Damn you Phil!!!

If only I were home right now. I would have made the trip to Punxsutawny, the weather capital of the world,  to visit everyone's favorite groundhog. Unfortunately we will have a long winter, THANKS PHIL, but who could hate that lovable guy? A couple years ago it became a tradition in my house to stick out watching the 4 hour long televised celebration, due to its absolute insanity (i.e. out of sync high school dance troupes and  interviews with the "Inner Circle" which includes members with the titles of "Stump Warden" and "Thunder Conductor"). Here is a glimpse into some of the festivities, specifically apparel:

 

www.groundhogstuff.com

I'm sure within the next couple months, hipsters everywhere will be sporting this.

Okay, I couldn't do much better than that aside from a rhinestone paw shirt, which I refuse to post.

Another order of business. Go buy new The Magnetic Fields album, Realism. Now (even if Pitchfork only gave it a 6). Favorite tracks include: "You Must Be Out of Your Mind" and "The Dada Polka"

www.stereogum.com

This semester I am taking a Post-war and Contemporary Art History course, regardless if I've only had 2 classes, I feel it is going to be my favorite (Well, Human Sexuality does come close, it's your regular high school sex-ed class, but completely uncensored-- I'm usually bright red the entire time).

What attracts me to art history is not only is it a better version of any history class, but it puts something we see all the time, art, in a true cultural context. When you go to a museum, how long do you stand in front of a painting? What, maybe 30 seconds at most, if it's the Mona Lisa I'll give you 40. Every piece of work and artist has a story, and to have insight to them brings art appreciation to a whole new level. It's funny to think that people go to museums as a recreational activity, but rarely do they know what they are looking at. When people go to, say, a football game, they know exactly what's going on, but at an art museum, even those who have no background can enjoy it.

Fashion is the same, and at an even higher level. Not every day do we face a Fautrier or an Eagles game, but each morning we get dressed. We must face a history regardless if we know it or not. That safari dress you thought was cute at Bloomingdales? Someone didn't just think a khaki dress with buttons down the front would be cute, thank Yves. Everything in your wardrobe was created by someone, some thinker who had an idea and produced it. With our personal aesthetic, we represent someones thoughts. In order to reduce our excessive intake of trends and fast fashion, making an effort to understand the process behind what we wear will help the process to narrow down wardrobes.  Everyone can appreciate fashion, but like art, only until some familiarity with history is achieved can true appreciation occur.