Quirky little things I saw today

the funniest part is that this has existed in the parking lot for a few days now. i hope the owner reads this and comments. i want to know who this beauty belongs to!

a sign to my friend Nate's art show
the part you can't see is that its hanging on a paper mache warrior in front of the cafe

why hello, random balloon arch on the ground!

it was earth day

thats all for today.
this is what my life is filled with.
well, I'm just going to watch Star Wars VI now.
Oh, I haven't talked about my film class yet, have I?
that's next on the agenda.
e.t., superman, graphic novels, lotr...
yes, this is all becoming part of me.

So I got a new camera phone

Get this.
The camera has options for
white balance
exposure
self timer
iso
black and white
green (still trying to figure this one out)
SKETCH (like chucky cheese!)

PLUS.
It has VIDEO.

The video feature came in really handy when I had a monumental experience that I am glad to have archived:
I DID THE HULA-HOOP!
I have never been able to do it before, I think because I don't like to dance, and am rather insecure about my dancing and rhythm abilities. It just wasn't my thing.

Well, I've been freed I guess, because I RULE AT HULA-HOOP NOW!!
I want to post the video, but I don't really know how.
That's step 2.

thanks for letting this be revolutionary for me even though these features have existed for years. i'm aware now that i've been in the dark.

The Sigma County Fair

These awesome mugs have been Rachel's vision for 3 years.
They came into fruition!

All fairs have sunflowersAll fairs have plaid

Caramel apples: a necessityCandy on hay: cuteClay Chaney and his band: incredible
(Thanks again, guys!! You made our fair complete.)
Mmmm. Some mad barbeque skills existed:
and my sweet brother Ryan helped me set up the lighting for our photo booth! He makes great films and great music. Just thought I'd add that.
This is my roommate and suitemate!
Shanna and Hannah.Juli, you glow.Pie eating contest
{thanks Denise and Justin for taking these photos-- I had to leave early for my design class}

And... the limbo!

And relaxing.

Sigma, I like you a lot.

Shannon Leith

It's photo distribution day, didn't you hear?

One of my weaknesses is giving friends the photos that I take when we go out together. TO PICK OUT THE BEST ONES AND EMAIL THEM TO PEOPLE. ITS JUST SO DIFFICULT.

Okay, I realize I have a problem and need to grow in this area.
So, here I am, it's 2:53 in the morning, and.... here are some photos that my dear friends have been patiently waiting for for the past few weeks. Contrary to what it may seem like, I do love you all and I no longer want to keep these images of you hostage.

Event #1: dinner with my incredible floor!

The Max had a night out at Buca di Beppo (this is my 2nd favorite Italian restaurant!).These girls are the best best best.

Event #2: dinner with two lovely friends

I am moving to the raddest apartments next semester, and I am going to live with two of my greatest friends: Ellen and Hollie! We had a future roommate dinner and dessert night last weekend. Ellen is the most wonderful cook I have encountered to date, and she kindly invited Hollie and I to her apartment for a great dinner. Whew-- I'm looking forward to learning from her! We went to Rutabegorz for dessert.They apparently want you to:We didn't even mean to match!

CAN I SAY: DESTINY?It is SUCH a perfect apartment.
lots of personality and flareEvent #3: the Sigma County Fair!
Complete with pie-eating contests, caramel apples, and many wonderful people. I am posting the photo-booth photos tomorrow. There's a ton to go through, and this healing process can only handle so much at once.

to these three groups of people
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your graciousness and patience as I work through my issues. Seriously. Sorry means change! I am turning over a new leaf. I hope.

Shannon Charissa Leith

A civilized evening: Wicked at the Pantages

April 25th 2001 is my ATM card Anniversary-- we celebrate it every year. Seriously. Six years ago this week marks my first time having my very own ATM card, and upon receiving it my bubbly high-schooled self said "MOM! THIS IS SO EXCITING WE SHOULD CELEBRATE IT EVERY YEAR!" Little did I know that my ATM card Anniversary would literally be remembered each April 25th, and that this year it would mean tickets to an incredible musical. My mom rules. :)
My sister, brother, and my brother's girlfriend Lindsey joined us, and we ventured into Hollywood this past Wednesday. Our first stop was Miceli's, my favorite Italian restaurant. Now, I've been to a lot of Italian in my lifetime, and this one is the best because along with the food being delicious and authentic, the waiters double as the entertainment! Ours sat at the piano and sang opera at one point. They sporadically burst out in song. It's such a great environment-- very lively and very...real. Mmmmm.

This reminds me of New York. *sigh*
There was so much great color everywhere! Including Heather's necklace! I just adore the color that sits in LA.
You are SO cool Ryan. ;)Aww. Fam.

Such great ideas were threaded throughout the musical-- it tells an interesting back-story to the Wizard of Oz, focusing on the growing up experiences of the witch and the good fairy. The story explored good and evil, and forced me to challenge my pre-supposed perspectives. To look deeper. To see beyond the obvious. Does the fact that someone has green skin mean she's not beautiful? NO! no no no no no. There was so much wrapped up in the prejudices we have-- mostly due to our own ignorance or fear.

A lot of really intriguing ideas about freedom and fear arose for me. The people of Oz are controlled by fear. The leader himself lacks courage-- he hides behind power with his huge mask and a booming voice but in actuality is frail and timid. There is this one scene where a teacher, who happens to be a goat, loses his ability to talk and eventually loses his intelligence. His freedom is taken from him, and all of the animals in Oz become caged and unable to talk.

There was of course the obvious questions of "was she born wicked or did it happen because of her life experiences"-- but I think the bigger questions are along the lines of what we actually SEE as wicked. What do we think of as good? Are we perceiving the good correctly? Do we misjudge the good...as well as evil? I'm not sure if this will all be helpful if you haven't seen the play... so you'll just have to go see it and then come back and read :)

The cast was interesting because they seemed to be a bit more understated than they could have been. They were modest in their performances, which gave a certain delicacy and quietness to what they were saying. For me, it made things click better than if they had belted every line at the top of their lungs. They weren't forcing things down our throats. Thank you, cast of Wicked. It was beautiful. You were bright lights in my week. Your story taught me more about the world.

And thanks mom for the incredible anniversary! I had a lovely evening.

Friend Tribute!

My friend Blythe is a true gem. I was looking for a photo, and now I forget which one, because I came across this incredibly beautiful photo of Blx. The reason I call her Blx is because when I was typing her name into my cell phone, I accidentally pressed x instead of y.

Sometimes you've got to just run with things, you know?

Seriously: take your mistakes, turn them around, embrace them, and own it. Just like that photograph of the street. I think it was an accident, but hey, it's a pretty cool accident, eh?

Now did I mention I'm Canadian? Born in Mississauga, Ontario, raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, and only a Southern Californian for the past 7 years? Its true!

Now that I've completely hijacked my own tribute post, I would like to turn the attention back to Blythe.

I borrowed this off of her blog:

Can I say: inspiration?

Small fluxuations found within the grand scheme of the world

This series of photos focuses on shape, the forgotten, the voids, the ever so subtle movements in the world that ebb and flow with nuances that speak to the complexity that can be found within something as simple as a vine.

Yellow + Grey day, everywhere

I don't require that they have both.Hello, pylon.

This precious woman talked with us for quite a while

It's interesting what just a small movement of the camera will give you.
I'm standing in exactly the same place as the one above. I like them both for completely different reasons. This one is so organic and free. The other, "hello, my name is rigidity".

At the train station (I don't get it either)

By the way, I do apologize for the extremely long, dark, bleak phase of no posts for a while. No, I did not decide to run off and live in Connecticut after all... but rather, when I arrived back from my trip, I realized that homework had not been a priority over my spring break. Coffee and art were my priorities. This week has consisted of so much art-making and studying and writing and sleeping and recovering from a small cold, that I just couldn't focus on posting photos online, you know? There is such a tension in the issue of TIME sometimes, isn't there? Well, at least for me it exists. Thank you for being gracious while I frantically caught up on the life that I put on hold while I experienced the world of THE EAST COAST. (I'm still enthralled with even the very sound of the name, as you can probably tell.)

Goodbye :)
Much love.
Thank you for looking and I hope you see a small glimpse of beauty here in the sometimes mundane. Like that poor ugly fake plant in the photo directly above that I saw at a little cafe.

Shannon Leith

Day four: Norah Jones at the Orpheum

A play by play of my life-changing experience seeing Norah Jones:

She began with Come Away With Me-- which practically brought me to tears of joy instantaneously. She is a real person. So genuine."I was walking around Boston today, trying to find a pillow, and... I walked into the Mattress Discount Store. The owner ended up offering me two pillows for two tickets-- and I think I got the good end of the deal--those tempur-pedic pillows are EXPENSIVE! So, Mattress Discount Guy? Are you here? This next song is a lullaby, dedicated to you-- because now I can... SNOR-AH."
She proceeded to sing Rosie's Lullaby from the new album.It was like a dream.This guitar is called her little red monster. This is the entrance to the bathroom. The yellow intrigued me.The Handsome Band, her accompanists, were incredible.
A perfect fit with her style, and full of soul themselves. graceful composed funny sweet likealeaftwirlingintheairIt was magical. That's my beloved Polaroid that I'm holding.
Yet again, another perfectly timed shot by my dad :)

The photo I took right after: (this was when we scoped out the Orpheum during the afternoon before the show)

The Orpheum Theater in Boston was an absolutely perfect location for Norah's style. The whole concert was so mellow, so low-key, so perfect. It was exactly as I had envisioned. She had little quirky things that she did, for instance-- she brought out a small toy piano and played it during one of the songs. She whistled during Little Room, which I was excited about. Her red dress was very cute. Her voice is absolutely beautiful in person. She shines.

Oh, the opener, M Ward was incredible too. If you love Norah, you'll love him too.


[ Our day was packed

I have been changed

Full of soul and depth

Norah is beautiful

I'll tell you more later

Becuase right now, its

bed time.]

Day 33333: I'm a peach?

- Oh honey. Thank you. You're a peach. (after I... helped him with trash that was not going in the trash can or something)
-- No, look at her hat! She's a lemon.
- I think she looks like a peach. YOU'RE A PEACH!
-- But the HAT! She's a lemon. YOU LOOK LIKE A LEMON.

This is what happens on the streets of Boston at 11pm when you pass a group of 10+ college guys who are walking out of a bar.

I bought Polaroids this morning, after finally finding a shop that had some. Polaroid art is so much fun for me.

1. taken at the Museum of Modern Art

2. Brady and I. Oops, not his most flattering photo. We're all human though. We all blink. A big plus that you can't see: he had on red shoes.
3. After NY this morning and afternoon, we took the train to...BOSTON! Okay, backtracking here-- this is a man that we met at the museum.Me+the statue of liberty, again. I had to get a closer look at the woman.Brady, do something other than smile. Hurry! Now!
He was in NYC to photograph an engagement session, so we met for lunch and went to the museum to see a great great great Jeff Wall (famous photographer) exhibit. It was so much fun! Okay, I guess I'm not going in order today...
Scenery from the train again!
I decided as a result of the train ride that I would like to live in Connecticut or Boston. I need to have amazing trees in my backyard, a lime green house, rusty pieces of metal laying around, a farm next door, and my own garden. Upon hearing this dream, my dad promptly reminded me of the snow that arrives for half the year, and that is when I decided that I actually DO love California. Maybe Portland or Seattle would be a good compromise? Who knows. All I know is that this side of our country is enchanting.Oh my. Let me tell you: my dad is the master at getting good deals on hotels. We are at the Intercontinental, a new hotel directly on the Boston Harbor. Our room is on the top floor at the corner-- overlooking the city, and is has a stunning view. Both hotels had down comforters and pillows. And everything is square (and beautifully lit and designed). Modern. Sleek. Lovely.
Today marked THE best dinner to date. We ate at three restaurants. All Italian. All incredible. I forget all of their names. DANG IT!
Place 1: we had caprice salad, and pasta with WILD BOAR. Amazingly enough, the boar was actually delicious, and more importantly-- the atmosphere was perfect.
Place 2: the best gelato I've had since I went to Italy 3 years ago.
Place 3: THE best espresso I've ever ever ever ever ever ever had. We're going again for breakfast. It has been open since EIGHTEEN TWENTY. That's...one hundred and ninety three years. WHAT??! Thank you Lord for culture and history infiltrating a place. In Orange County we have... a lot of...Starbucks'??

My dad's parting words as he drifted to sleep tonight (he's the master at falling asleep fully clothed, tv blasting, lights on, sitting upright): "Shannon this will be the last day in our LIVES that we go to sleep without having seen Norah face to face."

Can't wait for tomorrow! NORAH I'M COMING...!!

Are my posts too confusing?
I'm trying to give you the feeling of navigating yourself through a city that you are unfamiliar with. Back and forth, in circles, running, needing coffee, being cold, oops, I though I was just there... UM SIR? WHERE'S THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART. No the Museum of Natural History is not going to do. I want the museum of Modern... ART.



Shoot I just added to the mix.

Day 2: the myth is false!*

Alert!
When it rains in New York, dead umbrellas will be found frequently.

In other news, we visited Ground Zero. I cried during the tour-- it was done by a woman who had lost her husband on 9/11. We actually spent quite a bit of time today learning about the attacks from September 11th. There is a tribute gallery that we went to that has so much to look at and experience-- footage, photographs, stories, debris... I was so struck by the community that was instantly formed to help victims and to help care for the firefighters and other workers.
I'm not sure how to end this portion.

Words in memory of a woman who died in the south tower
On a completely different note (we did a really wide array of things today!), we went to the Chelsea district and saw lots of art show openings! This one we had to climb 7 flights of stairs to get to, and it was....painted skateboards.
Some texture love

Some subway loveMy dad, gleaming and looking wonderfulDad, did you TRY to take the picture at the worst possible moment?Hello, yellow pylon.
the Empire State building

*New Yorker's aren't rude! The people here are so helpful, talkative, interesting, friendly...

Case and point:
1. We get around by asking people where to go. So far, all we've received is help help help! For instance, today we asked a man where the subway was, and he told us that walking would be faster than taking the subway, and walked AN ENTIRE MILE with us to Times Square. Mind you, he was going there too-- but on the way there he talked with us, showed us little NY secrets, and made sure we knew where we were going once we had to part ways!
2. Our tour of Ground Zero-- our tourguide was incredibly sweet. I might be a bit biased because her name was Shannon, she was from California, she had short brown hair, and she was an artist, but hey. To me she was nice, and to me, she proved that New Yorkers are lovely people.
3. We met with John Silvis, the director of NYCAMS, (an art program I hope to go to next spring), and he had lunch with us, gave us a tour of their gallery and studio space, and even walked us down to the subway and made sure we got on the correct train! Now that's nice.

The people. I'm sold. I love this city.

I leave you with this:
Me-- Dad, isn't it cool that they gave us apples as we checked in to the hotel?
Dad-- Duh Shan, it's because its the big APPLE.

Day 1: It's SO bright...!

Seriously. SO BRIGHT. Brighter than the picture above.
We were blinded.
I never knew that one city could have so many huge panels of light screaming at you to buy things. My oh my. I was startled multiple times when ads would come onto screens. I'm such a tourist.

On another note, I like this man plus the twigs. I am in love with the trees here, in all their curly bare dry loveliness.
Our hotel RULES! If I were to be embodied into a hotel (...??), I would be the Mela. I mean, their colors are grey and green for crying out loud. Plus they have splashes of color all over the place. And the elegant beads and textures make my heart melt. My oh my oh my-- I am in heaven! They even have good lotion and shampoo (I'm a lifer due to this addition), and they have good lighting. A big priority on my list. I hate bad lighting, and I refuse to turn on the overhead lighting in my dorm room, because it lowers my morale. Anyway, back to the hotel: they gave us APPLES when we arrived. It made my life complete. Me and my dad!
We are having so much fun already,
and we have only been here for six hours :)One of my New York questions.
Why do we have so much trash everywhere?
Why is this a good idea?

Look at my dad's photo skills:

shutter drag and everything! Wahoo!
Jacket: Blaire's
Bag: Blaire's
Scarf: Blythe's
I am a Christmas tree.
I would have been an icicle without these.
I am so sensitive to cold. I know, lame, but, its true.Can I just say this: I have the coolest dad. He kept wanting to explore, and he found us the BEST places to eat. We had some fantastic cheesecake...I am so, so, so full!
Oh no--there's no more! Okay, that means... bed time. Well, reading time or something-- because I'm not on eastern time yet, so its 230am and I'm wiiiide awake.

On the agenda for tomorrow:
the Chelsea district
the Statue of Liberty
A good breakfast
Dinner at this cute place next to our hotel
Coffee
Smiling

The east coast is now my friend.
- Shannon Charissa Leith

the east coast + me

I leave in a few hours...
AND I'M JUST SO PUMPED!

I fly into New York, stay there until Friday, take a train to Boston, see Norah, love life, and look at lots of art.

It is going to be a fantastic, amazing, lovely trip, and if you would like to vicariously live though me, I'll be posting some photos and excerpts from our travels :) I am assuming there will be mini-catastrophes, wondrous beauties to share, some photographs (I've got my Polaroid armed and ready), and little thoughts to convey.

SHAN TAKES THE EAST COAST: day zero.

I have so many jackets and scarves and gloves I will hopefully not get frostbite. Thank you to the Bl's: Blaire and Blythe-- for supplying me with all of my winter clothing needs. I am but a poor soul from Canada who exchanged all of hers for tank tops and sandals upon moving to the sunny state of California.

I am anticipating lots of coffee drinking.
Not sure how that relates, but hey. I love love love coffee.

Easter Bonnets

My mom is really into holidays.

Background info on her holiday loving: for Christmas she numbers our gifts and has a categorized, coded master-list that she refers to throughout the present opening process-- and for Halloween she dresses up as a senile old woman and pretends its Christmas--forcing the kids to sing Christmas carols. For Easter, she still has us do an egg hunt.
Now, I have 3 brothers and 1 sister, all younger-- but we range in age from 13 to 20-- we're not small anymore. Imagine us all lined up, listening to the elaborate system she had created:

You can only take 1 of the big colorful eggs, but there is one extra so whoever gets that one is lucky, but make sure everyone else has one first. Oh- and there is only 2 chocolate caramel eggs per person, but the laffy taffy and jolly ranchers are unlimited, and so are the sweet tarts. Everyone understand?


The funny part about her explanations was that all the candy was out in the open. Nothing was really....hidden. When she told us we were allowed to GO (keep in mind: we're ages 13-20...), the boys just got competitive and bolted across the yard to collect all the treats they'd be eying while the rules were being stated.Oh, I forgot: we all got easter "bonnets". Oh my gosh. I am laughing as I write this. We all had to wear the hats for a picture, then they transformed into our candy gathering baskets. Mom, you're a hoot. The guy 2 from the right is Jesse-- Ryan's friend.



Heather Ryan Jason Me Jesse Carson

Ryan got quite protective of his collection, to the point of hitting other people and stealing their candy when they weren't looking.

Heather and I :) Us girls have to stick together.
She's the one with the witty, amazing blog.

Don't my mom and Heather look exactly alike?

I like to annoy Ryan by jumping onto his back.

He really really hates it. I really really love it.
Jason: the classic middle-child. Live somewhere other than California?
These are Birds of Paradise, and they're all over the place.My house!Carson, my rock star brother.

My my my. We all decided that this Easter has been our favorite so far. We all made fun of it, but secretly loved it. ;)

A nice dirty wall

It's Spring Break! Which means...I'm going to Boston and New York soon!! It also means-- lunch with my mom, and dinner with Blythe.

My mom and I went to Rutabegorz, one of my new favorite restaurants. "Where everything is homemade". Perfect! They have locations in Old Town Orange, Fullerton and Tustin. If you live nearby, it will be a lovely experience for you. I guarantee.

After lunch we went to Out of Vogue-- the most eclectic little vintage shop where I bought a chair. I have a vision for it sitting next to the sink in the kitchen in my apartment next year.

Blythe was kind enough to come all the way to Biola to hang out last night. We realized we hadn't seen each other in a month. We had a great time at Buca di Beppo, an amazing Italian restaurant. I had a gift certificate that had been sitting around for 6 months.
I bet you're just dying to see the chair, eh?

Blythe Blythe Blythe Blythe Blythe Blythe Blythe Blythe
iloveyou

...

MOCKtail

Ellen and Ashley {ahh! shoot! i don't have one of Ashley.} had a Mocktail Party last weekend-- complete with fake toasts. We had to pull phrases out of a jar and incorporate them into the toast!

Cory giving THE world's funniest toast.
He had to sing.
{woops! sorry for writing that one ;)}
- doesn't his paisley tie RULE?

Ha, awkward picture of El and Em.

Aww, Rachel. YES!

Emily- "I can make the noise with my lipring!!"

What a funnnn night.
Thanks El and Ash!

Ellen!

Here's a few photos from a Senior photoshoot with Ellen!

Our afternoon was full of energy, extremely hilarious moments, and great conversation-- we went to Old Town Orange, one of the most antiquey places in Southern California. Its practically a rainbow.

El! Lay down by the arrow!
El ROCKED at doing very spontaneous, very perfect poses for each photo.
We're going to be apartment-mates next year :)

Morning Bliss

Each month, Denise and I take the Max to LA for a morning adventure.
For March's excursion, we went to Melrose to shop at the best vintage stores!

Advice:
- Don't arrive at 10am. Store owners party the night before and come to work between eleven and one. Or whenever their hangover wears off.
2. Thrift stores on Melrose: not cheap. Do you want to pay $55 for a plain yellow tshirt that is thin, pilly, and has holes in it? Me neither.
3. Pay for your parking meter
4. That dress in the window that you waited until the store opened at 1 for? Woops-- its as thin as tissue paper. Might as well wear it as an under-dress.
5. When did I start numbering?
- you can get your hair cut at a place with no walls! Intrigued? I'm going there this month. Haircuts are like therapy for me, mixed with an art project. I wish I could get my hair cut every week.
- The stores are painted beautiful colors. Photographers: this is a great place for a photo-session! ie: the green above.

To my women: the morning with you was fantastic!

{Taking it to the Max, for 2 more exciting months}
Shannon Leith

The Orange Design

This is the second poster:

{small little detail}

Made from:
photocopy of a roll of electrical tape and a clear bottle
photocopy of a bag
a scan of feathers of a cartoon bird
that funny vicks vapo rub can from here
the letter O
lines