True Story

via The Ink Society via the one and only Barney Stinson 

Happy Tuesday!

I meant to write this yesterday but our weekend seemed to stretch into Monday, and I kinda forgot....so yea. You're getting it now (get excited) 

It was a sun filled 3 days filled with good company, good food and good weather (It was so warm I didn't have to wear a jacket! Yippee!)

Now because ya'll are the best little nuggets around, but mostly because I actually remembered to capture things (go me!), here's lil photo recap of the highlights ...

Dublin gay pride parade. Loud, colorful, fabulous. In other words, just what you would expect

Awesome artsy friends, tequilla and Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art school. What's not to love?

Dinner at one of my all time favorite restaurants in Dublin - nay, the world. Ravin pizza man may have something to do with it.

Long leisurely walks around the neighborhood followed by Ben & Jerry's "Coconutterly Fair."
'Nuff said

So tell me dear readers - what did you get up to this weekend? 

xx,

FK

EDITORS NOTE: So the video I'm trying to upload doesn't seem to be working...anyone know how to fix that? I am Spartacus! I am warrior of technology! 


Who knew google could be so helpful? :) 

{Vienna} Falling in love off the beaten track

Hot off the heels of dark and decadent Prague, came Vienna, Austria.

Prim and proper Vienna in all of it's classical beauty. Meticulously spotless, every garden was pristine and every cobbled stone street swept clean - as if the entire city was washed down every night and neatly tidied up every morning before you awake. While undoubtably gorgeous, I found that sense of perfection tiresome (and slightly boring) after awhile.

While pleasing on the eyes, I had to wonder where was the edge? Where were the dark alleyways that one finds gems hiding, where the true essence of a city can be found? Outside of the city centre, far off the beaten path where the glitz and glamor have long since been forgotten I found what I was looking for in the Kunst Haus Wien. 

The Hundertwassan museum is one of the most delectable museums I've ever been in. I spent 3 hours wandering inside and could have easily spent more. Established in 1991, the former Thonet furniture factory was remodeled on the basis of the renowned Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser's philosophy, artistic principles and designs. The first two floors hold a permanent collection of his work, while the top two floors are devoted to rotating exhibitions from various international artists. While there I had the privilege of seeing a comprehensive retrospective of H.R Giger's work entitled "Dreams and Visions." The bottom floor held the most charming of cafes and a dangerous collection of shiny trinkets in the gift shop.

Front of the Kunst Haus Wien

Hundertwasser's work is captivating in it's sheer playfulness and childlike wonder. Inspired by nature and other revolutionary artists such as Gaudi, Hundertwasser's paintings, textiles and architecture exude an energy that fills you with joy. His use of color is almost sensual in it's vibrancy and when combined with gold and silver foils, the saturated tones creates a spectrum of hues I could have stared at all day. 

An advocate for living a more sustainable  life that coexists with rather than impedes on our environment, Hundertwasser incorporated his love of spirals, colors and organic forms into both his paintings and architecture. Calling straight lines "the devils tools" as they are not organically found in nature, neither his paintings nor his buildings incorporated any. Instead there is a whimsical surreal feel to his work that transports you to another place and time. In 1958 he formulated his "Mouldiness Manifesto Against Rationalism in Architecture" in which he denounced "rationalism, the straight line and functional architecture" and proclaimed himself an architectural doctor whose responsibility included "transforming ugly, monotonous and sterile buildings." How awesome is that? I am completely enamored with this guy and his viciousness to create a more beautiful life for generations to come. 

The Hundertwasser Haus, Vienna via

Forest Spiral” Darmstadt, Germany via

In stock contrast to Hundertwasser's work lay the disturbingly brilliant, or rather brilliantly disturbing, pieces by H.R. Giger. The creative mastermind behind the otherworldly creatures in Ridley Scott's "Alien" and the hybrid female Sil from the film "Species," Giger captivates the nightmarish underworld of our subconscious with deadly precision. At times controversial, he is truly an artist of visions who uses the airbrushing technique to render his distinctive bio-mechanical style that is stunning in it's detail and painfully exquisite despite the demonic prose. Morbid, revolutionary and sexually charged Giger's work is thought provoking as it delves into the deepest innermost fears, doubts and desires of human psyche in a way that no one before, or after will ever so clearly articulate.   

His work was the perfect antidote to Hundertwasser. The ying to the yang, the darkness to the light, the happy to the morbid -I found  the two exhibits perfectly suited to accentuate the duality of human nature - or at the very least my own. I left completely blown away with inspiration, the likes of which come rushing back every time I'm reminded of my visit there. 

"Our real illiteracy is our inability to create.
To Paint is a religious activity"

It's safe to say the Kunst Huas Wien was a testament to all that I loved and despite my friend not wanting to come with, I am so thankful I forged ahead alone. One of the valuable tidbits I picked up on this trip was that at some point, it is vital to make time for yourself, to go off and explore on your own. Regardless of whether you're with your partner, lover, sister or as was my case, best friend - having that time alone can revitalize and lift your spirits. I was able to look at Vienna from a different perspective, to see the city with fresh eyes that did not include a guidebook summary of what I should see or do. Those few precious hours where I had no agenda, no one to please and nothing to do except wander aimlessly were exactly what I needed.I got myself lost and in doing so found myself. 

{Photo credits} As cameras weren't allowed inside the museum, the few shots I did sneakily take aren't that great, all images of the art works were sourced online from the Kunst Haus Wien unless otherwise noted

Me: I am a failure! *dramatically flops on the bed*

S. Monster: what are you talking about?

Me: I didn't accomplish all the goals I set for myself this week. I suck at life. I'm never going to make it!

S. Monster:  Is feeling bad for yourself really helping anything? What would make you feel better right now

Me: punching you in the face

S. Monster: .......

S. Monster: that wasn't quite the answer I was looking for. Try again

Me: er, umm, maybe actually starting on the work that still needs to be done?

S. Monster: Yea! It's early, you can get almost everything you had listed done today. You can still meet your goals. You just need to commit to doing them and then do it!

Me: I hate it when you make sense and use logic against me.

S. Monster: see baby, this is what happens when you marry someone awesome.

Me: *sigh* ain't that the truth......

Me: can I still punch you in the face though?

xx

{Prague} let's start at the beginning....

There is something deliciously dark and offbeat about Prague. Beneath the heavily tourist scene that crowds the St. Vitus Cathedral and storms the Charles Bridge, beats the heart of a deceptively hip city.

It’s a juggernaut of culture where classical meets contemporary and the mundane meets the enigmatically eccentric. Here is a place where giant bronzed babies crawling up a giant TV antenna compete with medieval bridges and gold tipped towers for the center of attention in the cities skyline. Yet despite that, or perhaps because of, Prague never takes itself too seriously. With it’s seamless blending of baroque, art nouveau, gothic and modern architecture painted in pretty shades of pastel colors, it has a style all its own.

Which is your favorite? A style to suit every taste

Afternoons were spent wandering the narrow cobbled stone streets,exploring the church of bones and getting lost in one of the most hauntingly beautiful cemeteries I’ve ever seen.

Inspired by the dynamic art nouveau stained glass

Finding beauty in death

From dust to dust, eternal slumber

Meandering afternoon walks gave way to decadent nights out. An anything goes policy reigns supreme and with some clubs not opening until 4am, this is a city where you can definitely party as hard as you like. The abundance of good cheap food kept us full, happy and hangover free as we took in all that the city had to offer.

Cross Club: a visual feast for the senses and way too cool for school. Sorry my crappy iphone photo doesn't do it justice!

Not a porn shop. Just your average run of the mill grocery store...

I loved his grooving ways

Prague is a vibrant and edgy city. One that takes everything with a grain of salt and a shot of Becherovka. Ah, Becherovka, you tasted like Christmas but burned like hell!

Dear Angry Old Man,

I was just trying to go about my business. I wasn't hurting anyone by trying to make a right hand turn. You saw me sitting there with my blinker on and could have easily let me pull out before trying to turn in. Or even better, you could have driven 10 seconds down the street to the next road to turn onto.

But nooooo

You had to be an asshole and block me in.

Seriously it was 10am in the morning - did you really need to pull in 5 inches from my car, put yours in park, block traffic, get out of your car and start screaming at me that you were going to call the cops because I was in your way?

Congrats on graduating top of your class from Douche-bag University but get over yourself old man. Was it worth all that effort just to prove a petty point?

Listen up Lucius Malfoy -  the next time you get your tighty whities in a twist, do me a favor and go
blow smoke up someone else's ass.

  

much love,
FK

















EDIT: Holy mother of pearl I misspelled "Malfoy"!!! I hang my head in Harry Potter shame. This is what I get for drinking and posting....hmm...I should really stop doing that...  Thanks to J for pointing it out . You get a gold star AND a cookie! xx

Hello! Is it me you're looking for?

I returned from my Eastern Europe backpacking adventure last week and am excited to get back into the swing of things. There's so much to catch up on - I missed all you lil blog readin' nuggets!

sunrise over Budapest

I think I may oversold myself a bit on the whole "blogging on the road idea."  To be fair I did try but with the technological know-how of an embryo it just wasn't gonna happen. Trying to figure out how to do it on the iphone made my head hurt.  I needed a real computer with a decent wifi connection. Unfortunately, since I spent my money on shiny objects and ice cream, I needed one with free high speed internet access which, let's be honest, wasn't really offered in the hostels we frequented (know what I'm sayin?) 

Eastern Europe's Finest Hostel

I tried to get caught up in my writing once I got back, but every time I sat down I found myself facing writers block. With so much to talk about, how do you sit down to write if you have no idea where to begin?! As the days went by, I started feeling guilty for not writing. As the guilt grew, the list of things to write grew, and the anxiety over the need to now whip out a witty masterpiece to distract from my noticeable absence grew. 

It finally dawned on me that there is no need for the guilt or anxiety. It was all in my head, and I realized it didn't matter that I didn't know what to write about, I just needed pick something and start. Not knowing takes time, but making a choice - thats instant - and in that instant is power. The longer I put off figuring out what to write about the longer I gave those poo throwing gremlins in my head more power. It doesn't matter that it's not witty or thought provoking or even very good. You just gotta do it.

So here I am. Doing it and I'm not gonna lie, there's an 80% chance of  random and chaotic posts gracing these pages over the next few weeks. I can't promise that these posts will arrive in any sort of logical and comprehensible order. I also can't can promise that future posts may or may not include a reenactment of the Goonies, a rapping rabbit and robot zombies.

I can however promise that I'm ready to hit the ground a running all nimbly bimbly like...or at least make a feeble attempt at limping really, really quickly. Holy cactus batman, I worked out for 4 days last week after doing nothing for a month and I'm having lots of issues (more so than usual) with basic movements such as walking, opening the fridge and putting on pants. Thank zeus for elastic waistbands! 

Truth bomb!