I met Ryan Spencer Reed via Social Media. In a circle of truly magnificent photojournalists and documentary photographers and filmmakers, I continue to see work produced that is changing the face of journalism. It is honest, unbiased, real, truth, and exposing the soul of humanity. Ryan’s work embodies precisely that.
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Fashion Report – Tap into your Gatsby…
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This cast of RENT certainly meets those criteria. The performances were energetic and committed, as was the entire production. This isn’t such a surprise, since the theater group raised crowd-funding money through indiegogo. I fully support crowd-funding as a way to sustain the arts, especially since government funding for projects seem to be ever further away. We may see some disappointments, but most of the time we’ll get art and performances that reflects the full dedication of the artists.
Reagan Osborn grounds the cast in a near-perfect interpretation of Mark Cohen, the play’s narrator. Osborn is a terrific singer and provides a subtle character read. Similar praises go to standout performances from Alli Miller, who plays Maureen to great laughs, but also captures her seductive charisma, as well as the entire back up cast of bohemians, tent city dwellers, and intruding parents. The group of terrific singers and actors made the most of small roles and added their fantastic voices to the lively group numbers.
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“Imagine walking down the street. Your body hugging the very fabric that has become synonymous with every bit of sex appeal and confidence you know is alive and well within. Imagine how good you feel. How the lines of the dress just hang onto your skin as if you have been transformed into the woman you’ve always wanted to be. You are breathtaking, strong, sinfully sexy, and you feel that sudden sense of intrigue: THAT is PinUp Girl Clothing.” – Dawn Garcia
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I’ll admit if you’d asked me to go to a car show a year ago, I’d have wondered if you thought I was replaced with an alien. I know nothing about cars. Really. Nothing. I drive my car to and from work and I bought the most reliable car on the market so I’d never have to think about it. I even bought a hybrid to save on gas. I take it into the dealer for service when the light dings, and pretty much do whatever they tell me.
So when I say I went to a car show, you’ll understand what a huge, monumental step it was. Oh yes. My boyfriend is really into cars. He likes engines and drag racing, and owns a nonworking VW squareback. I am only now starting to be able to comprehend exactly what a squareback might be.
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Wearing his special order bright pink VANS with black eyelets, a soft pink button up, jeans, and a smile that seems to extend to you, Chef Cirkiel is your every day guy with impeccable taste, a hands-on approach to his craft, an eagerness to experiment, a calling to push himself further, a willingness to encourage his staff to be proactive and innovative, and a charm that allows you feel as if you’ve known him for years. Jane readies her camera and we dive right into conversation…
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Austin is a city I have come to adore. The culinary prowess of the chefs, the relaxed and confident vibe that finds it’s way from kitchen to plate, the absence of arrogance, the curiosity of experimentation – it’s what makes Austin, AUSTIN. A landscape I must admit is one of the most colorful in terms of flavor and innovation. While I have posted about the Food & Wine Festival this year, there were moments outside of the Festival where I was able to sit down with so many remarkable chefs and visionaries and do a private tasting. One such tasting was with the Carillon’s Chef, Josh K. Watkins.
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Andrew Zimmern (born July 4, 1961) is an American television personality, chef, food writer, and teacher. He is the co-creator, host, and consulting producer of the Travel Channel series Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern and Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre World. For his work on Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern he was presented the James Beard Foundation Award in 2010. He also hosts the show Dining with Death, which explains some of the foods that could cause death.
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Winflo Osteria Austin – A Brunch That…
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The most notable aspect of the Heywood Hotel is something I genuinely believe that every single Hotel around the world would benefit to mirror: their mini-bar. Their mini-bar has an entire selection and nothing is over $4 and even the bottles of wine are normal range. There is no markup or traditional pricing and honestly, as a person who travels and stays at so many hotels all over, this is by far the most refreshing innovation ever. Kathy not only created a hotel that has incredible decor, exquisite brands – everything is Spa related – the mini-bar is stocked with local and edible fare, bottles of water not more than $2, and somehow you just feel like you are family – she took time in developing the look and feel of a place that is thoughtful, pristine, and suffices every need you could have.
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Today the sun is unrelenting, burning our flesh the moment the yellow burst rises up. As I walk in through the entrance, there sits on the grass a large table with the signature black tablecloth. On it? Stacks and stacks of commemorative glasses for the taking. Shatter-proof and bearing the insignia of the 2013 Austin Food & Wine Festival. Yes, this is the very last day and I look on it with a bit of sadness.
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The day ends and a different kind of Food Event is about to begin. A culinary world, an incredible global community created to support chefs and their passions and push them to be their best – at all times; Something I wholeheartedly subscribe to. While we are flourishing with the Celebrity Chef nuance, I love to see these chefs dig deep and go back to doing what they love most: COOK.
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Austin Food & Wine Festival – Day…
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I have been to Austin twice in my life. This April was the 2nd time. This time I was greeted by familiar faces, succulent food, savory sweets, open minds, exquisite talent, momentous friends, and a slew of food, wine, life, travel, and culture lovers to which degree I have quite possibly never encountered before. Passion and a thirst for life was present more so than I can remember on this wonderful trip to Austin all in the name of the 2013 Austin Food & Wine Festival.
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Hi Fashionistas!
Its another fabulous Fashion Report, and today at Team ALD we are discussing the bright lipstick trend. We love it, and so does our guest blogger, Racquel! Tell her what you think, and tweet @RacquelGrant with the tag #ATODMagz @atasteofdawn
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The dirt rose up around us like steam as we tread through rows of cars with painted windows. The afternoon sun was beating down on our exposed shoulders, but an occasional breeze helped to soothe them from the 97 degree heat, carrying the distant scent of coconut sunscreen, hot grass, and smoke. The mile walk from the day parking lot to the front gates was punctuated by three security checkpoints, passing by fenced off car-camping sites and shuttle bus drop off areas. We had to empty out our water bottles prior to entering, but were informed of the multiple free water refill stations located throughout the grounds, as well as new bottles only costing $2. Also, if you brought 10 empty water bottles to the recycling booth, they would give you a new, cold bottle for free.
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Every so often there is an image that grasps onto me and seeps into the very depths of me…
It’s usually unsuspecting and almost always sheer awakening. I started this new creative endeavor because imagery is one of the most powerful methods of expression. Visuals by way of the snap of the shutter and the playful dance of words. The images chosen in the “Featured Image” posts are by Photographers and Photojournalists I have met and partnered with specifically for this new avenue of creative collaboration.
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On opening night, April 27, The North Plan suddenly became the highlight of my year. The night was chilly, but it did not cool down the fire that erupted inside The Elephant Theatre. The cozy, comfortable stage allowed the audience to get close to the actors and feel the play and experience a night full of laughter and thought.
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Brights and Hues of Gray – Weekly…
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Sake done right.
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Continuing the Coachella love, it’s #TrendsTues! We talked about the MEN for #MANicMonday, now @team_ALD member Jenifer and I talk about what the girls will be wearing for round two this coming weekend! Neon, prints, cropped tops, high shorts, and more.
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This month is all about collectives. Bands are for squares. I mean why bother putting an ad for a bass player in your local rehearsal studio when you can recruit the entire town into your band and preside over it like a cult leader? – And – before you dismiss the whole idea and mutter something about the Polyphonic Spree, rest assured that the current trend of sprawling tribes of musicians are decidedly darker than before. Gone is the saccharine pop and gaggle of grinning misfits in robes…
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But at the same time, I found it very therapeutic. Ish and Phil from William Pilgrim take songwriting and making music to its essence. It seems as if they do not do it for others, but still do to put their art out there for others to hear. Although it may sound selfish, their music is not selfish. They create it for themselves and for others at the same time; that is a truly non-selfish act. I listened to their album prior to the interview, and I listened to their album after the interview with a whole new perspective…
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There is a striking honesty that moves through every image and it’s apparent fearlessness really does incite a rather beautiful curiosity. With images of iconic entertainers like Bono, Lenny Kravitz, Mos Def, Sean Lennon, and Quincy Jones blended with nude that show you the vulnerability, strangeness, fear, sensual prowess, and uncertainty in each of his subjects allows for a familiar raw and primal undertone…
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To further honor his commitment to music and community, Pato was inducted into the Reggae Hall of Fame alongside UB40 and Steel Pulse in 2002. Despite all the achievements, Pato “constantly searches for the truth.” That search for truth led him to the Urantia Book. That is not to say that Pato was not a spiritual person prior to the Urantia Book, but the Urantia Book changed his life because he feels he has found the truth he seeks within the book. His spirituality reveals itself with each answer. And Pato does not hold back from answering any question posed to him…
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