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pinky leon and his clothed alter ego hank, both showing off their pink toes.
friday flickrs are furred this week:
louie
jack
finlandia
oh, and then my housemate got me searching for faroe islands photos. i love the colors there. and the landscape of course. maybe someday on the way to sweden i can stop off at iceland and the faroe islands.
gjovg, faroe islands (and whole set)
tinganes, torshavn (and whole set)
looks like a fairytale
happy weekends!
some leaf earrings i made for my housemate heather. she picked the fabric, which she thinks may be called psychedelic tomato. groovy. they are pretty big, but they look good on her. i'll have to snap a pic of her in them too.
i switched my keyboard viewer to swedish to write an email, and though i've switched it back to english, it won't stick. it keeps reverting to swedish, and then my shortcuts don't work and semicolons become ö's. my computer really wants me to write in swedish to you. så är det! väldigt irriterande. more later. or mer sedan.
made this for brunch from the recipe mav posted.
bought some thread for some earrings i'm finally making for my roommate as a trade for a lovely hat she made me long ago.
doing some sewing and relaxing. may also rent the swedish film tillsammans (together). i've seen it like 3 times, but for some reason i'm really in the mood for it today.
rant: i watched bill moyers journal last night. i always get so riled up when i watch that show. it's scary good. last night it was about american imperialism and the wars we're in right now. it was also about how presidents (democratic and republican) and many americans want to believe america will be able to continue to prosper if we can fix the problems out there in other countries. when really we need to change america and how we are living/consuming. we're too dependent on other countries for our imports and oil, and this dependence makes us totally vulnerable. and we go along with it all because we want to consume cheaply. but there are so many horrible costs to the way we consume. basically the guest, andrew bacevich, said we need to change our energy policy and stop being imperialists. but the way he explains it all so articulately is great. you can watch it online.
it's interesting how much of what andrew bacevich talked about, even though he spoke largely about war, relates to these books i've been reading about the industrial food system. seems to me it all comes down to the fact that americans value money and cheap goods more than we value the quality of the food we put in our bodies, more than we value the earth and each other and community. of course no one believes this about themselves, but take a look at how we consume. we turn our backs on the negative impacts (including war, the destruction of soil and water, the destruction of small farms, the proliferation of sweat shops/child labor, the destruction and endangerment of plant and animal species) of the way we consume.
personally i think if we were taxed more and the government actually helped the people of the country by providing universal health care, education, energy infrastructure, public transportation infrastructure, support of small, diverse farms, support of the arts/humanities, etc., then people wouldn't need to consume cheaply because we would not have to worry about paying for all these other necessities. then we could buy (ideally a lot fewer) quality goods and foods produced/grown locally, while supporting our friends and families and living healthier lives. well i could go on and on, and obviously these topics are all very complex, and each topic has numerous books written about them. my point is, the show is good and worth watching/thinking/arguing about.
thought my posting would be more prolific this week, but no such happening.
some friday flickr favorites:
1. monofobia's
2. maria ek's
3. flint knits'
4. amanda pulley'smy last semester of graphic design classes starts next week. i'm looking forward to savoring it.
i just finished reading plenty and was considering which i like most of these food books i've read of late: animal, vegetable, miracle, the omnivore's dilemma or plenty. i really can't decide. they are all terrific, well-written books. they all kept me rapt. they are funny, VERY informative, fascinating and mostly uplifting.
now i just want to keep reading books on these topics of the industrialization of food, global food issues, environmental issues related to food, local food/small farm issues, organics, the appreciation of flavor and food traditions, awesome chefs/cooks and the importance of diversity of crops/seeds.
it seems to me that the way we ("developed" nations) produce/consume/transport food (both in "developed" and "undeveloped" nations) is at the core of so many of the world's problems (hunger, obesity, disease, pollution, oil dependence, the end of thousands of small farms, spiritual disconnect). and as these books all touch on, food is one of the things we in america can control, on an individual basis anyway, to some degree. these books are uplifting because they are about people empowering themselves and their local farmers and food service folks. they tell of ways to avoid/battle/subvert/alter the gigantic, evil corporations and industries that control food production. plus there are mouthwatering recipes in these books.
i recommend them all! i am confident you will find them to be delectable.
have you read any related books i should add to my food book reading?
pickathon was even better than i expected—so much good, new to me music. i particularly enjoyed the red stick ramblers, pokey lafarge, crooked still, the everybodyfields, samantha crain and the midnight shivers, the old believers and loch lomond. (also saw sasparilla, sean hayes, jolie holland, hackensaw boys, martha scanlan, justin townes earle and the bad livers. whew!)
the sound board blew a fuse on loch lomond, and that of course was the best thing that could have happened. everyone scooted up and they played acoustic. they were terrific and their good energy was contagious. and such perfect-strange-funny-sad lyrics.
the festival was not at all packed with people. one could sit however close one wanted to the music. there weren't any drunken loudmouths. it was super pretty, with mount hood showing herself behind the main stage all the sudden on saturday. and it was the eco-friendliest festival i've ever attended. go pickathon go! i recommend it to you!
liz and i got up early saturday and drove into portland to go to broder and bolt. portlanders are just so nice.
also nice are jenifer, bob and dixie loo, our lovely pickathon companions, taco makers, vw spot sharers and chillin' kids.
more photos here.
you'd think i was going away for months to the other side of the world. nope. just off on a little road trip to the pickathon and hopefully to broder's for breakfast in portland. back on sunday or monday.
diary of a growing pile:
directions, batteries, maps, blanket and sheet (for picnicking or for warmth), clothing, hat, tarp, towel, sun screen, hat#2, cds, little notebook, holga, books, umbrella, holga film, box of pens and pencils, headlamp, rain clothes, backpack, sleeping bag.
and not shown: cell phone, warm clothes, toiletries, cd tape converter for car, socks, sunglasses, tp (you never know), food (many bags of it), water and the tent.
the chocolate:
(and this probably isn't enough.)
the wine:
i think we are prepared. rain, snow or sunshine.
i leave you with some flickr favorites of late:
grandma
121 (i love these colors.)
farmor o farfar vid fryken
then
sandra
see you soon!
(bad photo of computer screen)well, here it is. my final project for my summer flash class. bear in mind, i'm not so into animation. and i don't have much coding experience either. though i must admit, in the end, i enjoyed puzzling out what code to write to get the interactivity to work.
you must have the sound on to enjoy my "game."
also, getting the characters to return to their original positions will be irritating. you may have to drag, click and double click, or do some magic combo of those to get the hipsters back into place.
i was inspired to make this by the hipster scene in the mission district of san francisco. i am alternately annoyed and amused by the hipster scene. (luckily these days i'm mostly amused/fascinated by it.) my hipsters look a little too friendly and soft and not quite hip enough.
i was also inspired by lisen adbåge's fantastic line drawings (which my characters look nothing like). she manages to convey so much personality and gesture and story in just a few lines. very hard to do! (and even harder when using a mouse, instead of a pen or a wacom pen even).
anyhow, it's a bit of silliness i hope you'll enjoy.
(seems i was into orange and pink for this class. my midterm animation, kitty alone {also sound dependent}, was in similar colors.)
i'm glad the class is over now. just two classes left for my graphic design certificate. and then what!?
more melon. this time cantelope. completely unrelated to the below.
my friend liz and i are headed up portland way in august for the pickathon music festival. (hopefully we'll be meeting up with miss sprout, her bob, their dixie dog and their extra sweet vw bus if they make it up {fingers crossed}).
my question for you is, do you know of any fun places to stay overnight approx. halfway (or a bit more than halfway) between SF and portland? maybe in ashland? any adventure stories (related or not) welcome!
thanks!
thanks for all the bday wishes folks! i'm touched.
the above weaving is from the window of 18 reasons, a place that intrigues me.
i wanted to mention how great the first sf renegade craft fair was. so much better than any other craft fair i've been to! i really liked the majority of the goods on sale, and it was so fun to feel how much more vibrant this art/craft scene is than the (pretty much non-existent) scenes at other fort mason craft fairs i've been to. truly a renegade spirit about the place. and so heartening to see so many friends out there selling their extra fine goods: mati, hugh, jenifer, annie (+hubby) and lorena's booths all were fabulous. and then fun to see folks whose work i've only seen online on flickr or in blogs. also exciting to find some new to me, awesome artists. i was especially inspired by the fabrics/designs made by jennifer at raeburn ink and by the posters of sonnenzimmer, a studio made up of nick butcher and nadine nakanishi. (the posters are much more beautiful in person.)
oh and this marching band's madness added to the already high energy of the marketplace (found katie's photos of the band on flickr.)
what a great time! congrats all you renegade crafter-artists!
tomorrow i turn 35.
this past year i have felt old and icky quite often. so here is my list of 35 strategies for not feeling old this year.
1. go out dancing more (though this could backfire when i see all the whippersnappers on the dance floor).
2. don't compare self to whippersnappers.
3. flirt more.
4. ok, just flirt. (i'm so out of practice!)
5. exercise.
6. eat more whole foods.
7. think about all the rad people who are older than me, including grannies and grampses.
8. appreciate my health.
9. don't think too much about how jiggly my upper arms are, or how i have a LOT of grey hair.
10. take risks regularly (may sound antithetical, but i mean it in an impulsive way).
11. remember that getting older is a part of life, and
12. when i hear the twenty year olds on BART asking each other if they know the song take on me by aha, and when i realize they were NOT EVEN BORN when take on me first played on mtv, revel in the madness of this.
13. don't dwell on the fact that my birthday lists are getting extremely long.
14. celebrate experience and the accumulation and love of stories.
15. see/listen/be with openness.
16. try new foods, a new style of dress, new activities.
17. wear comfortable shoes.
18. occasionally wear uncomfortable shoes for hot factor.
19. keep eating bi-rite ice cream just whenever the hell i feel like it.
20. stay in touch with childhood (and adulthood) friends (and contact friends in general when i am feeling lonely, instead of just feeling lonely).
21. do some somersaults or jump rope.
22. set up a badminton net (a makeshift one perhaps) in the backyard and ride my bike down more hills.
23. cut and paste and scribble.
24. make some exquisite corpses with friends.
25. skip, sing, giggle and guffaw.
26. walk arm in arm.
27. find a nice snuggle bug (of the human variety, not cat).
28. enjoy more communal dinners.
29. play more games. play more.
30. get involved in activities that are bigger than me, that connect to a greater community.
31. gain more faith in my dreams (easier said).
32. say what it is i want, what i mean, what hurts, what moves me.
33. pay more attention to senses other than sight.
34. remember 35 is just half of 70.
35. remember what is important.
(tomorrow some notes and links from the renegade craft fair, which i went to today and which was fantastic!)
if i think about it, it makes me chuckle that pinky leon is featured so much in my photos, drawings, blog posts, as a softie, and now in animation, though disguised as kitty alone in his animated form). i'm certain he'd prefer i spend more time feeding him, scratching his cheek, making reflections for him to chase across the floor/wall and providing a warm lap for him to sleep on, and less time promoting him. gimme a P! gimme an L! (this is as close to cheerleading as i will ever go.)
anyhow, this is from my summer flash intro class: kitty alone. it's rough, and the second half is better than the first half. it's about a minute long, and you must have your sound on to enjoy it.
i hope smithsonian folkways doesn't sue me.
happy weekends to you!
1. pinky leon imagines he is tall.
2. pinky leon imagines my leg is an attack-cat and attacks first. (no legs were harmed.)
{oh, the humor of people who spend too much time photographing their cats.}
i would like this as my bedroom or studio please.
a quilt for the bed?
this bundt pan wall.
wouldn't mind this in the backyard.
or this if we're really dreaming.
i first read about the bee crisis a year ago in this great article in the new yorker. and then a couple days ago i read about it again in a much less in depth article on sfgate.
this pollinator partnership site is interesting. on the right you can click to find out what plants to plant in your region to help the bees (and us!). (the coastal calif. guide is not ready yet.)
the bee situation is frightening to say the least. i can't help but think it's related to all the crap we're putting into the environment and all the problems created by the industrial agribusiness corporations (evil monsanto, adm and cargill who are ruining our food and our land and our farmers, together with our government who is supporting these scoundrels).
in happier news: i had no idea about the robert plant–alison kraus collaboration. you can listen to the whole album on their site.
the exit sign at rainbow grocery
the mobile-like pattern on this second-hand shirt
and emile norman: by his own design
a couple nights ago i turned on kqed in the middle of a film about the art and life of emile norman. norman is an intense craftsman and a passionate person. he was with his partner, brooks clement, for thirty years until brooks died in the 1970s. from what i saw of the film, the two lived a charmed life together in a beautiful house in big sur. they were social and generous and lived life to the fullest. they also inspired/supported their gay friends and acquaintances just by being out in the 40's and 50s. an interesting, touching and joyful story. emile is 88 and still working on his inlaid wood sculptures every day.
mati and hugh made such a beautiful dinner up on their rooftop. i love their colors! so rich. mati and hugh's house makes me think of frida kahlo's house (or at least the sense i got of it from the frida movie), in that there is so much art, so many deep colors and just a general abundance. (and mati has a frida flair in her clothing style too i think.)
the weather was perfect for dinner outside, and the food was just as beautiful as the setup, as you can see.
once we were full and tipsy from margaritas, we ventured over to my house (a block away) for key lime pie. i am still so stuffed this morning (though that didn't stop me from having a piece of pie for breakfast).
next time it's over to diana's studio for dinner and painting ceramic bits!
moving the cats around.
apparently (and embarrassingly), i haven't quite gotten over my childhood empathy with my stuffed animals. because leaving that little kitty like that, up there by herself on top of that shelf, is nagging at me. she looks lonely. and like she's afraid of heights. frankly, she looks positively freaked out. (at least they're not all surrounding me in a ring at the head of my bed anymore.)
card goodness:
fugu fugu presstrip print pressbinth matching game
