wanderings and some other emotions

! tell your friends !

2009-12-26T15:07:00.000-08:00

The Opening Reception is from 5 -9 pm on January 8th, 2010!!!!

pass it down.

love love love
sarah

last week ever? kinda.. ok fine... last 2 weeks... but not really...

2009-12-06T15:45:00.000-08:00

so after what must be over a year of me saying "almost there" i am actually almost there. only one more actual class, a couple individual critiques... then final planning for the show in january...
then... life?
any suggestions?

philly

2009-11-06T08:27:00.001-08:00

my only question:
is the rest of the team scattered around the city?

day of the dead

2009-11-01T09:08:00.001-08:00

gianna and my halloween situations.
hoping to find another excuse to do it again.
(halloween in december? costume party on new years eve??? anyone??? maybe?)

to do:
- finish current advanced serigraphy project... fo'real....
- get together proposal for advanced serig. final (with ashley??? collaboration time?)
- work on advanced etching project... seriously... just do it...... ya know?
- find/ finalize space for BFA show (fun..... no self-induced stress there)
- finish up next batch of independent study tattoos ( read: finalize drawings, print, apply, shoot, print, etc.)
- figure out how i will manage to sleep during the month of november?

wish me luck. i'm almost there...

ocean grove

2009-10-24T16:18:00.001-07:00

just about 8 weeks

2009-10-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

i stopped biting my nails. don't know how it happened, but it seems to be holding up as a dropped bad habit. maybe that is what happens when you have a birthday? who knows. tea shop is slow. gray friday, but it was a nice morning. i will always love the feeling i get after i mail a letter. it has been so slow here that i wrote another two letters. i think i need more people to write to. interested? leave me an address. a nice bunch of projects underway. and most likely they are all more complicated than they need to be. but hey. that is what makes it all worth it, no?

note to self.
personal new year:
- for real this time, start documenting your work... (i mean come on, get over all of the ideas about why and how and blah blah. just do it.)
- 'do' in order to find out what happens.
- don't stop asking questions
- do stop doubting
- stop spending so much money on coffee
- stop spending so much money?
- stop drinking so much coffee???
- allow making work be the release, not the stifler
- ... all that other stuff.. but you know, just keep going

8 more weeks... so much to do in those weeks... and then what?

blast from the past/who gave me a mickey soft toy?!!!

2009-09-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

project temp. tat.: part 1

2009-09-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

As this last of semesters here at Tyler starts to take off, 'project temporary tattoo'* is also underway. While i am excited about this project and in a slight state about only having 4 classes this semester, i find myself still feeling out of steam. I am excited but have not enough fuel in me to really build any momentum. I have however found this new quiet sense of entitlement (the less obnoxious variety of one of my biggest pet peeves) with which i get to walk around this place... (read: i'm more awesome because i almost never have to come back here!!!!!! ???)
Anyway, as it stands, i have been calling all kinds of crazy companies, and "reading" all kinds of crazy descriptions all because i am trying to figure out if i can purchase what i need to coat paper for my own temporary tattoos, thus opening up a whole new level of possibilities. I can not really figure out which chemical combination is what, although i think i have at least 3 good leads... from my reading... and stuff...
SO! if you recognize, or know someone who may recognize any of the ingredients listed below, please let me know. (aside from all the color pigment stuff, i know what all that is)

NOTE:
- they have really strange, but telling temporary tattoos in Kentucky
- power washer acting up already?! = oh good lord...
- already have a count down of the weeks left until December 18th in my planner
- am at 15 weeks left on said count down
- have yet to abandon planner for my manic list making technique = good sign. stay strong.
- am constantly letting my mind float away from what i should be focusing on... more-so than usual, leaving me too often in a state of 'wait... whoa... no idea how so-and-so got to this topic...' = problem???
- usual fantasies i drift into are about these long-weekend trips i think i would be able to take just because i don't have classes on fridays = irrational and totally unrealistic ... right?
- would life be easier if i opened a little store somewhere and just lived a quiet existence by the ocean??
- what would i sell?
- keep on keepin on yall

o! and the first wedding i have ever been to was awesome!
maybe pictures... some day... no promises

*not the real name of project. real name to be revealed at a later date.

day 1. check.

2009-08-31T17:33:00.000-07:00

The beginning of the end and the new beginning
or
One inch left between me and my sanity
or
I would like one day at a time please. thank you.
or... the list goes on...

i know i was all super blog and stuff....

2009-08-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

ok.
so... my bad.

i know i never did that whole super blog, that might have been mentioned at some point.... oopsie? look, see, what had happened was i had this moment of enlightenment that went something like this:
me: aw hellllll naw.... i only have two weeks of no school before more school!?
self: yeah.... ain't that some shit....
me: ... and my internet that i pay have of the service for isn't working on my computer again? (even though the awesomeness of jim tried to fix it)
self: yeah... that happened too...
me: well, i heard that i really love it when i can actually feel the sunshine on my skin rather than just staring at it through panes of glass...
self: yo, naw, that is true yo...
me: well... maybe instead this whole super blog thing... i could just.... how do i say?
self: go outside instead??
me: .... yeah.
self: go. and be healed little one.

with that said.
pictures of some kind of something that might be called art by some will be posted "soon"

concerns:
- starting school
- being in school
- finishing school
- being in the real world

who finds a problem in this?

love
sa.

out of the office

2009-08-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

- summer session 2 ends tomorrow. i hope/plan to be in a car driving myself to OCEAN by no later than friday noon.
- i am convinced that meredith is sleeping with gourmet magazine. but i am ok with that.
- there is a pile of letters i need to stamp and mail.

COMING SOON:

THE SUPER POST (look for it in a blog near you.... like maybe this blog.. later this week.. kinda deal...)

for the love of polaroids

2009-07-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

this is how long my hair is now.
it has already grown a little bit.

the this summer i wish was here and me in it too

2009-07-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

i know it has been forever.
and those of you who read this probably stopped checking.
i stopped checking.
you know, life happens, and you realize that sometimes the moments you could take to post a picture, or some words have been gone and used up by other things that
are either arguably necessary, or arguably not.
anyway, the point is, here i find myself, with at least 17 min.s before my next class, in a beyond freezing room in the new tyler school of art building - so why not make a thing of it. i spend monday through thursday here, from a little before 9 to somewhere around 4. it is so cold in here that in my little break between classes, everyone on main campus stares at me in shock that on this day breaking at 88 degrees or so, i scurry around of coffee in long jeans, closed toed shoes and a sweater.

some things:
- i am making a brush up mold out of pepto bismol pink silicone, and it is of a street stump.
- i have done a couple box molds in polyurethane of roosters (that i cast in neon orange and blue plastic)
- there is an old school glass milk jar that i have done a blanket mold with that i just filled with white pigmented foam and latex.
- i keep hoping to better develop this idea for a traveling research project, but keep not doing that.
- i am trying to figure out how i can get a job where i get to travel around the world talking to strangers.
- printmaking is trying my nerves. ...but i have a couple ideas left.
- i am feeling slowly aware that many many people who i know are leaving philadelphia, or have already gone.
- i want to leave philadelphia, and it is debatable that i have already gone.
- am interested in renting a store front in new part of trend-town-philly.

i love and miss many people

next post:
pictures of something will be included

i still live!

2009-04-15T20:05:00.000-07:00

ok
i know i haven't been around in awhile.
so, i have been workin on all kinds or stuff...
but since i was here emailing these to the lovely
cici, i figured i'd post them....

also...
if any woman would like to send me a photo
so i can do one with their face, i would be so happy....

peace yall

2009-03-21T12:24:00.001-07:00

teaher penny? are you out there??

just a little bit...

2009-03-20T16:46:00.000-07:00

ok, here is just a taste of some stuff that is going on in my every day situation.
these are just some woodblocks and i will put up some of the actual prints after i get some more of them.. i am still figuring stuff out.

and...
so these were the first ideas from my whole 'word' situation...
i'm still playing with this too,
so give me some time.
these aren't all of them either, but...
give me time to get the rest up later on...

stayin alive

2009-03-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

so..
i am still here. i swear.
i just got back from a beautiful almost-week in sarasota florida with the gianna and friends. it was a very needed breath of fresh air and ocean waves. too good. but now, back in the realness philadelphia. things are rolling again.
anyway...
here are two (pretty crappy) pictures of some stuff i am trying out. they are both woodblock prints, from different woodblocks layered on top of each other.

i am loving poetry class and and interested in pulling text into images and playing with that...
but anyway. this is a preview.
i promise i'll post more this coming week when i get my ass back in the studio.
peace and love love all around

hood+scarf = hoarf ???

2009-01-26T16:48:00.000-08:00

i learned to crochet in class. i love crocheting.....

the tale of the kodish eskind family jewish christmas adventure

2008-12-25T14:23:00.000-08:00

We find ourselves on christmas morning. A beautiful morning really - as long as you aren't the "white christmas" type. As the day goes on, bagels and lox, cream cheese, tea.. coffee... cookies... and so on... we laze our way through the day playing music, sharing pictures and such and find ourselves in a splendid afternoon. Momma kodish wants to take a walk to the woodlands cemetery. Now, while that might sound morbid and strange, it is actually a very peaceful piece of land and we often see deer and animals wandering around. So, no one opposed to the idea and momma kodish fairly excited, off we went. Once at the cemetery we wandered around, taking in the red sunset and sprawling sky, the crisp air, the soft ground and the old stones that lay so quiet. After some walking we decided we were done and headed for the big main gate to leave and start the walk home. We arrive at the gate to find it locked shut. Papa eskind rattles it around a little only to prove that it really is locked up tight. What other family would or could get themselves locked into a cemetery on christmas night. it is getting more dark and more cold by the second. We start to all toss out some ideas. Ruth and i could more or less easily climb over the big front gate, and probably under it, but that would leave mom and dad. so that was no good. We had seem a woman and her dog just a moment ago, how had they gotten in and maybe they knew a way out? What about that other gate - no that was locked when we walked by it earlier. We decided to walk towards where we saw the woman and where another gate might be. On the way dad spots a loose bar in the surrounding spiked iron gate that surrounds the cemetery. A stroke of luck, he pulls a little and it comes loose, leaving enough room for us all to easily slip through the gate and spill onto the freedom of the sidewalk where we began our walk home.

the quilt. part 1?

2008-12-12T15:19:00.000-08:00

so this is the quilt. it is better to see in person... but i think most things are better in person.
i am going to continue to embroider and possibly paint into it over winter break...
it is not where i want it to be...
but i feel like this quilt gave me a lot. if nothing else it showed me that if not done under crazy stress i really love screen printing. i think i am going to teach myself how to actually quilt (this is just my patchwork on top of a quilt i didn't make. although the process of sewing all the cut-to-fit patches took a hefty amount of work in it's own right.)
anyway.
here it is. so far.

sorry for the crappy color

2008-12-12T09:45:00.000-08:00

so the color isn't what it could be... but at least i took some pictures.
however, the mother of all projects was the quilt, and i have yet to get a good picture of it, so
yall are just gonna have to hold tight....
i'm sure you're on the edge of your seats...

sleep?

2008-12-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

almost there..... almost almost done....
learning a lot of stuff...
more alter about all that.
but for now, happy times that facebook doesn't want to let me upload.. sorry g...
(happy bday... again...)

2008-11-10T11:12:00.000-08:00

so... here are the serigraphy project results... for the most part...
not too happy with them, but they were a learning process...
maybe a jumping off point to something else?
maybe just an experience i've had....
ummm.... they kind of took on a life of their own, and i'm not sure....
well. whatever. they are what they are, and i wasn't expecting what that became.... yeah

oh, and some more hands... i have this hand thing right now...
this is from litho, and i'll be adding a color layer to it as soon as i find photo litho plates....

peace yall

reignited faith in humanity

2008-11-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

"there is never anything false about hope"

i love you all

just got them back. they're some from the summer-ish time

2008-10-31T19:45:00.001-07:00

also,
http://vimeo.com/2035927

to do: win the world series (check), elect obama for president (check in next week)

2008-10-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

first of all,
philadelphia. i love this city. last night was crazy. so much love, so much thanks, so much happiness. good times.
the phillies were awesome. enough said.

second of all,
i have been meaning to post these for like... a week.

(that is the back and front)
much love all around.
can't wait for the halloween parade... although.. i do have class.... and work to do...
we'll see what happens.

more light dances/sun scans

2008-10-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

that second one i didn't take... as you can see.
but thats aight.

a little bit of history

2008-10-24T16:05:00.001-07:00

just one part of where i'm coming from.

also!

2008-10-23T19:44:00.001-07:00

Xiomara and i have started a blog together. please check it out.
spreading the love always,

sarah

Diamond girls @ http://truebusinessyo.blogspot.com

call me baby

2008-10-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

i have a new phone.
i seems to recieve and make calls ok.
but all my numbers are gone.
um...
what else.
more art soon.

peace

they covered the west in phone lines, and now no one uses them

2008-10-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

hey yall.
just wanted to let everyone know that due to some unfortunate events
(of which i am not at liberty to discuss at the moment)
my phone is in a coma.
i am working on getting a new one.
so no one can say that i've been ignoring their calls and stuff.
ok.

love

sarah

a couple litho prints

2008-10-15T18:37:00.000-07:00

two small ball grain litho prints.

and i went into a couple of them a little bit.. so see what could happen

just putting these out there.

just a quickie

2008-10-13T21:17:00.001-07:00

first of all, it is hard enough to do most things when there is less and less sunlight every day, but it is just makin me feel all crazy-like. when the sunlight that there still is presents the most beautiful days and colors...
i can't believe i feel this way now.. it is only october... damn.

well. moving on.
i am finally getting some ideas rolling. more better funner projects....
you know.
more on that later...
anyway.
here is my finished serigraphy print
(sorry for the shitty picture. maybe i'll get a better one later... maybe)
9 colors.... 9 screens.... goodness.

more later.
peace.

finally photos (also known as 'sun scans')

2008-09-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

here are some of the pictures from the two black and white rolls of 127 film that i took on my brownie holiday camera. i will soon (next week to 10 days??) post the color photos too.

on being a river???

2008-09-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

i know is has been awhile.
my bad.
you know, summer ended, school started, and so on.
i spent the last three days at the rittenhouse square fine arts fair,
in a student booth selling art work.
it's funny,
i remember cutting school with gianna this time, when it was really nice out, and there wasn't anything going on at school,
and we walked around rittenhouse looking at the art...
funny how time goes.
but it went well - the fair that is. i spent a lot of time gathering and making new and old work to bring, and i (as well as the other two students i split the tent with) got really great feedback.
i hadn't realized how much it can wear you out though... standing around and talking to people all day. it was really fun (i mean... what do i love more than connecting with people over some good words?) but also very very draining...
and there are a nice handful of people you really don't want to talk to.
but anyway. here are a couple of the small pieces that i made for the fair.

this one is by meredith and myself. we did a couple pieces together.

also, i have been making some necklace charms out of old eyeglass lenses that dr.moon gave me years ago.
i think i am gonna try to sell them at first friday.

and here are a couple starting points for school.
this first one is a litho drawing, the first one i've done and pulled a print from.
and the second is a drawing/painting/whatever that i am going to turn into a serigraphy print... which means lots of planning and so on...
i'll keep you updated.

aside from that,
it's all good.
i'm enjoying life
and trying to ignore the little holes of
doubt and fear and so on... yall know how it goes.
spread around the peace and all the love,
and i'll make sure to start posting more often.

i've been here and gone

2008-08-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

lack of posting, i know. but the nice thing about summer is that there is no real pressure to do some things... some things. other pressures arise, sure sure...
anyway. here are some somethings, and i am sure as school starts again, only more is to come.

Thank Holiness for Rainy Daze

2008-07-13T11:54:00.001-07:00

The Song is called "Notes For Out West" and even though it says the file is deleted, it isn't. all lies.

boomp3.com

be home soon

Ode To The Androscoggin

2008-07-09T07:44:00.001-07:00

up in Maine. this is one of those rare days we leave the woods and make the voyage into town. we camp outside the public library and steal internet.
anyways. here is one song that ruth and i made. we have made some others but sister feels they are not yet "refined" enough to be published - all exposed up on the inter-web and such.
so.
enjoy.
miss yall all... all yall...

boomp3.com

a little piece of something bigger

2008-07-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

alright. so.
here are some of the little paintings/drawings that i have been working on (and was/am selling)
all the painting was done about a year and a half ago, when i did about 110 gesture paintings of philly.
as they were supposed to be gestures i tried to keep myself from spending too much time on any of them. instead i spent a lot of time deciding on colors and then tried to keep some time constraints on the actualy painting.
i started drawing (and doing a little collage at times) on top of them.
it has been an interesting feeling of present over past... but that may just be me laying on the meaning and symbolism....
but all that aside, it has been really relaxing and fun and... meditative? to make these.

in other news.
this past weekend in d.c. at the smithsonian folklife festival. very cool.
this year was:
- texas with music (sooo good!) food (sooo sooo good!) and wine making (... ? in texas?)
- butan (coolest people ever?) with crafts (sooo cool) religion (very very cool) and ... something else that i am sure was equally awesome... ok. i'm not sure how they divided up the whole Butan thing, but it was all really beautiful.
- nasa (yeah.. i was a little iffy about it, but it was really kinda cool)

update time

2008-06-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

so, the whole foods art sale thing fell through. it had to do with the rain to come and a lot to do with the winds as well. a little upsetting because the whole thing had a really nice feeling to it.

this weekend i'll be gone to d.c.
i am realizing i really need to put together a art site.
i've been having a good time up at ife's twice a week.
the list of my things i need/want to do is ever growing.
i will probably never get my film developed.
and so on.

i'll post pictures when i get back from d.c.
promise.

peace

collections - or - missing buttons

2008-05-31T18:49:00.000-07:00

ok, so i don't know if yall can recall my drawing final... it was all of those paper houses on little platforms. i had left a note with them saying that if someone wanted one, they could take one as long as they left something behind. well, point of the story is i just cam across the list of things i found left of the wall while taking down the little paper homes.
it goes as follows:
1 - 1 euro coin
3 - 21 oz. plastic cup
1 - 21 oz. plastic cup with a little smiling face and hair cut into it
1 - pair of wrapped bandaids with faces (including hair) drawn on them. and the message "we some lovely sistahs!"
1 - red coca cola bottle cap
3 - (used) metro pass
1 - (probably used) metro pass folded into an origami bird
1 - 5 euro cent coin wrapped in plastic with message "it's all i have"
1 - green plastic key chain with message on the paper part of keychain "thank you"
1 - 2 euro coin
3 - note (note 1. outside=a drawing of a heart, inside note 1. "may peace be the journey - cool runnings", note 2. "wow sarah! it looks like your apt. AH! AH! do you there? Mario, Lara, Giulia" note. 3 looks like an uppercase cursive "L")
1 - paper airplane (inside message "careful")
1 - halls breath mint
1 - tyler bookstore caffeine card (3 out of 9 stamps punched)
2 - bobby pin
1 - small shiny earring
1 - hair-clip (black)
1 - barrette (white, in the design of a bow)
1 - cookie (chocolate, with white little stars on it)
1 - headphones (black, in plastic wrapper, unopened)
1 - ribbon (pink)
1 - pack of tissues (says "aloha")
1 - 1 us dollar

and in other news!
still digging into and out of my room (as well as other things...) but this has happened into my life, well, i guess it has been around my life for some time, but it has only now really asserted itself into my presence.

oh the possibilities are endless....

and about those little houses i was talking about above, here they are now, spread out and flattened under some other homes.

how much time am i allotted for "adjusting" ...?

2008-05-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

so, i had decided to give myself around a week to get back into time zone, language, people... stuff.
and i think that time went well. but, i am still not there.. or rather, i think that maybe the adjustments of return happened, and now, all the stuff that is left over is... just.. who i arrived at being after an experiance.
maybe this is another one of those, "yeah sarah... that is how it goes..." kind of things..
but i guess i like the wonder that is sometimes so brilliant in the most simple things.

anyway, here are a couple pictures left over from rome.
these are for xiomara.
this is Dawn.... from the boogy down bronx.

and this is me and xiomara at a really beautiful photo exhibit in Rome.
it's us "through the eyes of a child" ... as it were...

these are from an old project i didn't really finish at tyler. or at least, i didn't finish them how i wanted. they look cooler in real life.

and just some new little thingies i'm playing with.

and this! THIS!!!!

IS MY NEW BABY! it is love, and humanity,.... we'll talk about it later...

much love

wanting to make something good

2008-05-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

i got a new baby camera. it is old, and might be more trouble than it's worth. but i tend to like those kind of things. i have some new little guys i'm making. i find myself wanting to make art (what? wince when??!!) but make art.. make something that.. (i'm scared to say "good art" cause what does that mean?) but i want to make something... with good energy. i don't know. pictures soon soon. f'real f'real.

back here again

2008-05-17T12:34:00.001-07:00

i'm home i'm home.
i am still digging out, organizing and trying to figure out the time and date.
but i'm getting there.
i will make art soon, and let you know how it goes.
promise.

oh, there are so many worlds in this world

2008-05-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

i have been trying to wrap my head around this whole "going/coming home" thing. i am going to be in rome, italy - where i have been living, studing, being for the past 8 months... and then, that every same evening, around 7:30, i will be in philly. my home, where i was born, and grown and such... it blows my mind. how short the time between two worlds that i have come to know... i keep discribing it to people and they just look at me like "... yeah... pretty much that's how it works...."
just take a second to let it sink in...

long story short, i'll be home soon. see yall soon.

to orlando rivera with love

2008-04-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

a couple days ago a friend from tyler passed away. his name is orlando rivera. aside from being one of the most talented artists and printmakers i've met at tyler, he was such an incredible force of kind loving sweethearted warmth. everyone knew orlando, and everyone loved him and he will be missed, yet always in our hearts.
tonight, the tyler kids over here in rome got together, to sit, take some moments and reflect, to start to accept and understand, to decide what is most important is the good times, and the celebration of life, and open our doors to heal, together. it was really was very powerful and meant a lot to me.
we are all in our lives. and it pulls us up and down. but i just wanted to say to all of you reading this, and those of you that aren't, that i love and care about you very much. and you are all important to me.
i have my issues with tyler, and with temple, but i think the reason i was attracted to it in the first place was because of the community that is alive there. like capa, there is care and respect and love for those in the community. and when someone falls down, there is a sweeping compassionate wave of responce to help pull us all back up. this was very present tonight, and it is truly one of the most beautiful gifts people can give to eachother.
with love,

sarah

documentation

2008-04-11T03:54:00.000-07:00

another little "call to arms" piece

the new belly

106 of 110 little houses. i didn't realize it would look like so little. if i ever do something like this again, i will have to make somewhere around 1000 i think. we'll see what happens.

the sign.

it worked! people played. yeah!

we're almost home, we're almost home

2008-04-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

the student show is tomorrow night. then next week is finals. then morocco. then my last week in rome and maybe some tripos to napoli and venezia before i am on a plane headed to the states.
i am not too happy with any of the work i have done here. i did learn a lot however so i guess that is the important part, no?
i am worried my italian will slowly fade away and i don't want that to happen.
but i also have to learn spanish.
and a job, yeah yeah yeah. i know.
anyway. feeling really ready to be home. yet not wanting to leave my baby.
thats it.
i'll take pictures at the student show so we can all see what went down.

peace

yall ate my time!

2008-04-05T06:23:00.000-07:00

ok. so.
here is what has come of the "milagros" pieces. they are all done, or close close close to done.
eyes.

Belly. not sure where this needs to go... but this one has been a long long process... this bugger... maybe it is cause my belly is growing ever so large over here... freaking italian food... and ecuadorian food.... no good... but so good.

mouth.

ear.

feets.

knees.

and this was part of an earlier drawing project. it is wood panel with a pencil drawing on it, that was then covered in wax and then scratched into and those lines were filled with oil paint. yeah.

This are a couple (out of 110) little houses i made that are going to be part of my drawing project. you'll see pictures when it is done.

haven't don't much more work on this one. but here.

milagros

2008-03-20T05:45:00.000-07:00

so these paintings are beginning to get where they want to go. slowly, but surely. good things are happening, but, i repeat, slowly. they are becoming less about me, which is good. they were starting to feel really self involved. and no good. but, now, they are starting to be, more, just... how do i say... i don't know. but, either way, they still aren't finished. they are becoming milagros, kind of. these little pieces of meaning... well, yall will see. the pictures i have are a couple days of work old, but i will post more newer ones in a couple of days. also, that hand piece goes with them. and i finally got them out of my studio and up on a wall together, and that really was when they came together. they finally recognized eachother or something. but anyway. they look better now, and will continue that way. yall gotta trust me.

also, here. this is that one of me, which is also a little further along than it was in this picture. there is my belly and this tiny little guy that just kinda happened.

also,
i have been volunteering at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna installing a Sol Lewitt wall ink wash... jawn. it was really a great experiance. i should go back and help more with the other piece but i have so much school stuff to finish that i don't really have the time. but here.

um... and i have been meaning to post xiomara's happy happy birthday pictures since... well... her birthday (feb. 13)

oh! and also! there is this old, strange looking thing that i have passed a couple times now. it sits in the middle of villa borghese, and one day with meredith we looked inside, and it is a little memorial thingie in there.

this is me and my baby, who i don't want to leave on may 8th when i come home.
although, i do want to come home. for awhile anyway.

love all around

moving... how fast?

2008-03-13T01:47:00.001-07:00

some things seem to be moving at a million miles an hour, while other things(cough cough painting drawing cough) seem to be just dragging along.... well... they're moving.. i should be positive. anyway. i will, i promise take some art pictures sometime soon. this week and next are crazy crazy. i have crits coming up, i have tests in lanugages i don't know, i have papers in languages i don't know, i have to do the whole permesso thing again (boo) i gotta send a million emails and all kinds of fun stuff. the piles and lists are always growing. and the Sol Lewitt thing is taking up a lot of my time. (i am assiting in installing two Sol Letwitt wall pieces at the Galleria Nazionale D'Arte Moderna. it is fun, but it just eats up my free time, and i need to be painting and drawing and doing other things. ya know?)
BUT
anyway.
i got those 4 disposable cameras developed and cd-a-fied and here are a couple.
more atlas mountains

brother folks

some charmin goin down

a friend

oh so good

me being a tree...

the minara

fields of olive trees (= fields of peace??)

stories

where they make moroccan leather (they soak it in pigeon poop. seriously. aparently it has natural amonia in it or something)

socialist stencil in one of the voting blocks (vote for the flower)

ok.
back to work.
love

habibi!!!!

2008-03-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

ok, so i made it back tuesday morning. tired as all goodness, but feeling good. i got a nice niec tan, and now even more people think i am italian... or spanish... or BEREBER! (the origianal moroccans.. aparently... i got some earings, yall'll see....)
so anyway, i meant to write on tuesday but i had to write two papers really quick (one in italian.... yeah.. right...) and i was - again - really tired.
but, morocco! amazing. amazing... i don't have words, really, but i'll force it, make some words happen. *deep breath* ok, here we go.
first of all. i charged my camera before it left, and then it must have turned on in my bag of something, cause it was dead when i got there. but i shot 4 disposable cameras of pictures, and will (and have been) stealing images from joli and meredith.
but yeah.

so, the hostel/riad was a little crazy, but Marrakech is a little crazy. the colors in this city are probably the most beautiful things i have every seen in my life. i mean. wow. just beautiful. the main square is full of vendors all hours of the day and night, with oranges and grapefruits for squeezing, piles upon piles of dates, figs, apricots, nuts. there is the constant sound of snake charmers fluting their snakes, the clopping of hourse hooves, the yelling in arabic and french, the buzz of motorbikes/electric bikes, dancers and drummers, people performing tranditional stories in arabic, acrobats.... people with monkey one leashes... one monkey was in a dress.... the place is life. and a freaking pool of consumption waiting to happen.
but haggeling is fun. and i'm not bad at it, plus i just told most people i was italian and they gave me better prices... or so they said. ("you're lucky you aren't american or i would never give this to you this cheap" but... said in italian... which some people spoke.. some)
but. best thing ever. we met (through couchsurfing, although we didn't stay with them) Marouane and Abdsahd (spell??) who are awesome. beautiful. wonderous people.
Marouane (on the left) was like meeting a long lost brother. i love that boy. and i plan on knowing him for the rest of my life. he is so kind and giving. he is a little piece of love. Abdshad is so much fun. we just played the whole time. he's a sweetie. he doesn't speak english or itlaian, but honest to god, we had some amazing conversations in what i could understand of french and what he could understand of itlaian, and then, a lot of gestures tossed in. communication is amazing. languages are amazing. ... anyway. oh and, p.s. they're socialists. word up.

yeah. the atlas mountains... i climbed some of them. and i drank from the top of a waterfall.... really... i still can't believe i can now say, "i want to go back to africa"

.
but so i'm back now, right.
yeah. i have so much work to do.
i will post pictures of art soon...
i have almost no drive to do art right now.
i just want to inhale the world... ya know?
i dunno.

love love and peace yall

just so yall know

2008-02-25T07:29:00.000-08:00

i made it to morocco!
this keyboard is out of control.
i wish i spoke moroccain arabic, or french.
this place is incredible.
i will write when i get back.

love

le vacanze primaverili

2008-02-22T04:40:00.000-08:00

i know i know,
i have been meaning to post for days now. things got crazier with midterms, and travel planning... you know, like when you find yourself in that moment when you have a pile of laundry to do, your underwear supply is getting low, you have a list of emails to respond to, numerous canvases and drawings that seem to be more in your way more than anything else and so on? so i haven't gotten around to the whole post thing... or emailing you any of yall... but anyway, what it comes down to is that i will make a big juicy post with pictures and words and stuff when i get back from spring break.
i leave early early sunday morning - so more like late late saturday night - for Marrakesh and will get back on the 4th in the afternoon.

until then,
much love and peace

head shoulders knees and toes

2008-02-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

ok. first of all. some cool contemporary art in Rome.
the whole contemporary art world here is.. well... a long long talk. so, some other time for that.
but, for now, i leave you with these. i liked these two a lot.

also, go read giulio's blog about the whole horse thing.

time here has been going by a little too fast, and i have been really caught up in this... this... well, i don't know what to even call it. really, just a huge big equation but istead of numbers, every symbol is like... a question, or a word, or a theory or an idea. anyway, it has been crazy. i have been learning a lot. and thinking/learning proves that you are living right? so good. let's leave it at that.

these buggers..... i think i need to not look at these feet/legs for about a week. we'll see what happens. but i think we need some serious time apart. i need a plan of attack... or something....

and i've been picking at that itch too.

and i actually have done a little more to this, but didn't get a picture yet. i'll take one tomorrow. but who knows when it will make it to the internet.

and finally. for gianna.
i've been smudging up my studio wall a bit, and these two made me thing of those character-design projects, where you look at a blob - or whatever - and pull some character from it.
so anyway, my gift to you. if you want them. or just, whatever.

and with that, i'm out for the night
peace

that whole train thing again

2008-01-29T14:16:00.000-08:00

i find that sometimes working on anything feels like a train slowly getting it's gears moving, but only speeding up at moments only to slow down again. there is that big gearing up feeling, and then a slow weightless wait until - boom. you lock down for that moment and are moving and then there is the climb back to the beginning where you wait to do it all over again.
hope that doesn't sound depressing. cause it isn't. it just is that way sometimes.
but anyway.
here.

so we had some floor.ground changes to do... and still need to really figure out how that is gonna go. expect the floor under my feet to be doing some major shifts in the coming days.

and yeah, so this went down. started getting my little toesies in. but that color loks even more.... um.... scary, on here. whatever. we'll see where those liitle piggies go as well.

and this is that other painting i am trying to beat into some kind of presentable shape.
and a little bit of forward movement (supposedly) here as well.

studio window. pretty day

peace yall

learning to look in mirrors

2008-01-27T03:58:00.000-08:00

painting is finally a little bit underway. it was a hard start, but after a couple hard days, and a couple great conversations, i have started doing a number of self exploration paintings. as of now i only have three going. but we will see what happens. i know this is not very explanitory, but it is a long long story.
keep in mind, none of these are near finished. they have all only just begun.
these are first layers here.
first color.

changed the background color....

first this guy... girl.. woman. me.

oh yeah. i went to this one show. i thought mom would like the leaves. this guy did some beautiful work.

and i love this. love it.

more later

it has begun

2008-01-17T12:37:00.000-08:00

i will be living in that space for the next 3 months or so. alternating only at times for carlos's house and my and xiomara's apartment.

don't judge me, it is the first drawing i've done in a while... ok? ok.

some knees.. the woman's pose, well, i wasn't diggin it from my point of view, but i liked the knees. so i did the knees.

ok. more later.

gettin into some thangs

2008-01-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

after all the rain, i find myself at the apartment, listening to npr. it will always make a place feel like home. (thanks mom and dad... note that that is sarcastic but also a real thanks... yeah) they are talking about online polls about who you should vote for and everyone is saying that they got dennis kucinich. so, i just don't know... what's the problem. let's get him in office, no?

well anyway.
i know i've been slacking with the blog here, sorry. getting things going has been a little busy and rather bumpy. but it seems that as of now, we've got things moving. i've already got a list of things to do. the classes all seem like they're going to be rewarding. i am going to start tutoring this kid in english tomorrow. and may this other kid next week. so thats ok... and yeah, so there you go. the galleries and studios class (which is a group of kids going around and visit the secret world of contemporary art that lives in the back alleys of rome) has made me a little... well, i don't know the word... but it seems that rome is kind of doing this this with contemporary art that goes like so:
- find and set up show of "new" "in" art
- call collectors, museums, rich/known people and ask them to come see
- hope they buy some
- rinse
- repeate

it made me a little sick. basically, if you don't know about these places, they are lost to you. and "you" includes a whole lot of people. i don't know, i guess i cling to the hope that making art is about more than money... but i guess people gotta make a living.. or something..
anyway.

some love from home.

ruth, is this the one you wanted?
more to come in a bit,
i think my pasta is ready

to yall

2008-01-09T01:24:00.001-08:00

root baby: pictures well get here in good time. wifi at apartment is still funky.

len: we do not speak of basil anymore.....

mommaTea: those are good resolutions... i need to make me some resloutions... still...

alex: .... come to rome?

geewee: what happened what happened what happened?? when do i get to find out what happened??

okok so it goes like this?

2008-01-05T02:54:00.000-08:00

the past... i don't even know how mnay days... my whole understanding of days of the week is a little off balance right now... anyway. lets start over.
the past couple of days, or, what seems to have bee the past couple days.. or the past week....
ok. one more time.
over the past bit of time, (here we go) i got ruth to the airport - ruth knows how that went, don't wanna talk about it - and managed to get back to rome and pass out for a nice bunch of hours. (i miss my baby, and think of her when i pass her shoes... you know the ones)this was then follwed an odd ballet of hours that could have been little days packed in brown papaer lunch bags and tucked into the pockets of other hours to eat when needed.... point is, i have traveled between various apartments non stop for the past... (insert amount of time here)

new years was fun. huge and i mean HUGE dinner (something like 9 different plates of food followed by about 4 or 5 different desserts and a bunch of different champagnes, wines and such.) at gerardo's house. really fun. after that carlos and i headed into the more central part of rome for more new years fun.

slept forever the next day. don't remember doing much of anything... at all really.

anyway. other things. moving! i am offically out of my old apartment. nothing of mine is there aside from some pennies, nickles and dimes that i left all prettily laid out (i can't use them for anything) some yogurt with notes on them (asking to be eaten) and three keys sitting on the table top in the kitchen.

the new apartment i like much much much better. aside from it being a little more out of the way (public trans wise) it is in a really nice area, and is just... cute. i'll get pictures up at some point.

xiomara gets in on the 8th! yeah! and school will start doing it's thing again. how are things moving so fast?

and how is everyone??

call it a day

2007-12-29T02:43:00.000-08:00

we did it. wait.. where did we leave you all....
we managed to wake up and get to the russian tea room on thursday, a little place (they weren't kidding about the "room" thing) stuffed to the brim (ha... get it?) with pots covered in russian designs, tea tins, russian fabrics, little paintings, other tea parifenalia, and a nice little selection of russian sweets.
meredith, ruth and sarah cuddled into a corner, picked three teas, and recieved three pots, which we steadily worked our way through. each pot that arrived was delicatly laced in russian patterns of blue and gold on white. much like ones you can find at the house of tea in philly, for a reasonable price! (was that subtle?) anyway. it was a very relaxing atmosphere covered in russian classical music, and spewing aromas of tea and russian desserts. after downing about the tea, the sweets became too alluring, and we ordered "blinis"s.... (pancakes?) one with honesy, and one with chocolate, some chocolate ball thing ("heavenly chochloate ball thing..." ruth) and some sweet cake that melted right into you tounge. all in all, it was a good breakfast.

after tea, meredith split, and we wandered our way to the synagogue (which they actually call a temple, because the "synagogue" in jerusalem was called a temple, and the jews here are ancient, 22 centuries old... we learned stuff.) after figuring out how to get in, we found ourselves in the museum, amungst around 800 embroidered torah covers. beautiful. we talked to the nice women at the desk and got on board for a tour in 15 min.s we wandered through the little museum on our own, and found an unexpected comfort non-jesus images. after looking at various hand written torah's, talmuds, and other things we joined our small english tour group, which consisteed of: two jews from Bordeaux, one from miami, and us... and our awesome italian jew tour guide. along with soem history, she showed us a small spanish temple with pieces from three different spanish temples that were all destroyed. after a small walk through the museum, we were taken into the big temple. now. you should know that due to a terrorist attack in 1982 (and it hasn't gotten better since then) no one is allowed in the temple without a tourguide. and the actualy roman congregation can only enter to pray three times a day. one hour in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one more hour at night. if we wanted to enter for a service, we would have to bring our passports. aparently it is like this all over europe. says our tour guide.
anyway. the temple was beautiful. the ceiling was painted with rainbows, starry skys and trees.... it was more beautiful than any chruch in rome. go team jew.
ANYWAY. then we were hungry. and in the perfect place. the ghetto. after asking at the desk, we were given a map, and directions to a place to get us some JEWISH ARTICHOKES! now... if you have never eaten said artichoke... you need to get your hindparts up on over to roma. and get on it. cause damn.

moving on. we had a nice evening after that. wandered some streets. made it to the pantheon. were given a turtle and an elephant by some jamacian dude. (turtle must stay in my purse, because he always goes along, slowly, but always goes forward. elephant my stay above my door, for peace and love.) that night ruth carlos and sarah went to see a movie. and guess what goes down. about half way through the film ir stops. screen goes black for a second and then says some big word in white. "intermesso" or something like that. "are you kidding me?!" yeah... so aparently, in rome at least, there is always an intermission at the movies... there are toilets in the theater, so you don't have to go far. and a little dude walks around witha tray of candy... this would not go down well in philly...

anyway.
yesterday, we went to see these old catacombs under this old church.... very creepy. old old old. bones bones bones. it was completely made of bones. all the typical things your would see in a chapel, columns, laterns, ornate designs, were all there. made of bones. supposedly the bones were from poor romans (where they down?) and others from friars. wierd stuff.
and in the last chapel there was a grave stone that read "what you are now, we used to be. what we are now, you will be." so yeah.

today:
awake and caffinated. we are going to go hop on a tour bus.. cause there is actually stuff to see in rome... unlike some places (coughphillycough)
also, carlos's mom bought ruth and i tickets to some circus outside of rome. so we're going to do that tonight. and then! FUNK IN THE GHETTO. http://myspace.com/24caratnight
so that could be cool.

so.... with that... we're off
peace peace peace yall

Kickin Out Plugs

2007-12-26T13:07:00.000-08:00

Uhh. We been slackin. Pologizes.

Christmas eve:
At Gerardo's in our fancy dresses (oh lord), with the Carlos fam and some others. Deliciousness foodwise, we're talkin shrimpies, fishies, clammies, noodle-ies? Buncha fast-talkin Italians bein hype (ruth: "buh?"). Funny thing is, nobody in this Christmas eve dinner in Rome was Roman. Some gringas from the states (that's us), Carlos and mom from Ecuador, Sister from Denmark and Ecuador, some Ukranian lady ("mother Russia" as she said), and two chubs from Naples. An international table. We were awarded for being tourists with travel gear for Christmas. Ruth (me) got a passport hangy neck thing - which honestly, won't kill me. Sarah (me) got a - ready? - if a messenger bag and a fanny pack had a baby... bag. Yes.

Christmas day:
Drove around Rome with the whole Carlos fam. Went to an orange garden that's connected to a church - bellisimo. Citrus scents and a beautiful view of Rome (pics on Carlos' camera, ours needed some more juice). As tempting as it was, no oranges were stolen. Walked around. Heard old ladies singing. Looked through a keyhole that had a path through arched trees that lead to a view of the Vatican. But nobody goes in there, only looks through the keyhole. Probably only the pope is allowed. Drove down to Circo Massimo (Giant Circus?), huge ruins and a big green .. space. Park. Thing. Walked over to an old temple, very pretty, no idea what its deal was. Saw this tourist thing. That tourist thing. Very nice time. THEN (DRUMSSS) went to a Peruvian restaurant (the only place open on Christmas), "where all the immigrants go" says Carlos' mom. Goooood fooood. FULL. After naps, met up with Monica, Tim, Chris, went for a LONGASS walk, then watched way too many episodes from season 3 of Weeds, passed out at about 4 in the morning.

Today:
Uh.. Got breakfast around noon. Went to the Forum, beautiful sunlight and mind-blowing scapes. (Picked up some pebbles por la mama). Looked at the arch of our people being conquered. Way to rep, jews. Went to the Colosseo and walked in big circles for a while. Left. Ate some good stuff. Walked to the Pantheon to find it closed. More things seemed to be closed today than on actual Christmas day. BUT. What WAS open was a GELATO place that was HEAVENLY. A million flavors. We ripped that up. (Well, Ruth (I) did her (my) part). Wandered little streets for a bit. Art store was closed - we'll try that tomorrow. Had dinner at Carlos'. Yum. Chilled. Now we're home.

Plans for tomorrow (let's see if they happen):
Russian Tea room in the Jewish Ghetto. Synagogue - to check it out. Nikeroma!! Art store. Cinema.

All in all, the weather is nicer than expected - not too cold, none of that snow stuff we're hearing about on the news in that united states place. Snow in Philly? Doubt it. Any more suggestions before my (Ruth) time is up?

PEACELOVE
roosaa.

p.s. They hooked up a crazy ass nativity scene at the Vatican. If the pope was interested in going into show business, or funding theater in Rome, he'd know who to call. (Ghostbusters?)

Ok we're tired again.

Never Baked Cookies Like This Before

2007-12-21T15:52:00.000-08:00

it began with cuddles and sniffles. we woke at some time that felt like morning, and went across the street to one of those cafe/pastry shops, where all the old men go, who aren't used to the young ones - "ragazze". Drank cappucinos, thought of papa as one of those old men (no offense, daddy), hat brim, he would have fit right in. With a list of things to do, with a list of food to buy, we went to the long long outdoor market. Kinda Ghana, kinda Reading Terminal, all old ladies with their wrinkly angers. Between the hanging sausages, the dangling roosters, and the sliced half of a swordfish, strung from its beak, we wandered and at a few free pastries! slinging our own groceries. Went on a wild goose chase for brown sugar - no, not cane sugar - BROWN sugar. No luck. Back to the house to make chocolate chip cookies in the fashion of sarah and ruth.

How do we go about describing the whole measurement issue? A few gringas searching the net for a cup to metric system conversion (which happens to change depending on what your measuring, and isn't actually correct math within itself). BUT. We digress. We mixed up everything we had, as best we could, grumbling over the lack of brown sugar, singing the temptations. No NPR. So we have a bowl of white sugar chocolate chip cookie dough (Very grainy). At this point, deciding it was the best that we could do, we attemt to light the gas stove. After a couple attempts, and gas in the air (opened the windows, turned on fans), and ashamed google searches, we decided that this couldn't happen here. With tails between our legs, we moved the party to Carlos' house.

When we arrive, bowl of cookie dough and extra cooking supplies in hand (in arms), we encounter a collection of construction workers. Buh? Something is said in Italian about getting into Carlos' house - we decide to wait for Mama, who arrives shortly. Unbeknowest to us, they were there to turn off the gas for the day, as they worked on the building's system. Wonderful day to choose. But! In the meantime, Carlos found us brown sugar at some packed store (ceiling to floor). When we return, Mama Carlos has an idea. We'll bake the cookies in a friend's oven. OK. We think this is odd, but if she feels its ok, alright! We dollap the cookies into two small baking pans (barely a dent in our mound o' dough), and decide to take care of the rest later. Following Carlos out the door with two pans of unbaked cookies, we are led to a friend's oven, yes, a friends house? Not exactly. We find ourselves in the back of an Italian pizzeria where our cookies are going to be baked by Antonio - the expert pizza maker - alongside a slice to go. We tell him ten minutes, the cookies are fried in about three. But not bad or unedible, they are gulfed down eventually. We chat up about Philadelphia, "grazie" profusely, and wander out c"ontent. We are back minutes later (to our suprise) with the rest of the bowl and a much bigger pan- provided by, ours truly, Antonio. We stayed there for another 20 minutes or so, dalloping cookies ("Dolci Americani") and chatting with various employees between mouthfuls pizza. Walking down the street afterwards, with a pan of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, handing them out to strangers (who asked cautiously, "we can eat these?").

Moving on. Chilled at Carlos' for a bit. Went to watch Trine swim. And then wandered off into the darkening Roma. Piazza after piazza, statues, winding little cobblestone streets that lose people. Glimmering candles from warm windows. Actual stars in an actually dark sky. Roma is beautiful at night. We meet up with Monica, Tim, and Chris, and hang out for a while. Then take a nice stroll home, across the river and through the tunnel, to the apartment we go!

NIGHTSLEEEEEEEP.
much love, e pace,
sarahruth

sleepy sisters

2007-12-20T11:38:00.000-08:00

we made it. now we sleepy.
ruth and i are in rome, after a 10 hour flight, and several panini, and so on....
anyway. it was a beautful day to arrive on, and now we are going to hit our respective sacks. hard.
the real adventures will begin tomorrow, and until then these for your viewing pleasure.

(us being tired)

(i made this... cause i'm a crazy white chick.....?)

peace out
lovein
from roof and say-what?

chocolate chips and maple syrup

2007-12-19T06:20:00.000-08:00

so after a busy and happy week (6 days?) at home i am all packed up and returning to the world of Roma. i think of most people in philadelphia, i was the most appreciative of the freezing rain and winds this past week. it opens up those crazy conversations with strangers that are impossible to recount later because they are just too strange. but anyway. the point of the story, is that now that i have gotten to take in those chemicals that are particluar to philly, and just floating in the air here back into my blood stream. i feel refreshed, relaxed and ready to take in some more rome.
as most of you know, i am taking ruth with me, and i am going to hold on to her for about 12 days or so. we are gonna super hero sister team it up... as it were... and roam the roman streets (... get it?) for about two weeks - anyway, we'll post stuff, and so on. but it was good to see everyone... or.. almost everyone. and yall best stay well! anyway, i don't leave for the airport for a nice bunch of hours, but i figured i'd write something now.
p.s.
guess what is opening at the art museum from feb. 20th until may 18th!!!
Frida Kahlo!!!
(http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/278.html)

(this is the image that came in the mail)
anyway.
peace yall
see ya in the spring
love

sup homie

2007-12-13T19:40:00.000-08:00

i am home. i love home. there is something so refreshingly cozy and revitalizing about returning to the nest. even if there is freezing pouring rain outside, and i got completely drenched, i loved it because it was home.
it is strange to be able to understand everything. language wise... that is.
i mean, think about it. it has been 4 months since i have understood basically every word uttered around me.

but i miss carlos

i wish he was here to see my home. him and his mother and sister have been so welcoming to me, and so open. they are my family in rome. i wish he was here to meet my family, and see my home and where i am from. (not that he is from rome.) but he will get to meet ruth who is coming back to rome with me. i missed my baby.
anyway.
i am dead tired, and so confused about time right now. it is either 4:26 am or it is 11:26 pm.... confusion.
i am going to my dreams now.

2007-12-04T03:17:00.000-08:00

happy birthday gee-wee.

home?

2007-12-02T23:27:00.003-08:00

this is gonna be a busy busy month... this december we got ourselves here....

so what had happen' was....

2007-11-21T00:13:00.000-08:00

first off all, thank you for all those comments yall. after thinking more, and reading what yall said, and thinking, "yeah", or "naw..." or "oh?" and some "maybe i could..." and after talking to a lot of other people, and talking a lot ot myself,
i figure it like this.
i made another huge big sarah project that i do not have time for in the time that is allotted. but this does not change to fact that i need to produce something for my final (not that my teacher seems to care about concept anyway... butthead)
so. here is what goes down now.
i am gonna do as follows. this will be the little practice, warm up, test run for what might be later to come, mixed with a pinch of bullshit, and a little dallop of the communication bit (i'll take it as it comes.)
so.
book of stranger faces will be appreaing within the next two weeks,
and will be bound and availible nowhere books are sold.

i am thinking however that maybe next semester i will work up this project (part 2) in either my advanced painting or advanced drawing class, or both. who knows.
and then. MAYBE! MAYBBBBBEEE! if i actually think i have something that is working, and worthwhile, when i get back to philly, maybe i will try to apply for a grant of sorts to do whatever the project becomes and get the end result put up somewhere or something. i am thinking like... peoples stories in brief on septa bus waiting stops.
and then have the relating image(s) in a show somewhere.
of course this would all have to be more thought out. and i would have to make sure all of this was ok with the people i was talking to, and so on and so forth....
oh god. i am ranting... i am tired.

anyway...
in other pressing matters. it is still too cold here.
and i still miss home. but i am still toughing it out.

people are talking about what to do for winter break, as in where to go.
i think i am going to try to get to africa for spring break.
so for winter break i may just take a bunch of little trips.

ok... i have nothing else to say.
i am going to go eat my clementines and study some italian.
(ohh.... i word on the street is blood oranges are gonna be heading to the rome markets soon!!!! yummmm.....)

doggie treats

2007-11-16T01:56:00.000-08:00

really bad color. i am not sure you get the idea. these are just two little guys. i've been having fun playing around with figures recently. not much. just a little nibble of what is going down.
i didn't have time to take a lot of pictures. but whatever. it ain't nothing you never done seen before.

in other news.
things getting crazy over here work wise, as i think i mentioned before. things getting coooolllld!!!! over here weather wise. getting a little home sick. not too bad. just you know those rainy days when all you want to do is curl up at home on the couch, with some tea, and a good movie you've seen a million times before, but love all the same? yeah... that kinda deal. but it is ok. i'm gonna stick it out.
for my rome sketchbook final, which i am going to start today, right after i do my laundry...
well, i want to do some drawings, lines.. shapes... and some color blocks.... i think, of immigrant here. i have my reasons and my thoughts. but the only thing that is really holding me up is the question of how to approach this whole thing. the immigrantion deal here ain't too hot. i don't think immigrants are having such a good time anywhere right now... but i feel so aware here of this color/class/race divide. and i don't feel comfortable just going up to someone and saying hey! let me draw you! i'm a cute little middle-class white american who will never have to deal with the shit people out you through... so... how about it? i just don't know.
but it is what i want to do. and the teach approved it. so now i must go and do.
but how?! i am all about talking. but i just don't know if that is something i could do here. aside from language stuff, which i feel i could get by with, i think there are just different silent social contracts here than in the states. does that make any sense?
i was asking carlos about it. and he said, yeah, it is a strange request. but that is what it is. he said he knows some people (that boy knows everyone within a good 15 block radius of his house... i swear) and he could ask them if they would mind if i drew them. but then, how do i say thank you? i would have no problem paying them something, but i feel like that is a cop-out, and a little insulting somehow.. is it? is it not? i was thinking like, well, they would basically be acting as a model, so i pay a model hourly modeling-time-money. but there is more to this, no? or am i just making it that way?
i don't know.
i need thoughts people! dimi! (tell me!)

long time comin'

2007-11-10T02:23:00.000-08:00

sorry this took me so long yall, and sorry it isn't that much. i think i may bring my camera to school today and take some shots of some other work... just to make up for it.
there is just about a little more than a month of school left for this semester. i can't believe how fast time has flown by... and things are gettin a little crazy over here with work. but this is life, no? but anyway. here are just a couple pages from the istanbul travel book. i feel like this book is gonna be with me on the rest of the trips i make while over here. it needs some more. but here is some stuffs. luff (love) saywah (me.)

tea sugar and a dream

2007-10-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

first of all, it is covered in blue eyes. everywhere. they are like freckles. blue freckles. the evil eye for protection. maybe this is why istanbul felt so calming. there was nothing to worry about. the train in from the outskirts of the airport into to the neighborhood sultanahmet where meredith and i stayed was the first indicator of what the city holds. it holds and offers a little bit of everything. we passed high-rise apartment buildings that were all painted different colors. and i don't mean all different types of blue or beige. i mean, blues, greens, pinks, yellows, reds, purples, and so on. but they weren't obnoxious about their color. they just were. we passed parts of town that could compete with new york city. and when we pulled into our part of town, standing there in the night sky, bold and beautiful in her age and wisdom, the Hagia Sophia. and i think it was that moment, that something in me either switched on, or switched off. i can't tell which one it was, but it was amazing.
it has been interesting to be in italy and realize that people think i am italian, or spanish, and i was even more surprised to find that in turkey everyone thought i was turkish. and when they found out i was american they didn't believe me. but about being american in turkey. i wasn't nervous, but i did have a little caution in how people would react to me. but it was amazing. everyday i found myself in numerous conversations with strangers about politics and life and culture and art and everything. and no one, and i mean no one held me responsible for anything. thank god. but i was so in love with how people talked to each other, and listened, and were interested, and offered tea... hmm... oh i drank so much tea, and so much of it was free. perfect. what more do i want from life than to live some place beautiful in an open and interested community? i don't know... not much. it was wonderful. in the turkish bath house (thats right. turkish bath house. i almost didn't leave...) it was perfect. the women in istanbul seem to disappear a little if not only because the men in istanbul are insanely prominent. (if you think italian guys are bad, they ain't got shit on the turks... ain't. got. nothin.) but in the bath house, you walk in and there are just women. no one has an age, no one has a race. it was beautiful. i was on the verge of tears multiple times in there. especially when i met two women from israel and two from Lebanon. we all noticed each other because we all looked the same. the two from Lebanon were a little more milky in their skin tone, and the Israelis a little darker. and i was just in the middle. it was the most beautiful conversation. they just wanted to know what people thought of the other, and wanted people to know that not everyone in any country likes what is going on. i can't even describe...
and the call to prayer, a couple times a day. i could lsiten to that for the rest of my life.
anyway. istanbul is amazing. and i met the most amazing people. not just people from istanbul, but people traveling through. i really think i might try to live there for a little bit of my life. some time. at least, i need to go back.
oh, and tea, sugar and a dream. that is how they say to pronounce thank you in turkish. tesekkür ederim.
yeah. the city just got more beautiful ever day and night.
any questions? that might be easier.
oh, and also, i will post some pictures of some doodles i made in instanbul later. my camera is tired.

i know this isn't monday

2007-10-18T05:42:00.001-07:00

ok. busy busy busy. i finished my midterms. at least i know the art one's went well. :) so, tomorrow morning i leave for ISTANBUL!!!!! FOR A WEEEEEKKKK!!!! i am so excited. so so excited. so yeah, if yall don't hear from me for a week, it is because i am there. but i may try to check in. we'll see. but yes. i promise a big juicy post when i get back. but until then. last weekend i was in siena and florence. amazing trip. it was so heavy with art and information. it was basically three days of nothing but walking all over the place and seeing so much art and listening and trying to take in so much information.
this is a picture of siena. siena felt so sweet. lots of steep hills and they do the horse thing there which means that each neighborhood is decked out with their team "logo" (as it were) i wish i could have spent more time there, and i think i will go back. but from what i heard the city has such an interesting history. aside from duke-ing it out with florence all the time, they some interesting social medical economic... stuff. well said, i know. i'm always good wish the specific information...

moving on! florence.

well. the amount of art is saw in florence.... man. i felt like i was drunk on it. and len! as the bus pulled into florence i saw one of those vampire-like graffiti figures! now, i am not posting any pictures of art because.. well... i can't decide what to put up. it was so exciting! florence, while beautiful, and so much cleaner than rome didn't appeal to me as a place to want to stay for a long period of time. there was this feeling of impermanence... which may sound odd considering all of the history that creates such a rooted story for the city. but it felt like everyone there was only there in passing. now, while some of you may be thinking, oh yeah, and rome isn't full of people in passing? i say to you, yes of course rome has some of that... but, but. everyone in rome comes and goes while being surrounded by actually romans. like... people live here. roman people. and they all speak italian, rather than english. i was surprised at how annoyed i got at all the english in florence. i don't know. i can't speak that well, but i like the try damn it. and also, it is in italy! own it! but anyway...
i have to finish my laundry, and finish packing. and then! a fun night in rome before meredith and my flight bright and early in the morning!
anything anyone wants from istanbul? cause i'm planning on coming back to rome with at least one extra suitcase.
let me know before tomorrow morning!

p.s.
i stared at the statue of david for more than 2 hours. i think he breathes....
but a lot of the sculptures seemed to breathe.

ok ok

2007-10-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

sorry to have kept yall waiting (xiomara....) things have gotten, well... i feel like i can't say busy... it's just plain un-italian... but well... i have had much to do. not complaining. i've been very happy. so no worries. midterms are next week (yeah, i don't know how that is possible either) but because of this there has been some more time consuming things to take care of.

but yes. also! i leave bright and early (possibly a little too bright and early) tomorrw morning for Siena and Florence for three days with my art history class. i am very very very excited, but also a little anxious due to all the work that is due as soon as i get back. but honestly, in comparison to what i'm used too it is nothing. but still....
so yes, when i get back i will post pictures, words of the trip, and also some pictures of the stuff i've been making.
cause, it is all at school now for midterms, and i haven't taken pictures yet. so you all will have to wait a little bit longer. (xiomara... hehe sorry, i tease you)

but in the mean time, some light reading.

carlos making a face while making Tostones!!!! which he calls patacones. shrug. at this point, my mind is such a mess of sounds and pieces of things that might be words to someone, and half understood grammer...
don't get me started...

playing with meredith. good times. i know this really convinces everyone that i've been busy....
oh yeah, i saw the pope the other day... yeah. dude causes such a freakin riff in my mornings. every wed. god damn. and this time he even had an orchestra. maybe it was a special day.. who knows. people had more flags than usual...
i'm walking around - i repeat - around san pietro because shit's all crazy inside for pope's weekly ordeal, and you have to wait in lines and go through metal deterctors just to walk through the damn place, which you honestly couldn't do due to how many people are in there, but anyway, back to the fact that i'm walking around san pietro. i realize that people are all swarming to the gates in a more... needy way than i usually witness, and since i was a little later than usual i just so happened to glance over and then, oh hey. there's the pope. i guess i should take a picture or something. it's really blurry cause it was zoomed in. but here... enjoy... or something. he's that blurry white thing.

i'll post again when i get back sunday or monday.

peace yall

doodles? (sketches?) whatever.

2007-09-30T01:30:00.000-07:00

these are from those hill towns. i never put them up, so, here ya go.

these are just little river/bridge studies

and this is from the pantheon

more later.

last night with len for some time

2007-09-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

sorry the picture quality ain't so hot.
maybe i'll replace it later.
we'll see.
anyway.
len, on cardboard....

blah blah

2007-09-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

somehow it became saturday, and even more surprising, somehow it became saturday the 22nd. not so sure how that happened, but i'm here. time seems to move so fast here, which is an interesting concept for a place that has so much time. (time in various forms... but time all the same)
classes took off at about a million miles an hour. i suppose mostly because the semesters here are so short. i keep finding myself in moments of looking around and thinking "wait.. what? when? oh good god..." midterms are in about 3 weeks or so.
(let me reiterate: "wait.. what? when? oh good god...")
it is slowly getting colder here, but is still rather beautiful out... most of the time.
first of all, this is for gianna. this is that guy that sing that really... odd.... music video you made me watch. remember? dutchland? take me to dutchland? that guy. yeah. this is by him. he scares me.

len and his feelings about the vatican. "the place of evil" - jan (the most best awesome art history man in the world)

a little more roman art

around the corner from my apartment, they put up lights... don't know why... but it is pretty.

and, len and i at the "colosseo"

and we're walkin'/some things about feet/a very scattered mentioning of things

2007-09-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

so, i took an art history trip to a Musei Capitolini and saw one of constantine's feet. such a pretty foot. he has a hand, a knee, a face, some other things too, but feet are important to me right now, so here is the foot.
i really like my teacher. he gives a whole other better possibility of what art history could be.
the guy on the horse, Marcus Aurelius, was an interesting stop on our tour. first of all, a word about bronze.
if you ever see art that is bronze, take a moment and realize that something fortunate happened for it to still be with us.
bronze, a re-meltable/re-usable material. a whole lot of art/artifacts were melted down and used for... you know... military shit, and of course some other things too.
so anyway, good old Marcus over here is only with us because when he was found people thought he was Constantine and saved him. if they had known, he would have been melted away into other various shapes and uses.

so, about feet,
len and i went with a nice big handful of temple rome students on the FAMOUS WALL WALK.
this ment meeting at 8:30am and walking around the city via the path of The Aurelian Wall. this wall which makes its way around the city of rome, dissapearing into the ground and then seems to pop right back where it first and always was. i believe it was started in the 270's? or something. anyway, it was a nice 13 mile walk. with little pauses for information by one of my new favorite people in the world. in. the. world. Jan (said like "yaan") Gadeyne (said like "gah-dine"). i am not sure if that is how he spells his name. but he is the meaning of the phrase "the shit"
this is one of the many, many portals in the wall.

so, as a final note, after this walk, i took what was possibly the most enjoyed shower of my entire life.
and here are a couple pictures of me trying to get my used-for-making-things gears oiled and back in motion.
these are two quick little landscape thingies. yeah, they're on cardboard.

these are a couple of blind contour drawings. just in case anyone does not know what that is - just in case! - that means you are doing a drawing with line only to describe whatever it is you are drawing (i could go into contours, but i will leave it at this... for now) and not looking at the paper while you do this. no looking allowed. (also, that last one has some bad lighting, and you can see some stuff from the paper under it. my bad)

ok,
my feet are the best ever because they hold me up and i love them for it.

it never is as good as it was

2007-09-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

todi

titignano

you can only find peanut butter in "ethnic" food stores here

2007-09-10T08:54:00.000-07:00

first of all, a little late night vs. early morning for your viewing pleasure.

and second of all, i took a nice long day trip with Temple Rome to two small hill towns that have been here since some time in the 1100's. the first town was todi. it was beyond beautiful. it is that small hill town that everyone imagines.
i would say more, but i really don't know how.
after Todi we went to an even more remote little "town" called titignano. i mean, this little place was surrounded by sky. it was really just a piazza. a church, some little house types of things that used to be slave-dwellings and this huge "house" that belonged to the castle up the way.
this place was even more beautiful. and again.. we'll just all have to go there, cause i can't even describe it.
so at titignano we (all four busses of "we") are greeted with the beginning of a 4 (plus) hour meal.
it was about 12 courses long and included everything from wild boar to olive and mushroom spreads to onion piazza to home made wines. oh man.... all i keep thinking is that i get to do this again in the spring semester.... seriously... got'damn.
so yeah, the bus ride home was hilarious due to everyone being at least a little buzzed thanks to either the red wine, white wine, or grappa.
a good time had by all.
met some new people who were cool.
met some new people who weren't.
che sara sara.
also, i was told today that high fructose corn syrup is illegal here.
and you read things on syllabi like "due to changes (weather, strikes, etc.)
and also, i must say that the names of some of the clothing store are well...
here:
"energy"
"ethnic"
"ok fashion"
(and my favorite) "expensive"

anyway,
more later.

only appropriate for a saturday morning

2007-09-08T04:35:00.000-07:00

since i was a baby (and probably before that...) my parents have been taking me to Reading Market on saturday mornings (afternoons) to pick up food for the week, and you know... schmooze. after all these years they (we) have created a nice little ritual of greetings, jokes, and small talk - and the women of the family have all taken on the nickname "smiley."
so today, saturday morning, i wake up and decide to make my way over to the outdoor/open-air market.
it was wonderful. imagine the most italian parts of the italian market in philly, plus some of the ambiance of reading, and everything else was just... italian - and also, dare i say, roman?
it went on for blocks on top of blocks. the fruit and vegetables went on for piles and piles. fresh, dried, fried, everything. things hung, strung, packed, and stocked in as many ways as you could imagine. there were stocky italian fellows chatting up anyone and everyone, as helpful and friendly as can be, and behind them were italian women, in command posts, all business, but with some smiles.
it was great.
the pictures i took just from the entrance are not that telling, but no worries, i am planning on going back every saturday. so there will be more to come.

and on another note. when walking back to the bus with my two small bags of fresh goodness, i saw this wall. i am starting to wonder if some of this stuff is commissioned, cause... dang.

an idea of the back perch and my new baby

2007-09-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

this is my bambino basilico rosso. (red basil) he smells lovley. and please send me your blessings, because if i kill another plant...

yes i am in rome. and yes this is the picture i chose to post first and foremost.

2007-09-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

on being hard to contact and other things

2007-09-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

sorry the title is not any better.. god knows it shuold be. sorry yall. my fingers are having a hard time finding their way around a forgien keyboard, with the "a" "s" "n" and "m" practically gone, i did not realize i would miss them. just another different thing here... anyway, the german girl, Nadina, who lives in the apartment with me showed me to a internet cafe -god bless her soul- and i feel a little closer to home.
so here is how it went down... well, the short of it anyway.
airport in philly:
after getting ready for dealing with the possibility of having to practically breakdown and re-pack my bags at the airport due to carrying too much weight (which could mean so many other things) nothing happened (again.. so many other things)
so, all went smoothly, i got to secruity (a.k.a. the final goodbye to my family) and mom gets teary, i try not to, ruth gets teary, i try not to.. it doesnàt work, i get all teary, dad stays strong, but not completely veiled, and i give lots of hugs, and some other words of strenght are passed around, and i walk away to the security guys, who say, "it is ok, no one will know it happened." to which i respond "yeah, i am ok, but when my mom starts cryin..." to which they smile and check my ticket.

security at the airport in philly:
well, you will all be glad to know that our country is safer because yours truley had to get the full pat-down. people walking by looking at me - barefoot, spread, and clutched - and all i can think back at them is "yeah... i am that person you guys.. i am that person..."
anyway, with that all finished and my things and self re-collected, my gate is two seconds away and i have 2 hours to wait. and... no internet... (i hadnàt realized how connected i really was...)

the flight to heathrow:
not bad.
long but not bad.
sat next to extreamly annoying husband and wife.. do not feel like getting into it..
it is in the past... and thank goodness.
cute british staff on plan sympathized with me over hidden winks and smiles and rolled eyes. oh the brit.s

getting through Heathrow a.k.a Hell:
too many damn people
too many damn people
and again!
too many damn people.
i got to go through so many lines, funny story actually, with a girl who worked at Java. she was also going to rome, but leaving from there for somewhere else.
anyway. we went through lines together.
and then finally, right before the security gate there, it being time for our place to board, i asked some security woman for help, she slipped us through and told us we should run, in an all too calm voice.
so we ran. and arrived to find our flight delayed. so we waited... again.

arriving in rome:
knowing that Micaela (the woman who rents the apartment) would no longer be waiting for me, i knew i did not need to rush for her. thank god. a little less stress.
go my big mother-load of a trunk, and wheeled it to train number one. i talked in broken italian to a very nice young woman on the train and she reassured my directions. then i got on the second train and thank god for italian men. of all the steps i would have had to haul this trunk, there seemed to always be a sweet italian man who after smiling at me and saying "ciao" would grab my trunk and haul it aup for me. "swoon" so sweet those italians...
anyway at this point i am soooo tired, and a little hungry, but not really thinking about anything but a shower and then sleep.
and i find my way to the apartment building. can not get in. wander back down the street to a little butcher kinda shop, and he calls micaela for me and tells me where to go. i manage to get in the door of the building by bzzing a random buzzer and saying in italian that i forgot my key. but then i cannot find my room.
i wander up and down, and finally this younge womand and her mother let me in to this place on the first floor saying yes yes this is it. but i knew something was off. i ask for miceala and she says she will be back tonight or at least tomorrow morning, so i think, sounds good. i go to my room, take a shower, pass out.

the next morning:
things do not seem right.
fredirica knocks on my door. miceala is her boyfriend. am i lost?
aparently, yes.
so she calls my miceala and finds me the right place.
turns out, i snuck my way into a bed and breakfast.
yeah...

e adesso (and now):
the first couple days, aside from sleeping like a madwoman... who needs sleep... were a little lonley. but last night and today have been very very nice. Nadina and i have been spending time together, have rather great conversations for both of our limited italian. i realize how much i really enjoy/want company. i think things will only get easier from this point on. people said that at first everything is amazing amazing amazing, and then it tapers down to missing home, the familiar, etc. but i think i am opposite of that. i think the hard part for me is the beginning. finding my feet again. then finding my mind again. then my mouth, then my smile, my eyes, etc. then it all gets more good-er. :) i am excited for what happens next. and my italian is getting back to where it was! yea!

and then:
i will send more and write more when i figure things out. i think when school picks up, communication will get easier. so, this coming week should be good.
on that note, my neck hurts, and this is costing my some euro. so, goodbye for now.
i will write more when i can.
i love you all.

oh, and p.s. ...the coffee here... too good. just too too good.

southern comfort

2007-08-24T16:02:00.001-07:00

i arrived back home last night from a visit to my grandma down south. she is in louisville kentucky. born and raised. along with the constant flow of food (note that we are talking jewish grandmother here.. ) she took us the the Kentucky State Fair and we saw blue ribbon cows, corn, tobacco, baked goods and as many ways of preparing a pig as one can muster.

it was really nice to see my grandma. she is like no one else i know. also, she is my last grandparent. she told us about our great aunt Tanta Paula. She was a political prisoner and sent to Siberia. "she was beautiful and blonde with blue eyes" and she slept with the guards in order to get out and then walked across Russia. after that she found her way to america with her husband "who was the most bland man." This brought up stories about a great grandfather who blew up a police station somewhere in europe and was exiled. or something like that. there is so much history that i wish i knew. i wish i could watch pieces of my grandmothers life. i also wish i could talk to my other grandparents. i really miss them, and wish i had the chance to learn from them, and even meet them.
anyway, i realized one of my last nights in louisville that i am leaving for rome on the 29th. now, i know that most of you reading this knew i was leaving. but i think i only recently realized it myself. i feel like i am in a good place though. nervous, yes. anxious, yeah, i'd say so. excited, yup. mostly, i feel a very clear undertone of calm peace. i am ready for this next plateau of life. i am looking forward to meeting myself at 21. i am really ready to live some. and to be.

my face hurts

2007-08-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

i just spent about 5 straight hours laughing. my face hurts. my stomach hurts. but i feel revived. all kinds of good energy going on.

on the way home, i saw a homeless man sleeping at the bottom of a flight of stairs that leads to the trolley. he looked like he either fell, or was placed on the cement, because the grace of his sleep was astounding. the first thing i saw were his beautiful hands, palm up and open to the concrete sky. his head slightly tilted to one side. his shirt read "flirt"

on the couch... my couch... ruth is asleep. she probably thinks i didn't notice that she used my computer, due to how perfectly she put it back. i don't mind. (about the computer. the couch.. another story) she is mumbling and making her sleeping noises. i am going to miss her while i'm gone.

another gift

2007-08-08T22:24:00.000-07:00

these things always start as gifts, or rather, as ideas for gifts. little "thank you"s. then, when i'm finished playing, i look at what i've got, and realize a couple of things. i usually realize that it is so much more enjoyable for me to create something when it is for someone else. it is easier, the flow happens. i don't get stressed and caught up in too many crazy inner-dialogue/meaning-of-life/art kind of problems.

the pictures aren't of the best quality. (bad light... sorry yall)
i realize other things too... sometimes. like, maybe the would-be-receiver will think that i am a little crazy for making something for what they don't think is any kind of big deal. but, i guess... i am usually a little bit crazy...?

to the moon and back

2007-08-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

lovely hours spent talking to the moon, the real one. (interpret as you will)
my mom and i were talking the other day about how there are communities, families and places that we are born into, and there are communities, families and places that we choose, build, trust, and support. i believe that if i spend too much time wishing i could have a role, a voice, a place in circles i am not in, that i may miss out on the awesome (and i mean that in the "AWE" sense of the word, not the stoner sense of the word... to speak generally) place i have. a beautiful family/community/circle - has grown, and secured its roots over time. while i will always look forward to meeting new people, and learning what love is to them... i am just so grateful and blessed to have the people who are in my life.

next order of business/things to keep in mind:
1. get rid of the headache and then i can deal better with the other aches
2. one is allowed to love bad movies
3. sometimes the best thing is vegetable soup
4. talking helps - dare i say - always (?)

peace

the queen mother

2007-07-31T06:52:00.000-07:00

EVERYONE CAN CALM DOWN!
lisa is alive and well.
no worries.
ok?
word.

just beginnings

2007-07-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

these are just the first couple of layers, so...
don't judge them.
they ain't done.
mom:

ruth:

so, i'll put up some updates of these when they happen.

binding time?

2007-07-26T08:49:00.001-07:00

i haven't been much for "art" this summer. so much for all the plans and promises i made to myself. but, you know, i feel that it is a good thing to step away from. each art teacher i have had has made a big deal out of taking a step back.
(in order to approach with "new eyes") and no matter how much i step back, i can't step far enough,
because it is the way i think... anyway. here is a little something something.

taking out the filling, chopping it down, adding some new open pages.

yeah, i did it once. it was ok.

2007-07-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

so, i've done it more than once... but you know, i honestly feel, this is going to be the last time.
or at least... the last time for a long long time. i can remember when i would get those haircuts, you know...
those straight hair haircuts... the one that are for people with straight hair, yeah, i expected that my hair could conform to the haircut. it never did, and i wasn't happy about it. so, i got to the point where i gave up. i tied up/back my hair every moment of every day. and so it was and so it stayed for years. years. and thus happened years of self-conscious, insecure
me. well. i don't want to get into it, but lets just say, that after years of baby steps, and just some regular growing up i have finally learned to love my hair - oh, and myself. i am at a point where i can say thank god i never turned into one of those girls who waste hours of their life ironing their hair straight. (not to mention electricity.) anyway, here is to proving it happened, for possibly, the last time.

instead... i waste minutes writing this kinda crap. (something i hoped i'd never do, but at least it is off my chest.. or.. head..?)
anyway, on another note, on Arch street, between 2nd and 3rd is this mural/mosaic thingie that has been there for years on top of years. i love it. i hope it never gets changed/added to. ever.

and with that said, i am going to go back to munching the asparagus that is so so good on the table.
(who ever is thinking about pee right now... i knew you would be...)

of another

2007-07-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

my mom and dad got home from Venice today.

they got to see a lot of art. some of which looked so amazing.

and i realized today that i leave for rome in about six weeks.
ask me if i am anxious yet.
go' head. ask me.
Kelsey from work informed me today that on philly's
craigslist people post about our cafe. the newest one reads:
"hey baby, baby {that is the title}
yo mista bossman,
u gots the sexiest staff i have ever seen! now i be drinking two coffees a day!!"

flattering, no?
in other work news,

i'll admit it. Rat-a-too-ee made me feel that this mouse may have hidden talents...
we (kelsey and i) tossed the mouse outside only to watch it immediately jump into a hole that leads right back in.
*shrug* we tried.

"Consequence of Sounds"

2007-07-14T06:08:00.000-07:00

it is 9 something in the morning and i have been up since 8 something.
i made a big mug of mocha that i am nursing as it slowly makes an attempt at
opening my eyes all the way (something that probably won't happen until
i get to work and have another cup of coffee or two.)
I am listening to regina spektor because npr can really suck on the weekend.
although... npr in the morning is really depressing (you know, british news hour and all.)
i usually switch to my own music unless i have managed to miss all the " (insert number) people died in (insert city,
usually a city in Iraq) this morning when a ..." you get the point...
it just isn't the greatest note to start the day on. But... that is the same reason i put down the newspaper
this morning... the local section is splattered with numbers. this morning, it was a 15 and a 12 year old
that made the main headlines, and 3 others that were killed "in rash of shootings"

on a lighter note...
last night was nice. Yuri, Len, Harrison, G and i had fresh fruit smoothies and dinner and music
and words together. beautiful people i know, just beautiful.
len took off (as he does at times) and yuri cycled into the night (or rather, early morning) and
g and h are still here. sleeping on various surfaces.

i want to be sleeping on various surfaces.
today is the clark park flea market. always a good time.
i don't think i am going to make it, but the last thing i need to be doing right
now is spending money and acquiring more things.

well, it is getting to be that time, 9:30 something,
gianna just muttered and grunted her way past me on her way to the
bathroom,
and the sun is beautifully breaking across the backyard like it does most summer mornings
around this time.

but um...

2007-07-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

so, i was going to try to avoid the whole blogging epidemic
just out of sheer principle. but after some time of enjoying
the blogs of so many others, and being that i will be leaving
for Rome in the fall, i figured this might not be such a bad thing
to get into.
(also, i wasn't sure what my "sheer principles" actually were...)