The Daily Collision

On a windless Saturday

2012-02-11T08:26:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I was feeling enormous relief after having completed the "business" part of my trip to California. My research was done, my talk had been given, and I'd had a chance to check off almost all of the items on my to do list. With these burdens lifted, Ethan, Becky, and I headed to the beach to launch their new and magnificent dragon kite. The three of us have a pretty lousy track record when it comes to kites. A few years ago we sought to see a pretty heavy (and poorly constructed) X-Wing kite soar, but it crashed down and broke. Our Saturday excursion was similarly unsuccessful when it came to kite flying, but wildly successful in all other respects. Despite the windlessness, we pulled the dragon around and around, first at the top of the bluff, hoping to catch a burst of [nonexistent] wind, then later right on the beach. After being trailed by a curious (and curiously nude) child on the beach for awhile, we gave up and just had a nice walk. Becky's got a keen eye for creatures in tide pools, and we had a magnificent time exploring treasures from the sea. But this was only the first part of our marvelous Saturday. Stay tuned for more, including BUTTERFLIES! and TACOS!

At the Getty

2012-02-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

I went to California for a few days last week in order to do a little research and to give a talk. I spent much of the first day at the Getty doing research, and it was so great to be at such a lovely and rejuvenating place. Of course there is the tension between wanting to be in the library doing work and wanting to be outside soaking up the splendor. I was fortunate enough to have enough time for a little bit of both.

Up and Dancing

2012-01-31T07:07:00.003-08:00

This weekend a few gracious (and patient!) friends came over so I could practice the talk I'm giving later this week. The talk is long, and many of the quirks haven't been worked out, so it was really, really nice of them. On Saturday, a quick trip to the Salvation Army to drop off some old clothes turned out to be an odyssey around Greenpoint (to find a Salvo that was open!) Such a nice walk through those parts that I've only ever done in the summertime. We had a cart full of clothes and Sprout was making many sporadic horse-like movements, so it was difficult to get many/any pictures. On the way there I had a delicious donut from Peter Pan. On the way back, some sub-par enchiladas. In the evening I watched not one but two feature films (perhaps partially to prove to myself that my attention span hasn't been ruined by tv-length formats?) It was a great evening of eating and relaxing and playing Super Mario Bros. On Sunday evening there was a screening low-key dance party of Girl Walk, which was so super fun. My favorite character is The Creep played by John Doyle (pictured above). I want a skeleton sweatsuit like his so badly but cannot seem to find the right one...The vibe was great, made even greater by the fact that the event was put on, in part, by some Episcopal priests (and was hosted in an Episcopal church downtown). Watch Girl Walk asap if you haven't already. It's so nice.

-_-_-_-

2012-01-22T20:35:00.001-08:00

Very eventful week. I went uptown and downtown and got some good work done. On Friday we found a super tasty BBQ place in the neighborhood. There was a great hang out on Saturday and in the evening an excellent program of educational films. Plus the first proper snow of the year. The pretty part was melted away to gross slush within a few hours, but it definitely feels more wintry now. This evening I saw a friend perform some live music. I wish there was one more day of weekend, but even so, I'm ready to hit the books with a renewed enthusiasm come tomorrow morn.

Two good breakfasts last weekend

2012-01-17T20:21:00.001-08:00

Waffles from a new place in the neighborhood (this one was filled with hummus, cucumber, olives, arugula), and fresh juice I made in the juicer (apple, pear, blood orange, strawberry, carrot...they all make such a lovely color). The next day I made a mix n match plate of delicious things: hummus, olives, etc.

Macro

2012-01-16T06:40:00.000-08:00

For Christmas my sister gave me a cool lens set that attaches to the iphone (fisheye, wide-angle, and macro) and I've been trying it out (obviously using Sprout as one of the main subjects, despite her tendency not to stay still). You've got to get very close to the object you want to photograph, but it works great. Here are just a few shots (Sprout's paw and claws, a houseplant, superball, some dried lavender).

Vroom.

2012-01-15T20:56:00.000-08:00

This is a drawing I did on my ipad this evening. I had sort of an image of it in my head as I fell asleep last night and was excited to draw after I finished work tonight. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Moonrise Kingdom

2012-01-12T18:33:00.003-08:00

Foxes

2012-01-07T05:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I drew some snoozing foxes.

Off to a thumping start

2012-01-06T12:22:00.001-08:00

It's been a super busy week back to work, back to the grind. It's been nice to start up teaching my after-school classes again, but truthfully, I wouldn't have minded if the break had been just one week longer. Usually I have a little time to chillax on Fridays, but today's been full of catching up with work and household chorse/errands. To top it off, I had the grossest lunch: chana masala from a boiled pouch with severely undercooked rice. Here are a few shots from this week: walking Sprouty int he cold weather, a kiwi I juiced, my new gouache paints that I'm oh so very excited to try out, a really tasty dinner--small sandwich plus clementines.

Merry (Continued)

2011-12-31T12:37:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more holiday delights to share. We had our traditional Christmas Eve skype call with my sister, who makes her holiday appearance, along with the blurs of her two kiddos and husband each year from a new exotic remote location. We watched as pixellated forms displayed their new treasures (particularly a Playmobil safari set) with glee. Kids filled with excitement and wonder at all the holiday displays. A Christmas feast complete with crackers and paper crowns, how festive. Making cotton candy. Walking in the fog.

A walk on Boxing Day

2011-12-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

Merry, Merry

2011-12-26T11:50:00.001-08:00

We had a little Christmas celebration at home on the solstice before taking off for holiday travels. This season has been filled with many wonderful merry-making events: a couple of Hanukkah celebrations, getting a real tree and decking the halls, putting cloves into oranges, homemade apple cider, homemade potato print wrapping paper, holiday baking, a great Christmas party, watching the new version of Miracle on 34th St, and watching Home Alone projected on the living room wall. Sadly, I'm probably already forgetting several other miraculous moments, but the point is that it's been really fun.

Tidal

2011-12-11T17:26:00.001-08:00

Not much to say, but here are some pictures from last week: A bakery I passed on my way home from Chinatown; my workspace (double keyboard, steeping tea); snippets of the train yard I walked over to get to J & N's Christmas tree trimming; Sprout on the day we emptied the paper shredder; a peculiar creature with opera glasses that I drew--my first watercolor in ages.

Hanging horses

2011-12-04T08:28:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday: The Maurizio Cattelan exhibition at the Guggenheim, followed by Melancholia at the Angelika. It was a magnificent sight to see all the sculptures dangling there at different heights, their scale oddly disquieting. It was one of my favorite visits to the Museum that I've made (the bustling, jubilant atmosphere of Thanksgiving weekend surely contributed to my enjoyment). The website's got a great video of the installation. Bonkers to think of how heavy it must have been to hang so many strange things. Melancholia was good, too. If you ask me, the trailer spoils some of the prettiest moments, but the pace and the performances were just right.

Gobbling

2011-11-29T09:42:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend was wonderful. Wonderful! I got to do so many fun things, both around the town and relaxing at home. Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of good eating, and the weirdly warm weather also led to some fantastic promenades. There was a long walk on Friday afternoon, followed by sandwiches at home. On Saturday, it was off to the Brooklyn Flea, which has moved to its indoor location for the season. The food options there are considerably pared down, but luckily, my favorite pupusa place was still there, ready to go. Afterwards, we walked over to Ample Hills Creamery, which is seriously as delicious as everyone claims. I had a salted crack caramel milkshake. Too rich for shake form, but amazing. On Sunday morning, I saw a nice mural and snapped a shot.

* * Happy Thanksgiving! * *

2011-11-24T08:15:00.001-08:00

Prepping for a day of feasting: cookies are baking in the oven and I've got a whole line up of films, museums, and other leisurely past times to enjoy over the long weekend! I'm thankful for a whole lot of things, including the video for Belinda Carlisle's Heaven is a Place on Earth, which I discovered this morning (images above). Sublime. Happy turkey day!

Blustery

2011-11-18T06:04:00.001-08:00

Here are two recent ipad sketches. Some clouds and a portrait of the North Wind. The temperature dropped ten degrees this week.

Cloud cover

2011-11-15T16:01:00.001-08:00

Just a quick post to confirm that November is happening. It's on. Right now. The days are whizzing by, but the hours spent at my desk feel slow. I realized that I've only really got a few food pictures to show for my past couple of weeks, but we've been up to a whole lot more than just eating well (although the good food is notable). There's been a string of out of town guests, a nice Friday co-working routine has been established, I'm enjoying lots of loose leaf teas, and my new winter parka arrived just after the October snow and right in time for unseasonably warm November weather. Some of the best fall treats have included: Chai lemongrass (loose leaf), potatoes with rosemary and garlic, and a sugar donut and apple cider from Gimme.

First Pumpkin

2011-10-28T12:59:00.001-07:00

*****

2011-10-14T07:21:00.001-07:00

* * * * *

2011-10-11T16:29:00.001-07:00

There's been a lot of good food lately. One week the CSA delivered a ton of concord grapes and Jordan made a delicious rosemary grape focaccia. It might not sound like those two flavors go together, but they surely do. I'm working late hours and early hours, marking time with periodic dog walks. I know I'll miss the hot, hot weather come February, but for now, I want the Autumn splendor to give way.

Afraid of the Dark

2011-09-29T07:21:00.002-07:00

I watched this movie while working late one night a few weeks ago. It's all about vision and perception, so it's right up my alley. And it's weird. Very weird.

2011-09-28T06:52:00.001-07:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks working on my own stuff before fall after-school classes start. I'm excited to start, but also already mourning the loss of my free time in the afternoons to continue reading/writing. Here are a few from recently: Bustling midtown on a Sunday afternoon. I got back into town just in time to see the closing of the amazing dioramas/miniatures exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design.The catalog for it looked exquisite, too. The flowers from the CSA, which were pretty but didn't last too long. The picture above is the back cover of the most recent American Quarterly, which is all about sound. I thought the picture + color combo was fun.

Wacom Inkling

2011-09-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

The Wacom Inkling is the kind of invention I've only imagined, but never thought could actually work in real life. It looks totally amazing. I'm waiting to hear the reviews of this magical pen! If people say it works well, I'd better start saving my pennies. It's out of stock on amazon anyway, so at least I won't be tempted immediately.
Here's the neat video that wacom made. More here.

Marjoram and Majesty

2011-09-18T10:26:00.000-07:00

On my last weekend in California, E and B and I headed inland for a glorious outing. We had a short walk through some radiant trees to a little waterfall, then drove through Solvang and had a picnic. Such good scenery. Such good company.

The Constable chased me all the way back to the perfume counter

2011-09-17T07:51:00.002-07:00

Despite having lived in Southern California off and on for two or three years, I've had very few dedicated excursions to LA. During this last stint on the west coast when Jordan was in town for the weekend we met up with our good pals from New York who have now made LA their home. These two pals--Tim and Sadie--are always up for adventuring, and we obviously had a great time. First, we got some tacos (for sustenance), then visited the Griffith Observatory. Perhaps there was some sort of astronomical event happening, because it was pretty packed. My favorite group of visitors was a cluster of steampunks perched on the the front lawn. The gentlemen in their breeches all fiddled with their clockwork, thick-lensed pocket telescopes, while the ladies squeezed into their corsets sat twirling parasols. Awesome. We took in the sublime views, then took off to get some Korean BBQ (which was a-mazing!!!) We think the staff liked us because we seemed like high rollers (since we ordered the prime rib) and because we weren't dissuaded when told that one of the noodle dishes we selected was "weird" and "stinky." We said, great! Bring it on! and they liked to hear it. They brought us out some free extra treats, like a seafood stew and some bonus noodle dish. After BBQ we didn't want to call it quits, so we utilized Sadie's "smart phone" (whatever that is) and located a billiards hall in the vicinity and shot a couple of games of pool. It was so nice to see my good chums (we unfortunately missed their stellar wedding this summer) and have a great time in the City of Dreams (west).

I think this is where some rich people live.
We saw the Hollywood sign! Like from TV! It's around these hills somewhere. There's a big telescope inside this dome. Or a rocket of some sort.
I have no idea what's in all of these little dishes and bowls, but most of it was supremely delicious.

Summer approaches its end.

2011-09-05T09:46:00.000-07:00

Oh golly, it's September already! My time is California is rapidly approaching an end. In addition to working quite a bit, I've tried my best to have some summer fun, too. This weekend I saw the new Cirque du Soleil show Iris in LA, which was amazing!! The first half in particular is all about the pre-history of cinema (my scholarly interest), and they did some seriously jaw-dropping things with light and movement. It was so, so great. Also, the show is in the Kodak theatre, where they have the Oscars, so that was really neat to see, and the music is done by Danny Elfman. Unstoppably good. Here are a few recent pictures.
Some delicious tacos that Becky made.

The Pacific Ocean (from the train)
A nice illustration from Bruce Eric Kaplan's Monsters Eat Whiny Children. It's a kids book that I used in my class earlier this term. I really liked the pictures and the tone of the book.
My shoes in a pile.

Charlie and Matilda wrestling ferociously.

Cactus pickle and a tomahawk

2011-08-26T08:44:00.003-07:00

Here is last night's free draw: kind of a cowboy or wild west-themed playset.
I am in full TGIF mode today. It's sunny this morning and there's a nice breeze coming through the window. I'm really glad to have some hours this weekend to try to catch up (impossible) on all the items on my to-do list, which continues to spiral out of control. If there's time for a break, I might try some boogie boarding. I'd better catch some rays and some ocean time while I can. Summer school is already two-thirds over, and I'm starting to get emails about prepping for my fall job. West coast/east coast, summer/fall: there's never a dull moment.

Mermaiding (cont).

2011-08-13T17:54:00.002-07:00

There has only been a brief moment of sun so far today, and it peeked through the clouds while I was working on campus. I watched the clouds roll over as I walked home, but determined as I was to go mermaiding today, we braved the beach anyway. The water was a little cold at first, but it warmed up just fine and I had a nice little swim (and, as always, a pleasant walk).

One thing that happened this week

2011-08-12T08:46:00.002-07:00

I got a smoothie with Jeff and Josh after class.

Plumes

2011-08-11T14:40:00.002-07:00

Wow, it's busy around these parts. A good busy, but busy nonetheless. Here's a quick ipad drawing I did a couple of weeks ago. Some buildings and a factory. I'm so excited for the weekend!

Between a few sturdy pillars

2011-07-31T20:56:00.002-07:00

Eating well and enjoying these glorious surroundings. We had the beach almost entirely to ourselves on Saturday afternoon. There was a seal in the water (which I couldn't see) and some dolphins or porpoises in the distance. I mermaided around in the waves for well over an hour and felt really nice about it. Summer classes start tomorrow. Whoa.

Kid Playing the Piano

2011-07-29T09:02:00.003-07:00

Here's a drawing I recently did on my ipad.

Enjoy the weekend!

East > West

2011-07-27T21:14:00.002-07:00

This first photo is from last night. We were watering the plants on a terrace in the city and enjoying the view and the buildings. The next three photos are from this evening. I took a walk on the beach and saw some beautiful sights and this funny bird. Pardon the sort of crappy cell phone shots. I'm on the West coast for the next six weeks or so, teaching and working on my own school stuff. I am so glad to have the time to do this work, and to get to teach, and am super grateful for my wonderful pals who have taken me in. We're gonna have a really good time.

Philharmonic biscuit

2011-07-22T14:48:00.004-07:00

It's something like 104 degrees outside, so I've been holed up in air conditioned spaces as much as possible. It is so nice to be out in the summer, but it's been pretty killer these past couple of days. While staying indoors, I made this image with a kids' ipad app, plic ploc wiz. It is very pretty: simple aesthetics, but not ideal in a lot of ways (I think that it could be much, much nicer and even more fun for kids with a few additional features, plus, it's got really limited functionality without in-app purchases and in this case, such a tiered payment system seems really unnecessary). When we were in Vermont, it was so great to enjoy all the animals around. M and C have the sweetest little ducklings. They're called runner ducks and have super short wings. They look like bowling pins. These little creatures were pretty reluctant to take their food from my hand, so I left it for them. More ways to occupy myself indoors: playing with my Playmobil skeleton. It would be nice to have a few more figures so they could go adventuring together. Sometimes I pretend that Sprout is a dragon guarding a treasure cave that the Playmobil guy is trying to get to, but Sprout gets super bored with this game. The other day, I was particularly proud of my shoe/sock combo. They're happy socks, and they really do make my feet a little happier.

4th of July

2011-07-21T09:46:00.002-07:00

We found a primo fireworks-watching spot this year. It successfully avoided crowds, provided ample picnicking surfaces, offered a breathtaking view of Manhattan as the sun set, and involved a little bit of adventure (walking through uncharted territory, climbing through a hole in a chain link fence). The food was mindbogglingly delicious (including Jordan's very patriotic cake), Sprout wore a festive bandanna, and Jamie and Ned happened to be sitting in front of an old envelope factory (?) with a very patriotic message painted on the wall: "Buy America."

...

2011-07-15T05:20:00.001-07:00

Brotherly Love: 36 hours in Philadelphia

2011-07-11T15:19:00.002-07:00

We took a very quick and very awesome trip to Philadelphia over the 4th of July weekend (just the Saturday and Sunday of the weekend) and it was a tremendously good time. The primary reason for going was to check out the Mummies of the World exhibition at the Franklin Institute (since I'm really into mummies these days). The exhibition had such a variety of fascinating mummies from all sorts of different cultures, people of all ages and from all circumstances (artificially-made mummies as well as bodies that were mummified naturally [sometimes unintentionally] by the elements). There were lots of mummified animals, too, including a pretty precious baby crocodile from Egypt. The Franklin Institute has a lot of other cool stuff to see, of course, including a place with a bunch of nozzles blowing air upwards so you can make whirligigs that fly into the sky. I had a ton of fun and shrieked with delight when my whirligig caught an upward draft. The other visitors enjoying the whirligigs were mostly in the 5-8 age set, but that's okay.

Thanks to a friend's recommendations, we spent some time in Old City, where everything is really pretty. We walked in the footsteps of Ben Franklin, ate a great dinner at National Mechanics, and enjoyed some refreshing old timey sodas at the Franklin Fountain. We also visited Betsy Ross' house, which is brimming with great historical trivia, and the Mutter Museum--an old favorite.

I totally hadn't thought about it, but since it was the holiday weekend and Philadelphia's a hotbed of history, there were lots of great things to see around the town. For example, without much planning, we stumbled upon a seriously majestic firework show over the Delaware (see blurry photo above). It was beautiful. Plus, everywhere you turned, there were people in period dress. I let out a little squeak when I saw these redcoats marching down an alley toward me. When they got closer, I saw that several of them were women (not so historically accurate, I presume), but they were a lot of fun nonetheless.

Step right this way

2011-07-01T19:46:00.002-07:00

The pleasures of a summer Friday. I was at my leisure to duck out early from work-related affairs this afternoon, which was great, because there were much more pressing matters to attend to. Like eating tacos in the park and experimenting with the space-age Zoku popsicle maker. So far, we've tried plain frozen orange juice popsicles (refreshing, but unimaginative) and strawberry lime yogurt pistachio popsicles, which were deelish. Sprout got a bit overheated, but she surely enjoys rolling in the grass. The other thing to mention is that the farm share has been bountiful so far: tons of blueberries yielded a blueberry cake, and the flowers were cheery while they lasted. I'm gearing up for an excursion to see some mummies this weekend.

Miscellany

2011-06-25T18:27:00.006-07:00

This is my 500th post.

Last weekend I spent a sublime 24 hours in Boston. Most of the time transpired doing very nice, low-key neighborhood things: walking, talking, eating, hanging out. We also visited one of the art museums at Harvard. Among the most memorable pieces was this gem (best enjoyed right to left):

Unknown Artist.
Suza Geer Berah Geer, the Famous Sheep Eater, c. 1785-1790.
Indian, Ink and opaque watercolor on paper.

M. Neault sent me a postcard of a man on a horse and thanks to that, I learned all about Ima Hogg. This lavender is from the farm share.

I made these jointed puppets for my niece and nephews and put them in the mail, accompanied by instructions to have a shadow show. Apparently, this was done with much success (until one of the legs came off).

Here is Sprout and a plant I got for my birthday. I call the plant "June Baby," and the little bit of green is a welcome addition to my workspace.

Aaaannnnd speaking of gifts, my brother sent me a box of very elegant Palomino Blackwings, a beautiful variety of pencil with kind of a cult following. It's been so fun to experiment with them. They draw like a dream.

This is the sandwich of the season. Olive roll with a little bit of arugula. Pretty much perfect.

365 more

2011-06-09T13:52:00.002-07:00

June came, and so did my birthday. I'm venturing into pretty mysterious territory, age-wise: I'm very clearly a full-fledged adult, but still harboring the bucking, inattentive spirit of a teenager. The day itself was busy with work, but at night, my dear pals came out of the woodwork for a luxuriously long dinner. It went on for several hours, kind of a suspended animation of splendor. My plans for a full-on mummy-themed party did not come to fruition, but we ate Italian food and I produced a mummy-related party favor and that was enough to get the Egyptomania out of my system. And then, the next day, still reeling from the majesty of my birthday delights, a group of us embarked northward on an expedition. Thanks to the generous families of friends, lodging and transport were arranged, making the excursion very inexpensive.
After a few hours and some serious rounds of twenty questions, there we were in Maine at a perfect intersection of forest and ocean. It was rejuvenating in every way.

We saw sea snacks and sugar snacks.

We visited a lighthouse. Half of the group shots show me hustling into the frame, often in very inelegant ways. That's how memories are made, though.

One surprise discovery was a run down and super charming little carnival. We rode rides and played games. In such fine company, and engaging in such mirthful pursuits, my inner tension between young and old just went away. Here's hoping the next year is filled with this kind of unabashed fun.

Delicious alligator snouts

2011-05-31T18:33:00.002-07:00

Ikea milk chocolate from Stig, and fist-sized strawberries from around the corner. June is here already. Sheesh.

Kite wings and shirt strings

2011-05-24T20:59:00.003-07:00

A few from last week.
1) Treats J brought back from Northampton: a Snowy button and a pretzel from Hungry Ghost Bread.
2) Getting ready for my conference presentation: proofreading, editing, and prototyping some (ultimately discarded) diagrams.
3) A scary abandoned hotel in Camden. My dad had said "it can be a rough town," but I didn't really believe him until I saw it for myself.
4) One of my favorite new meals of late (thanks to my friend Maria's suggestion). Lots of avocado, wasabi, some rice and/or udon.

Mitt liv som hund

2011-05-22T11:33:00.002-07:00

Last weekend I watched My Life as a Dog (1985). I'd often seen it mentioned but never saw it. So good.

It's a jungle in here.

2011-05-17T10:06:00.005-07:00

The plants are really coming into their own, stretching toward the sun from all different directions.

In particular, one frond of the asparagus fern has taken on a life of its own.

All the Snorkminsters fending for themselves

2011-05-17T07:42:00.003-07:00

Here are a few gems (or what I consider to be gems) from the vault:
I cleaned off my workspace a few Saturdays ago, and after that, productivity has been through the roof! That's not entirely true, but a clean desk certainly does help. If only my computer desktop could be this tidy.

Likely related to my cleaning jag, in a burst of misguided domestic enthusiasm, I baked a loaf of jalapeno cheddar bread, which was delicious. Apparently, bread baking can be complicated. You can buy special pans for it, and it usually takes a lot time. Thankfully, I did not know all of this when I set out. I simply read the ingredients (not the instructions, which indicated that it actually would take 3 hours) and jumped in. Since the timing was way off, I couldn't consume the bread until the next day's dinner, but it was there ready to go, so woo hoo! When I got to the part of the instructions that said to use a "loaf pan," whatever that is, I just used our one and only glass casserole and cobbler dish, which worked just fine. The bread turned out amazingly, like something you'd actually buy at the store. Only I made it. Victory!

And this one's from some time ago, but I snapped a picture when this little mouse face was looking particularly drowsy and cute. Sprout's toe pads and nails all all different colors, which is kind of cool.

Mystic (Part 2)

2011-05-14T19:27:00.002-07:00

Mystic, Connecticut. Chosen as a destination for a variety of reasons: proximity to the train, rich history, a perfect combination of things to do and comfort while relaxing and doing nothing at all. One of the best parts about Mystic (and there are a lot) is the fact that nearly all of the local businesses bear the name of the town on their signs. Mystic Auto Body Repair. Mystic Floral. Mystic Drycleaning Super Center. And then there are the businesses to which the addition of the word Mystic really enhances their appearance: Mystic Shambala Yoga. Mystic Psychic. In Mystic, you can go to the train station, and, in exchange for an entirely refundable $10 deposit, borrow a bicycle for up to a week. This was, in my opinion, the highlight of the weekend. It felt glorious to feel the wind whipping through my curls. We rode several miles along the Mystic River, past houses constructed in the 1800s (and perfectly kept up and still inhabited). We rode along forests and patches of marshes with tall yellow reeds poking out of the water. And then came an enormous cemetery with crackling centuries-old gravestones. It was empty save for one dirty worker who seemed to be involved in the reallocation of a great deal of soil, and a woman walking her dog. There are a lot of cemeteries in the area, many of which are very old. I wonder: have they remained pretty much untouched and has the modern infrastructure just sort of built up around them, or have things been moved around? We biked to the next town, and on the way back, briefly got stuck behind someone driving an old car. Old like circa Model-T.

The Inn was basically a one man show. The man in question, Claude, was full of New England charm. Sparing no syllables for idle chat, he withdrew from a drawer in the sideboard one of those cartoony not-to-scale tourist maps and methodically ran down a list of eating establishments, circling each on the map as he went. He gave helpful tips like "the best Thai food in town is just past the third stoplight..." sort of cryptic directions, as though we were studying a pirate's treasure map full of riddles. In the room, there was an in-depth demonstration of each light switch. "No, the lamp is not shorting out," he explained, "it's a touch lamp." Then came the TV. "Don't mess with any of these program buttons up top. I don't know what they do." Then he pointed the clicker at the TV and nothing happened. He said he'd come back with new batteries and reemerged minutes later, fumbling with the new pair of double As, saying aloud "this is the positive...this is the negative" to get them into the right places. The best part of the room was the Captain, who watchfully presided over everything there. I found it fascinating that Claude went through such pains to explain every last detail in the room except for the most intriguing one.

Mystic (Part 1)

2011-05-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend we spent 36 hours of nautical bliss in Mystic, Connecticut. Only a few hours north of the city, this quaint historic town seemed worlds away from the customary hustle and the bustle, which was oh so nice. There were visits to roadside seafood snack shacks, glorious bike rides along the river, meanderings through old cemeteries, and sea lions that did all sorts of things on command! Details forthcoming, but for now, here's a few highlights.

Two tail-thumping machines

2011-05-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

Happy weekend, everyone! I hope the weather's grand wherever you are, and that you're enjoying the spring. Here's a short animation about two dogs I made this week.

On the edge of something bold

2011-05-05T07:47:00.002-07:00

This weekend, some green thumb instincts reawakened for the season around these parts. A routine trip to the hardware store for draino turned into a something bigger: a few bags of potting soil, the selection of some beautiful succulents (including hens and chicks! Yay!) and a tomato plant about which everyone is very optimistic. If the sunlight can't keep the tomatoes alive, perhaps our good will can.

The flowers and trees have been doing what they do, and that's surely nice to see. Sprout has resumed one of her very favorite past times, which is to locate something unpleasant smelling on the ground, then roll all over it on her back. Her snorts and snapping sounds during such episodes are like those of people caught up in a religious fervor. She loves communing with the Earth (and with things that smell).

But she cleans up well, too. She looked so sublime in this impromptu Easter bow a few weeks ago.

Last night I ate this soup, which always reminds me of my bro.

Spring break cuisine

2011-05-01T06:38:00.003-07:00

For the past two weeks, the kids I teach were on spring break. Having the extra time to work on my own work and enjoy the spring weather was awesome. I even did a little bit of cooking, which is quite a rarity around here. I made a pretty good pizza, homemade salsa for huevos rancheros, a vaguely middle eastern spread, and soft pretzels.

Vectors!

2011-04-29T12:14:00.002-07:00

I recently helped a friend with an art project he was working on. For part of my contribution, I decided to learn a little bit about Illustrator and vector drawing. Since then, I've been totally hooked. It's a really different style of drawing than I'm used to, but it's been fun to try new things and think about the different possibilities. I started with Illustrator and a Wacom tablet, and yesterday I started trying out an ipad app that seems really awesome. Anyway: happy weekend!

Easter in Massachusetts

2011-04-25T19:30:00.007-07:00

A group of us went to John's house on the tip of Cape Cod (or as I call it, Cape Crab Claw) to enjoy the sand and the sea over Easter weekend. At the tip of Cape Crab Claw, nature's majesties surround you on all sides. We took a walk across the marshes to the lighthouse one afternoon. When we got to the water, we were greeted by a small pod of white whales! These things rarely photograph well, but from the shore, we easily saw the dorsal fins cresting above the water, followed by the flash of their big tails. I've never seen whales before, and it was truly amazing. The weather was just warm enough that, with our layers on, we all dozed off on the beach for a little while. On the way back, the tide was swirling in, requiring us to wade through the cold water or be ferried across on piggyback in some parts. It was raining the next day, but that didn't stop us from enjoying a stroll through a beech forest around a beautiful pond. We held handfuls of seeds up to the trees and chickadees flew down, alighting on our palms momentarily to eat. As we walked through the wet forest, the moss that had been dry the day before had sprung to life. We saw flowers peeking through the earth, and a cardinal flitting through the trees. He was well aware that he was the most beautiful bird in the forest, and accordingly, was aloof, watching us from afar. The last night we were there, the sand had a magical sparkle to it. As we walked along the beach and kicked it up, it had a most peculiar phosphorescent glow. It was so nice to be beholden to different rhythms--the tide, the rain--and to see ferns unfolding from the ground and other things emerging from their hibernation. There was so much good cooking and good food, parlor games, sitting around the hearth, and an unstoppable egg-dying session. Oh good golly, it was a wonderful weekend.

The Wildest West

2011-04-18T14:51:00.002-07:00

On Saturday J made pancakes (strawberries + almonds and banana), Marguerite celebrated her fifth birthday a little early and we saw Meek's Cutoff (which was great).

I drew a skeleton face on my light to see how it would look. I sort of want to make vinyl stickers to go on the lamp--sort of a permanent jack-o-lantern--but that'd be more permanent, so I wanted to test it first.

I unsuccessfully attempted to do some printing with a cut apple (the problem was the amount of paint, I think, not the apple).

Now that the weather's warmer, I've been making tons of smoothies. This is not a piece of pizza, but a cleverly disguised pencil case.

T.1912: What is it about history that makes us do these things?

2011-04-16T07:16:00.004-07:00

(Above water, underwater. Photos from here).

Marking the 99th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic this week, the Guggenheim hosted Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster's T.1912 -- a "site-specific staged audience experience" that sort of re-staged the disaster. The Museum's rotunda was transformed into a ship with some vinyl lettering denoting different decks, some chairs, and a few life preservers slung over the sides. At the beginning, we were all ushered around to particular decks by stewards clad in period dress. At the bottom of the Museum, the Worldless Music Orchestra played Gavin Bryars' 1969 "The Sinking of the Titanic," which is very pretty. The sounds were eerie and melancholy and if you really let your mind go, you could imagine the strange feeling of solitude of being on the ocean right before hitting the iceberg. When the ship was hit, the lighting effects changed, and the stewards separated the men from the women and children, directing the women up and the men down (to the icy depths). There on the top deck, I was separated from my friend (who presumably perished in the water). There had been a cocktail party for the people who had paid more money for tickets to the event, and a few deck chairs were slung around to signify a nautical/luxury environment. The cocktail party attendees might as well have been anywhere else, because they were just chatting and wheeling and dealing as usual, not really acknowledging what was going on. That, combined with the sounds of the wait staff noisily cleaning up their serving stations, sort of detracted from the mood. I kept waiting for something to happen, but nothing really did. At the bottom of the Museum, the blue lights intensified (to suggest submersion in the water) and the orchestra members, all wearing white, did look very nice. While moments of the evening felt special, it was underwhelming overall. Plus, I kept wondering if the Titanic's passengers were watching us from some other realm, perplexed at why we were reenacting such a thing.

Short Block Movie

2011-04-14T07:41:00.003-07:00

This morning I allotted myself 45 minutes to make a short block movie for my nephews. Enjoy!

Potato Leek Soup

2011-04-11T08:41:00.002-07:00

Homemade potato leek soup after a long walk around the flea market all afternoon. A nice way to finish the weekend.

Caves

2011-04-07T18:35:00.002-07:00

This weekend is Obscura Day, check the listings for some curious adventures and oddities in your city!
This week I was thinking of the movie Stand By Me, a coming of age tale about four boys on a sort of perilous quest. I tried to capture a similar dynamic in this drawing of some young cave explorers.

Blocks! (Part 2)

2011-04-06T09:40:00.002-07:00

After completing my first sets of blocks, I decided to make a small set of nine for my friend Stephen's birthday. In addition to the solid colors and 45 degree triangles that I made with the original sets, I painted some blocks with semicircles for more pattern possibilities. The biggest addition, though, was that I painted body parts (head, torso, and legs) on some of the surfaces so that the blocks could be assembled into figures. I used a fine tipped paint pen to draw the facial features and other details on the people. With this set, you can make three interchangeable people as well as a variety of cool shapes and patterns. I hope they're as fun to play with as they were to make!

The inspiration for this project came, in part, from Miller Goodman's Shapemaker and Playshapes blocks (available here), and from the Bauhaus Bauspiel blocks.

Good thing it's April

2011-04-05T08:27:00.002-07:00

Today is a perfect day to stay inside and watch a movie. Something like Burden of Dreams. It's warm, humid, dark and rainy. I'm glad that spring is on its way. Here are a few from the past week or so:

Stay tuned for the second blocks post!

The way disaster looks

2011-04-02T06:23:00.000-07:00

(The picture in question)

This post by John Pavlus has received a wide range of responses, and while many of them were angry, I think that he raises some interesting questions. I thought about the aestheticization (is that a word?) of tragedy and natural disasters after the earthquake in Haiti, when everyone mobilizing relief efforts was designing logos and slogans and other campaigns for the cause. In principle, I love the idea of designers (and other people, for that matter) using their own skill sets and knowledge to contribute what they can to relief efforts. So many artists and designers have offered 100% of their proceeds to help Japan over the last few weeks, working overtime to get orders shipped, etc., and I think it's really cool to be able to help in ways that take advantage of what each person has to offer. On the other hand, sometimes I wonder whether people are trying to "brand" a natural disaster, and whether that's a responsible thing to do. I guess it's nice to have a shape, a look, an identity for a cause, so that there's a clear object or trajectory for the money that's flowing in and a unifying symbol of sorts, though sometimes the images and the logos look a bit too eager or something. As many of the commenters to Pavlus' article pointed out, at least such efforts still generate capital that goes to benefit those affected by the disaster. So who's to say? It's an interesting debate.

Spare time animation

2011-03-31T19:33:00.004-07:00

While trying to concentrate on work 99% of the time (ideally), I do always love to have a number of creative pursuits to turn to when I need to take a breather. One of them (these days) is my "spare time" animation, which I add a few frames to during study breaks or in the morning before I'm ready to hit the books. It's no masterpiece, to be sure, but I've certainly enjoyed working on it and imagine more projects like it in the future.

Blocks! (Part 1)

2011-03-30T12:08:00.003-07:00

Last year I said that I wanted to make a set of blocks like these, and the perfect opportunity arose when Christmas came and went and I neglected to get anything for my two darling nephews around the globe. Don't feel too bad--they always have an overabundant holiday haul and I figured that I might wait until I could make them something homemade then just add to the pile of toys they were already getting.

I used 1.25" cubes and painted each side a different color (solid or with a combo of two triangles). It's a pretty labor-intensive process to have to wait for each side to dry before applying additional coats and taping/un-taping/and re-taping to make the lines crisp. I was happy with the first set of twenty blocks, so I made a few more with a slightly modified color palette for a few other youngsters I know. With the second batch, I used a sort of stencil set up instead of tape to make the lines of the triangles. It was a bit sloppier and I wasn't as happy with it. So it's back to taping (despite the extra time it adds). I finished the blocks with matte finish mod podge. It dries a little tacky, but works just fine.

You can make so many awesome patterns with them! Stay tuned for a follow up post with a variation of this project. More blocks, more fun.

I also made a short animation with these blocks, which you can watch here.

Windy City

2011-03-28T06:06:00.002-07:00

This weekend I went to Chicago for a conference. It was a very quick trip, but nice to hear some interesting talks, to give a talk, and see some friends. Unfortunately, I neglected to consult the weather before departing, so I was entirely unprepared for the 20 degree temperatures and whipping wind (is that why they call it the Windy City?) It's also funny how comfortable I feel getting around one city, then when I go to another, everything feels totally disorienting. Of course I'd get my bearings if I stayed there longer than two days, but in such a fast visit, but it's still a strange feeling. I loved the lake, and the elevated train. When I was leaving New York, I snapped a few pictures from the plane: views of Queens/Brooklyn and Manhattan. On the way back, I drew this picture on my ipad. I had been searching for a more comprehensive drawing program, and found SketchBook Pro, which is awesome. This one's not my typical style, but a fun experiment. A few more ipad pictures here.

Circles n Stripes

2011-03-16T10:27:00.003-07:00

(The bulletin board).

(L: Sprout was so cute the other day. R: I found two of my favorite childhood snacks in the supermarket near my house: babybel cheese and gummy cherries).

It's been awhile! Things have been busy, teaching three classes and working on my own work. But here are a few great things I've come across lately:
The nr1977 from MihaDesign. This apartment redesign combines some of my very favorite things: sleeping nooks, unconventional desk spaces, work/play space up high, and all in a lovely modular unit.
A fantastic drawing blog, The Daily Claw. Visit to get your daily dose of spectacular and grotesque monster drawings. So good.
The really super paper animations of Jordan Bernier, found via Brown Paper Bag. I've had so much fun showing these my students these beauties: Up, Diagonal, and Center with Sound.
The week before last I saw Uncle Boonmee, Who Can Recall his Past Lives. It was weird and wonderful. The poster for it is really cool, and the image of a dark shadowy monkey with red eyes in the jungle.

When you find yourself in the crow's nest

2011-03-03T08:47:00.002-08:00

While on the rooftop, I pointed at things below. My hand looked like Le Corbusier's.

(And here is Le Corbusier's actual hand, gesticulating similarly, but with more power and purpose behind it):

Can you even imagine the glorious cacophony of toots that surely must emerge from one end of this magnificent system of pipes?

Here is my latest 8tracks mix, for if you need to slow it down a bit. Do people slow down or speed up for the weekend? I usually come fairly close to a grinding halt.

Shadows, ectoplasm, technology

2011-02-27T07:10:00.005-08:00

We've had such a lovely couple of days (and rain on Monday). On Saturday, the sky peeked through from behind the brambles and the fence.

Sprout's shadow was so crisp against the sidewalk that it looked like she had an equally jumpy shadow dog twin walking alongside her all day.

I ate Japanese food for dinner on Saturday night.
These glow-in-the-dark sculptures by Lynda Benglis were the very best things to see at the New Museum.

(Photo from here).
My brother sent me this video of Bjork taking apart her TV to explain how it works. Basically, I think it's a really helpful lesson in technology.

And speaking of which: the new MacBook Pros seem very fancy. That new Thunderbolt stuff? I'm pretty curious about it.
This primary school in Australia looks so fun!

Summer Hours

2011-02-26T19:13:00.003-08:00

Last weekend I finally saw Summer Hours, which I really, really liked. It's the best movie I've seen in a long while (including many of this year's Oscar picks).

A few from last weekend

2011-02-24T18:54:00.003-08:00

We had a big brunch on Saturday. We had a great egg dish (kind of like a quiche, I think), ate a ton of delicious clementines (to ward off scurvy) and made oatmeal in the crock pot (to which we added fruit and nuts). Then we sat around all afternoon and talked and hung out. We watched some 30 Rock, played Super Mario Bros (old and new), and Just Dance 2 (here J & N are depicted showing off their moves). I also made a delicious egg dish (that I ate for dinner...it was unrelated to the brunch) and wrapped a gift for Marguerite--probably the best job I've done: I'm ordinarily very sloppy and inept at wrapping things. As usual, Sprout was glad to have everyone home while she lazed about. On Monday we woke up to a surprise snowfall and went sledding with Emilie and co. It was the first time I'd been in years, and it was super fun.

Bon week-end

2011-02-19T08:00:00.004-08:00

It's a three day weekend and I'm gearing up for what I hope will be a fabulous staycation busy with work and play. The house is clean, pals are coming over for brunch, and later we'll go see a movie. While Americans celebrate our dead presidents on Monday, I learned that it's also a Canadian holiday from the man at HP tech support, with whom I spoke for over an hour trying to get my new printer/scanner (the HP Photosmart D110) scanning. ( He was answering my call from Canada). After so many tries, alas, we were unsuccessful. I hate having to call tech support. In most cases I've found that they generally just walk you through the steps that I can figure out on my own. Yes, I've tried restarting everything, uninstalling and reinstalling everything. Checking for updates. After about 4 hours of my own time and 2 on the phone, the man concluded "it must be your computer, not any HP software." Um. Thanks a lot. The printer will print, but not scan (it is not recognizing the scanner), so if anyone has suggestions for what to try, oh golly, I'd be glad. I never realized how much I use a scanner, but luckily it does seem to be working on the other Mac in the house, so I can use that if I need. Still: I really wish I knew what I needed to fix/change on my computer just to make it work. But: the tech support guy was pretty funny. Uncharacteristically personable, I'd say. He chatted me up about the upcoming holiday and informing me that in Canada, the Monday holiday is called "Family Day." It's a day when people are supposed to spend time with their families. I said it sounded lovely, and typically Canadian: kind of warm-hearted. Sadly, the fellow said that people that work at call centers (like himself) do not get Family Day off of work. Bleak.
J + S got me this awesome mobile for Valentine's Day. The package said that it was a "nano-universe" of geometric shapes. An apt description. I assembled it last night and I think it looks great!
Happy long weekend. Happy Family Day!

You should see them when they're coming back from the beach

2011-02-17T09:07:00.006-08:00

Today is my last day truckin' out to Coney Island to teach art to the youngsters (though in a couple of weeks, I'll be starting a few animation classes with middle school students--yay!) It is a long commute, riding two trains to the end of the line, but at least it's a scenic one. Here are a couple of shots of the amusements in winter, waiting to come alive again. (The topic of Coney Island, what it is, what it once was, is a whole other story).

I really, really like the enormous window at this awesome cabin seen over at My Scandinavian Retreat. The cabin looks so cozy in the snow.
Just after talking about ipad styluses I saw these More / Real stylus caps over at Uncrate. I like that they fit on commonly-used pens and I'd be interested to see whether they feel like drawing with ink.
John Martz's Heaven All Day is such a nice comic. I love its depiction of the daily grind (and that it so beautifully deals with the robot uprising that we all know is inevitable).

And I made this mix on 8tracks. Some of my very faves, from this year and before.

Bookplates

2011-02-15T07:22:00.003-08:00

My friends E & B got married and asked for some of these handsome Penguin volumes. We chose out a few of our favorites and I made a custom bookplate for them. In the gift, I included a few extra bookplates to use as their library grows.

Ipad drawing

2011-02-11T14:45:00.003-08:00

I finally got a stylus for my ipad, and am super excited to draw with it. After reading a lot of reviews, I went with the Boxwave Capacitive, even though it's a few more dollars than the Pogo (approx $15 instead of $10). Of course I'm still working on getting my fine motor skills in check, but I've loved having a stylus for drawing.

Funny story about stylus shopping: I first began looking for one when I was back home in the smallish Northwest town where I grew up. No stores carried them, and every time I inquired, I was told "You don't need a stylus; the ipad has a touch screen." Awesome.
Does anyone have any recommendations for good painting/drawing apps? So far, I've been using Adobe Ideas, which is great (and I'm even considering upgrading to layers), but it's missing so many good tools: color picker, paint bucket, select options, etc. Is there anything better out there?

The week/end

2011-02-06T20:23:00.004-08:00

This weekend a friend hosted a Chinese New Year brunch at his apartment in Chinatown. There was so much delicious food (and so many fun people) that it was worth braving the crowds that had turned up for the parade. There was a lot of colorful confetti littering the curbs and gutters. Happy year of the rabbit!

Here are some of the construction paper faces (the project met with moderate success).

A leisurely bagel breakfast. How is the weekend over already!?

Maggie posted the first installment of her top ten episodes of 30 Rock, reminding me of a lot of hilarious moments.
Wireless dominoes, via Swiss Miss.
Awesome beanbags/poufs in the shapes of famous mountains (Fuji, Everest, Kilimanjaro) at Little Red Stuga.

Somewhere

2011-02-04T04:14:00.000-08:00

These days it's really easy to miss California. The snow/rain/ice/repeat cycle we've been enduring here is pretty tiring, though I've got to admit that I've been very lucky. With a combo of school snow days and other cancellations/re-schedules, I've had the luxury to remain indoors much more than average. Still, the weather's rough. On Monday I finally saw Sofia Coppola's Somewhere, which obviously didn't curb my longings for the sunnier shore. The movie (like many of her others) was beautiful, slow, mood-evoking but not necessarily thought-provoking. I'm sure celebrity malaise is tough, but it's kind of hard to feel sorry for people who can order orange juice and butter to their suite at the Chateau Marmont whenever they feel like it. Boo hoo. In any case, the movie was fun to watch, but it's playing--of all the New York theaters--at the Angelika, where the trains constantly rumble below, so it was difficult to let my mind wander, to pretend I was there in LA, with the steady cadence of the subway regularly jolting me back. Still, despite the glum weather, the fang-like icicles hanging from even the most improbable surfaces, I'm happy to be here.

Repose

2011-02-02T07:24:00.003-08:00

I finally got a hanging hook that looks like a dog's butt from ikea. I think it is so much more functional than a regular hook. And fun.
Staying indoors is grand. Sometimes in the afternoon, if I'm doing work that doesn't require 100% concentration, I put on a movie. What a treat.

In the evenings we've been enjoying the best cocoa in the world (I have to look up where it's from again).

Making faces

2011-01-26T18:16:00.002-08:00

It looked like this outside this morning. I did not have anywhere in particular to be today, so I stayed cozied up in the house and felt a little guilty watching out the window as commuters slogged through the elements to get wherever they had to go. Instead, I worked in my slippers and made corn chowder in the crock pot for dinner. One thing about the winter is that Sprout develops a resplendent new coat. Since we got her back in 2008, she's developed so many more spots, big and small. They seem to come and go with the seasons. Sprout didn't have anywhere to be today either, so she luxuriated on her faux sheepskin rug.

Here's some yellow vinyl tape that I've been using for a special art project that I hope to discuss at great length shortly.

And here are some of the prototypes I've clumsily churned out in an effort to keep on top of my teaching responsibilities. If this counts as "work," I guess I'm pretty lucky. We'll see whether the kiddos think the project is cool or ridiculous.

Like a handful of ducks in the fog

2011-01-24T14:28:00.003-08:00

These past weeks I have been busy adjusting to a new schedule. For a few days each week, I am filling in for a teaching artist at two schools (a high school and an elementary school). Now a lot of my time is spent coming up with activities that will hopefully be fun and engaging for the students. So far, I must admit it's been much less like Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds and much more like Mr. Prezbo on his first day teaching on The Wire. Hopefully that will change in a few more sessions, though it's difficult to step in as a substitute midyear. There's been way more work to do these days, but the good news is I've finally accepted that I am a good evening worker. Sometimes my most productive hours are just after the "normal" workday finishes. With no alternatives, I've had to embrace this, and I'm happy to report that there seems to be just enough time for everything on most days. Hopefully that will continue. This week, I made pesto for a pizza (with a store-bought Boboli crust while I continue working on perfecting my homemade one). Above is a drawing from this summer.

Repetition

2011-01-13T06:55:00.000-08:00

Last Monday, Kasha and Marty were in the city for a whirlwind 24 hour visit. We had brunch at Tom's and tried (unsuccessfully) to visit the Brooklyn Museum, which I'd forgotten was closed on Mondays. Instead, we went back to the big, beautiful house they had swapped for Rachel's apartment in Barcelona and all hung out with the gang. The place has terraces galore, a wonderful long wooden table in the kitchen, fireplaces, a big, old tub, and a skylight that goes through two floors. Very pretty. What a great way to usher in the new year: lounging around in a gorgeous house as the afternoon light waned. Last Thursday, the cycle repeated. Shaun called to see if I wanted to go to the Brooklyn Museum (which was open this time!) Then we had lunch at Tom's. At the Museum, we saw the Norman Rockwell stuff, Judy Chicago (duh) and ventured into the Mummy Chamber. It is such a great place: much more contemplative than when a museum is super crowded and you feel like you're standing in a line to see each thing. Here are a few from last week:

A Fry-kid like creature from the grocery store quarter machine.

We moved the lights from the office to the kitchen.

White watch (inspired by Nurse Jackie).

Panda Balloon.

Luxurious new winter socks.

I always coveted this duvet and now I've inherited it. Yay!

A comic

2011-01-08T20:48:00.002-08:00

2010: A year in review

2011-01-02T14:48:00.005-08:00

I spent the weekend tidying the house and reading optimistic New Year's blog posts. It's the season for grand ambitions and lofty statements about what's going to go better this time around, and I've got plenty of resolutions to keep me busy this year: bad habits to break, good ones to internalize. There's a lot to live up to, because 2010 was pretty amazing. It was good in all sorts of ways, from the everyday things to the rarer occasions.

Here are some of the highlights from 2010. It's by no means comprehensive, but offers a sampling for those of you who enjoy trips down memory lane as much as I do, and for those of you just tuning in.

I moved back to the big apple and settled in.
The snow amplified my nesting instinct and I sewed some things for around the house.
Jordan and I dog sat a very cute dog one weekend and I waxed poetic about Pepsi Throwback.
We celebrated Halloween in April with Chris and Michael.
A group of us rented a house upstate and had an enchanting (but chilly!) weekend getaway.
My (joint) birthday picnic was rained out so we took the party indoors thanks to our generous and hospitable pals.
I climbed around that preposterous bamboo structure on top of the Met in the heatwave.
Sprout was in Martha Stewart Living: in print and on the website.
In August, we had an amazing and religiously-charged camping trip.
I attended a beautiful wedding in Maryland and enjoyed my first crab feast.
I spent a magical Labor Day weekend in New England with Stig, Emile, and the gang.
At the end of the summer, Ned, Maggie, and I did some cannonballs into Lake Minnewaska.
Ethan and Becky got married in California in October. It was so much fun.
I stayed in a couple of really bizarre budget hotels in Italy.
I ate the world's most delicious cheese sandwich and loved the Sherlock Holmes motifs in London.
I went back to New England, where I studied hard in a tremendously productive environment.
In December, we got into the holiday spirit.

I feel really lucky that 2010 brought so many great times and I'm excited for the delights that await in 2011. Happy New Year!

A few more from London

2010-12-29T22:59:00.002-08:00

I had a few more nice jaunts around London and took some pictures on the go.
Here are some stately gates just over the Millennium Bridge.

One of the highlights was visiting Pollock's Toy Museum, which, for me, is a perfect combo of work and play. It's housed in a really charming building, and the objects are all put together in a great cabinet of curiosity kind of way. The text accompanying the toys crammed together in glass cases says things like "this wooden toy boat was carved by an eleven-year-old boy who died two years later." Often cryptic or sensational. Even more frequently difficult to substantiate.
Here's the exterior of the building:

And here are some really intriguing old dolls (I think the text indicated that one of them had been carried by its young owner across the Oregon Trail).

Some blue dudes tumbling from a building on the way to Camden Market.

Prince Albert, looking stately from his memorial.

A cool Anish Kapoor sculpture in Hyde Park. It was great to see people stop and become captivated by it.

Very nice autumn leaves in Hyde Park.

Out and about in Bethnal Green

2010-12-27T20:51:00.002-08:00

When I was in London this fall, I spent a few days doing research at the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood in the neighborhood of Bethnal Green. There was a transit strike that week, so the tube was closed and I took the bus across the city. I budgeted about 2.5 hours, but it miraculously only took about 90 minutes so I [quite luckily] had an opportunity to walk around a little bit before my appointment. There were so many great things to see there.

The highlight of my walk came when, just as I was headed back to the Museum, I happened upon this: a magical, creepy/cool empty ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND! I'm not at all sure what the history of this place (or others like it) is. At the time of its construction, it must have represented all kinds of possibilities and optimism, but it appeared pretty desolate when I came across it. (Granted, the posted hours indicated that it's used after school hours in the afternoons). A government notice on the iron fence also said that they would have to charge 1 pound per child due to recent cutbacks. It's unclear whether it's still in use, though some of the features looked like they were in pretty bad shape. Without anybody playing on its structures, the bright colors against the rainy sky and dull brick buildings made the playground look so haunting and forlorn. Adventurous, for sure.

*I've vowed to totally clear out and reformat my camera's memory card before the new year, so watch out for a few more London photos soon!

The beds were small, but we felt so young

2010-12-20T16:20:00.003-08:00

It's that time again, and I'm steadily getting into the holiday spirit. One of my objectives this year was to improve my paper snowflake cutting skills--certainly not to perfect the craft, but at least to demonstrate a basic competence. There's also been plenty of baking and snacking and listening to festive music (particularly Low's "Just Like Christmas" on repeat). Last Sunday Jamie and Ned decorated their tree (I helped Ned carry it back home from the lot). On Monday, Jeff and I saw Tiny Furniture, which was much better than I thought it'd be. On Tuesday, we watched The Secret of Kells at Chris and Michael's, which was beautiful (even though the plot was a little incoherent). On Thursday I got to see Little Fockers and meet Jens Lekman. Here are a few recent snapshots.

A little premature, perhaps.

2010-12-12T07:23:00.003-08:00

After a most enriching and productive month amongst the antiquarians in Massachusetts, I'm back home again. My time in New England in that big house and in the library was very nice, and I feel like I came away having learned a great deal (though one of the main things I learned is how much I don't know). On Thursday we sat around the lunch table and made poems, and while I wasn't too keen on verbally sharing with the group, I thought the colors on mine turned out nicely.

The month was a great time spent with wonderful people, from whom I was pretty unhappy to take my leave. Though my departure felt hasty--there was much more I'd have liked to do--I returned just in time to get caught up in the annual Santa Claus pub crawl on the train, which I obviously wouldn't have wanted to miss.

And on Saturday morning, I wolfed down a very nice plate of huevos rancheros.

Emile Zola and Xavier just bought a grand old house, built in 1889. We all cooked a big dinner and Emile warmed up the new/old player piano. I requested "something patriotic," and she obliged by inserting the Star Spangled Banner roll. At present, many of the rooms in the house are empty, full of potential. In the front room, there is a big, round table ringed with chairs. Absolutely perfect for a seance. The chandelier above it is a gas one, too. Amazing.

While I got to hang out as the dinner cooked, I had to depart before it was quite done so that I'd have time to get downtown for the ballet. It was the Nutcracker, which I really enjoyed, though the plot really sort of dissolves in the second act. The best part, I think, was the dancing candy canes. Here I am all dressed up (as dressed up as I ever am, which is not very dressed up at all).

"I didn't want anything called Snickerdoodle in my house."

2010-12-01T20:39:00.003-08:00

A quick note on two important tales:

1) My great love of the cold, frozen north began with Patricia M. Scarry's Pierre Bear.

2) One of my very favorite New Yorker fiction podcasts: Louse Erdrich reads Lorrie Moore's short story "Dance in America." When I first heard it, I listened to it twice in a row. It is really very good. Listen here as soon as you can.

Both of these stories depict home and family life beautifully.

Color cubes

2010-11-23T19:06:00.003-08:00

I really hope to make a set of these some time this year.

The set on the left is available here. The set on the right (much more costly) is available here.

Alone in my thoughts and this house

2010-11-20T14:46:00.003-08:00

I am back in study mode once again. Full force. Buried under such a volume of notes that grow increasingly incomprehensible each day. Luckily, I have this entire place nearly all to myself this weekend, affording ample opportunity to get lost in the shuffle of papers.

I can think of no better place and time than historic New England as the cold sets in to hunker down and immerse myself in work. Even though it's not so easygoing, at least I can sit back in my comfort and solitude until the ideas flow.

Seasonal sampling

2010-11-10T16:00:00.005-08:00

There's still a few more London photos to go, but it has been so nice to be home that I had to switch gears. While I don't have nearly enough time here to recalibrate myself in every way, I am so happy to be back, relaxing and working, catching up and looking ahead. The fall weather is wonderful and there's been baking and apple cider and enough very good things to keep my heart inflated for quite a few weeks to come. Although I missed out on Halloween, there's still so much autumn fun to be had. I even got to hold the trash bag open to throw away the rotting jack-o-lantern, so I guess I didn't miss out on all the fun!
On Tuesday we went to J & N's house and enjoyed some autumn bounty.

Sprout is funnier than ever these days. She's big into watching out the window:

And when I said something about how funny she was, she just looked at me as though I'm the weird one.

Fall/Winter fashions: Head to Toe

2010-11-09T13:48:00.007-08:00

This was supposed to be my back to school fashion collage, but I'm obviously incredibly late on that one. It's been sitting here on my cluttered desktop, so I thought I'd update with a few fresh winter looks and call it a day.

Land's End School Uniform Drifter Cardigan.
The Hill-Side Selvedge Chambray Scarf, via milkmade.
Fjallraven Kanken.
Some Levi's shirt that I can't find anymore.
Victim Cashmere Mix Short Duffle Coat.
Sebago Fairhaven boot.
Happy Socks.

Casual Museuming

2010-11-06T11:39:00.002-07:00

In London I had the opportunity to take in the views at quite a few cultural institutions. There was a quick run through the Tate Modern (very quick, really) and a chance to see the wonderful Muybridge exhibition at the Tate Britian. Here are a few scenes from the V & A.
Books:

Some nice lights overhead:

And these two ladies. I complimented their hairstyles and they nodded approvingly at mine.

One of the highlights of the trip was The Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. I'd read about it and seen it around, but had never visited. It's got a lot of really amazing historical specimens of things like embryonic crocodiles in all stages, and a fascinating display of plastic surgery practice in the First World War.

(Photo from here).
Here are a couple of quick ones from the British Museum.
A lovely pairing of old and new:

A mummy (nothing new about this):

Cheese / The art of detection

2010-10-30T10:24:00.002-07:00

This morning I went to Borough Market--a huge outdoor market with any kind of food you could ever want. The vendors serve up amazing prepared delicacies, and you can also get fresh food of any sort (including something called "finger sausages" and some really scary looking fish). One man stirred a giant cauldron of spicy Thai soup with mussels floating in it. Despite the variety of options, my camera seemed to only fall on cheese-related subjects.

I had the best grilled cheese sandwich that I've ever eaten at Kappacasin. In addition to their special cheese (Ogleshield), they put onions, garlic, and leeks on it. Whoa.
After the market, I had a walk around: past Shakespeare's Globe, where I once saw an all-male peformance of Twelfth Night, which was very funny, past the Tate Modern (I'm going tomorrow), across the Millennium Bridge. Then I hopped on a few buses and ended up at Baker Street. Fine. Perfect opportunity to luxuriate in the omnipresent Sherlock Holmes iconography.

One more / One less

2010-10-28T12:04:00.002-07:00

It is the perfect time of year, when people’s wardrobes have fully rotated and the air is so thick with Halloween-ness that you could almost swing a butterfly net at night and catch it. Dead leaves swirl in yellow and orange cyclones along the sidewalks, and the shorter days and crisper air put me in a grand mood. I’ve had a great week here in this Southwest city. I did some work, walked around the town quite a bit, and enjoyed sitting up in my warm attic room drinking tea and reading Norwegian crime fiction—a book that’s on the bestseller list here, that some say is comparable to the first Steig Larsson book (which, in my opinion, it is not).

Although I am sad to be far from home as Halloween rolls around, at least the spirit of the season is strongly felt through the weather: autumn is more universal than I’d feared it might be.

The weather was sunny/rainy/sunny/rainy on the day I arrived. Here’s a view from my window. Idyllic.

And here’s that same church [I think] from a different vantage point a few hours later (a storm was a brewin', as you can see).

I ventured to the catacombs, an Egyptian-style above ground cemetery (Britain’s first, I believe). It was built during the 1830s but couldn’t keep up when the cholera came through. Just as I arrived, the rumbling clouds gave way and I had to seek shelter under the trees, between the crypts while the rain further obscured the names on the stones.

Later that same day, when the sun returned, I took a walk to the library where I’d be doing my work this week, and as a very good omen, a rainbow appeared over it. A kind welcome!

Finally, I saw a statue that reminded me of Sprout.

Imagine crossing these. With elephants.

2010-10-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

I saw the Alps for a few minutes, and they were beautiful.

Bed and Board

2010-10-23T04:41:00.002-07:00

For the past few weeks I have been staying in hotels of varying quality, which has proven interesting. The perks, of course, include an endless supply of fresh towels and a perpetually made—as if by magic—bed to return to each evening. As I am traveling on a budget, however, I suspect that the number of peculiarities I encounter are greater than those experienced by travelers of means.

My hotel in Padua, for example, seemed to have been decorated by an inspired coalition of nuns and the superintendents of a nearby psychiatric hospital. It was an enormous building with long corridors illuminated by flickering florescent lights and flanked by windows across which were drawn curtains made of an extraordinarily unappealing turquoise fabric that somehow managed to appear simultaneously filthy and overly sanitary. The fabric was of particular interest, because the woman who worked the night desk wore a swatch of it tied tightly around her neck, prompting me to imagine a Juniper Tree-like scenario (in which removing the fabric would cause her head to fall off). While my initial assumption was that this turquoise talisman was somehow part of the place’s uniform, but nobody on the premises wore anything like it.

The clinical and monastic sterility of this first place (that I unfortunately neglected to photograph) was in sharp contrast to my next accommodations located in the heart of Piazza San Carlo in Turin. Despite its central location, this one was difficult to find, as it is discretely housed on the fifth floor of an otherwise non-hotel-like building. Naturally, the elevator was broken on the day of my arrival.

At the top of the stairs there was still no sign, but I just tried all the knobs until one finally yielded, revealing a a cross-eyed desk clerk who kindly ushered me down a dark corridor clogged with an array of 18th and 19th cent. furniture in various states of disrepair, until she jangled the keys in one lock and showed me my room. Whereas the first place was sparse and clean, this place was opulent and dirty. By which I mean that all of the furniture was undoubtedly centuries old and haunted. The two beds in the room had terrifying, tall headboards with metal details resembling funeral wreaths above. The most haunted piece was the hulking wardrobe, which, when I finally managed to pry the door open, released an unmistakably 19th century odor. It looked as though it had been unused for decades, and contained nothing save for a thick coat of dust and a snarl of ancient wire hangers. For lights, there were two dramatically out of place $5 ikea lamps, as well as a chandelier with two functioning bulbs.

It was not only the ghostly qualities of the furniture that led me to speculate that the place was haunted. While I was there, I never once spied another guest. In fact, the majority of the time, the whole place was abandoned. The front desk was unstaffed nine times out of ten, and when there was someone there, it was a boy of about 8, who was very preoccupied with his computer games to the point that when I asked him if I could quickly print something he made quite a fuss. So the place seemed totally empty, yet every night at midnight (and I am not making this up) it came alive with noise. People stomping around and shouting in the halls, a woman carrying on and an old man coughing. By sunrise, these people were all gone.

When searching for lodging prior to my trip, I was struck by the tone of the reviews. The places in my price range all either earned a review of “terrible,” or “tolerable for a night or two,” but in people’s assessments, they pointed to things like quality of service and cleanliness. Very few sites, in fact, have dedicated spaces where reviewers can note whether a place seems convent-like, or full of paranormal activity, both features that I’d now consider pretty handy when deciding where to stay.

A Monday afternoon at the Lava Lava Laundromat

2010-10-21T09:46:00.003-07:00

When I arrived, the place was empty, which was fine by me. It gave me time to get my bearings. To decipher everything. All of the soap machines were inoperable for varoius reasons, but the fabric softener worked, so I figured better that than nothing. Just as the wash cycle began and my clothes commenced sloshing around, a man appeared in the doorway. He'd only been gone for a few minutes, he explained, half apologetic, half accusatory. No problem, I said. I had it under control. He assessed my situation (thankfully not acknowledging the fabric softener) and then informed me that I could leave my token and he'd rotate my wash to the dryer. A kind gesture, but anyone who knows me knows that I'm pretty cautious about entrusting my delicates to others. Reluctantly, though, I accepted his offer, and left to go see the city. The man was waiting for me upon my return, and he immediately produced his "portfolio," consisting of a number of newspaper clippings and some amazing original drawings stuffed into a school notebook. His interests, I gathered from the materials, are 1) collecting information any time the newspaper publishes lists of the world's richest and most powerful people, and 2) cars. I nodded enthusiastically as he leafed through the papers, running down lists of names: Barack Obama, the Pope, some guy in Abu Dhabi, Osama Bin Laden. He spoke quickly, and I was unable to determine his attitude toward these lists.

And then came the drawings. Oh my. He didn't go to the University, he explained, but he loves drawing. Cars. He loves drawing cars, and he proceeded to show me page after page of remarkable speculative designs of cars of the future. The best part about these drawings is that they were made exclusively with cheap Bic pens. Solo un Bic.

The man prepared some photocopies of these designs. Good souvenirs, he said, and I agreed, saying that they were much more personal than other things. As we parted, he called me over one last time to show me two of his favorite newspaper clippings. One was a piece on Obama's ultra-secure bulletproof limo. The other, a piece on a Maserati hearse.

I was halfway out the door when he called to me, imploring me to write to him when I direct a movie and it hits the big screen.

The one where I go to Venice and then post a bunch of lame pictures.

2010-10-16T13:15:00.003-07:00

Prato della Valle in Padova. A nice round park ringed with statues. The yellow tape you see was strung up to help mark the course for a footrace taking place that day. The race, probably for some charitable cause, was called 'The Human Race,' and it seemed a sad metaphor to have the runners just circle the statues over and over.

Last week I was in the beautiful city of Padova toiling away with amazing contraptions and books at a very small museum that happened to be closed on Tuesday. I'd already gotten my fill of the city's old churches (and old tourists--it seemed to be a favorite destination for the 75 and older set) so I decided to visit Venice. My knowledge of Venice was limited exclusively to the trivial fact that for some reason they have canals instead of streets, and my understanding of the city's ambiance was based solely on Nicholas Roeg's miraculous film Don't Look Now. So that's really all I had to go by. I spent the morning getting satisfactorily lost in the labyrinth of little alleyways, and in this respect, I enjoyed the city very much. However, as midday approached, a tremendous influx of people hit the streets, clogging everything. Despite the crowds, I did have a very nice quiet morning there and managed to avoid the temptation to purchase the hundreds of thousands of paper mache souvenirs that were thrust into my field of vision. Also: although I came to Venice without even an inkling of what the "important" landmarks were, I was lucky enough to bump into an acquaintance there, and she dragged me to see the ~~Realto~~ Rialto (some bridge) and St. Mark's (some church). So I guess I could check those things off my list (if I had a list). And now: some pretty generic photos I took.

The Hotel Iris. If Jessica Fletcher were visiting Venice, I bet she would stay in a place like this. And that mystery would ensue.

I call this one "street parking" and then I laugh at the good joke I made.

For me, Venice embodied a tragic irony. So much glorious water, but certainly unfit for swimming.

Ode to Gambrinus

2010-10-11T12:01:00.002-07:00

All year I dreamed of my favorite pizza place in Pordenone--Gambrinus. I ate there for four nights in a row this year (thankfully, some folks also like it a lot and were willing to join). Its charming 80s aesthetic is still perfectly intact, though the music this year was not quite as good. Last fall, we were treated to a really nice medley of Madonna and Cyndi Lauper, while this year, the best we got was the best of ABBA (although they did play the disc or tape twice through).
This awesome King logo is in one of the overhead lights (hence the blur):

And oh, the pizza is spectacular.

I joked that perhaps I might find an optical toy-related treasure in my first Kinder surprise egg, and miraculously enough, I wasn't too far off! Inside I found a terrific spinning top that captured my heart and mind (and held our attention through many meals and late nights at the Bar alla Posta). It is seriously hypnotic and fun to play with. In comparing these two photos, I might also observe that the top is a bit pizza-like.

I took this last photo while waiting at the train station on the day after the film festival. Exhausting, sublime.

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Keeping Track

2010-10-08T03:02:00.000-07:00

To mark my time away from home, I constructed this leaf calendar. It's just five different leaf designs printed randomly alternating autumn-like colored cardstock sewn onto another piece of cardstock. For the earliest days of autumn, I made the stitches very close together, so it's a bit of an effort to rip off each leaf day. But by the end of autumn, the stitches are further apart, so the the leaves can be plucked and fall much more effortlessly, since leaves fall faster/easier as the weather turns.