Wander Sphere

This past Sunday, I spent the day at Art Mart at the Bath House Cultural Center. A nice perk: being steps away from the shore of White Rock Lake! And what a great time of year - cool temperatures, warm hues of leaves on the ground and in the trees, cloudy skies with a little bit of light rain. Very cozy, indeed.

I kept my sister company at her booth, and yes, I also took a look around at the other vendors, coming home at the end of the day with two necklaces, a pair of leg warmers, two buttons and a hand-decorated Christmas ornament. Not bad for one day at a local art trade show!

...is the tagline of the new Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA). Hmm, let's work on digesting this. First, the backstory behind today's events:

Last year, I had such a great time exploring the Dallas Arts District that I decided to do part of it again. Today, I returned to the DMA and had a great time exploring the permanent collection galleries. After a couple hours marveling at Pacific, Asian and African art exhibits, I took a lunch break at the Atrium Cafe. While chowing down my chicken salad sandwich, I saw a sign that the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit opened on November 13...which was today. The exhibit was right across from the cafe, so I figured, "Why not!".

I stepped into the first room of the exhibit and my retinas were forever changed. Fashion overload.

Fabulous? Fierce? Eclectic? ...Strange? Perhaps all of the above. Check out the exhibit and decide for yourself. It is definitely high fashion - meticulously constructed and very imaginative. And yes, very weird.

I honestly don't even know where to start describing what I saw because it was so overwhelming. And unfortunately, the museum prohibits photography in the special exhibits. In spite of this disappointing set back, I will do my best to describe a few of the stand out (amongst an exhibit full of "stand out") elements of the exhibit.

I have to say off the bat that the mannequins were a little bit creepy. Instead of the regular mannequins you see in your local retail store, the mannequins in this exhibit had people faces (via digital imaging)...and they talked. But so many of the mannequins talked at once, so it was a little bit difficult to understand what any of them said.

Also at the exhibit: a couple of pop star Madonna's iconic corsets from the late 80s/early 90s (that John Paul Gaultier designed, of course) and video of scenes from the movie "The Fifth Element" (oh yeah, I guess he designed costumes for that movie, too). The "punk" looks were almost too much to handle (especially with the Amy Winehouse music playing in the background). I did see one really cool dress where the fabric and the bracelets looked like strips of film - very cute and creative.

There were also plenty of gorgeous dresses on display were you could tell that a tremendous amount of work went into their construction - the sheer attention to detail. In fact, I think the same could be same of the set up for the exhibit as well. They really transformed that space from the last special exhibit I saw at the DMA, which focused on the history of photography in Normandy.

If you're at the DMA some time in the next couple of months, I would definitely recommend checking out the John Paul Gaultier exhibit. The flashy TV screens and the high fashion cowboy and cowgirl statues at the entrance to the exhibit are hard to miss. I'm sure I will probably go a second time...because I am fascinated.

I know, I know. I am composing four posts in one day trying to wrap up a trip I returned from...a few weeks ago. That's what happens when you wait to do all your photo editing and blogging after a trip instead of a little bit each day along the way while you are on the road. Lesson learned: next time, the laptop needs to be my traveling companion just as much as my DSLR camera and tan suitcase.

I wish I could dive more deeply into the rest of the trip, but if I did so, by the time I finish, I may find myself a year or two from now back in Southern California...and so the cycle of unfinished posts would go. Already in the nearly three weeks since I returned from Southern California, there have been a lot of changes, crazy schedules and epiphanies about future plans and projects, so I am eager to fast forward to what is to come. Here's my final wrap up of my fabulous week-and-a-half in Southern California last month:

Does anyone remember the first few posts that I composed on this blog two-and-a-half years ago? That's right: they focused on recapping a recent trip to Southern California, much like the one I took just a few weeks ago. Here I am now: full circle. I had a good time on the trip the first time, but at the time, I was only just beginning the process of a major life transformation.

In February 2009, I was 23 years old, my internship had just come to its scheduled end, my left arm was still healing from a kitchen accident that caused 1st and 2nd degree burns, and I was still feeling lost in a familiar city (I had lived in Dallas my whole life, but everything felt so different after being away at college in California for four years). I came to Southern California during this time to reconnect with my recent past - my college days. The freedom felt incredible and scary all at the same time. Here I was, a young recent college graduate trying to figure out her next move amidst what has been described as the worst recession since the Great Depression. I will forever remember sitting on the beach in L.A. feeling unsure of my next move in life, but feeling so glad to be free and in the moment at that very spot.

In mid-August 2011, when I first reached the beach at Santa Monica (close to where I had been two-and-a-half years prior), I must admit, I teared up a bit. Not tears of sadness though. I felt incredible gratefulness and pride to be able to come back to that same spot under different life circumstances - a little bit older, a little bit wiser. Today, I have a full-time job, I did actually start and continue this travel blog, I've traveled to new places (New York, Vancouver, San Francisco, etc). It has not been an easy road, of course - I would love to be able to afford to live in my own apartment by myself...as soon as I pay off my student loans. Nonetheless, I am happy to have the opportunities that I currently have in my life, and my most recent trip to L.A./San Diego was all the sweeter because I could really enjoy and appreciate even more than ever how much hard work it took to get there.

In a nutshell, my time in L.A. and San Diego last month was nothing short of bliss. Usually on a trip, there might be at least one or two minor things that go wrong (a delayed plane, bad weather, etc). Not this time. Luckily, I had a completely drama-free experience this time. I spent most of my time in L.A. relaxing on the beach, exploring my favorite spots (like the Santa Monica Pier, the Venice, Hollywood, etc) and shopping along the 3rd Street Promenade.

In San Diego, I spent some very nice quality time with family, shopping for clothes (which I found many, including a great new red hat!), breakfast in the Little Italy neighborhood of downtown San Diego (which is a really neat little area, by the way), taking pictures at the San Diego Zoo, and much more. I'm very grateful to my family out there who are always wonderful hosts and very caring, supportive individuals.

There is a line in the movie "A Good Year" where Russell Crowe's character says something to the effect of his fondest memories took place within a thousands steps of this spot. This sentiment easily applies to how I feel about the L.A./San Diego area. Everywhere I go around there, a thousand memories come back to me, and I feel a big smile cross my face as I relive those fond memories all over again.

I am curious what I will write about where I am in my life the next time I visit the Southern California area. I can't say for sure when will be the next time I visit. Two-and-a-half years seems way too long to wait. Yet, I also have a strong desire to visit other parts of the world as well. Only time will tell what I decide to do next.

It is the Disneyland of the animal kingdom: the one and only San Diego Zoo. And yes, it is just as great and even exceeds its reputation as one of the best zoos in the country.

I had a special interest in visiting the San Diego Zoo during my most recent trip to SoCal not only because it had been a few years since my last visit, but also because I wanted to try out my DSLR camera. Here are some of the most photogenic inhabitants:

The Amtrak train from L.A. to San Diego is by far the one of the most scenic and convenient transportation methods between cities in Southern California. First of all, both cities' train stations are gorgeous. Check out L.A.'s Union Station:

A few other perks of the system: lower cost (only $30-something dollars one-way versus...well, do you really want to find out how much a one-way airline ticket anywhere would cost?), less check-in hassle (check a bag if you need to and arrive at least 30 minutes prior to your train's departure time...then just walk to the track when you're train is called), sit where you like (the couple of times I've ridden the train from L.A. to San Diego, I just bought the basic, unreserved seat ticket and I had no problem finding a window seat and the rest of the row to myself), scenic beach views of southern Orange County/northern part of San Diego County (aren't you glad you have that window seat to yourself now!).