Sugarplum

Sophia

2011-12-01T08:32:00.000-08:00

Nearly one month ago, on November 3, 2011, little Sophia decided to make her entrance into the world. Knowing how anticipated her birth was and how her entire family just couldn't wait to meet her, Sophia arrived three weeks early - perfectly healthy and cute as a button.

Today, she is filling her role of first daughter, niece, grand-daughter, and great grand-daughter beautifully, and she is a constant joy these days as her mommy sends out daily picture emails of her growth and development.

I love you little girl.

Photo by Martha
Retouching by Gordon

Do Fun Stuff!

2011-11-02T10:50:00.001-07:00

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Weird

2011-03-27T18:42:00.000-07:00

- Dr. Suess

Now join your hands, and with your hands your hearts. -W.S.

2010-10-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

Wow. Wow. Wow.

2010-10-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

So my boyfriend, Mark, is an unstoppable force. He is a filmmaker and he keeps putting out these amazing videos. The most recent one to hit the waves of the internet is a music video for Jacksonville musician (and friend), Radical Face. With the help of other film talents, Marc Boese and Michael Walter, Mark shaped this video for a song called Doorways. It is on an EP called Touch the Sky, and will be available 16.11.2010 from Morr Music.

I have said that this might be my favorite film of Mark's so far. I think it is because it evokes an emotion every single time a watch it. Not a good or a bad emotion, just something real, raw, and powerful.

Radical Face - Doorways from Mark Hubbard on Vimeo.

Needless to say, I am so so very proud of my boo. After all these years, he never ceases to impress and amaze me. Looking forward to more from this incredible talent!

Radical Folks

2010-09-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

Some of my dear friends, Radical Face (Ben Cooper) and Rickolus (Rick Colado), played a show recently in a more secluded part of town. The show was held at a sort-of artists' commune. If it weren't for some pretty spectacular lighting (ie. Marc Boese) the property would have been completely pitch black. It was still a little creepy, but it made for an amazing show. This clip is of Rickolus performing Photographs.

Here is another clip from the show. This is Radical Face performing Wrapped in Piano Strings, accompanied by the all-talented Mark Hubbard on drums.

The Nobleness of the Human Spirit

2010-09-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

I have it

I always will

And just like she

I too will rise

It's a Beautiful World

Enough said.....

Support Your Local Artists

2010-06-11T05:09:00.000-07:00

Jacksonville photographer Ezra Marcos put together a retro photo shoot for The Clothing Warehouse this past March. One of the gorgeous models for the shoot was a Florida Times Union Journalist, Catherine Faulk... who just happens to be my sister! Local filmmaker Mark Hubbard collaborated and put together a video montage of the photoshoot:

50's from Mark Hubbard on Vimeo.

Make the World Your Oyster!

2010-06-09T11:19:00.001-07:00

As you've probably already guessed, I am a big promoter of world travel.

I think this is a great campaign:

inspiredbyiceland

Yoko Ono is inspired by Iceland from Inspired By Iceland on Vimeo.

But, first thing's first.... I've decided to do a little domestic travel.... to L.A. baby! My wonderfully talented boyfriend, Mark, was invited to the L.A. Film Festival for a music video he did for a Jacksonville musician, Astronautalis. Here's that video:

Astronautalis- Trouble Hunters from Mark Hubbard on Vimeo.

India - Delhi

2010-05-13T18:31:00.001-07:00

More HERE!

India - Jaipur

2010-05-10T19:26:00.001-07:00

More HERE!

India - Agra

2010-05-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

More HERE!

India - Chennai

2010-05-07T09:36:00.001-07:00

I am slowly but surely uploading pictures from my trip to India... I decided to edit & upload city by city... first up, Chennai!

More Here!

Sometimes....

2010-02-24T15:15:00.000-08:00

My thing is, I don't want to just read about it... I want to live it.

Happy Days!

Details

2009-11-02T05:17:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this time of year....

when love is in the air...

Red, Orange, and Brown

2009-10-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

An impromptu posting. I am feeling very content right now. I always say, "I can't predict the future, but..." The unknown is ok for me right now. I am feeling more and more confident everyday. I am feeling challenged. Somewhat inspired. Somewhat motivated. I would like to work on living in the moment. A.C. Slater. Love is in the details. You will never convince your core to be anything it is not. <--I truly believe that. Creativity is key.

-Tika

For The Happy

2009-07-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

Alright folks, here it is, the Sugarplum debut of Miss Capucine! Watch this video, it'll mesmerize you!!

Here's the story:

One of my contacts on Vimeo is this French girl named Anne. From what I can tell, she has been posting videos reflecting her family life, mainly her children and cats, for about three years now. Her little girl, Capucine, is so charming and adorable... it was only a matter of time before she gained a bit of internet fame. It seems that after Anne posted her videos "Too Much Candy", about a year ago, and "Once Upon a Time..." (as seen above) a few months after that, the viewers went wild. If I recall correctly, Vimeo actually put "Too Much Candy" on their homepage at one point.

But here's what's really cool:

Anne decided to use the popularity of Capucine's amazing story-telling skills to benefit little school children in Mongolia. She got together with EduRelief and figured out a way to raise enough money to open a couple of libraries in Mongolia. Anne put Capucine's drawings on t-shirts, buttons, and magnets. The proceeds from the sales go to benefit "Capucine's Library".

Wanna help?

Visit EduRelief for more info or to make a donation; or visit Skreened to get Capucine's shirts, buttons, or magnets.

I Know You'd Like To Bash Out My Brains

2009-06-19T23:06:00.000-07:00

"Oh, but you'll get yours in time.

And you'll whine and you'll whine and you'll whine.

About how much you don't deserve it.

"Suck it up, yeah, we've all gotta do our time.

And you'll find and you'll find and you'll find.

It's better just to get it over with.

"You'll get yours and I'll get mine.

An ugly deal, but it's an ugly life.

It's an ugly deal but it's an ugly life."

- Ben Cooper

It's An Ugly Life Music Video - Directed by Mark Hubbard

The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn...

2009-06-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

is just to love, and be loved in return.

- One of my favorite quotes from the movie, Moulin Rouge!

"That's just about the sweetest thing i've ever heard. Ya'll just made my morning more pleasant."

- from Amy, in response to the pictures in my last post, and one of the best compliments I've gotten in a while.

And at last, a new movie that I really want to see:

Time's A Waistin'

2009-06-16T22:14:00.001-07:00

Love's just a bubble

If you don't take the trouble

To Make It.

Tra-La-La

2009-06-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

Hello to all readers and followers, new and old, near and far --

We welcome you to Sugarplum Land!

I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for visiting my blog. I have developed a good little audience, and I hope that it continues to grow. Since I had my reservations about starting and maintaining a blog to begin with, I am now excited to know that people are actually checking out my blog. To feel that some one might actually be reading what I am typing. Or, that some one might actually be getting some sort of entertainment out of what I've posted about thus far. After all, this has been the simple point of my blog from the start: to reach and connect with people.

This being said, I would like to brief and re-brief my dear followers on the point of my blog as it is stated in my very first posting titled, An Introduction

Tika

Love Is All You Need

2009-05-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

The Jesusita Fire in Santa Barbara, CA last week caused these two to take shelter together. The fawn is 3 days old and the bobcat about 3 weeks. The fawn came from somewhere in the fire and the bobcat from Carpentaria. They immediately bonded and snuggled together under a desk in the Santa Barbara County Dispatch Office for several hours.

I Love Earth

2009-04-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

"If it ever seems like I am annoyed, I probably am."

~ Tika

Tigerlilly

2009-04-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

"Women are made to be loved, not understood."

~Oscar Wilde

15 Cans of Spray Paint & a Chemical Swirl

2009-04-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

I have added a new gadget to my blog-page. It is a music playlist (looks like an iPod). I decided that I am going to update my playlist periodically with whatever music I am seeming to listen to the most at that particular moment. I'll have to see how it goes... maybe it'll be a weekly/monthly/bi-monthly thing. Who knows.

Speaking of music, can anyone suggest any new stuff that is good? For some reason I feel like I don't keep up with new/good music the way I once did. You should check out my playlist to get an idea of what I might be into.

Tika

I'll Pay For You Anytime

2009-03-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

I really like this so I thought I'd share.

Bloc Party, 'This Modern Love' - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Walk This Way, Talk This Way

2009-03-19T18:24:00.000-07:00

This is my bike. My dear friend Bryan just repainted it for me and I LOVE IT!! Just thought I'd show it off...

Developing Aggregate Plans

2009-03-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

So, I am in a band. It's called the MixTapeClub (MTC). We play with the talented Mr. Richard Love.

Rick approached me about six months ago to play the keyboard in this new band he was putting together. I was both excited and apprehensive at the thought of playing in a band. You see, I am not generally the "center of attention" type... only when necessary. But I am also not the type to just let things pass me by, especially if I feel I can truly accomplish whatever it is. I also didn't want to let my fears cause regret in me later on down the road. So, I hopped on board and quickly started to learn and practice the songs.

To date, we have played five shows (mostly in Jacksonville, FL), and we have a sixth coming up - Saturday, March 14, at The Eclipse. I would love to see you all there!

Here are some pix of The Club and click HERE to watch some videos from a Gainesville show

Tika

All The Marbles

2009-02-25T08:16:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered this photographer, Mitchell Kanashkevich.

His work encompasses some of my greatest passions in life: photography and traveling. Although I have really not done much of either, they remain in the category of "things that I will always strive to improve" throughout my lifetime. I have done minimal traveling; New York City, the Bahamas, and China.... oh yeah, and Cedartown, GA. I was also originally a photography major at the beginning of my college career. I ended up getting my bachelors in marketing, but I digress....

Another reason I like Kanashkevich is his description of what photography means to him:

"Generations will pass, cultures will die out and an identity of a people will transform beyond recognition. The photographic image will become a testament, a reminder of the way things were and the way they will never be again. To me this is the essence of photography. I want to embrace the beauty of that which is disappearing and in a sense immortalize it in my photographs."

I'm Somebody's Little Weasel

2009-02-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

I thought I should explain my nickname, "Tika".

Years ago I worked at Sawgrass Country Club. There was an older hispanic gentleman by the name of Julian who would occasionally comment on my smile, my physique, etc. Trust me, I've gotten this type of banter from many an older fellow in my time. Most of the time it is extremely creepy, offensive, and perverted. As a women, I guess you learn to tolerate some things to a certain extent. But Julian's comments never made me very uncomfortable for some reason. I guess he would do it in a more tasteful way (if there is such a thing).

Anyway, whenever we would cross paths at work Julian would say with his spanish accent, "Tika-la-Martika." OH! In case anyone who is reading does not know, my birth name is Martha. I guess that's where the "Mar" in "Martika" came from. So, I would always get a little shy and grin-ish when Julian would walk by and say, "Tika-la-Martika".

I got such a kick out of it that I eventually went home and told my love, Mark, about it and then he started to say, "Tika-la-Martika" (in a faux spanish accent of course)! That eventually got shortened to just "Tika". Mark even had his three year old (at the time) daughter calling me "Tika", and then my sister started calling me it.

Now that I think about it, not that many people actually call me "Tika". But I like the nick-name. And three of the people who are closest to me (Mark, Myla, and Catherine) almost always call me by the nick-name so I guess that's why I'm so used to it. It has also become my stage name in the band that I am playing with.

So there ya go!

Tika

An Introduction

2009-02-19T10:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my world!

I know that blogs have been around for quite some time now, but lately I have been fascinated by the idea of a blog being a creative outlet. A way for one to express himself with the possibility of being able to create and communicate with a community that could expand the far reaches of the world. I keep journals, photo albums, and scrapbooks of other sorts; this is just a technologically advanced way of putting myself out there.

So, this blog is about all things life.

I have a great life. Not great as in, "things are always just so happy and pretty and perfect". There are highs and lows, joys and stresses. I guess I feel like I have a good life because through my own experiences I have been able to feel this range of emotions, yet at the end of the day I always feel that the universe is balanced.

Ok, off my soap box and back to the purpose of my blog. I just wanted another way to be able to express my creativity and thoughts, to be able to keep up with the internet and technology, and to be able to communicate with people near and far.

This being said, ENJOY! I appreciate anyone who takes the time to poke around and possibly even read what I have to say.

And please comment*, I really want to get an interaction going.

Tika

*Disclaimer: I am very fond of a bit of privacy so I have set comments to be approved by me first before being published. I'm a big girl, I can take criticisms, so it's not that I will only be posting positive things.... but if there is anyone out there that will completely try to ruin my right to be creative by being cruel and vicious, I'm just not going to stand for it. Your comment will not be posted. This is supposed to be fun.