In with the New

As I'm soon to no longer be a resident of the School, I leave this blog in the able hands of Theresa, lover of kittens. If you want to see what I'm up to, you can now find my updates and rants at my new blog, I've Lost My Super Powers.

lovelove,
Michela

My Precious

I have decided to keep the kitten twins. I cannot imagine coming home and not being greeted by loving kitten kisses and purrs or being awoken at dawn to their kitten play on my bed. They no longer both fit in the palm of my hand—they have grown so fast—they each get an arm crook when carried together. Foxtrot (left) and Goblin (right) have dimensionally increased since Jonathan took the photo a month ago; additionally, Goblin's ears have perked up a bit and I think Foxtrot looks a bit like a shepherd hound of sorts.

Resignation

Dear everyone,

I quit.

Sincerely,
Michela

greensboro.june2k9

I'm tired and way behind on life, but my weekend trip was totally worth it. I drove to ATL on Thursday afternoon to hang with Faithie, Kateness, Brooke, and La. Even though I was recovering from an illness and felt pretty flu-ish, I had fun with those girls. Also, I learned about fainting goats. Why didn't someone tell me sooner?! Anyway, I want to get back to Atlanta soon. It was the most.

Kate, Faith, and I drove to Gboro on Friday, but not before eating waffles and figs and mango and gummy bears, and making one stop at H&M. Saturday morning was farmers' market, and giant blackberries, and purging Faith's car, and mustaches, and Nancy (complete with real live babies!!!), and Anthony, and grilling, and enforced showers, and celebrating Kate's birthday, and staying up all night, and nerd-room slumber party.

Saturday was a blast, but it was a lot to take in, too, so Sunday we had a necessary viewing of Step Up 2 The Streets and nerd-room chillzone for pretty much the entire day while Faith studied and Kate hung with some peeps. Mostly just chatting and music and youtube. I went to bed just as Faith was leaving for school in the morning. Kate said goodbye while I was still in bed, but I eventually got up and got things together enough to spend twenty minutes with Adam before Devender took me to the airport.

Now it's back to real life and responsibility. But at least the photos are good.

Indian Cinema & Nail-biting

I'm watching a buttload of great movies for my Indian cinema class and only one so far has been mainstream Bollywood. I think I mentioned Khabi Khushi Khabie Gham already. Pretty hilarious and definitely worth putting on while you're doing something else, since it's unnecessarily long. My least favorite so far has been Charulata, which relies heavily on mood, camera work, etc. The director, Satyajit Ray, is a big name in indie cinema. It's still good, but it's slow. We watched a clip from another one of his movies called Devi, and that looks rad. The other two we've seen were movies about village life that dealt with class and gender issues. I dig both of them: Ankur and Mother India. Ankur is probably a better movie (directed by Shyam Benegal, who's considered to be Satyajit Ray's successor), as Mother India is kind of over the top, storywise. But one of the kids in the latter film really makes it worth watching–he's a badass. Mother India the only one besides Khabi Khushi that has singing in it, but there are no big dance numbers and the songs are kept to a minimum. I haven't checked about the others, but Ankur is available on Netflix. I'm deciding pretty soon what to focus on for my final paper, so I'll be watching a lot more movies either on a specific topic or by a single director. I'll drop some more knowledge soon.

I'm headed to Greensboro tomorrow afternoon via Atlanta. I can't wait to see folks, some of whom I didn't get a chance to catch up with on the last trip. Tim and co. are letting me help out with his cause by organizing the web stuff. I'm so glad to be able to do something, though I wish I was closer and could be more helpful day to day.

July is going to be busy as hell for me anyway, though. I have to turn more serious attention to my class, find a place to move and possibly do the actual moving, and prepare for my trip to Sri Lanka. It takes place during my only break from school, making the move and the vacay a little more complicated. I'm so incredibly excited, though. Nervousnervousnervous about getting it all done, but excited.

Listening to: Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinnead O'Conner; Reason to Believe - Rod Stewart

One Crazy Summer

The Cigar Box art, etc. show was last night and despite it being incredibly hot and stuffy upstairs, it was a lot of fun. Anthony and Laura read, and the Hank Lazard crew did a live recording of the podcast. Unfortunately it became a leave or die situation due to the heat, so I missed Rev. Jack Ladybird and Hightower's performance.

John and I headed out to my new fave bar and other folks followed after the CBHL show was over. I hafta say, the place pretty much rules. I'm glad I'm having some fun this summer before I say goodbye to Birmingham for a while. My art history MA is a joint program with Tuscaloosa, so I've decided to move and take the rest of my classes there. It's not too far from Bham and I have a few friends there already. I'll miss my peeps here, but I won't miss worrying about who I might run into or being regularly reminded of recent unpleasantness. I'm hoping it will be somewhat of a fresh start without having to wipe the slate completely clean. I suppose you could say that I'm running away, but in this case I think that's just fine. Maybe I'll find my way back to Birmingham one day, or maybe I won't. We'll just have to see.

current music: Alone with His Guitar - Hank Williams

The All Night Date

I spent all of Saturday at home, cleaning up from the party, making food, hanging out, etc. When eleven p.m. rolled around I realized that I was really antsy to get out and go somewhere, so I asked John to take me for a drive. We cruised around Mountain Brook and he took me to Birmingham's Inspiration Point or whatever it's called here. A make-out spot with a view, but no parking, so you have to get out of the car and sit on the grass. Not being that down with noshing in front of others, we stuck to admiring the city lights.

We were talking and joking and having so much fun that I didn't want to go home yet, so we got some gas station coffee and went wandering around Wal-mart. I'm not sure how long we were there, but it was quite a while. John's allergies had him sneezing non-stop, adding to the meth head look we'd acquired by staying up too late and drinking coffee after midnight. In desperate need of food, we headed to Al's and chilled there with french fries and omelets. Finally we headed home to drink a beer on the porch. The sky got lighter and we decided to walk to find a place to watch the sun rise. I thought of it too late, though, so we modified our course and headed to Five Points for coffee. We arrived half an hour too early, but we figured that by the time we walked to 22nd and 2nd Ave N, Urban Standard would be open. Turns out they're not open at all on Sundays, but the walk was really fun and relaxed, so I didn't mind a bit.

Everything after we got back home is a bit of a sleep-deprived blur. I just know there was more laughing and carrying on and that I went to sleep exhausted and happy.

Date score: 10 out of 10

Now My House Is Full

Excellent party on Friday, though a couple of key players, like Rodney, were absent. Much fun and an interesting group of people now that all the borders have mostly independent social circles. Not independent enough to be completely drama-free, but as close as I can imagine getting for a while. We picked up a temporary roommate, Dustin, as the party as well. He's crashing on our couch and doing some work for John's dad before resuming his travels, either here in Bham, or elsewhere.

I had to make some tough, sad decisions last week. I did my best and I think everything's ok, but it wasn't much fun. I've had a lot of amazing awesomeness going on, too, though. I'm dead tired and overstimulated, but happy and confident. I'm going back up to Greensboro at the end of the month to see Tim. I'll be driving up from ATL with Faith, and then flying back after a few days. Also, I just realized that I'm supposed to have some pieces in a CBHL art show this weekend, so I'm going to go work on that.

Game on.

The Perfect Storm

I'm sometimes amazed at what pops up as autofill options when I start to type things into various fields. People have clearly been doing very weird thing with this laptop while I'm asleep. Anyway, I know it's been a while. I dropped out of life for a few weeks. I don't feel too bad, since it appears that everyone else is taking a beginning-of-the-summer break as well. There's been an absolute drought of blog and lj posts.

This week I went to the grocery store for the first time in two months. The break was the result of travel combined with an unwillingness/inability to provide myself with the necessities of life. It felt pretty amazing to finally step into a Publix and buy produce. There are beautiful fresh flowers all over the house and everyone is getting their stuff settled and arranged. The combo of exams, shifting roommates, and multiple vacations left the School looking like a bit of a wreck for a while. I think it created a negative feedback loop with my life. We're finally ready to let people back into the house, though, so we're having a house re-warming party on Friday. It'll be nice to have a house full of half-drunk, happy friends again.

The weather is nice and hot now, and my little garden is growing fast. My trips to Maine, North Carolina, and Florida were all super rad, if exhausting. My only really complaint is that my heart is like gasoline and I've encountered too many matches in my travels. Portland is definitely my favorite of the places I visited, in terms of the actual city. It was so awesome and super important to see Maggie after such a stressful few weeks at the end of April. West Palm Beach was lovely and lazy. North Carolina was emotional and amazing. I've seen so many people that I care about...Maggie, Keith, Chris, Tim, Kaylan, Faith, Lis, Devender, Sarah, Kenny, Adam, Ty, Greg. It's overwhelming in the most wikkid of ways. I'm back in town for at least a little while, though, and glad to be slightly more settled.

Summer school has started and my Indian cinema class is rad so far. The first movie we watched, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham was totally epic, fascinating, hilarious, etc. A serious, all-out Bollywood blockbuster. It seems like the summer term will be chill and fun. I need to kick things into gear with Napoleon, though. I've been distracted of late and spend most of my time putting off the things on my to do list rather than getting things done as usual. Things are turning around, though, and I'm sure I'll settle into something more calm soon. In the meantime, though, I'm having fun feeling like at an extended slumber party.

Holy Cow! I'm Famous! (but not really)

I've been really needing some good news, to put it lightly, and it looks like today was the day. Lunch with Evan in the park, which was really nice, and got me in a much better mood. Then when I got home I had a letter from the chair of the department notifying me of a sweet little scholarship. Joy came over and we went to group meditation. It was so good to see her, especially since I've been in a state of utter despair for the last little bit, and really have hardly wanted to leave my bed. But the absolute best news has to be that Napoleon was featured on Apartment Therapy!!!!!! I am so totally stoked and can't even believe it!

I have a lot of things to get done this week before I spend a whole bunch of time out of town. I'm finishing up the binding on Mark's quilt, so I'll have photos of that soon. I'm trying to crank out some Pillow Monsters to take to Tuscaloosa before I leave, as well. Friday evening I'm headed to Atlanta from whence I'll fly to Palm Beach on Saturday. Back to Birmingham via Atlanta on Tuesday, and then I head to NC on Thursday for a visit with my friends and family.

Greg went back to New Orleans yesterday morning after a long weekend visit. We got a private yoga session from Jasper on Friday afternoon, and spent all day Saturday at the last day of my class at the Shambhala Center. Greg was pumped about both activities, which is rad, and a little unexpected, honestly. The all-day session was good for me, too, though it was sometimes frustrating and definitely left me drained. We got a good nap in and dinner at Chez Lulu before the Red Mountain Family Band played at Greencup on Saturday night. Two Tears and Dan Sartain (the bands we opened for) were a lot of fun, as was the afterparty at AC Temple, despite the fact that many a man went shirtless (Why, boys? Why?), and Firewater Charlie nearly fell backwards off the porch.

Three kittens are still mewing away in some remote room of the house, and poor Theresa is working herself ragged keeping them fed, clean, and warm. Kitten poop is not awesome, I'll tell you that much. Hayley has been making the sort of dinners I wish I still made, but don't have the energy for. Jennifer is working mad overtime and planning on moving her stuff in this weekend.

For entertainment and distraction, I still can't beat Avatar, but I've also been reading Gone with the Wind (my first time reading it, though it's one of my favorite movies) and When Things Fall Apart (Pema Chodron). Sleeping is up toward the top of my list, too.

bebés preciosos

The kitten zombie routine is setting in: wake up and respond to the cries, prep and warm the formula, heat the water bottles, prepare the temp bed, bathe, stimulate bowels, bathe, dry, bottle feed, repeat, repeat, clean main bed, wash soiled bed laundry, and finally, put kitties back to bed.
The vet told me today that it is kitten season and "god sent these kittens to you for a reason". WTF???

Left snuggler: Greedy Girl
Center stripy: Gray Greedy Boy, Squealer. Squelch
Right longhair: Girl Girl, Baby Bit

Anyone looking to adopt a kitten out there?

Substitute Baby Mama

So, Melissa's visit to the vet resulted in homes for only three of the six kittens. The other three are awaiting rescue. They were treated for fleas at the veterinarian's office and later given baths by Melissa and I. They look effing adorable, but this is only while they sleep. I am finishing their third feeding, which averages around 2 hours of wailing/screeching/squirming/clawing/suckling/climbing/crying/pushing/nibbling....
Help. Please. Someone.

Melt My Metal Heart

I came downstairs to fetch the compressed air and overheard the mewing of kittens from under our house. Just to be sure, I walked outside to take a look. Eureka! In an overgrown patch of blackberry brambles I found a nest of teeny-tiny and very hungry babies. I could not help myself, their eyes had just started opening and they were crying, so I crawled in and plucked them. Melissa came over and we searched for an animal shelter that would take six kittens--she just left to take them to a veterinarian in Homewood.

Uploading in Order to Free Space on My Mental Flashdrive

Hectic,hectic,lazy,lazy,lazy. I'm coping by making too many plans and offering favors to other people that I don't always have time for. Schoolwise I'm a wreck until Monday, and personally I have a million and one things to do before I leave for Maine on Thursday, which I'm totally impatient for anyway.

Greg and I are talking every morning, making plans for the day, helping each other out. He's going to visit after I get back from Maine, and come to the last day of my class at the Shambhala Center. Ty is supposed to be coming through town around then, too, which is great, since I always tell him he's my personal bodhisattva. Also, Jasper is going to give Evan, Greg, and me a private yoga lesson. Yay! I'm always so happy when someone starts doing yoga, or even does a couple of classes, because it's so totally awesome for mind and body, but it takes actually doing it to realize how great it is.

I'm going up to North Carolina at the end of the month, too, for a good visit with my college friends and my fam. It seems like a lot of people have been having a rough time lately (to say the least, in some cases), but I'm so glad that Guilford left us with an amazing, loving support system. When I was there it often felt too small, especially since we were young and prone to making many mistakes, but in the end I guess the drama left us all closer and wiser.

I've renewed my efforts to be mindful (read: present) in the last couple of weeks, which has in turn made me think a lot (is that irony?) about the very fine point that is the gap between opposing forces. In a lot of aspects of my life, my goal is to exist in that gap, but it's difficult to find. How do you locate prudence between unneccessary risk and overworrying, the point of being between ignoring and clinging, or forgiveness between anger and exposure to more emotional harm? Its like the gap you look for in meditation, where your inner dialogue stops for just a moment, and that doesn't happen very often for me. I guess right now I'm just glad that I'm looking for it, and that I've become honest enough with myself that I sometimes get close.

Enough personal journey stuff, though. As soon as my last exam is over on Monday afternoon, I'm going to make a whole mess of pillow monsters and bring them to Tuscaloosa to put in a friend's shop. Then when I return to Birmingham it's t-shirt printing time like a mofo. Stay tuned for greeting and news from Portland, ME.

oh, p.s., Red Mountain Family Band and Beaux Animaux played last night with Neeta (sp??), Kirby Russell, and Important Eagle. Way fun. RMFB shows are greatly improved by a reasonable number of mics. BA ruled, per usual, and have several new fans after last night. They're patiently awaiting final cuts from their recording sesh. Gonna be so rad.

Currently reading: Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa
Currently recommending: A Path With Heart by Jack Kornfield (a great book with a really unfortunate title and jacket design); The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh (if you want to know a little about the basics of meditation); drinking lots of water; red Civic hatchbacks; Brass Bed from Lafayette, LA; summer in Birmingham, AL; awesome friends

Emp-ty to the G

Magic the Gathering on the porch this weekend, anyone?

Turn and Face the Strange

May Day approaches and with it, a huge shift for our little family. Devon is off to see what living with people her own age is like. And Evan is going to live on his own for the very first time ever. He's got a great new apartment all ready for him to make his own. My studio is moving upstairs, so I'll really be living with my work. And Hayley and some other lucky guy/gal are going to make the Rowe School their home.

I've thought a bit a about whether I should change the name of the blog, but it comes down to this: Evan is my family and this house is still what's it's been from the beginning. So The Rowe School for Girls, it will remain.

There really couldn't be a more appropriate time for me to start going to the Birmingham Shambhala Meditation Center. Buddhism seems depressing to a lot of people, what with all that talk of suffering and impermanence. But those things are reality, and avoiding them only makes things worse. So I'm trying to open myself to change, as difficult as that sometimes is. It helps that I like my life here, the city, and the friends I've made. Although I suppose if I were really being Buddhist about the whole thing I'd realize that those things will also change. What better reason to be present?

NewNewNew!!!

• New washboard. Rodney's disintegrated into a pile of wood and string and scrap metal. But check this baby out! She's beautiful.

• New veggie plants in the garden. I even splurged and bought a raspberry bush.

• New Pillow Monsters. Sooooo cute!

• New quilts in the shop. Finally took photos of the ones that are finished, and here is a WIP. It's for a friend, but there will eventually be some in the shop, too.
• New RMFB photos. We did the shoot, finally. The location was awesome and I love Bre's photography so I'm totally stoked to see the final result.

Beaux Animeaux is playing tonight at Greencup with Brass Bed and Imaginary Planes. RMFB has a show May 1st at Safari Cup. More details to come.

Joy's birthday party was Sat. It was rad, but I strongly advise that no one ever try two simultaneous pinatas ever again. I thought Joy was going to die. The cake was wikkid awesome and rainbow like the one I've totally been wanting to make forever. Now I extra want to make one because it's so much fun inside!!! And of course Hank Lazard and crew were hilarious. I think everyone has a new appreciation for "Woolly Bully."

Are You Here to Stay?

I'm hoping so very hard that the warm weather is here for good this time. I'm feeling better than I have in days. Of course that's probably because I got a big project out of the way–a presentation on 18th century gothic revival in design and architecture. Riveting, isn't it?

Beaux Animeaux got a big project out of the way, too, as I mentioned last time. They were gone all weekend recording and then Evan spent Sunday evening listening to rough cuts of the tracks. I'm pretty sure I vowed not to date musicians after my first boyfriend. I guess it's lucky for me Evan is only pretending. But seriously, the tracks sound good. The album is gonna be wikkid awesome.

I finally got out and weeded the raised beds for this years garden and started some flowers indoors. I suppose I'll try to get some veggie plants this weekend. Fewer tomatoes this time, and I'm going to try chives, beets (though they didn't turn out last year), and Japanese eggplant. Maybe some chillis? Hopefully I've learned from the first go round and will be more successful this year.

On a personal note, recently I've been having a bit of a buddhist existentialist crisis, though it's subsided a bit. As I've probably mentioned before, I'm rather negative in some respects. I might even say that I have a teeny tiny evil streak, and not in that sexy, glamorized way. Besides being judgmental, I've got a lot of hate-y feelings, especially when it comes to people who've done me wrong. "Yes, of course. Everyone does," you might think. But this is a problem. Shadenfreude to the extreme. Revenge fantasies. Utter delight at the thought that their uppance will come. But I don't want to be this way. It makes me unhappy. It makes other people unhappy. I want to be a good Buddhist, practice loving-kindness, and make everything better, not worse, even for people who've hurt me. But how do I get over it when hating feels so good? (I mean it. It's pretty sick really.) And more importantly, how do I practice loving-kindness and protect myself at the same time? Probably the answer is to not try to protect yourself, to let go of fear and let things be how they are. But that's a lot easier said than done. So those are my struggles right now. Any tips? I see a lot of meditation in my future.

Pillow Monsters Are Here!

Pillow Monsters are now available in the Napoleon shop. Each one is different and sweet and special in its own way. I want to keep them all to just have a big pile of monsters to cuddle! There are some new pillows and quilts to add, too, but I haven't photographed them yet. Shooting quilts is probably the hardest thing I have to do for the shop. They'll be up as soon as I get a chance, though.

I also wanted to share oh fransson's photostream with you. Her quilts are bright, bold, and easy enough for a first project. She also has great informational studies of color using fabric, and her blog has some quilt-along tutorials with lot's of helpful photos.

Beaux Animeaux is up in northern Alabama recording this weekend. I hope all is going well. I can't wait to hear the results. I'll let you know as soon as the album is available.

How Well He Made Seem

And how well boy made seem that the hammer in hand
was for the heads of the nails, not the head of a man;

and how well had his wife deftly acted her part
for the owner of bar: his cold bed; his old heart.

She had learned the two codes through the safe-box's locks
when she said don't you trust me? in nothing but socks.

How that rich old fool bill was no match for her eyes!
What a tool! (And a tool would soon be his demise.)

Bill had hired a strong dark-skinned boy to repair
the red awning outside that the winter'd worn bare.

Boy pried open the door with the opposite side
of the hammer he'd sharpened that morning beside

his gold naked young wife with obsidian hair,
a Caribbean wink and oblivious stare:

just this opiate girl in whose honor one might
send young Helen of Troy off to Carthage to fight.

So boy snuck with his tool to the office of bar
where sat old foolish Bill with his foolish guitar.

He was strumming a tune he could hardly recall
when the shadow appeared big and black on the wall

of a hammer—the singular shape of its head

Boring

Despite having a weekend guest and plenty to do, this turned out to be an inexplicably boring weekend (no offense, Jacob). There wasn't even much MTG to be annoyed by. I'm in a holding pattern, waiting for some info so that I can write a paper, and unable to justify doing much else until that's taken care of. The semester is winding down and it's enough to make me not want to register for summer classes. If I have my way, though, my courses this summer will involve a lot of movie-watching, which is fine by me.

Evan and I looked at some houses this weekend for kicks and saw the most amazing place. Most of what was so great was the owner's furnishings. It was a little like walking around Ms. Havisham's house, mainly in its being extravagantly and oddly outfitted, but uninhabited. I desperately want to meet the woman who owns the place, because she's clearly wikkid awesome. Otherwise my weekend consisted of making stuffed monsters out of sweater arms (soon to be in my Etsy shop) and playing Cooking Mama 2, a game that I don't understand in the least, but can't stop playing.

I wish everyone would post to their blog/livejournal as often as Joy does. It entertains me to no end. And speaking of Joy and entertainment, we talked for a sec about going to New Orleans at the end of the semester for a little trip. I've been avoiding thinking about New Orleans for the last few months because it's been so long since I've been back. There's so much to do (read: people to connect with) that it feels like I'd have to go for a month, and that's just too much. I want to visit Greg, of course, and see Nathan, if possible. I also desperately want to intersect with Ty and Brandon, whom I've wanted to meet up with for a year now. I have to remind myself that I don't have to do it all in one trip. Right? Right.

An old friend that I got some bad news about showed up in a dream. He was supposed to meet us for a movie, but he was late and I was getting annoyed. But when he arrived he was carrying a suitcase. I woke up sad, not just because my dreams are so obvious, but also for my friend. I want to practice loving-kindness.

Papers and Pillows

Evan and I did some work last night for our new Etsy shop. We designed a banner, wrote our policies, and set up shop in general. Aside from the actual product, we're all set. Ha. But that's in the works, too. It didn't happen over spring break, so this weekend I'll try to make the screens. I ordered t-shirts already, and with any luck I'll be set to print as soon as they get here. (I'm curious to know how much the shipping ends up costing.) Anyway, I can't wait for the shop to open! I think you guys are going to like it.

I'd really like to knock out some school work at the end of this week, though, and that takes priority. Not strictly necessary, but it will improve my quality of life in the weeks to come. I have French to study and a paper to write for 18th C Art and Culture. I also need to start research on a term paper, since I have to present on the 9th. I'd like to say I'll have the whole paper out of the way by then, but realistically I'll turn it in at the end of the semester when it's actually due. If I manage everything well, I'll still have plenty of time to work on things for Napoleon, etc.

Speaking of work for Napoleon, after this current batch, I'm done making pillows for a little bit. I've got lots of quilting I want to get done. There's a bedspread and lap quilt for the Rowe School that are going to me my machine-quilting experiments. And I've just ordered backing fabric for a few quilts, one of which is going to Mark's little-girl-on-the-way. The though of my friends' babies all curled up in my quilts is almost enough to make me think kids are adorable. Almost.

Spring Comes to Birmingham

Here's a photo of the design I painted on our living room wall. I'm still planning on doing a smaller-scale bit of painting in some other parts of the room, but that may not happen any time soon. I'm really pleased with the way this came out. I just drew it free-hand on the wall and filled it in with glossy interior paint.

The splash page I designed for Cigar Box is up while we're working on the site. At the time I didn't know why I was spending so much time on it, but I'm glad I did. It looks pretty sweet, I think. And speaking of websites, Charlie and Evan are brainstorming on PR and promotions for their site launch. I'm so excited. My friend from college Bradley moved to Birmingham this week (hooray!) and I was talking to him last night about my feelings and thoughts on Birmingham. I really enjoy being involved in things here. I think this city has a lot of potential, and is definitely in need of revitalization. It seems feasible, so I'm glad to see young people making things happen here.

Something I'd really like for Birmingham in the next couple of years is the development of an artists' and crafters' community. I want to know what the young designers of the area are creating, and maybe even attend a couple of trunk shows. I find myself feeling a little jealous of communities like Portland and Savannah in that regard. It would also be awesome to have some community gardens, especially downtown. I see a lot of kitchen gardens in Southside, which is totally awesome, but what about folks who live in lofts in the business district? That area could use some greening, in my opinion. I saw a great book on community gardens of SF when we were at City Lights bookstore, but I couldn't think of anyone who'd really appreciate it, so I passed. Please someone become my gardening guru.

On a consumer note, I think we could use more places along the lines of Continental Bakery and Urban Standard. As much as I love them, those spots are a little pricey for my tastes. I would be eternally thankful if I could get up on a Sat. and go to a sweet, cheap(ish) little breakfast place for coffee and a bagel with tomato and cream cheese, or egg and bacon. Really I'm just imagining a Birmingham that's a little more like Portland, Maine, a city that I love, but which has move-preventative winter weather.

Spring is finally here which always puts me in an optimistic mood. I'm finally doing all of the studying for French that I should have been on top of all along. I've got tons more pillows in the works, having thrifted some great sweaters for the purpose. Every time I cross something off my to do list, I feel a massive sense of satisfaction. That's been happening a lot lately. Tonight, for example, I finally compiled and edited an address book with all the info I've got from gmail, my phone, and facebook, so everything is in one place. That one's been on my list forever.

Also in typical Spring fashion, change is afoot. I got a sweet new rocker-ish haircut that I'm enjoying. I'm wearing dresses and sporting a variety of cute jackets instead of the same old peacoat every day. Several friends are looking for new or different living arrangements, (including Devon, so there may soon be another open spot at the Rowe School.) Maybe it's because winter puts me in such a bad mood, but Spring is a really exciting season. As of last week, we've been living here a year, and I think I might be even more psyched to be here now than when we first arrived.

The Old World

You couldn't have imagined the number of unfinished pieces of fiction and poetry I had sitting around on computers and external drives and parts of my brain I had the sense to let waste away. A complicated ungettishable embedded logictree open-circuit diagram of folders full of folders full of folders called "old" and "unfinished." Well, now there are only a handful: I've deleted everything I now hate. 

You know how once in a while you realize how stupid you used to be? I don't mean when you were a teenager. Everyone was an idiot then. I mean, every year I find something that I made or remember something that I said or (especially) wrote and realize that I was a complete idiot six months before. Why the hell was I ever reading John Ashbery? Did I really think I would be the sixty thousandth idiot to try and find something interesting in the study of a barren cityscape? Was I going to vomit up the Ozymandius of the twentyfirst century? Or what about all that synaesthetic faux-Asian crap I tried to pass off as interesting, much less a sincere effort at any form of expression? Minimalist fiction about drug use? Oh, no, please don't tell me that is a sonnet I just found. Lord Jesus Jefferson, III do I embarrass myself! 

Anyway, I almost never share anything I write, though I would occasionally post something on my old and now very dead blog. However, seeing as how Michela seems to share everything she makes, I figure I ought to contribute at least a little, tiny, almost invisible scrap of my heart to this cyber lovefest. So below is what was two days ago a fragment left over from several years ago. It was one of the very few things I found that didn't draw stomach juice into my throat, so I decided I would finish it:

To the Girl across the Courtyard

The rain ropes into the cracked cement

of our small Paris courtyard. Eyes closed

I smell its falling break the gray air. 

I ask the rain to fill the courtyard,

three floors to this stony terrace where

my clothes hang to dry, so that I may

shrink to the size of my own courage,

captain a matchbox with a cocktail-

umbrella sail to your open window,

and offer a love that only grows

larger and larger when you fear it.

I’ve seen you every day for a year

cry hiccups out of that cracked window

not three meters from where I’m lying

in the filth of study: Couturat

and Cauchy and what bread I afford.

Your mathematic consistency

and the way all your tears make colors

in the sun like a lake of oil

has made me suspect you a machine

built by some wicked god to break me—

but he miscalculated my heart.

Honestly, you might have repaired me.

I, the machine, the miniature

robot twisted out of a tin can, 

benumbed captain of the matchbox fleet.

Oh fearsome captain! Have her prism

tears awakened you? You remember

now what once made you a real human:

a blanket pulled tight around your ears

to muffle your parents screams; little

starving boy of flesh and blood; that last

acid scent of your grandmother’s hair.

Have a Diva Day!

Where to begin? I have so many things to say about our trip, none of them being particularly important. I suppose I will just make a list of stories and observations.

• We stayed near Union Sq. which turned out to be very convenient. Our lodging was called Hotel Diva and is a holding of the Personality Hotels company. You get their schtick, I imagine. Anyway, when you request a wake-up call, because, say, you don't want to miss your flight in the morning, the recording tells you to "Have a diva day!" Otherwise, it was a nice place to stay.
  
• I've never been a huge fan of mooncakes, the traditional Chinese desert item (I think it's associated with good luck for the New Year), but I thought Evan should try one. Turns out I like them more than I rememberd, but those things are like real life lembas bread. You're full after one bite and a single tiny cake will last you a week.
  
• While El Farolito continues to be the absolute number one place to have your burrito rocked, I realized finally and without any doubt that it's the avocado salsa that makes its deliciousness unatainable by other purveyors of Mexican foods.
• Dim Sum is so fraking awesome. Evan now trusts everything I say about food.
  
• The bakery next to the Wok Shop on Grant still has the best baked pork buns of all time. It is also the cheapest place to eat that I've ever been.
• SF has been confirmed to be the absolute pinnacle of shoe-buying experiences. I think we came back with something like five pairs of shoes between us, some used, some new.
• On a similar note, I really love the style in San Francisco. It's so casually cool, really interesting, and doesn't seem to be trying so very very hard. Much better city for street fashion than New York.
• One day I was waiting in Union Sq. for Evan who was off somewhere eating breakfast. The cutest little kid, probably three years old, was there sporting short curly white-blond hair and wearing one-piece red long johns and tiny galoshes. He/she was calmly walking after some pigeons murmuring, "chickens. chickens."

I'll leave you with one final story. If you skip the whole bulleted list, at least read this, because it's one of the best SF stories I've ever been involved in.

Evan and I visited the Haight one day, went to thrift stores, checked out Amoeba Records, etc. Later, as we waited for the bus back to our hotel, an old hippie with a white beard and ponytail started talking to us about...about drugs. How he had been on hallucinagens for three days, or had paid off his friendly gambling debts with strips of LSD, or something. Somehow the conversation lead to him showing us a gruesome scar on his arm from "his first airplane accident." So I took the bait, and asked him if he'd been in more than one. As you might have guessed, he had. His plane went down in the jungles of 'Nam and he became a POW. He was stripped, hung upside down, and tortured. All the while he could hear a cat somewhere in the facility meowing and scratching at a door. At some point he was taken down and managed to get out of his shackels. He picked up one of the scapels lying there with the other tools of torture, got behind the door and started meowing and making noise in imitation of the cat. Eventually, the guard casually walked into the room looking for said feline. Our hero jumped out from behind the door and slit the guard's throat with the scalpel. Now armed with a gun, but still nude, he rescued the other POWs in the camp and they escaped to safety.

After he told us his story, the man on the bus politely gave Evan a pill full of mescaline, free of charge, and got off at his stop.

Good Start

Well, the week got off to a pretty good start. I painted a big flourish on the living room wall this weekend. I ordered some rad decoupage paper for a project with my new dresser and changed the handles on said dresser, immediately improving its appearance by 15%. I prepped for my Chinese painting midterm. I wrote a paper about Dangerous Liaisons in record time. I finished five new sweater pillows that are now up on Etsy, so check out my shop. And I scored some more sweaters at the thrift store as well as some things to upcycle and sell at the next rummage sale.

Speaking of the rummage sale, it went really well, so now we've got funds for some projects. I had no idea Bottletree was so bumpin' on Saturday afternoons, but apparently they get a decent amount of brunch business. A lot of my favorite clothes that I was selling went to people who looked great in them and will appreciate them, which makes me very happy. Evan and I did a few appearance appraisals, but only for people we knew. No strangers. I think I'll enjoy doing strangers a lot better, not because I won't be inhibited, but because I'll be able to look at them more objectively. I plan on offering this service at other Cigar Box events, so if you didn't make it, you haven't missed your chance.

Best of all, I got a package from Rubi at Stitch Spectacular! What a nice surprise. She sent a sweet card, a couple of wacky pacs, and a pretty handmade, lavender-filled eye pillow. I've been meaning to make one for myself for a while, so it couldn't be more perfect.

That's got me thinking about new embroidery projects, of course. I've got a lot of seeds of ideas, but nothing stands out just yet. And I have so so so many other things to work on, not the least of which is making screens and printing a bajillion t-shirts for Evan and my Etsy venture, and for the Secret Intentions. Plus the living room is to being done. Just a little more work on the painted graphics, and I'll be finished. In the meantime, here are some pics of a couple of things I've done so far. I bought these chairs without covers on sale at PBTeen, then covered them in ticking and threw together a couple of pillows. I also thrifted this sofa, side table, and rad vase, and made those blue batik pillows.
So it's a sweet week so far, and will end with us in SF! I can't wait!! I planned out all of our meals as soon as we bought the plane tickets, so I've been thinking non-stop about dim-sum and burritos, tea at Samovar, shoe shopping in the Haight. And I get to see friends who I haven't seen since I moved to the east coast. Yay for spring break!

Stay Tuned

I've created another project for myself. After six years, my $60 Ikea dresser is giving up the ghost. It fell apart when we moved, but powered through for a whole other year. There's no saving it this time. So I'm picking up this bed and dresser found on Craigslist tomorrow. My theory with furniture recently has been that if it's made of solid wood, I can do something awesome with it. I've got a couple of ideas for these pieces, but it may take me a while to execute them.

The next few days is packed full of plans, plus I'm still hoping to put the finishing touch on the living room. Silky Snowflake, Beaux Animeaux, and others are playing tonight at Greencup. My understanding is that it's an early show (Beaux Animeaux are supposed to go on around 7). Saturday is the CBHL Rummage Sale from noon to 4 at Bottletree. And on Sunday the Family Band is getting together to do a photo shoot with Breanna. We're a handsome group, so it should be rad. I hope we get some sun because I have some photos of my own to take. It's been much too dreary lately to shoot any of my recent work. Stay tuned, though. I promise it's rad.

Progress

I have one more project to finish and then my living room make-over will be done. This last bit has the most potential for coolness and the most potential for disaster. I'm impatient to be done, especially since I'm on a high from seeing the change so far. I don't want to rush things, though. To tide you over until everything is complete, here's a rad pillow I made this weekend. There will be some similar ones for sale in my Etsy shop soon.

I finally ordered screens so that Evan and I can do some printing. I'm going to put in an order for t-shirts after tonight's Cigar Box meeting. The other supplies, like emulsion, I'll pick up at a local shop. We've got some pretty rad designs in my opinion, but you'll have to wait a little while to see those, too. The plan is to have a separate shop for tees, etc.

I'm stoked on life today. I did some good work this weekend. There's nothing big for school looming right now. Our trip to San Francisco is coming up. Cathy and Steven are moving back to Alabama. I realized the other day how much I really love Birmingham.

(untitled)

I would like to start with--

Sorry. I completely fucked that up.

I would like to begin by issuing an apology to enemies and friends alike for the fact that I never, if ever, contribute to this blog. And in case you, my dearest E's and F's, have had the misfortune to incur massive head trauma, a Beckett play, an aneurysm, or the like, and as a result give two shits about what's happening in my life, then you've accidently come to the right place. Because I'm going to tell you all the stuff that I can remember, starting with as long ago as I'm guessing I last posted, which I'm estimating at three weeks, though there's no way I can think of to verify this.

Things I Have Done

1. Gone to the gym. I work out several times a week. Probably I can break you now. I'm, like, hulkishly ripped, and all the muscle makes me volatile and angry. I'm sort of like a drunk lady and Lenny Small.

2. I got a job in the consulting group at a large bank. I wear a suit and tie every day and go to a big office building downtown. It's not nearly as bad as you'd think. And, no, I'm not a banker.

3. I joined the Red Mountain Family Band. It is a lot of fun, and, surprisingly, it drinks less than my other band.

4. The Beaux Animaux have been re-vamped. We are now four pieces, with the one Mr. Burke Miles on bass guitar. We'll be recording an album at the beginning of April. We will probably rock your ass next Thursday at Greencup. We'll bring the rock, you bring your ass!

5. I wrote that last sentence. I'm sorry.

I did a whole lot more stuff than this, but I'm getting really bored with this list. Also, I was going to write a Things I Have Not Done list, too, but I'll have to save that for next time. Blog fail.

Digging

Michelle Ramin's watercolors!

I love Tennekka's wool buttons. I've got some mustard ones, among others and they are way rad. She also makes them into little pins so you can mod your lapel without breaking out the needle and thread.

thebeside makes some great jewelry, my favorite of which is the Rockwell ring. It replaces a traditional solitaire gem with a chunk of metal. Rad, eh? The one above is sold, but she's still got other versions for sale.

Bentobentobentobentobento!

Thriftiness

First off, I advise you not to miss the Cigar Box Home Library rummage sale at Bottletree on Saturday Feb. 28th from noon to 4 pm. Books, cds, clothes, electronics, ephemera, and consultation services for sale. Get ready to get awesome.

I'm so excited to show you what I've done with the living room, but it's not quite done yet, so you'll have to be patient a little longer (I know you're on the edge of your seat). I've been scouring Craigslist and making frequent trips to the Salvation Army to get everything perfect without spending a bunch on furniture that will probably get destroyed anyway. Recent purchases include a rad side table (now repainted), coffee table, two chairs on sale from PB Teen (to be slip covered), and a used futonesque sofa originally from Ikea. I'm still looking for fabric to cover the chairs, and some kind of excellent large piece of art to go above the sofa, but I'm stoked on my progress.

Also in news of me being cheap, it's the end of my first month using a prepaid phone instead of a monthly plan. I'm proud to report that I spent about $35 as opposed to my usual $60 (previously $70). A minor weight has been lifted knowing that I'm not paying for a cell phone I hardly use.

If you're looking for some inexpensive fun, there are a few shows coming up that I'm excited about. Beaux Animeaux is playing this Friday in Tuscaloosa with The Necronomikids, and, I think, The Dirty Lungs. They're also playing next Thursday at Greencup, but I'm not sure who with. Red Mountain Family Band (woo-hoo!) is playing an abbrieviated set followed by Corndawg this Thursday at Greencup. No excuses.

Digging

I mark about a bajillion favorites on Etsy every day, not to mention all of the awesome stuff I find through design blogs and heads-ups from friends. But I rarely share that stuff outside of Google Reader. No more! Starting today with this collection of wikkid stuff that I love, I'm going to start giving more props to the great designs, designers, and crafters out there. I think my hesitation so far has come from a fear of promoting consumerism. But really, that's a little hypocritical of me, considering that's how I'm supposed to be making a living. And anyway, I'm usually drawn to high-quality, useful things and art, so it's not as if I'm going to be promoting solid gold Cadillac™ rocket launchers or anything. So without further ado, here's some stuff I've been digging on:

dutch door press carries cards and totally sweet limited edition prints like this one.

YAVAglass makes drinking glasses from used glass bottles. These are my fave, since I love seltzer and Boylan's bottle design.

I'm a sucker for laser cut rings like this one from Remade Studio. Totally impractical, yes, but also so cute.

Decoy Lab's modern take on a cuckoo clock has got me finally seeing the point of wall clocks.

I can't exactly explain why I love this painting from Nancy Prator Studios. Maybe it's that I've seen most of my friends in similar poses. Regardless, it's incredibly endearing.

Ikat!

I really dislike the color of our previous sofa. It was comfortable, cheap, and in good condition. Still, the mossy green chenille is a little too late-90s-Pottery-Barn for my taste. I've been looking for a replacement for a while, but things came to a head after the party on Sunday when the sofa started to do an unpleasant sinking thing on one end. Off to the Salvation Army I went and picked out a sofa that could be either amazing or terrible, and I'm not yet sure which. I might not have looked twice, but I remembered reading a couple of things on design blogs about how ikat was in and seeing some actually decent interiors using it. I think with the right pillows, etc, it might rule. Just give me a few weeks to get it awesome before you start making fun, ok?

While searching for pics of interiors using ikat, I came across something totally unrelated, but kind of wikkid nonetheless: youtube videos showing you how to do a particular hairstyle. Hair has always been a challenge for me, a fact that I rediscovered after growing my hair out from a chelsea a few years ago. I'm not complaining. I'm actually pretty lucky when it comes to hair: naturally black, thick, wavy-to-curly. Some days I do nothing and my hair rocks. The problem is those other days. It's pretty much luck of the draw. If my hair looks stupid, I'm stuck with it. But no more! Youtube to the rescue!! And that is reason 10,108 why I love the internet.

Green Tea Soup

For Christmas Stan and Chiyo sent us a box of foodstuffs from the Japanese market and a Japanese cookbook. I haven't had time to fix many dinners lately, but last night I finally got to try a recipe from siad cookbook that immediately caught my eye. It was awesome and incredibly easy, so you should try it.


Green Tea Soup

In individual bowls place: boiled rice (I used about 1 cooked cup per person)
Top with shredded cooked salmon (one large fillet for two people)
Garnish with white sesame seeds (which we had) and julienned parilla leaves (which we did not). Add hot green tea (or hot broth).
Salt to taste and proceed to get awesome.

Birthday!!!

It had been ages since I spent a birthday in a space large enough to fit more than a handful of misfits, but this year that ended. Jacob and Greg came to town for the occasion and Jason and Evan threw a rad party for Jessica and me. I got tons of love on Facebook, which site honestly makes me feel much more connected to people. Weird?

Anyway, with Rodney, David, and Anthony's help Evan wrote and recorded a song about/for me. Pretty much the best birthday present ever. A HUGE and wikkid Taschen publication called The World of Ornament was runner up (Thanks, Anne and Walter!!). Seriously, this thing is massive. It came in its own box with a handle, because it's that heavy. But I received a lot of thoughtful gifts from friends that were really just as sweet.

Evan's foray into party favor selecting yielded stick-on mustaches , so when we assessed the damage to The Rowe School on Sunday morning we discovered that a lot of things (avocados, telephones, etc.) had grown facial hair. There's not much that's funnier than a butternut squash with a mustache. Except maybe Melissa waking up with a mustache stuck to her butt, as she reportedly did.

For the first time in eleven years, there was a king cake in my house. Edible awesomeness brought to me by Greg. I consumed at least half of it myself. But now our guests have departed and the sugar-consumption has returned to normal levels. I'm back to school and work and gym, slightly older, but feeling pretty spectacular about my life here. Thanks for rocking my birthday, everybody!

Screenprinting

I know everyone and their mother makes t-shirts these days, but I had a lot of fun making the Secret Intentions shirts a couple of months ago. And I've been making one-off t-shirts for a while (a tedious and annoying process). It always seems like too much trouble and expense to make a screen for just one shirt, so I make a stencil instead. But what if I just started making a bunch and sold the extra ones on Etsy? Just a thought.

Family Lore and Dirty Laundry

Over Christmas, my aunt passed on to me this family heirloom. It was a wedding present from my great-grandfather to my great-grandmother. Anne told me what she could about them in order to give me some background. I wish I'd written it down because I have a terrible memory, and it was pretty fascinating.

My sister just asked me if it was true that I had stayed at the White House when I was little. It makes me wonder what things I believe about my family that aren't, in fact, true. The following are some suspicious items from my memory. Any mistakes are equally as likely to be the result of misunderstanding as false information.

Concerning my father:
• before he met my mother, he was a gigolo
• he loved Hank Williams, which is the only thing he had in common with my grandfather
• he died by over-celebrating at a party in honor of my birth
• he robbed a bank in Italy, and was hiding out in Switzerland when he met my mom
• he was a DJ in a discotech
• my mother's wedding band is stolen property

Concerning my mother:
• she has never had a job
• in high school she used to sleep with the future producer of Beavis and Butthead
• she once assisted in stealing an entire locked narcotics cabinet from a mom and pop pharmacy

Concerning my grandparents:
• when he was young, if his family was going to have chicken for dinner, my grandfather had to go kill one with his bare hands
• he spoke Greek and Latin
• his job, when he worked for the Coca-cola company was to go to soda shops, order a Coke, and make sure they weren't watering them down
• my grandmother's father died from Tuberculosis, which he caught from handling money

Concerning my uncle J:
• he started a health food store in New Orleans called Whole Foods, which was then bought out and made into an enormous chain. The original little market was sold and has been running under the name Eve's Market since then

Concerning my uncle P:
• he used to be a fighter pilot
• he secretly bought a bunch of stock in my grandfather's oil company and when my grand-father split his shares between his sons, Uncle P became majority shareholder. He then punched my grandfather in the face and kicked him out of the company

Concerning myself:
• I once auditioned for the role of the kid in Fatal Attraction (possible vague memories included)
• before I was old enough to sit up on my own, I projectile puked all over the wall of a friend of my mother's who also happened to be a close friend of Bob Marley's
• If the other kids are mean to me, it's just because they're jealous

Things to Be Happy About

I remember a big sign in the office of my college's newspaper with what I assume from its nature was a quote from either Mark Twain or Kurt Vonnegut. It went something like, "Ending a sentence with an exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke." That sign really gave me a punctuation complex, maybe rightfully so. If it weren't for that, however, there'd be an exclamation point after every one of these bullet points, because I'm mega-happy about the following:

• I've started going to the UAB rec center. I'm starting to sort of like it.
• We're finally getting our car fixed this week.
• Evan and I bought tickets to San Francisco for spring break.
• Two friends are coming to town in a couple of weeks especially for my birthday.
• The inauguration.
• No Parents, The Spells, Den of Lions, Necronomikids, and Silky Snowflake played a totally rad show at Bottletree this past Saturday.
• I love the new song that Evan wrote for Red Mountain Family Band.
• Battlestar Galactica.

American Things

Melissa and Evan G. took me to Target yesterday where I purchased the contents of a couple of "American" care packages for my Italian siblings, at my brother's request. Not speaking Italian terribly well, I can't be sure, but I think what he said translates to, "If I give you my address, will you send me some American things?" The task ended up being more difficult than I anticipated. I don't want to just send them a bunch of useless crap for the sake of representing America. Also, as terribly out-of-touch as it sounds, I don't really know what the kids are into these days besides smoking pot, which, apparently, my siblings have well under control. Regardless, above are the fruits of my labor, ready to be packaged and sent to Italy. The top one is my sister's stuff and my brother's is below.

Several Cigar Box bands/acts are playing in Florence, AL tonight, including Evan's own Beaux Animaux. I'm ambivalent about going, eager to support Evan, but really not stoked on driving 2.5 hours each way. The decision has been made for me, though, by our car, which we still can't take on the highway. But the Silky Snowflake, No Parents, Necronomikids, et al show at Bottletree tomorrow night should be wikkid, and will make up for any missed fun.

Finally, a request: I have so much quilting and homework to do. Please take Facebook away from me.

Bite-sized Project: Embroidered Cards

Here are some of the embroidered cards I've been making. They're a little addictive. I think the appeal lies in the instant gratification provided by such a quick project. More colors and messages coming soon. (Must give credit where credit is due. Cards inspired by the talented kiwipunch.)

Other tidbits:

- Jello Snack Cups with Antioxidents? (tastes mildly like cough syrup)

- I'm relatively certain Evan has not finished a book since we've been together. That's not a judgement, so much as me noting an apparent condemnation of every book I've recommended.

- My life has improved by 10% since Picasa came out for Macs.

- Another program (I think it's freeware?) that I've been digging is Schoolhouse, which keeps all of your class assignments and notes organized.

- Last night I started playing a DS game called Soul Bubbles in which you are a "Soul Herder" in training. It is your duty to pick up souls (and star dust) with your protective bubbles and blow them towards their destination. Weird? Yes. Adorable? Definitely.

Why you be hating on MTG?

Somehow this escaped my eye until this morning...

(a) What does the T stand for?

(b) What is so bad about Ron Howard?
(c) You forgot the combat damage and toughness values.

Tiny Soft Things to Love

Meet Milton and Puddle. They are the cutestsweetestsoftest. This is about as big as they get–double cute, right? However, their freaking wheel is keeping the whole house up at night with its unbelievable loudness, so the goal is to find a truly silent wheel.

The Stitch Spectacular show opened on Friday! I can't wait to see pictures of all the other work. The bits and pieces I've seen so far have been amazing.

I've now had one period of each one of my classes for the semester. Pretty much what I expected. Should be about the same as last semester in terms of workload, stress, etc. Thanks to the power of the R4 card, though, I can at least pretend to study via video game by playing My French Coach on DS.

I loved the new banner so much that I actually made a papercut of the school emblem and framed it. In other news of procrastination, I've made many more embroidered cards than I will ever need/use, and I've decided to try to learn calligraphy (an effort that proved futile and boring in past attempts at ages 9, 11, and 13).

Jessica and I are attempting to create a work-out schedule for the semester. This is especially timely because I've made a bet/pact with Evan involving each of us getting more buff by the middle of April. If only one of us succeeds, it works like a normal bet in terms of winning/losing something of value. If we both fail, each of us gives up something we love for one month. If we both succeed, we treat ourselves to something we wouldn't normally spend money on. Unfortunately since the inception of this agreement on Friday night, Theresa brought home pizza for dinner, I used Taco Bell to cure a hangover, and Devon made bacon brownies (yes, that's right. Brownies with pieces of bacon in them).

Speaking of Devon, her new boy, Will, washed our dishes. I consider this a vast improvement over the one who brought over two bottles of liquor, a bottle of wine, and a twelve-pack the first time we met him. We're on the right track.

Fresh Start

• First off, for those of you reading through an RSS reader, click through and check out the newly redesigned banner.
  
• I just got another couple of bolts from Moda, including "A Day in the Life" from the Lush collection. So rad!
• Picasa (beta) has finally been released for Mac. Thank you. I loathe iPhoto, and Aperture was too much program for me. Hopefully all my photo importing issues will be solved and it'll be smooth sailing from here on out.
• Al Franken has officially won the Minnesota Senate race!
• I'm sick, and so is our car. Savannah is out.