Where I Hang My Hat

Well, here it is folks... my Edinboro home for this year.

Oh, My Sanibel

Though you are 1,200 miles away, my soul will visit you every day.

(I didn't really mean for that rhyme... but the statement above (rhyme and all) accurately portrays my feelings as such).

Dining in Paradise

Okay, so here's a personal restaurant guide, from me to you: all my favorite Sanibel watering holes.

Amy's Over-Easy Cafe: AWESOME! It's open for breakfast and lunch and they serve breakfast foods all day along with a selection of sandwiches, etc. And seriously, the best pancakes you'll ever eat.

The Bubble Room: The place is actually on Captiva, but it still makes the list because it is famous the world over for its atmosphere and desserts. Acutally, I'm not really a fan of this place's food because it's all greasy or smothered in some type of sauce or cheese. BUT the Bubble Bread and fantabulous dessert selection are worth the trip.

Cheeburger Cheeburger: The original Cheeburger Cheeburger, as in the first one in existence, opened on Sanibel in 1986. The best onion rings ever, plus damn fine burgers and fries, and they have milkshakes in like 45 flavors.

Gramma Dot's: A really cute little place in the Sanibel Marina. Excellent fried shrimp and fish with a bit of a gourmet flare.

The Island Cow: Very family oriented, very good, very diverse menu... but always crowded, if you don't miss the rush, you're going to wait an hour for a table.

Island Pizza and Pasta: The pizza is infinitely better than the pasta. But that said, they're pizza is amazing. Awesome crust, awesome sauce.

La Dolce Vita: My second favorite restaurant on the planet. A little bit hoity-toity but every inch a gourmet restaurant: a fusion restaurant of Italian, Mediterranean, and Spanish flavors. I never leave that place unsatisfied.

La Vigna: The island's version o gourmet Italian. There's nothing on the menu that isn't delicious.

The Lazy Flamingo: A family oriented bar with fried fish and ribs (although the ribs are not fried, thank God), and excellent Key Lime Pie.

Matzaluna: A family Italian place... great calamari, great pasta, great chicken and fish.

Mc T's Shrimp House and Tavern: My favorite restaurant on the planet. You simply can't go wrong with the all you can eat Snow Crab legs and a house margurita... but they also serve awesome shrimp, chicken, and fish. ALSO, it is my personal belief that it should be Sanibel law that if you come onto the island you should not be allowed to physically leave without having a slice of Mc T's Mudpie. The world would be an infinitely better place if this were law.

The Mermaid Kitchen and Cake Factory: This place has a fun gourmet and exotic menu... good times if you're feeling a little adventurous. ALSO, the cakes are amazing: all the cakes is so dense and delicious and the icings are simply outstanding.

The Mucky Duck: This place is also on Captiva... in the style of an English Pub right on the beach... if you don't get there before 4:30 you're not getting a parking space or a table, but if you're willing to wait, then this place is worth it.

The Timbers Restaurant and Fish Market: The best fish on the island because the restaurant, as the name implies, is also a fish market. PLUS, the crunchy shrimp are to die for and they have excellent desserts.


I guarantee that every single one of these places will leave you temporarily satisfied :)

The Road to Paradise, part II

Well, we're here :)

There is no greater feeling than crossing the causeway, no greater feeling than waking up on my island.

Plus there's the religious experience of the approach... it was strange this year because we've never driven before, but seeing the island after two days of driving... it filled me with quiet inspiration and awe and excitement and joy.

But more to the point: the "road to paradise" in this case is Summerlin, the road that leads to the causeway. In my mind, it is the best road in the U.S. In fact, I love this road so much that I've already decided that if one day I find myself the owner of a horse barn, that barn will be christened Summerlin Stables. Nice name, don't you think? I think so too... a worthy name for a worthy dream.

And I think that's why I love Sanibel so very much... it's the stuff of rest and dreams, the place where all things seem possible.

The Road to Paradise and the Quest for Sonic

Well, contrary to what you might be thinking... "Sonic" refers not to Sonic the Hedgehog but, in fact, Sonic the Drive-in.

Matt and I finally got to eat at a Sonic today... after pining after the idea for years... Because, crazily enough, we see Sonic commercials all the time in PA; however, the closest Sonic is 150 miles away! Crazy or what. Anyway, wonderful... we both agree that Pittsburgh needs Sonic in the worst way: good burgers, good tots, good wraps, good limeade, good milkshakes :)

AND, how may you ask did Matt and I finally get to sample some Sonic? We're driving to Florida this year... and since we're driving through the southern states, there are more Sonics than you can shake a stick at. Nice :)

Plus, driving to Sanibel has been really nice so far (we have about 5 hours left to drive tomorrow)... the scenery has been fab, and like I said... Sonic! But honestly, I've really enjoyed the drive so far. Good times.

A Bad Couple of Days

Well, as my title implies... I've been having a bad couple of days:

-Last week, my windshield wipers broke... as in stopped working... as in moved a couple of inches and then died right on my windshield. THEN, this week, there was paying to get them fixed. Yuck.
-Over the weekend, I went to a craft fair (by far my worst so far)... I made NO money, and I got rained on... more like poured on actually; the fair was in a parking lot, and it was raining so hard that I was standing in an inch of water. Thank God for tarps and water-proof canopies.
-Then, this week, I've all of a sudden become a klutz. I don't know what my deal is, bit I have cuts all over my hands, and I keep dropping things (luckily I haven't broken anything yet)... but I shouldn't have mentioned the not breaking anything because you know as soon as I finish this post, I'm going to walk downstairs and break a jar of jelly or pickles or minced garlic or something equally as messy all over the floor.

And that's all... Well, they say that bad things come in threes... and I'm hoping that this means of I'm covered for a while. Actually, I'm just praying that these happenings are signs of worse things to come. Cross your fingers for me.

BeaveRun MotorSports Complex

I have three words for you... Vintage Race Cars. 'Nough said.

Well, actually, I have more words for you than that: seafood and linguine casserole, cheesecake with berries, tent raising, Las Vegas on wheels, '69 Camero, the pool, beef, Bobby Rahal, traffic, traffic, traffic, smoke, air freight, horse power, ignition, good times, good food, adventure.

All right: now, 'nough said.

Fireworks

Well, yesterday (as if you didn't know) was the 4th of July... and there were fireworks abound.

NOW, from our old house, we could see one display very well... but from our new house, we can see five separate displays (and see whispers of at least two others). Do you believe that? Neither do I. AND because we live on the lip of a valley, they all echo... it sounded like being in the American Revolution. Not that I've ever been in battle... but I imagine that the booming of five different fire works displays echoing in one valley sound a lot like one of those battles.

Standing in the dark watching the pretty lights... good times :)

My First Official Craft Fair

Hey Kids... this post is a little bit late: my first fair was the weekend of June 22-24. But alas, I'm just getting to this post now. I've just been so busy making and inventorying jewelry, getting myself together, etc.

BUT, my first fair was a really nice experience. I had excellent weather, and Matt graciously came with me to keep me company.

I wish I had more exciting things to tell you... but the truth is that it was nice and boring. I did some business and sat around in the sun and made more jewelry to sell. And that's all there is to tell. But doesn't my table look really pretty? A lot of other people thought so too. AND, I got tons of offers on my mannequin necklace stands (but of course I didn't sell them because they're mine gosh darn-it) so I went out and bought more of them so that I can sell some the next time people admire them.

And there was live music... and cotton candy... and kettle corn... and Smiley Cookies, etc.

I had a good time. I would do it again :)

Although, it's a very interesting experience... peddling your own wears. It breaks your hearts when people don't buy them... and it breaks your heart when they do. I find that my heart is very fickle about the whole matter... as if when I sell the last duplicate of a necklace or bracelet, I feel as though I'll never see the like again... which of course is not true at all (I keep records of the things I make, duplication would be easy enough if I wanted to take the time). But putting all that creative energy out there is exhilarating... and frightening. I pray often that it will all be enough one of these days.

Three Rivers Arts' Festival

So, I made my way downtown yesterday and went to the festival. AMAZING! I can't believe that I've never gone before.

There was so much neat stuff to look at and interesting artists to meet that I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. I aspire and hope that I get to be one of those artists some day.

There was photography and painting and jewelry and woodwork and ceramics and papercuttings (if you've never seen papercuttings, you don't know what you're missing. They're totally sick: origami/winter snowflakes on speed, crack, and steroids all at once) and textile arts (I bought myself an awesome pair of mittens) and handmade instruments and furniture and hand blown glass and gorgeous handwoven baskets, etc. Let's just say I was glad that I had given myself a budget or else I could easily have spent my entire savings account. Ouch.

Although, I did acquire (thanks to my dad who was in town to take Matt and me to the festival) a beautiful sterling and enamel ring by artist Jenn Parnell.

I think all I really have to say about the afternoon is that I had a good time, and that if you're ever in the area when the Arts' Festival is afoot, you simply must take the time to go.

Drawing II: "midterm" update

So, it's true... I'm taking summer classes at CCAC. Not really as terrible as you would think... although I have class twice a week for five hours each. Blah.

BUT, I have been making some fine drawings. Here's a sample:



I've been working mainly in pencil and charcoal so far, but I'm hoping to use some India Ink as well. I've never used that kind of ink and it sounds like a good time. So, we'll see.

ALSO, since I'm in Drawing II, our teacher wanted our projects to be more self-motivated. So, I'm working on a series of equine portraits (all of my pony, of course:). And last week, I took a break from that for some portraiture. The portrait drawing that I included was based on a photograph by Richard Avedon.

So, good times. Enjoy.

Up Before Dawn

So, for reasons I don't feel the need to explain at the moment, I found myself up at 4:30 this morning... and by the time I got back to bed at 6:30, the sun had risen.

Now, this may come as a shock to many of you, but I am not an up-before-dawn kinda girl. I love sleeping-in (although, I rarely do these days). I love sleeping in almost as much as I love ice cream... but that's a really tough comparison, because I can count on one hand the things I love more than ice cream: hence the modifier, "almost."

Anyways, I had always thought (foolishly) that dawn was just dusk in reverse. Not true. They have nothing on each other. Dawn and dusk are as different from one another as the conditions that they separate.

In the morning... there is no glorious blaze, no showy display of color and brilliance... just a lightening: a cold glow and a soft haze... as if the light had forgotten about itself in the darkness, as if reemerging was its own cautious surprise.

I had no idea, but I'm glad that I know now.

My Blog is 100 Posts Old!

It's true. My last post marked my one-hundredth post. I just thought I would mention that.

Also, there is a cricket in my garage. I thought I would just mention that too because it troubles me. It will probably die in there... because you have no idea how freakin' hot it is in my garage. And that worries me because crickets are supposed to be good luck... do you suppose that it would be bad karma to have a cricket die in your house? I suppose I will be finding out in a day or two. OR, maybe I'll leave the door open for a while tomorrow and hope that the little bug finds its way into the outdoors.

Wow, I've thought very hard about this, huh? Oh well, that is the summer for you. Small worries, thank God for them. Although, on the other hand, I have enough on my plate without having to worry about the death of a cricket. Let's see... I still need to get myself a tax number, I still need to find a mirror, I still need to tag and inventory all the jewelry that I've made... and oh yeah, silly me, I still need to find myself craft fairs to go to. So, there's that. Plus, drawing homework.

So, really, that poor, little cricket better have the decency to leave the garage tomorrow, or I don't know, but you know... I'm sure you do.

Instant Canopy

So, I bought myself an instant canopy today... will come in very handy in the future when I'm at craft fairs, sitting in the sun all day, selling jewelry to the huddled masses.

It came in its own little carrying case, with wheels! It has a metal frame that folds out to a 12x12 canopy. So exciting!

I truly think this is my most exciting purchase of the year :)

Sushi

Matt and I had a brother-sister-bonding-activity today and went for sushi. Yum... Spicy Tuna Roll, Spicy California Roll, and the Mushroom Roll. Just what I wanted.

AND, did you know that although in English, the word "sushi" refers to the finished pieces of fish and rice and toppings, in Japanese the same word only refers to the vinegared rice that goes into the pieces? It's true. AND, the word "sashimi" (in Japanese) refers to the raw fish.

AND, there are three main types of sushi: 1. maki-sushi or the common sushi roll, 2. nigiri-sushi, a hand-formed mound of rice, a thin layer of wasabi, and then a slice of sushi grade sashimi. 3. temaki-sushi, a hand roll in which the sushi chef makes a cone of nori (seaweed) then stuffs the cone with rice and fish and toppings.

I've never had temaki-sushi but don't all those types sound uber-sweet? Yeah, I think so too. Raw fish and vinegared rice... good times had by all.

Home Again, Home Again

Okay, so last night was my first night back in my own bed... and what wakes me up at 7 in the A.M. but the gobble, gobble of wild turkeys. Do you believe it? Neither do I. I think that they were munching on the neighbor's grass seed.

The Art of Jim Parlin

Alrighty... Jim Parlin is my sculpture professor. He was also my 3D professor last semester. And these are a few images of his work.

We looked at some samples of Jim's work in class today, and I just thought I would share. I pirated these two images off the website for EUP's Graduate Program in Sculpture, and unfortunately, interesting though they may be, they are not a very accurate sampling of his sculpture.



When he was talking about his own work, he was talking about how saturated colors are one of his inspirations (he casts his work in metal and then painted them with oil and acrylic paints). So, as a result, many of his sculptures are incredibly vibrant and lush looking. But, again unfortunately, neither of these pictures shows this aspect of his work very well.

After today's mini-exhibition of Jim's work, I kind of think of him a Walt Whitman of sculpture... no-holds-barred, honest, in-your-face, sensual, sexual, concerned with the biology and humanity of living, concerned with the death involved in living, personal, gritty, elegant, etc. And again, I wish that I had better images to demonstrate these points. But I hope that you can follow my drift.

Both of the images above are of some of his earlier works, and lately (within the last six months) he finished a series of small figurative sculptures: very interesting and intense, portraying everything from suicide to a simple moment between a mother and daughter. And this brings me to the last point that I want to make: Jim's sculpture is intensely personal, which is why it is so moving. All the sculpture that he makes revolves around the people in his life and his personal concerns. So, I guess as Walt Whitman would say, "To the real artist in humanity, what are called bad manners are often the most picturesque and significant of all."

Jewelry Fabrication: forging piece

Okay kids, here it is... my last metals assignment of the semester.

We were learning about forging... which is a wire based technique in which you bend, flatten, and shape the wire using hammers. Then you anneal the wire and repeat steps 1-3 until you're satisfied with what you have. If you DO NOT anneal the wire, it becomes brittle from all the pounding and may snap. Yes, annealing is very important. And annealing is very simple: just heat the metal with a torch, not all the way up to soldering temperature, but hot enough so that it has a dull glow. With copper, it will glow a light orange, and with sterling, it will glow a dull cherry color.

As for materials: amber cabochons set in copper, 16 gauge copper wire, 16 gauge brass wire, and sterling earring posts. I based the bottom part of the earrings on wind spinners... I twisted the brass and copper wires together to get that barber-shop pole type of effect, then I forged the wire twists into "horse shoes" and pulled the ends apart vertically to get that spinning effect. I soldered 4 twists together to make each spinner. The cabochons are simply bezel set in 26 gauge copper. And I also used some of my combined wire to made spiral headpins so I could solder the earring posts onto the back.

All in all, I'm very pleased. Enjoy.

The Next Time You're on Jeopardy

ACCT II final? Woh buddy, that test WAS HARD! But I tell you what, the next time you're on Jeopardy and there's a category labeled "Managerial Accounting," you'll be all set. Here's what you need to know:

The Statement of Cost of Goods Manufactured:
Cost of Goods Manufactured = (Direct Materials Used + Direct Labor + Manufacturing Overhead) + Beginning-of-the-year Work-in-Process Inventory - End-of-the-year Work-in-Process Inventory. All financial statements must be written in good form with proper 3-line heading and with proper punctuation, indentation, and account titles.

Confused? Oh, we haven't even started yet.

Work-in-Process Inventory: just as the name implies, this is work in process, widgets that are being worked on.

Finished Goods Inventory: when the widgets are finished, they are moved from the Work-in-Process Inventory into the Finished Goods Inventory. From the Finished Goods Inventory, widgets can be sold to the public... in which case, said goods would be moved out of the Finished Goods inventory and recorded in an account called Cost of Goods Sold at whole sale price, then the sale would be recorded at retail price.

Direct Materials Used = Beginning-of-the-year Direct Materials Inventory + Direct Materials Purchased - End-of-the-year Direct Materials Inventory

Direct Labor: usually given in a rate per hour

Manufacturing Overhead: includes items such as indirect labor, indirect materials, rent on the manufacturing plant, expenses for the manufacturing plant such as electricity and insurance, etc. DOES NOT included Sales Expenses such as advertisings or sales commissions OR General and Administrative Expenses such as rent on administrative offices or CEO's salary.

Indirect Labor and Indirect Materials: includes labor and materials used in maintenance of the actual manufacturing plant and equipment. For instance, say that a textile plant has weaving machines that run for about 10 hours a day, AND those machines need to be kept oiled and running smoothly. What the plant pays for oil would be an expense incurred as an indirect material, and what the plant pays workers to apply that oil would be an expense incurred as indirect labor.

Now onto Cost/Profit Analysis (Some equations you're going to need):
Sales Revenue - Variable Costs - Fixed Costs = Profit
Sales Revenue = Sales Price * Units sold
Contribution Margin = Sales Price - Variable Costs per Unit
Contribution Margin Ratio = Contribution Margin/Sales Price
Break Even Analysis (in Units) = Fixed Costs/Contribution Margin
Break Even Analysis (in Dollars) = (Fixed Costs/Contribution Margin)*Sales Price

Variable Costs: usually includes items like labor (both direct and indirect) that change based the Job Order (it takes more hours to create 100 widgets than it takes to create 10 widgets). Also includes materials (both direct and indirect) for the same reason.

Fixed Costs: includes Overhead charges, Sales Expenses, and General and Administrative Expenses... the rent on the factory and the CEO's salary are not going to change no matter how many widgets are produced in a month.

And that's really a very solid, scratch-the-surface kind of glimpse into the world of Managerial Accounting.

I know that all this accounting mumbo-jumbo sounds insane, but gosh darn-it, doesn't all this shop-talk make you hot? I know what you're saying, 'no.' But don't worry, the next time you're on jeopardy, you'll thank me. (By reading his Blog Entry, you are agreeing to pay me a retainer at the rate of $5 per minute that you spent reading said Entry. And in the event that the information written here leads to Jeopardy winnings, this message entitles me to collect 10% of said winnings before taxes).

Finals Week

Things I still need to survive:
-Accounting II Exam: non-cumulative on managerial accounting
-Jewelry Project: forging (I'm making earrings)
-Algebra Exam: cumulative
-Sculpture: finish my casting project and studio clean-up
-Graphic Design: final project, Alphabet Book... I'm making a hand-scroll with desserts for every letter of the alphabet :)

Ben and Jerry's for Dinner

This is a tradition that I started last semester, where on the last day of classes, I have Ben and Jerry's for dinner. And you know, considering my affinity for ice cream and my long history with higher education, I'm surprised that I didn't come up with this tradition sooner. I mean, I'm good all semester: I think, I study, I create: I work hard. So, I feel like I deserve (for just one evening) to be bad... because that's what this tradition is all about: indulgence.

Plus, the idea of ice cream for dinner will give me just the boost that I need to make it through finals week. I'm in the home stretch.

And as for the flavor... Last semester I had "Everything But The..." and right now, I'm feeling the "Cherry Garcia" vibe. But you know me, I'll probably stand in front of the ice cream case, weighing my options for about 15 minutes and then choose something completely different.

All I can really say is this: I've been awaiting (patiently) this occasion for weeks.

The Last Monday of Classes in the School Year

Thank God.

Jewelry Fabrication: hollow construction piece

This project was a total bitch. I'm decently happy with the out come of it... but looking back, I wish I had attempted something a little bit smaller. Because this piece was so much larger than anything I've attempted before (relatively speaking), I had the worst time soldering everything together... every time I needed to solder a joint, I had to run to my teacher for help so that she would hold a second torch on my piece so I could keep it at soldering temperature. Honestly, I'm not opposed to asking for help, but after a while, I started to feel really needy. Luckily my teacher was great, or else she might have started getting annoyed with me.

The object of the project was to make a hollow container (not necessarily a box, just anything with hollow space in it) with a historical person in mind: he or she could be basically anyone in history as long as the person was generally recognizable. I made my box for Galileo, but others chose poets and authors, religious leaders and fictional characters. So, the sky was the limit as far as that choice was concerned.

As for materials... the top, "dome of heaven" is made of brass and is riveted together then soldered to the lid. And the rest of the box is made of copper... and you can't tell from the picture, but there are star cutouts on the inside of the box... I Liver of Sulfered the inside so it would be black, then I filled the stars with blue and yellow polymer clay so the piece would have some color.

And I did incorporate some words into this piece using letter stamps... I made this piece as a wish box... so the words on the outside band of the globe read: When you wish/ The heavens tremble... and then there's a band of brass on the inside of the piece that reads: So wish hard/ and often.

And that's pretty much a snapshot of this undertaking. Enjoy.

Black Out

Well... I was without power for about 5 hours yesterday (for no apparent reason).

I had not idea when my lights were going to come back on, so I went to the grocery store and bought myself some of those Glade scented candles (vanilla). Nice, and they were surprisingly bright... but after a while, the scent was just incredibly overwhelming. Luckily, the night wasn't too hot, so my room wasn't hot either.

BUT, my lights went out around 6:30 and didn't some back on until 11PM, you know, just as I was drifting off to sleep ('cause what else was I supposed to do in the dark except got to bed). The electricity came back on with a pop, and I was startled by the electronic clicking sounds of my printer and refrigerator.

All in all, an interesting experience... I'm always amazed at how much quieter it is when the electricity is out. And although I really enjoyed having my evening lit by candles, I do not understand how our ancestors could have lived by candle light. Maybe if I had had a five-armed candelabra or a chandelier of candles, I might understand better... but I mean really, there's no way I'll ever know for sure.

This Weather is Beautiful

Yes, it's true... spring returned yesterday, thanks to Pennsylvania's schizophrenic weather patterns (and Lake Erie).

I don't know how long the sun will last... but I hope for a while. It's gorgeous and a welcome change.

This Weather is Disgusting

So, we enjoyed one week of spring in March... but apparently, winter just took a short vacation because it is most certainly back in force.

Snow, snow, rain, and more snow, ever since before Easter weekend. Yuck. Where's my sun and shorts-weather? So sad. I wish the rain, rain would just go away and not come back another day, if you know what I'm saying. Oh well, if wishes were horses... (we'd all take a ride.)

A Certain Slant of Light

Today... the sun finally came out again. So, I went for a walk. It was beautiful... still cold, but very gorgeous and resplendent.

Sculpture: clay modeling project

Just a little something that I made with my own hands :)

Step Two of this project is making a plaster mold of the clay piece and then use said mold to cast the piece in plaster. SO, in the end, I will end up with a plaster piece identical to my clay sculpture.

Happy Easter

Well... I'm 24 and my brother is 20... but we still fight over the eggs, still fight over the dyes, and still fight over whose eggs are prettier once they've been dyed :) Good times, I wouldn't change a thing.

PLUS, there's Cadbury Cream Eggs involved. What's not to love about a holiday that has disgustingly sweet candies that taste like a heart-attack. Nothing, that's what I say... love those Cadbury Cream Eggs :)

Movie Mini-Review: Blades of Glory

Flippin' sweet! I was laughing so hard that I started crying :)

Fireflies

Okay, so THIS, is my award winning poem :) which I read this evening.

I actually wrote this poem for and dedicated it to Andrew. The dedication doesn't appear in the book... because the design team left it off for some reason, and they had enough stuff on their plate, so I didn't press the matter. BUT, don't worry, Andrew, I made sure that everyone at the poetry reading knew that this poem was inspired by you. Do you remember, you probably don't because this was like 2-3 years ago when I still lived on Blairmont Dr... and I don't remember where we were going, but I was driving us somewhere, and we had that conversation about WHY fireflies lit up? Well, this is the poem that I wrote to answer that question.

Fireflies

for Andrew

Stillness feels different in the dark
like a fissure
swirling with oily flowers

I move my hand before my eyes
but the blossoms stay

still

I am the one who is moving now

There is a taste to this feeling
like mint
and earth and

I remember

My footsteps burn behind me
the outlaws of my traffic

I could say that the burning blinds
like a thin layer of dust

slowly appearing

hiding the tiger maple beneath sameness

Yet it is more simple to lie

I need to be in darkness
I need to close my eyes

But these are the moments
I can only have once

I Can't Stop Smiling

My poem has won a prize :) Of the three poems that were published in Chimera, one of them won a literary prize :) The magazine gives four awards annually: one for 2D art, one for 3D art, one for prose, and one for poetry... AND my poem won! I'm so excited.

All the literature was judged by poet Ruth Ellen Kocher. AND, tomorrow night (along with Chimera's launch party (live music, food, complimentary copies of Chimera's fourth book)) Ms. Kocher will be giving a reading. AND, after the reading, I will read my poem and receive the award... along with a $100 prize!

I'm so excited, I can't believe it. Not only am I now a published author, but I am an award-winning author! So excited. I can't stop smiling.

This Picture Makes Me Happy

Today's Smal Miracle(s)

The sun is shining, it's 67 degrees outside, AND I'm having an awesome hair day :)

The Next Time You're on Jeopardy

So, in Graphic Design we've been learning about type faces and type settings, so, I've been learning a lot of new and interesting vocabulary words that I thought would come in handy the next time you're on jeopardy, or you know, at a party and want to be a sparkling conversationalist and sound really smart.

Point(s): a vertical unit of measurement, 72 points= 1 inch... a font is measured in points from the top of the Ascender, i.e. the top of the lower case "k," to the bottom of the Descender, i.e. the bottom of the lower case "p."

Pica(s): a horizontal unit of measurement, 12 points= 1 pica, 6 picas= 1 inch

Character: letter, space, or number- any unit that involves type, punctuation, etc.

X-Height: the height of a lower case letter without any ascenders or descenders, i.e. the lower case "o." Font size includes the ascenders and descenders, but the x-height carries the visual size of a font, meaning that two fonts can be the same size, but if one font has a smaller x-height, that font will look smaller even though both fonts are the same point size.

Leading: line spacing, also measured in points. Measures the space from one baseline to the next, including the next line of type. For instance, consider the previous line, being "Measures the..."; leading measures from the bottom of the upper-case "M" to the bottom of the upper-case "F" in the line starting, "For instance...." Leading does not include the measurement of any descenders because descenders reach below the baseline, although descenders are allotted for in the previous line's measurement. Complicated, I know... it would be easier for me to explain in person with visuals, etc.

Line Length: measured in picas... important, for instance, if you are writing for a magazine and have a specific column width that must be adhered to.

Alignment: arrangement of type on the page, i.e. left justification, right justification, centered, or ragged.

Kerning: the management of the space between two letters, this becomes more important with larger font sizes, 60 point or bigger, so that letters do not look too far apart or too close, etc.

Tracking: the management of the space between a series of things, whether those things be whole words or single letters. Again, becomes important with larger font sizes for the same reason.

Serif: a type of font classification. For instance, the font in this blog is a serif font... the letters have little "flags" or "triangles" on the ascenders and descenders and at a letter's termination on the baseline. Serifs are said to make a font easier to read, especially when there is body copy or large chucks of text to be read.

Sans Serif: another font classifiication, simply meaning that a font does NOT have any serifs.

And those are the basics... I'm glad that I'm not going to have to take any typography classes while I'm at Edinboro, because you have no idea how complicated this actually is... the computer does everything for us, and un-artfully I might add. Designers have a lot more to compete with than I thought. I will never look at a magazine or a poster the same way again.

We're working on type exercises in class... and when you find yourself analyzing a font based on its serifs or lack there of, it's kinda creepy. Cool that you're learning to use your eyes in a new way, but creepy.

Spring Comes to Edinboro

With no ceremony or fuss, spring arrived all in one day... loudly and with rain, turning everything sodden and soft. I love it.

Oh GOD, My Back Itches!

No, no... my horse isn't dead; she's just rolling in the mud. Oh well.

A New Word for Your Vocabulary

Gestalt: (noun) guh-stawlt

-1. A physical, biological, psychological, or symbolic configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts. Also called gestalt phenomenon.

-2. 1922, from Ger. Gestaltqualit‰t (1890, introduced by Ger. philosopher Christian von Ehrenfels, 1859-1932), from M.H.G. gestalt "form, configuration, appearance," abstracted from ungestalt "deformity," noun use of adj. ungestalt "misshapen," from gestalt, obsolete pp. of stellen "to place, arrange." As a school of psychology, it was founded c.1912.

Where I found this word: In my art classes; I've heard it many times in my Graphic Design class, and my sculpture professor mentioned it today. Since it's been cropping up often in my life lately, I thought that I would mention it.

It is a psychological term that applies to how we receive/interpret new information and make sense of our surroundings. As applied to a piece of art, it means a focal point that is a key to the piece and contributes to the understanding of that piece. However, it can also mean an overarching idea or purpose with respect to a person, an organization, or any sort of project.

Usage: The gestalt of this painting is the circle in the upper-left corner; it draws your eye there first and then helps your gaze radiate out to the rest of the piece.

Jewelry Fabrication: sweat soldered piece

So, here's my second official piece as a metalsmith in training.

Sweat soldering is similiar but different from the technique that I learned at the Kenyon College Craft Center: instead of putting the sheet metal face to face and then placing the solder around the seam, you metal soldering onto the back of the smaller face, then place the two pieces together, then heat them to soldering temperature until the solder flashes to the edge and you can see it at the seem.

For example, my ring. The smaller of the two faces in my ring is the top, silver face. So, to connect the sheets, I placed flux and solder on the back of the top face and melted that solder until it flowed, dredged it and put it in the pickle. THEN, I filed the solder down flat, to make sure that there wasn't too much solder on the back. THEN, I placed the smaller face, solder-side down onto the band, then heated both pieces until the solder flowed again and held the two pieces together. THEN, I bent the ring around a mandrel, soldered the joint, and dipped it in Liver of Sulfer to get that nice black color.

And that's that. I'm happy with how it turned out. Doesn't it look nice on my finger :)

Sculpture: carving project, second edition

I told ya it would happen :)

Graphic Design: grid system project, parts I and II

Okay, so this is what I've been doing in Graphic Design for the first part of the semester... part II, the last picture in the series, is due this evening. The grid and the first part of the project were due a couple weeks ago.

I wish I could explain to you what these projects were about... but the truth is I'm not sure that I understand them myself. Learning about graphic design is like learning a foreign language... it goes back to the visual decision making that I learned about in 3D, but my teacher also talks a lot about intuition and feeling the decision. She talks a lot about how designers are somewhat schizophrenic, having to be crazy and free and creative while designing and then being anal and neat during execution.

All designs (magazine pages and covers, book covers, posters, billboards, t-shirts, business cards and flyers, etc), she says, all of them have an internal structure that helps the viewer make sense of what he or she is seeing... helps move the eye and create closure in the design.

NOW, the first picture in the series is a picture of my actual grid (a gird is any system of lines, straight, curved, or other wise, that helps the designer place items like text and image into the design so that those items relate to each other). The second picture is an abstract design based on my grid system. And the last picture is a translation of my design that includes text and image.

Part I and II of this project were graded on many different criteria: form, balance, unity, movement, negative space (was there charged negative space or no), contrast of scale, contrast of value, and anomaly (does the design break away from the grid in sufficient ways to create interest).

So, anyway, I don't know if that helps you understand what you're seeing, but just so you know, I had fun with these projects. Hard for me to wrap my head around but lots of fun in the making.

Heinz Hall

So, I went home this weekend to hear my brother play with the Penn State Symphonic Wind Ensemble IN HEINZ HALL! Sweet.

Okay, so, some background. Heinz Hall is almost exclusively the venue for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh's version of Carnegie Hall... less prestigious but no less grandiose. There are stucco flowers gilt with gold paint all over the place, the hall is three stories high, and there is no lack of crystal chandeliers, let me tell you. Their choir shell is spectacular, and no matter how far away you are from the stage, you can hear every little thing that the musicians do.

For more information about the PSO and more pictures of Heinz Hall, visit the PSO's Website.

And, I have to tell you that I had forgotten how good the music sounds in there: warmer, crisper. Hearing Matt play made me wish that I still had the time and the money to go hear the PSO.

BUT, bonus, Mutti and I had general admission tickets, which meant that we got to sit anywhere that we wanted. Now, I must mention that every time I've been to Heinz Hall to see the PSO, I sat in the nose-bleed section... and I'm not just using that as a cute, little term... I'm talking three stories up, touching the back of the auditorium seating. I always had fun sitting up there... but there's nothing that can beat five rows back from the stage courtesy of Penn State.

So, anyway, back to the real reason for this post: since I got to sit so close, I got a front row seat for my brother's performance. He had a semi-solo in the Ensemble's first piece, and when he stood up in recognition, he looked so proud and happy. And he looked so spiffy in his tux. And I was so happy that I could be there. AWESOME! It was so awesome, I almost cried, no joke... getting to hear my brother play in Heinz Hall. It was a religious experience.

Today's Small Miracle

The temperature climbed above freezing (by 2 degrees).

This According to My Algebra Teacher

Three things that you should never do:

-Tug on Superman's cape
-Spit into the wind
-Divide by zero

Outta Luck?

My Lucky Bamboo is dying... what does this mean?

Am I just a bad plant parent or is the universe trying to tell me something?

My Graphic Design Professor Reminds Me of Willy Wonka: in a good way

This is not to say that my professor is out of touch with reality in the way that Willy Wonka is (because she seems really grounded), but she really does remind me of Roald Dahl's character.

She wears very strange glasses, think owl-eyes with silver triangles by the ears. She wears brown boots with black pants and green sweater vests.

She does asides on herself. She is unabashedly honest and in your face about what she thinks. She is very smart and a genius at what she does. We'll be talking about a topic or a piece and she'll make a grandiose/philosophical comment that will take you aback, then the class will start talking/arguing about what she said for 45+ minutes... we won't get anything done but you'll look back on the class and know that it was really some of the most effective time that you've ever spent in a class room.

The Hands of the Artist

I've been thinking about this for a while... and a lot lately because my hands are killing me from carving the plaster.

Why do so many artists today seem hell-bent on removing the craft from art? It's like no body wants to get their hands dirty anymore... and in my opinion, that's the best part. You get to play with paint and clay and paper and glue. When did taking the time to use your hands become uncool?

I mean, jewelers have computer programs like CAD/CAM that do a lot of the design work... THEN, based on CAD/CAM images, there are machines (like lathes for wood) that will actually cut the mold out of jewelers' wax for casting... Human hands are not involved in the process at all except for the fingers that use the keyboard and mouse.

There are so many artist studios around the country where artists just take the time to make a sketch or mockette, then he or she hands the drawing/mockette over to an art director, design team, fabrication house, or apprentice for fabrication. I know that as part of the Post-Modernist movement, a lot of artists were working against the idea that you needed to have skill to create an impressive work of art... but come on, where's the fun in that?

I mean, you walk into any Kay's or Zales around the country and get a mass-produced bracelet or ring or pendant than any number or women or men can own... and those pieces aren't considered art. But that's my point. They aren't considered art because no one had to think very hard about the design (movement, flow, negative space, etc.) or how to fabricate them, they're basically a bunch of settings jammed together and set with as many gemstones as possible. These are things that machines created with the help of humans.

Without the hands, all art will eventually look the same... there will be no connection between the creation and the mind, no physical link at all. The computer can only show you so much before it all becomes a blur of grey, unsubstantiated and uncreative. A computer is a tool... but our minds are the greatest computers and our hands are our greatest tools. Take them out of the picture and what have we left? And if art is supposed to be a labor of love, then where's the love in that?

Sculpture: carving project

Right now, we're working on carvings in sculpture.

We made mockettes out of clay, then cast proportionally sized blocks of plaster for the final pieces.

Right now... my tools consist of a mallet and chisel. But later we'll be moving onto rasps and sand-paper.

And, I swear that somehow my sculpture will end up looking like my mockette. I don't know how yet... but somehow, somehow it will happen.

Dietrich's Canoe

Okay, so Dietrich is a sculpture professor at Edinboro... and he's building his own canoe. I was lucky to get some pictures of it because I was in the studio when he was working on it.

It isn't quite finished. If I can get a better picture of it, I'll post the new picture later.

Dietrich said that he was building a canoe to avoid working on his own sculpture. BUT, I mean, stick that thing in an art gallery and just tell me where to sign. I think it's gorgeous.

Sue Amendolara

Okay, since I've shown you my first jewelry fabrication piece, I thought I'd introduce you to my jewelry professor: Sue Amendolara (aw-men-doe-lar-a). There are two jewelry professors at Edinboro: Cappy (my advisor) is one and Sue is the other.

Okay, so honesty, Sue's aesthetic is a lot closer to my own than Cappy's, although I respect them both as artists very much.

The piece shown is entitled "Flower of Life" and is one of Sue's later pieces... her earlier work is much different from a materials standpoint (she used a lot of other materials besides metal: plexi-glass and ebony... and she used a lot more surface treatments, like texturing and Mokume Gane (marriage of metals)). Although what her earlier work has in common with her later work is an affinity for organic shapes and clean lines (but in my opinion, her later works are more successful solutions to these problems).

Anyways, she's a really nice lady and awesome teacher... during our critique on Thurs, she had a lot to say to students who thought their pieces hadn't turned out very well... telling them that it's never useful to put ourselves down because we're always changing and always learning. She said that metal is one of those mediums that takes time to get used to, gets familiar, but is always going to be challenging. She simply had a lot of positive things to say to everyone: I really appreciated her attitude, although I'm not sure if I'm getting it across here.

To me, she seems like one of those people who takes art as a philosophy as well as a life style and life choice... but that's not to say that she takes herself too seriously. She just seems very level-headed and knowledgeable. I hope that I can be as helpful to budding artists some day if I ever get to where I'm going.

To learn more about Sue and her artwork, visit www.sueamendolara.com

Today's Small Miracle

I got a 100% on my first college level Algebra exam.

Amendment to My List of Favorite Birthday Gifts

-Matt sent me a copy of Ivanhoe AND the cutest birthday card ever.
-Andrew sent me Imogen Heap :)

Jewelry Fabrication: cold connection piece

Here it is, kids! My first ever assignment as a metalsmith in training!

This first picture is of my sketch book, and the second picture is of the finished project... from my brain to you :) Our critique was today, and I turned it in today.

It was made with bronze (the "gold" metal), copper (the "pink" metal), and a little bit of sterling for the flowers and petals. Also, the tree trunk and Japanese lantern are of copper as well. The tree trunk has a hammered texture and is patina-ed with Liver of Sulfur, and the lantern is engraved and patina-ed with ammonia fumes. And the way I got the path onto the bronze was through sandblasting; I covered the sky and the path with masking tape and then sandblasted the grass, and that's how I got that effect.

Now, the whole point of this assignment was cold connecting, i.e. connecting the pieces without using any heat, which means no soldering or melting, etc. So, what we did was create our own rivets using wire (you can kind of see the rivets in the flowers, and those little "gold" dots on the lantern are rivets). First, you take the two pieces that you want to rivet together, then you tape them together so that they don't move while you're drilling them. You drill holes through both pieces for the rivets to go through (making sure that the drill bit you're using corresponds to the size of wire you're going to use to make the rivet, meaning that the bit and the wire have the same diameter). The you thread the wire through both pieces, snip the wire to the appropriate length, and file both sides of the wire flat (so that you get a nice round rivet). Then, and lastly, you hammer both sides of the rivet to flatten it out and make both ends larger than the hole you drilled. TaDa! You're pieces stay together.

And that's that... this piece was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. AND, I only broke one saw blade the entire time :) Go me :)

I'm so proud of it. I hope that you are too.

Mostly Because I Thought My Blog Needed a Picture of My Dog

Today's Small Miracle

My internet is moving way too quickly. It's freaking me out... but I hope it lasts.

The Art of Gary Spinosa

Gary Spinosa is a sculpture professor at Edinboro, and he had an art opening on Wed., the 31st at Edinboro's Bruce Gallery.

Now, as far as I can tell, there are two gallery spaces at Edinboro... the Bruce Gallery which is a university run space that hosts professor showings as well as artists' work from around the country, etc... AND the Bates Gallery which is a student run gallery, students submit portfolios and are juried into the space by their peers for shows that occur a week at a time, meaning that there is a different student exhibit every week during the semester.

So, anyway... I went to the Bruce Gallery opening Wed. night. I loved his artwork so much that I bought myself the show catalogue as a birthday present.



His pieces ranged in scale from pocket objects to slightly monumental (one piece standing at about 10 feet high)... and there were also a few paintings and drawings. BUT, the point is that all of his pieces felt old, felt precious, like mysterious, devotional objects that were meant to be prayed to and touched.

His imagery revolved around ancient iconographies (at least from my point of view)... I felt like if you walked into an ancient Egyptian or Incan (etc.) temple, you might find pieces very similar to the ones that Spinosa created (except for 3 portrait busts of Christ... interesting, but by far my least favorite part of the show).

Also, a lot of his work felt funerary... or guardian like, maybe both at once. But the point is, all of his work feels peaceful, in a very deep-seeded and stirring way... it all goes back to the idea of devotional objects for me. The pieces are like meditations in and of themselves, layered with images, but so simple in and of themselves... and that was they're most seductive quality: they're simplicity. My favorite piece of the show (or at least the piece that I was drawn most strongly to) was entitled "The Dog of Sorrow," and it is, as the name implies, simply a dog sitting on its haunches... but the look on its face, like someone in mourning. I can't really describe it but to say that it made me feel, just feel... and I think that's what art is really about.

To learn more about the exhibit or see more images from the show, visit The Philosopher's Stone webpage on the Bruce Gallery website (where I found the images shown above).

My First Post as a 24 Year Old

a list of my favorite birthday presents:

-i got to talk annie AND dabney on the phone on the same day!
-both jackie AND andrew wrote on my facebook wall on the same day... my favorite gifts are the ones that say, 'i'm thinking about you'
-my mutti called and sang happy birthday to me (okay, so actually, she sang happy birthday to my voice mail... BUT, that's almost better because I saved it and now I can listen to it any time i want :)
-uncle bob's they'll-kill-you-they're-so-good-brownies
-the day after my birthday was a reading day so i got to sleep way in and then sit around
-rosencrunch & guildenpop, if you don't know what i'm talking about, i hope that you can one day find out. it's like cracker-jack on speed.
-the fact that mutti bought me two birthday cakes, even though we only ate one
-the complete metalsmith awesome! a bench guide for all serious jewelers :) we all know that i'm very serious
-thundercats, ho!

Today's Small Miracle

The sun came out. And with all the snow all over the place, it was like walking on a floor of mirrors. It was so bright that I had walk with my eyes closed.

The Art of Michael Parkes

I cannot tell you how long I have been waiting for this book. Years.

It all started with the first Michael Parkes monograph, The World of Michael Parkes, which was published in 1998 and went out of print almost immediately. It was published in a limited run, so by the time I discovered Michael Parkes' art around 2000-2001 there were no copies of The World of Michael Parkes to be found. I searched around for it on Amazon and Ebay every once in a while. The cheapest that I ever saw it was in the ball park of $200.

So, I told myself to be patient. If Michael Parkes was really so popular, it was only a matter of time before the publishers put together another monograph. AND, low and behold, The Art of Michael Parkes was published in 2006. I was visiting the website of a gallery in California which sells Parkes' work online, and I discovered that the book had been published. I get all my Michael Parkes news from the Avalon Gallery website because not only do they have pictures of current and previous Michael Parkes lithographs and paintings, but it has artist bios and news from other wonderful artists, like two of my other favorites, Danial Merriam and Juan Kelly. If you have a moment, you should visit the website and see what I'm talking about.


But anyway, I digress. I discovered the book had been published, so immediately, I started hunting around for it. However, I only discovered that this book was published during winter break, almost 2007, as in almost a year after the book was published. This book was also published in a limited run: a run of only 5000, which in the publishing world is a very limited run. So, as I hunted around, I started to run into the same problem: copies on Ebay for over $100, etc. BUT, I found my copy new from the Amazon Market Place for the publisher's price. LUCKY.

And I'm so happy with it, I love leafing through the pages and looking at Parkes' surrealist, fantasical art: right up my alley.

So, anyway, when we get right down to it, this book was well worth the wait. Everything I wanted.

*Both of the images above can be found at the Avalon Gallery webpage.

Movie Review: Pan's Labyrinth

Ye of weak constitutions, turn back; this movie is violent with a capital 'V.' The only other word I can think to describe it is "gore." And I think the only other movies that come close are Tarantino movies. Except where Tarantino's violence (I'm thinking of Kill Bill in this instance) is ultra-stylized and choreographed, the violence of this movie is ultra-realistic. It was as if writer/director Guillermo del Toro tried to portray as many different kinds of violence as possible as realistically as possible: battle, murder, torture, amputation, payback... even childbirth in this movie is incredibly violent and deadly.

Since the movie was touted as a fairytale for adults, I think the violence has a lot to do with the original versions of Grimms' Fairy tales... but still, I had to cover my eyes numerous times, and not because what I was seeing was frightening... it was terrifying and grotesque... and I'm sure things like those portrayed have happened in real life. Scary.

Also, the movie was subtitled. I didn't mind; I was just surprised. I saw HBO's First Look of Pan's Labyrinth, and nothing in the first look led me to believe the movie was subtitled or even foreign. Weird.

Other than those two things, the movie was really interesting, beautiful, and well told. All the actor's were amazing. All the special effects were amazing. Pan was awesome. The villain is viscous and colder than even Lewis' White Witch of Narnia, and you are totally endeared and worried for the characters throughout the entire movie. It was a good flick, if not a little left of center and jarring.

So, in short, I liked the movie... I'm just not sure that I ever want to see it again.

Frosty Should Move to Edinboro

Okay, so I came back to campus on January 15th... January 16th, it started snowing here, and it has not stopped since then. It has snowed here EVERY DAY since I got back to campus. I mean, maybe not inches everyday but at least some sort of snowy precipitation every day I've been back at Edinboro.

I don't' mind the snow, when it comes down to it, I'd rather have snow than rain... but I really don't like walking in it. It wouldn't be so bad except I don't think that the Edinboro ground crew has heard of this stuff that I like to call "salt." I mean, there have been a couple days where the snow fall has been really light, and I thought to myself, "Oh good, maybe they'll get this place cleaned up before it starts snowing cats and dogs again." But no, the sidewalks have pretty much remained slushy and snow covered. I honestly don't know how the disabled students get around, it doesn't seem possible to me.

We have about a foot-and-a-half on the ground right now, and at the rate it's going, we'll have at least 2 feet by tomorrow. Yikes.

On the up side, I have been enjoying lots of nice, hot beverages lately... hot chocolate with caramel and green tea flavored with Mandarin oranges, etc.

The picture I included is the view from my window of the back of a house on Darrow Rd. Please note how some of the icicles almost touch the ground.

Don't Lie to Yourself, You're Jealous

A humidifier that looks like a cow AND the mist comes out of its ears :) Awesome!

Livin' the Dream

Koolkat in on Washington Ave. in Mt. Lebanon will be selling my jewelry on commission. The owner's name is Kate, nice lady.

A week ago today, I met with her at her shop and showed her samples of my work... she took 38 pieces from me including pendants (one of which is shown), necklaces, bracelets, and earrings... and she is selling them for me on commission. She takes my pieces and adds 60% to my price... and then I get %60 and her store gets %40. I get a check every month for the pieces that sold, and then I send her new pieces every month.

It was all very official... I had to sign a contract saying that I wouldn't sell my jewelry anywhere in the immediate business district as well as other details about the commission prices, etc... and I have to fill out inventory sheets that describe the pieces she takes.

I'm so excited though, I'm hoping that what I sell will help me pay for Edinboro. AND, even more exciting is that I didn't think I would get into the store on this visit... I am artist #67 of about 80 artists that are represented in Kate's shop and before Christmas, when I first visited the store, she said that she has about 50 jewelry artists in the store and wasn't looking for anymore but that she would be happy so see some samples. SO, imagine my Happy Happy Joy Joy when I learned that she was going to take stuff from me :) Yay! It made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

SO EXCITING! Making money at my trade, yay.

RIP BMW

Poor BMW, though you were rear-ended and are no longer with us, you are still in our hearts. Though the insurance company has decided to total you rather than fix you and deliver you into our garage, we will always remember you as a first among cars: fast, comfortable, safe.

And as we send you to Auto Heaven, that great big junk-yard in the sky, do not fear that you will ever be forgotten. Though we must replace you, there will never be a car to match you. Rest in peace, BMW, rest in peace.

Quiz Part II

So, I took the quiz again... Okay, I'm not gonna lie, I took the quiz may times again, and the two cards that came up the most (okay, the only two cards that kept coming up) were The Wheel of Fortune and The Star. So, here's The Star.

You are The Star

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Star is one of the great cards of faith, dreams realised

The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench your thirst, with a guiding light to the future. They might say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Quiz

Another quiz via Air Pollution. Interesting and fun. Also cool because there are five decks from which to choose your display card AND the deck I chose is a deck that I own in real life. So, much love and have fun.

You are The Wheel of Fortune

Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of
intoxication with success

The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

My Visit to Kenyon

Marvelous. I had a good time.

They rearranged the Bookstore. I hate it. Ellen made the comment that it looks like a K-Mart, and I agree. She said they changed it because President Nugent walked in one day and thought that it looked "shabby." I don't even know what else to say except that it looks more commercial and less loved.

Well, I stayed at the Kenyon Inn: posh. And tasty, I had room service for dinner last night, and let me say: Yummy! I had this Eggplant Napoleon thing, layers with eggplant, mashed sweet potatoes, risotto, and cranberry chutney. Awesome.

And I had lunch at the Middle Ground both yesterday and today... Yesterday with Ellen and Kristen (my advisers), and today I went stag. I wanted to eat at the Gambier Deli today, but since it's break, the deli was only open for three days during the week and Saturday was not one of them. Oh well. But I have to say, both times at the Middle Ground were yummy. Chatting with my advisers was good fun; I got to hear all the Kenyon news, got to hear all about Graham Gund's latest campaign to recreate Kenyon in his image, all about the mundane details of living on the hill, got to tell about the happenings in my life (Edinboro and art)... It was really nice, just talking and listening. It was a choice way to spend an afternoon.

Then today, I just took a walk around campus. It was really weird and erie because since it's winter break, I had the campus to myself. There was NO ONE else there. I felt like a ghost, as if the living were hiding in the real Kenyon while I walked around in a life-size model: like I stepped into another world, another Kenyon, my personal Kenyon. It was nice, weird but nice. And also because of break, all the buildings were locked: bummer, I wanted to go into Ascension and Peirce. But alas, no go. HOWEVER, amazingly and appropriately so, Sunset was not locked and I got to sit in the library classroom. It was quiet and sentimental. Words cannot really express how happy I was that Sunset opened for me.

And on my way off campus, I of course drove past the new athletic center: a monster of a building. I learned that it covers 4 acres. I did not stop to go in.

The on my way out of Old Vernon, I had to stop at the bead store, duh: bought myself some beautiful pearls and some peridot chips. AND I went and visited Fred and Dianne in Rundell's; they own the store and custom made a ring for me as my Kenyon graduation gift. I drooled over their display cases and talked with them for over an hour. They are such nice people, I'm so glad that I fell in with them. I hope that they allow me to drool over their cases for years to come.

And then, drove home. It was time for a visit. I'm glad that I took the time.

Uncle Bob Made This for Me

My Uncle Bob made this vase for me... I've been bugging him to make me a vase for a couple years now, and he finally got around to it.

And let me say, I think the vase is gorgeous. It is exactly what I wished for, except more beautiful. He is really a talented ceramic artist. Too bad he writes computer programs for a living...

I wrote him a thank you note and told him that I put purple roses in it... but the I mailed the letter before I bought the flowers and the silly Giant Eagle people had no purple roses... so I bought the yellow roses instead (the sunflowers and daisies were left over from another bouquet). But still, I think my vase looks so lovely with all those flowers. It was lonely yesterday, so I filled it with flowers today. Lonely no more :)

Some Poetry for You

I bought myself a new poetry book yesterday... I picked it up because of the author's name: Jane Kenyon. However, after I read a few poems I decided to buy it because I actually really like her style. So, here's a sample for you...

The Shirt

The shirt touches his neck
and smooths over his back.
It slides down his sides.
It even goes down below his belt-
down into his pants.
Lucky shirt.


Who

These lines are written
by an animal, an angel,
a stranger sitting in my chair;
by someone who already knows
how to live without trouble
among books, and pots and pans...

Who is it who asks me to find
language for the sound
a sheep's hoof makes when it strikes
a stone? And who speaks
the words which are my food?


Fun stuff.