candy land and christmas story mania

After a short two and a half days at work (too short for what needed to get done), J and I trekked about ten hours to visit my family in Ohio. We enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner - you can't go wrong with cream cheese in the mashed potatoes and everyone sitting at the big kids table. We also got to help grandma celebrate her birthday with a pineapple upside down cake. The next day our visit to Joanns to use our holiday coupon at 8am was a crafting highlight. My little cousins wanted no sew fleece blankets, so we tied a few hundred knots.


We visited the Candy Land game experience at Peniteniary Glen. They had game pieces, but essentially you just filed through the crunchy candy land. My cousins were bummed there wasn't any candy to actually eat. I was excited to take a photo of J on the Rainbow Trail and I almost knocked over a little fence and tree full of candy. We also hiked through the area to the old Halle estate since the weather held strong at around 60 (just about the entire time we were there).

Then we caught wind of the ultimate Cleveland pre-holiday experience via the national news. A super fan was opening the house from the Christmas Story movie for tours. We attempted to visit, but only made it to the outside since they had a line at least a quarter mile long (no exaggeration!). The neighbors were selling water, meatballs, and visits to their household bathrooms for 50 cents. We headed downtown to a well decorated Tower City instead. Then we made an attempt at decent Mexican food, which we still can't find in Providence. I was able to see a few HB friends at Bob Evans for cinnamon pancakes - always a highlight. I miss seeing everyone, but I'll be back in four short weeks right after xmas.

kayaking with seals

This morning we headed down to Wickford about 30 minutes south of us to the Kayak Centre (www.kayakcentre.com) for a 4 hour cold water kayak with harbor seals. It was in the high 40s which was really pretty comfortable with layers. They provided all the "water tight" gear, although we both got fairly wet. It was an unbelieveable workout, but we were grooving right along even when it was choppy outside the harbor. We were able to greet some seals on the rocks and they would peek up at us from the water pretty frequently. It was difficult to get good photos bouncing around in the water, but here's a few snapshots:

polaroid jackpot

When it rains it pours when it comes to my kind of excitement. I've been posting like a mad woman today because I've had all these little treats pop up lately that I can't wait to talk about. So to spare J from hearing more about all my little amazements, I'm baraging you, my small select group of blog readers. I mentioned the kodak tourist vintage camera (I bought for $5 in an antique store and converted to a pinhole for my workshop), and this was really the start of a vintage camera collection. This morning I ran over to the Hamilton House clearance sale (aka indoor yard sale) to see what goodies old ladies might have to share. I was on the prowl for cameras and I hit it big. There was a girl playing with a polaroid from the 1980s that I recognized and she decided to buy it. boo, i thought I may have lost my chance at a camera (cool or not i wanted another to play with and try to convert). I was in the right area...there had to be other old cameras around. I hit the jackpot on the far corner of one of the tables where there were two vintage polaroids waiting to be purchased for $2 and $4 respectively! They are both land packs, the 250 (made from 1967-69) and the 360 (made from 1969-71). Both have flashes, cool cases, and funny little instruction books. I can't wait to try to convert them or try some sort of film in them. Here's a glimpse at them:


After cleaning up the cameras and searching around for film (with no success, so they'll be converted to pinholes), J and I headed to Manning to watch the mandala dissolution ceremony. It was powerful to hear the monks explain all the pieces and why they sweep it away. It was very ceremonial, but they used a regular craft sponge to sweep it up, which I thought was interesting. Then they took it down to the river where the mandala will rest. We also headed over to the Moses Brown School, a true New England prep school (their slogan is "for the honor of truth"), for their gift festival. J hunts down the chocolate vendors and enjoys the spice shop where they have dips out ready to taste.

desserts, boiled wine, and black cat, white cat

Sometimes things go off without a hitch and most of the time I'm able to stay awake for it. After a full day at work, the Dean and I hosted all the faculty and graduate students in a "desserts from around the world" reception to celebrate the semester winding down. A bunch of people brought along their favorite desserts (many from different countries), and we held a friendly competition for everyone's favorite dessert. We had twenty desserts, including exotic melt-in-your-mouth indian cardamom/pistachio treats, scratch made four layer chocolate ganache cake, homemade tiramisu, and my chrysanthemum bundt cake... but the winner was store bought choc chip cookie smashed into a mini muffin tin with a hershey's kiss. I'm convinced they won because they were still warm and melty. We had plenty of wine and beer and the antipasto was a hit... so it went off without a hitch.

We also had an invitation to come enjoy boiled wine with some of J's friends. It was too bad the weather's been in the 60s (bizarre for Nov!), so it wasn't quite cold enough for that winter Romanian tradition. We did get to enjoy a quirky Serbian movie that I was actually able to stay awake through! The subtitles forced my eyes open. I would recommended it for it's surreal, quirky humor. See Black Cat, White Cat - http://imdb.com/title/tt0118843/

mandalas and twigs

I’ve heard some buzz about an outdoor “twig” sculpture that was put in on J’s side of campus somewhat recently. Right after it went up J came to pick me up at my office and said that I should take my camera to see this sculpture that you can walk in made out of twigs. I thought it sounded curious, but lost track of time, and somehow only made it over to see it today. Meanwhile, this morning my boss asked us if we wanted to go over to see the Buddhist mandala being installed in one of the galleries (only at Brown can you take a half hour to meditate with Buddhist monks and your coworkers).

The mandala was being created by sand tapped out of these metal tubes. It was energizing to hear them chant and then see the sand turn to velvet. I’d seen this in Washington, DC not too long ago. I hadn’t seen anything like the “twig” sculpture right around the corner though! I had no idea how massive it would seem and how these twigs create this sturdy, whimsical, airy sculpture. You can literally walk through it and see how it wraps around the tree. It is supposed to be up for the year, and I can’t wait to see it in the snow. The artist Patrick Dougherty creates “site-specific” work with saplings around the world - more at www.stickwork.net.

greta pratt

Photographer Greta Pratt (http://www.gretapratt.com/) presented at RISD tonight to an intimate crowd. She explained how some of her photos shocked her and how it took her a while to learn that there really isn't any history. Her latest book "Using History" was created over ten years after publishing "In Search of the Corn Queen" in 1994. She's traveled the country examining the world through visiting county fairs, then she turned to AAA guides to tell her how Americans tour history. I was intrigued by her explanations of the photos in a matter of fact, old lady, matter a fact sorta way. She worked as a photographer for Reuters and was nomintated for a Pulitzer in 1987. I was too timid to ask her how she landed that sorta job. Instead, I asked her how she approaches her subjects since they are all strangers. She uses her midwestern charm to befriend them or she sorta sneaks up on them and befriends them later.

pinhole extravaganza

Saturday and Sunday I spent the day at AS220 (www.as220.org), an artist consortium in downtown Providence, taking a pinhole photography workshop given by David Ellis. It was essentially 9am to 5pm of pure hands-on low tech photography. We constructed pinhole cameras made from ordinary metal containers (the power of big drill bits), punched tiny pinholes in the tin placed over the bigger hole, then exposed the hole to create a negative on light sensitive photo paper. This primitive process is the origin of modern-day photography, rooted in the camera obscura or "darkened room" novelty of the 15th century.
The first day we spent experimenting with light and the pinhole size, then the second day we experimented with the darkroom printing. It was an awesome weekend and I was able to meet some great people. One girl works as a photojournalist for Providence Business Weekly - quite possibly my dream job. Overall, I couldn't get enough of the process and I'm glad I did it.

Above are two of the eight cameras I created from Ikea tins - Those were the two largest. Here are a few of my photos created by a tin can with a pinhole (amazing.) paired with the negatives (the negative image is the lighter one which is transfered onto the print):

ornament swap

I found a crafty ornament swap that the bloggers at freshly blended and cake pie put together for the first time this year. There are over 400 people participating this year. I'm excited because I just got the list of folks to exchange ornaments. I ended up making a glass ornament with a little mirror on it that says reflect. This is a good season to take time to reflect.

Quick snapshot: my favorite churchy sign on the way to work said this week, "what really, really matters to you" - hmm, good thing to think about on the walk to work.

Serious business with the Dean

My boss called me into the Dean's office first thing this morning, which usually means something serious. The Dean then looked at me seriously and said that he'd like to offer me the opportunity to visit Holland for 10 days with him and a group of 7 of his students with one condition. The condition being that I must bring my camera! Uh, YES! My role would be to help arrange the trip and document it in a written report and presentation to the Provost when we return. I feel like I've done this before to a certain degree by planning NYC trips at Arizona. The goal of the trip is to visit companies to showcase our students and help them get a better idea of how the companies work. We'll spend quite a bit of time in Eindhoven visiting the industries there (like Phillips). I was intimidated when he then handed me cds to learn Dutch, which he would prefer we had a certain grasp of, but most people will speak English too - I hope! The trip will be in January and I better get cooking on the travel details.

RISD photo class

Here is a photo of my RISD photo class - We've bonded!

101 in 1001 days

I'm taken with Ellen's life list - I haven't kept up very well with my tivoed ellen shows, but I like that she was talking about goal setting that encourages you. D then brought this new deal to the table and I look forward to seeing their list.

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as new year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Found by D at http://www.triplux.com/1001/otherlists.asp.

1. Kayak with seals that chill in Wickford, RI in the winter (I'm cheating because we already signed up for this, but we haven't actually been on the water in November yet)

2. Fill xmas stockings for each other for less than $75 - the closest to $75 with receipts wins.

3. Participate in a holiday craft fair at least twice (already signed up for one in December for my knit hats - have over 40 hats as of the beginning of November - hope my inventory does well!)

4. Create my very own pinhole camera and print the negatives (cheating again, since I'm already signed up for a workshop this weekend...more later).

5. Have a concrete plan for J's tenure and figure out ways to support him.

6. Take a boat over to Martha's Vineyard and pull the rings at the carousel (the one from our childhood trips to cape cod)

7. Move with two less boxes than we had when we arrived.

8. Visit with family at least every 3 months (preferably more).

9. Participate in some sort of craft swap once a year (first up is the 2006 ornament swap by freshly blended).

10. Visit a Bazaar Bizarre. - http://www.bazaarbizarre.org

11. Take our kitties to the vet for healthy kitty visits.

12. Watch the IMDb top 250 movies. - http://www.imdb.com/chart/top

13. Enter a contest that i/we might actually win.

14. Get an international pen pal.

15. Ride mechanical bull at a random bar.

16. Reunite with someone we haven't spoken with in more than 10 years.

17. Stay in a wooden cabin in the mountains.

18. Try a new restaurant at least once a month.

19. Organize the ipod music.

20. Learn what herbs look like.

21. Write thank you notes to strangers that do things we like.

22. Be sure the cats greet the first snow of the year.

23. Participate in the 26 things challenge. - http://www.sh1ft.org/26things/

24. Go to Antelope, AZ and take lotsa photos.

25. Visit Zion and Bryce, Utah and do the same.

26. Make our own signature salad dressing complete with our own label.

27. Jump on a trampoline whenever possible and at least once.

28. Try one new fruit or one new vegetable every three months.

29. Go ice skating and do at least one full spin.

30. Write time capsule letters to ourselves to be opened 5 years from now.

31. Pick our own berries and make jelly.

32. Copy old family photos to preserve them - hang up the interesting ones.

33. Teach J to knit and purl.

34. Teach L to play another little ditty on the guitar.

35. Use the bundt pan at least every three months for a new cake.

36. Buy a digital photo frame.

37. Be in touch with at least one friend a week.

38. Get J's ironic jokes the first time.

39. Volunteer crafty time.

40. Stretch every morning.

41. Make homemade hot cocoa and drink it in short sips.

42. Subscribe to a magazine and read the whole thing each month.

43. Learn to tile/mosaic.

44. Send birthday cards and remember birthdays better.

45. J goes a month without pop and L goes a month eating a veggie a day.

46. Try different types of fish.

47. Find a decent Mexican restaurant near Providence.

48. Keep up with the gratefulness journal for three months straight.

49. Go swimming in the winter.

50. Build and fly a cool kite.

51. Apply to a reality show.

52. Write out 5 memories.

53. Learn to make bechamel sauce.

54. Send care package to friends in Peace Corp in South Africa.

55. Improve posture.

56. Knit leg warmers and wear them in public.

57. Make a list of favorite movies and why.

58. Make a list of favorite books and why.

59. Go to a live auction and bid on something.

60. Meet someone that thinks that have magical powers and try to understand them.

61. Cook chicken paprikash that tastes like the little place in downtown willoughby.

62. Ride in a hot air balloon.

63. Motivate at least two other people to create a 101 list.

64. Create a quilt with my old tshirts.

65. Throw out all our old underwear and socks - even the sentimental ones.

66. Brush the cats at least once a week.

67. Go to a bed and breakfast someplace nice.

68. Iron clothes for important events.

69. J would like to not iron at all for 1001 days.

70. J will learn to play Flight of the Bumblebee at concert tempo.

71. Visit with family at least every 3 months (preferably more).

72. Travel to an international conference in Europe (Lauren comes too)

73. Teach Lauren how to whistle.

74. Attempt to teach the cats to pee in the toilet.

75. Use the fancy china we got for our wedding.

76. Be sure the car's tires stay in good shape by changing them at least once.

77. Go to Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire for the rollercoaster's J remembers from childhood.

78. Come up with a vitamin regimen.

79. Construct my own wall clock.

80. Take classes in a foreign language (J prefers German).

81. Ride horses at least once.

82. Be able to imitate different accents without so much trouble.

83. Hug at least two minutes a day straight every day for a month.

84. Clean the carpets and upholstered items at least once.

85. Draino the tub before it clogs.

86. Take a photo of someone famous.

87. Make my own peanut butter.

88. Convince J he doesn't need any more guitars - even though he says he already believes that.

89. Find the perfect pillow.

90. Get J a new comforter so he give me back the one he "borrowed" from me - he claims I "gave" it to him.

91. Have eyes checked.

92. Find competent primary care doctors.

93. Visit places even if you don't think you'll like them all that much, you might be surprised.

94. Don't brush our teeth so hard so our gums stay healthy - Use the electric toothbrush.

95. Go to bed before getting tired/grumpy.

96. Get the cats to cuddle and take their photo.

97. Bake/try a new type of dessert with chocolate every other month.

98. Keep cell phones/cameras/ipods charged.

99. Have an egg hunt around Easter (include as many kids as possible).

100. Visit a new US state every year.

101. Have a new 101 in 1001 ready.

dinner with friends

We had an invitation to dinner at one of J's "colleagues" homes this weekend, which evolved into a trip to see the Borat movie yesterday. It was so nice to have a friendly dinner with good conversation. The best part being they have a great place right around the corner from us and the most adorable two year old that thinks everything is "so nice". I was in heaven because his colleagues' husband was into photography and had all these cool shots from a trip to wyoming they took recently. They are from Romania so somehow we ended up talking about how the Borat movie was filmed in Romania and that is slightly offensive to equate the two countries (one which I can't spell and I'm too lazy to look up right now). We, of course, then had to be part of the masses seeing the movie in its opening weekend. It was amusing, but some of the same old tricks that you see from Borat in the tv show. I am too skeptical to think that Pamela Anderson didn't know Borat was going to throw a bag over her head. I was most amused seeing Borat in character on the Today show this morning asking Matt where to find a good hooker, right before Bill O'Reilly was introduced in the next segment. I've never seen Bill look so taunted/disappointed as they flashed back and forth from him and Borat hugging the flag as they went to commericial. I guess you had to see it.

fall walk

Here are photos when I took my camera along on a walk around the block just a bit ago. We ended up at a Brown swim meet. The party house is the first photo below.

to know me

I've been mildly obsessed with crafty blogs that I like to think are designy and hip. If I'm not knitting lately, I'm hoggin J's apple and jumpin around these websites. (thanks to d for sending along some recent good tidbits). My favorite jumping point is designsponge.blogspot.com. She highlights just about everything i love with an emphasis on home goods. She recently posted a photographer that had all sorts of photos from tucson that i recognized without any sort of caption. He linked to another designer that had an exclusive interview with himself entitled, "to know me it to love me," which had a few questions similar to those chain emails that go out whenever someone is bored. This one had five simple questions which I hope everyone thinks about:
What is your biggest priority? To be kind.
What is your favorite outfit? Anything with a wrap around my neck.
What do you like most about your personality? I like to dance when no one is looking.
What do you look forward to? Eating peanut butter.
What is your favorite song of all time? Into the Mystic by Van Morrison

You can click on the original posted by the designer at http://www.loveaslaughter.net/ri/bio.html

kundalini yoga

There is a church sign on the way to work that I pass every day. Today it highlighted "the importance of remembering and of forgetting" - I like that. Another sign I've passed for a few weeks (right next to the Eastside Pumpkin Patch that just closed) was a sign advertising Kundalini yoga at Hamilton House, this big house that looks like Hathaway Brown. I joined the class tonight and I'm still feeling energized.

boy scout haunted house

I took some photos for the boy scouts haunted house....and spooked myself pretty well doing it. I went down in to the haunted house before it opened by myself with no lights. I ended up finding a light switch right next to a spooky electric chair set up. I guess I can get scared even without actors in the haunted house. They were happy to have most of their setup documented for next years group to know what their set up was like.