Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Book Trends on the T

When I am not taking a nap on the T, I am trying to keep myself entertained with reading something or really anything...

In the winter, every time I sat down next to someone with an open book, they were reading from the series "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo" or "The Girl Who Played with Fire", or " The Girls Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson. Just reading the titles alone gave me these edgy unpleasant association.Nonetheless, after several occasional over the shoulder scattered readings, I am now curious to read one of them or watch the movie that's already on DVD.

To be honest, it's not a question of what titles are popular on the T, it's a question of what type of devices people are using to do the reading. I've read somewhere that more and more school are implementing iPads instead of textbooks, so I think it's not a prophecy or a new idea to suggest that books are on the way to become relics of the past. Lately, I mostly see people using the Kindle by Amazon. By the way, it's harder to read over someone's shoulder if he or she is reading from a Kindle. People tend to cling to their screens and quickly scroll down the page. In fact, I believe with the advent of Kindles and iPads, reading over someone shoulder may become obsolete. I am waiting for telescreens to become available like in George Orwell's novel "1984".







Monday, May 16, 2011

Skinny Jeans on the T

Circa Fall 2005, I remember going into a mall, and it was like seeing a ghost--leggings were back in style. I felt like I was transported back to the future; the 80s were back..

Then in the Fall 2010, I noticed something revolutionary appearing on the T--legging jean--a fusion of leggins and jeans. Needless to say, this new style completely rehabilitated the image of leggings in my mind. These leggings-jeans are stretchy and soft like leggings, but to the uninitiated, they look like--skinny jeans! Remember that episode of "Sex and the City" that coined the phrase "skinny jeans", when Miranda tried to fit into her tight fitting jeans? It is not only their denim-like material, with colors such as faded blue and indigo that adds to the confusion, it is also the back pockets that make them look more like jeans. Some of these leggins-jeans even have the worn-out or ripped patches to make them look more like those old tight fitting jeans that you have burried in your closet from the 80s.

Now it's Spring 2011, and leggings-jeans are still popular on the T. What is so great about this style is that it also allows for a comfortable commute; no more tight fitting harsh fabric, or buttons from the real jeans pressing into your belly, yay for the legging jean!






Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Inspiration on the T

I started this blog because I was noticing interesting fashion trends on the T, and because I desperately wanted to write, to write anything, anything at all. It's surprising that the T should give me inspiration, but I am not alone. The other day, I was at the Children's museum, and I saw this wonderful painting/collage by an artist named Tim Murley. I wanted to share it with you. As you can see it depicts the Green Line. It gives you this wonderful, happy feeling, as when you are riding a T on a sunny day, and it's full of Red Sox fans, and you are jammed from all sides, but there is this happy buzzing energy all around you. I also read the artist's statement next to the painting, and I thought I'd share it with you. Tim Murley says, "I don't think it's important where inspiration comes from; it just needs to exist."
fragment from "Magic Night in the City" by Tim Murley
"Magic Night in the City" by Tim Murley (Children's Museum, Boston)