OhJoy!!! The coast-crossing edition

7th July 2011

I start off this list by informing fellow summer participants of the very obvious. Its hot outside. I got to New York the other day, to be reminded of the humid east coast summers. The weather is trying to take advantage of me, and its working. Its as if I got off the plane to receive a big wet sweaty hug from nature, and two days later its got me striped down to my lady clothes hoping that if I stare at the fan for long enough, the speed will magically increase.

The sick part is that I love this. The humid summers are the reason my friends and I can sit at the park and watch girls in mini skirts jump rope until their underwear is fully exposed for a mid-air second. They are the cause for the most refreshing freezing cold showers that I find myself craving 3 times a day. They’re the excuse for semi-necessary stop at ice cream trucks.

Living in Florida for some of my childhood, I have a slight immunity to this kind of heat. I don’t seem to sweat quite as much as the people around me. I like to think that summer has given me an anti-sweating superpower.

So basically what I’m saying is that I love New York in the summertime because it makes me feel like a superhero….yea. Thats about right.

Heres some other things I love:

real life killer B’s!

tiny well contained fires

tiny well contained deserts

utter slaughtering of knock knock jokes

friends that make you go from sad to glad

simplified messages

Los Angeles creek views. Compared to some places, its nice.

Fases silly faces

a perfect stack of pancakes

when people opt for glasses over contacts.

Watching free movies in the park

the Mary Blair exhibit in Disneyland

Colin Newmans dancing skills

being reunited with Charlie!

Walks so long that they baffle Google

walking barefoot! (congratulations to Matt for capturing the illusive barefooted otter-woman in the wild)

The term Jerkface

playing dress up in the middle of the day

This city. I love this city more than ham.

Celling Myself Short

5th July 2011

I’ve found that I usually carry 3 cameras with me at all times.

a DSLR
Polaroid
iPhone

I hate to say it, but sometimes my phone (with the help of Instagram) takes some pretty decent photos. Sure, they all capture a moment in a different way. They all convey a different feeling, when I look back on the moment. A shot from my DSLR makes every moment seem dramatic and rich. On the other hand, a polaroid makes a moment more personal and difficult to convey in the straight forward way that my DSLR can.

The photos from my iPhone are unique. They display an image in a way that is new and different and so easy to manipulate without very much effort at all. Its the quickest camera to whip out and also the least intrusive. People don’t tense up in front of a cell phone the way they do a camera. And beyond that, its sometimes fun to be able to see what I’m about to take a photo of without pressing my eye against a view finder.

I have a growing archive of cell phone photos that remind me of a moment that would otherwise be lost in my memory of a larger picture of the day or week or month. I feel like, good or bad, these little things in life usually keep us moving forward. Heres some cell phone images that I’ve taken that have done just that, through out the month of June.

First row: 1) Passing a closed down business on my way to work 2) cutting lumber inside of an room mean wearing a mask to stop me from inhaling wood particles. Thats right, lung infesting termites. Go fuck yourselves 3) After months of trying to hunt down the Lake Street Creamery ice cream truck, I finally got to try donut ice cream…followed directly by the California Zephyr ice cream which I liked better. Don’t judge me. I was a depressed girl! A fat depressed girl.

Second row: 1) After seeing Scribes art opening at 1988 Gallery I woke up to find this little momento tagged on the inside of my cigarette pack 2) One of my favorite things about Oaks coffee, is their blank cups. AJ drew this gem for me 3) Smo is an amazing animator who, while visiting me in Los Angeles, took a tour of his companies west coast studio, Titmouse.

Third Row: 1) AJ and I woke up at an ungodly hour and began to walk around Los Angeles making a stop into California Doughnuts. Worst coffee ever. If you urinate in it, it may be bearable, though. 2) There was about 2 days where my life looked this organized. 3) Does this really need an explanation? Because I don’t have one for it.

First row: 1) Matt and I went to Disney. He taught me that if I stopped moving out of the way for people, that they will usually move out of the way for me! This theory excludes small children. 2) A week full of taking the train in Los Angeles was fine, until my New York based boss mentioned “Isn’t it strange that they would build an underground system in a place prone to earthquakes?” 3) We were all trapped in a box on a different coast

Second Row: 1) aj. swingers. yes. 2) There was a professional leg waxing session in my kitchen. 3) Lurking on my friend as he did an interview before a show

Third row: 1) Jim drew himself, Gum, Rachel, and I during a debate about the Robocop statues significance on Detroits tourism. Serious issues, as always 2) Rachel and I finally made it to the Fairfax Trading Post after months of failed planing 3) Smo drooling coffee from inside Iron Man

oh Joy! (the I’m-Way-Behind edition)

30th June 2011

Sometimes, I just feel like everything in life is going horribly wrong. Then, I’ll look back on photos, drawing, ticket stubs, videos, and I’m quickly reminded that its not so bad. I haven’t shared one of these lists in weeks, but I’m bringing it back as a reminder that i don’t need to get so down on myself. These are the things in life that matter and make me happy:

drawing with friends outside on nice days

clouds that form like polka dots

Roaming through dollar stores

sitting on ledges

Tall people jumping! It looks like someone set loose a wacky-waving-inflatable-arm-man

Ice cream from the cone, on hot days

Hug attacks! You know, when someone runs up and hugs you before you have time to react?

being high up in the mountain during the sunset

Amoeba records

walkingThe Griffith Observatory. (photo by Matt Novak)

going to small shows in unusual places

letting things go instead of taking them to heart

Milkshakes. Particularly the rocket shake from Swingers. (chocolate ice cream, a shot of espresso, and ground coffee beans)leaving secret notes

when things in real life are comparable to cartoons

saving paper in resourceful ways

talking to ominous looking gentlemen in the middle of the night

bringing my imaginary friends out to lunch

Eyebrow whiskers.

Quesadillas! Its like a mexican grilled cheese sandwich.

surprisingly large suitcases

Belated birthday adventures at Disneyland

sitting in the grass

Thing in odd places. This whale appears to be in a jungle

being flashed by coffee

Buying new reading glasses along side a new book.

always having hot sauce in my purse. (illustration by Jim Mahfood)

Dancing badly

Other honorable mentions:

When my phone replaces something as sad as the term “passed on” with “lasagna”
ear buds that stay in my ears
Going to In n Out and asking for “the finest hats you have, kind sir”
Pilot razor point pens
Sitting in church yards with a bottle of Jameson, talking and loosing concept of time
Places that serve drinks with crushed ice
Sarah Vowels voice
Soy angeleno from Intelligentsia
“I would girlfriend the fuck out of you”
Cheers on Netflix
Shellac: Terraform
Bars that serve popcorn

All photos by Chloe Rice, unless otherwise noted

Men Are From Mars, Men Are From Venus

26th June 2011

Dearest Mitch and Cam,

I’m sure that you’ve heard the news that New York has legalized gay marriage. Isn’t that exciting?!

Although I am living in Los Angeles, much like you guys, I’m a very proud New Yorker at the moment! Now, I know that you only exist through television, but you are my favorite gay couple and if the passed prop convinces you to go up to New York to take the plunge, then please allow me to accompany you, show you the sites, and arrange the entire ceremony.

Today is the gay pride parade in the city and by being in California, I’m missing out on taking some really amazing photos. Don’t let me miss the chance to take some amazing wedding photos, as well.

your friend,

Chloe

This letter was addressed to the characters in ABC’s program Modern Family.

The One For Me, Fatty

16th June 2011

Family Portrait at EJs in New York

A few months back, my stick thin friend AJ and I began a cruel joke. Calling each other fat. There was songs, pinched cheeks, and chubby jokes thrown around daily.

It got to the point where he would show up to where we worked, with breakfast for me. A thoughtful gesture to an unassuming outsider. An evil tempting trick, to us. I would slowly chew on half of a delicious doughnut while giving a toothy grinning AJ my most intense death stare.

I just spent two weeks with AJ visiting me in Los Angeles. The goal was to try to prove to him that it wasn’t as horrible as his east coast mind thought it was. I thought of all my favorite places I could show him around to. The thing is, other than Amoeba and the park that I walk around in, all I was left with was a list of my favorite diners and restaurants.

AJ’s vacation soon became an extension of my end of the fat jokes. Payback for the endless breakfast that fueled my days, back in New York.

Feeding Fase

I began to document all of the places we were going for meals. He began to catch on. We found the humor in this ongoing joke and I’m glad I have photos to prove it.

There’s something about having a meal with AJ that seems to open up the flood gates of deep conversations. A bowl of grits and a cup of coffee was typically accompanied with a personal therapy session, a page or two filled in a sketch book, and collaborative ideas for how to remain creative while affording to live.

Just two starving artist, bonding over fat jokes and a medium rare burger.

I took AJ to the airport this morning at an hour too early to make him grab breakfast with me. I didn’t see the point in getting eating alone so its back to my lonely days of coffee and cartoons until next time I see him.

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