Balloon twisting art: One way to connect with the world

by Jamie Rhein on

I thought I was finished with posts on balloon twisting until I watched Ori Livney’s commercials. Livney who fashions the balloon dresses I wrote about among other things, as covered on his Web site, has taken a passion and turned it into a venue where he travels the world by sharing his craft. The commercials were for Orange Cellular, an Israeli company. If you’ve ever seen award-winning commercials, I can’t imagine why these wouldn’t be contenders.

You can read about the commercials, sure. But, I think it’s much better to see the real ones. Here’s the first. For the second, continue onto the next page. Turn up the sound. You don’t need it, but it adds to the fun.

Here is the second one. On his Web site Livney mentioned that the balloons couldn’t be blown up far in advance because they don’t work as well. This is some fast action.

Another Mardi Gras dress option: Leave pins at home

by Jamie Rhein on

Justin presented a handy guide to how to dress for Mardi Gras, stay stylish, but leave your good clothes at home. If you’re interested in really standing out in a crowd, consider a balloon dress. I’d plan carefully what you have on underneath since I can’t imagine an outfit less practical. But isn’t this fun? I was on the lookout for these when I wandered onto the Balloon Twister’s Convention and kept on looking. The browsing led me to “Balloon Fashion” and this dress featured in the photo.

This “dragon dress” is the creation of Ori Livney, a balloon artist who has been blowing up balloons and twisting them magically into fanciful items for 10 years. People hire him to design dresses for special events and parties, plus he has a whole range of other things he creates, some have been featured in two commercials. He developed his balloon twisting art into a full time profession. Livney gives a glimpse of how these dresses are made on his Web site, “Balloon Fashion.” There are other styles to choose from.

Photo of the Day (1/30/08)

by Jamie Rhein on

This is one of those shots that a person could write a poem about. Themes of gazing, wondering, majesty, left vs right, looking out from within. Windows as metaphor. Mountains as metaphor. Crossroads. What is this person thinking? I love the up close details of the cathedral in contrast to the person in shadows. This shot was taken by jitsu in Ecuador, although there are not specific details listed.

Here is a writing exercise. Start off with “I gaze through the window…” or “I watch from the shadows…” now write for five minutes without stopping. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar, just keep writing and see what comes out. This technique is patterned after writer Natalie Goldberg’s methods. She wrote the book Writing Down the Bones, among others. Share if you want.

If you have a photo to share, post it at Gadling’s Photo Pool on Flickr and it might get chosen for Photo of the Day.

2008 wacky festival calendar

by Abha Malpani on

There’s nothing like a list of bizarre yet totally real festivals that are locally and/or nationally celebrated around the world. So if you have a strange travel fetish for all things beckoning yet bonkers, The Australian’s list might just help you finalize your year’s plans:

  • 26 January, Brisbane — World Cockroach Championships: I’m not sure I’ve heard of anything madder. The Story Bridge Hotel has been running this for the last 26 years; maybe something to tag for next year if you’re on that side of the Pacific.
  • 2-6 February, Rio De Janeiro — Carnival: The savage 4-day samba festival that we all know about.
  • January-April, Japan — “Hanami” parties celebrating cherry blossom time.
  • 22 March, India — Holi:(am inserting this one in from my end!) Holi celebrates the beginning of Spring and is played nationwide by throwing water, color and varnish on everyone you know and see; alcohol is drunk and opium is consumed throughout the country on this day. Well worth scheduling into your India trip.
  • 13-15 April, Thailand — Songkran Water Festival: Similar to Holi, but just involves drenching people with water.
  • 26 May, Gloucester, England — Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake: People race down a slope in pursuit of a 4kg slab of Gloucester cheese. Huh?
  • 22 June, Derbyshire, England — World Toe Wrestling Championship: I suppose it’s like thumb wrestling, but with a MUCH higher level of difficulty. What do I hear? You’ve never thumb wrestled?!
  • 7-14 July, Pamplona, Spain — Bull running festival: Bulls are let out to run on the streets, accompanied by locals; the run is full speed and only lasts a few minutes.
  • 27 August, Bunyol, Spain — Tomatina: People spend an hour throwing tomatoes at each other from trucks that bring in 40,000 kilos of them. Clothes get ripped off, eyes get red from the acid, body gets bruised because not all tomatoes are nice and soft!
  • 20 September – 5 October, Munich, Germany — We all know about Oktoberfest!
  • October, Toronto, Canada — World Rock Paper Scissor Championships! This game is often taken seriously in decision making processes, so I suppose a championship of the same shouldn’t be surprising!
  • 7-13 November, Pushkar, India — Camel Fair: 50,000 camels are decorated, shaved, raced and traded alongside donkeys, cattle and horses.
  • 29 December-2 January, Scotland — The Scots indulge in unique ways (dog sled races, torch-light processions) of bringing in the new year with their Hogmanay celebrations.

For full festival details and links, check out The Australian.

I’m sure there are a zillion more quirky festivals world round. They are normally celebrated on a small scale, so we don’t often get to hear about them. Any you’d like to share?

Superbowl Sunday in Phoenix with the corporate crowd: How is a jet like a donut?

by Jamie Rhein on

Reading about the lavishness of life for the Superbowl crowd who heads to Phoenix on Superbowl weekend makes me think of jets and donuts.

I’ve tended to pick jobs where free donuts are a treat. With coffee and half and half instead of creamer, it’s a celebration. Throw in pizza for lunch and it’s a holiday. I think perhaps I’ve aimed a bit low. But, don’t get me wrong, I love the jobs I’ve chosen. I just notice the contrasts between donuts and a corporate jet. Donuts are round for one thing–even the part that’s the hole.

For those who work in high flying corporate America a celebration is a different scene entirely. This scene is where the jets come in. According to this New York Times article, as of last Friday, 400 private jets filled with people are scheduled to land in Phoenix for the weekend to take in the excitement of being at the Superbowl. Many of the jets are chartered by companies looking to show their clients (and themselves) a good time. Others are jets owned by the companies. This is 50% more private jet traffic than last year.

Sixty thousand dollars equals 10 hours worth of jet travel, in case that sounds like a good time to you and you may want to rent a big jet yourself. Car rentals look cheap now, don’t they? Throw in a three-night-stay in a hotel and we’re talking serious cash. Three nights at the Ramada in Phoenix over the weekend is $2,382.78–and that’s the least expensive.

For those of us in the donut eating crowd, while we’re eating our glazed version of a good time, chew slowly and think about how long it’s going to take for all the private jets to leave Phoenix. It’s going to take awhile–longer than it takes to eat a donut. Some people may even have to hang out on a runway for awhile. Even money can’t speed up air traffic. How is a jet like a donut? It’s not.