travels to Africa, he witnessed, and hence was inspired by, the agility of the indigenous people. Georges Hébert went on to create obstacle training courses used in military training to improve physical ability with one dominant moral idea: altruism.

Fast forward to Raymond Belle, an agile military firefighter, who saved lives and symontaniously inspires his son, David Belle, to reach the physical pinnacle of his father to create Parkour.

Check this video out.

8 random things about me

marniekb — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 01:59:11 +0000

Qui, one of my friends and a fellow blogger, inspired me to write a post sharing 8 random things about myself. So here goes and thanks for the idea Qui!!

1. Tonight I cooked vegan tacos and then topped them off with sour cream and sharp cheddar cheese (so much for the healthy thing) but I had at least one fan….

2. I like too many things.
I have a broad range of interests, so I end up trying to do everything, which… makes me go crazy.

I like: yoga, art, photography, cooking, baking, running, hiking, biking, spending time with friends, talking to people, reading, teaching yoga to kids, museums, movies (especially independent ones), blogging, painting, leisurely walks, music and traveling.

3. Speaking of travel, I had the pleasure of staying in a charming B&B in Scottsville, VA (about 20 miles outside of Charlottesville). The High Meadows Inn is owned by a welcoming mother and daughter duo who cook all food from scratch and make a concerted effort to be green. Just check out an excerpt from their website:

What if everyone did just a little bit? What if everyone just changed one lightbulb? Or stopped using just one chemical cleaner? Or grew just one tomato plant, or planted just one tree? Maybe the legacy and land we leave to our children could be just a little cleaner…just a little greener.

4. I am an outdoorsy type of person (see # 2). I try to hike every weekend and camp about once a month (when it is a bit warmer . This weekend I went to Great Falls, on the Virginia side; it was beautiful! It is humbling to be reminded of the power nature possesses.

5. My boyfriend, Bryan (see picture of enthusiastic taco fan in #1), says 82% of my blood content is diet coke…..Possibly true.

6. When I was moving from LA to DC, I made it a solo road trip. I bought the book, Road Trip USA and took the Southern Pacific route. You can check out some pix from the trip by clicking on the flickr photos to your right.

I went solo because I wanted to see if I could spend 8 or so days by myself without going nuts. I am proud to say that I made this accomplishment.

7. I try to mediate every morning.

8. I have a pet fish named Cade.

He is an amazing swimmer—I’m so proud.

Happy New Year!!!

marniekb — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 03:08:29 +0000

Is New Year’s the only holiday that the whole world celebrates?

Snapshot

marniekb — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 04:42:50 +0000

You know how it seems as if people born before 1950 never had a sense of humor because they all look so serious in pictures? Well be prepared to see the goofier side of life if you can make it the “Snapshot” exhibit at the National Gallery of Art (WDC). Turns out that people starting in 1900 (before then they still had serious faces) through 1950 had some fun too. (We all know folks had a great time in the 60’s-70’s and if you are like me you probably wish you could have been there too…although Smurfs would be a tough childhood relic to trade.)
The snapshots are a diverse mix of silly, serious, friends, lovers, families and artists becoming acquainted with this new thing called film. One young woman photographer took pictures of her roommates in their normal daily routine so much so that apparently they all started hiding from her by putting hands, arms, cheeks, doors, anything, to shield them from her lens. I think this may have been foreshadowing for reality TV…..
One interesting shot was a waist down picture of what initially looks like a woman, due to the hiked up skirt and seductive leg posture (like Marilyn here)….

Yet as the viewer reads about the picture, we discover the photographer is a man. I think it is interesting that people were exploring gender fluidity so early on-I always thought this kind of “free thinking” first occurred in the 60′s. Lends a pretty cool perspective on what people were thinking and questioning back then.

If you want to see this exhibit, go soon because it closes on the 31st!

Why I am blogging.

marniekb — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 05:31:18 +0000

The first time I heard the words individualism and collectivism as two polar comparatives, I was about to live in Botswana, Africa for six months. In my training course, I learned the American way of life is considered “individualistic” while the Setswana way of life is “collective”. The phrase “It takes a village to raise a child” is taken quite literally; villagers need to depend on each other to keep a village in working order. I quickly warmed to the idea of this “collective” lifestyle. It seemed organic; people helping people in basic ways.

Whether someone lives in an African village or in a bustling American city, as a race, humans experience “a pull” towards one another and towards a social space. Yes, there are exceptions to the rule, but at some point no matter how small, we desire connection in some form.

With technology continuing its steady growth, we continue to separate, isolate, and disassociate ourselves from others. Yet, it fascinates me that we pacify this innate human desire for connection, still within our societal paradigm shift, through Web 2.0-the very thing that arguably catalyzed the initial distance.

This blog is named “collectif” because I hope it can be another place where people can connect and explore different topics while being mindful of the meaning behind community. The idea of community (what it is, what shapes it, what breaks it, etc.) has always interested me, so I think of this blog as an experiment, a project, where I and hopefully others, will learn more about communities and people.
So thanks for reading (if you got this far) . I look forward to some interesting conversations.