Summer 2007

Leaving!

2007-12-28T19:46:00.000-05:00

Sooo... I leave for Scotland TOMORROW. I know, crazy. I can't really believe I'm leaving, even despite the fact that I'm basically finished packing. I guess I feel like I'm going to Scotland, but I feel like I'm coming back in a week or so. This is partially because my mom is coming over with me, but I'm glad she is. Even though I'm sure I would be OK by myself, it'll make her feel better to know I'm safe and well-adjusted (and hopefully I will be safe and well-adjusted!!).

I'm starting to get nervous! Well, at least when I really think about Scotland. Mostly the part about making friends and getting to know my 4 roommates (Ahhh, 4 is so many!). And picking classes! And making art again already... eak. Oh well, luckily I'm quite good at refusing to think about things, so I'm sure things will be OK!

Anyways, I just thought I'd check in one last time before I leave. I'll try to keep you updated on whatever it is that I'll be doing!

xoxo.

HI

2007-12-18T12:52:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it has been QUITE a long time since I have written anything in here. I apologize for that.

Well, I leave for America on thursday! I have one full day left in the Netherlands. I do not know how these four months passed so quickly. It is crazy. And it does not feel real yet. I don't really feel like I am actually going home. But I have to say these four months abroad were exactly what I needed them to be, I think. I feel like I have grown quite a bit. And I feel like I am in love with art again. I think I have been out of love with art-making since starting at MICA. At least most of the time I have been out of love with art-making. I can't quite put my finger on why being here has renewed that love in me. Especially since AKI isn't quite the most conducive environment to find inspiration. At least for me it wasn't. But I guess in the end it was, but I feel renewed. I am really, really scared of coming home, though. I am afraid I will fall back into the routine that I came to follow while being at MICA. I am hoping that will not happen. I am also scared to come home and face the fact that things have evolved and changed during the four months I have been gone. To me, I would like to think everything would be on hold while I am gone. But that's not true. And it will be weird to realize things have changed and I have changed simultaneously.

But I cannot wait. I cannot wait to be home and to be back in my own country! I also cannot wait to see all of you! Although I will not get to see Christiane and Elizabeth, but I'm sure that will happen before we know it. Time seems to go by so quickly. More quickly than I expect it to, anyways!

Love you all, and cannot wait to see you all again.

cool

2007-11-29T17:19:00.000-05:00

I just had to show this - my brother's in the Cal marching band, and they did this amazing videogame-themed halftime show! Watch:

Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T12:58:00.000-05:00

Hi guys,

break started early for me last Thursday. I got out of class, packed my bags and ran down to the lightrail at 3:30. My first flight was delayed by about 45 minutes, but I made the second just as they were beginning to board. Since then I've been hanging out at home, taking small walks in the neighborhood, eating well, sleeping in - that kind of stuff. Also, I've been watching a lot of TV. too much TV, but it's all my parents seem to do nowadays, and TV is really seductive. I watched the Top Chef finale, a couple episodes of What Not to Wear, some dumb movies, the new season of Art 21, and this Animal Planet show about a husband and wife raising a hippopotamus in their backyard, narrated by John Waters. Also, video games. Also, not doing homework. (Then I realized there's something murderously counterproductive about this, so I decided I can't live here this summer. Maybe I'll room with my brother in Berkeley, or stay in Baltimore; I don't know. I mean, it's still good to see my family, and I love the Bay Area. I'm just not doing well, I guess; or, it's gotten to the point where "home" no longer feels like home.)

Alex

Birds in the city.

2007-11-10T15:48:00.000-05:00

Hi my friends. It's been a while, I hope you're all good. My life is mostly verrrry banal, working and walking in the various secret heaths and gardens of Bournemouth, and going to London practically every other week or something (not really true but it feels like it. Man, that coach ride is long). I went just last night, expressly to see Andrew Bird, because being in a different country makes it special (and more expensive). The venue was an old 1900s theater that's been converted into a pretty awesome club, and the show was equally awesome. I made a very small book as a gift, and after the show handed it to the singer from the opening band (Loney, Dear- were they at the show you guys went to?) and asked him to give it to Mr. Bird. Which is potentially very embarrassing, so I'm not going to think about it anymore.

Speaking of birds, anyway, reminds me of when Kelsey and I were in London having a cheap lunch in a Tube station after going through a museum, sitting on the grimy steps, watching all these pigeons scramble around on the floor. We were discomforted by this one pigeon which had somehow lost ALL its toes on one foot, so was walking with this freaky clubfoot. BUT THE WORST WAS YET TO COME.

Somebody had loosed all these M&Ms on the ground, and some pigeons were sort of idly pecking at them, I guess chocolate isn't their favorite food. And among these pigeons we saw a pigeon with no fucking legs. NO LEGS. NONE. It was actually gimping along on its amputated stumps. Seriously, this haunts my nightmares. Amputee Pigeon flew towards us at one point and we were terrified for our lives, but then some children chased it off. I felt sorry for it but I just couldn't take it. How does that even happen to somebody?

London pigeons: saddest birds in the entire world?!

2007-11-01T14:26:00.000-04:00

uh, the one below is by Elizabeth

Death Ball and other things

2007-11-01T11:33:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since I wrote anything here, so I figure it's about time.

A few days ago I finally turned in all the paperwork for my change of major... I had been extremely organized about it and gotten almost all of my signatures, had all sorts of meetings, and then I just let it sit for about a week and a half, even though I was only missing Eve Laramee's signature. I guess I was giving myself time to change my mind. I'm still not sure whether I've done the right thing here, but at least it will shake things up a little for me, which is something I need. I was starting to feel really stale. But now I feel a little scared, and a little excited and not very stale at all.

The only thing is that I still have about 11 photo classes I have to take, and a required internship, (and history of Photo). I have a plan, but if it doesn't work out I will most definitely be graduating late. My two options are: take summer classes, or graduate in August of our senior year. I have only two academic-type classes left, and already 4 of my 3-d classes don't count for anything, but I'm going to try to take either an academic/lit class or a 3-d class or both every semester from now on. It's either that or take 4-5 photo studio classes (and only photo classes) every semester and graduate on time, but I most likely won't live to get my BFA if I do that. So long story short, my plan is this: go to Ireland (if I get in), take 3 photo classes, 1 academic, and a 3-d there, then after that semester ends, go to Spain for the summer, do a photography internship there, and take one or two photo classes at a school near my internship. If Ireland doesn't happen I'll take classes at mica this summer, and if the internship doesn't happen in spain, I'll graduate in August. Whew, sorry if that was boring. But that's my plan.

On to more exciting things...
Instead of going to the Halloween party, Alex, Hamster, Beki and I decided to go to the Great Halloween Lantern Parade. We had some friends who were stilt-walking zombies, so we actually go to walk next to them in the parade to make sure they didn't fall over. Beki ran to the rescue of one extrmely wobbly guy and had to hold onto one of his legs for part of the parade. He eventually fell half way through, practically on Beki, who had tried to ease him down to the ground since he was looking pretty precarious... he ended up wiping out anyway. It was lots of fun.. the zombie stilt walkers were dancing to the beat of a drum group right in front of them, and little kids with their parents were weilding all sorts of lanterns... One looked like a flying owl, there were also some strange ones that hovered above the whole parade... a whole troop of them. It's hard to describe what they looked like, but they were essentially long white poles with a bulb-thing at the top, and right below the bulb was a hoop with long white streamers hanging almost down to the ground. They were bobbing around in the air and looked very much like shredded ghosts.
We made a big circuit through Patterson Park, around the impressive pagoda that stands in the center. Eventually the parade was over and everyone climbed up toward the pagoda and sat down on the hill to watch a shadow puppet animation with a live jazz band.... the music was incredible and so was the animation. It was the story of three brothers who find the moon dangling from a tree branch and decide to take it. Each brother owns a part of the moon, and when they die, they are each buried with their piece. They can't rest peacefully though, and soon they (their ghosts?) try to return the moon to the sky, which they eventually do, with the help of a black crow. It was really very impressive. Everyone sat there in stunned silence. (you can find the animation on youtube.. probably type in Great Baltimore Halloweeen Lantern Parade- Luna). And I found out that anyone can be a stilt walker in the parade. You only have to go to two training sessions and they provide your stilts and costume... anybody want to do that with me next time it comes around?? I've kindof always wanted to learn to walk on stilts...

Okay, and finally the Death Ball..
My sculptural kinetics class meets every wednesday at four and we leave after only about an hour and a half usually (even though it's a 6-hr long studio). This week a girl brought in a Death Ball, for playing a crazy game by the same name. We all left the metal shop after watching a video on power tool racing, and headed over to the little grassy area outside Fox and Brown, where we made a circle of plaster dust in the center. The Death Ball itself is one of those large exercise balls, except that it's attatched to a 20 ft.-long rope, and is covered completely in duct tape. One person stands in the center of the plaster dust circle and whips the Death Ball around them by the rope, like a lasso. The people standing on the perimeter try to get into the circle and tag the person without getting hit by the ball, then they assume the position in the center. Because my class mainly consists of big metal-working guys, the game pretty much turned into a gladiator match. People were leaping over the ball, rolling into the center and slide-tackling the ball thrower, people were getting knocked over by the ball, or falling and flailing, or getting tangled in the rope and falling over over each other. We managed to gather a crowd of about 30 or 40 spectators throughout. All in all, it was positively exhilarating, and we decided to make it a weekly thing... Maybe I'll finally get back in shape!
I think that's about it, so long!

MAT

2007-10-22T14:23:00.000-04:00

So it's finally official. Today I finally e-mailed someone from the MAT to tell them that I do not want to be a part of the program anymore. I built it up to be this very hard thing to finally do, but it was actually very easy. And the woman I wrote to was very understanding. I'm so glad I finally did that. I wish I had realized sooner and I hadn't wasted my time taking two MAT classes. Oh well.

HI

2007-10-15T16:05:00.000-04:00

Not too much is new here. I try to work at least 5 hours a day on my art. Otherwise my time has lately been spent watching a lot of movies. I usually go to the market in town on Saturdays. But now I think I am going to start going on the other day the market is open (Tuesday.) The reason for this switch is the African guy who has now stopped me twice as I try to catch my bus. He has given me his phone number both times now, wanting to see me again. I thought he would get the point the first time since I did not call him back. I think he is just a nice guy who wants to be friends... But for some reason something about him really freaks me out. Especially because this last time he said to me that his sister lives in America and he would really like to come to America some day, then he said "maybe I could visit you too." What? Maybe this is not weird to him. But this seemed really weird to me. So I threw out his number again today.

I posted my art! Most of it anyways. I have a couple other things not pictured.. and some things in progress.
http://flickr.com/photos/ronaldenoch/

My Dutch class is pretty horrible. It is too fast for me and is a very difficult environment to learn in (with German sometimes being spoken as well.) I dread class every week. I would love more than anything to stop going to it. But I paid for it and feel guilty just quitting. There is a test the day after I get back from visiting Aimee. I have no intentions of studying. I am positive I will fail either way. I don't even need to BE in this stupid class!

Oh, some stuff

2007-10-13T22:14:00.000-04:00

It's fall break here at MICA, the leaves are changing, and the air is crisp. Halloween's around the bend and Thansgiving doesn't seem much further - but I don't like thinking about that, not at all, because time already seems too precious and I've already been so freaking lazy.

Ummm ... Did I mention Andrew Bird is really awesome? Because he is. That was two weeks ago. Yeah.

And hey, guess what happened yesterday. Something horrible happened. Chelsea knows. I put my hand on a hot burner. Yesterday it happened: I came back from the grocery store and I guess George had been making eggs, like right before I walked through the door, and then as I was setting down the bags I thought, hey, is this burner hot? *touch* yes, scaldingly hot. 2nd degree burn hot ... so basically I went to the hospital, and now my hand's wrapped in gauze. (I look like Doug, from that episode where he's trying to impress Patty Mayonaisse by being good at sports, but really, he gets ropeburn. But reeealy, he's good at sit-ups.) It's OK now. Actually, it doesn't hurt much at all, and actually, it's not as bad as it sounds.

So despite this, I went to SPX (Small Press Expo) in Bethesda, where there's all kinds of weird comic-book people and zinesters. It was a good time. Nicholas Gurewitch (PBF) was there; Brian Ralph was there. Supposedly James Kochalka (American Elf, MICA alumnus) was there too, but I didn't look very hard. I got some sweet mini-comics and these OK-ish (but secretly awesome) Scott Pilgrim books (words/art by Brian Lee O'Malley, husband of Hope Larson, author of Salamander Dreams - I just like that they're married and make comics. Maybe no one cares ...) Since I was there for like 9 hours, I also went to a few panels. Jeff Smith (Bone)spoke heartily and humorously. Some paraphrased quotes: "I like Steinbeck. But let's see him draw it!" (-referring to the difficulties of being both author and artist.) Also "Genre is real life, just dressed in more interesting clothing." Also, Zippy-creator Bill Griffith gave this odd slideshow lecture where he basically just read his comic strip outloud. I don't know, it was a good time. MICA had a table, and I heard that all these people were just walking up and being impressed. I will definitely try to make something notable/presentable for next year. *sigh*

--Alex

hi! a rather prosaic update

2007-10-11T18:58:00.000-04:00

My parents visited last week; my mom came to Bournemouth the Sunday before last and hung around the south for the week, then we went up to London on Friday and met up with my dad there, and touristed about until Monday. I missed them a lot. On one hand, it had only been, what, 4 months? which isn't terribly long. On the other hand, I missed them a lot.

During the week my mom proved herself totally paranoid about my eating habits. She actually went and bought all this random Chinese food, and came over one night to the dorms and made dumplings for me. We went to Stonehenge together and had lots of afternoon cream tea sessions with jam and scones (yes, really).

I like London more than New York. It's prettier. I can now say I attended a service at Westminster Abbey and saw that stupid statue of Isaac Newton that plays such a big role in The Da Vinci Code. Woo! Also, drank Guiness and actually liked it. My dad thought it was too bitter but I didn't think it was actually. I'm probably going to turn into a raging alcoholic. Prepare yourselves.

Right across from the Parliament building and Big Ben.

It was weird being with my parents in London. Not having any pressing goals for the trip, I went into total passive mode and followed my parents around. Felt odd after being forced into total autonomy in the previous months. Is it okay to give up responsibility so willingly? I worry. However, my parents did concede that I am awesome at deciphering public transportation systems.

London at dusk, from the top of the London Eye. Biggest "observation wheel" (read: Ferris wheel) in the world?

So I'm back at Bournemouth now. Life here is very lax. I have one assignment. Granted it's a long-term project and probably the final result will be expected to be PERFECT, but I'm used to crazed one-week projects. I'm watching a lot of TV on the internet.

I'm really appreciating how lucky I was at MICA to meet all of you within weeks of arrival. It was so easy to become friends. Almost too easy. Here it is not easy. I hope you're all doing superbly and I miss you all. :]

Masi Oka

2007-10-05T03:53:00.000-04:00

Look at this picture of Masi Oka when he was little! (He's the farthest on the left.)
I also like the title.. "Those Asian-American Whiz Kids."

I've been pretty good about keeping my journal updated.. so you guys can look at that if you would like. Tonight I plan on taking pictures of all the art I've done. I'll show it to you guys once I get it posted online.

Love you and miss you all.

f.y.i.

2007-10-04T15:09:00.000-04:00

***super important***
for my fellow Heroes lovers:

http://youtube.com/user/buckshotwon

adrian pasdar's videos... a menagerie of off-set heroes actor joyousness. the ones involving "grunny," (ie, greg grunberg) are especially breath-taking... as are those with milo. heck, all of them are priceless!

major? crisis?

2007-09-30T12:13:00.000-04:00

by Elizabeth

I think maybe I want to be a photo major???
As in, I'm not sure what I've been thinking, or if this is going to work better than what I'm already doing, but I have a feeling that if I don't make this change bad things will happen.

but it's probably too late? I don't want to have to spend more money and stay an extra semester here. I like the physical process of sculpture, but it doesn't make me feel much more than that. I have little desire to create sculpture on my own. But I'll always want to do photo on my own.
I sat through an amazing lecture by John Patrick Dugdale, a photographer who is blind from complications due to HIV. The lecture ended and I wanted him to keep talking, and showing his work. I couldn't get enough of it... that's how it always is with photography for me. I think I'm an idiot for not having predicted this would happen. My dad said he's know it all along.
But I'm already taking Junior sculpture seminar and applying to study abroad as a sculpture major. Part of this started when I looked at the prospective schedule I made up for my Burren mobility contract, and I felt a pang when I saw only one photo class. I think if I go to Ireland all I'll want to do is photo. but maybe not, I have no real way of knowing.
for some reason this semester is not not not going very well so far. bad timing indeed, as a junior!

Well Well

2007-09-27T17:02:00.000-04:00

I am reverting to that fatigued/numb mode of completing homework on a weekly cycle, meaning, on a practical level, I can only recall facts and events to the most recent Thursday.

But what has happened?
Asian Film Club has started up and has been quite good (so far one Japanese, one Korean; both bizarre and vaguely erotic.) I think I may have to go every week.

For the time being, I'm quitting the Running Club, because those people are way serious, and I end up feeling sloppy and slow - but I'll still run on my own.

Jose's class is proving to be the highlight of my schedule; it's a little weirdly divided between, on one side of the room, the "giggle girls" (this is, I think, Rebecca Bradley's term for the crowd George hangs out with) and everybody else. But yeah, things have adjusted to the point where everyone is past their initial awkwardnesses and where you can start to discern which artworks belong to whom (I'm not just talking 'bout Concepts, but Nature Drawing as well.)
This is a good feeling - it's like we're coagulating as a class unit, like blood or jello.

more news to come.
--Alex

hey! hey hey!

2007-09-23T15:22:00.001-04:00

Hi! I apologize for the long, long time between posts. I feel like I'm on hiatus. I've been in Bournemouth at my new school for some weeks, but classes have yet to start- Induction Week starts tomorrow, and I'll begin meeting lecturers and learning a bit about the illustration department, but actual class won't happen until October. I'm so eager to begin. The units here sound intense and I want to learn stuff here before I have to pack up and go! December doesn't seem very far off.

The city of Bournemouth itself, well, I heard one of the Arts Institute staff refer to it as a "cultural wasteland." Still, it's got a nice beach, and it's just a bus ride away from various nicer fossil-rich beaches. Last weekend I went to a town called Lyme Regis and went on a fossil-hunting walk. I found a few little ammonites, and out of pity the tour guide gave me a few better-looking ones that he'd found. I'm very proud of my little fossils!

This is one the guide gave me out of pity.

The Arts Institute is apparently famous for film, so there are a ton of film production students here. I foresee a lot of movie-watching in the near future. Also there are people studying modelmaking (ohhh so cool!), costume design, acting... it's a nice refreshing change from MICA's all-fine-arts atmosphere. I feel like people here just learn how to make projects, and get things done, and that sounds fine to me.

I also added some old and new photos to a Facebook album. And I also have more journal entries, as you seem to enjoy them.

Hope classes are going well for all of you! I miss you guys! Think of me when you're watching Heroes tomorrow!

100th post in our blog!!

2007-09-21T17:38:00.001-04:00

I finally made a new entry in my Netherlands blog.
(http://www.livejournal.com/~ronaldenoch)
And I also got all of my pictures that I have taken loaded onto the Flickr site.

Also.. this is the 100th post in our blog. I thought that was exciting.

brief post

2007-09-11T12:39:00.000-04:00

Some stuff:
Last saturday I "joined" the running club, because it seems like I should be getting out there and doing things. It was OK, up until the mile-and-a-half point up near Druid Hill Park, when my lungs gave out and the rest of the group left me in the dust! I walked back to MICA along the service road that gives access to the trainyard. Despite my dizzying headache and sore legs and parched throat, it was fairly pleasant. I saw an egret (or a heron? I am not sure) and also the Baltimore Traincar Museum, which is like one little building nestled back from the creek.

Sunday was the Comic-Con, and there were a bunch of Red-Sox? fans swamping the area near the convention center (also, some communications conference was being held - so many people!)
James Jean and Paul Pope had a talk, and it was pretty inspirational. They mentioned there more recent projects; JJ is working on some mural thing for Prada's NY store; PP's work on the Cavalier and Clay movie is in limbo, while he is also maybe coming out with his own clothes line? Also, JJ showed us this pin-up to be used in the upcoming Watchmen movie. Did I mention they were here at MICA on friday? There were so many people and I think the AC was broken - we were in the tiny space outside the Ill. office. I was so sweaty, and I just kind of looked at James Jean from over a couple people's shoulders.

I hope everyone is doing well overseas (at home too.) Umm, I guess this wasn't really "brief"...
--Alex

concerning the aches and pains of an old appartment

2007-09-08T17:45:00.000-04:00

by Elizabeth

how are things going now, Kelsey and Aimee?

I've been looking over the courses for Burren College of Art in Ireland, and I'm pretty sure they're structured exactly the same as Kelsey's...many hints that there are no assingments, and that there is only one course in each subject (i.e. sculpture or photo, but you can take different levels of each).. so I'm trying to prepare myself for that, since at this point I can't imagine really sustaining myself creatively without some kind of structure. I always seem to rely on assignments. ah well. It's actually a bit exciting to think about all of that having to change, and me having to deal with it.

Things are going pretty well here, except for the fact that Hamster and I were just informed today that we won't be able to use our shower, toilet, or bathroom sink for at least a few days, if not a week, until they fix a plumbing problem. Our kitchen sink works, so the the building's little old handy-man Reuben told us we could bathe by heating water on the stove and filling up the bath tub with a bucket. also they decided it's too much trouble to fix our doorbell, so we can't have packages delivered here. AND our landlord came to replace the tiles in our bathroom, said he'd be back the next day but never showed up, and we haven't seen him since. He left the floor half-tiled and he left his work bucket and all his tools here, and he probalby won't be coming back any time soon to finish because of this new plumbing problem. (the shower water knobs also spew water out over the edge of the tub when turned up beyond a certain point.. Reuben only fixed on of them... he's hard of hearing and claims that I told him only one of them did that)So we've been discovering all the joys of renting an old appartment. but things otherwise really are good!!
classes so far seem promising and challenging, and I've been doing tons and tons of cooking. which is always fun.. in fact, it's my most productive way of procrastinating yet!
miss you miss you miss you!

a (late) birthday-present-ish for the wayward aimee wang...

2007-09-04T23:04:00.000-04:00

this is/was my last threadless design of the summer, and also a sort-of birthday-ish present for you, aimeeeee! now that baltimore internet is finally working, i thought i'd unveil it.

New post.

2007-09-01T16:37:00.000-04:00

http://ronaldenoch.livejournal.com/

Umm..
So I finally wrote in my blog. Let me just warn you; it is very, very, very long.
Sorry. I haven't written because I have been so frustrated and upset and, well, frankly, very depressed this past week. But things are looking up and I am feeling better about things.

And now I am all caught up with almost everything and anything that has happened while I have been here.

Missing you all!
Update me about MICA! I don't care how mundane it is, I like to hear everything!

5 minute post

2007-08-30T17:47:00.000-04:00

I am writing this post in 5 minutes so if not all of it makes sense, I AM SORRY.

Last week, I flew into phillie with my parents - I have never been to this city before. It is a nice city. There was some construction on the south facade of the Museum of Art so I didn't get to run up the stairs Rocky-style, but I did see the statue (and also a segway tour group?) Later in the week I met Elizabeth and her brother+dad+family friend Bob at the Mutter museum. I am glad I had a light lunch.

Driving down to Baltimore, we passed through Lancaster county. we stopped through the town of Intercourse b/c there is a famous Amish quilt store there. Also, a famous Amish jam factory/ village? I am glad I saw Intercourse.

MICA is OK. Alain Corbel got his visa renewed so now he is teaching sequential! Also, comic-con is next weekend, and both Paul Pope and James Jean will be stopping by. Also, Grindhouse is being screened in falvey hall modnay. OK, my time is up! bye!

--Alex

more journal entries

2007-08-22T15:30:00.000-04:00

A lot has been happening... and not much has been happening. I mean, not much happens in a tiny village. No parades or parties. But I seem to have learned a lot without noticing; what nettles look like, how to use a hoe and a pitchfork (heh heh), and also what sort of life I might be looking for in the future.

Here is Part II of my grotesque diary which goes into this in too much detail. Much too much detail.

As for actual events (those don't really get talked about in the journal), I went to a farmer's market and drew portraits there and made £48. I went to an agricultural fair and saw chickens with feathers growing from their feet. Today, I held logs down while Nick chainsawed them into maneagable bits (he's a little like a very English version of Ken Martin? he's like 75 and still way haler and healthier than I am) and when he found out it was my birthday he kissed me on one cheek, and Margaret, his wife, wrote "Happy Birthday Aimee" in Welsh on a cake during lunch. It was lovely.

So yeah. Life is good, I bought special socks and ate Welsh ice cream with bits of honeycomb in it, the weather is going to be sunny at last and I will try to hike up Wales's tallest mountain, Mt. Snowdon, next weekend. I'm glad to be here!

Alive and well!

2007-08-21T17:12:00.000-04:00

Hallo!
I'm alive! And doing well!
I met three of my room mates today. It was very scary. My parents drove me to my new Dutch residence and made me go find it on my own and introduce myself. It was a very hard thing for me to do. I couldn't figure out what floor I was on and was too scared to ring any doorbells. So I walked back to the car. My mother scolded me and made me return. So I entered the pyramid building again, gathered my strength and rang the doorbell of the apartments on the first floor. A pony-tailed guy came to the door and I asked, "Do you know where I can find Robert?" because Robert is who I am renting my room from and he told me to go to the next floor. So I gathered my courage again and rang the second floor doorbell. A very blonde guy came to the door and I asked for Robert again. He said something I didn't really understand and said something that sounded like Robert was working taking care of horses. He showed me the room which was very nice and introduced me to two other guys I will be living with as well! I can't remember any of their names. Or rather I couldn't understand them when they said them and therefore did not remember them. They made some small talk with me and then they found out that my parents were in the car outside and they made me bring them in. They served my parents tea and coffee and we talked for quite a long time. Robert came home and I found out from him that he will be leaving his bike for me. So I will not need to buy one like I thought. Before meeting them I have been very nervous and on edge. It's hard to know what to expect and I was afraid I would end up in a dreadful living situation. But they were all really nice (the 3 guys and Robert). Robert is studying abroad in Hawaii for this semester while I live in his room. One guy in the apartment that I met just moved in recently. He's from Germany and also does not speak Dutch, so the others have been talking to him in English as well. At least I am not the only person in the apartment who is non-Dutch speaking.
I also bought a Dutch mobile phone today. And I went to an IKEA right by our hotel to buy a blanket. I also bought myself a plant and three small cacti. I wanted something of my own to put into Robert's room and it will be nice to have something to take care of. I won't be able to take them home, obviously. But I think I am going to give them to one of the guys that I live with. He was talking today about how much he would love to have his own garden some day, which I really liked.
Our hotel has their own sheep! Along a large hill to the backside of the hotel is a gated in area with sheep. It's kind of wonderful! And there are always bunnies running around. It is very clean here... everything is very green and well-kept. In general people here are also very tall. They also like to serve french fries (patat) with a mayonnaise. It is delicious! (not quite the same as American mayonnaise.) Also, with dinners they have little side dishes that you share. It seems to always be a small bowl of fries, a small bowl of hashbrown-like potatoes and a small bowl of some kind of salad-like dish. I enjoy all the potatoes! What else!? I'm not sure... I'm very tired and there is much I could type. It is 11:40 PM here.
Tomorrow we are going to an Open Air Museum, similar to a Colonial town museum, with live animals and old buildings. And then on Thursday we are taking a train into Amsterdam and from the train station in Amsterdam we will be taking a canal bus through to city to the Van Gogh museum (which my mom really wants to see,) and to the Ann Frank Museum (which I really want to see.) I'm not sure what we are doing on Friday. Possibly driving into the northern section of the country.

Tot ziens! (Goodbye!) (I'm trying to learn Dutch. I'm sure I will know very much by the end of the next four months.)

SUNDAY

2007-08-15T12:50:00.000-04:00

I LEAVE ON SUNDAY AND I HAVEN'T STARTED PACKING YET.
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT IS SO SOON.
I WILL MISS YOU ALL VERY VERY MUCH.

Also...
I made a journal that I will exclusively write in about my stay in the Netherlands...
Pictures, etc.

my mind is awfully full at the moment

2007-08-08T14:08:00.000-04:00

by Elizabeth

Last night I had a dream about art school for the first time in almost the entire summer. It wasn't a school anxiety dream, it was pretty much the opposite. I was taking a phenomenal course, and my assignment was to do several drawings of strange creatures with large circular eyes and long toes and to make the most incredible kite I could possibly conceive of. Out of paper.
There were kites that previous students had made hanging from the ceiling, and they had wings and fins and beautiful hollow aerodynamic shapes, and I couldn't wait for the critique because we would be going out to this enormous windy plateau to fly our kites for the first time. And for the first time since last semester ended, I think that I may really be ready to make art again.

I've been feeling lots and lots of things this summer, but least of all the need to make art. I stopped going to Steve Tobin's about a month ago. Didn't even tell anybody I wouldn't be coming back because I think I honestly thought I would. I haven't even started on the celtic cane comission I got through Ken Martin. I haven't even called the guy I'm making it for since the start of the summer. All I've been doing is working at Sears, and working at Sears, and working at Sears.... and seeing people occasionally, and doing family things, and building up the guilt for all the things I've been negelecting to the point that it's almost crippling now. So today is the day of dispelling that. I'm trying to wrap up things I've been neglecting as much as possible, because otherwise, I don't know.. things could get bad I think.

sorry I haven't written in so long...

Good things have been happening too, sorry if this all sounds very negative. Beki and I got to fly in a hot air balloon.. I guess you guys probably saw the pictures from that little adventure on facebook. It was so incredible I don't even know how to describe it. There was no fear whatsoever, and somehow it all felt uncannily familiar.... like at some point I had spent extensive amounts of time looking down at the world from that perspective. But there is nothing that really compares to it, not even flying in an airplane, or being in a tall building, or at the top of a roller coaster... this was a perspective all its own. I don't know why I felt I had been there before.
A few weeks ago my family and I went to Ithaca, NY and camped at Buttermilk Falls. It was beautifull, but all very planned out and well traveled. The paths were paved and there were steps when the path got steep. But it was very green. Very very green and moist and drippy and rocky and mossy and so a welcome respite from the chaos and flourescecnt lights and unhappiness of Sears Hardware.
On the way back from Ithaca we stopped at a place near the Poconos in Pennsylvania, called Haystacks. At that moment, it was the most beautiful place I had ever seen in my life. The Haystacks are a series of rock formations in a river (stream?) off of the Loyalsock trail, which sort of, if you really use your imagination, look like bales of hay that have been tossed into the water and gotten stuck. The most delightful thing about them is that the water has worn down the rock between them so that there is a network of little natural slides, that you can ride down if you're careful. There are rocks around them that are sharp, so you have to try to control your descent, which is hard because the current is surprisingly strong. I got a few bumps and bruises and little cuts, but nothing big enough to deter me from doing it over and over again. There's also a large hole in the rock at the bottom of the river, that makes a little swimming hole that's about 5 feet in diameter and 14 feet deep. I tried to touch the bottom by going under, but the idea of unknown things lurking in the deep made me come back up again pretty quickly. My dad told me that when he was about my age, he and some of this friends jumped from a rock right next to it into that hole. The problem is, you have to be extremely accurate, since there are some jagged rocks around the outer part of the hole, so you need all of your friends to hold their hands out and point to the place where you need to hit the water, so that when you jump in you aren't impaled. I didn't try it. Maybe some other time. Maybe.

The path leading to and from the haystacks is lovely. It's surrounded by tall evergreens broken occasionally by pale, lonely birch trees, and when you look down the hill from the path, there seem to be miles and miles of untouched forest filled with ferns and vines and quiet noises, or sometimes no noise at all. My dad and I stopped and stood on the path for a few moments in complete silence as my mom and brother moved on ahead. I suddenly felt a way that I haven't really felt deeply in a long time.. that if I waited quietly enough exactly where I was, something fantastic and impossible was guaranteed to happen. Because I was waiting for it an wanted it to so badly. I wasn't sure what it was but it didn't matter, and it didn't matter that nothing ended up happening. It was just the firm and unflinching belief that it could happen that made me feel so utterly happy.
Eventually, without saying a word we started walking again, on the springy pine-needle covered ground and the smell of pines and earh and ferns was so wonderful that I never wanted to leave that place ever again, and it was almost heartbreaking to climb back into the car.

I can't wait to see all of you again... although for some of you it'll be a little longer...

feist

2007-08-07T18:06:00.000-04:00

2007-08-07T04:03:00.000-04:00

does this work? I have never done this before, so I hope it does.

This is my favorite thing in the world right now. I cant stop listening. I just cant.

2007-08-07T01:55:00.000-04:00

I did not check for spelling. I am so sorry.

I went on a big trip. It was nice walking through Baltimore in Christiane's chicken shirt and my cheap plastic Baltimore Orioles sunglasses that I found in a thrift store in North Carolina. My hair is long and curly and my skin is clear. I packed light, and I was walking through a city like I was on a mission, and I was, and it was a really nice feeling. I walked into some friends and spotted a good number of classmates on the way to Alex's. I don't know why that felt good but running into people I graduated with in the grocery store at home feels bad. Artscape was happening, so there were tents everywhere and there is a new sulpture in front of the school store of these stacked 2D cars in red white blue and black. I like it alot.
It was nice spending time with Alex, but most of the time we were with his boyfriend who is nice but still makes me uncomfortable sometimes. We went to a show with george, and my ears felt like they were bleeding down my throat, and they probably were. Selina's roomate stood behind me the whole ime and made me feel weird because I wasn't sure if it was her and I bet she wasn't sure if it was me, so we did our best not to acknowledge each other until right before I left. Awkward! Alex Uyeno, you have a very nice wooden spiral staircase. I saw it, and I climbed on it.
The next day Sydney came from Philidelphia, and we went along with Alex and his boyfriend, Brandon into the suburbs of Baltimore. They were awful, they made me sick. I have never seen such an awful rundown awful place. I get the same kindof feeling when I am in a Walmart in Gastonia with my mom shopping for clothes, except this was loads worse. I also get the same sort of feeling when I am stuck in a room full of people who want me to paint lighthouses and kittens. I dont know if that helps you to understand.
Later sydney and I met up with Ingrid and traveled with her to the teacher's house that Ingrid is house sitting. Perfect! This was the house of two artist and their small son, and you could tell. It wasn't giant or super fancy, it just had a few good things with good personalities. I imagine Kelsey to at some point in her life have a place like that. There were good angles in that house too. There were also some coffee grinds on the kitchen counter, as well as some half washed dises, which made me smile.
The three of us had a top notch conversation about nothing and everything, and it was a very balanced thing. What I was saying was important and appreciated, but I was appreciating and listening just as much as I was talking. It was one of the couple conversations that have made the summer.
The next day Sydney drove me to Philly and took me to some parks. This is a good city. There are lots of omish people and regular people that sell vegetables and pies under tents. Everyone in this city looked healthy and in good shape. They dressed like artists, which is to say that everyone had a different strange thing on. Also, I have never seen so many beautiful ladies! Ohmygosh! Sydney and I locked arms as we walked across streets, and everyone smiled at us because they thought we were in love. What a friendly place.
Sydney's apartment was cramped and in a smelly neighborhood with a fire hydrant that was in a constant state of exploding water. She shares this place with three other artists(I think), two of which are already graduated. There were large and very strange stuffed animals; A snake, a narwhale, an melting gorrilla(I think...there is a facebook album!) and all of them reminded me of Christiane for some reason. This was a cool place, but I felt cool enough to be there. There were prints hanging up everywhere, and strange paintings too!
Because they had all just moved in, they threw a gigantic house warming party. Artist were everywhere! Alot of them were already in galleries, and they showed me their stuff online. I still favor the design path I have been dreaming about all summer, but the idea that my big feelings could be big enough to be in a gallery where they could make other people feel big things...Well...I was envious of these artists. Mostly at this party I hid on the roof and was antisocial. Its not that I couldn't have had alot of good conversations, its just that it felt useless to try. One night of talking almost never yeilds lifelong connections. I am interested in permanent friends. Maybe that is why I am so stressed out all the time.
The next day I met Christiane and her mom and grandparents. We saw some really nice Pennsylvania Dutch paintings, and some really bad renoir paintings.
Driving around Mechanicsburg is one of the best things in the world. Christiane took some roads she hadn't ever taken, and we came across a farm that kept a two humped camel, and an albino deer. We drove out somewhere in the woods late at night and we parked and turned off the lights. I could not see my hands or feet or anything but stars and I have never ever been in such darkness. We were listening for owls, but never heard any. We drove back to her home and spotted a fleeing family of racoons. We went to the drive in movie with Ashlee. Drive in movies at gastonia are never good because gastonia, unlike mechanicsburg, is light enough that you can see your hands and feet and everything else but the movie. I like Ashlee because whenever she says a word with an s she adds a very soft h right behind it. It is a very soft h. I gave her a gummi fish and she spit it out.
The next day we went to elizabeth's. This was my favorite part of the trip. When I want to say something to anybody elses parents, I have to practice it over and over in my mind, nervously waiting for just the right moment. At Elizabeth's I said things to her parents in the same way I say things to Elizabeth. I love Elizabeth's parents. And her dog. Her dog is the longest tallest skinniest dog ever. If I was a character in 101 dalmations, Elizabeth's dog would be my dog. I did some daring skateboard moves on Evans ramp, which pretty much consisted of me going up the ramp, and then jumping off when I got near the top. It felt nice. We went through the woods, just me and Christiane, and Elizabeth, and oh! The wild rasberries we picked, and the katydid we found! We thought we saw a deer, but later we realized it was probably becky looking for us. We went back to the house where perfect omelets and a perfect rasberry pie were waiting.
Then the bus! That good time was cut way to short, because I had to catch a bus! It took me to the travel plaza, which was almost as bad as the suburbs. A 19 year old kept trying to talk to me about his kid and his troubles and his wife or something. I don't know. I hated it. He left his things with me while he smoked. I told him no, but he didn't listen. Alex picked me up not a moment too soon.
Then there was sleeping and airplanes.

Two More Weeks for Me

2007-08-05T13:29:00.000-04:00

I don't know how proud I should be, but over the past week I read the last 3 Harry Potter books back-to-back. I also saw my friend Lauren N. who studies Fashion Design at CalArts in southern Calfornia. I thought we had it hard at MICA, but apparently CalArts (and LA in general) is full of crazy bastards, and fashion seems to be the most demanding major ever. They also have some bizarre seven-course-per-semester schedule at her school so her schoolday is always 9-6. On top of this, during the weekends she has occassionally found time to visit her BF in San Diego, which is like four hours roundtrip. So if I ever start complaining about how much work I have, remind me of Lauren N.

I also hear stories of how modreately successful/popular people in high school have been corrupted by their college experiences, and I've come to realize I don't know these people anymore based on who they've become. This was true last summer, but now I'm thinking more of how the same could apply to me, how I've changed as a person, for better or for worse.

But I'm inconclusive - I just feel like something definitely amazing needs to occur this next semester.

Anyway, I am flying out to Philly with my parents Aug. 18th, then heading down to Baltimore on the following weds. When does everyone else leave? Or, when does school start for some of us?

--Alex

2007-08-03T16:07:00.000-04:00

I'm in Wales! It's KIND OF LIKE PARADISE. I can't show pictures because I'm not using my own computer, but I live at Pentre Bach Holiday Cottages, in a big old house with a picture-postcard view of the ocean, and three gardens that grow all kinds of vegetables, fruit trees, berries and nuts, and free-range chickens. One one side of the property is a field full of sheep. On the other side is a field with two ponies. Today I weeded the garden and picked raspberries. Yesterday we all went to a local co-op market selling fresh vegetables and eggs. All these old village people came by, speaking Welsh. There's good food and conversation, a dog and two cats.

KIND OF LIKE PARADISE. If this doesn't sound good to you, I'm afraid you are a city person and I don't know what to say. I've been devoting some thought to how I can attain a life not dissimilar from this for future parts of my life. How did I not discover this before? How can I be happy forever?

Give your mommy a hug ^___^

2007-08-01T10:56:00.000-04:00

These past few weeks have been insane... My mom looks like a wounded dog hobbling around the house. So she was having some pain in her knee for a while and thought she pulled a muscle. But it kept getting worse and after a while she couldn't straighten it out. The doctor told her that she might have accumulated water, and it could be either an infection or inflammantion. Eek! So after draining the fluids it turned out to be a type of inflammation. Problem is that test results take 10 days... So for this week my mom has been: complaining, quit her job, complaining some more, and got fluids drawn out again.
I've been left with housework. Chores, chores, chores... Just when you think one thing is clean, BOOM! Someone throws another dish into the sink. It makes me twitch. And I've also assumed the role of my mom's personal servant. I have to keep my cellphone with me wherever I go in case she calls. So for now Hamster has been left to sweep, do laundry, wash, tidy up... I take for granted the things my mom does. SO YES, everyone give your mom a hug!

Kayaking and leaving so so soon

2007-07-31T19:49:00.001-04:00

On Sunday my sister leaves for Colorado where she is attending grad school. My parents are driving there with her. A very long drive over two days. In less than a month I will be abroad! Actually in about 18 or 19 days. Summer is almost over? I'm kind of feeling overwhelmed. My parents will be gone a week taking my sister to Colorado. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be freaked out for the whole week, thinking too much and anticipating and packing. I fly into Germany!
I need everyone's at school address so I can send things from the Netherlands!

Last week I went kayaking with my sister.
Blue herons, and laughing gulls, and turtles, and swallows, and mallard ducks, and hiding deer, and I'm pretty sure I spotted some kind of weasel. It jumped into the water then jumped out and ran along the edge of the creek.
And sunburn! I rarely get sunburn but I did.

thimbles and things.

2007-07-27T23:48:00.000-04:00

really, i have been realizing more and more, the only art i've really been keeping up with as of late is fiber stuffs. for some reason, crafts are really all i can handle in the summer months... or at least, that's all i've been set on this summer. it's a habit i sort of need to break, maybe. or at least i need to start thinking really hard. i feel like there's so much i need to accomplish before school starts again, and as august comes closer and closer i feel more and more panicky. i need to finish various personal projects; i have homework to do!; i need to get back into art-production shape before school starts; i have to start thinking of what sorts of projects i want to do in my upcoming classes.

even though this summer has been one of my most productive summers, i still feel terrible! eak. oh well.

the other day at work, a coworker dropped a container of capers on the floor, and they spilled out. she looked at me with chagrin, and said, "the capers! they are escaping!"

and then i became really, really happy because i realized it could aptly be described as "the great caper caper!" that's when i realized that i am no appreciated as well back at home. i think you guys could have laughed with me in pleasure, whereas my coworkers kind of just raised their eyebrows. it was similar to a past experience, when i carved a beautiful sculpture of a nude woman in the cream cheese, complete with shredded carrot hair and pubes and eyebrows, tomato seeds for eyes, caper for nose, bit of tomato for lips. and then this lady kathy at work destoryed it! just smooshed it up! i am just underapreciated. if you could have seen how beautiful a sculpture it truly was.

so... wht i mean to say, is that not much is very new. chelsea visited last weekend and we saw elizabeth and it was wonderful; i went to school and then worked and then went to school again. although in my lit class there is a super-cute programming/english double major who has beautiful flowing hair. i am attempting to stalk/court him, although it is all silent, unproclaimed, unrequited fun. so far i've gathered that he sat on a couch with regina spektor, goes to college in california, and drives a white volvo station wagon. i may or may not be in looooooove.

so, i will leave you with this article about oscar, the RI death-sensing cat.

Oscar the Cat

2007-07-26T19:01:00.000-04:00

Nothing much happening. I spend my days taking aimless walks around the small town. I did take a bus to a town called Seahouses, where I went on a boat tour around the Farne Islands, breeding ground for various seabirds. Saw puffins and grey seals and Arctic terns. Then on the bus back I lost my phone again. Then someone found and called my dad, and he e-mailed me, and I got my phone back.

I'm going to Wales on Tuesday. I think I can pronounce the name of the village correctly (Llwyngwril: "HlooenGOOreel") but maybe this is presumptuous on my part.

Anyway, I finally got around to typing up the handwritten journal I've been keeping. Has copious details concerning Turkey. It contains largely uncensored me-thoughts, which is pretty barbaric. Read at your own risk (plus it's not formatted well, to my shame).

Wha?

2007-07-23T23:15:00.000-04:00

Did anyone else know/see that Monnica got engaged??
I know Jess did.

And So This Past Week

2007-07-21T17:49:00.000-04:00

I visited my friend Amanda in Chicago. It was fun, and good for me to get out of the house, but by the time I flew back into Oakland I was both mentally and physically exhausted. Then I got into this big awful fight with my brother ... none of this is being very descriptive, but to make a long story short, I'm anxious to get back to school. Is it too early to be thinking this way?

--Alex

A taste of Peru...

2007-07-20T15:19:00.001-04:00

So finally, after much delay I present a recap of my trip to Peru. Yes, Hamster has not been very diligent with posting... Sorry... So here are some fun pictures!

This is a picture right outside of the small Sunday school/orphanage that we spent the week working with. The people were so wonderful and receptive towards us. This is me, a friend from John's Hopkins named Jenny, and Shela. Shela was such a sweetheart I absolutely loved her! She is 16, we could barely communicate with each other, but by the end of the week we were like sisters. I miss her so much...

These were just some of the school children who swamped us with hugs, kisses and notebooks. It was so cute because they kept asking us for our e-mail. Of course we had to give them fake ones. And the girls were overwhelming the guys too. Ha ha ha, the guys were such heartbreakers because they kept refusing to give the girls their e-mail.

This had to have been the most exhilirating experience I've ever had. On a whim one of the pastors asked if anyone wanted to join him on a "hike" up a mountain. It was either that or spending time at the orphanage. I really wanted to do both, but going up a mountain in Peru is a once in a lifetime experience so I decided to join him. So me, my friend Alison and Jason and three other local Peruvians joined this 50 somthing year old pastor. IT LITERALLY WAS A MOUNTAIN!!! Or a vast chain of mountains... It was so steep we were clinging onto each other for support. My thighs were throbbing with excruciating pain, but the view was breathtaking. We watched the sky transition from sunset to darkness. Problem was by night it was very, very scary to scale down the mountains. We could barely see where we were going and at several points I was horrified to realize how high up we had climbed. Overall it was worth it, but my legs felt it for the next few days.

On our last day we finally had some time to be a group of tourists. We hit the shops, ate at a gorgeous restaurant and went to this beautiful coastline. This is a group picture of all of us. It includes our dedicated translators who were so helpful at helping us haggle, talk to the locals and explain how we couldn't flush toilet paper. I loved them so much. They were so sweet. So yes, this is a pretty lousy picture quality but I still like it anyway. ^___^

So overall I loved Peru, or Lima to be more specific. We didn't go anywhere visually stunning, but I really felt immersed in a culture filled with love and warmth. I couldn't communicate with any one of them, but they were genuine. On the last day a lot of us cried because we just didn't want to leave them. I did too... Oh, I miss them... So this is just a taste of Peru. And sorry if this entry is long.

A wee taste of Scotland!

2007-07-16T07:42:00.000-04:00

Berwick being right on the border between England and Scotland, I decided to embark on a weekend tour of the Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye. And thus began a crash course in Scottish history and lore, as well as three days full of the most beautiful grassland I've ever set eyes upon. Loch Ness, William Wallace, Rob Roy, more clans and MacWhatevers than I can remember, faery glens and Jacobites and kilts! The place is full of wonders!

In addition:
-Went to a pub, listened to live folk music with fiddle and bagpipes, drank local Skye whisky (apparently Scottish whisky omits the letter E), ate haggis and all that.
-Drank water straight from mountain waterfalls (it looked sorta funny but tasted like water and I didn't get sick).
-Stuck my face in a faery-approved river for seven seconds and if they like me they will give me eternal good looks, and I left thirty pence in the faery glen for them so they better like me.

Seriously though, apparently there's no such thing as trespassing in Scotland because there's so much common land that anyone may graze their sheep upon. It's a hiker's paradise and hillwalking is a popular pastime. I really want to just walk across a long stretch of the Highlands someday, exploring hidden glens and lochs. It's an absolutely spectacular landscape so if anyone wants to come too...

Picture time!

The most photographed castle in Scotland, apparently! Kind of easy to see why.

Eternal good looks, damn it!

Scotland, land of the faeries.

Brilliant even in the rain!

Highland cattle are called "hairy coos" because Scottish people have funny accents. This one's name is Hamish.

This is Doune Castle. Every castle save one in Monty Python and the Holy Grail is this castle. They keep a pair of coconut halves at the front desk for people to clap together.

And finally, a story.
We visited the Wallace monument, near where William Wallace, the Braveheart Guy, won that first major battle against the English. If you've seen Braveheart, it's pretty much all wrong. The battle was fought on a bridge over a river, and Wallace himself was not actually a highlander so none of that tartan stuff.
The monument's pretty new, and as they were putting it up, this local sculptor who had just survived some horrible illness watched Braveheart and was so inspired that he asked if he could make a sculpture of Wallace for the new tourist center. It's pretty hard to refuse a guy who almost just died, so they agreed. But when he unveiled the sculpture, everyone went "WTF?" For he had incorrectly portrayed Wallace in all this highlander gear, and had made Wallace all stubby and squat even though judging from the size of Wallace's sword Wallace must have been over six and a half feet tall, a gigantic man. And to top it all off, the sculpture's face looks suspiciously like a certain Mel Gibson.
Of course all the locals hated the sculpture, and people kept on vandalizing it, pouring paint on it and whatnot. It got so bad that they ultimately had to start putting a fence around it at night and trained a video camera on it to catch vandals. So now they've ended up with with this guy in a cage with a camera watching him at all times... yet on the sculpture's pedestal it says in great big letters "FREEDOM."

FREEDOM!

More Proof the Internet is Awesome

2007-07-14T19:32:00.000-04:00

Space Invaders with Real Humans

You make me touch your hands for stupid reasons

2007-07-14T19:17:00.000-04:00

I can't take it. I've listened to this about 3 or 4 times now and I start laughing every time.
It is a dramatic reading of a letter sent in to the website RealBreakups (Real actual break up letters & stories sent in by site visitors.) I found the dramatic reading first and then found the website that it came from.
I thought some of you might find it as amusing as I did and decided to share it.

Make sure your volume is turned up when you go to the page.

http://youmakemetouchyourhandsforstupidreasons.ytmnd.com/#
http://www.realbreakups.com/index.php?&st=367

Jellyfish and Harry Potter.

2007-07-14T09:46:00.000-04:00

One week ago today, Christiane found herself in Boston, so we went to the aquarium.

It was a rewarding day, even though the subway broke down and I was half-an-hour late for work. We took many many pictures in front of jellyfish tanks, but I think this one is sufficient to represent the whole.

I also saw Harry Potter twice on Wednesday. First I went to a matinee by myself, and then met up with the few friends I have to see it again. Talk about rewarding. As I was watching the Weasley twins, I was just thinking about the German website and "wet and cold" and the desktop backgrounds, and then I'd see Daniel Radcliffe and think about his naked horse pictures, and then I'd feel uncomfortable for a second but it would pass quickly. I don't have to work on Friday the 20th, which means I can go to a midnight bookstore release party for the seventh book, which means my Harry Potter fun is far from over.

Monday I have jury duty! I have to go to Fall River, which is apparently all Portuguese-speaking now. It could be fun, or it could be a big judicial mess.

OH! Wuthering Heights!

2007-07-11T10:40:00.000-04:00

AND the Ukelele Orchestra has their own music video to the Wuthering Heights Song!
Christiane you'll love this!

THE INTERNET IS AWESOME

2007-07-11T01:20:00.000-04:00

Walk it Out, Fosse

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain - Life on Mars

there is a tasty surprise halfway through the second video
--Alex

p.s.
I am not really sure how to post videos; if you cannot see them I AM SORRY

whoa.

2007-07-10T16:21:00.000-04:00

I bought a cell phone the other day and called home. My dad answered and I asked him how he was, and he said, "Well, I'm back from the hospital."

Wait, what? Hospital, what??

It turns out that my parents and their friends had gone to Martha's Vineyard for the weekend, and by the second day my dad wasn't feeling well. Lightheaded, couldn't get up. Well, this being a gathering of Asians, there were like three doctors in the group, and at first they figured it was low blood sugar or something. But when he kept being so groggy they realised something was wrong. 911 was called, ambulances came, internal bleeding was discovered, IVs inserted. They took him back to Boston and apparently massive blood transfusions were necessary because he'd lost like half his blood.

He's okay. They let him go home yesterday and today he is supposedly going to work, which I think is stupid. What happened was that he'd been prescribed a painkiller for shoulder pain, but one of the side effects is stomach ulcers or something, and bad things followed rapidly.

I'm cycling between feeling relieved and calm because I only found out after all this had happened, and I know he's fine, and feeling horrified and panicky because I wasn't there, because this could happen at any time, and because half his blood, massive transfusions. That kind of thing belongs in an episode of House, not real life.

What I've learned is that once I leave home everything freakin' falls apart. In conclusion, I must live with my parents for the rest of my life.

Just ... Hello

2007-07-06T02:08:00.001-04:00

I - I don't really have anything that interesting to talk about. I just wanted to say hi!

I'm living in a pyramid!

2007-07-05T11:07:00.000-04:00

So I officially found somewhere to live in the Netherlands!

The pictures are pretty large and take a very long time to upload so you can look at the rest of them here: http://home.student.utwente.nl/r.p.verger/
Image 88 and 89 are of the room that I will be living in. And 90 and 91 is of the bathroom. My mom thought 90 was very unflattering. It's not that bad! It looks okay to me and it could be a million times worse. I especially like 91 because you can see the guy I am subletting from in the mirror. In 95 you can see one of my future apartment-building mates. I believe she's sitting in the shared kitchen/living area and in 96 you can see the kitchen area. I think I spy two stoves?

PS Happy belated 4th of July. Anyone get to see some fireworks? Right after I got out of work yesterday my sister and I went to some in a nearby town. It was hazy and cloudy out but the fireworks kind of looked really great that way.

I have not written

2007-07-03T22:41:00.000-04:00

in a horribly, shamefully long time. Much too long. I’m sorry. I’ll try to change.

I have a job at a Williams-Sonoma outlet store at the outlet mall near my house. So far it’s really great, and I make $2 more per hour than I made last summer, and the store is always air-conditioned enough that I can wear a sweater to work, and I work with married ladies and renegade young males who are friendly and tell me about their personal lives while we fold aprons. I work in the evenings, so I don’t have to get up early and the end-of-the-night shift is more exciting than the opening one, I’ve been told. The downside is that the rest of my family members work 9-5 jobs, so my 4-10 shift means that I am by myself a lot lot lot because everyone’s asleep by the time I get home.

Last summer, there was a man who would always sit on a bench in downtown Attleboro without a shirt on, and I became attached and would have imaginary conversations with him in my head as I drove past him. I saw him a handful of times at the beginning of this summer but not recently, and I’m afraid that he might have died a week or two ago because there was an article in the paper about a homeless man who was found dead but was a gentle and good man. His name was Sheldon Pond. I don’t know for sure if my Shirtless Guy is the same man, but I miss him and his chest and beard, and my downtown feels empty without him.

My dad finally sold his house in Rhode Island, and will be all moved out in a few weeks, and I will have one foot in MA, one foot in MD, and maybe a fingernail in NC. Or maybe I’ll be sitting in MD with a foot in MA and a few toes in RI.

My social skills are plummeting! and with them, my ability to compose sensible paragraphs. If I try to post more regularly, you’ll get more detail and less nonsense. Day-to-day there just isn’t that much to say, except that I am having perhaps the best hermitage of my life to date, and I am glad to see that you guys are busying yourselves with romance and adventure.

Keep up the good work!

everything that's happened, ever

2007-07-03T11:35:00.000-04:00

It's been a funny few days. There was a gorgeous red sunrise over my last day in Turkey. Istanbul airport security made me take my laptop out of its bag and turn it on, I suppose to prove that I wasn't hiding a bomb inside the screen or something. Then in London, immigrations detained me for maybe half an hour while they phoned the Arts Institute at Bournemouth and etc.-- obviously, do not tell English immigration the truth about your long, complicated, volunteering/studying plans. Next time, you are just vacationing.

But then finally I got to Manchester and saw the world premiere of a Chinese ROCK OPERAAAA (kind of) crafted partly by THE GORILLAZZZ (sort of) and influenced by an 80s Chinese TV series beloved of my youth. It was fantabulous. Also, Damon Albarn, whom I love, made an appearance for the premiere, woo! Then the next day I wandered about Manchester and was horrified at how expensive England is (the prices are pretty much the same as in the US except the pound is worth twice as much, urghhh). I got lost a whole bunch of times too. It was kind of fun?

Next day I was on the bus for approx. 6 hours getting to Berwick-upon-Tweed (which, defying all logic, is pronounced Bare-ick; nobody will understand you if you actually say Berwick). It's a little town by a beautiful rocky coast populated by eider ducks and a ton of swans, and sometimes seals show up too. When I went exploring, the old men in the coast watch tower invited me up and told me how half of the tower is actually in Scotland, and gave me postcards about swimming safety. Everyone at the hostel has been terribly kind to me. Angela, the owner, has a 2 year old named Erin who even offered to share her apple juice.

Nonetheless, today I had a minor crisis of self-confidence combined with homesickness. Cold and rain has been plaguing Britain, and I hid in a niche between sofa and space heater and cried a little and was sad. I pretty much stink at travelling alone. But then I went out and randomly encountered one of the coast watch guys, and he introduced me to the Chinese owners of a cafe and I talked to them over tea and I felt much better. So that's how it is, guys, but today it really hit me how much I miss everyone and the security and safety and love of having friends around all the time. I sent out some letters today and pretty soon I'll send out some more.

Wrapping up in Turkey...

2007-06-27T13:45:00.000-04:00

So Aimee is leaving tomorrow morning (traitor) and I've got a flight to catch at 12:30 on Friday with Delta. I'll actually be very, very glad to be back in the states surrounded by comfort food and men who won't try to hit on you with terrible pick up lines:
"Excuse me, excuse me-may I kiss you?" (Turkish man with a weird British accent...)
Why on earth do you even try? ARGH! Unlike Aimee I haven't been very good at ignoring people. "Are you from Japan? Konnichiwa!"
"NO! I'm from America!!! Go AWAY!!! Go bury yourself!"
And yes, night of the Turkish men, bar and such has grossed me out... unlike Aimee I got away with my lips. I veered away from the guy I was with at the very last second (he got my cheek... I can live with that) and I quickly told him good night and ran away in horror. I tried SOOO hard to avoid encountering him at the restaurant (we walk by there several times a day). But ha ha ha of course when we go horseback riding we parade RIGHT through town. And who do I see sitting on a motocycle? Perverted guy I was trying to ignore all morning... -Sigh-
On a completely different note: Today we crossed the Bosphorus by ferry to go to an AMAZING textile exhibition. I was blown away by the embroidery work and the carpets. I took tons of pictures and it REALLY made me want to weave again. And due to the intense heat in Istanbul we've had our power out twice. I hope it isn't too hot for you guys back in the states.
Well, its been a crazy but worthwhile three weeks. I'll be glad to not be traveling for a while. Peru and Turkey really wore me out... I hope all of you are doing great!

surprises, continued...

2007-06-27T12:13:00.000-04:00

Alright, so I hadn't planned on making that so long, but I got a little carried away. So here's the continuation, which I swear won't be as long:
Last week (or whenever that was) when I posted, I mentioned the guy who came into Sears and gave me his phone number... well, surprise number 2:
After trying to reach each other several times he finally text-messaged me and asked me if I wanted to go have dinner... which we did. There's this amazing Mexican restaurant that opened recently near me, and we went there and just had a really wonderful time. I was really nervous because I've never just gone out with a stranger before, but he did absolutely everything in his power to make me feel comfortable. We joked around and laughed and talked in strange accents the whole time.. it was genuinely fun. Then we left the restaurant and ended up talking in the parking lot for another hour or two, since we had, without realizing it, parked our cars only one space apart. Finally we went our separate ways, but I've been seeing him quite a lot since then.
The other day he took me hiking at High Rocks in Ralph Stover state park, which was amazing, and the day before yesterday I actually went golfing with him (well, chip n' put).. which apparently I was pretty okay at, and which surprisingly was really really fun. Who knew I'd like to golf?
Alright, so now the um, even more surpsing part... he smokes (although he tries not to around me), and..... he's almost 32. yeah. That is much older, so it seems, but it really hasn't made a difference. Although it's still something I'm adjusting to, considering he has a career (he's a surveyor, for topographical work, construction, etc.), he's an adult, really. And a good deal of the time, I feel that I'm not. But then again, he's often just a goofy little kid too, so maybe there is no real difference. Either way, I have to admit I'm awfully happy right now. Man, I hope you guys don't want to kill me after reading this..

hot air balloons and other surprises

2007-06-27T11:39:00.000-04:00

by Elizabeth

Right at this exact moment things are seeming unnecessarily complicated and stressful... just the usual things I suppose: my job, keeping my family happy, trying to figure out why the heck I came up $2oo short on my cash drawer the other day and hoping they won't fire me for it....but otherwise I've had a very pleasant past few weeks filled with many nice surprises, so I think I'll dwell more on those than on recent confusing developments.

I'll start out with the hot air balloon, even though in the sequence of events that comes toward the end...As you guys probably know at this point my parents are pretty whacky and spontaneaous at times and have all sorts of interesting and sometimes bizzaare connections; well, this past sunday they were at the local farmers' market and they ran into a friend of my dad's who's also a potter and who apparently has been flying hot air balloons for about 25 years. She was explaining that she and her fellow balloon pilot friends wanted to launch their first balloon of the year that day, but were having trouble finding crew to help them. Deb (the balloon lady) was also not able to do too much since she had just received some second-degree burns on her hand from a rakku kiln firing. So right then and there my parents volunteered.

I got a call at work from my dad, telling me to rush home as soon as my shift ended because we were going to help launch a hot air balloon. I managed to get home with only seconds to spare, then we all piled into my dad's SAAB and ruhed down to DeSales University, which is right down the hill from us.When we got there, we met Deb (45?), her 70-something boyfriend named Aaron, and a few other balloon afficionados who were there to help. Together we lifted an amazing, giant woven basket down from their little trailer. It was fitted with leather on the bottom and around the rim for extra support I think, but the leather was so dark and tightly stitched to the basket that it may actually have been an antique. If anyone has seen the original Around the World in 80 Days with Rex Harrison, well, imagine that balloon and you pretty much have it.
The balloon itself was tightly packed into the basket, and we had to pop it out carefully and gently unroll it in the field, keeping it in line with the overturned basket. It was almost like rolling out a tent when you're camping, and felt like the same type of material, except that it required 7 people and when it was completly unfurled, it measured about the height of a three-story building.When the entire ballon was flat on the grass and unfolded, Aaron passed out some work gloves and positioned my dad and me on either side of the "mouth" of the balloon (the opening underneath that the hot air is fed into when in flight). He wrapped some rope around the edges of the mouth in a strangely intricate way, then handed the ends to my dad and me, explaining that we absolutely had to hold them in exaclty the way that he told us to, or it wouldn't work. We weren't allowed to wrap the rope around our hands, we just had to hold on for dear life, the looped ends in our left hands and the single ends in our right hands. He then set up what looked like an old window fan in front of the opening between us and all the wire cables intertwining around our feet that attatched the basket to the balloon. The fan had to be started like a lawn mower, which was funny to watch.. slowly the balloon filled up with air, just from that one little fan. My dad and I held the mouth open, and occasionally I would look inside and see that the balloon was becoming an enormous, billowing blue and yellow cavern. It was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. I wanted so badly to just let go of the strings and run inside, but what happened next was too good to miss as well.
Little feeble-looking Aaron moved the fan out of the way, once the balloon was fully inflated, and positioned himself between us this time, with a giant metal object (I have no idea how to describe it, but it was essentially a flame-thrower). He crouched down in firing position, looking for all the world like a gunner in a fighter jet, and proceeded to shoot enormously hot flames into the opening of the balloon, making my dad and I turn our faces away from the heat and try to hold on to the ropes because the balloon had suddenly started pulling against us violently. I was loosing my balance and the wires were tripping my feet, and at the risk of falling against the balloon and into the path of the shooting flames, I had to let go of one of the ropes. As soon as I did the rope whipped right into the path of the flame, and Aaron had to grab it before it could catch on fire, and motioned for someone else to come and help me hold on.

Eventually we turned the basket and allowed the balloon to lift itself into the air. It's impossible to comprehend exactly how immense these things are until you are standing almost inside one... I think the best adjective to use would probably be sublime. It took every one of us to hold the balloon down until Aaron could climb into it. We had to put all of our body weight on the basket, which would lift up on one side, pulling the people on that side almost off their feet, and then it would rock back in the other direction... but we had to keep it down until Aaron had finished all of the preparations. Finally he was ready, and he did a three-hop take-off. Essentially that meant allowing the balloon to rise a little into the air, then releasing some of the gas and pressure so that it would touch down again, then lifiting it up again. Finally he was off, and we all piled into Deb's car to do some balloon chasing. You can't really steer the balloon, so we had no predetermined landing spot. We had to keep a little ahead of the ballon, essentially trying to predict its movements, since Aaron wasn't using his 2-way radio. It was like some kind of strange car chase, except... well, it was a balloon and a car. yeah.. so we kept passing people gawking up at the sky and little kids yelling to us "hey do you see that?! it's a balloon!!!" We kept having to weave in and out of other cars on the road that had stopped to watch or were moving slowly... eventually Deb, the master balloon tracker figured out that Aaron was probably aiming for the fields behind my dad's old high school, so we zipped over there just in time to see Aaron touch down in a cemetary, just a tad too quickly. We stopped the car and leapt out as the balloon started to tip the basket that Aaron was standing in... my dad and I reached it first and essentially had to leap onto the rim of the basket to keep Aaron from toppling out. The rest of the crew joined us in an instant and we managed to ease the basket back to the ground.

After deflating and packing up the balloon, we all piled into the cars again and set off for the Spring Valley Inn, where we sat at the bar and had a jolly good time, and Aaron bought us all dinner and told us that we were officially part of his balloon crew.

And he hinted that next time, he might take me up in the basket.

A place to live!?

2007-06-26T11:37:00.000-04:00

OH MAN. I've been writing to a bunch of different people about possible housing accommodations for me in the Netherlands while I will be there. I received one not so promising e-mail this morning but I also received the following!:

Dear Kelsey,

Thanks for your reply on my advertisement on Kamersite. Your period of staying in Holland suits me perfect at least and the subtenancy is still available. I suppose you are still in the USA now, so i will explain some things.

You probably read some information about this room, but i will give you some more information. You have a 12m2 room with and 6m2 additional room for your bathroom (shower,sink,toilet). We live in a kind of dormitory with 12 people (4 girls,8 men) in total so there is shared kitchen, living room, laundry room etc. They are nice people and we mostly eat together during the week, but nothing is mandatory. People living here in this house are following different kinds of studies from IT to psychology. This is a campus dormitory close to your AKI institute and 15/20 minutes cycling to enschede center (yep, in holland we do almost everything by bycycle:)). The room itself will be furnished with bed, desk, 2 closets, couch and some minor stuff.

If you are still interested or having more questions you can contact me again of course. If so, i can send some pictures or whatever you would like to see. Hopefully contacting soon!

Cheers,
Robert Verger

THIS IS IDEAL!! I just hope it works out! The apartment is also in a wooded area, which would be a welcome and wonderful change from living in Baltimore, or even at my own house which is on a busy road. Oh you guys! I am so excited! When I get there I will HAVE to buy a bicycle there is no question about that. I will have to learn the rules of the road. According to my books on the Netherlands the Dutch hate tourists who just leisurely ride around on their bikes, not paying attention. The Dutch take their cycling seriously!

This weekend starting tomorrow is going to be really great. My aunt and uncle from Boston-area are coming down for a visit. So Thursday night will be a lobster-steak surf and turf dinner. And my brother is coming for a number of days, visiting from Indiana. I am going to go to this tasty festival with him on Friday night (Taste of Rochester Festival- http://www.tasteofrochester.net/vendors.asp) There will be tables highlighting Rochester cuisine and each table will have four different things that they are selling a $1, $2, $3 and $4 item. So much good food!

I have the next four days off from work because of my aunt and uncle visiting. A much needed four days off. I love the paint department though. I really do. I now know how to mix paint, quarts and gallons and five gallons of it. And lots of people are buying stain for decks and for wood houses. Now I know the difference between all the stain, toner, semi-transparent and solid. And I know about the different sheens of paint, flat (should only get for ceilings!), eggshell, satin, semi-gloss (easiest to clean), and a special paint made for kitchen and baths. I really enjoy the people I work with. Today I work from 2-11. I am going to be very strong by the end of summer, as I have to lift lots of boxes of four 1 gallon buckets of paint and put them on the shelves or carry them up a ladder. And then there are the five gallon buckets which are the worst but I am still able to manage them. I have to carry them and lift them up so I can add tints to them and then lift them into the shaker which clamps down on the 5 gallon can and shakes really fast up and down. Some guy did maintenance on the 5 gallon shakers a number of days ago and left a layer of grease on the bottom of it. So then when my co-worker Paulina went to shake a 5 gallon can of stain it slipped out and spilled. I was glad I wasn't there to see it.

My favorite thing is the OOPS paint. The paint that people decide they don't like so they return it or leave it at the store. We then mark it down to 4 or 5 dollars depending on the quality. But we have to change the color before marking it down. That way it prevents people from getting the color they want, pretending that they don't actually like it, then they wait until we mark it down and buy it. Some people are cheaters. So we get to play. I get to add any color tints that I want and I can make pretty colors. I made two beautiful greens and a lovely blue and pink. The gallons are so cheap I'm always tempted to buy one and paint my room. But I always decide against it.

I am most likely going to apply to a Lowe's in Baltimore for the spring semester. I was offered work study for this year, but I am hoping that if I am accepted to work at a Baltimore Lowe's that I will keep the same pay that I have here, and will therefore make more money than I would at work study. I am hoping all these things work out.

News from California

2007-06-20T01:48:00.001-04:00

um, Turkey is a hard act to follow, but here is how my relatively unexciting week went:

Friday: my older brother Jeff pulled up to the house around 8:30am (after driving for what I assume was about 8 hours from LA); 9:00, I catch a ride into the City with my dad for an intro session at Root Division; 1:30pm, I take BART (local rapid transit) back to the East Bay. My mom drove Greg home from Berkeley and we had a nice dinner with the whole family at a sushi boat place.

Jeff brought his dog Benny, who is a white-haired, long-legged poodle mix. Benny must have come from an abusive home, because when Jeff and Janice adopted him he was kinda skittish; and so this whole weekend whenever I thought the dog was beginning to like me, he would develop this crazy look in his eyes and whine really high, and then headbutt me. He went home with Jeff on Sunday.

Monday: my first full day at Root Division. The place is either a garage or warehouse that's been converted into studio space; I work under an executive director and artists mill in and out during the day. Also, they are doing some kind of weenie summer camp in conj. with the School of Rock (as feat. in the Jack Black movie), so there were about 15 young kids playing "You Really Got Me" and "Hotel California" and "Suffragette City." It is OK.

--Alex

More news from Turkey

2007-06-17T16:30:00.000-04:00

Hey again! Turkey turkey turkey! It's still awesome! We've met a lot of natives, for example: a carpet seller with a stuffed squirrel and dreadlocked hippie friends from Istanbul, an Iraqi date seller who spoke excellent English and sold us fresh dates, and a nomadic goat herder who offered us some goat-milk yoghurt. And Turkish beekeepers! And traditional felt-makers!

I also went to a Turkish bar and had Turkish beer and played Turkish backgammon with Turkish guys. Then a Turkish guy kissed me but that was all a very unfortunate mistake, so Hamster and I ran back to the hotel and hid away. But yeah, in general Turkish people are really friendly, and very into conversation with foreigners. It's a liiittle bit awkward being stared at all the time, but I have to confess I don't really mind the attention that much. I've never felt threatened or anything, so it's generally okay.

Picture time:

callouses and engine grease

2007-06-13T20:38:00.001-04:00

by Elizabeth

Well, I've been working at Sears for about a week now, and I supposed it should come as no surprise to me that every single man who comes into the store is covered up to his elbows in dirt and grease and counts out grease covered dollar bills with calloused fingers to pay for the mountain of washers and bolts and wrenches, etc. that have been plopped down in front of my cash register. It's kind of wonderful, actually. For some reason being around so many people who are working so hard at something is always kind of exhilarating. Not to mention the absolutely adorable little old men who hobble into the store to buy Suet to feed the wild birds.

Of course, Sears is a crazy, disorganized, understaffed war-zone. But I'm getting 8 dollars an hour and learning things a lot faster than I've ever had to before because if I screw up the whole ship goes down with me. Alright, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I have been the cause of numerous inconveniences to my coworkers because of my questions and confusion, so I'm trying to be better about that. And there's a lot for me to screw up on (pricechecks, reimbursements, returns, warranty exchanges, credit card applications, orders, rain checks, account payments, discounts, parts order forms, merchandice replacement agreements, etc....). But I like the people I work with and I think I'm getting better at this whole thing, and there's so much to do since there are so few of us to do it, so time really goes by quickly. Much more quickly than it ever has at any other job I've had.

So... the other day something kind of surpising happened. It was probably my 4th day working there, and I was about to start closing out my cash register. There was one more customer in line, so I called him over to my register, figuring it'd be pretty quick and then I could go home. He had this cell phone holder that he thought was on sale but it wasn't coming up that way when I rang it up, so I had to ask for help, and there was a huge delay since everybody was busy with customers, so we just made some small talk as we waited for my "superiors" to try to figure it out. It took an awfully long time, and he was being really really patient and even light-hearted about the whole thing; asking me why I had chosen to work there, what I did in college, etc., and generally being very friendly. Finally we figured out that I'd just have to make up a raincheck for the cell-phone covers, which I did (I didn't even know what a rain check was at that point, so things took a little longer, of course.) I bagged up the set of wreches that he'd bought as well, and he left, although for some reason he seemed a little reluctant.

I was just tallying up my sales checks when a few minutes later he appeared in front of my register again. For a moment I was completely puzzled, thinking maybe he'd forgotten something... but then he said: "I knew I was gonna kick myself later if I didn't do this, so... if you want to call me sometime....maybe we can hang out." And he gave me a business card with his number written on the back, smiled, and walked out again. And I stood there with an idiotic look on my face probably, because nothing like that has ever just happened to me before. A few minutes later I overheard two of the women I work with saying that he had forgotten to put his phone number on the rain check, so there was no way we could process it. They were getting really frustrated about it, so I sort of tiptoed over and said: "um, actually.... I have it." Samm, one of the two women, started laughing her head off as she copied it onto the raincheck from the little piece of paper I had pulled out of my pocket, saying "I was wondering why he was spending so much time over there!" I turned bright red, which made her laugh too... then the next day one of my managers walked past my register with this huge grin on her face and said: "So, Elizabeth, how many numbers have you gotten so far?" Anyway.... uh, adventures at the hardware store! Who would have thought? ( and yes, I did actually call, believe it or not.. got his voicemail... he called me back but I wasn't there, so he left a voicemail, and then I called back and.... left another voicemail. The whole thing is slightly awkward and completely unknown territory for me... wow, it's weird even writing about it. But hey, maybe I'll at least make a new friend.)

Fun Facts

2007-06-13T13:19:00.000-04:00

Upon receiving my Rough Guide to the Netherlands in the mail yesterday I have learned that in the Netherlands Dutch coffee shops are licensed to sell small quantities of marijuana and hash to people 18 and older. In fact, there is this website (http://www.coffeeshop.freeuk.com/) that has a 1000+ directory of different types cannabis coffee shops in the Netherlands. I have also learned that the Netherlands is about the size of Maine with a population just short of 16 million. It is one of the most liberal countries in Europe. Also almost half the population declare no religious affiliation, which I found to be very interesting. I also learned that the Netherlands has the tallest people, in which case I will stick out very badly.

2007-06-12T13:22:00.000-04:00

HI EVERYONE.
Hamster and I are at a Internet cafe in Goreme, here in Turkey. It feels like we've been here much, much longer than a week; we've been to so many museums and Byzantine underground churches and all manner of crazy, intense places. I hadn't done any research on Turkey until the plane ride, so I was massively unprepared, but I think now I've adjusted all right. We plan on going horseback riding soon, in the beautifully-named Rose Valley. It is true that there are millions of roses in Turkey.

So Aimee has been hit on by sooo many Turkish men... ha ha ha just kidding (this is Hamster) but everyone is very friendly and loves serving tea to us. there are lots of japanese tourists here as well. you can never escape from asians. and we miss you all very much and wish you were here drinking turkish tea with us and walking around exploring ruins. we took lots of pictures too! so yes everyone have a great summer and love you all to bits and pieces!!!

Figuring things out.

2007-06-12T10:16:00.000-04:00

I guess I haven't written in awhile. At least not a real entry. I haven't felt like there has been much to write about. Of course now that I am pretty confident at cashiering they are going to be putting me into the paint department. It's kind of like starting over--with all these new things to learn; with how to mix paint; and what buttons to push on the computer; and learning about all the products in the paint department; and how to use the products so that I can help customers; and where all of the products are located and what ones are best. So many more things to learn! And many many tests to take about paint.

I got my first paycheck and I'm pretty sure it is about 2/3 of what I earned all last summer. I've now realized how pathetic my job was last summer. Now that I have deposited my check I am going to use the money to buy a backpack for the Netherlands and a laptop case.

When they told me in an email that I was accepted to AKI they told me I would receive more information in the mail. I'm not exactly sure about what so I decided to wait to see what they would send. Well no mail yet. And I need information now on how to enroll in classes. And I need to figure out where exactly I will live. I still don't know how I will manage to bring everything that I will need. I'm going to buy a mini-hair dryer to save space. I bet I'll need to buy an extra suitcase while I'm there so I can bring everything home.

On Fridays my family and I always go out to dinner. Every Friday since I've been home we have gone to this restaurant down by the bay which is suitably named The Bay Front. It is owned by a Greek family and is really delicious and really inexpensive. When you get there you sit wherever you want. My parents always go to dinner really early so when we're there all of the other people eating are usually 65+. I like being "a regular." When I am older I want a restaurant or diner that will be my regular place. It has to be good and have the right people. This restaurant is pretty suitable for a place to be a regular. I enjoy the Greek family and I like that most of the people eating there are elderly. And also like the fact that it is down by the bay because I feed the geese that are in the back of the restaurant our leftover dinner rolls. Maybe I can become a regular somewhere in the Netherlands. I think that might be a good idea.

One of my high school friends called me. I don't want to call her back. It's just, we don't really have much in common. Not that you always have to have something in common with someone to talk to them or be friends with them. It's just that I cannot carry on a conversation with her without it feeling forced. Which maybe is just my fault because I am just really bad in a lot of social situations. Mostly I don't understand why she wants to see me. We aren't that close, really. She considered me a best friend but we never really were; at least not in my idea of what a best friend is and should be. We never even did things together after school or on weekends during high school. I.. I don't know. Mostly I think maybe I'm just being self-centered. Because for some reason she wants to hold on to me and not lose contact. So I shouldn't shrug her off I suppose. I guess I should try.

I still haven't started driving. My parents are kind of upset with me, but the timing is never right. I need to try harder at it. I need to get my license. I need to get over my fear of driving. It's not that I'm deathly afraid. I just am reluctant. I need to do all of those things, but now I just have to force myself to actually do them.

I miss you guys. It's starting to set in that I won't see some of you in a very, very, very long time.

Random Update

2007-06-11T19:22:00.000-04:00

So I figured I wouldn't mention it until I was certain, but as of today I will be interning at a small artist organization in San Francisco. It will only be once a week with no pay, and I'll probably be doing a lot of misc. work like mailing, collating, and installations, but I'm excited nevertheless. Check out their website at: http://www.rootdivision.org/

My older bro is visiting from SoCal this upcoming weekend for Father's Day; more on that later...

Has it been a month since school let out? I'm surprised!
-- Alex

On Christiane's current life.

2007-06-09T12:40:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I know it's been longer than it should have been since I last posted. Which is sort of funny, because in the beginning it was just me and Kelsey posting. But... oh well.

At any rate, things have been good. (Two weeks ago??) I went to Chincoteague for the weekend with my family and my mom's friend Cynthia and my brother's friend Ian. It was wonderful, as trips to the beach usually are. Sure, there were the fights (my brother and dad can find ANYTHING to fight about... it's a talent or something), but the ocean and the kayaking and the wildlife waaayyyy overshined the parts that dragged. I played more cards than I maybe had for a long long long long time. Probably more than the last four years combined. I taught Ian how to play Pounce (a sort of multi-player super-fast version of solitare?), and then me, him, my mom, and Cynthia played together obsessively. I saw wonderful wildlife; osprey families, pony families (complete with three little'uns), eagle families... seagulls! Cormorants, egrets, herons... ahhh. I wish I could be on vacation all of the time.

Back at home it was back to work. Roly Poly takes up most of my time, although another good portion I've dedicated to relaxation and productivity, although I still have yet to do a non-watercolor painting since I've been home, which is making me antsy. But never-the-less, I am pressing on! Trying to relax-ish in the time before my super-sweet summer classes begin. I'm looking forward to learning with normal people again, but waking up for class at 8am so far does not seem oh-so appealing. I guess at least then MICA class at 9 will seem like a dream? I'm also trying to do weird yoga everyday, which so far has been... interesting. All I can say is that Denise Austin is a bizarre woman. But I like yoga.

I've been hanging out with my handful of friends frequently, which has been nice. Although now I can feel myself drifting into a sticky situation with my nieghbor... and it's probably mostly sticky because I can't figure out what I feel on the subject. For the most part I've been trying to be buddy-buddy, but last night I was stretched out on the couch, my thighs resting on my friend Erin's lap and my feet resting on Jordan (my neighbor's) lap, and then he started rubbing my feet? Which, maybe I'm getting signals crossed and is a normal course for girl-guy friendships to run, but seems a little... deeper??

And it's awkward also because the rest of this group of friends is convinced that Jordan has a thing for Erin? Which I know almost for a certainty is false. And besides all of the confusingness that goes along with that, I can't figure out if I'd even want anything more than this friendship with Jordan. I mean, I guess he's cute-ish (although maybe not really my type), but I don't want a real relationship in the least bit, and I know that if I start something during the summer I don't want to continue it over school. I just don't have the time to be calling and chatting and visiting home? And frankly I don't want to.

But on the other hand... I'm tempted to pursue. Mostly I think I'm just bored and tired of being single for forever, which is probably really bad.

And then there's the side of me that just wants to high-tail it and run away? For some reason that I can't figure out, I like have this weird relationship phobia that counteracts the part of me that just wants to have a fling. Ohgodohgodohgod now he is im-ing me and AHHHH why am I so retarded and unecessarily complicated??? Wwwhhhhyyyyy. I'm probably just overracting inside my brain because I have too much time on my hands. Oh well. Sorry you had to hear about my random not-even-a-relationship inside-my-head drama panic. We'll just leave it that Christiane has issues. Mk.

I guess that's all for now. I'll try to make my next posts less boring and less whiny and more frequent?

MI man in wheelchair takes wild ride!

2007-06-07T21:37:00.000-04:00

Wow, I would have fainted I'm pretty sure.
Man in wheelchair going 50 MPH!

2007-06-04T20:55:00.000-04:00

Tonight is my last night in America for almost six months. I've been engaging in the most ordinary things: shopping, getting my hair cut, watching tons of CSI. It's like I'm building a buffer of boring, comforting activities, to guard against any unpleasant surprises. Like if I get robbed in a seedy English pub (what? it could happen), at least I can revert to happy nostalgia about home. Logical? Yes.

I leave you with a sketch of trees from the Boston Public Garden, and what those trees were feeling at the time:

Some Movement

2007-06-03T20:30:00.000-04:00

So this weekend I helped my brother move into his new place in Berkeley, which involved a lot of heavy lifting and riding around on the floor of my mom's Dodge caravan with the back seats removed. His place is pretty nice: six people to a two-story house on the southside of campus, and he's got a kitchen adjoining his bedroom. We did all the moving with his roommate Gordon, who coincidentally went to the same high school as Katie Morton (if even of you guys know her.)

I sometime forget what it's like to be in prolonged contact with non-artist people; I guess it's kind of refreshing, but also kind of belittling, for me I mean. Somehow, topics such as the surface area of shredded cheese, or mnemonic devices for remembering the names of leg bones, or the cultural impact of internet memes would casually enter their conversation; and I guess this bothered me because it made me feel not only dumb, but misguided; i.e. it provided me a glimpse of the kind of life I would have if I didn't go to art school. (My brother likes to reinforce his competentence over me every chance he gets; I think I made worse decisions the longer I was with him, particularly because I was beginning to believe I was as stupid as he says I am.) Maybe I just missed that kind of certainty of knowledge - not that it's particular to non-artists, or anything. Maybe I also missed the company of nerds, or a group of relatable Asians, or, let's face it, people with Y chromosomes.

But anyways, I got to play Nintendo Wii, so I guess it was worth it.

cooking with Bruce Lee

2007-06-03T20:07:00.000-04:00

by Elizabeth

hello!
so... I got a job, finally. I'll be working at Sears Hardware, which isn't Lowe's but I might still get a nice employee discount on tools. And I do love tools...
Not too much has been happening really. Since the job search lasted so long and since Sears is still completing the whole drug-test/background check thing which takes up to seven days, I've had a lot of down time. I've been reading a lot (everybody should read The Book of Lost Things, it's really good), and watching movies, but recently I haven't been able to handle not doing anything productive. I become nervous and agitated and keep imagining that there's some big thing that I'm forgetting that's really important (other than the fact that I still don't have a place to live for certain next year). So I've been cleaning and cooking. I randomly decided to vaccuum and wash all the floors and clean up the kitchen and living room the other day. It actually felt really good. I've been going through my international cookbooks and making food from a different country each night, if I can. Tonight was sweet chicken curry with yogurt from Bangladesh, last night was chicken and pesto on penne pasta (I made my own pesto... I had no idea that it's just fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, olive oil, and garlic!), the night before was some type of chicken in a peanut sauce over rice (from China)... and today at the farmer's market we bought some herbs that we're going to plant, so I'll be able to cook with home-grown seasonings!

Friday night I watched the movie Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, and have been all excited about martial arts ever since. I decided to go to all four karate classes yesterday (which means I was there for seven hours straight since the first class is at 9 am and the last one ends at 4 pm). I finally felt like a real martial artist, which hasn't happened to me in a while. I usually just show up for one class, dread having to lead the stretches and teach, and then go home with some kind of excuse. So I finally realized that I really do love martial arts, I've just been lazy. I had to teach the classes some things that I learned from taking Aikido in Baltimore, which was nerve-wracking but ultimately fulfilling. But today I can't move my body. Even opening the refridgerator pulls on muslces that I didn't know existed.

I write awfully long posts, it seems.

2007-06-02T01:52:00.000-04:00

I am pretty good at my job. I now make waffle cones from scratch. as well as waffle bowls and vanilla ice cream. I am also a taste tester, and every single bucket of ice cream that we make has to be tested. I haven't been able to eat dinner for a week.

There is this musician called Melanie Valera who is the solo artist behind Tender Forever, and she is amazing! She is also friends with Kimya Dawson and Mirah, and they are amazing too! Anyways, I made some nice Tender Forever drawings and cutouts, and I sent them to her. She sent me an email back today, and she said thankyou 4 times, twice in caps, and she said that they were so nice and she asked me alot of questions about where I am from and what I do and how my life is. I will keep you updated on this email connection.

HEY YA

2007-06-01T13:46:00.000-04:00

Too good not to share. Have you all heard this version of Outkast's song before?

Today I went to the Greek Festival in Rochester with my sister and dad. SUCH GOOD FOOD. It was delicious. Words cannot describe.

Edit:
Who is Rodrigo? And what did he say on my post and in what language?
Weird.

Peanuts love Outkast and Outkast loves peanuts

2007-05-31T15:00:00.001-04:00

I cannot believe how well this fits.

And sorry about the fact that four of the last seven posts were from me.

My Husband

2007-05-30T22:25:00.000-04:00

I think this is one of the best pictures I have seen in a long time. I want him for a husband. It's like he is wearing a fanny pack, except his fanny pack is a baby sloth.

Tonight I spent my time researching the Netherlands and buying a guidebook/a dictionary. I don't think the fact that I am actually going to be living in Europe for four months will really set in until August.

2007-05-30T10:10:00.000-04:00

I was watching vh1 earlier, and I saw Peter from Heroes making out with Fergie in a music video! This is probably old news to you guys by now, but I was stunned. Another longer blog will come soon.

YYAAY

2007-05-30T08:25:00.000-04:00

I'M ACCEPTED, I'M ACCEPTED! I'M FINALLY OFFICIALLY ACCEPTED!
And I was so worried that I would need to obtain a visa but apparently for the Netherlands I do not need one! Which is wonderful because I don't know if I would have been able to get one in time!
So now I am going to try to buy the Rosetta Stone in Dutch on eBay and I am going to buy a Netherlands guidebook, and tickets and oh man!

Other news? Not really I'm just working a lot a lot. Memorial Day I woke up at 4:30 to work. Not exactly fun.

Bazaar!

2007-05-28T22:20:00.000-04:00

(Alex's Post)

Hello friends,
Over the weekend my church held its annual fundraising Bazaar, so I spent a good portion of the week helping to prepare monster proportions of food. This is a big operation. On thurdsay, along with about three dozen other people, I helped in the kitchen as we cooked up four steaming vats of beef curry. also on the menu: BBQ ribs, udon noodles, unagi (grilled eel), futomaki (sushi roll), spam musubi, along with an assortment of desserts. On sunday, the day of the Bazaar, I helped bus dishes - as always, it was a good time to meet people who are "affiliated" with the church, but don't necessarily "attend" church. I don't know how it is elsewhere in the country, but the churches here are major hubs for Japanese-American social networks (about 90% of the core congregration is JA; also, about 50% is 70+ years old!)

Besides this, I've been spending my time reading short stories, comics, and webcomics; also, since my brother's been home over the past few weekends, I've been playing some web games, too (Ijji.com and Desktop Tower Defense.) My parents are leaving for Hawaii tomorrow and will be gone for a week. I'm not sure what's in store for me. My brother's moving into his new apartment at the end of the week. Maybe I will visit San Francisco - and I feel like school has been over long enough for me to be interested in looking at art again. That's my story.

Wolf Parade, anyone?

2007-05-28T20:47:00.001-04:00

So, as long as I'm not going crazy, school doesn't start again until after August 20th, right? I tried looking on the mica website but of course the academic calendar doesn't even work right now (surprising, isn't it?). Well, anyway, would anyone be interested in going to see Wolf Parade live in Philly on August 20 at the TLA (Theatre of the Living Arts) at 8 o'clock? Tickets are $2o, general admission, and it would probably be a good idea to get them in the next few days. And anyone who goes is more than welcome to stay at my house afterward. Lemme know what you think, and if anyone knows when school starts again that would be a big help too :)

- Elizabeth

Wonders of the World

2007-05-25T10:06:00.000-04:00

Vote for the new 7 Wonders of the World!
I haven't decided yet, I think I need to look more into it before I decide. I came across the website while reading an article about reconstructing Petra, Jordan in the Smithsonian magazine. Petra is one of the Wonder candidates. If you look at the picture it is quite amazing, the building is carved right into the red stone of a cliff. What 7 are you all fond of?

Brad Neely

2007-05-24T11:09:00.000-04:00

Hamster, you probably won't like this. Just to warn you!

Check out Brad Neely's other videos:
http://www.superdeluxe.com/sd/viewAllUploads.do?key=brad_neely

Hamster's Journey

2007-05-22T10:49:00.001-04:00

Now that I finally have a computer (I'm sitting in the library in Bunting... so quiet...) I can make a post/read everyone else's posts. Blah! So yes, my journey...

So recently my dad switched jobs. He now works for my uncle at a huge spa called InSpa World. It was a $200 million dollar investment on my uncle's part so I REALLY hope business booms. I guess people need their spa... So I tagged along hoping to find a job for the day and make some extra money. My brother works at the juice bar while I just sat around looking at the other people. My dad felt bad that I was bored out of my mind because he had promised to find me work.
5 minutes into getting there I walked around barefoot, lost. I stubbed my toe on the stairs, ripped my skin and bled. One of the workers (I guess he was new) freaked out because he didn't know where the emergency kit was. So I spent the rest of the day limping around like a wounded dog. Sad... T_____T <---Tears

With a resolution to at least do SOMETHING while I was lounging about I went into the sauna rooms. I don't understand why people enjoy this so much. They pay to sit in these 170 degree rooms and sweat. Some people were taking naps, which I have no idea how you can handle. There was the 'Jade Room', 'Gold Room', 'Yellow Salt Room', and some other strange ones. The inside was pretty because the walls were lined with minerals and rocks. And then the hot tubs... After getting over the embarassment of sitting in a bubbling hot tub naked I sat down and sort of tried not to look at anyone else. Eeek! And then afterwards I took a two hour nap on one of the easy chairs that had a small television attached to it.

Well, I guess the best part of it was the free food. Because my dad is the manager now he gets free food so I mooched off of it. Like I said, an interesting experience...

On a random note I AM soooo glad that our school is small. I went to my brother's graduation on Thursday and I practically fell out of my seat. The ceremony consisted of 2,500 graduates (and that was only from ONE campus). My mom and I were dying as name after name after name after name was read. Ack! Talk about torture...

There was a Party

2007-05-22T01:19:00.000-04:00

so it seems like nothing really happened this week, except on Saturday my brother and I had our 'official' birthday party. it was mostly good fun; all the relatives came over - my grandparents drove down from tahoe with the dog they stole from brother (did i tell this story? my brother has been wanting a dog for like the past five years, but my parents didn't want to have to take care it after Greg went to college. but this past christmas my nana and papa bought a puppy b/f they checked to see if Greg's landlord would accept pets, or even if he'd be able to raise it with homework and marching band, so ANYWAY they kept the dog instead and it's a little monster that runs around and bites people's toes and steals their kleenex.)

so there were about a dozen of us and we had lamb shanks with grilled shrimp for dinner and like i said it was mostly good fun, except there was this weird constrained feeling behind all of it because i felt as though i had to compress all my hello's and goodbye's with these relatives i haven't seen in the past five months (not since christmas) into a short afternoon - and in a way i was scared by the prospect that maybe i've changed so much in college that i don't even know how to communicate with the people i should be closest with. I think it was also telling that i got only cash presents this year; maybe i appreciate the idea of receiving inappropriate gifts, rather than thinking all my relatives don't know me well enough to buy me something specific.

but on a different note, did everyone watch HEROES?

2007-05-21T23:16:00.000-04:00

Last night I had a dream that I was driving on the highway, and out of nowhere all of this paper was on the road and people were swerving and crashing because the paper was giving their tires paper cuts. This is not that strange of a dream, because I have been reading much more than usual and consequentially, I have been receiving many more paper cuts than usual. I have also been driving and traveling a lot, so the dream itself is not the unexpected part. This very afternoon!, I was driving on the highway to visit Nick in Rhode Island, and out of nowhere, there was all of this paper in the road! It looked like trashy paper, like someone’s trash fell out the back of their car, but it was a weird, weird feeling. Luckily, my tires escaped unharmed, as did the other drivers' tires as best I could tell.

My week in Seattle was nice and bad at the same time. It was nice because there are such tall trees in Washington, and markets with flowers, and nice restaurants with good steak and waiters who will do Google searches for you while you eat your good steak because you asked him where to go to see a giant troll under a bridge. The only bad we encountered was the stomach virus my sister and father acquired over the course of the week, which forced me to fly home early to avoid becoming contaminated (a success). The only other bad was that although Ken the waiter printed us out his Google findings about the troll under the bridge, we never had a chance to go. Now I’m home and missing the big, droopy trees, but pretty satisfied and well-traveled. My dad and Jen seem to be healing up nicely.

I am having trouble committing myself to any summer plans when the summer seems so vast and yet it’s already two weeks over! I wish someone would pay me to look up pictures of geodes online and drink Crystal Light.

dressmaker dressmaker, make me a dress!

2007-05-21T18:11:00.001-04:00

So I've been trying really hard to keep myself busy. It's been my goal to keep television at a low and progress at a high, a turn of events that I've been known not to stick to. Last summer, aside from the Roly Poly money-making, was a failure in this department, and I've vowed to change! So far I've done pretty well for myself.

Sometimes I like to count going out with friends as progress, mostly because my instinct is to hole myself away and not see anyone for an entire 3 months. It's like I feel like I've been alone-deprived, which is probably true. But it's similar to being really really food-deprived; they tell you to eat slowly because otherwise you'll make yourself sick. When I start being alone forever, I start deciding I'd like to be alone forever and ever and ever. And while this may not seem to be unhealthy, I think it is. After the initial stretch of being alone, whenever my friends call I start making up wild excuses and pretending I work 50 hour weeks, which we all know is false. And it's not even that I dislike hanging out with my friends... I have fun and like it quite a bit. It's just... somehow the process of saying "yes" to plans is really really difficult. So, like I said before, I have been successful in the relm of my social life!

My neighbor Jordan comes over alot now. It's kind of funny, because I never really thought of him as that close of a friend of mine. Well, kind of close, but more neighborly than anything else. And I think I barely saw him at all last summer, and maybe once over winter break. But now he's been watching Heroes at my house, and he does his internet-college-classwork in my kitchen because he has dial-up at home. It's really nice. I wish I could describe the type of person that he is for all of you, because he's a really fascinating farm boy with loads of halarious stories. And he's sort of awkward and laughs at a higher pitch than is normally acceptable. I used to think he was sort of stupid, but I've changed my mind on that front. It's really just that he's innocent and a worse speller than me! His dad is a vaguely strange Jesus-freak-turned-Jew, and makes their family observe Saturday Sabbath. His sister is an 8th grade goth, and she loves me. She promised their mom she'd help clean the house if it meant I could come over and eat hot-dogs with them.

I've also been seeing alot of my friend Erin and our mutual gay friends Phil and Ed. Ed is jolly and huggy and kissy and Phil is stand-offish and has multiple lip piercings. I love them both. We play this strange card game called "Killer Bunnies" which is actually really really entertaining.

Aside from frolicking, I have also been sewing! In the past four days, I have mananged to sew 3 dresses. It was one of my summer-goals to start making myself clothing, and I am quite proud of myself thus far.

While I sew, I listen to His Dark Materials on cassette tape. I splurged last week and bought all three books on recording because it was too good to pass up. It's a wonderful recording; Phillip Pullman narrates and a full cast does the rest. I'm nearly finished with the Golden Compass, and on the car-rides to and from Chicoteague (where I'll go with my family this weekend, Thursday-Monday) I'm sure to finish the other two. I'm also reading The Namesake, which I'm thoroughly enjoying thus far, although it just makes me wish I had culture. It's funny reading about a character who longs to escape his heritage and odd customs when I'd do almost anything to be a part of such rich experience! And I love anything Indian. I think my netflix this summer will probably be made up of Bollywood flicks.

Oh, and in leau of getting a second job, I've decided to take a couple academic classes at my Community College. Enviromental Science and American Short Stories, as long as registration goes smoothely, fingers crossed. My schedule will be weird, though... 8-9:15 am, t-th would be Short Story, and 6-8:15pm m-w would be science. So I'll wake up at the crack of dawn and then leave (probably work the lunch rush at roly poly) and then trek back in the evenings. But at least I'll have Monday mornings and Fridays off for long-weekend excursions.

At any rate, thanks for answering my safety-question! And my apologies for writing the longest blog entries ever ever ever.

still job-searching..(by Elizabeth)

2007-05-21T14:38:00.000-04:00

So a little while ago I decided to try applying to Lowe's (I was inspired by Kelsey, of course!). For some reason the first Lowes I applied to rejected me (maybe it was because when they asked me how much I wanted to make I said minimum wage.) They kept asking me the question over and over and I didn't know how to respond, since I've never been paid more than minimum wage let alone encouraged to ask for more, and I had no idea that Lowes pays their employes somehting like $13/hr to start! Well, I just applied to a different Lowes (I also know someone who's going to put in a good word for me) and a bunch of other places so hopefully hopefully I'll be employed within the week, by someone. I'm probably also going to be waitressing on occasion for this new restaurant near me called Infusion Cafe, which has really delicious, all-organic salads, paninis and other lovely things. At first, the guy who owns the place wanted me to be the cook (?!). I was thinking that might actually be a really good experience until I realized that I would only be paid $6/hr (under the table), I can hardly reach the panini griller things, I have no formal cooking experience, and I would be needed all the time, since Jeff (the owner) has been doing all of the cooking so far. So we decided instead that I'll try to help him out on weekends by waitressing when they have live music. He told me also that he'd be willing to make a phone call to the other Lowe's in Bethlehem, since he has a friend over there who's always asking him if he knows anybody who might want to work there. So we'll see...maybe things will work out with Lowe's after-all. And now I know to ask for a lot more money during the interview (even though the very thought of that makes me extremely uncomfortable). I'm also going to be doing a little bit of prep-grinding for the sculptor Skip Kralik who I worked for for about a week last summer... all in all this is going to be a summer of much much much money-making. Hopefully.

On a completely different note, the Andrew Bird concert was incredible. After a hellish trip to Philly during rush-hour on the Schyukill Expressway (fondly nick-named the "Sure-Kill Expressway), during which I made about 50 frantic calls to my dad because I became horribly lost-(google maps gave me incorrect directions!), I finally met Aimee at the Mutter museum, and we had a lovely time looking at all sorts of tumors and body parts and things that people had choked on...and the oozy eyes and preserved fetuses that Aimee mentioned :)

At the concert we were in the front row...pushed up against some big speakers that seemed to be only emitting the bass, on the far right side of the stage. So we truly had the full sensory experience! Andrew Bird was wonderfully awkward and sang a song about a whale and the circle of life which he suddenly forgot the words to during their encore...I think it must have worked its way into both of our subconscious minds because Aimee and I both dreamt about whales that night while we camped out in my basement.
so long for now!

SO MUCH WORK

2007-05-20T19:38:00.000-04:00

I have been working a lot. And I mean a lot. More than I've ever worked before.
I'm a cashier, for real! Friday I worked 5 hours, Saturday 9 hours, today 7, tomorrow 8 hours. Tuesday will be spent taking tests upon tests on the computer. About what? I'm not exactly sure.

Wednesday I had 6 hours of training, watching videos, filling out forms, etc. Some of it was just very corny, the videos at least. I would try not to laugh out loud but sometimes I just couldn't help but smirk. I learned that I have to provide WOW customer service and that the customer is always number 1! And I have to make an IMPACT, with each letter representing something. For instance I is initiate contact, and T thank the customer and invite them back to Lowe's!
Some of the talk really was inspirational! It even made me tingle! Because there was talk about all of us (employees) being a team, being one. And talk of how, to the customer, I am LOWE'S. Well, at the time it all seemed so big, and intimidating, and just immense (I mean the fact that I was actually working THERE, with such a big-name gigantic company and that I would be handling all this money and, and, and, just all of it.) During the training sometimes I caught myself thinking, what the hell am I doing here? Am I really doing this? Am I really becoming a cashier? Am I really going to be a full time employee?

Today I experienced my first ANGRY customer. A young woman took out all her anger on me because her gift card wouldn't work. It was really ridiculous. People can get so upset over nothing. Why do people waste such energy? Oh well!

Not much else is new besides working, and me going to bed at more insanely early hours than normal (Saturday I fell asleep on my bed while I was reading at probably 8:30 and slept until 7am.) I hope you're all doing well.

(Still waiting to hear from AKI about the Netherlands. Hopefully this week.)

to your health!

2007-05-20T12:16:00.000-04:00

Having seen Andrew Bird live twice now, I can probably die in relative peace.

Speaking of death... Since I took the bus to Philadelphia for the second A.B. show, Elizabeth and I visited the Mutter Museum (the medical museum: "disturbingly informative," they say) and saw wax casts of various eye diseases, among other things. It just made me thankful I haven't got huge, pus-leaking eye tumors or anything. Even though the museum is kind of a freakshow in the name of Science, what with all the preserved deformed fetuses, it at least really makes you glad about your own health.

Favor!

2007-05-16T23:17:00.000-04:00

If you please, I'd be much appreciated if you'd all do me a quick, itsy-bitsy favor! I'm trying to stay art-active over the summer, so I'm sort of starting varous projects now, before I get used to summer laziness.

I'd be much obliged if you could make a list of things that make you feel safe! This list can be generalized if you'd like, or specific. Anything that comforts you, that makes you feel protected.

Thanks!

Dead.

2007-05-14T20:18:00.000-04:00

Something attacked and killed all four of the baby robins that were in the nest on our deck. Whatever it was knocked the wreath off of the wall and picked the nest apart. It didn't even eat them, my mom said. It kind of just, I don't know. It was horrible. The mother and father robin keep coming back to look at the nest. But it's gone. I can even hear them outside making the loud "Cheep Cheep" they make as a warning. But I guess now they are mourning? :(

goodbye philadelphia, hello other things?

2007-05-14T20:17:00.000-04:00

Today I got my letter from the Philadelphia Fabric Workshop regarding the internship I had applied to, and it was full of rejection! Which was disappointing, but also a relief. I've been biting my nails over this thing, going back and forth between wanting to go and not wanting to go. It would have been nice and impressive and would have taught me quite a bit, but overall, it will be nice to be able to stay at home over the summer, especially considering studying abroad (hopefully) second semester, probably followed by foreign exploration and perhaps (hopefully) another internship-thingy away from home (Elizabeth! Gov. School Attra-ship) next summer. Now I can relax; stay at Roly Poly with my mom and get some sort of a second job (framing store? hardware? joann's?). I have a list of things to read (like most of you seem to) and a list of various sewing projects I want to approach. My goal is to keep up with art over the summer. Usually I'm bad at that... but I've started off well, I guess. For mother's day I did some flower watercolors for my mom/grandma, pansies and wisteria.

Today, to cheer myself up, I walked up to a neighbor of a neighbor's to see some their new lambs. I took a few pictures, but they were too far away for me to come up with anything noteworthy. The walk home was beautiful. I needed to just walk slow where nobody was around, taking deep breaths and noticing everything surrouding me. I remember standing on the hill beyond Mr. Trimmer's house as a child, feeling like I was in that hill-and-mountain scene in "The Sound of Music." There was nothing I could see but hills of green and trees and maybe the winding road. I love feeling tiny, insignificant.

I stopped at Mr. Trimmer's to admire the calf and tell him how big he's grown since last I saw him. I began photographing the surrounding cats, thinking of the prospect of barn cat paintings. And then I found another friend.

My dad thinks he probably has rabies. He sure was cute, though.

p.s. Oh, and there's a duck nesting in our compost heap, right beside our mailbox. It's a funny spot, but I am happy she chose it! We check on her eggs every day, hoping they won't hatch and leave before we can appreciate beautiful ducklings. There are sooo many eggs!

It was my birthday

2007-05-13T23:07:00.000-04:00

well it seems everyone had the same idea, that today was a good day to post. (the first thing I noticed: everyone is so strikingly eloquent!) what has happened to me? I have been reading various books; I too am reading the Golden Compass, but kind of intermitantly - I read through The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and also some comic books and non-fiction (I've alreadly got a summer reading list piling up on my desk.)

I also think it's taken me this long to transition out of school mode; the first morning home, I woke up at 6 and began to frantically clean my room, which becomes a kind of walk-in closet whenever I'm away. I did this for about 4 hours, then ran around the house doing weird things like shredding paper and replacing lightbulbs - it was strangely fulfilling.

I went to church today for mother's day, then my family met my brother for lunch because he's still got finals. Now I am 20 years old. I am so old I cannot even believe it. But now, I should wrap this up, because there is some pistachio icecream with my name on it.

OK, Bye.

A little bit overdue.

2007-05-13T21:43:00.000-04:00

Well, I’ve been home for a while now and I still haven’t written in our attractive BLOG. I would say nothing has been happening but that would be a mean trick to get me out of writing in our BLOG because I’ve actually been pretty busy. Both of my weekends so far have been devoted to extended family celebrations of my sister’s graduation, one in Connecticut, and the other in Marblehead, Mass. They were both very pleasant, and I feel content. (The week between the weekends consisted mainly of the Discovery Channel and unpacking, and doesn’t really deserve much attention.)

Tomorrow early early I embark on a weeklong adventure to Seattle with my dad and my sister. It should be enjoyable, and it will allow me to check another state off my pretty extensive Places I’ve Never Been list.

So, there will hopefully be tales and tales to tell when I get back, and the blog will groan from the weight of my posts.

I miss you all!

Happy Mother's Day and Happy Birthday!

2007-05-13T16:39:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day and Happy birthday, Alex. 20!
I still have not heard from AKI (and they even took me out of my classes I was listed in and registered me as being on mobility.) Let's just hope it all goes according to plan and that it won't matter that they took me out of my classes. I don't want to fathom the fact that I may not be able to get back into the classes I was once registered in if it turns out that AKI does not accept me. I'm going to e-mail AKI tomorrow. I'm getting painfully anxious.
I haven't started work at Lowe's yet either. I'm thinking they'll call me tomorrow, as they had to wait for my drug test results. Today I went there with my dad and was hesitant to go in because, well, I just felt weird. But I did, and I'm so excited to start! I'm excited about the smell of Lowe's! and about the paint chip aisle, and the fake example kitchens, and the birds that live in the garden section, and the bearded men cutting wood, and the ceiling fan section, and big-dusty sheets of wood, and pipes. I'm more excited than maybe I should be. But all of these home improvement commodities look so exciting and appealing to me, lined up and hanging on shelves. Oh!, And lines of never used shiny silver grills!
Today to celebrate mother's day we went plant shopping with my grandparents.

Both my grandma and grandpa both like to wear pajama pants as their regular pants. I really like that.

And a picture of my dog Luther. He was sleeping next next to me on the couch the other day and there was a really good shadow on him. I couldn't get a picture that really did the shadow justice, however.

The latest I have gotten out of bed while being home was today at 8:45 am. Also, I barely have been watching television, only at night when my parents watch it for the most part. Quite unusual for me, as the television is very good at sucking me in for long periods of time. But I have to say it feels quite good. And I have been better spending my time finishing The Golden Compass (and now starting The Subtle Knife) of the His Dark Materials trilogy. SO GOOD.

folk-festing!

2007-05-13T15:31:00.000-04:00

Einstein said something to the effect of "if the bees ever leave us, humanity will only survive for another ten years without them." This morning we were at a local farmer's market buying some honey from the bee guy there (who of course can't hold a candle to Bee Bob), and he said that in the last year 85% of his bees have died. Apparently my mom read somewhere that one theory is that cell phone towers are disrupting bees' pollination routes..they even put a cell phone near a bee hive and the bees wouldn't return to the hive for the whole time it was there. Fuck. Just a pleasant thought for the day. Well, I returned to a house that had not one dog, but two. I'm used to Tucker, my greyhound, who hardly sheds, is an old man by now, and leads a fairly docile existence. A few months ago we inherited a slightly deranged pure-bred golden retriever named Bonnie from a family friend who's going through a really messy divorce and can't take care of her anymore. So she's ours? but not really. My dad and brother really resent her and are slightly allergic, I think, my mom is falling in love with her...I don't really know what I think except that she cries like you're hurting her when you pet her and she's not a greyhound. I have to close my door so she doesn't 'retrieve' anything from my room. This weekend was the Mercer Folk Fest in Doylestown PA, at the enormous cement castle built by Henry Chapman Mercer near the Moravian Tile Works. My uncle and cousins come down every year for it... my uncle is a reproduction 17th century redware potter, so he and my cousin PJ dress up in colonial garb and look riddiculously cute as they tend the booth and my uncle gives wheel throwing demos. They're right next to the militia encampment and the little stone cottage where we get to watch and smell as a couple churn butter, make mushroom omelets, smoke trout, and cook puddings in the traditional colonial oven. My god it was so amazing and I am so glad not to be in Baltimore right now. I also watched a couple of men cut and prepare logs with hatchets and a huge bow saw... There were actually several woodworkers that I got to talk to, and one had the best beard I've seen in a long time. He specialized in these absolutely beautiful wooden bowls, and we huddled around one of his bowls while he explained the whole process to me, and even let me work on one. I just want to find an old scruffy-bearded woodworker and become his apprentice. I think that would make me happy.

2007-05-13T00:35:00.000-04:00

Hello friends! I'm home, but I've barely been home since school ended: my family just tonight got back from Chicago, where my mom attended a children's museum conference and my dad and I touristed around. I don't see myself as a city person, and I kind of hate New York City a little bit, but I really liked Chicago. The streets are wide and rationally organized, there's great public transportation and a lot of weird public art, Lake Michigan is vast and green. I will henceforth add Chicago to the very short, newly created list of cities I could envision myself living in (the only other place so far is Boston...)
Here follows a jumble of photographs:

Here is me with a man with a fish.

This statue portrays Copernicus. It appears that Copernicus has made a new friend.

This shiny bean is called Cloud Gate. It's the centerpiece of Millenium Park, which is the site of a whole bunch of weird public art. Too weird to describe succinctly, in fact.

This, a sun bear in the free Lincoln Park Zoo, is seriously the saddest bear ever. His species is super endangered, he's old and wrinkly. He slobbered a lot. Like, a lot.

Annnd, here's me freezing to death in the wind coming off Lake Michigan during a boat tour.

Here's to Chicago!

Child Prodigy

2007-05-09T14:01:00.000-04:00

After Christiane wrote about imdb-ing and wikipedia-ing the cast members of Heroes, I decided to do the same. I don't know if any of you knew this, but it turns out the actor who plays Micah is a child prodigy, master of the piano and youngest to ever play at the Sydney Opera House. He also wants to be an astronaut, and archaeologist, a paleontologist, a pilot, a veterinarian and a game warden when he is older.
Check out his website: Noah Gray-Cabey
And this video of him playing the piano.

Also, this is a great self-portrait I found of his (he is saying "I am the repairman!"):

a sticky job.

2007-05-08T23:22:00.000-04:00

I finished my online training, and I start working at Brusters on Thursday at 10am. I am jealous of Kelsey's apron. I have to wear khaki shorts and white tennis shoes with white socks, a big red Bruster's shirt, and a red visor. I will be scooping soo much ice cream that by the end of the summer my right arm will be much stronger and larger.

My brother is almost a whole foot taller than me now. He will be taking the driving portion of drivers ed within the month. To all of my friends, please no driving in North Carolina for at least a month.

SHOTS!!!

2007-05-08T17:58:00.000-04:00

My arms are still trembling... >.< I spent two wholesome hours learning about all the beautiful diseases that could kill me while in Peru. Fun... I even got a big, fat packet listing all of them. Talk about a way to scare a traveler! And not only that, but the nurse who was helping me kept trying to be funny. I kept hesitating, unsure of whether I should laugh, smile, or sink further into my seat. I even got an "educational" video on the dangers of traveling. Yes, I am practically an expert at this point. So what am I warned not to do while in Peru? "DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING FURRY AND CUTE!" and vampire bats... whoopie... So I am sporting three different shots on my arms that are throbbing. I feel like my muscles tightened up. Hoieee... And I am also VERY poor now... Boo hoo hoo... Why is everything so expensive? And I also have to take malaria pills that are potentially deadly for my kidneys. So a notable conversation at the office:

Nurse: So I recommend the emergency digestive kit. Imagine getting the most painful diarrhea you've ever had for three days straight.
Me: That would be terrible...
Nurse: Exactly. Not fun. Think about how many trips to the bathroom you'd have to make. Yuck! No one would like that.
Me: (Is that my cue to laugh?) Ha ha ha, yeah, no one would go near you.
Nurse: *Glares* I'm very serious.
Me: R-right... (So I wasn't supposed to laugh?)
Nurse: Take my advice and buy the kit. Indigestion is a serious problem for travelers.
Me: Wow.
Nurse: See? Thats why you come here for advice instead of those stupid hosptiasls that don't know squat.
*Pause*
Me: (Is this my cue to laugh? I suppose it was funny enough) Ha ha ha, true.
Nurse: *Smiles*

On a pleasant note I did make wonderful conversation with the taxi driver who said he was from Ethopia. ^__^

Oh beloved Sylar!

2007-05-08T13:03:00.000-04:00

So I'm sure all of us watched Heroes and are wishing it was next Monday already. I was also happily surprised to see "Nathan" on Judging Amy this morning... aparently he's on for quite a few episodes. That got me started on imdb-ing the rest of the cast, checking up on what they've been in previously.

Which, of course, got me to finding pictures of and later wikipedia-ing Zach Quinto (Sylar).

And this is why I'm posting! Because aparently my beloved Gabriel has been signed to the second season!!! Which means I won't be losing my evil love! Hooray!!!

I, uh... just thought the rest of your should know.

A job, a job!

2007-05-07T18:49:00.000-04:00

Starting today I was un-employed, hoping that I wouldn't have to work another summer waitressing at the independent living facility for seniors. And now! And now, I am an official employee of Lowe's! I was hoping to work at Home Depot because my sister works there and the orange aprons are quite attractive, I must say. But I called and they aren't hiring and neither was JoAnn Fabrics. So I called Lowe's around 12:30 today and they said to come in for an interview at 3pm. After countless written questions asking about how honest I was (for example, they asked me if I happened to get free food from a vending machine if I would still put money in, I said no. I would keep the food,) and after a spoken interview with a couple managers, and after a drug test it was official. I am working full time with 1.85 above minimum wage starting out as a cashier and then the manager told me he would most likely move me into the paint sales department because of my art experience! I'm pretty excited. I may not wear an orange apron but I get to wear a red and blue vest, which is still pretty attractive. My grandma was partially convinced that they hired me because I wore such a pretty outfit today, although I'm pretty sure that's not what it was.

Home is good. The leaves aren't even out on the trees yet. They're pretty late this year. I'm glad because I get to experience spring again! I have two robins to watch this summer. One next door outside my grandma and grandpa's bathroom window (like last year,) and one built a nest on a twig wreath on our side porch. My brother (Ryan) comes home in about a week and we're planning on going both kayaking and fishing.

I still haven't heard about if I am accepted into AKI in the Netherlands for fall semester, but am hoping that I will hear something this week, because they are now back from whatever break they were having there. I'll be sure to update you all when I hear from them. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

My sister (Carlie) says that people at Home Depot say Lowe's Blows. I've been trying to think of some witty rhyme to say in response to her. But depot is a hard word to rhyme with. The best I came up with is Home Depot employs creepos. You guys have any suggestions?

Today I found this great (bad) poem generator.
www.pangloss.com/seidel/Poem/

a picture of a llama from the sheep and wool festival

Stuff On My Cat

2007-05-07T10:36:00.000-04:00

This isn't going to be a long post. I know, I know, we've only been home for about 2 days, and nobody is actually even thinking about our blog yet (except probably Kelsey, who has most likely been looking at Blogger template sites for a few hours by now... she wakes up early).

I still have yet to unpack. I moved half of the stuff out of my car onto my back porch, but that's all I have at this point to consider success. But I'm promising my parents that I'll have sorted through it all by this evening, so at least I have a goal. Plus, I can't really go anywhere until I do, 1. My car is stuffed and I cannot see out my mirrors = unsafe driving conditions, and 2. I've been wearing the same sick things since my return because every other article of clothing is packed and dirty.

Laundry time!

Anyways, I just thought it would be exciting to have another real post in our blog. And I wanted to say hello. And I hope everyone had safe rides home, and that those who have yet to leave in the future have safe trips home.

Oh, and yesterday brought me this:

www.stuffonmycat.com

Love,
Christiane.

Construction Phase

2007-05-03T07:57:00.000-04:00

This is in the construction phase. But Christiane and I (Kelsey) thought it would be a good idea to have a group blog for over the summer, as opposed to e-mailing.
PERKS OF A BLOG:
Commenting on posts!
No assigned days (like in the e-mails), just post once a week!
Sweet graphics (we're going to make some type of world map that has pictures of our faces where we are)!
So post, post, post.