Pure Art

What is Pure Art?  This is a debate that goes on in the minds of artists, authors, and musicians alike.  Many people have different views on what pure art is.  Is it just any new piece of art or composition that's produced?  Does pure art need to be new and unique and stick the rules of culture?  Can pure art break the rules of the standard human understanding of art?  Is there actually any pure art, or do artists just complete pieces to make money and achieve fame?  All valid questions, but what are the answers? 

Simple.  The answer is whatever you want it to be.  In one way or another you are an artist, the answer is whatever you want it to be. 

Saturday Lunch: Aunt Nettie's Kitchen

For our 42nd week having Saturday lunch we went to Aunt Nettie's Kitchen in Spring Grove, Pa.  I have known about this place for a while and have been wanting to go for some time. So today we made the trip there, and it was well worth it.  I had the Club Wrap and it not only my lunch, but will be my dinner as well.  The portions are great for the price of the food and it is nearly all homemade! I suggest trying the club wrap, it had French fries in it!  Or the bacon Mac and cheese burger; it too was delicious, that was what my boyfriend had and he loved it. (The Bacon Mac and Cheese Burger is pictured below).  We will definitely be returning for another visit sometime soon and we both highly recommend Aunt Nettie's Kitchen to anyone.  It is a family owned restaurant  and the service was great, they were extremely attentive and kind.  I would definitely give this restaurant 5/5 stars.

NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel Writing Month and it is fast approaching!  I am very excited to participate this year.  This will be my first year taking part in the month long event, more like a writing marathon.  For those of you who don't know about NaNoWriMo, it is a non-profit organization that encourages creative writing in a fast-paced and fun way.  They run several programs to encourage writing and expanding creativity for all ages.  I support the expansion of creative arts in all forms from a very young age, so I think that NaNoWriMo is a great organization and I am extremely excited to be involved in it this year. 

If you'd like to check out more about NaNoWriMo here is their website:

http://nanowrimo.org/about

Otakon at the Baltimore Convention Center

This past weekend was the Annual Otakon at the Baltimore Convention Center.  I attended this three day event with a group of friends this year.  It was August 8th, 9th, & 10th.  This was my first experience at an event like this and it was very interesting.  There were about 35,000 people at Otakon.

 For those of you who who may not know, Otakon stands for Convention of Otaku Generation.  An Otaku is term for someone who either draws manga (Japanese graphic novels), or someone who is very invested in reading manga or watching anime (Japaneses cartoons). 



At the Convention:

There were a lot of different activities to do at Otakon.  There were many panels and guest speakers, there also a lot of anime viewing sessions.  There were opportunities to get autographs from voice actors and actresses, as well as Maid Cafe Performances.  There was a very large Game Room with a plethora of video games ranging from, Smash Brothers, to Just Dance, to tables set up for playing Magic The Gathering and other card games. 

One of the biggest attractions however, may be the Dealers' Room.  This is an immense room filled with any kind of otaku and gamer merchandise you can think of! There were posters, plushies, stuffed animals, costumes, DVDs, books, comics, wigs, key chains, pillows, t-shirts, and so much more. 

Saturday The Big Cosplay Day:
[Cosplay is when you dress up as a specific character, its a combination of Costume and Role Play]

These two pictures below are one example of just how many people not only attended Otakon but also how many of those people actually dressed  up!  There were all kinds of different costumes as well.  If you look through these photos you can see there were people as Elsa, there is a TinkerBell, there were people from video games such as Final Fantasy and Halo, there were Storm Troopers and Disney Villains and Princesses.  There were also people dressed up as people from more well known animes such as Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Fairytail, and many more. 

 

Here are two examples of some amazing costumes.  One the Left is a very nice Elsa costume, she even has a little Olaf doll.  To the Right is my friend Hannah, she found a picture online and decided that she really wanted to make a costume for; and  right there is the beauty of Otakon.  You can dress up as anyone you want.  You can express your creativity like Hannah did or you can be that Princess you'd love to be like this Elsa cosplayer did.  

 So, if you have any questions about Otakon or want to see more pictures just leave a comment and let me know!

Saturday Lunch Review: Clair's

For week 30 we went to Clair's Family Restaurant for lunch.  It's been around for a while and we finally got to go for our lunch.  We had both been there before but haven't been for quite some time.  The food was very good, the staff was nice, a little odd but very nice all the same.  We very much enjoyed the atmosphere.  They also have an area for ice cream if you'd like to stop in for a sweet treat.  I've heard their milkshakes are delicious but we didn't get one while we were there, so maybe next time. 

Saturday Lunch Review: Tropical Treat

For our 29th week doing our Saturday lunches, we went to The Tropical Treat.  We both had their specialty, The FatBoy.  Its a burger with two patties and a special sauce on it that make it very delicious.  I've been to the Treat many times before and it is definitely a favorite of mine.  Be warned, its a drive in place, or you can park and eat outside at picnic tables.  But it is very relaxing to sit out on a nice day and eat.  It is often pretty busy because it is a very popular place.  I would recommend anyone go and try the FatBoy Burger, at least once. 

Book Review: The Great Gatsby

I came into The Great Gatsby knowing what was going to happen.  I've seen the movie several times before reading the book.  But I was still very interested and enthralled by the book.  The descriptions of the characters, Daisy especially gave me a knew respect for, and understanding of her.  The way I viewed her in the book and in the movie were very different, due to the way that Fitzgerald depicts her.  You can truly feel the tangled, heart-throbbing mess that the characters find themselves in.  Fitzgerald does a great job of portraying the emotions of the characters and showing what really drives them.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good classic or love story.