Adventures of Superalzy » Inspiration

Spruce Up Your Space III

Superalzy — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:00:54 +0000

My bedroom walls are pretty bare. It’s a small room and artwork would make it look cluttered & tiny. Despite the storage issue in this house being a pretty serius curse, it also turned out to be a blessing.

With no place to store my Lomo cameras, I stuck them to the wall over my nightstand.

Space-free storage!

I don’t use them every day, but I’d hate to damage them in the back of the closet. They take up no space on the wall & look pretty retro. If I’m feeling artsy, I just have to grab & go!

I also store some of my chunkier necklaces on my walls. They don’t really fit in my jewelry box & I wouldn’t want them to get tangled. Also, hanging them in plain view reminds me that I have some great accessories to wear so I tend to wear them more often.

Much easier than digging through the jewelry box.

How do you deal with space issues?

♠Feminist Friday♠

Superalzy — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:00:13 +0000

Image by artist Damien Hirst

In lieu of Fashion Friday, I’m compelled to share an experience with you that really got to me yesterday. A van belonging to Sherwood Solar had a naked Barbie doll duct taped to the grill of the vehicle. I wish I’d gotten a photo, but I don’t use my phone while in the car. I was so disgusted with that image, I wrote a letter to the company.

Hi,

As I was driving on Rt 47 over the bridge into Wildwood for work this morning, one of your company vans was riding behind me with two gentlemen inside. I glanced in my rearview mirror and noticed something duct taped to the grill of the van. As they approached me at the bridge, I noticed it was a naked female Barbie doll.

Not only do I find this highly unprofessional and low class, but I think you should know how poorly it reflects on your company. What message does that send? How can that be interpreted as anything less than a misogynistic symbol that advocates violence against women?

I think it’s sad that our society makes jokes out of beaten, abused women. Every one person who could simply say “that’s not funny,” in response to a rape or abuse joke could effectively shut up their group of friends and maybe even make them realize what they’re really saying.

What your van said to me this morning is that your company finds humor in rape and domestic abuse. That message has been with me all morning so strongly that I’m compelled to write to you. I’d like to believe you are unaware of this situation with your van and that you never meant to offend potential customers, but please think about the points I’m expressing. The figure of a naked woman duct taped to the grill of a van… Think about what something like that conveys to the public as your van drives around New Jersey, exposing that to families, customers and potential customers.

I hope you understand my concerns and will reconsider what you find “funny” in life. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Alison Heller

I received no response today.

What do you think about this? What does that image say to you? What kind of person even takes action to bind a naked doll to their vehicle?

Spruce Up Your Space II

Superalzy — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:00:13 +0000

Crafts, Candy or Coins, Jars Make Great Space

Jars.

Few things are more useful for organization & making your space look rustic, country & classy like jars. They’re ideal for art supplies. Fill them with beads, paint brushes, writing supplies, sequins or whatever bits & pieces you like working with.

They’re perfect in the kitchen, of course. Large jars look beautiful filled with flour, brown or white sugar & cocoa powder. I have a few in my own kitchen filled with Splenda, vitamins & caramels. It helps organize my counter top in a beautiful way. Jars look much nicer than the ugly box of sugar packets sitting next to the coffee maker.

Loose ends in the kitchen

Candy also looks decorative in jars. Fill a few jars with Reese’s Pieces, M&Ms or York Peppermint candy pieces & place them on your coffee table for guests. Keep a small jar on your desk or reading area for some mid-story snacking! Put them on a shelf for a fun pop of color & a little retro candy shop feel.

Books & candy. Is there anything sweeter?

What do you do with jars?

Create Something!

Superalzy — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:00:36 +0000

For each day in June, I’ll be participating in 30 Days of Creativity. Whether it’s a poem, a doodle, a sculpture, a photo, cookies or simply arranging my lunch to look like Kate Middleton, I’m going to create something! It’s important to me that I keep my brain exercised in the arts & always growing toward the weird & bizarre.

I’ll be posting my creative endeavors over on the Alison Heller Creative, so check in!

Better yet, JOIN the challenge & create something for the next 30 days. Join the movement on Facebook (RSVP to the “event” or “like” the page), Pinterest, or twitter. I’d love to see what creative concoctions you can conjure!

To FutureAlzy

Superalzy — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 12:00:30 +0000

This is probably one of the most private things I’ve ever posted here, but what have I got to hide really? In 10 years, this letter will be delivered to me from FutureMe.org & in all likelihood I will have forgotten about it completely. The world will probably have been totally destroyed, but in the event that we are all still here, I will get this letter from my past self.

Hey Superhero!

As I write this, you’re about to turn 27 in a few days. According to my plan, by this age you should have been engaged to your best friend, editing Glamour Magazine and sipping colorful martinis at posh nightspots in Manhattan.

None of that happened.

I hope it never happened. That’s not really who you are. You spent a long time trying to fit yourself into the box of what you thought you wanted, when really, that wouldn’t have made you as happy as you liked to waste your time imagining it would.

Now it’s April 22, 2021. You’re an energetic, accomplished 37 year old who dresses well, albeit a bit eccentrically, but not over the top. I hope you’re writing. A lot. Way more than you were 10 years ago. You’ve published a book of poems, haven’t you? I bet you’re in the New Yorker all the time. You’re probably a Pulitzer Prize winner or poet laureate of the world.

I hope you’re still riding your motorcycle (and that it’s bigger and faster now and also that it’s a personal spacecraft!).

I hope you’ve traveled all over the world, writing, meeting people and experimenting with your life. Do we have a house in Spain? I hope we have a house in Spain. If we don’t, get on that, please.

I hope you finished your 30 Before 30, are nearly finished your 40 Before 40 and have written your 50 Before 50. I hope none of those lists repeated any items. I’m excited to see what you come up with and how 10 years has changed your perspective on life and what you want out of it.

I hope you do nice things for other people every day.

I hope Muldoon is still around. He’ll be almost 12. Harley would be almost 19 now… I hope you know she loved you and that she never thought you failed her or yourself. It was silly to ever think that and I don’t know why or how she got connected to all that pain, but she loved you in a way that was supernatural for animals to even feel. I hope you got over feeling like you disappointed her. You didn’t. Ever.

I hope it’s been 9 years since you’ve even thought about him. And I’m sorry for making you think about him now. I bet Harley forgot all about him. He was never the man he led you believe he was and he certainly wasn’t deserving of all that love and admiration you gave him. I hope he’s happy with wherever he is in life, but I also hope you don’t know whether he is or not because I hope you haven’t spoken in… almost 12 years now. I hope you have no idea who I’m talking about!

I hope you still play video games unapologetically and wear heels regularly.

I hope you laugh all the time with friends new and old who nourish your life with love and culture and new ideas.

It’s probably as weird for you to imagine me, your old self, as it is for me to imagine you, myself a decade from now. I can’t even see a month into the future!

Anyway, stay awesome. Let go and take what life gives you. Take action to get what it doesn’t.

See you in another 10 years!
Alison

Your Superhero Hideout

Superalzy — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:00:35 +0000

I’m a huge advocate of having space to yourself. Even if you live alone, you should carve out an inspirational corner for reading, relaxing or afternoon napping. My ideal space would look something this.

I always need my spaces to be multitasking. This gives the appearance & feel of both indoor & outdoor space with a nice grasslike shag carpet for wrapping bare toes around & porcelain flowers on the ground. I like that king of contrast in textures.

On the other half, a super girly chandelier floor lamp with flexible tendrils lets me move light where I need it for reading or writing. A slightly retro table would hold my books, Nintendo handheld systems, magazines & other projects.

Of course, they are tied together with a chair so hideous it’s actually really appealing. I have a thing for ugly chairs. This one looks like a princess garden party. With regal accents, deeply curled arms perfect for draping legs over & a short, wide set frame, it’s ideal for napping, gaming, painting toenails on & reading. The garden-ish print reminds me of flowers & touches on every other color in the set. The chair is over $13,000, but I LOVE it!

What does your Superhero Hideout look like?

Totem for 2011

Superalzy — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 13:00:31 +0000

Walking around Walmart one night last week, I found myself wandering the toy aisle. This tends to happen when you start hanging out with a 2-year-old. There were all these adorable little animals with huge eyes beaming at me through their plastic packaging. They were a line of toys I’d loved when I was little, though they’d gone through a redesign to make them larger & less ingestible, I suppose.

One set of big sweet eyes belonged to a pigeon. A pigeon with a pink park bench to perch on. A pigeon with a sheet of statue splatter stickers!

Those weird eyes called out to me.

Every morning in New York City, I woke up to the sound of pigeons cooing like they were nesting in my closet. My cat would hop out of bed & rush to the window to watch them arrogantly bob their heads at her from the safety of the fire escape. I would get up & walk two blocks south to Bagelworks where Miguel always had my order ready- a whole wheat bagel (untoasted) with strawberry cream cheese & a medium hazelnut coffee- so I didn’t have to wait in the line stretching out the door. Life was good & I was home.

When I saw that little plastic pigeon, I thought about those days & how much I miss them. I felt happy & hopeful & inspired. Pigeons are symbolic of pathfinding, communication & adaptability. They can always navigate themselves home, train to become carrier pigeons & deliver vital messages & no matter what anti-pigeon strategies cities employ, pigeons carry on.

So, for $5, I picked him up.

Now, Smudge- that’s what I’m calling him, Smudge- will be my personal totem for 2011. He can fit in my pocket or he can perch on his bench on my desk while I’m working. All year, he will symbolize my goals. He reminds me to stay strong, keep my mind active & sharp & to carry positive messages. He reminds me that if I follow my instincts & trust myself, I’ll find my way home.

Yes. I’m 26 & I play with toys.

Life is Not a House

Superalzy — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:00:45 +0000

image via Jim Kazanjian

I was reading The Naked Redhead’s post about giving fear the finger & it lit up this giant OPEN FOR BUSINESS sign in my brain. I started thinking about what I’m truly afraid of- not just sprickets & the lights in swimming pools, but the things that try to hold me back or prevent me from achieving what I want in life.

This led me into an examination of how I think of my life. For a long time I subconsciously thought of life as this thing I was inhabiting- a house I lived in. There are a lot of problems with thinking of life as a house. For one, you’re inside. There isn’t much to experience or learn when you’re trapped between four walls & a roof. Also, houses are stationary. They don’t move or grow or truly change. You can rearrange the furniture a little, maybe paint the walls, but nothing’s really changed. The biggest problem with thinking of life as a house is the reality that houses can come crashing down on you. What kind of experiences, chances & risks are you going to take with that kind of fear hanging delicately over you like a crystal chandelier of doom?

No, life is not a house. Life is a mode of transportation. Life takes you on a journey & exposes you to all the elements, beautiful & brutal. I’m now thinking of my life as a dragon whose back I’m strapped to. It’s wild & unpredictable. Sometimes it takes luxurious sweeps over oceans at sunset. Sometimes it tries to buck me off into an erupting volcano. I’m not in control, but every now & then I can nudge it into another direction & we have glorious adventures.

How do you see life? How do you chase off your fears?

10 Super Things I’m Doing for Me

Superalzy — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:00:09 +0000

Theme song!

I’m borderline anemic & don’t like milk (it’s for baby cows! Not people! Gross.) Needless to say, there are probably a lot of other essential supplies my body isn’t getting. I started taking a daily multi vitamin on the 1st of the year & immediately learned a valuable lesson- always take vitamins with some form of food! Taking vitamins on an empty stomach leads to a painful bile vomiting session. Now I take them after breakfast. Here’s to a healthier self!

It's like a vitamin for creativity!

I grabbed an Extra Small Daily Moleskine Planner (in dark pink!) & my goal is to draw or write something every single day. The teeny tiny size means it’s easy to fill a page & therefore not so intimidating. So far, I’ve been illustrating a “thought of the day” (like vomming vitamins), but it can be anything. I’m trying not to self edit or put pressure on myself to make something brilliant. It’s healthy to just let your brain be goofy sometimes. A lot of my most fun little writing projects come from doing things like this.

I did not win the lottery on Tuesday.

I love craft beers. I love discovering new beers to try & it’s going to be hard to give up my favorite Rogue ales, but it’s so high in calories & makes me feel so bloated & sluggish. I’m sticking to wine & low sugar mixed drinks. That means no soda, sour mix & probably no cranberry juice. I’m going to have to learn to love tonic water!

I’ve started pruning the dead branches from my facebook friends list. Some people post messages that are mean, whiny, gossipy & just oozing negative energy… every day (multiple times!). I was reading this stuff in my feed & I could feel the oozy blackness seeping into me. It’s a gross feeling. Now, my facebook is growing from being overrun by a random mishmosh of acquaintances I felt badly not accepting to a thriving feed of interesting, creative friends & colleagues. I get inspiration. I get feedback on my own work. I feel good about my internet “life!”

Likewise, there are people in my life who I’m not sure why I hang on to. I’m making new friends to hang out with who are intelligent & cultured & who hunger for new knowledge & experiences. Why waste any time on people who hold me back or have no desire to progress?

I have an old iPod & a Bose speaker where it can be permanently docked. I’m much more productive & happier on days when I turn off the TV & turn on the iPod. I wrote about my productivity playlist ages ago & I’m curious to experiment with new music to find out what will optimize my mood, performance & productivity for 2011.

I found an amazing collaboration between Apocalyptica & Gavin Rossdale, who has been an inspiration to me since I was about 12. It seems like whenever I need a little guidance or help, Gavin puts out an album or a new song. It’s strange, but the universe works in strange ways. I feel like this is a good sign for the year to come.

I feel really good about this year. It’s started out with a strong momentum & I’m going to keep it rolling so get out of my way! I’m going to tell it like it is, be strong in my convictions & let myself be weird without worry. No one is going to stifle my happiness.

I miss the energy I had when I was working out. Even when I was working insane hours all summer on my feet for 15 hours at a time, it felt good to keep moving. My days lately are much less active & that needs to change. On Monday, I triumphantly return to the gym! I’m looking forward to trying some new classes. Zumba & kickboxing look like a lot of fun & I’ve wanted to work on my upper body strength for a long time.

You know what’s sad? I can’t remember the last time I ate a piece of fruit. Fruit is delicious. So what am I eating? I don’t know, but it’s not enough fresh fruit & vegetables. I had the most delicious veggie sandwich at Lenny’s & that needs to happen much more often in my own kitchen.

This is not to be confused with “Going on a Diet.” I’m adjusting the diet I have to include more delicious & natural elements (& less microwave popcorn, maybe. Probably not.).

Pies, that is. I spent a couple years making cupcakes & now I want to make these amazing little dessert sandwiches. I want to serve them with milkshake shooters in the spring & summer & fall. I want to create & mix/match flavors all night long, baby! They’re my official dessert of 2011 so be ready for lots of recipes.

image via Lick My Spoon

In 8th grade, I took Spanish at the high school before my regular school day began (because I’m super smart & a complete dork). Until then, I knew I was going to be a writer someday, but I hadn’t really been formally introduced to poetry yet. In Spanish, we read poems by Federico Garcia Lorca. I can still recite Cancion del Jinete. I still get chills when I read Cancion del Naranjo Seco & Romance Sonambulo. Is it strange that my love of poetry has its roots in another language? I loved Garcia Lorca & Pablo Neruda before I ever read a poem in English.

Other than Haikuesday!, I haven’t really written any poems since I left New York. I got my Master’s in Poetry Writing… & I’m not even writing poetry? This is a problem. To help kick start my poetry motor, I’m going to read the poets who inspired my best work. I’ll start with Federico Garcia Lorca, Jane Kenyon, Mark Strand & Elizabeth Bishop. I also want to read a lot of James Tate, e. e. cummings (who I somehow never really gave a chance) & Hart Crane.

It’s not just poetry. I want to rejuvenate my imagination with some Neil Gaiman stories, study form & function through a critical eye with books from the Poets on Poetry series & even read some plays (Cinders by Janusz Glowacki had a lingering effect on me when I saw it performed in college & I’ve read the play a few times since then).

In my opinion, the more widely you read, the better a writer you become. That’s why I read plays, fiction, creative non-fiction, essays, interviews, blogs, the backs of cereal boxes & garment washing instructions on clothing tags.

2010: A Retrospective

Superalzy — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 13:00:00 +0000

2010 was a year in which I took control of my bad situations & made them my bitches. I really learned how to take a challenge. It was a difficult year, no doubt, but I took everything in stride & made progress my own way. 2010 brought a lot of really amazing accomplishments & new ventures. Here are just a few of my highlights.

Best Articles: Managing Your Money (from a Reformed Impulsive Spender), Life in the Waiting Room, Tim Burton Retrospective at MoMA, The Consumer Equation, The Art of Breathing, A Year in Haiku!, Rock Operas, Moleskine vs Filofax, Amusement Park Fashion, Plan Z, The Dream Job Theory, Double Chocolate Fudge Bacon Brownies, The Trouble with Signs, Drinking Around the World, Cartoon Couture.

What I did: I added two new features to Superalzy.com: Magic Mondays & Saturday Sweets; I stood up to an evil boss & fought for what was right; I quit a job I hated & gained an immensely cooler one! I started writing for Jersey Bites; bought a freakin’ motorcycle!! Took a trip to Disney, Epcot & Universal Studios; Drank Around the World with The Magician; Spent way too much time at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter; Got really into baking; Participated in the Polar Bear Plunge; Had a gourmet breakfast on the tallest ferris wheel on the East Coast; Was a hair model for the curly hair experts at the Ouidad Salon in NYC; Saw the Tim Burton exhibit at MoMA; Experienced frozen hot chocolate; Survived a week without electricity in the Snowpocalypse; Got quoted in Glamour!

Poetic Influences: Charles Simic; Mark Strand; Tony Hoagland; James Tate

Best Purchases: Garcon Trench by Hayden-Harnett (Regularly $550.00, I fell in love with this gorgeous coat, but couldn’t afford that steep price tag. Through patience & daily internet stalking, I was able to snag it at less than HALF PRICE!- just $288.10 with shipping!); Sugar & Butter lip exfoliant & plumper; a brand new Honda Rebel! The Superalzy.com domain, of course! Flip Slide HD video camera.

Best Things I Ate: Grilled pound cake with chocolate mousse & fresh berries & a scallop bruschetta with braised white beans & broccoli rabe by Chef Geoff at The Copper Fish in Cape May, NJ; Chicken & waffles at Sylvia’s in Harlem, NYC; Tony Luke’s cheesesteak at their new location in Wildwood Crest, NJ; an Irish Car-bomb milkshake at Banana Jack’s during Irish Weekend; a burger topped with bacon, bananas & peanut butter; volcano sushi rolls.

Elvis is alive & well!

Favorite Sites: Hyperbole & a Half | The Offbeat Bride | Dramatis Personae | Pink of Perfection | The Hairpin | Jersey Bites | Not That Kind of Girl | Geek Sweets

Best in Movies: Repo! The Genetic Opera was a killer discovery that’s become my favorite film of all time; The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus; Black Swan; How to Train Your Dragon; Resident Evil: Afterlife; Easy A; The Next 3 Days; The Fighter.

Style Influences: Amusement parks; newspaper funny pages; big, loud accessories; 80′s curls; champagne lips; retro kitchen appliances; hobohemian; vintage bikers; flowy scarves; Little Red Riding Hood goes to London; Emma Watson; Sophisticated vagrants.

Definitely influenced by my international students over the summer.

Colors & big, loud accessories!