Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Hack the Planet!
It opened for Hackers, closed for Mean Girls, and is perfect for my life soundtrack:
It's been a long time since I've checked in. A lot has happened, too much to cover in a blog posting. The short of it is: College is eating up my life and, while I'm feeling great about my crafting capabilities and excited about my education, I'm struggling for balance; I am in a relationship with a man who does his best to take care of me; there needs to be a metric buttload more dancing, even if it's in jammies in my room; and I have found a great music video. Seriously.
It's been a long time since I've checked in. A lot has happened, too much to cover in a blog posting. The short of it is: College is eating up my life and, while I'm feeling great about my crafting capabilities and excited about my education, I'm struggling for balance; I am in a relationship with a man who does his best to take care of me; there needs to be a metric buttload more dancing, even if it's in jammies in my room; and I have found a great music video. Seriously.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Yeah really.
So I'm in the Duck Store on campus today waiting in line to pay. I get to the register and there's this kid, right, cashiering with reflective green UO spirit sunglasses blingin' up the place with his fly wardrobe. It's game day, so it's ok. Back to my story. So I get to the counter, and he says, "Did you find everything you nee-" I set my bar of dark chocolate and bottle of Tylenol in front of him, "-ded? Yes, yes you did." I'm glad you understand, Bling Cashier Boy. Gold star for you.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Day 33
SUNDAY 29 AUGUST 2010
Paris airport!
Got through customs with exactly 100mL of honey (101 and they would have thrown it out) and a gag gift forgotten in the bottom of my backpack. The morning train was an interesting adventure. There were no more cabs available when I tried to reserve one last night, so this morning, after 4 hours sleep, I was on my own. I speak no French. I can, I now know, navigate myself and a lost Australian woman (very nice lady, now knows better than to party at Irish pubs) through Paris underground.
Paris airport!
Got through customs with exactly 100mL of honey (101 and they would have thrown it out) and a gag gift forgotten in the bottom of my backpack. The morning train was an interesting adventure. There were no more cabs available when I tried to reserve one last night, so this morning, after 4 hours sleep, I was on my own. I speak no French. I can, I now know, navigate myself and a lost Australian woman (very nice lady, now knows better than to party at Irish pubs) through Paris underground.
Tag 32
SAMSTAG 28 AUGUST 2010
Amy und ich, wir gehen nach Paris heute. Vlore ist so nett. Ich hat keine säubere Hosen, also ich meine Kurzhosen tragen musste. Also Vlore mich ihre Strumpfhosen (sie ein bisschen kaputt sein, also ich nicht schleckt für sie nehmen fühlen) gegeben.
Amy und ich, wir gehen nach Paris heute. Vlore ist so nett. Ich hat keine säubere Hosen, also ich meine Kurzhosen tragen musste. Also Vlore mich ihre Strumpfhosen (sie ein bisschen kaputt sein, also ich nicht schleckt für sie nehmen fühlen) gegeben.
Tag 31
FREITAG 27 AUGUST 2010
Heute war langsam und wundervoll. Amy und ich, wir haben an der höpsches Straße von Gerstern spazieren. Ich habe viele guten Dinge gekauft.
Wir haben die besten Abendessen von alle der Zeit gegisst! Dann habe ich nach meinen ersten Bar gegangen. Es war dunkel (schwarz und rot) laut mit Musik, und roch nach Zigaretten. Dannach habe ich nach meinen zweites Bar gegangen für Kill All Hipsters Tanznacht am Red Salon. Wir waren die erste Leute (am zwölf Uhr!) und haben bis 5 am Morgen getanzed!
Heute war langsam und wundervoll. Amy und ich, wir haben an der höpsches Straße von Gerstern spazieren. Ich habe viele guten Dinge gekauft.
Wir haben die besten Abendessen von alle der Zeit gegisst! Dann habe ich nach meinen ersten Bar gegangen. Es war dunkel (schwarz und rot) laut mit Musik, und roch nach Zigaretten. Dannach habe ich nach meinen zweites Bar gegangen für Kill All Hipsters Tanznacht am Red Salon. Wir waren die erste Leute (am zwölf Uhr!) und haben bis 5 am Morgen getanzed!
Tag 30
DONNERSTAG 26 AUGUST 2010
Wir sind in West Berlin.
"Berlin: poor but sexy." - Vlore
Amy und ich, wir waren Vlores Haus finden wenn sie und ihre Freundin waren nach ihre Haus zu Fuß gehen. Wir treffen nach die Tur! Vlore ist sehr nett und lustig! Dann haben Amy und ich Abendessen finden. Sie hat Hänchenbrust, und ich hat "Originalisch Wiener Schnizel." Es war gut für ein Zeit, aber ich würde nicht das jeden Nacht essen. Eine Straße neben Vlores Haus ist höpsch und voll von Geschäfte. Wir haben schönes Kleidung und Handtaschen gesehen. Dannach haben wir ins Tee am Meer sitzen. Ich hat vanilla Chai-Tee (heiß). Deutsches Tee ist nicht stark. Ein bisschen später, Vlore und ihre Freundin haben uns treffen. Sie erzählte uns, dass diese ihre Lieblingsteehaus ist! Schön.
Das Wetter hier ist als Seattle, Oregon.
Wir sind in West Berlin.
"Berlin: poor but sexy." - Vlore
Amy und ich, wir waren Vlores Haus finden wenn sie und ihre Freundin waren nach ihre Haus zu Fuß gehen. Wir treffen nach die Tur! Vlore ist sehr nett und lustig! Dann haben Amy und ich Abendessen finden. Sie hat Hänchenbrust, und ich hat "Originalisch Wiener Schnizel." Es war gut für ein Zeit, aber ich würde nicht das jeden Nacht essen. Eine Straße neben Vlores Haus ist höpsch und voll von Geschäfte. Wir haben schönes Kleidung und Handtaschen gesehen. Dannach haben wir ins Tee am Meer sitzen. Ich hat vanilla Chai-Tee (heiß). Deutsches Tee ist nicht stark. Ein bisschen später, Vlore und ihre Freundin haben uns treffen. Sie erzählte uns, dass diese ihre Lieblingsteehaus ist! Schön.
Das Wetter hier ist als Seattle, Oregon.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Tag 29
MITTWOCH 25 AUGUST 2010
Frankfurt!
Wir waren zu spät für der Palmen Garten, aber Senckenberg Naturkundemuseum war öfnet. Das Naturmuseum war SUPERMEGATOLL! Es ist sehr groß! Ich hatte nicht genug Zeit für alles sehen. Ich habe Dinosaurier, Evolution des Menschen, und Wale und Elefanted nicht gesehen. Amy had gesagt, dass das Museum ein Narwhalkörper hat! Meine Lieblingsräumen war Fische und Mineralen. Ich habe viele Photos genimmt. Für Mittagsesen und Abendessen haben wir an O'Reily's Irish Pub gegisst. Für Mittagsessen hatte ich Bangers'n'Mash. Es war gut für Spaß machen. Später hatte ich Pomes Frittes mit lecker Dip von Basil. Es war als Pesto. In das Badezimmer war ein lustiges Hygiene Schutz 1) "String oder Pandy, Ständig neue Modelle" und 2) "Mini-Vibrator" verkaufen.
Frankfurt!
Wir waren zu spät für der Palmen Garten, aber Senckenberg Naturkundemuseum war öfnet. Das Naturmuseum war SUPERMEGATOLL! Es ist sehr groß! Ich hatte nicht genug Zeit für alles sehen. Ich habe Dinosaurier, Evolution des Menschen, und Wale und Elefanted nicht gesehen. Amy had gesagt, dass das Museum ein Narwhalkörper hat! Meine Lieblingsräumen war Fische und Mineralen. Ich habe viele Photos genimmt. Für Mittagsesen und Abendessen haben wir an O'Reily's Irish Pub gegisst. Für Mittagsessen hatte ich Bangers'n'Mash. Es war gut für Spaß machen. Später hatte ich Pomes Frittes mit lecker Dip von Basil. Es war als Pesto. In das Badezimmer war ein lustiges Hygiene Schutz 1) "String oder Pandy, Ständig neue Modelle" und 2) "Mini-Vibrator" verkaufen.
Day 28
TUESDAY 24 AUGUST 2010
Up at 4:30a. 5 trains to catch today and a misunderstanding with my hostel booking. 4 hours straight with 2 toddlers and an infant. There needs to be separate travel for individuals with children too young to mind themselves.
Rochambeau milk chocolate biscuits are very good.
Taste colors.
Day 27
MONDAY 23 AUGUST 2010
Nice!
Today was all about the beach! Bikini time. Sunshine time. Para sailing time! Amy and I got to the waterfront, saw the para sailing setup and looked at each other with, "Oh yeah!" written on our faces. I have videos of others' takeoff and landing. It's not nearly as good as being there. I miss the water already. The beach was pebbly, which means that there was no biting sand to wipe off later. Wonderful!
Where else but Nice (or any nudist beach, but we won't talk about those) can a girl take her top off on the beach and everyone is OK with it? So I did!
It was so wonderful to float in the salty, warm ocean on a humid, sunny day. Traveler's tip: take chocolate-topped biscuits to the beach with you and leave them in the sun. It is like someone poured chocolate all over your cookies and you can eat them warm and gushy. Perfect beach day.
A note (or 3) on the para sailing: It is SO. MUCH. FUN! While we were gliding in the air, we could look down on the deep blue water and see jellies chillin' in the warmer top layer. Looking around is like a theatrical helicopter panorama. While you're out, the boat tugging your sail slows around corners so that you splash waist deep into the sea, then pulls you up again for another go-around.
Day 26
SUNDAY 22 AUGUST 2010
Traveled. All day long. Finally have a good pen though (took me 'till France to find one). So Amy and I had a plan. It was a good one too. Our plan was to take a single sleeper train from Florence to Nice, not have to pay for a hostel and wake up fresh and ready to beach it. Everyone who says that booking a train in Europe within 5 days of your travel date is easy, they have never done so during high season AKA all of August. The reality of our travels was a midnight arrival in Milan with a 7am departure for Monaco. That meant a night spent in the train station. A ticket checker working the night shift took pity on us two girls, but I am not sure which was worse: bunking alongside tent-pitching backpackers on the hard marble floor or spending out night in the cigarette reeking office of a middle aged man of a touchier culture. Doing it again, I'd gladly have spread out my blanket with the backpackers.
In case you are wondering, Milan train station opens at 4am.
Day 25
SATURDAY 21 AUGUST 2010
This morning, on our hot and humid way to Berniniville, I found, in a book stand on the street, a binder full of 1920s pornography postcards. The images were playful, mysterious, enchanting, and surprisingly clothed. They held a narrative quality that I found irresistible, so I bought three.
Today was Bernini day. First, the Borghese Gallery which, I found with pleasant surprise, featured a collection of Caravaggio, one of my favorite painters. My favorite pieces by far were Apollo and Daphne and The Rape of Persephone. Unfortunately, both sculptures subscribe to the rape theme. This only reinforces my theory that great art wields one part terror. After the gallery, we visited The Ecstasy of St. Theresa at Santa Maria de la Vittoria. Nothing beats seeing sculpture in person.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Day 24
FRIDAY 20 AUGUST 2010
Today was busy! Morning time began with an outing to a strange and curious crypt. As (Amy's) legend has it, soil from Jerusalem was brought to Rome in the 18th century in which the Romans buried Franciscan monks. The dead kept coming while the soil mass remained relatively constant. So Rome decided to dig up the fully decomposed lower layer in order to reuse it for more grave soil, separating out the remaining skeletons. Eventually there became quite a stock of bone matter, so someone decided to decorate with the over 400 human bodies. There is even a feature of the Barberini princess's child skeleton, suspended from the ceiling with scales in one hand and a scythe in the other, both also constructed of human bone. The decorations were beautiful and fascinating, but it was when the whole skeletons in their original monk's robes were presented that a creepy feeling crept under my skin. Especially so when a few of the monks, posed, rosaried, and name tagged, were set out not fully decomposed, preserved. One had more face than not, and it was quite uncomfortable in a fascinating sort of way. This excursion was made with a couple of guys Amy and I met last night on our hostel stoop who are staying here as well - John of Glasgow and Fletch the ex-English now Aussie. We all split after the crypt, but later found each other again at the hostel's nightly Pasta Party and migrated, once more, to the stoop.
At one point in the day, Amy and I wandered by the Cat Pit, as she endearingly calls it, where Caesar is thought to be assassinated. Normally you can count kitties into the double digits. I saw three. Pix posted.
Capping off my tales of excitement for today, Amy led us to a glass shop she had found when she lived in Rome. The small store in a dim alleyway flanked by graffiti is filled with beads and thick rings. At the very back of the store, if you look very closely and have been told before, you will find, obscured by bangles and strung glass, a small opening in the wall about the size of human shoulders. Behind this hole opens a flight of equally narrow stairs surrounded by, on every side, hand blown glass - goblets, vases, caffé cups, lanterns - the walls and ceilings of this subterranean cellar are hung, littered, and stacked with crates of glass. Down there the silence is palpable, the only noise being that your own ear makes.
Today was busy! Morning time began with an outing to a strange and curious crypt. As (Amy's) legend has it, soil from Jerusalem was brought to Rome in the 18th century in which the Romans buried Franciscan monks. The dead kept coming while the soil mass remained relatively constant. So Rome decided to dig up the fully decomposed lower layer in order to reuse it for more grave soil, separating out the remaining skeletons. Eventually there became quite a stock of bone matter, so someone decided to decorate with the over 400 human bodies. There is even a feature of the Barberini princess's child skeleton, suspended from the ceiling with scales in one hand and a scythe in the other, both also constructed of human bone. The decorations were beautiful and fascinating, but it was when the whole skeletons in their original monk's robes were presented that a creepy feeling crept under my skin. Especially so when a few of the monks, posed, rosaried, and name tagged, were set out not fully decomposed, preserved. One had more face than not, and it was quite uncomfortable in a fascinating sort of way. This excursion was made with a couple of guys Amy and I met last night on our hostel stoop who are staying here as well - John of Glasgow and Fletch the ex-English now Aussie. We all split after the crypt, but later found each other again at the hostel's nightly Pasta Party and migrated, once more, to the stoop.
At one point in the day, Amy and I wandered by the Cat Pit, as she endearingly calls it, where Caesar is thought to be assassinated. Normally you can count kitties into the double digits. I saw three. Pix posted.
Capping off my tales of excitement for today, Amy led us to a glass shop she had found when she lived in Rome. The small store in a dim alleyway flanked by graffiti is filled with beads and thick rings. At the very back of the store, if you look very closely and have been told before, you will find, obscured by bangles and strung glass, a small opening in the wall about the size of human shoulders. Behind this hole opens a flight of equally narrow stairs surrounded by, on every side, hand blown glass - goblets, vases, caffé cups, lanterns - the walls and ceilings of this subterranean cellar are hung, littered, and stacked with crates of glass. Down there the silence is palpable, the only noise being that your own ear makes.
Day 23
THURSDAY 19 AUGUST 2010
To Rome! Amy and I left the Lisio nest, destined to fall into the bronze branches of Bernini, through Roman floor into bone-decorated catacombs. A wonderfully scrumptious Big Mac was split at the train station leaving Florence. The ketchup was .2 Euro extra. Rome's station unfolded itself with carousel-walkway legs into an all-you-can-get: market, mall, gambling, eateries, etc.
Our hostel is marked by a blue VW bug logo (more noticeably the inactive neon BAR sign near its entrance - coincidentally many of the hostel's patrons flit across the street to the mini market for giant 2 Euro beers and come back to the stoop beneath the dead sign to intoxicate themselves and swap traveling stories.
Made it across town to St. Peters, stood in line and got through security only to be turned away for exposed knees. 5 Euro and two scarves later, we were set. The Bernini pieces were so amazing! The basilica itself was vastly more full and large than I ever expected, even after my art history courses.
On the way back, we stopped into the craziest candy/chocolate/coffee/jam/pesto/everything shop in Europe and purchased a little bag of assorted candies we hand picked to try.
To Rome! Amy and I left the Lisio nest, destined to fall into the bronze branches of Bernini, through Roman floor into bone-decorated catacombs. A wonderfully scrumptious Big Mac was split at the train station leaving Florence. The ketchup was .2 Euro extra. Rome's station unfolded itself with carousel-walkway legs into an all-you-can-get: market, mall, gambling, eateries, etc.
Our hostel is marked by a blue VW bug logo (more noticeably the inactive neon BAR sign near its entrance - coincidentally many of the hostel's patrons flit across the street to the mini market for giant 2 Euro beers and come back to the stoop beneath the dead sign to intoxicate themselves and swap traveling stories.
Made it across town to St. Peters, stood in line and got through security only to be turned away for exposed knees. 5 Euro and two scarves later, we were set. The Bernini pieces were so amazing! The basilica itself was vastly more full and large than I ever expected, even after my art history courses.
On the way back, we stopped into the craziest candy/chocolate/coffee/jam/pesto/everything shop in Europe and purchased a little bag of assorted candies we hand picked to try.
Day 22
WEDNESDAY 18 AUGUST 2010
I CUT BOTH FABRICS OFF OUR LOOMS!!! The damask had almost 3.5 METERS!
I CUT BOTH FABRICS OFF OUR LOOMS!!! The damask had almost 3.5 METERS!
Day 21
TUESDAY 17 AUGUST 2010
Weave weave weave weave weave weave cappuccino weave weave weave weave weave weave lunch weave weave weave weave weave more cappuccino weave weave weave weave weave weave weave dinner with the feet up.
Weave weave weave weave weave weave cappuccino weave weave weave weave weave weave lunch weave weave weave weave weave more cappuccino weave weave weave weave weave weave weave dinner with the feet up.
Day 20
MONDAY 16 AUGUST 010
Only tomorrow left to weave, so I wove and wove and wove today from one loom to the next. I wove a solid, perfect stretch of the red-warped iridescent as long as my forearm (or the length of my foot, whichever you prefer) and can't wait to cut it off of the loom! Producing that much silk in one sitting, as a novice, is a huge and wonderful accomplishment. "Alex is taking over!" Eva, our Italian instructor, exclaimed after I had switched looms and was beginning my fifth color way.
We ate a delicious lunch today for the occasion of Vittorio, Lisio's longest standing weaver visiting our studio. Barbara, our Eugene professor and Lisio program head, made spaghetti with sauce from scratch. Vittorio brought traditional salami made with no preservatives and whole peppercorns. It was mouth wateringly salty and delicious. Jean Paulo, the secretary's little brother (42 going on 24) and Lisio intern, teased me for picking out the salami's hunks of white fat. Vittorio also brought his home made raisin wine. Tradition dictates that one dips little biscotti into this sweet and very strong alcohol and consumes them with delight. I let the others try it while I snacked on the 85% cocoa chocolate bar that was floating around the table. Conversations were riddled with laughter and bursting with Italian gestures. The luncheon was a lovely break from the passing of shuttles.
Only tomorrow left to weave, so I wove and wove and wove today from one loom to the next. I wove a solid, perfect stretch of the red-warped iridescent as long as my forearm (or the length of my foot, whichever you prefer) and can't wait to cut it off of the loom! Producing that much silk in one sitting, as a novice, is a huge and wonderful accomplishment. "Alex is taking over!" Eva, our Italian instructor, exclaimed after I had switched looms and was beginning my fifth color way.
We ate a delicious lunch today for the occasion of Vittorio, Lisio's longest standing weaver visiting our studio. Barbara, our Eugene professor and Lisio program head, made spaghetti with sauce from scratch. Vittorio brought traditional salami made with no preservatives and whole peppercorns. It was mouth wateringly salty and delicious. Jean Paulo, the secretary's little brother (42 going on 24) and Lisio intern, teased me for picking out the salami's hunks of white fat. Vittorio also brought his home made raisin wine. Tradition dictates that one dips little biscotti into this sweet and very strong alcohol and consumes them with delight. I let the others try it while I snacked on the 85% cocoa chocolate bar that was floating around the table. Conversations were riddled with laughter and bursting with Italian gestures. The luncheon was a lovely break from the passing of shuttles.
Day 19
SUNDAY 15 AUGUST 2010
Today is the Day of Ascension - the day Mary rose to heaven without dying...or so they tell me.
Very busy day today. Or perhaps just long. Went to see the Boboli Gardens (I advise packing water and a snack...I learned the hard way) and the Porcelain Museum. The gardens were largely gravel, mostly switchbacks dotted with sculpture. There were smooth, antispherical marble modern art pieces hidden in shady areas. The porcelain museum had also been overrun by modern ceramic work, sitting in glass cages just like their noncontemporaries. It was like going into a chocolate factory and finding chocolate flavored broccoli.
Just outside of the Piazza was a string of painters. I purchased three wonderful ink and watercolors from a dark haired Italian with shocking blue eyes. I told him that I was in Italy with a class of weavers. He told me to come back to see him without the class.
Today is the Day of Ascension - the day Mary rose to heaven without dying...or so they tell me.
Very busy day today. Or perhaps just long. Went to see the Boboli Gardens (I advise packing water and a snack...I learned the hard way) and the Porcelain Museum. The gardens were largely gravel, mostly switchbacks dotted with sculpture. There were smooth, antispherical marble modern art pieces hidden in shady areas. The porcelain museum had also been overrun by modern ceramic work, sitting in glass cages just like their noncontemporaries. It was like going into a chocolate factory and finding chocolate flavored broccoli.
Just outside of the Piazza was a string of painters. I purchased three wonderful ink and watercolors from a dark haired Italian with shocking blue eyes. I told him that I was in Italy with a class of weavers. He told me to come back to see him without the class.
Day 18
SATURDAY 14 AUGUST 2010
More rain today. When there is a storm here, the power will periodically die out. So, when I heard the first thunder clap yesterday, I thought to myself, "Save your work everybody!" except that we weren't on computers, we were on looms (which influenced computers eventually...).
More rain today. When there is a storm here, the power will periodically die out. So, when I heard the first thunder clap yesterday, I thought to myself, "Save your work everybody!" except that we weren't on computers, we were on looms (which influenced computers eventually...).
Day 17
FRIDAY 13 AUGUST 2010
Card correction is the bane of my existence, but I'll be damned if I can't read the cards I punched rightways, backways, sideways, and upside down.
Rain today, errands tomorrow. There is so little time left! I'll just have to come back ;)
Card correction is the bane of my existence, but I'll be damned if I can't read the cards I punched rightways, backways, sideways, and upside down.
Rain today, errands tomorrow. There is so little time left! I'll just have to come back ;)
Day 16
THURSDAY 12 AUGUST 2010
I am pretty much awesome. You should know that I am a superhero. I have seen an entire project from graph paper to loom, by my own efforts, in a single day, with enough time to spare for a weave sample with 10 color ways. I rock. Just sayin'. Plus, I went out and took care of errands (on foot!). Today's gelato: ciochocolato (dark chocolate) and (e) zuppa inglesia (some sort of hazelnut-vanilla-chocolate-wafer combo). Ricotella is still my favorite. Mmmm cinnamon.
Amy had a good idea of blasting through as much cloth as possible, or at least a good chunk, enough to make a small coin purse or likewise. I would like to weave one more sample like today's (well, two would be best - one for University/Lisio and one for making bookmarks) then do color chunks to make things out of. I also need to work on the red warped loom. That one would be better for project cloth, but it will weave only half as quickly at best. I'll see.
I'm looking forward to a good session of stretching tonight. I've got to watch my posture. When working with my hands in small scale, my frame crumples further and further inward. Time to lift my chest and set my shoulders back and down. My collar bone feels tight when I stand straight. Got to feel good to look good. Streeeeeetch stretch stretch.
I am pretty much awesome. You should know that I am a superhero. I have seen an entire project from graph paper to loom, by my own efforts, in a single day, with enough time to spare for a weave sample with 10 color ways. I rock. Just sayin'. Plus, I went out and took care of errands (on foot!). Today's gelato: ciochocolato (dark chocolate) and (e) zuppa inglesia (some sort of hazelnut-vanilla-chocolate-wafer combo). Ricotella is still my favorite. Mmmm cinnamon.
Amy had a good idea of blasting through as much cloth as possible, or at least a good chunk, enough to make a small coin purse or likewise. I would like to weave one more sample like today's (well, two would be best - one for University/Lisio and one for making bookmarks) then do color chunks to make things out of. I also need to work on the red warped loom. That one would be better for project cloth, but it will weave only half as quickly at best. I'll see.
I'm looking forward to a good session of stretching tonight. I've got to watch my posture. When working with my hands in small scale, my frame crumples further and further inward. Time to lift my chest and set my shoulders back and down. My collar bone feels tight when I stand straight. Got to feel good to look good. Streeeeeetch stretch stretch.
Day 15
WEDNESDAY 11 AUGUST 2010
Accomplishments: finished 1st sample
getting hang of loom, beating notes
selected colors for personal sample
created a solution for gifts and extra fabric
finalized secondary project graph
mostly got over the homesick hump
set schedule for weaving (AM proj. 2, PM proj, 1)
Purchases: 1 pair white linen shoes
1 pair black linen shoes
1 V-neck blue comfy sweater
Tomorrow: AM punch all cards for proj. 2
lace all cards for proj. 2
wind bobbins for proj. 2
install aforementioned cards onto loom
PM begin and complete 1 sample w/4+ color way
admire new shoes
rest
Monday-Tuesday: weaveweaveweaveweaveweaveweaveweaveweaveweave
Wednesday: cut all weaving off of warp and clean shop
Accomplishments: finished 1st sample
getting hang of loom, beating notes
selected colors for personal sample
created a solution for gifts and extra fabric
finalized secondary project graph
mostly got over the homesick hump
set schedule for weaving (AM proj. 2, PM proj, 1)
Purchases: 1 pair white linen shoes
1 pair black linen shoes
1 V-neck blue comfy sweater
Tomorrow: AM punch all cards for proj. 2
lace all cards for proj. 2
wind bobbins for proj. 2
install aforementioned cards onto loom
PM begin and complete 1 sample w/4+ color way
admire new shoes
rest
Monday-Tuesday: weaveweaveweaveweaveweaveweaveweaveweaveweave
Wednesday: cut all weaving off of warp and clean shop
Day 14
TUESDAY 10 AUGUST 2010
Damask weaves incredibly fast, especially if you beat gently and use multiple weft threads plied together. All the better to work on my (and Judith's) additional project. We are feeling the pinch of encroaching deadline. Just when you think you are ready to go home, you find yourself wishing you had more time. I lost my favorite pen yesterday. Sad afternoon. But I purchased a two pack of the only capped pens (no push-buttons) in the store, and a three-pack of glues sticks - the smallest pack size of reasonable price. The pens write better and cap more securely than their American counterparts, and the glues sticks have a screw-on cap so I will never have a sticky backpack again. Happy day.
Also, cappuccino is delicious.
After class, Tori, Shaina, Alissa, and I went to a museum to see the David. He hadn't grown into his hands and feet yet, and his brow gave away that he was very concerned and under stress. The dome above him and other purposeful architecture helped monumentalize him. Still, his size was impressive. Shaina summed it up when she exclaimed that, "his nipples are huge!" The sculptures were magnificent. I could spend all day caressing them with my eyes. One room is filled with plaster molds. The women are sensual, and the children are haunting. The busts of men trying out different facial hair are hilarious. At the end of the day, we treated ourselves to, what else but, gelato. This time, I picked two flavors I did not recognize: nocciola and stracciatella. Turns out they were pretty normal. Nocciola = hazelnut, stracciatella = chocolate chip. I plan to make up for it by reaching my rice flavored gelato tomorrow.
Damask weaves incredibly fast, especially if you beat gently and use multiple weft threads plied together. All the better to work on my (and Judith's) additional project. We are feeling the pinch of encroaching deadline. Just when you think you are ready to go home, you find yourself wishing you had more time. I lost my favorite pen yesterday. Sad afternoon. But I purchased a two pack of the only capped pens (no push-buttons) in the store, and a three-pack of glues sticks - the smallest pack size of reasonable price. The pens write better and cap more securely than their American counterparts, and the glues sticks have a screw-on cap so I will never have a sticky backpack again. Happy day.
Also, cappuccino is delicious.
After class, Tori, Shaina, Alissa, and I went to a museum to see the David. He hadn't grown into his hands and feet yet, and his brow gave away that he was very concerned and under stress. The dome above him and other purposeful architecture helped monumentalize him. Still, his size was impressive. Shaina summed it up when she exclaimed that, "his nipples are huge!" The sculptures were magnificent. I could spend all day caressing them with my eyes. One room is filled with plaster molds. The women are sensual, and the children are haunting. The busts of men trying out different facial hair are hilarious. At the end of the day, we treated ourselves to, what else but, gelato. This time, I picked two flavors I did not recognize: nocciola and stracciatella. Turns out they were pretty normal. Nocciola = hazelnut, stracciatella = chocolate chip. I plan to make up for it by reaching my rice flavored gelato tomorrow.
Day 13
MONDAY 9 AUGUST 2010
Sunglasses: still awesome. I have a sandal-tan.
Judith and I took a pleasant walk this afternoon through the upper residencies down tot own and the big COOP. A plot of grass and a small overgrown orchard made us feel like we were in the countryside, walking beside an old fortress wall. The bit about the wall may be true. My guess is that it was the original Lisio factory property limit. Lisio was designed as a factory town, a Utopian community of weave production. Today it is a school near the hillsides of Florence, and its students learn more than just weave structure.
Coming back from town, I stopped in to pick up some new gelato flavors. The shop packed a Styrofoam bowl for me to fill with 3 flavors of choice: Riso (rice), Pinolo (pine nut), and Buontalenti (moscarponi cheese). Riso was the first scoop, so I haven't gotten to it as I haven't reached the bottom yet. Unfortunately, they are each a similar creamy white color, so it is difficult to say which is which. From my guesses, I think that the pine nut is, well, nutty. The darker of the two has a bold, strong flavor and little bits of solids. The lighter (Pinolo my guess) is smooth and creamy. I like it better so far, though I have high hopes for Riso. Ricotta is still my favorite.
Sunglasses: still awesome. I have a sandal-tan.
Judith and I took a pleasant walk this afternoon through the upper residencies down tot own and the big COOP. A plot of grass and a small overgrown orchard made us feel like we were in the countryside, walking beside an old fortress wall. The bit about the wall may be true. My guess is that it was the original Lisio factory property limit. Lisio was designed as a factory town, a Utopian community of weave production. Today it is a school near the hillsides of Florence, and its students learn more than just weave structure.
Coming back from town, I stopped in to pick up some new gelato flavors. The shop packed a Styrofoam bowl for me to fill with 3 flavors of choice: Riso (rice), Pinolo (pine nut), and Buontalenti (moscarponi cheese). Riso was the first scoop, so I haven't gotten to it as I haven't reached the bottom yet. Unfortunately, they are each a similar creamy white color, so it is difficult to say which is which. From my guesses, I think that the pine nut is, well, nutty. The darker of the two has a bold, strong flavor and little bits of solids. The lighter (Pinolo my guess) is smooth and creamy. I like it better so far, though I have high hopes for Riso. Ricotta is still my favorite.
Day 12
SUNDAY 8 AUGUST 2010
In a city erupted from the sea, whose largest walkways are crumbling canal bridges, the only place to stop and rest are areas of transition: stairways of stepping stones leading directly into the sea. The bells toll for all this Sunday morning, chiming a chorus with the gulls and dogs - the only animals I have seen on these islands who do not inhabit their murky green waters. This water reflects the bright Tuscan sun in sparkling kaleidoscopes on the faces of Venice's bleached buildings. Orange tiled roofs cap facades of cracked and crumbling plaster, exposed brick laced with thick green algae. Rooftops and windows weep pale streaks where rain water has gushed and washed away the once-vibrant paint. There is not a single skyline in which at least 3 churches can be found. The pigeons sound like squeaky dog toys. The city is infused with the scent of the sea. Judith, who enjoys seafood, likes it.
"The sea sparkles like a silver-weft ground." - Barbara
Back in Florence this afternoon. Moped motorists are crazy! Swerving in between and in front of cars.
Two thumbs up means "f*ck off."
Home sick today.
In a city erupted from the sea, whose largest walkways are crumbling canal bridges, the only place to stop and rest are areas of transition: stairways of stepping stones leading directly into the sea. The bells toll for all this Sunday morning, chiming a chorus with the gulls and dogs - the only animals I have seen on these islands who do not inhabit their murky green waters. This water reflects the bright Tuscan sun in sparkling kaleidoscopes on the faces of Venice's bleached buildings. Orange tiled roofs cap facades of cracked and crumbling plaster, exposed brick laced with thick green algae. Rooftops and windows weep pale streaks where rain water has gushed and washed away the once-vibrant paint. There is not a single skyline in which at least 3 churches can be found. The pigeons sound like squeaky dog toys. The city is infused with the scent of the sea. Judith, who enjoys seafood, likes it.
"The sea sparkles like a silver-weft ground." - Barbara
Back in Florence this afternoon. Moped motorists are crazy! Swerving in between and in front of cars.
Two thumbs up means "f*ck off."
Home sick today.
Day 11
SATURDAY 7 AUGUST 2010
This morning, Barbara took us to see a shop full of antique weaves - crests, pillows, hangings, costume fabrics, cords - and on the way we passed (or were passed by, rather) a newly wed couple in full wedding garb swishing through the Venice streets. It is tradition for a couple to be wed on a Saturday morning then walk through all of Venice to have their photograph taken with the city's monuments.
The islands are segregated by use: There is a glassworks island initiated in order to prevent city fire by the glass blowing kilns; there is a cemetery island; and there is a lace island with a working lace factory. This is where our group headed.
The waterfront makes me homesick for Maui.
Lace island homes are a technicolor rainbow in white trim. There is not a spot on the place that does not smell of the sea. I want to paint my home this radical and vibrant color scheme. The cherry gelato is decadent. Everything is more expensive on an island.
The intimacy of coffee and tea cups here is giving me an itch to be in the ceramics studio throwing.
ananas =/= bananas, ananas = pineapple
Judith and I walked from the docks at one end of Venice the whole way across to the other side where our hostel is. On the way, we came across a mask making shop with cute paper maché mice. At first, the artist tending shop was standoffish, but when Judith asked how he made his little animals he became lively and opened up. I found him more interesting and beautiful than his work.
Street lamps here are paned with tinted pink glass or creatively decorated with colorful blown glass.
Crema Venetia gelato tastes like all sherbets frozen together and mixed with teeny fruit jelly pieces and crisps/chocolate shavings.
This morning, Barbara took us to see a shop full of antique weaves - crests, pillows, hangings, costume fabrics, cords - and on the way we passed (or were passed by, rather) a newly wed couple in full wedding garb swishing through the Venice streets. It is tradition for a couple to be wed on a Saturday morning then walk through all of Venice to have their photograph taken with the city's monuments.
The islands are segregated by use: There is a glassworks island initiated in order to prevent city fire by the glass blowing kilns; there is a cemetery island; and there is a lace island with a working lace factory. This is where our group headed.
The waterfront makes me homesick for Maui.
Lace island homes are a technicolor rainbow in white trim. There is not a spot on the place that does not smell of the sea. I want to paint my home this radical and vibrant color scheme. The cherry gelato is decadent. Everything is more expensive on an island.
The intimacy of coffee and tea cups here is giving me an itch to be in the ceramics studio throwing.
ananas =/= bananas, ananas = pineapple
Judith and I walked from the docks at one end of Venice the whole way across to the other side where our hostel is. On the way, we came across a mask making shop with cute paper maché mice. At first, the artist tending shop was standoffish, but when Judith asked how he made his little animals he became lively and opened up. I found him more interesting and beautiful than his work.
Street lamps here are paned with tinted pink glass or creatively decorated with colorful blown glass.
Crema Venetia gelato tastes like all sherbets frozen together and mixed with teeny fruit jelly pieces and crisps/chocolate shavings.
Day 10
FRIDAY 6 AUGUST 2010
Voyage to Venice today. The sinking city looks like it's floating across the water, skimming along with doors that open to the sea. The sewage system was made for an older, less populated, less sinking time. After dropping off our meager gear at our hostel, having crossed shallow bridges and bulge-bellied window irons, our group ventured out in search of the San Marco church. On our way, we got caught in another drenching rain. Amy and I broke off to dash under cover of restaurant (delicious pumpkin soup and polite lost children) followed by an exploration of the nearby letter shop and vintage sales. I plan to go back to the letter shop for a seal and wax (for my copious amounts of snail mail....none). At the vintage shop, we got old Russian pins, the decals of which I need to investigate before donning. Along the way, cheap glass earrings were purchased - a wonderful pink and silver combo cube. I'm still waiting for an event to inspire the purchase of a classy hook-handled full size umbrella. Perhaps my plan is too romantic to work. I'll see. Back at the cafe just outside the door of our hostel, I shared a pleasant, slow chat with Amy over my cappuccino and her coffee (café). Umbrellas, dogs, people with tails, boyfriends. I could definitely enjoy more evenings like that: slow chat in the evening under a café umbrella while it drizzles on the street.
In the lobby of our hostel, a visitor played music on the charmingly awfully tuned and squeaking piano. One of the tunes was a song from one of my favorite romances. I felt virginal love in that moment, and the pull on my heartstrings lingers. Kinder hazelnut-filled chocolate is delicious. Blood orange juice is strange and lovely.
Voyage to Venice today. The sinking city looks like it's floating across the water, skimming along with doors that open to the sea. The sewage system was made for an older, less populated, less sinking time. After dropping off our meager gear at our hostel, having crossed shallow bridges and bulge-bellied window irons, our group ventured out in search of the San Marco church. On our way, we got caught in another drenching rain. Amy and I broke off to dash under cover of restaurant (delicious pumpkin soup and polite lost children) followed by an exploration of the nearby letter shop and vintage sales. I plan to go back to the letter shop for a seal and wax (for my copious amounts of snail mail....none). At the vintage shop, we got old Russian pins, the decals of which I need to investigate before donning. Along the way, cheap glass earrings were purchased - a wonderful pink and silver combo cube. I'm still waiting for an event to inspire the purchase of a classy hook-handled full size umbrella. Perhaps my plan is too romantic to work. I'll see. Back at the cafe just outside the door of our hostel, I shared a pleasant, slow chat with Amy over my cappuccino and her coffee (café). Umbrellas, dogs, people with tails, boyfriends. I could definitely enjoy more evenings like that: slow chat in the evening under a café umbrella while it drizzles on the street.
In the lobby of our hostel, a visitor played music on the charmingly awfully tuned and squeaking piano. One of the tunes was a song from one of my favorite romances. I felt virginal love in that moment, and the pull on my heartstrings lingers. Kinder hazelnut-filled chocolate is delicious. Blood orange juice is strange and lovely.
Day 9
THURSDAY 5 AUGUST 2010
Today is a torrential downpour. Grecian-scale thunder and lightning - with hail!
Amy tells me that there are a couple versions of the tale of the locks on the bridge:
1) A young couple locks their piece together, then throws the key into the Arno (the river) to secure their love forever more.
2) Young men about to leave for the army place a lock there, in essence promising to survive their battles and return home.
Shaina+Amy+Judith(floating)'s lampas group began weaving today, and we all got our first glance of their pattern. It looks great! Their color selection (2 golds, silver, and charcoal) is sooooo classy.
Finished punching and correcting cards. Laced, stacked, and ready to hang for weaving.
"btw Amy is awesome" - Amy
After class, Amy and I wandered downtown, confident in the brief rays of sunshine gleaming out from behind the rain clouds. Our goal: the lingerie and sleepwear shops downtown (Intimissimi has great shirts). A gelato pause was requisite upon bus departure. I tried ricotta flavored, and my taste buds were rewarded magnificently. The creamy mountain atop my cone of sugar was laced with modest cinnamon. It will be difficult to try a new flavor. I treated Amy, as she was kind enough to unclog our shower drain. In town I splurged on an elegant and fun olive colored dress. On our way back to the apartment we caught the bus the wrong direction! All was well, because we stopped off at the grocery store nearby (which was in our plans all along), and I got an extra box of chocolate chunk granola hazelnut cereal to bring back home with me.
Ate the same dinner as lunch - Judith's cooking of farro with carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms with a vegetable bouillon - delicious. With post-purchase salted butter and bread of course.
Also: I got 2 pennies from Amy today and 4 from the grocer. I'm thinking....cuff links. :)
Also also: The butts on the statues of male figures downtown are gorgeous. Just sayin'.
Today is a torrential downpour. Grecian-scale thunder and lightning - with hail!
Amy tells me that there are a couple versions of the tale of the locks on the bridge:
1) A young couple locks their piece together, then throws the key into the Arno (the river) to secure their love forever more.
2) Young men about to leave for the army place a lock there, in essence promising to survive their battles and return home.
Shaina+Amy+Judith(floating)'s lampas group began weaving today, and we all got our first glance of their pattern. It looks great! Their color selection (2 golds, silver, and charcoal) is sooooo classy.
Finished punching and correcting cards. Laced, stacked, and ready to hang for weaving.
"btw Amy is awesome" - Amy
After class, Amy and I wandered downtown, confident in the brief rays of sunshine gleaming out from behind the rain clouds. Our goal: the lingerie and sleepwear shops downtown (Intimissimi has great shirts). A gelato pause was requisite upon bus departure. I tried ricotta flavored, and my taste buds were rewarded magnificently. The creamy mountain atop my cone of sugar was laced with modest cinnamon. It will be difficult to try a new flavor. I treated Amy, as she was kind enough to unclog our shower drain. In town I splurged on an elegant and fun olive colored dress. On our way back to the apartment we caught the bus the wrong direction! All was well, because we stopped off at the grocery store nearby (which was in our plans all along), and I got an extra box of chocolate chunk granola hazelnut cereal to bring back home with me.
Ate the same dinner as lunch - Judith's cooking of farro with carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms with a vegetable bouillon - delicious. With post-purchase salted butter and bread of course.
Also: I got 2 pennies from Amy today and 4 from the grocer. I'm thinking....cuff links. :)
Also also: The butts on the statues of male figures downtown are gorgeous. Just sayin'.
Day 8
WEDNESDAY 4 AUGUST 2010
After class, Judith, Amy, and I went into town (Amy and I for shoes, Judith for exploring) and found a street to come back to later. Meandering toward a medieval bridge, we walked through a street with the most interesting iron and wood doors. I got to snap a gorgeous Florentine sunset complete with arched bridges, waterfront villas, wrought iron lamp post and little cars. We passed one arch with a mass of small keylocks stuck on a railing. I still vaguely wonder what that is all about. Meeting up with Judith on the sunset bridge, we head off in search of delicious Italian food, and she led us to the most fantastic restaurant! Tucked between alleys, the entrance leads immediately downward to a stone plateau split between a standing bar and restaurant entrance (down more stairs of course). The walls are brick and plaster and are covered with art and found objects - thick painting on burlap, old army cap, dusty wine bottle - and the menus are paper glued to wooden plaques hinged neatly. The spelling of the English translation is charmingly atrocious. The food served is gourmet and the waiting staff professional. Chatting with each other from our wooden bench thrones, we grazed on bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar before the main course: for Amy, a stew-like warm dish with puré vegetables in a red sauce and teeny pasta bits; for Judith, a meatloaf-like presentation of wild boar with mushroom sauce and mini toast with a salad; for myself, a sirloin of pork glazed with honey and chili flakes with spinach cooked with rosemary. Putting the spinach on bread helped mask its texture, and I could still enjoy its mouthwatering flavor. The food was SO GOOD!!! and the vibe was great! According to Amy, the wine was marvelous, but I couldn't care less. It did look very pretty in her glass though. Everything was so wonderful that I cleaned my plate and, while the girls were holding their stuffed bellies, helped finish Judith's salad and polished off the last of Amy's pasta dish. When we asked for the check, we were presented with a rose-cut green tomato on a napkin with a note, "To the best table: Hi, I'm Michele, the chef of restaurant. Hope you like food that I made :-) ....Ask to the waiter a limoncello I offer for you. Thanks" The limoncellos came without our inquiry, and so did the chef! He sat with us, the only table in the room with three single ladies, and told us about how he lived in Britain and Baltimore, and asked after our Italian travels. We made quite the impression, because he offered to cook for our whole Lisio school and bring it to us! That is, until we told him how far away it is. Judith pulled the matron card and graciously got us out of the restaurant in time to catch our bus home (the chef hadn't even finished his shot of limoncello), and walking on the way, who else did we chance to happen upon but the rest of the girls from our trip: Tori, Shaina, and Alissa! Walking home was great fun!
After class, Judith, Amy, and I went into town (Amy and I for shoes, Judith for exploring) and found a street to come back to later. Meandering toward a medieval bridge, we walked through a street with the most interesting iron and wood doors. I got to snap a gorgeous Florentine sunset complete with arched bridges, waterfront villas, wrought iron lamp post and little cars. We passed one arch with a mass of small keylocks stuck on a railing. I still vaguely wonder what that is all about. Meeting up with Judith on the sunset bridge, we head off in search of delicious Italian food, and she led us to the most fantastic restaurant! Tucked between alleys, the entrance leads immediately downward to a stone plateau split between a standing bar and restaurant entrance (down more stairs of course). The walls are brick and plaster and are covered with art and found objects - thick painting on burlap, old army cap, dusty wine bottle - and the menus are paper glued to wooden plaques hinged neatly. The spelling of the English translation is charmingly atrocious. The food served is gourmet and the waiting staff professional. Chatting with each other from our wooden bench thrones, we grazed on bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar before the main course: for Amy, a stew-like warm dish with puré vegetables in a red sauce and teeny pasta bits; for Judith, a meatloaf-like presentation of wild boar with mushroom sauce and mini toast with a salad; for myself, a sirloin of pork glazed with honey and chili flakes with spinach cooked with rosemary. Putting the spinach on bread helped mask its texture, and I could still enjoy its mouthwatering flavor. The food was SO GOOD!!! and the vibe was great! According to Amy, the wine was marvelous, but I couldn't care less. It did look very pretty in her glass though. Everything was so wonderful that I cleaned my plate and, while the girls were holding their stuffed bellies, helped finish Judith's salad and polished off the last of Amy's pasta dish. When we asked for the check, we were presented with a rose-cut green tomato on a napkin with a note, "To the best table: Hi, I'm Michele, the chef of restaurant. Hope you like food that I made :-) ....Ask to the waiter a limoncello I offer for you. Thanks" The limoncellos came without our inquiry, and so did the chef! He sat with us, the only table in the room with three single ladies, and told us about how he lived in Britain and Baltimore, and asked after our Italian travels. We made quite the impression, because he offered to cook for our whole Lisio school and bring it to us! That is, until we told him how far away it is. Judith pulled the matron card and graciously got us out of the restaurant in time to catch our bus home (the chef hadn't even finished his shot of limoncello), and walking on the way, who else did we chance to happen upon but the rest of the girls from our trip: Tori, Shaina, and Alissa! Walking home was great fun!
Day 7
TUESDAY 3 AUGUST 2010
My sunglasses are still super cute! And comfy!
Judith and I are planning on scheming a liseré weave to be worked on the one remaining loom.
My sunglasses are still super cute! And comfy!
Judith and I are planning on scheming a liseré weave to be worked on the one remaining loom.
Day 6
MONDAY 2 AUGUST 2010
Barbara and I ventured to the Posta after class to exchange our US currency for Euros. It was a scramble! We were worried that we would be late, so we power walked across town like the dickens and got there in the nick of time. We passed a 6 Euro belt vendor I may go back to investigate... In the post office, patrons take a number from an automatic printer (which will print apology notes for people who arrive too late) with a designation (P-post/parcels, A-exchanges, etc.), and there are electric sign boards on which these numbers flick, accompanied by a corresponding teller window number (17 total, this place was crazy!). The tellers, being so busy, flick through numbers quickly if you don't show up promptly. With the wait, I imagine impatient patrons simply walk out. Barbara and I waited nervously, for we had to take our own separate numbers to be called at different times, and only one of us speaks Italian (I'll give you a hint: It's not me)! My number was called first, and as I was scrambling to my assigned window the teller flicked through three more numbers before I crossed the room! My presence there caused a small fiasco, but Barbara's teller was kind enough to take care of the both of us. I got a penny out of the deal! I'd thought those were not used any longer. After Barbara and I checked out at the COOP later in the evening, I got another penny! It was my lucky day for sure.
Barbara and I ventured to the Posta after class to exchange our US currency for Euros. It was a scramble! We were worried that we would be late, so we power walked across town like the dickens and got there in the nick of time. We passed a 6 Euro belt vendor I may go back to investigate... In the post office, patrons take a number from an automatic printer (which will print apology notes for people who arrive too late) with a designation (P-post/parcels, A-exchanges, etc.), and there are electric sign boards on which these numbers flick, accompanied by a corresponding teller window number (17 total, this place was crazy!). The tellers, being so busy, flick through numbers quickly if you don't show up promptly. With the wait, I imagine impatient patrons simply walk out. Barbara and I waited nervously, for we had to take our own separate numbers to be called at different times, and only one of us speaks Italian (I'll give you a hint: It's not me)! My number was called first, and as I was scrambling to my assigned window the teller flicked through three more numbers before I crossed the room! My presence there caused a small fiasco, but Barbara's teller was kind enough to take care of the both of us. I got a penny out of the deal! I'd thought those were not used any longer. After Barbara and I checked out at the COOP later in the evening, I got another penny! It was my lucky day for sure.
Day 5
SUNDAY 1 AUGUST 2010
Today is a lazy day. Everyone woke up later than we have since we arrived. One of our party has heat stroke. I look forward to sitting in the shade, sketching after the Duomo's flowing sculptures and marbled geometries. Its cream and green stone are absolutely gorgeous. I love the way its faces shift behind one another as you move around it. The scale of Florence's buildings grows more impressive daily.
TEE HEE! A FLORENTINE MAN JUST WALKED OUTSIDE THE APARTMENTS INTO A GARDEN FENCED BY MY STONE WALL PERCH. HE IS WEARING NOTHING BUT A BLACK SPEEDO AND A THIN LAYER OF LOTION. SO THIS IS HOW THEY GET SO BRONZE.
Yesterday, I bought the Best. Sunglasses. Ever! They're so cute! I probably look like a big dorky tourist, but I know I'm fabulous ;)
I ate my first suggestively-shaped pear today. I teased Judith for putting them in the shopping cart, but they are the most delicious pears I have ever tasted.
Today is a lazy day. Everyone woke up later than we have since we arrived. One of our party has heat stroke. I look forward to sitting in the shade, sketching after the Duomo's flowing sculptures and marbled geometries. Its cream and green stone are absolutely gorgeous. I love the way its faces shift behind one another as you move around it. The scale of Florence's buildings grows more impressive daily.
TEE HEE! A FLORENTINE MAN JUST WALKED OUTSIDE THE APARTMENTS INTO A GARDEN FENCED BY MY STONE WALL PERCH. HE IS WEARING NOTHING BUT A BLACK SPEEDO AND A THIN LAYER OF LOTION. SO THIS IS HOW THEY GET SO BRONZE.
Yesterday, I bought the Best. Sunglasses. Ever! They're so cute! I probably look like a big dorky tourist, but I know I'm fabulous ;)
I ate my first suggestively-shaped pear today. I teased Judith for putting them in the shopping cart, but they are the most delicious pears I have ever tasted.
Day 4
SATURDAY 31 JULY 2010
Judith, Amy, and I adventured around the Duomo today in search of a flea market and gelato. We caught the end of the market - a small square packed with old furniture and army surplus - and will return later for photos. Dark chocolate gelato is delicious, but coconut is still my favorite. Shaina has heard about a mysterious cheese gelato that I am now quite curious about. Prior to our downtown expeditions, we braved the enormous COOP grocery store in main Florence. I had become so used to the teeny shop here in Lisio that the Grand Daddy Coop was daunting! Hands down the largest grocery (non-bulk) I've ever seen. The baskets had wheels and one long handle, and carts were equipped with a carrier for a hand-scanner. They had everything but oats, and it was all very fairly priced. Most everything is rounded to half euro fractions, none of that 99 cent bull.
In town, Amy and I sat outside a bar and people-watched. Well, I people-watched while she dog-watched. Disgruntled, mangy pigeons eyed us from atop their iron worked perch. Amy cooed at little dogs and I giggled at sharp-dressed men. We both chatted about fashion and the city.
Judith, Amy, and I adventured around the Duomo today in search of a flea market and gelato. We caught the end of the market - a small square packed with old furniture and army surplus - and will return later for photos. Dark chocolate gelato is delicious, but coconut is still my favorite. Shaina has heard about a mysterious cheese gelato that I am now quite curious about. Prior to our downtown expeditions, we braved the enormous COOP grocery store in main Florence. I had become so used to the teeny shop here in Lisio that the Grand Daddy Coop was daunting! Hands down the largest grocery (non-bulk) I've ever seen. The baskets had wheels and one long handle, and carts were equipped with a carrier for a hand-scanner. They had everything but oats, and it was all very fairly priced. Most everything is rounded to half euro fractions, none of that 99 cent bull.
In town, Amy and I sat outside a bar and people-watched. Well, I people-watched while she dog-watched. Disgruntled, mangy pigeons eyed us from atop their iron worked perch. Amy cooed at little dogs and I giggled at sharp-dressed men. We both chatted about fashion and the city.
Day 2
THURSDAY 29 JULY 2010
First Italian rain, warm and wet. We watched lightning, listening to deep thunder boom around the foundation, rumbling our lights out. As the droplets passed beneath a street lamp across the way, they illuminated orange, and the lamp spat sparks.
perfavore = please
(io) studio = I study
scuso (informal), scusi (formal)
Mi dispiace, ma non parlo italiano. = I am sorry, but I don't speak Italian.
prego = you're welcome
va bene = OK/that's fine
grazie mille = thank you very much
Things that look old here really are.
First Italian rain, warm and wet. We watched lightning, listening to deep thunder boom around the foundation, rumbling our lights out. As the droplets passed beneath a street lamp across the way, they illuminated orange, and the lamp spat sparks.
perfavore = please
(io) studio = I study
scuso (informal), scusi (formal)
Mi dispiace, ma non parlo italiano. = I am sorry, but I don't speak Italian.
prego = you're welcome
va bene = OK/that's fine
grazie mille = thank you very much
Things that look old here really are.
Day 1
TUESDAY 27 JULY 2010
1st graffiti sighting in Rome was in English script: HOPE, ROME. 3 planes, 2 trains, and one bus later... Amy and I arrived to our apartment after 26+ hours' travel to our friends just finishing cooking ravioli dinner. They shared, we showered and promptly went to sleep (after cleaning up the kitchen of course).
Italy has been very different than I had expected. The streets and cars are teeny, sidewalks teenier, villas with tidy architecture and unwashed faces. These were things I expected. What struck me were the people's kindness and smudgey colors; the bronzed women with their cakey eye shadow and everyone looking tidy in public; my nutella snack pack complete with teaw/lemon and the low price of groceries (and cashier effort! although ours was very nice about showing us how to use the produce self-scan).
1st graffiti sighting in Rome was in English script: HOPE, ROME. 3 planes, 2 trains, and one bus later... Amy and I arrived to our apartment after 26+ hours' travel to our friends just finishing cooking ravioli dinner. They shared, we showered and promptly went to sleep (after cleaning up the kitchen of course).
Italy has been very different than I had expected. The streets and cars are teeny, sidewalks teenier, villas with tidy architecture and unwashed faces. These were things I expected. What struck me were the people's kindness and smudgey colors; the bronzed women with their cakey eye shadow and everyone looking tidy in public; my nutella snack pack complete with teaw/lemon and the low price of groceries (and cashier effort! although ours was very nice about showing us how to use the produce self-scan).
Travels
Italy is weird. The doorknobs are in the middle of the doors and don't have locks on them. The flush mechanism for the toilet is a pair of huge buttons in the wall. Little dogs are everywhere and they are all well behaved.
These are just a few examples, but what I really want to share are my travel stories. There are some you will only be told over a long delicious dinner with lots of apple cider. There are some you will only be told at 2am when we are feeling saucy and giggly. And there are some I cannot wait to tell you.
I will be posting the contents of my travel journal, along with pictures, so that you can read all about the trip. I will spare you my school notes ;)
These are just a few examples, but what I really want to share are my travel stories. There are some you will only be told over a long delicious dinner with lots of apple cider. There are some you will only be told at 2am when we are feeling saucy and giggly. And there are some I cannot wait to tell you.
I will be posting the contents of my travel journal, along with pictures, so that you can read all about the trip. I will spare you my school notes ;)
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Midispiache
no parlo italiano
After 26+ hours of travel, three planes, two trains, a bus ride and a hike, I made it to the Lisio Foundation in Florence, Italy. I couldn't have done it without Amy, my travel buddy, who speaks Italian better than anyone in our group. It's day 4 and I'm beginning to fall in love with Florence. I still haven't tried all of the city's flavors of gelato, but I'm working on it. I have, however, purchased a freaking awesome pair of sunglasses and have been doing my "I now have the best sunglasses in the known universe" dance since the moment I got my 4 Euros in change.
Until later, my darlings. Ciao!
After 26+ hours of travel, three planes, two trains, a bus ride and a hike, I made it to the Lisio Foundation in Florence, Italy. I couldn't have done it without Amy, my travel buddy, who speaks Italian better than anyone in our group. It's day 4 and I'm beginning to fall in love with Florence. I still haven't tried all of the city's flavors of gelato, but I'm working on it. I have, however, purchased a freaking awesome pair of sunglasses and have been doing my "I now have the best sunglasses in the known universe" dance since the moment I got my 4 Euros in change.
Until later, my darlings. Ciao!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
D&D
Lauren, Curtis, Michael, and I have been playing Dungeons and Dragons for the past couple of weeks and plan to make it a weekly get together in the fall. I also plan to create a monthly game night of crazier stuff like Flexible Mattress (Apples to Apples but all the cards and questions are player-written) and other board games. Our Dungeon Master, Michael, is very theatrical and entertaining (and patient thank goodness). Lauren is a human bard, and we shall soon be serenaded with Lady Gaga. Curtis is an elvish monk who's slogan is "penis." My character, Friend, is a halfling rogue notorious for being downright weird (like licking people or taking the fingers of fallen enemies as trophies). I bought my own dice set last night and am ready for play again in the fall when we're all back in town!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
outlier [ˈaʊtˌlaɪə]
n. an extreme deviation from the mean
Malcom Gladwell's "Outliers" is a text that strives to prove that context counts. Culture matters. Opportunity matters. Arbitrary societal decisions matter. Practice makes perfect. The extraordinary are no more than ordinary people with unusual circumstances. The concepts are simple, and the case studies are shocking. I would put this text on my "list of literature for my children" and hand it to them when they ask me why they are raised the way they are, why some people are more successful than others, why there is or isn't distance between themselves and their social superiors. In fact, it would be a great book for a 9 year old. I wish I'd read this when I was in the 5th grade, before learning some of these lessons the hard way. I recommend Outliers to any age as ultimately motivational company.
Monday, July 19, 2010
SO Excited!
I'm going to Italy in a week! Eeeee!
I also like someone who likes me back! Double eeeee!
I'm also in the middle of painting my new room RED and PINK! Tripple eeeee!
AND some of my work is headed to Portland for a gallery showing of international student work! Quadruple eeeee!
Put me in stripes and I'll sing you a quartet. EEEEEEE!
From the Schnoz's Nostril
I smell with my little schnoz...a Doppelganger! I was first exposed to "Perfume, the story of a murderer," by Patrick Süskind, in film form and was enchanted. The tale of the serial murderer-perfumer was a bittersweet cast of comedic characters and a misunderstood lead. When the movie rolled in the last of its reel, or spun the last of its magnetic etchings rather, the story's antagonist was, to me, a protagonist for the senses. In novel form, he is a straight up creeper. The movie represents the storyline fairly, but there is a level of disgust and mistrust lost in translation. Ideally, I would like to read the book in its original German print. As it is, the book was a quick read and the movie only a couple of hours. I recommend either of them as interesting company, and I think that American readers would enjoy the film experience more so. (btw I mention that not because Americans are lazy, but because I fear loss of content from cross-cultural translation in the novel, as well as the level of visual appreciation found in the states)
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Tipping the Scales
I don't own a self weight scale. Never have, probably never will. So I was surprised to find, when I tested the novelty at Gramma's house, that I weigh less than my ten year old boy cousin. We both have problems. Now I want to make this clear: I eat when I am hungry, and I eat nourishing food. I know how to eat right, and I know how to pack snacks that deliver a protein-and-calorie-filled punch. I just haven't been paying much attention lately. Here's to a fun-filled 4th of July weekend and healthy weight gain!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Mouthwatering
"The Evolution of Desire" by David M. Buss definitely goes on my list of "literature for my future children." The publication examines mating practices of humans worldwide to provide the what's and why's of human sexual relationships and mating partnerships despite cultural bias. While most of the content covers familiar ideas, the new information makes the whole book worth reading. Recommended for individuals of all relationship status, this book was affirming, surprising, disturbing, consoling, and educating company.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Hyperreal
In the past 5 days, I've written an entire grant packet complete with artist statement, resume, cover letter, bio, application, and taken images of work, with a slide list. I've also met with Dana Singer, the executive director of the Society of North American Goldsmiths (and who I volunteer under), Maegan Atiyeh, the visual arts director for the Oregon Arts Commission, and Sienna Patti of Sienna Gallery. It's time for a cool glass of sun tea and a nice book to mellow out with.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Potty Jokes
Are you ever immensely impressed with the duration of your neighbor's urination while you're sitting (I've never used a urinal) in the bathroom? An anonymous woman next to me peed for what had to be a full minute today. I nodded in approval. Shook my head in disgust when she didn't wash her hands though.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
German Retreat Spring 2010
123 AB....D?
This is a summer for learning:
- moving out of disappointing living environment to a green place (living with guys, woo!)
- summer school: answering questions about how to survive as an art post-grad, and weaving in a foreign country for three weeks
- triple-country escapades: Germany, Italy, France, GO!
- possible part time job (also possible teaching opportunities!)
- teaching myself: sign language, guitar, poi spinning
- reconnecting with: music, writing, food, literature, and most importantly myself
Edit: I also signed up for a singing course in the fall!
Re-edit: The professor moved the course time slot for singing, and I can't take it anymore. So bummed.
Really?
It's the worst feeling when you turn around and tell yourself, "I told you so." I'm always right, I just don't always listen.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Playa
You wake me so gently, kissing the sand from my eyes, 6:30AM. In your warm embrace I feel ready to take on the world as we betray my alarm clock. We have a lot of history, you and I, wrestling with each other school day mornings. No wonder I feel awful when I turn my back to you and snuggle into 8 O'clock. 8 brings me thick, useless dreams. The whole bed is the wrong side when I wake up late with 8. No matter who I go to bed with (homebody 10PM, middle-man Midnight, mischievous 1:30 sneaking us into Tomorrow's backyard pool for a dip) you're there waiting to snuggle me awake. But now I have no school, no obligation. I don't need you, 6:30AM. I'm not even sure if I like you half the time. But when you wake me, the sun is shining (and the cat is meowing) and I'll kiss you goodbye as I step out of bed, tucking you back into a crumpled corner of blanket until Tomorrow finds us.
xoxo
Alex
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Gap Body Summer Adventure
Why hello, Appetite. Long time no see. And you're bringing my girls back too! My spidey senses are tingling for an epic undies bonanza!
PS I LOVE bootcut jeans. Just thought everyone should know.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
End of Term
This term has culminated in a huge snowball of stress, and last night that ball of stress-snow was chucked at a brick wall. My metals professor hosted a potluck in the evening for all of us grungy shop kids (it's a joke...since we're jewelry and metalsmithing, most of the ladies are *quite* fashionable) as well as our guest artist from Germany. So there we are: soaking up the first afternoon of sun in a grassy backyard (with salvia in the garden lol) while our pregnant professor mixes up a continuous supply of mojitos (her non-alcoholic beer was so silly!), listening to MGMT on vinyl. A couple of us started a fire pit, and we roasted mini marshmallows on bamboo skewers. I topped off that evening with my first night to blues dancing since the term started. I had some magnificent dances (the leads have been working on their musicality, yay!) and got a hearty "welcome back!" from everyone I danced with. Would love to get some people together to go out of town for dancing now that school is out.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Lvl Up
The handicapped guy at my bus stop, who only hits on hot chicks, tried to talk to me this morning. I think I just leveled up.
Pushover
Can't I take one day off and not feel guilty about it? Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE having a schedule so busy that by the end of the day, you haven't accomplished something, you've accomplished a whole slew of things. Being so productive, people are astonished by what you've done and how well you've done it. Keeping your mind active and engaged. But damn, a girl needs some rest once in a while!
Nowadays, I'm never satisfied when I go to bed, and if I sleep in or lay in bed thinking in the morning (a slothy vice, but one I love all the same) I feel like a pathetic slacker.
Learning to love the down time again.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Curiosity
If there is one thing I am, it is: curious. If there is one thing I am not, it is: good at not indulging in my curiosity. Example: 4chan - I've been on just about all of its pages, for better or worse, and am uncomfortably familiar with Goatse (it took me a long time to stop trusting those "it's just a cute bunny" URL links).
Case in point: reading ex-boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's blog. Now I know that this sounds...well, it doesn't sound like anything, since it's text, but it seems wrong on a lot of levels, especially since she and I have never met. BUT...well but nothing, it's weird. I know. Now on with my story.
Long story short, I ended up becoming familiar with one girl through her blog and began to notice the similarities between us. While we're vastly different people, it has been comforting to see that she's gone through similar feelings and anxieties, dreams and ways of expression that I indulge in as well. It may be a twisted circumstance, but I feel a bit comforted. It was also interesting to see that the so-talked-about-ex's-ex is completely human, and came with her full set of mishaps and disagreements. Of course, that opens up a whole new can of worms: "What if I'd not been so accommodating? What if I'd brought up the silly extraneous things I thought he didn't care about? What if...?" In reality, the real question is, "What if he hadn't lied to me?" That, friends, would be another life track entirely.
So I'm pretty sure that this posting was going to state some sort of moral about always being comfortable with who you are in whatever company you're with, or about the twisted dynamic internet information sharing has given our society, or even something as simple as, "Hey look, I'm doing something weird again." In any case, I have to get back to teh irl. And breakfast. Breakfast would be great.
Disclaimer: the things I've read about these people are from their public social networking sites, never taken second hand or backdoor-snooped.
Scholars, Astronomers, Space Jets, Oh My!
Gregorian-style chants + teenage astronomy scholars = alien space adventure .....what!?
Monday, May 24, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
The Power of Mead
"The boundaries of our country, sir? Why sir, to the North we are bounded by the Aurora Borealis. On the East we are bounded by the rising sun. On the South we are bounded by the procession of the equinoxes and on the West by the day of judgement."
Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" is a wonderful audio companion. Aside from the reader's talent, the novel's numerous vignettes pop up like daisies and weave themselves into a beautiful and haunting chain. While the concept of modern gods and of gods abandoned yet still clinging to their folklore is not revolutionary, the characters and their development are so strange and charming that it's difficult to put them down (or pause the track, in my case). There are so many stories, like so many pieces of candy in peppermint bark, that the novel becomes more of a collection of folk tales than the traditional singular thread. Great company if you're willing to drop the tail of a tale for another without warning.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Evolution and a Swede
With much bore and listlessness, I recently finished listening to the last of Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander series. Character development throughout these books was so slow that it took me two entire novels to care what happened to the male and female leads. When I did, I was sorely disappointed with soap opera drama fit for daytime TV. The timeline was inaccessible and plot twists predictable. All in all, it was acceptable company for hours of studio work filing and soldering and zoning out.
In contrast, Richard Dawkins' "The Greatest Show on Earth" was charming and informative. The structure of his arguments for the theory of evolution leave the reader/listener nodding his/her head along with the text, following with no room for doubt or argumentation. Dawkins' narrative style is at once sharp tongued and humorous. I recommend this book to anyone curious about evolutionary theory or to any persons lacking science and entertainment in their diet. Satisfactory read, good company.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Bonfires and Sea Anenomes
The first thing I'm going to do when I get a car is drive to the coast and spend the weekend trolling the beach in the giant blue coat I bought from Goodwill, making sand drawings and picking up interesting creatures. The sand fleas will prickle my ankles, and wet grit squish beneath my chilly feet. I'll be all legs and jacket and rustling blonde hair in the beach wind. Nights will be spent coaxing log fires to gently toast skins of mallow, slightly squished from my flannel pocket between car keys and sea shells. I'll eat them in layers, gnashing crispy skins between my teeth, crunching on salt and sand. The undulating vastness of the great Pacific hypnotizes while the sea fog plays a slow technicolor light show as the sun passes behind it. Seals bark lazily on their small island beyond a black rock jetty. On my way home, I can't forget to pick up saltwater taffy from Flamingo Jim's treasure trove of tourist goodies. It's family tradition.
Monday, May 10, 2010
My bathroom sparkles!!!1!!
I will never let pink mold grow in my shower again. No longer will males be afraid to lift the toilet seat.
Too Much Fun
Perhaps the problem with up keeping my blog is that while I'm having fun, I don't think to myself, "Gee, I should stop what I'm doing right now to write about how much fun I was having before I stopped, especially for the benefit of the millions reading about me I'm sure." So the moral of the story: stop doing so much stuff?
I could try to remember a bit better, but my friends know how that goes....
All in all though, I don't feel like I'm involved enough. I don't feel like I've gotten much done, even after finishing projects for school and going out to dance. Volunteering is only once a week for a couple of hours, and I've had unfortunate time conflicts with Toastmasters. Hopefully my part time job applications come through for the summer. Perhaps joining a community organization is in order. Or creating one...
Friday, May 7, 2010
Meh
Lost enthusiasm. Distracted. I'll go to my backpack to grab my keys and look through all the pockets for a class file instead. Reassessing my position in life all the time. I need something new, had hoped blogging would be it. Can't put my thumb on what I want to do at all. Feel like I'm clawing at the walls but don't know where to go. Letting friendships slip out of my fingers. Blogging incomplete sentences. Been thinking about writing again. No summary for this post.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Lady Gaga, You Break My Pandora
Poor Pandora internet radio just can't tell what to do with Lady Gaga. As expected, it's given me Rhianna, Justin Timberlake, and Brittany Spears. I've also been played Jack Johnson, Journey, Frank Sinatra, The Scorpions, Gary Jules' "Mad World," Kansas' "Dust in the Wind," and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." Pandora, you make me lol. Lady Gaga, you make me double-take.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Time Capsule: Inception
A brief snapshot of life on the birth of my blog to look back to:
- Ruined a potentially wonderful relationship with a man who cares about me
- Struggling to sustain a friendship with a boy I make uncomfortable because we didn't make it
- Just finishing up my first period off birth control after a full year of various prescriptions
- Unhappy with my living situation
- Don't know if I can afford the schooling I want
- My feet are cold because I am not wearing pants or socks
Looking forward to
- Kindling the flames of new friendships and old (I have more friends now than I ever have!)
- A bazaar this Saturday, the producer of which told me that I am more than welcome to consign my works in her kitschy shop
- BFA in metals and fibers (enthusiasm from my professors a year before I have to apply!)
- Internship next fall with Goldworks
- This summer's escapades
- My Skype date with the parents (for the three years since I've lived on my own we've talked once a month on average; this week I've instituted a weekly Skype get-together and Dad is thoroughly excited yay!)
- Putting the space heater on my feet
- Living with new perspectives
A Bit on Blogs
For the longest time, I've been fed a stigma against blogs. When my friends first discovered them, all they did was act catty online while they smiled at each other in person. My parents (very influential to me, being an only child) have always been wary of information sharing. Now that I'm out of the house with a whole new crowd, I'm curious. A few very influential people in my life blog, and I have to admit that I'm emulating them by starting one. I struggle to define the line between public and private space. My blogging fear is that the postings will become a public diary. That is not my intent. I want to create a space where I can update my family and friends on what is going on in my life, a space where I can share what I'm making, a space where I can watch myself expand and share my lolz. Welcome to my life.
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