saturday hello

it's been a lazy saturday.

happy weekend!

feels like summer
kesäkuussa
i prefer to go quietly.

(i've tried to correct the spelling of kesäkuussa about ten times now. i think it's finally right. finnish is such a curious and fun language.)

the goat shuffle

this photo/post is really just an excuse to post all the below links. but we did have goats for a while when i was little. and i did try goat milk—not bad at all. my dad transported the goats to school when i was in kindergarten. it was the best show and tell of the year, if i do say so myself. the goats ran around with us on the black top. they tried out the squiggly lines. jumped the hopscotch. did the goat shuffle and probably tried to eat some shoelaces. they really like to eat shoelaces. and hair. (did other people have squiggly lines at their school? did other people call the concrete at elementary school the black top?)

one could spend hours looking at goats on flickr. thousands of goats come up if you search goat. there really are a lot of different styles of goat too, i realized. i had to limit myself. so i'm sure there are thousands more great goats out there. but here are some i found (including one trick link, just because goats get you in the tricking mood):

goats!...?
self portrait with a goat named eve
funny goat
goat attack pt.2 biting
lazy goat #2
G for goat
goats again
clever goat
breakfast
one billy goat gruff
and the one that got me on the goat trail in the first place: the way to beth's heart
(if that doesn't make you say aw, nothing will.)

ok, one more: little goats such floppy ears!

(today i put my bicycle on the two shuttles i take to work and rode it home {because the way home is almost all downhill}. why have i not done this before! oh yeah, cuz sf drivers are crazy. but it was so much fun. i only had to get off and walk for like 3 uphill blocks {such a weakling!}. otherwise it was all smooth sailing across town. i think i'll do this regularly!)

impatient

1. leslie, 2. lina´s country house, 3. plant life

click links above to see whole, beautiful photos. (sometimes i'm impatient, so friday flickr faves are happening on tuesday this week.)

this stories from rwanda is incredible. found through superhero journal (i cry/get teary almost every time i visit andrea's blog. she consistently {for years now} writes moving posts and finds equally moving links.)

a whole green section on sfgate. nice.

santa cruz days

in the evening


in the morning





it's always a bit weird to go to santa cruz. i went to college there, and it's a strange town. when i arrived at the metro station there this past friday, at first i thought, oh, it's so easy here. so relaxed, slower, and sunnier and friendlier than sf. but quickly i remembered what a strange town it is. lazy, upscale and ramshackle, sunny, with flowers pouring out of everyone's yards (except of course when it's raining non-stop and the banana slugs and earthworms are out en masse). so much natural beauty there with the ocean and redwoods. and so much wealth. it's all too much. and then there're all those kids pretending to be, or believing they are, hippies. the campus was (and i'm sure still is) incense and patchouli central.

santa cruz seems mostly the same, but everyone seems so young now! being there the past two days, i kept imagining tromping all over that town at age nineteen, arm in arm with oona or lindy, and trying to see us from my view now. did we look that young? (i'm sure we must have.) i wasn't feeling nostalgic exactly these past two days (though yes, a little wistful). there's so much i don't remember and yet the place seems filled with memories. it was like the ghosts of our younger selves were there. maybe the ghosts of all those college students cycling though is part of what makes that place so weird.

fence kitty

this black cat is on the fence (har har) about entering our yard.

two cool things:

people riding the train more here.
and the california judges standing firm on supporting gay marriage.
(and of course obama as the next US president.)

i just got out my sleeping bag, which i keep in one of those sleeping bag holders. pinky leon was obsessively trying to free the bag from the holder. he LOVES my sleeping bag. he'd spend all his days inside it if he could. i took it out of the holder so he'd stop making such a racket, and since then all has been quiet, and i see the PL lump down at the bottom of the bag. cute.

although sweden is clearly in some global warming f-ed up weather situation, it sure looks nice there right now. all the swedes are out fika-ing in the sun, looks like. harligt. onskar det inte var sa dyrt att aka dit!

i know i've linked to violette's lovely drawings before, but have you seen her cover art set?

taking the cal train+bus to santa cruz tomorrow for some music and relaxation. i haven't been there in forever. when i went up to grass valley last week, i actually got kind of anxious about traveling because it had been a while since i'd gone anywhere. and i'm such a homebody. but once i was away, it was so refreshing, and i realized i really need these little trips and new views/colors! traveling sure can help one get unstuck. we all know this, but sometimes i have to be reminded.

PL and i sit in the sun.

my aunt in georgia was telling me about some feral kittens that showed up by her barn a little bit ago. one in the litter is bright orange and she calls him/her? cheato. heehee. the cats eat right next to the foxes she also feeds. they're friends! (i won't tell you what she feeds the foxes.)
{she's planning on trying to get the cats spayed/neutered, but i guess there's a question about if the neighbor thinks they're his cats.}

favorites

click here to see the makers of some of my favorite cards (and here to see larger).

this was a good, but very long and busy semester. finished my last final today—wooooeee! looking forward to a relaxing weekend. and next week i'm off to visit my friend who lives in grass valley. can't wait to get on the train and read/write/space out/relax. and then hang out in the country with sweet people, good food and this sweet dog.

i really love my flickr favorites this week. here are some of them:
dandelions (this is the biggest one i've seen!)
polaroid on a path
breakfast
chasing clouds
0203

other goodies. check out this set.
beautiful foodie photo blog.
unruly things

good weekends to you!

edible?

i'm always wanting to eat the backyard roses. they look like frosting or meringue or whipped cream. all manner of deliciousness. piece of cake roses.

friday flickrs:
bacini
mustachioed
pula

good weekends!

mid-week flickrs

and colorful compost.

since i missed my friday flickr faves, here are a few:
93. toes
fairmont, ca (check out her collaborative photo blog too, whales and bunnies.)
skeptical gus is skeptical
i'm feeling...yellow

waste deep in flowers

took a little break from schoolwork and from san francisco yesterday up in mill valley. it's so green across the bridge, and all the flowers are blooming. so many flowers up there! on a hike we saw saw lupine, forget-me-nots, indian paintbrush, lily of the valley, orchids, fuchsia and many many more flowers i don't know the names of. i was visiting my friend liz, who was dogsitting two big, sweet dogs. i needed that dog love! before the hike, we went to the marin farmer's market (where we ate delicious crepes), to liz's friend's ceramics open studio and back to the house to lounge in the glorious, sunny backyard (above) where we ate our dinner snacks. in the evening we watched i'm not there. that cate blanchett is such an amazing actress. the day was the perfect respite; hopefully i am recharged now for the last two weeks of school (and for starting another temp job).

purple thursday

a lot of people really don't like purple. i am not one of them, though i do usually prefer a bluer purple over the above.

i had never seen purple asparagus before these arrived in the produce box. last week we got fava beans, which i'd never prepared before. they require double shelling, but are very tasty. strawberries are also now filling our produce box, and they're so much more flavorful than the TJoes organic strawberries. CSAs rock.

in the most recent newsletter included in the produce box, Pablito talks about how the farm is made up of families (instead of being a family farm). organic farming is such a perfect example of how caring for the environment goes hand in hand with caring for people (those who grow/pick the crops and those who eat the food). same environment-people connection goes for any kind of manufacturing. it's so obvious (and i'm sure i'm ranting to the choir here), and yet $—over health, the environment and care—continues to be the priority for so many people and corporations. i wish there were laws that required all food to be grown organically, all paper to be processed chlorine free, and that banned all junk mail and automatic-flush toilets. (god i hate those things. they always flush unnecessarily like 5 times.)

huller om buller

the alameda flea is a lot to take in.



some people's oddities are presented in a very organized fashion.



and some stuff is more huller om buller, as the swedes say.



...somewhere in between.

refueling at tillies, where they still serve hash browns (not just "home fries").

and then off to see diana's beautiful work here

i'm pooped. and still homework to do!

friday flickrs

i like this postcard i picked up at the video store. looks like a good flick too.

flickr favorites this week:

astid's odda
sandra's frukost
27 by mirjan

good weekends!

it's that time again

the white rose bush in the backyard is in full bloom for may.

sun is shining before the sf summer fog settles.

trying to stay focused on final projects for school while spring is tempting with its abundance.

starting a book club with this gal and looking forward to reading one of these four books:
arthur and george
the accidental
eat, pray, love or
no one belongs here more than you (though this one i've already read, so i'm rooting for the others).

wishing i could have snatched up this from karin and camilla's collaboration.

friday flickrs

as i type this, the scent of my (stolen) jasmine sprig is filling the room! what a powerful flower.

friday flickrs:
tis the season
hikes r good
from karine

i like this dress. bunchy.

happy weekend!

arrangements

not my cosmetics. but i like how these are arranged on the tray.

did you see these old folks on yahoo or abc singing? made me cry in a good way (especially the guy singing the coldplay fix you song).

super good/informative and depressing: corp watch.

and now for something a bit lighter.

in addition to being a sucker for wire-haired dogs, i'm also a sucker for cattle dog mixes that are almost silver in their white/black combo hairs. god this one is cute. and both.
(the list of dogs i am a sucker for actually goes on and on, but wire-haired and cattley-silver are right up there at the top.)

some super nice collections/arrangements:
hydrangea magic
collection 1
shoe flower
clutch flower
toy cars
au lit
wee oaks

ahhh

i withdrew from one of my five classes today. wow, what a good choice that was. at first i thought the nerd in me might second guess this decision. but the huge relief completely outweighed any such nonsense. this whole semester i've gone (rushing) from school to work to homework in an endless, exhausting cycle. boy am i not a person who needs to be constantly doing something. on the contrary, i need time to relax and to be cozy at home. today, after my morning class, i took the streetcar home from school instead of taking BART. meandered in the sun from the bus stop to my house, made some lunch, sewed a bear, ate some ice cream, watched american idol and now am blogging! i'm savoring this window of free time in my week.

my housemate gave me a sticker that is funny and perfect for me: no one is truly warm until everyone is cozy.

flickr friday + holga

got my first batch of holga pictures back today. they're not very impressive, but it was fun to try something different. and i love black and white film. and the surprise.

flickr faves this week (i must be needing dog love):
discovered illona and her great talent for capturing her pets.
her and her boy (i love wire-haired dogs.)
the girls
squirrel patrol

in non-pet photos:
musiquita
marta's snow-covered houses
idaho springs

good weekends to you.

recommendations

h is for heartwrenching

i just love that antony of antony and the johnsons. so much emotion in his songs. i can't get enough of the fistful of love song, which has really sad lyrics. i looked them up after hearing the song many times and finding it really sad sounding. i wondered why it sounded so sad given what i assumed it was about. (i assumed it was another kind of fistful of love because i live in san francisco. and because i enjoy me some rad margaret cho stand up comedy. and because my hilarious, raucous lesbian, italian friend tells fisting jokes at the dinner table to 13 year-old catholic school boys {don't worry, it went right over his head. and luckily his mom, who was at another table, didn't hear. not that his catholic, wild partygirl mom would mind—ah san francisco how i love your seemingly incongruous ways.}) anyhow, my point is, it's a beautiful song. here is a wonderful youtube version. i'd love to see him live.

in other recommendations, i'm reading the zookeeper's wife and it is really good. chock full of truly amazing stories that are both uplifting and devastating at once. it's primarily about this heroic zookeeper family (of humans and other animals) in poland during the nazi brutalities, but also about other stories around them. the people in these stories show such outstanding courage, compassion and strength in the face of a (largely unimaginable to me) cruel time. because the stories are so specific and different from other stories i've read that take place in nazi-occupied countries, they really paint a picture for the reader. makes me think more about this iraq war too. just makes me, not living in the battlefield, understand a little more the terror of war (something most of us are so detached from). that part is really depressing because it makes me feel helpless and that i should be doing more, that most of us here should be doing more to resist the war (and other wars).

HILARIOUSNESS!

first of all, morley and meatguts! what names! but then, the photo.

kale +

i read The Diving Bell And The Butterfly today. it's really good. i was surprised at how true the movie was to the book, and yet what a beautiful interpretation of the words the movie was. both versions are poetic, poignant and so hopeful. anyway, i recommend the book and the movie wholeheartedly.

saw the charming beth orton the other night. i guess this was her first time playing out since having a baby over a year ago. she kept messing up songs and talking about messing up/being nervous. in between, she sang beautifully. i think her nervousness made the audience feel both nervous/uncomfortable and more connected to her. being a nervous person myself, it was interesting to watch her struggle through, and eventually really get into, and enjoy the song. that gal can sing.

hannah waldron (can't remember where i found the link. maybe through sandra.)

until friday most likely...

friday flickrs

friday flickrs:
just leave me your stardust
and how suave by rainymornings
by luis fonseca
violette's dog drawing

happy weekend!

mixed bag

this photo is from circa 1999, a year after i moved to SF (to a house north of the panhandle), and shortly after pinky leon moved in. look how tiny he is! my, we're both a bit bigger these days.

all my library requests came in at once. i hate it when that happens. right now i've got: The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie (which i don't think is actually the Alexie book i meant to request) and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby, of course. all this when i have no time to read! foof.

i did get some Dungen (Swedish band) music from a school-friend. i think my cousin (who knows her music) was telling me to listen to them a while ago. good stuff. my cousin should actually have a cd out, cuz she is SUCH a beautiful singer. i haven't heard her sing in person that many times, but every time i do, i end up in tears. the tone of her voice (or something!) communicates so much emotion. K, you should post a song on youtube! or somewhere.

today there was a BIG love drama (not mine) in my stairwell. it was heartbreaking, but also full of life. not that i would want this particular drama at all, but still. (can't go into the details of the it on the blog, but suffice it it say, there were numerous "puta"s and "fea"s flying around.)

on a more amusing note, and to top off this random post, this photo keeps making me laugh.

stylish monday

such bold style—wow:
nemrešpobjećodnedjel serious funk attitude!
piksi
miss pincushion

speaking of style, f.pea posted a fun post about clothing swaps on sew green.

midterm madness this week. probably won't post until friday. (but then that's nothing new these days.)

a junction

the above are parts of this. for a childhood friend who i've lost touch with.
the words are a variation on this, which makes me cringe to read.

(not sure about the purple rectangle. and i wish i'd positioned the typewritten part in more.)

dotty + flickr favorites

my mom as a girl, amongst dots.

ray fenwick's book—neato.

friday flickrs:
people making stuff in their homes:
mise en place
paper house test print
madame ochre on ceramic

converse camillas

little red riding feet arrived in the mail yesterday.

tack tack camilla! so fun to wear your art around town. here i am modeling by the recycling bins. (at least the shoes are in the photo here. i managed to take some where i was sticking my foot out of the photo.)

friday flickrs

anyone have digital camera recommendations?
my poor one has been bumped around and has traveled in a lot of rough weather (often without a coat on), and i'm afraid this time it isn't recovering.

friday flickr faves this week are house-ish

other cities/countries:

montréal
it's obviously stockholm
good night, bergen

inside:

a solo dinner
mette's pottery, home
shambles (the best name) (check out the tongue)

have a good weekend!

ps. i borrowed queen's greatest hits from the library. i love how big freddy sings.
Bicycle races are coming your way
So forget all your duties oh yeah!
Fat bottomed girls they'll be riding today
So look out for those beauties oh yeah
On your marks get set go
Bicycle race bicycle race bicycle race
Bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle

pink

posted about the pesticide spraying scheduled to happen in california in the coming months over on sew green. if you live in california especially, check it out. scary stuff.

my camera is taking striped photos now unless i use the flash, so it could get quite flashy here for a while unfortunately.