Moda di Magno Blog for Stylish Living

Certifiable

2008-05-11T23:08:00.009-04:00

I'm certified baby! Today I received my PMC Certification after a 3-day intensive training. It's got a gold seal and a signature, so fail not to take it seriously. All of my pix are on their own Flickr page (nothing is labeled yet, just make up your own narration for what's going on in the image.)

The class was amazing - I learned so much, I brushed up on my techniques (and confirmed what I thought already knew) and learned even more. A course taught by a great instructor and artist will bring a lot to your work, but a class filled with artists willing to share their knowledge and tips and tricks takes it to a whole other level. (Yes, that is a molten ring fresh from being torched. That's hot.)

I completed the seven projects required for the certification and spent some time fooling around with different patinas, learned about PMC Gold and Aura 22 and laughed throughout the last three days.
I am rejuvenated in spirit, feeling more passionate about my jewelry-making and just plain happy to have been in the company of artists for three whole days. Thanks everybody!

L-R: Dan Rapoza, Ellen Farris, Gale Rockwell, Chris Darway, Amy Brown, Christine Martin, Me, Erin Nelson

The project I was fearing, the tetrahedron, which turned out to be my favorite.

Harold Prenatt: Belmont Hill

2008-05-10T23:48:00.003-04:00

Harold Prenatt: Belmont Hill, originally uploaded by Moda di Magno.

Harold Prenatt attended the Reunion Weekend at Belmont Hill and joined the class of 1973 at their 35th reunion dinner. Somehow, Harold survived. All of the reunion pictures are in their own Flickr set.

I have a ton to write about the reunion weekend and my PMC certification class, but at the moment I am exhausted. Utterly exhausted, but exhilarated, and happy and ready for bed.

More tomorrow.

Dan Schley, Burry Gowen & Jon White: Class of 1973

2008-05-10T22:07:00.002-04:00

Dan Schley, Burry Gowen & Jon White: Class of 1973, originally uploaded by Moda di Magno.

Dan Schley, Burry Gowen & Jon White, Belmont Hill class of 1973. Preppies Forever.

Joe, Jim & Tommy: Class of 1973

2008-05-10T19:30:00.002-04:00

Joe, Jim & Tommy: Class of 1973, originally uploaded by Moda di Magno.

Joe Knowles, Jim McGrath & Tom Magno. Belmont Hill School class of 1973. Happy 35th reunion boys.

The Joy of Metal

2008-05-09T18:48:00.005-04:00

I'm taking a 3-day PMC (precious metal clay) Certification at the Metalwerx Studio in Waltham, MA. The class is being taught by artist Chris Darway who is awesome and making a tough schedule lively and fun. I'll need to complete 7 specific projects that show an understanding of foundational construction techniques and the qualities of the various products.

I am so excited to spend three days working with this awesomely cool product - which is 99.9% fine silver, but starts in the form of "clay" (really fine silver particles suspended in binder) that when fired gives you beautiful results. There are many things I can do with this product that I can't with regular sterling silver.

Some snaps below, more at Flickr. And more tomorrow.

Chris Darway mugs for my camera.

The first project: the hollowform bead.

PMC sheet - this product is amazing.
The woven project using PMC sheet.

Beads just removed from the kiln.
My bead (which I designed to be a pendant) straight from the kiln before being polished.

My bead/pendant after a first pass with the brass brush and a little burnishing.

The back of my bead, half polished.

Dooce Survives Kathy Lee Gifford

2008-05-08T15:26:00.004-04:00

I missed Heather Armstrong (Dooce!) on the Today Show yesterday but thanks to the goodness of the MSNBC website, I can bring you the interview. A few weeks ago when I attended BlogHer Business NBC was there to tape some interviews with bloggers as part of the "MOM BLOGGER" story. MOM BLOGGER should always be in caps. (Or use your fingers as "air quotes".) It helps further categorize women into tiny little categories for marketing purposes.

BTW - Heather, I loved the dress and your hair was perfect, but I'm mailing you some accessories. You needed a little spike of color. You also needed to slap Kathy Lee Gifford, who strikes me as much stupider than I had previously imagined. Oh wait, no she doesn't.

Today in Ads & Pictures

2008-05-07T20:42:00.008-04:00

Coach "Because she's stylish?" Really? I'm leaning towards Coach "our ad idiots went through the trash bin to come up with that line." Or Coach "because we think you are eternally gullible, even in this economy." $498 for a patent leather (plastic) handbag? Puh-leez.

MC Hammer is twittering. Well, I think that's just fine. Thanks Bill

Dude, It's Too Much

2008-05-06T22:46:00.005-04:00

Overheard in Downtown Crossing (Downtown Boston) at lunch between two "team clothed" young men (Celtics jerseys, athletic manpris-length shorts.)

Young man number one:

Yo. Too much; Celtics game 1. Sox are in Detroit. What I'm gonna watch?

Young man number two:

Dude, political thing is on too.

Young man number one:

{Blank stare}

Young man number two:

O-Bama?

Young man number one:

He on Cleveland?

OMFG! Then my brain melted and I continued on my way to get lunch, mumbling like my inner crazy person is wont to do. OMFG.

Shoe Spotting

2008-05-04T17:58:00.010-04:00

Delightful co-worker Meredith Yoder was very kind to posey-pose for this snap when I saw these shoes under her desk and screeched over them. They are Sergio Rossi purchased at a store where I don't shop since they have never apologized for the data breach of more than a year ago (which left me without a debit card, or a VISA for weeks and weeks.)

I'll find them online because MAMA LIKEY these shoes. Nice "city" heel, peep toe, but not stripperish, and a sassy summer stripe. Yum.

UPDATE**I found them on Vivre, but can I live without lunch for the second half of the year to get them? (Rhetorical question - OF COURSE I can live without lunch for the second half of the year!)

Kentucky Derby Day 2008

2008-05-03T23:08:00.009-04:00

I attended a Kentucky Derby party at the home of friends today. The most excellent mint juleps took the edge of the cold, raw, rainy day - and I even won a little money on Big Brown by complete chance. The photo set is here.

Vintage hand-painted cocktail glass. Probably from Jerry's shop Whistlestop Antiques in Dover, MA.

Mint Juleps - perfect on a rainy day.

Fancy hats were a part of the day, as they should be.

I cannot express how sad I am over the accident that claimed Eight Belles at the end of the race. Another beautiful animal gone, and for what? Will this terrible accident cause people to look at horse racing in a new light? How about dog racing? I have to hand it to whoever was running the show - the incident was handled quite tastefully, not repeated over and over in the moment. The media rarely is so gracious with humans.

Social Media Breakfast Boston

2008-05-01T09:58:00.002-04:00

Jeff Cutler (whom I shall now always refer to as Jeff Pulver) poses for iPhone at Social Media Breakfast Boston. FYI, to my snarky friends who don't know why I do this stuff - it was totally NOT like a Star Wars convention. There were even a bunch of girls there. So stop teasing me.

I (Heart) Scott Parkin

2008-04-30T20:03:00.005-04:00

My next post is up at The Digital Hive wherein I extol the virtues of the virtuoso improvisational performance of actor Scott Parkin in the Tostitos Nolaf.org site.

I'm giving some love to the California Milk Processing Board's White Gold site too.

But I totally heart Scott Parkin.

A side note to the kids out there - if you think you want to be a comedian, or an actor - watch this man's performance. Genius.

Red Sox Baseball Makes Life Worth Living

2008-04-29T23:15:00.006-04:00

Kevin Youkilis delivered the winning run in Boston's 1-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays - a game that was unbelievably unbelievable. Jon Lester (according to my friend Cynthia in the 5th inning, and according the the radio know-it-alls AFTER the game) had his career game. Solid pitching over eight innings; totally in command of the one-hit game.

Our hitting still leaves a lot to be desired, but after Big Papi walked to first and then Manny Ramirez hit a nice shot to move Papi to second (with Red Sox Nation holding its collective breath as we await home run number 500 - though he remains stuck on #496.) Then our man YOUUUKKK, Kevin Youkilis drove Big Papi home.

I did have to listen to Cynthia rail against Terry Francona's decision not to pinch-run Big Papi in the ninth, also she wanted Jacob Ellsbury instead of Coco Crisp. Terry, please contact Cynthia at her office, she has a few other ideas for too.

It was great to welcome Mike Lowell back to the team and Dustin Pedroia is still my favorite - his amazing diving snatch and throw to take Wells out in the ninth was thrilling. Papelbon is Papelbon, a totally in control wild thing. I love this team.

OyBay!

2008-04-28T21:17:00.005-04:00

Tonight I tried to teach Tommy how to list an item on eBay. Eventually I just turned into Nick Burns and did it myself. (Yes, complete with "move.") I didn't yell, I wasn't mean, I just gritted my teeth and and wrote up the listing. I should totally get some karma points for this.

If you are dying for your very own (extremely hard to get) Schneider 47mm f/5.6 Digitar Lens, then get thee to eBay. I'm looking so forward to teaching Tom how to close an auction...

Take Your Daughters to Work Day 2008

2008-04-24T11:53:00.003-04:00

Take Your Daughters to Work Day 2008, originally uploaded by Moda di Magno.

So take your daughters to work day 2008 includes a trip to the shoe shine stand? This should make for an interesting conversation with Mommy tonight. "So what did you do today girls?" "Went to Starbucks and then got Daddy's shoes shined." Uncomfortable silence then follows. On the other hand, Mom may be taking a spa day (or just working her ass off at her own day job.) Mercifully child-free in my work zone.

(Girls' faces blurred to protect the innocent.)

If She Wasn't Smoking...

2008-04-23T15:10:00.001-04:00

If she wasn't smoking..., originally uploaded by Moda di Magno.

If she wasn't smoking, and by smoking I mean walking down the street trailing a cloud of stink, I would have tucked that tag right in - as all nice people should do; tuck tags, point out spinach in teeth and offer Kleenex when needed.

For Make The Logo Bigger

2008-04-22T14:20:00.003-04:00

Bill (6.3%), this doesn't mean I won't swear like a trucker in person, but my blog is safe for your mom and mine. Of course I'm a beginner compared to Dooce (14.1%), and can't touch my late lamented Copyranter (51.4%) I LOVED this note about Ranter's blog: Around 51.4% of the pages on your website contain cussing.This is 471% MORE than other websites who took this test.

**Thanks Cam (1%) - how could I forget my Paulie (48%)!!!

Created by OnePlusYou

Congratulations Danica Patrick

2008-04-21T09:50:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to Danica Patrick, first female winner of ANY Indy Car race - ever. Now could we please take this as proof that we can have a female president without the entire world going to pieces? (Or at least the Japanese fans...) Fabulous strategic driving (it came down to fuel) and even better hair. Rock on with your bad self Miss D!

Beautiful Fenway Park 4:20:08

2008-04-20T15:09:00.003-04:00

Beautiful Fenway Park 4:20:08, originally uploaded by Moda di Magno.

On the first day my wicked cold has relented enough to allow me some energy, the day before the Boston Marathon, when the town is crackling with life - here I sit in glorious Fenway Park on a sunny, wonderful day. Am lucky girl today (live from the State Street Pavillion.)

LATE UPDATE: Day super-glorious with 8th inning pull ahead and 6-5 win.

Thomas Magno on Wonderful Machine

2008-04-18T18:05:00.004-04:00

My wonderful and extraordinarily talented husband Thomas has landed on Wonderful Machine. You can find him on the Boston page or under the specialty pages under landscape. You want a genius, you need Thomas Magno Photography.

Kids Still Do This

2008-04-17T22:05:00.003-04:00

A sign of spring, the chalk is out. My neighbor's daughter was practicing her words a the end of the driveway. It made me smile.

You Have Got to be Kidding Me

2008-04-16T21:44:00.004-04:00

So while I was working from home yesterday I placed a call to the Verizon Fios service line. For some random reason the volume on the television in the living room vanished. It was working the night before. You could hear some sound if the volume was at 100% - never a good idea in case the volume repairs itself and sends a cat through the roof. So I reset the cable box, powered off, powered on and all of the diagnostic stuff it suggests on the website. Still nothing. So I called the service line and got the talking bot girl.

The talking bot girl has a pleasant tone, doesn't repeat your statements with that crazy "I think you said xylophone" repeat function, and she responded to my voice commands quickly. Talking bot girl did reset the cable box and after she reset the box asked if the problem was resolved. But she didn't really ask because she went on to pronounce if I was still experiencing difficulty to call back in ten minutes and that she would immediately connect me with service person. So I blurted "You have got to be kidding me" into the phone and talking bot girl said "I'll transfer you now."

I was still laughing when a young man named Doug came on the line and walked me through the fix in two steps. I told him how I happened to be transferred to him and he chuckled "Yeah, they have a few bugs to work out in the system." I don't think so - I like a talking bot girl who knows how to respond to YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.

Jane's Run for Children's Hospital

2008-04-15T10:29:00.003-04:00

My former boss and friend Jane is running the Boston Marathon to raise money for the great work of Children's Hospital. As the mother of three, she knows personally the kindness and talent of the skilled doctors & researchers who keep children healthy, and healing and growing every day. I was pleased to see this piece on the Boston Globe's site. The only thing they left out was a link to her donation site to support her Miles for Miracles team. Run Jane, run - I'll be cheering from the sidelines!

Work Halted at Filene's Site

2008-04-14T12:29:00.005-04:00

Work halted at approximately 11:30am after a facade at the top of the Filene's building at Hawley & Franklin Street. Fire & Police on scene. Notated photos at Flickr.

4:00pm update: No one working, inspectors visited the rooftop scene about 4 hours after it happened (see late photos in the Flickr set.) And hey, why isn't the building completely shrouded in net to keep the dust down. *I'm sure there was no asbestos used in any of the Filene's buildings - right?*

Blogger Social Thinking Out Loud

2008-04-13T13:26:00.006-04:00

So, like many other attendees at last weekend's Blogger Social festivities in New York City, I am still grappling with the enormity of what Social means. The pictures tell an amazing, collective, expansive story. Check out the group BS08 pool here.

On the one hand, my husband got to see that the mysterious "bloggers" I speak of so frequently are real, genuine, lovely people (and not the winged monkeys he'd worked up in his head. Actually I'm just guessing that's what he made them in his head, could have been anything actually...fanged creatures, talking dolphins - who knows?) On the other hand, he was one of the few spouses to witness the critical mass of geekdom. Introducing Tom to some of my favorite people was fun. Now when I mention certain bloggers he has a frame of reference. It has made a piece of my virtual world "real" for my other half - and that may possibly make me seem less weird (to him at least.)

On the other hand, it was such an overwhelming treat to have so many smart, gorgeous, funny, bleeding edge writers in one place that I can't find the right words for the event. I'm not the only one who struggled. Drew McLellan & CK are the best people in the blogiverse and I am grateful to have watched them make the magic from the inside. I thank you both a zillion million for all the fun, and email (to every account) and calls and shout outs. I already thanked all of our kind goodie gifters, but I really want to thank the rest of these fabulous people for making the experience so rich:

Tim Brunelle was thinking about it (in a serious way) before the event even happened. Susan Bird laughed about many of us Twittering at dinner. Gavin Heaton had a few thought on the event moving from community to family. The divine Christina Kerley ("CK") has a few words (and thanks) and thoughts about the time capsule we created. Drew McLellan put together some beautiful thoughts (and sent me a text asking me to pass the bread at dinner on Saturday.) I really enjoyed meeting Doug Meacham. Greg Verdino had some thoughts on himself at Blogger Social (kidding!) One of my true delights of the weekend, Steve Woodruff wrote a little bit about the events. He almost moved the event too.

David Reich not only ran the youth hostel for the weekend, but wrote a damn good post about it too. I got to meet THE Tangerine Toad, and was allowed to use his given name. I may have scared the crap out of Mack Collier, but I think he liked it - actually, I know he did. Ryan Barrett said the weekend was surreal. Rohit Bhargava joined in the goodie madness and felt my pain.

Anna Farmery & Heather Gorringe crossed the pond for both BlogHer and Blogger Social, and they were awesome at both. Director Tom has a variety of hats and one giant heart. Geoff Livingston is one funny, tall man - and I can't think of a better Jaffe. CeCe Lee brought her delightful (and non-blogging) husband Gregg. It was really nice to see Darryl Ohrt at Social - I haven't seen him since I fell out of the van. Marshall Sponder joined in the fun (and has a video.) Chris Kieff! learned about Animoto and created a nice photo pool featuring the Lorna Doone cookies from our boat lunch.

My new personal beverage guru and Social Media Explorer, Jason Falls, took a measured approach in writing about Social - less so when CK dropped him a note. Paul Soldera is a New Zealander currently working in New York. I enjoyed meeting Saul Colt who brought his lovely wife Cheryl. Next time you see me, ask me what Cheryl writes about in her blog. Todd Andrlik was quite possibly the tallest blogger at Social. We were thrilled to see Todd in New York and send love to his sister Tricia. The delightful Ryan Karpeles was a Social co-conspirator and was a treat to finally meet.

CK's good friend Neil Vineberg sat at our table for the Saturday night dinner. A delightful, gentle presence was a beautiful addition to the crew. Cam Beck, I agree that first life kicks Second Life's ass. John Rosen is awesomely nice and gave all of us copies of his book Stopwatch Marketing. Matthew McDonald was the best dressed Socialite all weekend, and brought the ugly corsages. Katilyn Wilkins was witness to the madness and writes about it beautifully. Boston homey John Wall sported a pipe (for show) on Saturday night *guffaws* and light mocking ensued. Boston area Age of Conversation c0-author and ultimate vocal manipulator Scott Monty ruled the microphone on Saturday night as he presented the Frozen Pea Fund check to the Reynolds family.

Virginia Miracle attended both BlogHer and Social - and got my favorite picture of Mack Collier (actually smiling!) Amanda Gravel may have been the youngest socialite, but was absolutely fearless in her approach - rock on girl!

I finally got to hug Paul. I twittered with Armano, but mostly at Jaffe (because he didn't make the scene.) Gene DeWitt wore my tiara. We helped celebrate Mario Vellandi's first blogiversary. We got to meet Arun, and everyone wanted to dress him up, which was totally awesome. Lewis Green lead with his heart and shared his book with us. Connie Reece brought the awesome from Austin - I'm hoping for Blogtoberfest in her neck of the woods. The marketing Diva Toby Bloomberg was at BlogHer (where I got to sit on her round table) and at Social for which she brought delicious brownies. Seni Thomas explained the concept and then created an event feed for Social. I really enjoyed meeting Roberta Rosenberg because I love the name of her blog - The Copywriting Maven (and she was awesomely funny too.) I got to meet the crazy good Techipedia's Tamar Weinberg on Saturday night. Linda Sherman has the best rundown on Rohit's book breakfast. Susan Reynolds was in our hearts and minds.