Things That Matter To People Who Matter

TM Sisters | Autumn colors | Winesburg, Ohio | Urban legends

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Published: Nov 27, 2007

TM Sisters

Justin Broadbent

With the face of contemporary art ever changing, two sisters have challenged the "don't touch" attitude of art. The TM Sisters — Tasha and Monica López De Victoria — create video-game art, complete with an interactive floor pad, a limited number of lives and that fateful screen, "Game Over." Their work melds video games with video and performance art referencing the early video games of our younger years and the Dance Dance Revolution of today.

Autumn colors

Autumn has always depressed me, but lately, I have taken much extra pleasure in my twice-daily dog walks to the Schuylkill River Park. Maybe it's the amazing variety of people who gather there with their canine friends. Maybe it's the global warmth that has given us weather so similar to my native Northern California. But really, I think it's the color that makes me want to be outdoors as much as I possibly can to absorb the vivid hues that are the last party the trees will be throwing us for a while. The forests are dishing up palettes as yummy as those on my new favorite show, Pushing Daisies — carpeting the ground with gold and filling the air with pretty eye candy. I guess the fall isn't so bad.

Winesburg, Ohio

I'm reading Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio. Sure, it sounds like the most boring book ever, maybe even a travel or historical guide. But actually, the book's short "chapters" read like journalistic profiles of the lonesome, adrift, outcast and misplaced characters of this small town, circa 1910s. The structure of each story is ingenious, and the descriptions of these troubled people are humanizing and sympathetic. I feel like talking to strangers again, getting into the mysteries of their lives, and entering that space between who we are and the ideas we have of ourselves. I'm surprised I didn't find this book earlier, and wish I had.

Urban legends

I recently developed an unhealthy obsession with snopes.com, a Web site devoted to proving or debunking urban legends. Through the site I found out, among other things, that: Humans use far more than 10 percent of their brains; Mariah Carey does not have a seven-octave vocal range; and Pop Rocks and soda do not make your stomach explode. The most interesting thing I read was that Lauryn Hill never made any public comment about hating white people or not wanting them to buy her records. That was nothing but a rumor propagated by some random jackass calling in to The Howard Stern Show. It's amazing what people take for granted to be factual information.

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