The School for Girls

In with the New

2009-07-29T13:10:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-17T15:16:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-05T01:48:00.001-05:00

Dear everyone,

I quit.

Sincerely,
Michela

greensboro.june2k9

2009-06-30T15:01:00.002-05:00

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

2009-06-24T12:49:00.003-05:00

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

2009-06-21T16:54:00.004-05:00

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

2009-06-15T17:02:00.003-05:00

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

2009-06-15T16:04:00.002-05:00

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

2009-06-09T19:45:00.003-05:00

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)

2009-05-19T21:36:00.004-05:00

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

2009-05-11T22:52:00.003-05:00

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

2009-05-08T10:36:00.005-05:00

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

2009-05-07T16:07:00.004-05:00

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

2009-05-02T14:23:00.005-05:00

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

2009-04-27T21:18:00.009-05:00

Magic the Gathering on the porch this weekend, anyone?

Turn and Face the Strange

2009-04-23T09:13:00.003-05:00

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!!!

2009-04-14T09:56:00.003-05:00

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?

2009-04-09T17:03:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-04-04T17:08:00.007-05:00

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

2009-04-02T22:33:00.001-05:00

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

2009-03-30T09:44:00.005-05:00

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

2009-03-24T21:21:00.006-05:00

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

2009-03-22T16:49:00.006-05:00

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

2009-03-14T14:13:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-03-12T03:58:00.005-05:00

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

2009-03-03T00:40:00.012-06:00

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

2009-02-26T09:36:00.004-06:00

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

2009-02-23T09:31:00.003-06:00

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)

2009-02-22T19:15:00.003-06:00

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

2009-02-20T10:08:00.006-06:00

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

2009-02-18T08:49:00.005-06:00

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

2009-02-10T09:21:00.010-06:00

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!

2009-02-05T13:18:00.004-06:00

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

2009-02-03T09:17:00.005-06:00

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!!!

2009-02-02T10:35:00.001-06:00

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

2009-01-25T16:18:00.004-06:00

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

2009-01-21T09:54:00.004-06:00

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

2009-01-19T16:35:00.009-06:00

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

2009-01-15T12:55:00.009-06:00

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

2009-01-14T15:56:00.004-06:00

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?

2009-01-13T08:38:00.005-06:00

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

2009-01-11T11:41:00.002-06:00

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

2009-01-05T20:21:00.004-06:00

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.

Holiday Project: Aviatrix Bunnies

2009-01-04T13:33:00.003-06:00

Here are some of the bunnies I made as Christmas presents for the kids in Evan's family. They're so adorable it was hard to send them off to their new homes. They're handmade from the bunny pattern I won a few months ago from Wee Wonderfuls.

The Longest Post

2009-01-03T10:22:00.005-06:00

This no photos thing is really cramping my style. I don't like to post without an image to share, because, well, it's boring. And the whole point is supposed to be sharing antics and projects, and I can't share projects without photos. Not that I've got any projects going. I've spent all of my winter break being social and merry. After Christmas in Chapel Hill, I came home for Wedding Expo 2008 and had a hell of a good time. I met some new people, caught up with some folks I don't see too often, and made merry in style with my friends. Yes, I wound up with badly bruised legs after a run-in with a drainage ditch, but I had an absolute blast.

Jacob came into town and Evans, Melissa, Jacob, and I got ridiculous for a couple of nights. Then it was off to Pickens for the annual New Years festivities. Pork was eaten, fires were built, sparklers were lit. Daniel, et al, made an amazing flaming "labyrinth" that I could describe, but it wouldn't do it justice. Little fires glowing everywhere, though. Beautiful.

Jacob, Joy, Evan, and I (among others) broed down until the wee hours, and when I went to bed I didn't even have to sleep on the floor. When I woke up the first time, Joy provided me with much-needed advil. When I woke up the second time, she turned to me sleepily and said, "I dreamt of us."

I'm getting back into comic books, trying to catch up on the haps in the Marvel universe and reading some stuff that I never got into before. It's fun, but I can see throwing a lot of money at this form of entertainment, which I'm not all that stoked on. I've also been hand-embroidering some cards, and doing other small projects, just gearing up for the beginning of the semester. It's hard to regret not getting more done when everything's been so great.

Oh, I almost forgot! Evan got me two Chinese dwarf hamsters for Christmas, Milton and Puddle. They're pretty much the cutest things ever in the whole world. I've never been that into hamsters, but I defy you to not lovelovelove them. Pocket creatures!

Frames: The Good and the Bad

2008-12-21T15:22:00.006-06:00

I took my pillows over to Urban Standard before I left for NC. Possibly after the holidays you'll be able to find some of my work there, but we'll see. Regardless, I picked up some awesome cupcakes, which it turns out are just as good if you drop the box and smoosh them.

Evan and I attended Robb's and Lydia's respective bachelor and bachelorette parties last weekend. Despite having one of the stranger nights I've had in a while, I had a lot of fun. The boys went to a strip club and the girls went to a drag show. I guarantee you that the ladies we saw were about ten times hotter than the ones they encountered. I <3 Miss Jericho.

Congratulations to Robb and Lydia whose wedding festivities we'll be attending this Saturday. Looking forward to seeing everyone after being away for a few days, and to hanging out with some folks who live out of town. Speaking of which, Matt and Charlie got an apartment nearby and will be moving in at the beginning of the month. Way to get things done.

I got my framed pieces back from Forstall, and though they did a good job with what I asked them for, I was predictably disappointed with the frame of the Self-portrait. Ampersands came out awesome, as expected. Win some, lose some and all that. And hey, you guys have not given me any advice on whether or not to go to Savannah for the opening of the show, so I'll give you some of the pros and cons I've thought of.

Pros: getting to see the exhibit, meeting fellow embroiderers, having a mini-vacation to a place I'm interested in visiting

Cons: long drive, Evan would have to take the afternoon off work, it's the Friday directly after classes start for the semester

Observations, Part 2

2008-12-18T12:22:00.006-06:00

Technology is conspiring to prevent me from ever posting another photo on this blog. The good news, though, is that Apple replaced my hard-drive and now she's back to running like a dream.

Red Mountain Family Band had a great practice earlier this week. I scored Evan some brushes for his drums and he tuned the kick, so everything sounds great. I'm really looking forward to playing on New Year's Eve. Hopefully we'll be able to get to work on some new songs now that the line-up has coalesced.

Matt arrived today and is staying with us on and off until he gets settled in Birmingham. All of Alabama's children are returning. Should be fun times around here.

I'm cranking on some hand-made gifts for the young folks in Evan's family, and trying not to get sucked into Eclipse, which I decided to buy and read, even though I skipped it initially. Oh, and through an annoying mistake I have an extra copy of Breaking Dawn if anyone wants it. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should probably keep it that way.

I'm really digging on the idea of girlfriends these days. I've been having so much fun with all of the wonderful ladies of Birmingham and it really rocks. So, stay awesome, chicas.

Google Reader has got me stoked, too. Now that I've finally started sharing stuff, it's pretty fun. And it's sweet to see what other people are into, too.

Observations, Interesting or Otherwise

2008-12-17T08:39:00.007-06:00

Most mornings I drive Evan to work, and I sometimes stop to get a coffee on the way home. This morning the parking meter for my spot outside of the coffee shop was out of order. Its way of telling me this was to flash the word "FAIL."

I went to my first Bottletree Music Trivia night last night, and despite being only minimally helpful, I was able to share in the collective glory of a team win. I only wish I weren't going to be out of town for the 90's theme next week, because I'm pretty sure I could own it.

Speaking of ownage, I aced my classes, as expected. Devon made it through, alright, too. Congratulations to both of us on passing first semester and may we rule it even harder in semesters to come.

Crafting is coming slowly and I now realize that my big plans for getting all sorts of things done over break are crashing and burning. But I'm having an excellent time, so it evens out. Slowly but surely I'm handling Christmas presents, some bought, some made. I wish I had more time to devote to showering my friends and family with gifts, but it's not in the cards this year.

Evan and I are trying to decide if we should go to Savannah for the opening of the Stitch Spectacular show on January 9th. Google said it's 6 hours and some, but I think I've heard 8 hours from other people. I've been wanting to visit Savannah for a while, and this seems like the perfect opportunity, but it's not great timing. Help me out with pros and cons. The age of technology has ushered in an inability to make decisions on my own.

When you feel something tickle the back of your neck and you reach up, only to discover that it actually is a bug and not some errant strand of hair, it'll make you really paranoid.

...and Done!

2008-12-12T10:29:00.005-06:00

Woohoo! First semester is over. I won't get grades until tomorrow, but I'm positive I aced Buddhist art, and did fine in the other two as well. What a relief. I hit a snag right before exams, but I managed to make it through anyway. In a weak moment, I made the mistake of starting in on the Twilight series before exams were over. It was nearly impossible to pull myself away long enough to prepare for finals. I read three books in something like four days, and in my haste didn't realize that I had skipped the third book and gone directly to the fourth until I was almost done with it. The good news is that these books weren't nearly as awful as I was expecting. Sure, the subject matter and sentiment are a little embarrassing, but as a person who's read a lot of young adult fiction, I'd say it's par for the course and it could've been a lot worse. Regardless, it's been excellent post-semester decompression. No way was I jumping right back into War and Peace or Remembrance of Things Past.

I took my embroidery to be framed earlier this week. The guy at Forstall was very patient with my hour of debating over various frames, and the price for framing was pretty average. I'm not totally thrilled with the frame for the self-portrait. It's fine, but I couldn't find anything that made me think, "Perfect!" The ampersands, on the other hand, are going to look freaking amazing. I guess it's awesome that that's the one I'm keeping.

I'll be getting back to work (quilting, embroidering) this week, but I took the weekend off to relax. We had an awesome Rowe School Potluck Monstercards Sleepover on Friday night that lasted until about 2 am the next night. The game of Monstercards was substandard, not in content, but in actual play. Too many people, too little focus. I am at least 40% responsible for the ruination of the game. But we still had some good cards, and I had fun, anyway. The whole thing was a bit overwhelming for late-comers, though, and for that I am sorry (really, Joy, I mean it!).

I'll have some photos soon of what I've been up to, and I'll be able to post more regularly for a little while, so stay tuned.

P.S. Oh, and just in time to be devastated by a loss, I fell in love with the Crimson Tide last weekend. Sigh. Liking sports hurts.

Good Times

2008-12-03T22:57:00.005-06:00

So, I'm feeling pretty awesome right now. Aside from a few brief moments of stress, the last couple of weeks have been sweet. I threw a totally wikkid party for Evan's birthday and stayed up till dawn. We had a great Thanksgiving with Evan's family in Chicago, went bowling, and ate a ten-course kaiseki. Also I turned in a paper and got a presentation and an oral exam out of the way, so I'm mostly done for the semester. Oh, and I almost forgot, Red Wagon in Homewood is now carrying my quilts.

Today is especially great, though, because of two things. First, I gave Evan an early Christmas present, which made me very happy. He is now the proud owner of a set of beautiful blue Tama drums. I snapped a photo but it won't upload, so I'll show them to you later. Second, I just found out that my self-portrait got into the Stitch Spectacular show!! It opens on January 9th in Savannah, so I have a month to get it ready to hang.

Can't wait to do some holiday decorating and work on some projects I've had to put on hold. Hooray for winter break!

Birthday Dinner

2008-11-20T09:20:00.002-06:00

Being Evan's birthday and all we went to Bottega last night for dinner. We had been once before in late spring/early summer and I was somewhat underwhelmed. I had some kind of seafood risotto which, though good, was not really interesting enough to warrant the price. But last night's food made up for it. I had a parmesan soufflé with mushrooms and prosciutto for an appetizer. Delish, but really rich, so I'm glad it was little. My entrée was halibut with citrus and pistachio on olive oil crushed potatoes. Awesome. Seriously. Evan had some kind of braised beef stew appetizer and a beef tenderloin entrée (also very tasty). Unfortunately I spent my entire food budget for pretty much the rest of forever and will be living off canned soup for the foreseeable future. Try not to hold it against me if I start smelling like beef and barley, ok?

Procrastination

2008-11-12T09:04:00.005-06:00

Have I ever mentioned that K-Fed reminds me of my step-dad? Sorta trashy, knocked up some rich lady who turned out to be a lunatic. They're practically the same person. I'm reminded of this fact because I've gone back to reading The Superficial. I stopped for a while when I realized I was only indulging the qualities in myself that I don't like (like being negative and judgmental). And anyway, LiLo hasn't done anything awesome in ages. So, I haven't changed my position on the subject, but I do have a lot of homework that I'm avoiding and I'm running out of ways to avoid it.

Speaking of which, I made these apple zucchini muffins just now. I used this recipe, substituting a muffin tin for a loaf pan, and reducing the baking time to 45 minutes. (In case you're wondering, I used one large zucchini and one granny smith apple.) They taste sort of like mild carrot cake? Anyway, it's part of my effort to eat more vegetables. I was pretty good about it back when I had time to cook, but my diet has gotten a lot worse these days. As part of the same effort I roasted some beets the other day. I ate them cut into chunks with poppyseed dressing and goat cheese. A pretty awesome way to consume beets, but I think it turned my pee pink.

Oh, and one of my pillows was on the Etsy front page today! Yay!

Deadlines

2008-11-02T07:39:00.005-06:00

I've been putting off tons of schoolwork to finish a couple of pieces to submit to the Stitch Spectacular art show in Savannah. The criteria for submissions was that the work be an original design (i.e. not from a commercially available pattern) and the main feature of the piece be embroidery. I've been working on a couple of pieces of embroidery that aren't meant to be functional (like the pillows I do for Napoleon) but I didn't think they were up to par. So I did a couple of brand new pieces that are pretty different than what I'd been working on. I doubt they'll get into the show, but it was a nice exercise.

Anyhow, the deadline was midnight on Friday, so I'd been stitching away, ignoring all sorts of other work. Now that that's done, it's time to catch up. I have two term papers to work on, one of which I haven't even picked a topic for and neither of which have been researched. I've been dreading this all semester, pretending that I was going to get an early start, not put things off like I did in college. I'm not yet in dire straits, but I can't continue to procrastinate. And if I just go ahead and do it I'll feel so much better (a fact of which I'm always aware, but consistently ignore).

Before initiating full-time schoolwork mode, I had one last hurrah shopping in Atlanta yesterday. Yes, going to Atlanta to shop is kind of ridiculous, but Evan needed work clothes and H&M and Zara are practically the only stores with clothes that fit him. We shopped to the point of exhaustion but were pretty successful in our mission. I almost find shopping for other people more satisfying than shopping for myself. I still get to be stoked when I find something amazing but without all the guilt of frivolous spending.

So, goodbye for now. If you don't hear from me for a while, blame Bernini's Papal tombs. I'll be back as soon as possible.

So-called "Lite" Avocados: A Review

2008-10-20T19:36:00.003-05:00

Perhaps you have seen them sitting in the produce section, looking like an exaggerated avocado that will never ripen. But ripen they do, which is how I found myself eating one of these low-fat versions of my delicious, (good-)fat-filled friend.

As you have probably noticed, it is next to impossible to find a perfectly ripe avocado at the supermarket, even at peak season, unless you live in California. Faced with an urgent need for immediate avocado satisfaction I selected the ripest Hass there was and, as back-up, a ripe Lite. The Hass proved sufficient for our needs, but I still had this other monstrosity on my hands. I decided to try it out on top of a quesadilla.

First off, these things are huge. Twice the size of the sad little avocados we get in these parts. As soon as you cut into it, though, you realize that half the volume is pit, itself 100% larger than that of a Hass. Otherwise, it's business as usual. Light green flesh, getting slightly darker toward the edges. So I sliced it four or five times lengthwise and proceeded to scoop it out of the skin with a spoon per usual. It was then that I noticed the first signs of the big difference. The slices...break? Oh well, onto the plate they go with some salt on top.

The taste and texture (mouthfeel, for those of you who get a kick out of that ridiculous word) are close to what you would come up with if you imagined an avocado with less fat. It's still got that firm-until-you-smoosh-it-but-then-kind-of-buttery texture, but with less buttery-ness. In fact, it's slightly watery where a Hass is creamy. And like the low-fat version of any food, it's less delicious. The good news, though, is that it's close enough as long as you're not going to eat it straight. In other words, don't make guacamole out of this thing, but it's fine to put a couple of slices inside a burrito. It'll cool things down if, like residents of The Rowe School, you douse everything that comes in a tortilla with Cholula. B–.

For Sale!!!

2008-10-14T08:38:00.004-05:00

I'm excited to announce that you can now find Napoleon quilts at fawn&forest! fawn&forest is a stylin' online retailer of all things for modern- and eco-tots. For a sampling of their wares, check out the forest finds section. Rather than expound on the fab designers and products on the site, I'll let you check it out yourselves. (Have fun!)

I'm looking forward to moving some quilts so that I can get to work on my next round. I've been getting some really awesome fabric into the studio and can't wait to show it off. I've also got a couple of embroidery projects in the works, and am patiently awaiting the delivery of some felt so that I can make the most adorable bunnies in the world from this pattern that I won over at Wee Wonderfuls. I may go into a fit immediately upon completion from an inability to handle their inherent cuteness. I think it's worth the risk.

J'aime le Cinéma

2008-10-02T17:02:00.006-05:00

My new obsession is the actor Tadanobu Asano. You may know him from Ichi the Killer. I loved him as the star of Sharkskin Man and Peachhip Girl when I saw it several years ago. This week while Evan was away, I watched The Taste of Tea written and directed by the same guy as SMPG. Tadanobu Asano has a part in this ensemble movie as well, and he's great. So I just did a quick Netflix search and added several of Asano's movies to my queue. Unfortunately, the release date for Tokyo Zombie is unknown, but it sounds freaking rad.

And while we're on the topic of movies, Evan and I saw three last Saturday at the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival (I could live with a shorter name for the event...Sidewalk Film Fest, anyone?). The first, Rock-afire Explosion, is a documentary about the animatronic band of the same name from Showbiz Pizza, and its enduring importance in the lives of some fans. The folks in the film were really endearing, and it made the movie.

The last thing we saw was something called Pop Skull. It was visually and aurally jarring and made me grumpy. A wanktastic exercise in filmmaking.

My favorite was the second film we saw. Let the Right One In is a Swedish (?) movie about two pre-teens and their relationship. Throw in some gore and you've got a pretty wikkid movie. A+. According to Kyle, J.J. "Countless Wasted Hours of Your Life" Abrams is remaking this one for Hollywood. You should do your best to see the Swedish version before it gets ruinated.

** Update: Apparently I was mistaken about the J.J. Abrams thing. Kyle actually said that theother guy responsible for Cloverfield was remaking Let the Right One In. Either way, though, right?

Color Collecting!!!

2008-09-30T20:09:00.006-05:00

Check out our new site!! Color Collecting is a gallery of photos as color studies. The site was conceived by Maggie of oatmealbynoon.org and whalesandbunnies.com and executed by James, who was also responsible for the Napoleon site. I now owe him my first born. Anyway, you can learn all about the many fascinating contributers by checking out the bios. Enjoy!

So Tired

2008-09-22T19:33:00.002-05:00

I have nothing of import to say. If I did, I probably would not be able to stay awake long enough to say it. I'm still constantly exhausted, head-achey, and craving sugar. A visit to the doctor yielded some useless muscle relaxers, the idea being that the headaches might be due to tense neck and shoulder muscles. The fatigue he blamed on my thalassemia (a kind of genetic anemia specific to people of Mediterranean descent.) I'm going to have to make another appointment because as it stands, air is soporific. I've been slamming coffee and Advil like a Wall St. floor trader circa 1986.

I ventured out last week with Evan to see Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby play at The Nick. There were about 8 other people there, which I suppose was sort of sad for them, but it turned out great for us, since they had the latitude to jam and make jokes about the poor attendance.

The rest of the time I've been quilting and studying, of course, but also trying to speed up my freaking computer (which is bogged down with so many gigs of crap that it moves at a snail's pace) and watching a sweet anime series called The 12 Kingdoms with Evan. I highly recommend sending back the 3rd season of Weeds that you just got from Netflix and getting this instead. Deep down you know you hate that show, anyway.

In closing, a list of things I have recently been excited/happy about:

• naps

• coffee

• finding out that command + ; makes an ellipsis

• describing something as having been "edited like a ham sandwich," which I meant to mean that it had been done poorly or awkwardly

What?

2008-09-18T09:30:00.006-05:00

I got an e-mail this morning from Lesley Taylor at WHAT letting me know that she's included my Six-Shooter pillow in her Fall 2008 Design Guide. WHAT focuses on "independent designers who work in a contemporary/modern style." All of the awesome designs on the site are either available for purchase through WHAT or have a link to the designer's site for more info. So what are you doing still reading this?! Go check out some rad design!

Pain

2008-09-13T08:51:00.003-05:00

I finally got in gear and started yoga at Yoga Circle this week. I took a hot class (96˚ or so) on Wed. and a hatha class yesterday. The hot class almost made me pass out. I haven't done one since C. Love's classes in San Francisco, and I forgot how sweaty it is. The hatha class was great, but I'm definitely feeling it all over today. Usually there are a lot of beginners in hatha classes, while other people move on to vinyasa, and I've never really understood why. Maybe I've been extra slow getting out of the beginner stage, but I still find it really challenging and helpful. I've always hated cardio, though, which may be why vinyasa doesn't appeal to me very much.

Aside from being sore, I'm having a slew of other aches and pains. My shoulders and neck are so tense that I've been getting mild but consistent headaches for about two weeks now. I'm getting myself checked out on Monday, because I've also been incredibly tired no matter how much sleep I get. Stress? The slow downward spiral of aging? Brain cloud? We shall see.

In better news, I've gotten some work done over the last couple of weeks. Finished six new pillows, which I'm photographing and putting on Etsy sometime today. I've also (guiltily) cut most of the pieces for a pieced quilt for myself. Can you believe I've only made myself one quilt ever? And the black and red with skulls and spiderwebs thing doesn't really suit me anymore. So I'm doing a turquoise and white pinwheel quilt after seeing this amazing quilt on Etsy. I love the orange and white, but it wouldn't have matched much in the house.

I never updated you on the Brother sewing machine I got, so I'll give it to you briefly. Terrible. F. I had to send it back. The plate over the bobbin just slides off if you even breath on it. So I'm ordering a relatively cheap Janome (3022), which I hope will give me less trouble. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Theresa and I got up early this morning and hit a little estate/yard sale. Got a couple of sweet things, including a small bust of Robert E. Lee, and a tin of old sewing supplies. Oh! and I won a pattern card for the most adorable sew-by-hand stuffed rabbit from Wee Wonderfuls. Cutest thing ever. Seriously. Kind of makes up for the headaches and the rest.

Brilliant Smile

2008-09-09T10:24:00.003-05:00

Gifts from my family tend to be hit or miss. I suspect this is true for most people. For every couple of awesome books, or dvds directly from your Amazon wishlist, there's also a crocheted vest or a Captain and Tennille record. That is why recently, when my aunt handed me a box and said, "I don't know what you're going to think of this. It's very strange," I was concerned. Luckily, there was an awesome Margaux Lange necklace inside. I immediately loved it. Anne bought it at the Baltimore craft fair, I think, but a quick search brought me to Ms. Lange's Etsy shop, where she's got other great Barbie-related jewelry. You may be wondering what you would wear a necklace like this with, but I assure you that opportunities abound. I mostly love pairing it with something conservative. The red lips catch your eye, but the pearls tone it down. Looks awesome, and gets a better kind of attention than that light up sweatshirt you got for your last birthday.

Seven Songs.

2008-09-02T18:01:00.003-05:00

That's how many I decided could reasonably be included on a blog-embedded playlist. I doubt any of you will actually listen to the entire thing. Actually, I'd appreciate it if you could tell me how far you listened so I can get a read on the attention spans of the folks who read this. I'll probably have more of these in the future.

The theme of this playlist is something to like "summer is finally over." When you are no longer a student, summer really loses its charm. Fall is much more pleasant, and you can start dressing nicely and watching Alabama football. Seeing them crush Clemson on saturday was the best feeling since finding out I'm not pregnant.

Equinox.

The Storque

2008-08-31T19:20:00.005-05:00

For those of you who don't spend a lot of time on Etsy, The Storque is Etsy's blog. They have lots of different kinds of stories, some on a theme, particular artists, or just cool finds on the site. I noticed one of my items got a lot of hearts today, so I check The Storque and sure enough, may Napoleon banner pillow is shown in an article on bedding. So check it, homies!

p.s. Is anyone interested in seeing any of the following bands with me at Bottletree: Sunset Rubdown, American Steel, or Crooked Fingers?

Supertasting Does Not Taste Super

2008-08-29T13:49:00.004-05:00

Ugh! Egads! That was so gross! Okay, it's not as bad as eating a vomit flavored jelly bean, but these strips of paper are nasty. They taste like powdered aspirin, or xanax swallowed too slowly... IF you're a supertaster, that is. Which, apparently, both Evan and I are.

Ever since I exceeded expectations in Erin's "Identify Skittle Colors by Taste" Test, I've not-so-secretly hoped that I was a supertaster. As soon as Evan found out that he could use supertasting as an excuse for hating vegetables, he's been hoping he's one as well. After trying and failing to properly execute a supertaster test involving blue food coloring and wax paper last week, Evan went ahead and ordered these strips. The subject puts a strip into his/her mouth for ten seconds. According to the instructions, a non-taster will taste nothing, a taster will taste a mildly bitter/bland flavor, and a supertaster will taste something very bitter. Both of our reactions were so strong that we immediately spit out the paper and slammed some water.

It seems unlikely that we would both turn out to be supertasters, but until we have better evidence that the tests are faulty, we're going to assume that they're not. We will also assume that being a supertaster makes one superior. And that our superiority qualifies us for something besides an aversion to vegetables, grapefruit juice, and dark chocolate, like a man-servant or possibly a silver plaque of some kind.

Fabric Envy

2008-08-25T10:20:00.003-05:00

Any of you who have hung out with me around fabric ordering time have heard me complain about how difficult it is. When you're picking things out online from a tiny swatch it's hard to tell what color it will really be, how it will match other fabrics, etc.

I've been noticing another problem recently, too. I subscribe to True Up which is a great blog dedicated to fabric. Writer Kim Kight posts pics of fabrics on a weekly theme, as well as new fabrics of note, sales, etc. I find that when Kim posts a collection that I've already looked at on the manufacturer's site, I often notice a print that I didn't before and kick myself for not considering it. This is especially true of smaller prints. I think it says something about the design of some manufacturers' sites. I want bigger images when I browse, and I want collections to be better organized.

My other fabric-related problem today is that Moda is sold out of two (two!) of the fabrics I ordered. I had to throw in three or four bolts of stuff I didn't know what to do with to meet the minimum order. But it couldn't be those that were sold out. It had to be fabrics I had specific plans for. Sigh.
In much much better news, I've been accepted to Trunkt which is a juried collection of online portfolios for "creative entrepreneurs" (read: artists, designers, craftspeople). Buyers, wholesale and individual, can browse the portfolios, which will then direct them to the artists online shop. The shop can be the artist's personal website, Etsy shop, or wherever they do business online. Because the site is juried, it ends up being a lot more professional than Etsy, in terms of photos and products. As much as I love Etsy, there's a lot of crap on there. The front page is always beautiful, but once you start browsing, there's no telling what you'll find.

What a Mess

2008-08-23T13:26:00.004-05:00

This is what my work table looks like right now. I'm alternating between quilting this giant project during the day and embroidering at night. Happy to be doing both, though, especially since they're coming out well.

The new sewing machine came, but between school, work, and outside projects like the Cigar Box website, I haven't even had a chance to test it out.

I've also been spending a lot of time trying to promote my Etsy shop. I originally intended it as a sort of back-up or a place to sell one-offs, and that's still the plan. But any kind of promotion or site traffic is good, so there's no need to treat it like a red-headed step-child. And hey, if any of you guys who know my work ever have brilliant PR ideas, send them my way. I'm pretty sure you don't have anything better to do.

Thinking about a game of Monstercards next Wed. Anyone up for it?

Hot Tea

2008-08-19T10:10:00.002-05:00

Have I ever mentioned that I drink a lot of tea? Like, a lot. Evan and I drink a pot of PG Tips (which I go all the way to Whole Foods to get) every morning, and then I often drink another half a pot afterr fir thet one is done. Anyway, because I can't drink tea around the quilts, my tea often gets cold and then I have to microwave it and then that usually gets cold, too, and I have to dump it out. No more! Evan got me the cutest vacuum flask (a.k.a. Thermos) ever! I'm already trying to figure out if it will be weird to take it to class in the winter.

Speaking of which, I start school today. First up, French 101 and Southern Baroque. I'm feeling a combination of excitement and dread inspired by laziness. I'm going to assume that's typical.

Updates of Machines

2008-08-16T18:51:00.017-05:00

Today I received in the mail an update to my camera situation. That is, I bought a new one. Hence the pictures. I am both relieved to not be using the ancient back-up camera anymore, and sad that I had to spend the cash.

Next week I will take delivery of an update to my sewing machine. The current one is a very basic, non-computerized White purchased during sophomore year of college for less than $100. I've been working on a commission this last week, and I realized in the process that my machine just wasn't going to cut it anymore. I need something that doesn't make me pull my hair out. I wanted something computerized, but still can't afford more than a proletarian brand, so I decided on the Brother CS6000I. It's a 60-stitch machine with automatic one-step buttonholes, speed adjustment, and the all-important choice of auto-stopping with the needle either up or down, depending on your preference. I've been coveting that feature ever since I borrowed a machine that had it, probably sometime very shortly after buying my poor little mechanical White. The Brother has mostly good, but a few worryingly bad reviews on Amazon, so I'll have to wait till I get it to tell you if it'll be an improvement.

Here's a sneak peek at the commission-in-progress. The front and back are both pieced and are ready to be quilted. Evan and I both really like it and will be sad to see it go. It makes me want to find some time to make something for myself. It's pretty unlikely that will happen anytime soon, though, especially as I'm starting school on Tuesday. I'll still be doing my work for Napoleon as well, which will leave a lot less time for cooking, cleaning, and extra-curricular quilting. Besides, I find that I'm unable to stop embroidering in my free time. I'm thinking of doing a whole series of embroidered variations on the theme of butterpants.

The body politik.

2008-08-14T11:05:00.002-05:00

I'm supposed to be educating you all on random walks and logic trees, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find the perfect Batman script to do it with (or any Batman script, for that matter). That sentence could be a bit confusing without the proper context, but since my critics want me to be a little less Mo and a little more PoMo, I think I'll keep it that way. Anyway, for those of you interested in discussing the wonders of probability theory--and American history--we'll be taking a trip next Saturday to the Alabama Theatre for a screening of National Treasure. Question and answer period to follow. Boozing period to follow question and answer period.

Other things of unnote:

> Recycling used to be a chore that I really enjoyed. On a Sunday morning, I would take my time flattening all the cardboard and putting all the bottles and cans in the car. I would drive down to the center with the windows down listening to one of the old hippie Tyrannosaurus Rex albums (Beard of Stars is my favorite), unload all the junk (someone's treasure) into giant bins and hang out with the homeless men who operate the place for a little while. Unfortunately, post-party recycling is not so pleasant. It's as if someone filled a kiddie pool with about an inch of beer traversed by little cockroach boats, let it sit in the sun for about nine hours, then dipped washcloths in it and started slapping me all over my body with them. Plus, some hippie guy replaced my friends at the center. I guess it's good that he probably won't constantly ask me for money, but I'd give the other guys twice what they wanted to not have to see granodouche in his cargo shorts again.

> My band, The Beaux Animaux, will be playing at the Cigar Box event at Bottletree on August 31st. If you come, you can not only hear some awesome music, but you can sign a petition because

> I'm going to run for mayor!

What Is That? Velvet?

2008-08-03T11:02:00.007-05:00

I am a cupcake master! With the help of James (who made the icing), Erin and Matt (who filled the tins), and Kristen and Kate (who helped decorate) I (we) made one trillion (read: 87) red velvet cupcakes for the wedding. They came out pretty freaking adorable and delicious. I've been doing things by sheer elbow grease at home, but thankfully I had a hand-mixer in this case. Every time I think about buying one I decide that I don't really need it, but now I know the truth. I will be making the $15 investment immediately upon my return to Alabama.

Erin and Matt's wedding yesterday afternoon was a real tear-jerker. I pretty much broke down immediately upon seeing Erin in her dress and then cried at regular intervals until the end of the reception. The whole thing was very sweet and everyone looked dashing. This morning we have a final get-together and then I begin the long trek home. See you back in Birmingham.

Blue Ribbon

2008-07-30T07:25:00.002-05:00

In order to wash the terrible memory of Jinsei from my mind, I had sushi last night for dinner. Ramani took me out to Blue Ribbon Sushi, in the Six Columbus hotel. It's one of the top-rated sushi spots in New York, but never had a chance to try it when I lived here. I had a truly amazing (seriously) sashimi platter, a few bites of Ramani's Blue Ribbon fried chicken (?!), and awesome bread pudding. I also have to mention that I stopped into the ladies' room, located in the hotel, and I felt like I was being eaten by the future. Bad, scary, but without being post-apocalyptic future. The walls of the hallway were completely upholstered in chocolate brown cow hide. Not leather. Cow hide. With hair. Hair (fur?) walls. And blue, hurts-your-eyes futurelights.
And now I promise not tobring up sushi again.

Nothing of note has happened since I arrived. After flight cancellations, a night in Charlotte, and many hours in the airport, I finally made it to New York on Monday. I did a little shopping yesterday, and had an afternoon appointment with a kids' store in Williamsburg. It went...okay. I did find that I had plenty to say about my work, though, and I think I sounded much more professional than I feel. Even though I remind myself that everyone starts somewhere, and that there are a lot of independent creators and designers in the same boat, it's hard not to feel like you're a kid playing at being a grown-up.

I got to see Steven and Cathy for a bit yesterday evening. I'm glad I caught them before they moved. There are a couple of other friends to catch up with today and quilting stores to visit. Tomorrow afternoon we're headed to W. Virginia. I won't be terribly sad to leave. Birmingham has gotten me used to privacy again and I miss it.

Jinsei Review Part II

2008-07-29T13:35:00.006-05:00

For those of you dying to know, Jinsei can be found in SoHo, a block and a half of overpriced shops and restaurants in--to spit in the face of acronymologists everywhere--North Homewood. Parking is located off 29th Avenue South, right between the white BMW and the white Lexus with two carseats and the mysterious and confusing "my other mom is a broom" bumper sticker.

A moment before exiting Jinsei you enter it. It is at this time that you are bombarded with a loud, fresh dose of jungly drum and bass; it's like walking into the climax of Step Up 2: The Streets, but profession dancers have been replaced by pot-bellied men in khaki pants and tweenage girls. The interior consists of slate-black everything with a hint of shininess: their idea of what a fancy big-city restaurant is supposed to look like is about as accurate as Fievel's predictions about America.

So you decide to sit outside in the 100-degree heat, only to learn that these inescapable bastards have placed speakers on the patio as well, ensuring that you get served while you wait to get served. You order sake because if you don't get a buzz soon you're going to walk across the street to Tots, Twigs, and Titters and buy youself a cottage made out of cinnamon sticks to try and choke yourself to death with. Meanwhile you browse the menu, which is nothing but rolls named after what I guess are snowboarding tricks: volcano 960, hammerhead toothgrind, spicy fandango. Everything seems to contain tempura-fried shellfish, which tells me that they're pandering to the Captain D's denial of Birmingham's upper-middle class.

Right before you go into shock your food arrives. You are underwhelmed, and some quick mental math tells you you're spending about $8 per bite. You eat the food in about three minutes, discuss your disappointment while waiting for the check, pay, run to your car, drive it to the gas station, buy some beer and beef jerky and have yourself a night.

Jinsei Review Pt. 1: Michela's Opinion

2008-07-27T11:05:00.015-05:00

Remind me not to trust so-called foodie blogs in Birmingham. This is the second time we've been been unforgivably deceived (the first time being Gianmarco's which I will perhaps review some other time).

We showed up at Jinsei, a sushi place in Homewood, a little after 7pm last Wednesday. There were some people there, but it wasn't full yet. The inside space is small–a bar and probably 10 tables or so. They've obviously put a lot of thought into the decor; sadly for them, that thought led them horribly astray. The interior looks like what someone who's never been to New York thinks a New York restaurant is like. It might not have been so terrible except for the techno playing at a volume that made all enjoyment of life impossible. Thank god they had outdoor seating.

The prices were about what you would expect of a nicer-than-everyday sushi place in a bigger city. We ordered conservatively to test the waters. Evan and I started with a carafe of the house sake ($26). Their sakes are served cold, which is how I like it. Unfortunately, by "cold" they meant barely chilled and left on your table to get even warmer.

The miso soup was about three times the size of what is typically served at a Japanese restaurant. It was loaded with fresh straw and shitake mushrooms, but otherwise was standard. Almost every roll on the menu had something tempura-fried in it, a cheap move and not very interesting. First we picked a roll with tempura shrimp inside and avocado and eel outside ($15). It was good (tempura and unagi sauce can't go wrong), but far short of what I would expect for the price. The spicy tuna roll ($8 or $9) was run of the mill.

At three exorbitant dollars per piece we ordered from the sashimi and nigiri menu. The Jinsei chef got something right in using only a small amount of rice for the nigiri. This failed to make up for the so-so quality tuna. But excessive amounts of sauce made the unagi nigiri impossible to hate.

The short of it: For the price, I expected excellence or at least creativity. What we got was an uninspired menu, average quality fish, and oppressive atmosphere. In the end we choked back our room-temperature sake and decided to fill up on gas station gummi worms. At least they know their place.

Free Wireless

2008-07-27T10:33:00.005-05:00

I'm sitting in the Charlotte International Airport, wishing that I could find some kind of souvenir with the words "Raise Up" on it. Not that this was actually a reasonable possibility, but that's what wishing is about. Despite their lack of Petey Pablo-inspired memorabilia, I say, "Here's to you Charlotte, North Carolina, for not being one of those dick airports (like LaGuardia) that charges for wireless."

I have completely failed to get any appointments with buyers, so this trip has become little more than an expensive vacation. I have gotten some encouraging feedback, though, which I'll tell you about if it turns into anything. Also, I've added some things to my Etsy shop, so give it another look.

Since I've got nothing else to do while in NY, I plan on finding some sneakers, shopping in stores we don't have in Alabama, and catching up with friends. Because it's New York, I will probably also spend some time worrying about my weight and/or clothes, and coveting things (housewares, bags, jewelry, etc) that I can't have and won't care about at all the second I leave the city. On Thursday night Richard, Kate, and I will head to W. Virginia for Erin's wedding where I will lament the state of my life, drink too much, and engage in various forms of merry-making.

When I return, it'll almost be time for classes. I was approved for in-state tuition, which is pretty awesome. I've picked out my classes and...oh! I should be registering for them right now. Whoops!

***Update: Flights cancelled, lives ruined. The weather in the Northeast has created a nightmare here. I'm stuck in Charlotte till tomorrow.

Stress Means an Empty Fridge

2008-07-17T16:17:00.005-05:00

I'm stressing big time about all of the things I need to do before my trip to NY. I leave on the 27th and I still haven't contacted buyers. I had a few last things to get together and didn't want to be unprepared when I called. Today has been all about making an order form, invoice, and line sheet. A line sheet is a quick reference for buyers, with photos or drawings of what you're selling along with item numbers and prices. This has also meant finalizing all my terms and conditions, like shipping methods, return policies, etc.

Before I left New York I happened upon the book Craft, Inc. by Meg Mateo Ilasco. It's been enormously helpful with this sort of thing, i.e. making sure you know all the things you need to have in order, from business licenses to minimum order requirements, when turning your craft into a business. I've also been reading The Boss of You by Emira Mears and Lauren Bacon. It's for women starting their own business, and while I don't particularly care for the girlpower tone of the book, it's a good resource. The books compliment each other well, the former having a lot of nuts and bolts info and the latter dealing more with branding, marketing, and PR.

Because I've been doing so much work and also because I'm going to be doing a lot of cooking this weekend, I've totally avoided going to the grocery store and have been trying to make simple things from what I've already got. The tuna and white bean salad I made last night required no fresh ingredients, and it turned out really well. We had it as an open-face sandwich, but the leftovers I ate for lunch were just on a bed of field greens. These measurements are just a guess. There's no need to be precise.

White Bean and Tuna Salad

2 small packages or cans of tuna, drained
1 can white butterbeans or other white beans, drained
2 tsp capers
1 tsp red wine vinegar (or lemon juice)
1/2 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix ingredients and serve on field greens or toast.

Night before last I made a crustless broccoli and cheddar quiche. It was a little too brown on top, but it tasted fine and most importantly it was really easy. Evan hates vegetables, so I precooked the broccoli and then pureed it so as to render it inoffensive. You could easily just pour this into a premade pie shell, too, if that's your deal. The recipe I used was something like this:

Broccoli and Cheddar Crustless Quiche

1 small head broccoli
8 oz shredded cheddar
3 eggs
2 cups milk, cream, half and half or some combo
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
green onions or chives
butter for greasing

Preheat oven to 475˚ Chop broccoli and microwave (about 3-5 minutes depending on size and ammount). Squeeze in a paper towel to remove excess water. Puree broccoli with eggs. Combine all ingredients and pour into a greased pie dish. Sprinkle green onions on top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until center is set.

Website!

2008-07-16T14:16:00.006-05:00

Hey, everybody, check out my website! It's done! Hell yeah! One million thanks to J. Fishwick for building the site and to Stephanie for design help, even though she doesn't know me. And Thank you, Evan, for writing the copy. Also, above are the business cards I had printed recently, for which I owe Rick a debt of gratitude.

In other news, I'm starting the UAB masters program in art history next month.

Denial

2008-07-13T23:53:00.007-05:00

I haven't written because I've been in denial. For the fourth, the Rowe School had a barbecue. Dr. Jason and Evan grilled an amazing leg of lamb; Adam commissioned some Banana Bread Bacon Burgers, or Quad Bs; Laura brought awesome ribs; Rodney mashed up a batch of guac; Jessica made black bean salsa; I handled dessert. I didn't mean to go overboard, but I did. Grilled peaches, triple berry clafoutis, and two types of popsicles (cucumber-mint-chili and lemon-basil). I ate more than any person should consume and drank to excess. A wonderful time was had by all and I've got the pictures to prove it. Or I did, before I realized that my camera went missing. I've been hoping it would turn up and I would be able to show you all the amazing food and drunken hugs, but alas, I think it's been stolen. Some skater kids from down the street crashed the party for a moment and I fear that when they left, they took my camera with them. I suppose there's still a chance that one day it will turn up, having been stashed in too secret a hiding place. But I think it's best if I assume it's gone forever.

The loss of my camera also means that I can't show you what I've been working on. I've embroidered four new pillow fronts that I'm pretty happy with. I also took apart the koi quilt I've been working on for the last two years so that I could replace the batting and start the quilting again. I spent a long time embroidering the quilt top, and I'm in love with the backing fabric, but the batting I was originally using was cheap and had too high a loft. It was driving me crazy. I got pretty damn far into the hand-quilting, so it was a bummer to destroy all that hard work, not to mention a pain in the ass. But I knew if I finished it the way it was that I'd never be happy with it. Now the new batting is in, the basting is done, and I've sketched out the pattern for quilting. I also took some time last week to set up an Etsy shop (for all of the things I won't be trying to sell through stores, like one-off quilts or embroidery).

There are still so many things to work on. It's mostly the fun kind of work, but when I run across some other quilter's blog, I'm floored by how much quilting she seems to get done, and feel a bit pathetic myself. Plus the work is so beautiful it makes me wonder why I do my work by hand. Of course the piecing and the machine stitching drives me crazy, but I'm awfully jealous of the results sometimes. Alas. Here's my todo list:
• repair quilt for Evan G.
• finalize design and find fabric for commission
• finish David's album art layout
• scan more Monstercards
• design fabric for Spoonflower
• plan a murder mystery
• quilt koi
• figure out who the final cylon is
• make a needlebook (there's a reason this is at the end of the list, but I want one so badly!!!)

Monster Cards Explained

2008-07-02T14:26:00.004-05:00

Okay, Adam and I have finally gotten somewhere with the Monster Cards blog (follow this link). The rules and one game's worth of cards are up. More cards to come, as soon as they're scanned. Check the links in the side bar for specific artists, games, etc.

Warning: At least one card, but possible all of them, will offend you. If you are related to me you should probably avoid looking at the site. For those of you who want to know what this Monster Cards business I've been on about is, without actually having to be shocked and disgusted, here are the abbreviated rules:

After the number of players for a game is determined, the scorekeeper decides on a number of cards. Each player retires to draw this number of Monster Cards. The cards can be actual monsters, monstrous events, or monstrous situations (see past Monster Cards for examples). When the allotted time is up and each player has drawn his or her cards, the scorekeeper selects who will battle, one pair at a time. Players keep three random cards from their deck in hand at all times and can play any of these three cards. After the cards are played, the scorekeeper calls for a vote. All players and spectators not currently battling must vote. The winning card moves on to the next battle, after which it is retired regardless of the outcome of the battle. The player who wins the most battles, wins the war. For extended rules, please see the link in the sidebar.

Missteps

2008-06-29T12:34:00.004-05:00

I photographed my quilts last week. Things were not as easy as I was expecting. First I had to build some very low-tech light stands out of 2x4s and shelf brackets. I've had the materials for weeks, but only just got down to putting these together. Then I clipped on cheap reflector lights and screwed in some very expensive daylight bulbs. I threw together a backdrop by cutting a black bed sheet to size and sewing a rod pocket on top and bottom. Each pocket got a curtain rod. The top rod slides into to screw hooks mounted into the wall in the hallway. The bottom rod is for weight to keep the sheet flat. This is where the stupidity begins. I pinned the first quilt to the backdrop, positioned my lights, and set up my tripod. Then my camera battery ran out. After recharging, I tried again. I took the first few photos and realized that 1) the lights weren't evenly flooding the quilt, and 2) photographing a whole-cloth quilt this way, unless you're trying to show of some really amazing stitching, is really stupid.

Plan B was to take photos of the quilts on my work table, a nice white surface. I set up my lights and got to shooting. As you can see from the thumbnails above, things turned out okay, but the photos are short of spectacular. These are going on my site, so I really wanted them to be good, but alas, I am no photo stylist. So if any of you are, and are aching to do some product shots for your portfolio, I'll do you a favor and let you redo the photos of my quilts. Otherwise, this is as good as it's gonna get.

Also in the news this week:
• One of our boarders will be leaving the Rowe School, so there is a vacancy. Anyone wishing to be considered for the big loft bedroom, please apply in writing or in person.
• The squash 100% died.
• I realized that my flight back from NY arrives in Birmingham 18 hours before my best friends wedding, which is an 11 hour drive from here, so I'm going to have to change the ticket.
• Monstercard scanning has begun.
• Tastespotting is back!

Edible Monster Card, Pt. 2

2008-06-23T20:55:00.006-05:00

We had our Monster Cards game and it was awesome, per usual. I promise as soon as Adam and I have a chance to get our project going, you, too, will know the joys of Monster Cards. I used the game as an excuse to make macha cupcakes. I saw a recipe a few months back and have been wanting to make them ever since. The original recipe calls for pretty pink marzipan flowers on top, but I didn't think that was much in keeping with the theme of the night. Instead, I decorated with monster faces, bacon strips and t-bones, etc. If vanity is the sin that sends me to hell, I'll blame that marzipan bacon.

The cupcakes turned out to be delicious. The same cannot be said for the triumvirate of new Mountain Dew flavors, sampled during the same game of Monster Cards. But I'll let Adam tell you all about that. What I will say is that Mountain Dew: Code Red cannot possibly prepare you for the severity of this latest blunder.

It's been a while since I posted any pictures of the quilts I'm working on. They're looking good and I'll show them to you soon. I'm about to have to take some for-real, professional(ish) shots of them for marketing purposes, which is why I haven't taken any half-assed ones. I'm done with the samples that I'll be taking to New York next month, so you'll get to see those. I'm especially proud when I look at the little Napoleon label in the corner.

The garden is producing a little, but mainly it's failing. The squash plants got huge and are now dying, one by one without ever having shown sign of making a squash. The stems seem to be rotting from the inside. I have no clue if this is due to some failure on my part or if they're diseased, or what, but it's sad. The tomato plants got big, too. No matter how much I stake them, they're a tangled mess. Nevertheless, I've eaten a few tomatoes from them and they're not bad. I also managed to get a Japanese eggplant to grow. I haven't eaten it yet, but it'll be part of my lunch some day this week. Even the sad little cantaloupe plants have put out a couple of runners and are trying their best. I fear for their spotty-leaved, insect-eaten little lives, though. I've learned enough to do better next time, I think. And if it all dies tomorrow, I'll try again.

Edible Monster Card

2008-06-18T10:01:00.004-05:00

We made a lovely trip to Dauphin Island this past weekend. First time I've been to the beach in a long time. The weather threatened to be awful but turned out to be just fine. Undetermined quantities of schnapps, shrimps, beers, and bbs were depleted. Look at those delicious, hideous crustaceans. That's a monster card in the making.

And speaking of Monster Cards, we're hosting a game at the Rowe School tonight. Drawing begins at eight. For those of you who have no idea what Monster Cards is, stay tuned. I've got a project in the works that will make it all clear to you.

Not a Hangover Cure

2008-06-10T12:36:00.005-05:00

Spinach risotto with goat cheese. I wish I could say it was healthy (healthful), but I can only say it was delicious.

I got an invitation to Spoonflower today. You upload a design, and they'll print it on quilting weight cotton (5 yd maximum). At $18 a yard, it's not what I would call cheap. It is, however, wicked cool. Right now they're in beta so you have to put yourself on a waiting list and get an invitation before you can have your fabric made. My invitation came this morning, but my brain is too addled to design fabric right now. I'll show you what I come up with when I decide to tackle the project, though.

I love paper!

2008-06-04T12:28:00.003-05:00

I picked up my hangtags today and they're so freaking rad! Once my business cards are done and actual real photos of my quilts are up on my website I'll be ready to head to NY. I'm terrified of talking to stores to try to get them to carry my stuff. Not much I can do about that, though.

We saw The Strangers last night. Terrifying without being a really great movie. But then, I'm very easily frightened. If our bedroom were one of the ones attached to the secret room in the house, I definitely would have slept on the couch. Or in the car. Whatever we're watching tonight I think is more gorey than scary, so perhaps I won't need Evan to walk me to the bathroom.

May It Please the Court

2008-05-28T10:49:00.003-05:00

All this talk about cheeseburgling may have been a little misleading. In fact, it's "burgling" only in the sense that it occurs mysteriously and anonymously in the middle of the night. The thing is, whomever the cheeseburgler is, he/she is most certainly an individual who pays for a share of the groceries. As it happens, there's a far more insidious form of burgling afoot at the Rowe School. Please note Exhibit A, above. Everything looks normal, right? Ha! That's where you're wrong. Where, viewer, is our beer? Gone! Snatched! Imbibed! But not by us. The reader may also be interested to know that an undisclosed quantity of Elix's vodka has likewise evaporated. Mysterious indeed.

But now for more pleasant subjects, or at least different ones. I (we) survived Evan's family reunion and Newport Beach. One of the activities of the trip was a boatride around the islands, and let me assure you, it was obscene. "To the left you'll see a grey house with blue awnings, once owned by so-and-so, but purchased recently for $20 million by what's-his-face. Mr. What's-his-face didn't want his $2 million yacht blocking the view, so he bought a $17 million home down the beach and docks it there. No one lives there but his boat." No joke. But I (we) met some fun relatives and drank enough wine to make up for the rest. So happy to be home, though. For reals.

Delirious Cooking

2008-05-19T09:09:00.010-05:00

I couldn't sleep all weekend. Really. I think I got a total of about 4 (a generous estimate) hours in, and not for lack of trying. And everyone had to hear about how weird I felt. Sorry about that, guys. Anyway, I'm feeling much better today. I didn't sleep well, but I slept some.

In my early morning frenzy yesterday I made carrot cupcakes for Melissa's birthday. Devon helped me decorate. When I thought about it yesterday afternoon, I realized that I could hardly even remember doing it, or at least, it seemed like some other day. While I was finishing up the baking, Evan and Devon made these baked egg and pita thingies, the recipe for which I found on 101 Cookbooks. They were pretty freaking adorable.

Speaking of food websites, I've been incessantly combing TasteSpotting.com and have come to the conclusion that I seriously need to do something about my food photography skills. It's sort of embarrassing, really.

Anyway, Evan and I are off to Orange County at the end of the week for family time. Wish me luck in locating some excellent tacos.

New Fabric

2008-05-14T16:22:00.003-05:00

So, these are some, but not all, of the fabrics I got in last week. I really, really love them. In fact, everything that came in looked pretty much as I expected it to. My only disappointment is that one fabric turned out to be decorator weight (which is heavier, for those of you who don't deal with fabric) and won't work for quilts, so I'll have to return it. Even that ends up okay, though, since the fabric I was going to pair it with was discontinued.

Band practice went well as did the Cigar Box meeting. I've got some work to do on cover art for David's album and Rodney, Adam, and I are getting together Thursday to talk about the design of the website (something I know nothing about, but I'll be providing the graphics, so).

I've got a lot to do in the next month or so. Everything should be finished for Napoleon by then–the website, tags, labels, and samples–and I'll have to start selling my wares. And then there are my various non-business endeavors. Sounds like my dvd watching is gonna slow down considerably, but I'm excited to start cranking things out.

Not a Complete Failure

2008-05-13T14:11:00.008-05:00

Tomato! I grew one! Yay!!

Band practice tonight, which I'm really excited about. It feels like it's been forever, even though it's only been a week.

Also, I decided not to go to Quilt Market because the plane ticket was too expensive...you know, just in case you were wondering. But some of my fabric came in and it's all really cool. Pictures soon.

Forty Theagues.

2008-05-09T08:44:00.006-05:00

Hiding for a century and a half in the footnotes of Sir Richard Burton's first translation of One Thousand and One Nights, purportedly fabricated during Scheherazade's nine hundred thirteenth night, creamily woven into the sixth tale of Sinbad, wherein he falls victim to the pleasantest of doldrums as his vessel is stranded in a sea of the most delicious hummus:

Made-Up Hummus

2 cans of chick peas
1 large clove of garlic
2 lemons, juice of
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy milk
3 tbsp tahini
1/2 tbsp cholula (or other hot sauce)
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder

Add chick peas to the food processor, setting aside the liquid from one of the cans. Combine all ingredients in the food processor and puree. Add chickpea liquid until you reach the consistency you like. Salt to taste.

Variations:

1. Smooth - Omit hot sauce add 2 tbsp cream cheese

2. Tangy - Replace hot sauce with crushed red pepper, add 1/3 cup cilantro and 1 tsp onion salt

3. Decadent - Replace soy milk and sugar with whipped cream (to taste)

4. Rasta - Replace lemons with 1/2 grapefruit, add 1/3 cup cilantro

5. Extreme - Replace all ingredients with Mountain Dew

Horseshoes

2008-05-04T18:51:00.006-05:00

A pretty low-key weekend. Melissa brought over some awesome white wine on Friday night and we hung out at the house. On Saturday Dr. Jason hosted a Kentucky Derby party, which included many games of horseshoes (check out the double full lean above), mint juleps, and a gigantic cheese ball. Today was Family Band practice. We've got most of our songs down pretty well and just need to remember how we're doing things from one practice to the next. I'm going to finish up the day by making soup and then settling in for some Veronica Mars.

Elix brought me this bread cookbook everyone's talking about, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I made my first batch of dough Friday night (I used the Light Whole Wheat recipe) and baked a loaf on Saturday morning. It's as easy as the no-knead recipe from Mark Bittman's column, takes less time, and seems to have infinite variations. There are recipes for everything from panettone to classic white bread and all of them require a minimum of effort. You bake straight on a baking stone or cookie sheet (occasionally in a loaf pan). It takes whatever shape you give it, so I can make a regular boule, pita bread, or a baguette all from the same recipe and without any special equipment. Also, with this method you make enough dough for four or eight loaves at once. The rest of the dough keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks. So, no more good intentions and failed follow-through when it comes to bread baking. Evan doesn't like it as well as the other recipe, but I think it's fine.

The Cigar Box buttons came yesterday. Even though I checked the colors with my Pantone swatches, the gold on cigar band button came out way too green. It's a little disappointing, but overall they look nice. I'll post pictures soon. Next up Red Mountain Family Band logo.

Black Forest Cake

2008-05-01T10:30:00.006-05:00

I made this pseudo-black forest cake for Andrew's birthday last weekend. It turned out alright, but only because I decided not to make a true black forest cake, which is apparently the hardest cake ever. I really like baking, and I think I'm pretty good at it, but the recipes I was reading were intimidating. For the real deal, the cake is initially extremely dry because you soak it in Kirsch after you bake it. The recipe for that part alone involved mixing with a handmixer for something like 20 minutes total. Then you coat the top and bottom of each layer in liqueur, fill with a whipped cream-ish filling, plus a cherry filling, frost the whole thing with whipped cream and cover it in chocolate shavings. For this one I just made regular chocolate cake, filled it with whipped cream and cherries and iced it with chocolated frosting. Unfortunately the whipped cream did a really poor job of keeping the layers together, but it tasted pretty good, so I don't mind. Thanks to Dr. Jason, a good bit of it was consumed at the party, leaving only a few pieces to eat in a hungover haze in the morning. And speaking of thanks, many many of them to Evan G. who cleaned up the whole house while we were at the afterparty and who also made awesome avocado deviled eggs (Oh! I can't believe I didn't take a picture!) on Sunday.

Last weekend was a lot of fun, but this week has been pretty stressful. I finally got my tax id for buying wholesale, so I've been planning and buying fabric. First of all, most manufacturers have what is for me a very large minimum first order. Second, it's a big commitment to make based on fabric that you're not seeing in person. I'm very particular about colors, and it's hard to say whether two fabrics will look good together when dealing with the inaccuracy of viewing something online. When it all arrives I'll have fabric for something like 80 quilts. Needless to say, that comes out to a whole lot of money, which makes it that much more stressful.

All this makes me think that I should go to the Spring Quilt Market in Portland, OR in a couple of weeks. That's where one goes to see all the new fabrics, etc. It's my chance to see the product up close. But since we're already going to Orange County to visit Evan's family this month, that would mean two trips to the West Coast in two weeks. I can't tell if it's worth it. The energy commitment is enormous. And the idea of walking around a trade-only quilt show sort of makes me feel like an imposter. But if I'm going to get stuck in the same situation in a few months if I don't go, then I should probably just suck it up. Oh, if only I had a quilting buddy to go with me.

I've gotten some other things done besides the fabric this week, thankfully. I'm having my labels printed and Press Charming has started work on my hangtags, which I'm very excited about. I took a look at Jenny's portfolio of name and business cards when we met and they were all amazing. Also, we had band practice on Tuesday, which could have gone better, but was at least helpful in figuring out what to do moving forward. And now off to work on the Cigar Box flier!

Pencils and Picks

2008-04-26T14:56:00.005-05:00

Oh man oh man oh man! (Mama) Laura's having a story published in a fancy pants literary magazine! Hell yeah. I haven't known Laura very long, but we're all so awesomely happy for her and look forward to more great things. In fact, she's already ruling musically as the matriarch of The Red Mountain Family Band, in which I play washboard (!!!). Our first show is on June 1st at the Cigar Box fundraiser and it's gonna be freaking rad.

Yeah, I'm in a band, which I never thought I would be because I have no musical inclination. But George, who has the utmost confidence in all of his friends, convinced me to come to practice and put a washboard in my hands. It's a lot of fun, and even though I can't write a base line or even understand the phrase chord progression, I feel useful, so yay.

Anyway, I have a lot of cooking to do so stop distracting me. Jerk.

Black Elizabeth.

2008-04-25T18:14:00.003-05:00

Devon has come down for the weekend and probably doesn't know what she's gotten herself into. I was asked a couple of weeks ago if the Rowe School would host the thirtieth birthday of a one Mr. Michael Andrew Morgan. Being the jovial gentlemen that I am, I replied--with an immediate and startling dearth of reluctance--"yes, of course."

This time Devon has attempted and in large part failed to come prepared. Previously she slept on a yoga mat on a hardwood floor like some sort of...er, well..yogi, but this time she bought an air mattress but not a pump. Right know she's overexerting her tiny lungs in a noble attempt to conquer this huge gray slug.

Evan: You realize that you might actually die before you blow that thing up, right?
Devon: At least I'll have a comfortable place to die.

In light of this clever, albeit fallacious response, I've decided not to come to her aid.

However, I urge everyone to come to Andrew's aid as he attempts to conquer his thirtieth year of existence. Mr. Morgan has been one my closest friends for over ten years now, and I expect you all to come singing his praises and showering him with valuable trinkets, twinkies, trinkies and hugs.

And for you, my curmudgeonly rube, bon courage in your third decade, even though I'm pretty sure you've been thirty for as long as I've known you!

Love,

Evan

p.s. As you all expected, I am not making good on any of the promises I made in my last post.

(exeunt.)

Beets!

2008-04-21T11:54:00.003-05:00

Oh, my adorable little beet sprouts! I assume that's what you are because you're in the area where I planted beets. Please do not turn out to be weeds. I've already killed one of my cantaloupes, and I really need the reassurance of your presence.

I'm out of batting and should order more. Every day I wait for the mail, hoping that my state tax ID will arrive and that I will be able to order wholesale. So I've been putting it off and now I've run out of quilting supplies. In the meantime, though, I have other projects. Some embroidery, the koi quilt I've been working on for months and months, and buttons for Cigar Box. But first I have to pull myself away from Word Twist. Damn you, Facebook!

Weird Evan Loves Chess

2008-04-20T01:32:00.002-05:00

For those of you who don't know Weird Evan, it will suffice, for the purposes of this post, to tell you that he brings a chess set with him everywhere. I suspect that this might conjure images of some douchey guy you knew in college, the same one who probably reads at bars, hoping someone will ask him about whatever novel or philosophy book he happens to be posing with at the time. I assure you, it's not that kind of thing. Weird Evan really just loves chess. Because of this he'd like to get a group of people together and teach it to them. So if you're interested in learning or brushing up your mad skillz, let it be known, and he'll show you how it's done. Represent.

The Newspaper Is Depressing

2008-04-18T14:11:00.003-05:00

Of course the paper has always been depressing to a greater or lesser extent, but these are the things that I've read about today:

– Nalgene bottles, among other things, contain a chemical that caused precancerous tumors, urinary tract problems, and early puberty in lab rats.

– Mark Bittman's writes about Coca-Cola and India in his April 16th blog post. Probably I could have found a million other reasons to boycott Coke, but I've never really wanted one. My grandfather was once an employee of the Coca-Cola Company and instilled in me a deep love of the beverage. Now this is staring me in the face. Good-bye, Coke Zero.

– Both Citigroup and AT&T are set to lay off loads of people (9,000 and 4,600 respectively)

– And then there's this article about underage pregnancy in a polygamous sect

Just yesterday Evan and I were saying that we should get our NY Times subscription going again. I may, however, prefer to remain ignorant.

Why Elix's Dad Is the Best Dad Ever

2008-04-12T16:55:00.003-05:00

Yay for kitchen gardens! Yay for help building them! Elix's dad came over today to take a look at things and then took us to the store to buy everything we needed for making a raised bed. And then (!!!) he built one for us! We planted tomatoes, squash, and beets with a day lily at each end of the bed. He also tilled another spot for us to put in cantaloupe, but I need to get some more soil before I plant them.

While Elix and I were off getting gardening stuff, Evan taped off the trim in the dining room for painting, which I guess we'll do tomorrow. Yay for Evan, who never complains when I steal his weekends.

Vegetables

2008-04-10T15:13:00.007-05:00

Last weekend I bought some plants and seeds for a vegetable garden. Every day I feel more guilty about not having done anything with them. To be fair, I potted the herbs (thyme, basil, oregano, and rosemary), and I was waiting for toilet paper rolls in which to start my seeds. Now that Rodney has kindly bestowed them upon me, I can probably take care of that part this afternoon. My big plans for building a raised bed in the backyard, however, keep being pushed back because I'm intimidated by the project. Not only building the bed, but the whole kitchen garden thing. But watching the poor little tomato, cantaloupe, and summer squash plants die in their plastic containers on my porch is a lot worse than just starting the garden.

So that's my first weekend project. The second is to paint the dining room, which is a really gross color of green. Honestly, the color isn't so bad, but it makes the room sort of dismal (and it really doesn't go with my complexion). If you're handy with a paint roller and really want to give your arms a workout, come over on Saturday and I'll put you to work. I mean, as a favor to you.

I'm finishing up the binding on the latest quilt. I had enough fabric for two of these. As much as I dislike the cutting and pinning part of the process, things really go faster when you do more than one at a time.

Litmus Test.

2008-04-08T10:19:00.006-05:00

The Rowe School blog, so far as I can see, has found its niche as more a dayplanner and travelogue (minus the travel--domilogue?) than a creative outlet. This is not an insult in the least: the former are far more interesting and widely less fraudulent than the latter. In classic Rowe-School fashion, I am going to make a list. In classic Rowe-School fashion, the list will lack adhesive, teetering between a checklist for goals or shopping and a list of upcoming events, then tottering into mindless soapbox proselytizing. Ready? Let's begin:

> For the past two days I've awoken to the sound a bowling alley makes when you put it in a blender. Roofers. After a dozen calls to the realty company explaining that "our porch is raining," they responded not by calling back but by sending a ruthless band of merry men, presumably made of windchimes and unoiled hinges, to our house at what is probably the crack of dawn in California. At least they're doing something about it, which is more that I can say about the smell in Elix's room.

> Today we got the security system activated, which ought to protect us from criminals if not the ceaseless vengeance of the restless ghosts who haunt the basement and secret room. I hope angry, unforgiving spirits can't set of a motion detector, because that could get annoying. When you turn on the alarm, you have eighty seconds to walk twenty feet to the door and close it behind you. This may prove a challenge for Elix, who is never and has never actually been ready to leave.

> Crime is afoot at the Rowe School, and I think it's an inside job. The mysterious overnight disappearance of sliced cheese has rocked the lunch-sandwich community. The bread population is stable, so someone is taking it straight up--a shameful act at which at least one of my two suspects would scoff. I know who you are; you know who you are, too, cheeseburglar. I'm going to Matlock a confession out of you if it's the last thing I do.

> I'm afraid I'm not going to make it to the proselytizing. I had a lot more bullet-points to come, but I'm afraid I have some actual work to do. Next time: new publication (work-in-progress), updates on my essay about secret underground baby-trading, as well as breaking news about American military operations. Here's a preview:

U.S. Military Unveils New Secret Weapon: Criss Angel

David H. Patraeus, Commanding General of the Multi-National Force in Iraq, announced at a press conference in Washington this afternoon that the U.S. government, exercising the power of imminent domain, has purchased Criss Angel from A&E Network for the price of $724,000 for use in the overseas conflict.

"As a responsible government," said Patraeus, "it is our duty to make sure we harness every available resource to ensure victory in Iraq. To overlook or ignore the tactical advantage a powerful wizard could give us would be, well, foolish."

Love,

Evan

Shortcake!

2008-04-05T19:32:00.019-05:00

I was in the kitchen all day yesterday, but it was totally worth it. We now have enough pasta e fagioli soup to feed all of Southside. I made no-knead bread with rosemary and olive oil by adding 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary to the dough and drizzling with olive oil during baking (midway through, when you take the lid off). The oil didn't seem to do anything of value, but the rosemary turned out pretty awesomely. Also, strawberries were on sale at Publix, so I made Rodney some shortcake. It occurs to me that pretty much every picture of food so far has involved strawberries. This is merely coincidence. I want to say for the record that I love all berries and find them equally photogenic.

In non-food-related news, we went out to a couple of big thrift stores today. Evan and I scored some sweet vintage suitcases in awesome condition for $4 and $3 respectively. We also picked up some books, dishes, and National Geographics, which Elixabeth is gutting for maps.

I finished my first quilt for Napoleon and am almost done with the second (the orange one above). Just have to finish binding it. Some sweet fabric I got pretty cheaply at Hancock last week should keep me going until I get my tax id and can buy stuff wholesale.

I've been thinking about how to keep track of the fabrics that I use and I think I've decided on scanning. I've only done two fabrics at this point, but I basically just scanned them right where the selvage gives the pattern information. Then I named the file by manufacturer (e.g. Moda) and pattern name. I'll let you know how the system works out/evolves.

News Stuffs

2008-04-02T18:41:00.005-05:00

I dreamt a silly dream in which everyone I've ever known (including myself) was graduating from some big, outerspace university. The ceremonies were extravagant and lengthy. Ralph Nader was supposed to come, but when I asked about him, Michela smirked, "He's over in Deliverance, France, helping out with the frog epidemic." I wondered where "Deliverance" was and why I'd never heard of it. I also wondered whether she might be referring to some kind of biblical catastrophe that I'd likewise not heard of. No time to ask, though, as we were busy hedonistically scarfing down an infinite number of delicious celebratory cupcakes. My sulky ex-boyfriend arrived shortly after, and I began to panic in shame of the cupcake orgy.

For other relevant news subjects, please see the following bullet points:

*I am nearly finished (I think?) with my first ever domestic venture: baby quilt! Even though I'm pretty bored with the fabric at this point, the project itself is still very exciting to me! It seems proof that I am feminine and adult!

*I'm starting to wonder if my reluctance to sleep alone in the dark is at the source of my recent (or recurring) fuzzy sleepyheadedness. For the past few days, I wake up more sleepy than when I went to bed. It feels like gravity is holding onto me in a great, big, loving bear hug. I still haven't slept without the light on in my new room. I don't even mean a night-light or a closet light. I specifically mean the main overhead (maximum brightness) light. For this, I feel both embarrassed and guilty.
Michael mentioned, however, that it might be due to seasonal allergies.
This brings me to the next news bulletin:

*The Brain Age doctor has been sneezing relentlessly for about the same amount of time that I've been feeling fuzzy. I admit I was a little miffed that he didn't express much joy when I finally opened up the DS to see him after a lengthy period of unexplained absence. Michela insists he said he missed me, but he didn't express any of this to me! Nevertheless, I can't help but worry when he's sneezing and complaining of discomfort every time I turn on the game. I tried googling the case, but to no avail. I came up equally empty-handed when I tried to find out why his glasses are always getting dirty. Dr. Kawashima seems to be a mysterious character, indeed. If anyone has any information, please share.

*Another thing that seems worthy of mention is the fact that we've been enjoying a considerable amount of family TV time. After a brief hesitation, I succumbed entirely to the first season of "Veronica Mars." The first season of "Alias" seems to be the natural progression of things, but I have to admit that I'm not sold, so far.

*The offensive stink is nearly gone from my closet. For this, I am so happy!