bliggity blog : no insight here.

01 27 2012 : 2013

2012-01-27T09:10:00.000-06:00

i just booked an exhibit for september 2013. and i smell coffee. but i haven't made coffee. am i having a seizure?

today is a super art day. finish the robs for framing. deliver one six zero to okcmoa for the omelette party. go see clint stone's exhibit at the lightwell with sarah hearn. tonight, go to john jernigan's reception downtown then go to sarah hearn's reception at ocu.

why do i smell coffee?

01 24 2012 : say say say

2012-01-24T16:38:00.000-06:00

tonight is the curator's talk for art now at city arts. this is something that a year ago i would have been very nervous about. maybe i would be more nervous if i weren't just eager to be finished with talking about the show. but i'm just ready to stop talking about it. it's nice that i'm not nervous.

my skin is very dry.

during the past couple of days i have gotten a lot of sewing done on the second rob for aka. that's pretty much all that i've done. aside from a couple of meetings, one on sunday night and one on monday night. sew sew sew.

01 21 2012 : art next

2012-01-21T08:35:00.000-06:00

last night was great. everyone seemed very happy with the art. the gallery was so full at one point, you couldn't see any of the art. but i am pleased with the whole thing. hooray! and several people asked me what is next for me now. here is what is next:

edit the photobooth pics from last night.
the art now curator's talk next tuesday.
make deliver piece for the okcmoa omelette party by january 27.
finish the second piece and deliver two pieces for the aka exhibit by february 1.
finish and deliver the osu/public art pieces by february 28.
make and deliver piece for allied arts artini by the end of march.
start work for the jrb exhibit in september on march 1.
and hopefully i'll get one of the concept ok residencies, which means work for that also starts march 1.

of course any of this is subject to change. and i'll probably end up adding about 19 more things along the way because i do like to be busy. even now, while i could be laying in bed, relaxing, i'm going to go to yoga, then i'm going to come home and start trying to make sense of my house which is such a disaster of clutter and trash and mess that it is ridiculous. it's not been so messy in a long long time. and i'm already thinking about what i need to be doing.

time to do.

01 20 2012 : art now

2012-01-20T08:03:00.000-06:00

tonight is the night. i'm excited and nervous. i hope it goes well. i hope lots of art sells. i hope everyone likes it. i hope i am able to maintain the energy i need to make it through the night. i hope. i hope. i hope.

it has been an exhausting new year. but the exhaustion feels totally worth it. i am pretty proud of the exhibit.

and with all of that going on, i was still able to get in a proposal for concept ok. pretty excited about that too. i feel good about the proposal. but even if i don't get concept ok, it's a solid idea and i can submit it to something else.

now, to wash this clay mask off my face.

01 11 2012 : creative and imaginative

2012-01-11T07:00:00.001-06:00

the response to art now so far has been great. lots of people are in city arts both day and night for art classes and everyone seems to be very pleased with the art. one guy made a point to tell me that he thought it was an outstanding show and that it was creative and imaginative. it looks pretty good. i have to say. just five artists left to hang. woo hoo.

01 09 2012 : 10 1/2

2012-01-09T08:10:00.000-06:00

did i just sleep for ten and a half hours and wake up only because the alarm went off? yes i did. whoa.

today brandon drops off his sculptures. and i'll work on installing more. and it will be a fantastic day and i am super excited to figure out how to install ruth's artwork. i am. really.

where's the coffee grinder? oh yeah. i broke it trying to grind cashews. i need a new coffee grinder.

01 08 2012 : why do my feet smell like this?

2012-01-08T21:39:00.000-06:00

my feet have been trapped in tennis shoes for the better part of six days and every night when i take them off, they smell awful. terrible. disgusting. it's so gross. bleck. i know it's because i'm out of peppermint foot lotion and i've been using hand lotion instead. sigh.

long day at city arts, installing. good progress though. got four artists work hung. got some of it lit. i am sore. and tired. and hungry. and going to bed.

01 07 2012 : i love art

2012-01-07T08:24:00.000-06:00

seeing more and more artwork come in for art now is so exciting. yesterday was a busy day with deliveries, installations, tv stuff and the like. today will be awesome too. i am sure.

date night with rob was great. art in paseo. dinner at stella. super awesome boyfriend. sometimes i am so amazed by how so in love i am that i can't believe i get anything accomplished at all. omg. did i just write that? maybe.

missing yoga today. i'm bummed about that. my right hand is too sore to support me and i don't want to exacerbate it. sigh.

get to work.

01 06 2012 : i love rob

2012-01-06T06:30:00.000-06:00

i woke up way too early today and may need to lay back down before going back to city arts center today. yesterday was a great day, seeing whitney install art and receiving art from stuart and sarah and shan. today will be awesome as well, but i anticipate it might be a little chaotic as there are many deliveries and a tv crew coming to the gallery. but i'm excited. and i'm eager for the day to be over so i can celebrate one year with rob which is what i am most excited about. yay!

01 05 2012 : i love olives

2012-01-05T08:29:00.000-06:00

i am so sore from moving walls and pedestals.
i love green olives so much.
trying to make art while installing a show is difficult.
my first date with rob was one year ago tomorrow, which last year was on a thursday.

01 04 2012 : art now

2012-01-04T07:15:00.000-06:00

yesterday i moved all the walls into place, moved a ton of pedestals, and started plotting placement of artists for art now. klint schor was there all day as well, working on the circle gallery which is where his art will be. today, denny schmickle will be there early to install his wall. i'm excited. and i'm nervous.

also yesterday, i talked to jason. he's engaged. that's exciting news.

while i'm home each day, i have to be working on my heart pieces for february. so. get to work.

ok.

12 31 2011 : best year yet

2011-12-31T07:13:00.000-06:00

this has been the best year yet. certainly.

next year will be better. i know it.

it's been a busy week and i've gotten a lot of work done on one of the two pieces going to aka in february. i think i'll finish it today. going to the lips concert tonight with rob and the karpers. totally looking forward to it.

there is so much to do.

get to work, slacker.

12 27 2011 : returning

2011-12-27T17:29:00.000-06:00

it's been two weeks since i went to yoga. i wonder if tonight will be like starting over.

i tried to get back to work today. i found myself distracted by the need to tidy up my work space which basically took all afternoon. so much clutter. it's still in disarray, but at least the empty cardboard boxes are out of my house and my sewing table is clear. i started to print for the pieces i need to make for february, but realized i don't have enough red to work with. so i need to go shoot tomorrow. it will be a beautiful day for it.

12 20 2011 : pera-plu

2011-12-20T10:59:00.000-06:00

my head is heavier. and my skin hurts. mostly, i'm cold, but my face feels like it's on fire. i'm a zombie. and i'm breathing through my mouth exclusively. it's delightful.

but in good news, i finished a piece last night called rural abandonment. and i'm playing with a new piece today. it's interesting. they are small 6"x4" pieces. i hope i can finish this one today and maybe one more tomorrow.

back to a 30 rock marathon.

12 19 2011 : cold day, runny nose potato soup

2011-12-19T16:54:00.002-06:00

at some point last night, between 8:00 and 11:00, my entire head blew up in a head cold. bleck. my nose is runny and my throat is sore and waaa waaa waaa.

so, i am making soup with the ingredients i have. here it is:

dice two yellow onions
dice two white onions
mince four cloves of garlic
put in heavy stock pot with 3T olive oil, saute

slice six stalks of celery
dice eight red potatoes
add to stock pot, stir, continue to cook for about five minutes.

add 2t corriander, 2t spike seasoning, 2t black pepper, or more of any of these, depending on your taste. stir. cook until it smells delicious. then cover and let cook on medium low heat for ten minutes.

add enough water to just cover the vegetables. add 3T better than bouillion vegetable base. cook until potatoes and celery are soft.

to fight this cold, i am megadosing on vitamins b and c and shooting salt water up my nose every four hours. i'm optimistic i will feel better by wednesday.

12 14 2011 : road trip

2011-12-14T20:58:00.000-06:00

rob and i are going to ft. worth tomorrow for a mini-vacation. to see things. i am very much looking forward to the couple of days away. hopefully recalibrate my focus.

i had terrible nightmares last night. i'd like for that to stop immediately.

12 13 2011 : pretty things

2011-12-13T19:31:00.000-06:00

i started working on a piece from the prettiest thing collaboration last night. got a lot of work done. worked on it today some too. think i might be able to finish it tonight. if not tonight, certainly tomorrow.

my everything is fatigued from yoga. ow.

starting to feel anxiety on a continuous basis. i need to figure out ways to calm my mind more. all i think about is art now. it's eating my brain.

12 12 2011 : thirty rock marathon

2011-12-12T18:01:00.000-06:00

today i made a piece called personal private business. it's nice. i like it. it already has a home. i have been home sewing for the past two days. it's been nice not having to go anywhere, but i seriously have to go to the grocery store tomorrow.

12 10 2011 : rear end

2011-12-10T11:27:00.000-06:00

so i suppose the best time to get rear ended in your car might be after yoga class, when you at least are kind of relaxed. i was at the stop light on classen at northwest expressway. i got rear ended by the woman behind me who got rear ended. the guy who caused it all took off. i called the police, but when the woman and i assessed our damage, we both agreed, there was nothing worth reporting. aside from the frazzlediness of the situation, it's just something that happened. i hope i'm not sore later.

so rob and trey and i went to look at art with the karpers last night. kalee jones' paintings at dna are fantastic. and may yang has good work at both 1614 and mainsite. it was a busy night. go go go.

time to sew.

12 09 2011 : a day without a needle

2011-12-09T09:39:00.000-06:00

i am taking the day off from sewing today because my hand needs a break.

yesterday, i guest critiqued sarah hearn's final color photo class. that was super interesting. then we went to dinner at the wedge. sarah is super awesome.

after, rob and i went to the museum to see the cuba photos then we went ice skating. so. that was hard. rob, who has not ice skating before, at least not as an adult, took to it pretty effortlessly. i wasn't awful, but that is the bumpiest ice ever and it was not easy. but it was super fun.

happy friday.

12 08 2011 : butternut squash soup

2011-12-08T12:24:00.000-06:00

cut one sizable butternut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, coat lightly with olive oil, place face down on tin foil in square baking dish and bake for 40-60 minutes at 400 degrees.

while that is baking, in a large heavy stockpot, put 4 cups of vegetable broth and two bay leaves over medium low heat.

in small pot or pan, saute one purple and one white onion in olive oil until kinda translucent. then add three large cloves of garlic, minced. saute five more minutes. add to heavy stock pot with broth.

cut up one large sweet potato, add to heavy stock pot with broth/onions/garlic.

in same small pot or pan, saute two large sliced jalapeño peppers, seeded in olive oil until your eyes are burning. cover and saute five more minutes. put in heavy stock pot with broth/onions/garlic/sweet potato.

cut up one large carrot into slices. put in heavy stock pot with broth/onions/garlic/sweet potato/peppers.

in same small pot or pan, saute two pounds of sliced button mushrooms in olive oil. add a lot of pepper. saute over medium heat until they are very well cooked down to 1/4-1/3 the original size of sliced mushrooms. set aside to cool, when cool, drain excess liquid.

pull the butternut squash out of oven when finished and set aside to cool. once cool enough to handle, scoop out the meat or peel off the skin and put it in the heavy stock pot with the broth/onions/garlic/sweet potato/peppers/carrots.

stir soup. mash squash with stirring spoon to break it up.

bring to a boil. add 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. thyme, 1 tsp. ground ginger, 1 tsp. corriander, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, i tsp. oregano, 1 tsp. red pepper flakes. cover and cook on medium low while you dice an apple. (i used a honeycrisp apple. you can use any kind you like. or a pear.) add apple to pot. cook for one hour. add up to one additional cup of broth if needed. (i added 1/2 cup of broth.)

after an hour, add 1 cup of some kind of cold milk and 1 tsp. black pepper. (i used plain soy milk.) use an immersion blender to liquify to the consistency you like. add mushrooms. soup is ready.

garnish with sliced apples, or a dollop of sour or whipping cream, or a lime wedge, or a spoon full of drained and rinsed black beans or all of the above.

12 07 2011 : off ruler

2011-12-07T13:20:00.000-06:00

considering sarah hearn told me not all rulers are the same, i am left with the feeling that measuring is pointless. so i stopped measuring.

today is the day i stopped using a ruler to measure my stitches. i'd be lying if i said it doesn't freak me out. but what i lose in absolute measure i gain in speed. and i'm pretty impressed with my ability to retain a fairly accurate record of what might be 1/8th of an inch.

this may or may not last.

back to sewing.

12 06 2011 : flurries

2011-12-06T09:43:00.000-06:00

i saw snow flurries last night. nothing stuck. it was just a tiny tiny bit.

rob's strings concert was last night. as i sat there thinking about how difficult it must be to play a violin, i thought about how i think i would like to learn how to play the oboe. i know that sounds insane. i can't imagine it's easy. i do like oboes.

i've been working on the karper's piece. it's quite a challenge but i'm super happy with it so far. not quite half way through. it's stitch heavy.

finished all of round one of studio visits for art now. meeting with each artist was so incredible. each visit was so unique and i got something out of every visit. i feel challenged, like i need to be making better art or doing more. that's a little frustrating right now because i don't know how i could be doing more.

i'm going to go do more now.

11 25 2011 : mom's birthday

2011-11-25T08:23:00.000-06:00

today is my mom's birthday. and tonight we will celebrate at dinner for twelve at cheever's. it's also our family thanksgiving meal. yum. vegetable stack in my belly.

yesterday, i got to spend thanksgiving with rob's family. it was delicious and fun. owen is adorable and watching his imagination explode is so cool.

ben and owen are meeting today. we're having a play day and lunch. then we'll all head to kim's to play up there. it should be a high energy day. i need coffee. and maybe xanax.

i wish i could sew. i am plotting a period of three days very soon when i won't do anything, go anywhere, see anyone... nothing except sewing. it almost makes me cry just thinking about it. not that i am not excited about today. i am. i wish it weren't so overcast, but playing will be fun. who doesn't want to play? i do.

11 21 2011 : too much

2011-11-21T17:38:00.002-06:00

it's so hard to blog every day. i feel like i am running as fast as i can to do as much as i can while i'm awake each day and there is still so much to do and i feel behind.

headed to paul's now for a last work night for 31 flavors. wahoo!

11 17 2011 : purging

2011-11-17T13:20:00.000-06:00

still trying to purge. it's going well. i have unburdened myself of so much. it's cathartic.

studio visits still going well. it's so great to see what everyone is working on and how their minds work. i'm over half way through them which is super.

i'm also very tired. i find myself incredibly fatigued by the middle of the day. driving home from el reno yesterday i couldn't believe how tired i felt. it was as if i were drugged. even now, i feel so exhausted, like i need a nap. but there is no time for that.

get. to. work.

11 15 2011 : sarah

2011-11-15T18:08:00.000-06:00

i had a studio visit with sarah hearn today for art now. she's so awesome.

then i went to iao to patch nail holes in the wall for a couple of hours. there were a lot of nail holes.

then i came home and worked on administrative things and then spent an hour cleaning more stuff out of the spare bedroom. it is amazing the progress i have made. it is amazing how much there still is to do. but i found a giant box of clothes, 80% of which i am donating, but 20% of which i am keeping.

finally, today i realized i really need to buy a pair of brown boots. i probably need black boots too. but one thing at a time.

11 14 2011 : ben is six

2011-11-14T17:12:00.000-06:00

ben's birthday is today. he is six. how time flies. six years ago i wasn't even sewing.

i had four studio visits for art now which were awesome! i love studio visits! so inspiring to see what other people are making and why they make it. it makes me want to make more art. luckily i get to go make art with paul tonight.

my god i am exhausted.

11 13 2011 : awesome

2011-11-13T23:53:00.001-06:00

ben wore a tshirt today that said awesome. he is. so was today.

after breakfast in dallas, a contemplative drive home. thinking about everything that is right and everything that is wrong and how to make everything better. i am trying to be optimistic. it's been very difficult to be so lately.

got home in time for refreshing the palette. tried eight wines, liked five of them very much. my piece sold. woo hoo.

after dinner, watched the weirdest movie with rob. ciao manhattan. and then edie sedgwick died. good gravy what a life.

time for bed. studio visits start bright and early.

11 12 2011 : ben

2011-11-12T07:17:00.000-06:00

going to ben's sixth birthday party today. i wish i could see him more. at least i get to see him today. i got him a star wars pop up book. it's pretty intense. i remember standing in line at the video twin in enid to see star wars when i was a kid. the line went from the box office out to garriott.

my piece called thelma sold at red dot last night. i wonder who bought it. it wasn't who i thought.

time to go.

11 11 2011 : the hangover

2011-11-11T17:17:00.000-06:00

lazy day. over indulged last night. that is all.

11 10 2011 : there is no change.

2011-11-10T06:17:00.000-06:00

sharks don't change. cats don't change. snakes don't change. people don't change.

11 09 2011 : animals

2011-11-09T09:33:00.001-06:00

i had a dream that my house had been completely overrun by three of lots of different animals there were turtles and rabbits and chickens. the chickens were hatching out of eggs the size of teenage chickens. and grasshoppers and cats and dogs. there were more. so many more small exotic animals. i can't even remember them all. and it was absolutely crazy. and i had almost ten times the amount of things that i currently have in my house and there was stuff everywhere. like stacks and stacks of dvds on the floor and piles and piles of clothes everywhere. and people from girl scouts were putting more stuff into my house through my kitchen window. oh what does it mean. sadly, i think i know. but i think i can pull it together.

got red dot installed at iao. never in my life have i been so casual about hanging an exhibit, but george was there to help and insisted that i was putting too much energy into a one night show and that we could move much faster if we didn't measure. he was right. it did move so much faster. and now it's all hung.

must work now.

11 08 2011 : art

2011-11-08T11:14:00.000-06:00

yesterday was hardcore. four studio visits, four errands, some red dot art installation, collaboration with paul, an earthquake, a tornado watch, and flash flooding. whew. welcome to tuesday.

trying to keep up with email, four one four two, blogging, and being an art enthusiast is tethering me to the computer more than i would like today. but i'm about to split to go be on the screen with clint to talk about red dot. then install red dot.

yay.

11 07 2011 : click

2011-11-07T06:34:00.000-06:00

every time my heater is about to turn on, there is a click that i hear behind my computer. i have no idea why. i never heard it with the a/c.

time changes throw me off. so, i went to bed at 8:15 last night. and then was up from 2 to 3:30 a.m. then woke up again at 5:45. i have a steady day of busy ahead of me. i think coffee is in order.

today i have four studio visits with art now artists. i'm excited to see where they work and what they are working on. while i was falling asleep last night, i think i have figured out how i want the gallery guide to look. pretty excited about that.

tonight is rob's fall concert. i'm picking up tyler and libby to go to that with me. should be a good time.

lots to do. go go go.

11 06 2011 : no time like the present

2011-11-06T08:32:00.001-06:00

yesterday was too go go go for a blog. sigh.

the portraits of love project at tinker was fun. lots of great families. some very fun families. some very serious families. some dads who just came home. it was neat. i'm glad i did it. however, i am not looking forward to editing photos. i wish they would edit themselves.

the wepo show was last night. i was so happy to see such great art by my amazingly talented friends. there was a piece i would have liked to have bought from each of them. that's always the challenge with seeing good art. i want. it's the want/need thing. so challenging.

and so, earthquakes. i had heard there was one saturday morning around 2, but i was sleeping i didn't wake. the one last night was around 10, and meagan and i were at flips. didn't miss that. holy shit. that was my first earthquake. it was crazy. and as i sit in my dining room looking around i wonder if i should reassess how i have things arranged on shelves. probably. i'm probably not going to.

yesterday, chad was the recipient of my house hold clutter purge. he came over and picked up a bunch of stuff and wants to take the big easel, so that is super. happy to be ridding myself of so many things.

today i am going to get bins to organize the things i want to keep that are just rattling around in that room all willy-nilly. i am also going to lunch and to get manicures with kim and libby. that will be super fun. i'm psyched.

time. to. go.

11 04 2011 : movies and mexican food

2011-11-04T17:59:00.000-05:00

today, for the first time in a long time, tyler and i went to a movie. just the two of us. it was super fun. i picked him up at home and said let's go to the movie then to lunch. he asked if we could go to lunch then the movie because he didn't want to fill up on junk at the movie and not be hungry for lunch. it was pretty responsible. so we went to ted's escondido where he proceeded to eat only junk and then we went to the movie (tower heist) and he ate most of a bag of popcorn and a box of candy. i'm not judging. it was just pretty funny. he's awesome. certainly the best 13 year old i know. we talked about saving money for a car and how to earn money when you can't work at sam's and tumors and other fun stuff. i adore him.

tomorrow is going to be crazy. all day i'll be volunteering for the portraits of love project at tinker afb. ten volunteer photographers are taking portraits of families that have a soldier deployed overseas during the holidays. i was asked to do this in september. of course i said yes immediately. i don't know how anyone could say no. it should be a good day. i'm looking forward to it. but it will make for a long day because tomorrow night is the wepo show and i'm super excited about that.

but first, tonight, rob and meagan and i are going to the paseo then to the girlie show with a little dinner in between. i haven't been to the girlie show in years. i wonder if i'll buy anything.

11 03 2011 : hard habit to break

2011-11-03T08:13:00.000-05:00

it's difficult sometimes to see the difference between complaining and having a conversation about factual things. i was talking about something last night and i worried that i was complaining, but it was kinda just reporting an event that happened. i don't know where the line is exactly. i suppose if it feels like a complaint... i don't know. why am i taking this so seriously? it's not that big of a deal.

i got a good first version of my refreshing the palette piece finished yesterday. upon looking at it this morning, it needs more work. after my 9:00 meeting, i'll get back to work on that until rob and i go to the philharmonic tonight with the karpers.

barney's birthday dinner was so fun last night. and delicious.

things i donated yesterday included about 30 room fragrance oils, a bunch of taper candles, two old t-shirts, two frames, and a small cabinet stand. at this rate, i'll be getting 150 things out of my house by the end of november. that would be awesome.

11 02 2011 : talk about picking the wrong time to quit sniffing glue

2011-11-02T08:02:00.000-05:00

i struggled with making my refreshing the palette piece yesterday. it was such a clever idea. but alas, i couldn't achieve the aesthetic i wanted, which happens sometimes. i have a plan b. i'll work on that today.

today i have my first studio visit with klint schor for art now. after that, i'll get refreshing the palette piece resolved then go to the 12x12 wrap up committee meeting tonight then to barney's birthday dinner. barney turns 30!

what i donated yesterday: an extremely well-used wood drafting table, a baby doll, two decorative clocks that never kept the right time, and a japanese fabric hanging door partition thing and the spring loaded curtain rod that held it up between my kitchen and dining room.

11 01 2011 : hooray for math

2011-11-01T08:55:00.001-05:00

when i wake up at four in the morning, generally it is because i have to pee. sometimes it's because my neighbor is in the carport, but mostly i have to pee. and it takes a little time to get back to sleep because even though i'm certainly still sleepy at four, my mind does start racing as soon as i stand up. so this morning, as i thought about things from four until five, i had an epiphany about the construction of the karper's piece that i am totally thrilled about. it's going to take a little bit of math. i do love math. i'm excited about it. i think it will be pretty awesome. i think i'll need to go on a photo shoot soon.

today i will pick up art from nathan's apartment. he's had it for a while. i could have him hold on to it until it shows again next year, but why?

also today, i will work on my refreshing the palette piece. i have two ideas. we'll see which one wins.

and i am going to make vegetable soup.

10 31 2011 : four three two one

2011-10-31T14:41:00.000-05:00

i am a duck and water rolls off my back.

one goal i am setting for the month of november, in addition to the hundreds of other things i need to get accomplished, is to donate one thing a day to the salvation army. every time i leave my house, i hope to have the presence of mind to take one thing with me since that drop station is just around the corner. so at the end of the month, there will be at least 30 less things in my house.

also, another goal for november, is to not complain. about anything. an attitude of gratitude for the entire month. this may be the most challenging goal i'll have ever set for myself. i'm optimistic.

and finally, i think november is blog month. so my final goal for november is to post a blog everyday. it's good to get back into that habit.

this is what i'll be working on in the next month, in no particular order: red dot, refreshing the palette, artist studio visits for art now, the karper commission, 31 flavors collaboration with paul for first friday december, and prettiest thing collaboration with sarah and kolbe.

deep breath in. deep breath out. i am a duck. water rolls off my back.

10 30 2011 : list

2011-10-30T12:39:00.000-05:00

when i woke up this morning i felt a focus i haven't felt in a while. i am sure it was because there is so much that i need to do. but having sat in front of my computer now for almost four hours, i am zapped of all energy and no longer focused. i did get a couple of things accomplished. but now i just want to go back to bed.

i added some design elements to my blog. hope they are pleasing and not gaggy.

i created a group for halloween parade photos on flickr, a task i have done for the past five years. i wonder if people still post to flickr. i do, but only just kinda. we'll see if anyone else joins the group. it could just be me this year.

and i think i might just take a nap. or at least lay in bed and prioritize my action list. sigh.

10 29 2011 : change is good

2011-10-29T10:17:00.001-05:00

i'm about to change a few things.

but first i'm going to breakfast with meagan.

happy saturday.

10 26 2011 : i love driving

2011-10-26T06:31:00.000-05:00

leaving for tulsa again. i so love all the time in the car. it's good for getting lost in thought. and then inevitably realizing i've been 30 miles and how did i get here. i am pretty sure aliens are involved when that happens. good times.

10 25 2011 : this is tuesday

2011-10-25T08:11:00.000-05:00

today i am starting the piece for kelsey and barney. i have a pretty clear vision of what i want it to look like and that can only be a good thing, right? i know there is a honey color photograph involved. i look forward to sewing. i don't know if i'll get that far today, but i still look forward to it.

i look forward to having several consecutive days when i don't have to leave my house.

also today, i have two art now meetings at city arts center. and i'm dropping off art at iao. and i'm dropping off art at jrb. and i'm going to a wines and cheeses of spain class with rob and meagan at forward foods tonight.

i really wish i could stay in bed all day.

10 23 2011 : dishes

2011-10-23T10:51:00.000-05:00

i just did dishes for the first time in three weeks. it wasn't as bad as you might think. but still.

the last day of my residency at holland hall was great. patron workshop yesterday morning. i had a good time. i hope they all took something away from the experience.

and last night rob and i went to dusty and calley's wedding. it was lovely. and the reception was nice. i ate a salad with bacon. how the caterers weren't prepared to serve a single vegetarian is beyond my comprehension. but whatever. the cake was good.

i'm pretty exhausted. i'm not super enthusiastic about making art today and i really need to be because i need to have two new pieces by tuesday for delivery. if my biggest complaint is that i have to make art today, i need to swallow a big pill of shut the hell up.

and i will.

10 21 2011 : residency, day five

2011-10-21T15:24:00.000-05:00

the workshops in the primary school were today and it was fast fast fast. go go go. third grade, kindergarten, second grade, lunch, first grade, finished. i took a ton of photos of their work. until my phone died.

i am equal parts energized and ready to make art and exhausted and ready to crawl into bed. i need to go to get some l brackets though because one of my frames hanging at holland hall has warped which is disheartening. i guess i thought it wasn't so big that it needed a brace. clearly it does. oh well. easy fix.

10 20 2011 : residency, day four

2011-10-20T14:58:00.000-05:00

it all goes so fast. yesterday's gallery talks with the primary school were great. the kids were so well behaved and had such great questions at the end. and when they sat down to draw something in the gallery that inspired them, it was so cute to see their renderings of my sewn work. the second graders all asked for autographs. it was adorable.

this morning i gave a talk to the entire upper school which was interesting. it is so interesting to be on a stage with a bright light in your eyes talking to a room full of people that you can't see. i don't know if they were sleeping or bored or listening or what. it didn't matter. i rambled on for about forty minutes talking about sewing and lykke li and pop culture and photos. then i answered a few questions. then it was time for the master class. eleven girls in the master class. it was pretty rad. some of them really did a fantastic job of capturing images. but three hours went too fast and then it was time for me to go and i left even though students weren't finished, which i felt pretty bad about, but i think they got a good idea of what i do and how they can work in that style. i wish i could see what their final product looks like.

while it is extremely gratifying working with little kids, i so enjoy working with the older kids. mostly because the conversation is better.

10 19 2011 : residency, day three

2011-10-19T07:21:00.000-05:00

yesterdays workshops were so great. the fifth grade especially, but all the groups produced fantastic work. my direction to them changed from how i directed the seventh and eighth grade. clearer slower communication. that, and asking them to conceal words better. i can't wait to go through their photos. maybe i'll do that tonight.

today i have talks with the elementary school kids, k-3. it should be a trip. i have the 3rd graders for 90 minutes. 90 minutes.

okay. go.

10 18 2011 : residency, day two

2011-10-18T08:15:00.001-05:00

yesterday went well. the powerpoint, while i thought it was boring, the teachers said i did a great job of keeping the middle schoolers interested. so i suppose that's something. there were a few questions after. one woman said she sees a lot of math in my work. asked if i was good at math or enjoyed math. i was honest and said that i really wasn't good, but then went on a preachy rant about the fact that math is very important and that students may know now that what they are learning isn't going to be practical in their adult lives, because most math isn't relevant to the average daily life, i mean, i have never used a theorem ever, but that it is critical to learn it because it is what makes our brains work most efficiently and helps us to be smarter and solve problems better than other people as we get older and that is a good thing. the teachers applauded. whatever. it's true. i hope one kid heard it.

the workshops with the eighth and seventh graders were good. seeing the photos from what they made yesterday, i now know how to better instruct the fourth through sixth graders today. you live, you learn.

today will be a blur. but i hope it will go as smoothly as yesterday.

oh, yesterday was interviewed by rich fisher for his program studio tulsa which will air tomorrow. so, i knew he is a good interviewer going in. i'd heard his program online before. but i mean, totally at ease. really good interviewer. i hope i didn't ramble on too much.

10 17 2011 : residency, day one

2011-10-17T07:27:00.000-05:00

this morning i go to school to work with the middle school. i have a presentation to give to all of 300+ them, then i'll have one hour with each class to create art. i'm as prepared as i can be. and i'm ready to roll with it. and i'm excited to see if what i've proposed that we do actually works.

i'm nervous.

10 14 2011 : next week

2011-10-14T06:41:00.000-05:00

i don't even know... i am so tired but must keep going. i deliver to tulsa today. i am one piece down and hope to finish it by sunday. i might not. i have 18 pieces otherwise. i need to put together a power point presentation. eegads. i'm fighting something sinusy that is making my throat sore, but i power through with megadoses of vitamin b and c. i'm trying to not let things that people have said to me this past week bother me, but i keep hearing the words in my head. and it bothers me. i feel the stress in a way i don't remember ever feeling it before. by this time next week, i know i will feel a kajillion times better. i'm very much looking forward to this time next week.

10 07 2011 : framing

2011-10-07T22:03:00.000-05:00

breakfast with amy this morning. picked up lumber. started framing. step one complete. dinner with rob and the karpers. stopped by the occupy okc rally. i wish they would occupy some sort of organization. now i'm going to get as much of framing step two done before bed as possible. go.

10 06 2011 : dad's birthday

2011-10-06T11:22:00.000-05:00

momentum tulsa is installed and looks nice. the gallery was a challenging space to work with, as it has a clear gallery side and an obvious make-due side. there are some amazing works in the show though. amazing. i love art.

meeting with holland hall today. hooray! one week until i deliver work!

headed home today. then i get to have the joy of framing. oh how i haven't missed framing art. not even a little. maybe the next five days of framing will spark some love of wood work. i hope so.

today marks nine months with rob.

i am tired. and my feet hurt. but i'm not broke. and i am in a posh hotel with running water and electricity and a lovely sixth floor view of a tree-scaped tulsa.

stop rambling.

ok.

10 01 2011 : annnnnd it's october.

2011-10-01T08:16:00.000-05:00

moving right along with the 12x12 installation. i am certain today will be a blur. and a success. hooray!

tomorrow we strike 12x12 and monday i'll be installing momentum. looking forward to the new challenge.

i need to do laundry.
i need to do dishes.
i need to pick up lumber from forest.

i want to lay in my bed and be still.

time to go.

09 29 2011 : sore

2011-09-29T08:09:00.000-05:00

yesterday was the first day of installing 12x12. it was pretty awesome and i'm amazed by how much got done. great experienced volunteers make all the difference. and the space is fantastic.

but holy crap if i didn't get out of bed and experience a pain in my feet that i have not felt in probably five years. but aside from the times i was driving and lunch, i was standing all day in what i thought were comfortable shoes. so it's really not shocking that my feet would hurt. i busted out my most padded sneakers for today. they are the lamest white orthopedic shoes on the planet. oh well.

get to work slacker.

09 26 2011 : moneyball

2011-09-26T09:39:00.000-05:00

after a 45 minute nap yesterday i had dinner with rob and we went to see moneyball which was a good movie. two movies in one week. i don't even know what to think about that. like i have time to go to the movies. clearly, i do.

i am trying to be super clear-headed right now as i move into a very busy few weeks. but my brain is a buzz with worry that i should be doing something right at this second. but right at this second, all i can come up with is that i should be sewing. so i'm going to do that for the next little bit before i meet laura for lunch. hooray!

i understand why people take xanax habitually.

09 25 2011 : final 25

2011-09-25T16:13:00.000-05:00

i have selected the artists i want for art now oklahoma. i am still waiting for four to respond. i am emotionally exhausted by the finalization of this process and must take a nap in order to reset my brain.

09 22 2011 : need/want

2011-09-22T13:24:00.000-05:00

i've been thinking a lot about the need/want dilemma a lot lately. what do i need? what do i want? i think lately i've been confusing the two. such a problem of the self-involved. sigh.

i've got 20 of the artists selected for art now oklahoma. only five more to go. i'll make a decision by tomorrow morning. pretty excited about who has agreed so far. final list soon.

went to rucks' fourth birthday party yesterday afternoon which was fun. ruck is so funny and such a daredevil. in their living room yesterday, he would run full force towards the wall and throw his leg out in the final few feet, parallel to the floor and kick off the wall as soon as he made contact. i saw him do it three times. he only fell once. it was remarkable. and ed is totally communicating through grunts and nods. it's amazing to see him at work. and mac was awesome. we were sitting on the front porch and he said that rucks needed him to tell him how to be four because he didn't have any experience. and i reminded mac that he figured out how to be four all on his own, and rucks should be given that same opportunity, while he should just be figuring out how to be six. and he said, oh i already learned how to be six at school. they taught me.

after that was the visual art committee meeting at iao. it was productive.

and after that, rob and i went to see contagion. i thought it was a little long. rob liked it. i do like steven soderbergh. i coughed this morning and thought of the movie. i'm not sure i won't always think of that movie now when i hear a cough.

i didn't get enough sleep last night. but when i woke up too early this morning, i laid in bed for five minutes thinking about all the work i needed to be doing, and just got up. i'll sleep when i'm dead. or in february. whichever comes first.

09 18 2011 : twelve

2011-09-18T10:05:00.002-05:00

i woke up incredibly down this morning.

09 17 2011 : eleven

2011-09-17T07:59:00.000-05:00

finished piece eleven yesterday. AND took a nap. what?! i know! it was a cool rainy day and i couldn't avoid my bed. it was calling me. taunting me, almost.

so. i worked on eleven until i could work no more, napped, got ready for the night, went out with rob for dinner and three art things with the karpers, then came home and finished eleven and started twelve. and thirteen. whoa. that's crazy. and awesome.

today i will finish twelve, have lunch with sarah hearn, and go to tulsa with rob to see fleet foxes and the walkmen at cain's ballroom. we're meeting amy and a friend of hers there.

day five : banana, yogurt, smoothie with blueberries mango walnuts banana mango juice and soy milk, cashews, spinach salad with mushrooms raisins walnuts and goddess dressing, and green tea and a seoul to seoul roll at pachinko parlor.

go go go. get to work.

09 16 2011 : ten

2011-09-16T07:55:00.000-05:00

finished piece ten last night. starting eleven this morning. these pieces are small and i had composition already sketched out so that is why i am able to work so quickly. it would be awesome to start and finish eleven today. maybe.

it's so hard to think about all the things i need to be working on right now when i have to get art finished. i'm going to art today, tomorrow and sunday, then spend monday morning catching up on other responsibilities. then hopefully start framing this exhibit.

day four : an avocado, some mandarin oranges, leftover vegan antipasto from the wedge, guacamole salsa chips and two black bean potato corn tacos with rice and corn on the cob at iguana, peanut butter and peach all-fruit jelly, pistachios. man. i ate a lot yesterday.

09 15 2011 : reboot

2011-09-15T08:32:00.001-05:00

finished piece nine, got piece ten assembled. had a productive and inspiring lunch with eric and we talked about art. good walk through for 12x12. i love the location. had a great dinner with rob and got to see some of his burning man photos.

sewing piece ten today. hope i can finish it by bedtime. having lunch with kim and noah at iguana.

woke up from a dream about being on a big trip in some sort of massive rv with a wide assortment of people. ruth ann borum asked me to make her some glue and when i did it was bright orange and i handed her a translucent container of glue with no lid and when i turned to face her, her face was the same color of orange. i scrambled to get my phone to take a photo but by the time i got hipstamatic up and a film setting i liked her face wasn't quite the same color of orange, but since i had the camera out she did a whole frenzied thing for me where she tore a chicken apart with her mouth and hands. so i took photos of that. then i looked over to my left and george was standing there. i said hi george. he said hi romy. i asked him if he was hungry. he said yes. i asked him what he was hungry for and he said chili. i apologized that we didn't have any chili, could i get him something else. and he said boogers. and i looked closely and he had three crusty boogers at his nostril and upper lip. i went to get a baby wipe to clean off his face. then i woke up.

doing a cleanse gives me a chance to reboot how and what i eat. so far it's been easy. but i'm not eating any hummus today.

day three : v8, a banana, yellow lentil hummus and blue corn chips, green beans and succotash at republic, thai chili smoothie at matthew kinney, citrus chamomile tea and vegan antipasto at the wedge, mango orange juice

09 14 2011 : pistachios

2011-09-14T07:19:00.002-05:00

finished piece eight. started piece nine. will finish piece nine this morning. then have lunch with eric to discuss art now oklahoma and other things art related. then i will start piece ten and get it assembled before going to a 12x12 committee walkthrough of the site and then to dinner with rob. go go go.

day two cleanse, what i ate: soy yogurt; green tea with soy milk; edamame hummus with wild rice chips; pineapple; spinach salad with mushrooms, carrots, golden raisins, walnuts, avocado and shitake sesame dressing; blue corn sesame seed chips with salsa; a lot of pistachios; mango orange juice.

09 13 2011 : green tea

2011-09-13T14:34:00.000-05:00

i got out of the house for a minute this morning to have green tea at coffee slingers with candace and discuss deadlines for art now oklahoma. delightful.

i've been up since 3:45. working since 4:30, when i decided i wasn't falling back asleep. i will finish the piece i'm working on right now in the next two hours. and start and assemble another piece entirely before i go to bed tonight.

day one cleanse, what i ate: a spinach salad with mushrooms, carrots, golden raisins, walnuts and goddess dressing; a spoon of yellow lentil hummus with wild rice chips; blue corn sesame seed chips with salsa and half an avocado; a smoothie with soy milk, blueberries, peaches, banana, peanut butter and walnuts.

09 12 2011 : run!

2011-09-12T14:41:00.002-05:00

recently, meagan was telling me about how difficult a run had been for her one morning and the way she spoke about it made me feel like she really shouldn't be torturing herself with this goal of being a runner. i said, "meagan, we aren't all meant to be runners." rob would disagree. he thinks we are all meant to run.

anyway with that said, i am about to start running as fast as i can just to keep up with my own overburdened schedule.

starting today, i will finish the work (including framing) for my holland hall show by september 27, install and deinstall 12x12 between september 28 and october 2, install momentum tulsa the first week of october, finalize all details of holland hall the week of october 9, install the holland hall show october 14, do my residency at holland hall the week of october 15, have the reception for the holland hall show on october 21, do a workshop for parents on october 22, go to a wedding on october 22, attend the statewide arts conference october 26 & 27, and deinstall momentum tulsa on october 28. all that while working on art now [oklahoma] and my red dot piece and my other community involvements.

sleep is for suckers.

watch me run.

09 11 2011 : fifteen hour nap

2011-09-11T08:56:00.000-05:00

i laid down yesterday at 5:30 for a nap, thinking i would be going out with rob later. i woke up to a text from rob telling me he's got a fever and he needs rest. so i wished him goodnight and went back to sleep. fifteen hours later, i'm awake. and thirsty.

i had a dream that kim and her kids and i were in a broken boat stranded in a lake at night. it was terrifying.

so much to do. sigh.

09 10 2011 : nine ten eleven

2011-09-10T17:20:00.000-05:00

rob's reception was a huge hit last night. he sold nine pieces. hooray!

today has been slow. breakfast with meagan then went by to see her new house. how fun to have a new house.

then to jp's artist talk this afternoon. artist talks are always inspiring. i should be working on making art right now, but i'm going to enjoy the remains of this day by taking it easy and trying to rest. so much coming up in the next couple of weeks and i can't really risk becoming so run down that i make myself sick.

so. instead of making art i'm going to look at my list of artists for art now and dream about that exhibit.

09 09 2011 : process

2011-09-09T09:05:00.001-05:00

it's very challenging to think about burning man and spew out what it was like or how much i enjoyed it. i've found that when asked specific questions, i can answer those easily. but when asked how was burning man? all i can say is awesome.

what i think i loved the most was that for the first time in probably five years, i didn't think about work or deadlines for an entire week. i wasn't even aware of that until we were in the line of cars to leave and i started thinking about the trip home and what i needed to do as soon as i got home. while making that mental list, i realized that i hadn't thought about sewing or my own art or how behind i am at all. so. thank you burning man for the mental break.

i also loved the experience of being there. i enjoyed looking at all the art. some truly amazing work. totally loved riding a bike. camping was fun. it's been a while since i camped, but it was still easy. i didn't meet many people, but the people i met were neato. absolutely enjoyed spending time with kelsey and barney and paul and joe. and of course i always love time with rob.

and it was an amazing environment.

i didn't mind the not showering part. i used baby wipes to stay clean. and i felt dusty, but i didn't feel dirty.

the porta-pottys wouldn't have been so bad if other people weren't so disgusting.

i would go again. and i would recommend the experience. it's not for everyone. but it was great.

and then as soon as i was home, i got back to work. and i need to be doing that right now.

go.

09 08 2011 : this day last year

2011-09-08T08:39:00.000-05:00

this day last year was the first time rob and i spent time hanging out together. we went to the museum to see a talk, maybe it was jonathan hils. then we went to queen of sheba for dinner.

sigh.

sleeping in my own bed last night was great. i think i was asleep within three minutes and i don't think i moved an inch all night. then the alarm woke me at 8:00 and it is time to get to work.

the grand canyon was amazing.

burning man was awesome.

it was a great adventure full of new sights and sounds. today is an incredibly busy day though. first cafe meeting, hanging rob's iao show, photographing alyson's wedding. so, i won't be processing-via-blog my burning man experience for a day or two.

time to make the coffee.

08 27 2011 : today!

2011-08-27T05:04:00.000-05:00

hooray! no more waiting. tomorrow morning i get to see the grand canyon. then i get to go to burning man. i am so excited.

08 26 2011 : last prep day

2011-08-26T07:37:00.000-05:00

i realized i can't really make a through miscellaneous burning man list. because it's all packed and i don't know if can remember everything. but i'll try.

shade tarp
ground tarp
tent
cooler

yeah. i give up. my mind is a-buzz with all the things that need to happen today. maybe when i get back i'll think to write down the list of everything else that i took. probably not. but maybe.

there is a lot to do today. get to work.

08 25 2011 : burning man packing list, camera equipment

2011-08-25T13:50:00.000-05:00

camera gear:
one 35 mm camera
9 rolls tmax 100
2 rolls tmax 3200
9 rolls ISO 50 color slide
2 rolls ISO 200 b&w slide

three holgas
3 rolls ISO 800 color
3 rolls ISO 160 color
3 rolls ISO 400 b&w
5 rolls ISO 125 b&w

one polaroid reporter
3 packs ISO 100 b&w
3 packs ISO 100 color
1 pack ISO 3000 b&w

nikon coolpix S8100
four fully charged batteries
one 8 GB sd card

08 25 2011 : burning man packing list

2011-08-25T08:42:00.000-05:00

i've given up any hope that i will get two small pieces assembled to take with me for the time in the car. but that's okay because i found out yesterday that i will be curating cafe city arts, so i'll be busy planning that. i can sew when i get back.

so. what i need to do today: pick up amelia earhart aviator cap and goggles from jennifer, set up the tent with rob, finish all packing, deliver everything to the karpers. if i get all of this finished, i'll have tomorrow to make food and work on rob's antlers. i hope to get to the antlers today. we'll see.

these are a few of my packing lists for burning man.

clothing:
(i know i'm overpacked, but luck favors the prepared.)
four sleeveless shirts
three short sleeve shirts
one sweater
two long sleeve beach cover-ups
nine sleeveless dresses
five skirts
two pairs of capris
four pairs of leggings
two long sleeve shirts
two pajama bottoms
three bridesmaid dresses
one pair of canvas mary jane shoes
one pair of flip flops
one pair of hiking boots
more than enough socks and underwear
one floppy hat
two winterweight hats
two lightweight scarves (mostly for hair)
one pair fingerless mittens
darth vader mask/helmet
power ranger mask/helmet
amelia earhart aviator cap and goggles
turtle swim goggles
five homemade eye masks
one pair of kitten ear barrettes

toiletry kit:
one pack unscented baby wipes
one pack cucumber scented baby wipes
one pack facial cleansing wipes for dry skin
one pack facial cleansing wipes for oily skin
one pack antibacterial hand wipes
facial moisturizer
facial sunscreen
sunscreen
calendula scented deodorant
lavender scented deodorant
apricot scented deodorant
qtips
hydrogen peroxide
bandaids
tampons
advil
melatonin
multi-vitamins
toothbrush
toothpaste
one bar of dr. bronner's all-in-one soap
one washcloth

bedding box:
one queen size double high air mattress
battery powered air mattress pump
batteries
two sets of queen size sheets and pillow cases
two pillows
one quilt
one light cotton blanket
one down comforter
sleepytime aromatherapy spray
sleep eye masks
bedtime book

kitchen gear:
two burner camp stove
three small propane canisters
flat grill
one frying pan
one large pot
one steamer basket
one small pot
four skewers
one long handled spatula
four melamine plates
four plastic mug/bowls
lots of to-go forks, spoons, knives
one cooler
one camelbak
two aluminum water bottles
(the karpers are bringing kitchen gear too)

i'll do my miscellaneous and camera equipment lists tomorrow.

08 24 2011 : so much to do

2011-08-24T07:54:00.000-05:00

i woke from a dream that i time traveled back to the early 80s, to a bar that i frequented in present day and some of the people there were the same and some of them knew who i was because i had been going to that bar for some time, but most of the people didn't know who i was, and the ones who did, they didn't know that i was actually future romy. and rob reiner was in the bar, and i was like, oh my god. and i went on and on about his movies. but he was a little confused because he hadn't directed many things at the time, but had been pitching ideas and reading scripts. and we talked about famous actors and whether they would be good in roles and i would think about the actual movie he would direct and then tell him whether i thought that was a good choice. and i was upset because i had my phone on me but while i was holding it to take a photo with the hipstamatic app, it turned into a watch. so i was super bummed about not having a camera to take a photo of me with rob reiner. when lo and behold i look behind the bar and i had left my d3 there the night before. and it had the super wide angle lens. so i was telling him i wanted to take a photo with him and he went outside to smoke a cigarette. and while he was doing that, i was setting the aperture and shutter and we were walking down the sidewalk which was like walking through a marsh and my feet were getting wet and he's a tall dude and he was walking faster than i was. then he crossed a street and a public transport tram went between us and i could see he was getting on, so from the other side, i got on, because i still wanted a photo. and i wanted to tell him that i was from the future. but i wanted the photo first because i thought he would think i was insane. so i'm on the tram looking around for him. and he sneaked up behind me. and we talked then i took a photo and showed him on the screen what it looked like and it was a little dark and in black and white and he seemed kinda amazed that i had this huge camera and i told him how much it costs and he was even more amazed. and i was like, well, that was in two thousand and... then i remembered i hadnt told him i was from the future yet, so i needed to tell him that before i shocked him with information about my camera manufacture date. so i was about to take another photo, and i woke up.

it was a strange and awesome dream.

ok. i didn't get everything done yesterday. but watch me do it all today.

today: print rob's photos for his iao exhibit, coffee with janey, meet mom to pick up polaroid gear, finish two putting together the two small pieces to take to burning man to sew in the car, get the bedding tub entirely put together, one more load of laundry, start packing clothes, and pick up darth vader mask from chad. can i do it all? god i hope so.

08 23 2011 : countdown to burning man

2011-08-23T07:51:00.000-05:00

i got so much done yesterday. laundry? check. clean bathroom? check. dusted dining room shelves? check. broken down shipping boxes that arrived in the house three weeks ago? check. delivered art to nathan for cypher? check. returned paper lanterns to amy? check. picked up friendship bracelet stuff from ashley? check. backed up hard drive? check. started pile of things/clothes to take to burning man? check.

today i am going to put the two pieces together that i didn't put together yesterday, meet with sarah to exchange prettiest thing art, meet with julia about 12x12 logitics, deliver my 12x12 to ovac, clean the kitchen, pay bills, and buy film.

ready? set? go!

08 22 2011 : that wasn't a spider bite

2011-08-22T09:09:00.000-05:00

it's all good now, but that wasn't a spider bite. it was a pop-up MRSA blister. it was reading one woman's blog about what she thought was a spider bite but was actually a staph infection or CA-MRSA. and seeing her photos and reading her experience, i was able to see that i didn't have a spider bite at all. mike told me how to treat it. i did. it isn't an on-going oozing drama like dede from oregon had. and i am grateful. another instance in which i didn't need a doctor. woo hoo!

let's see. a lot happened in the last week. and it was all good. and now, looking forward at this week, it's a busy busy week of doing everything i need to do before burning man. very pumped up about this.

and so today, i'm going to prep two small pieces that i can take with me to burning man to be sewing in the car. i'm going to get all my friendship bracelet supplies together so i can be working on my eternal friendship bracelet during the time we are there. doing laundry and starting to inventory what i'm taking. and i'm going to clean the bathroom.

happy day.

08 16 2011 : iced and elevated

2011-08-16T09:41:00.000-05:00

so i woke up at 4:30 this morning thanks to my ouchie bite. it's painful. i made a new ice pack and put a baking soda/sea salt paste on the bite and went back to sleep for a while.

i have read a great deal about spider bites and other insect bites and staph infections at this point and i am going to stay the course with home treatment for now. but it is a little scary. i'm a little bit freaked out. and it hurts more than a little.

but i'm going to sew. deadline. got to do it. go go go. now.

08 15 2011 : chomp

2011-08-15T07:46:00.000-05:00

last night while i was working on deer antlers, my foot started to itch terribly. upon inspection i realized right away that a spider bit the top of my foot. i'm not sure which kind, but i did a little internet research and i'm thinking brown recluse. but how weird is that? pretty weird. in my house. under the dining room table. anyway, washed, iced and elevated it immediately. i'm optimistic i won't need to seek medical treatment. it's super itchy, but the affected area seems pretty small. as per the advice of the internet, i'm not going to do anything strenuous. in fact, i think i'm going to go back to bed.

08 14 2011 : surprise

2011-08-14T09:44:00.000-05:00

what a weekend. so friday was rob's birthday, as i wrote about on friday. but instead of dinner, we had a surprise party. it was fun. great drink meagan made called the rob43. delicious foods that lindsay and trinity made. the cake was good. the people were fun. can't wait to see the photobooth pics. and rob was really surprised. i can't believe we were able to keep it secret, but we did. it was in chad's studio. we had a quick dinner at the wedge after the party, then meagan and chad and rob and i went to flips for a last drink. it was a great night.

kinda dreading the clean up, but hopefully it will be quicker than set up.

then yesterday, rob and barney and i drove to rush springs for the watermelon festival. it was cool. ate a slice of watermelon, walked around looking at things, so many people to be fascinated by, rode an upside down ride called the patriot, looked around some more then drove home. last night, rob and i went to cheer meagan on at the midnight streak then to mcnellie's for a beer after. so impressed by meagan.

crazy long, super awesome celebratory weekend. i just woke up and i think i need a nap.

i woke up this morning from a dream that two women had sought me out to tell me about my biological father, a vietnamese man who had recently died. he had some property, but most of it was going to jj shewey's family for some reason that had to do with them helping the informing women find me. it was a weird encounter, in my dream, the women unveiling documentation and maps and charts, but not telling me the news, just telling me about the man. the whole time i was wearing sunglasses and thinking that they were going to tell me this man was my father. he had done jail time for being a con man. mom and john were there. i was watering a yard. it wasn't my house. it was all very strange. i cried in my dream.

and today i get to have brunch with mara at cafe do brasil. yum. haven't seen mara since february. glad to have a meal with her.

then i have to clean this house. my house is such a disaster. i can't even think about working when i look around. i can't even think about cleaning because i'm not even sure where to start. such.a.mess.

08 12 2011 : rob's birthday

2011-08-12T07:43:00.000-05:00

today is rob's birthday. hooray! art stuff tonight then dinner at ludivine. should be fantastic. then the watermelon festival in rush springs tomorrow. mmm. watermelon.

08 10 2011 : things i especially like a lot right now

2011-08-10T20:44:00.000-05:00

i like big salads, paper lanterns, anything cucumber or watermelon, vine ripened tomatoes, the colors green, orange and pink, cold water with no ice cubes and a lot of lemon juice, and rob.

08 09 2011 : food

2011-08-09T22:19:00.000-05:00

rob made the most delicious dinner last night, served in four courses. first, a tomato with shaved parmesan, basil, and truffle oil, second, gingered yams, third, buckwheat noodle salad and fourth, cantaloupe and figs with dark chocolate shavings and mint leaves. it was so delicious. and it rained and was all chaotic. his house lost electricity. we played chess outside at dusk. he won. of course he won.

and had a fun lunch with kelsey, julia, sammi, meagan and owen at s&b today. then ate way too much food this afternoon, procrastinating on finishing piece six, which i did finish. then had dinner with amy at republic. i'm so full that i can't imagine even being hungry tomorrow.

glutton.

anyway, i did finish piece six. have a good idea on what i'm doing for seven. hope to get a good start on it tomorrow but there is a lot to do. so much to do. too much to do. do do do.

08 08 2011 : day o' friends

2011-08-08T17:09:00.001-05:00

this morning i went by kim's to pick something up. then i went by janey's to hang out for a bit. then i had lunch with louisa at cool greens. yum. and then after errands, i talked to julie on the phone after receiving a gift card in the mail from her. oh sure, i didn't get any work done today, not a single stitch for the second day in a row, but it was a fantastic day. and tonight, i'm going to rob's for dinner. hooray!

08 07 2011 : straight stories

2011-08-07T18:10:00.000-05:00

it's important to have your stories straight. always.

fun weekend of art and errands and burning man prep and ethiopian food and brunch.

i cannot cannot cannot believe how sore my right hand is from sewing. my thumb specifically. which is from the scoring part of my work. i'm going to have to start working without scoring. this terrifies me.

just started season four of mad men. eegads. the craziness of the 60s.

08 05 2011 : deadlines

2011-08-05T19:25:00.000-05:00

good news. whatever glitch has happened with contracts and the payments and the bureaucratic blah blah blah with the public art project seems to have been rectified. i don't quite understand it, but i suppose at the end of the day, i don't have to understand. i just have to perform. and quickly.

going to look at art now. hopefully i'll see something good.

08 04 2011 : six

2011-08-04T07:39:00.001-05:00

i finished piece five yesterday and started piece six. and i got the measurements for the space at holland hall which is a tremendous relief. the space is huge, but actual linear wall space, not so daunting. i would consider myself very close to on schedule in production which is fantastic.

and it rained yesterday. only for about 15 minutes. but still. fast hard rain. i went outside and stood in it for a few minutes. it smelled awesome.

08 02 2011 : sunny side up

2011-08-02T09:49:00.000-05:00

slowly retooling my militant optimism. reminding myself that no matter how hard things are for me, i'm still extremely fortunate and have a pretty fantastic life. there are people without air conditioning in this heat. there are people who are hungry while i just went to the grocery store and bought a container of fresh strawberries for $1.50. they don't have strawberries. ok. now i'm bumming myself out for different reasons.

there's a curator's talk at iao tonight for 24 works on paper. as one of the award recipients, i get to say a few things. my goal is to be concise.

trying to water my yard with a soaker hose this morning. i'm not sure it's even worth the effort anymore. maybe i should rethink the green garden and think about a cactus garden. hm.

ok. get to work.

08 01 2011 : farewell liz lemon

2011-08-01T15:12:00.000-05:00

i see clouds out there but they aren't going to rain which is too bad because everything in my yard, like everything in oklahoma, is dying from the heat.

congratulations to erin kozakiewicz to whom i am giving liz lemon. erin has purchased art from me before and i'm happy she gets the piece. of course i would be happy for any of the 50+ people who gave me five and more dollars. but erin's super rad. so. there's that.

kinda hitting a wall in getting started on piece five. i keep playing with layout and photos and nothing is really sparking. i wonder if i ate some food if i might work better. i'm pretty distracted by my growling stomach.

hm.

07 31 2011 : forward march

2011-07-31T22:06:00.000-05:00

today was rough. i spent the whole day working on one of the two pieces in my custody for the prettiest thing collaboration. it was really hard to motivate myself to work on it and it was hard to not keep fucking it up. but i'm at a good stopping point on first and will work on the second piece next weekend. tomorrow i will start piece five for holland hall. also, rob comes home from big sur tomorrow. and i have the drawing for liz lemon tomorrow. i wonder who will get it. it's never who i think it will be. the wine night group brought me a goodie basket tonight which was awesome and thoughtful. i started watching mad men today. what a despicable group of men. i have to go to the grocery store tomorrow. i'm rambling. i'm stopping.

07 30 2011 : meaninglessness

2011-07-30T12:55:00.001-05:00

so yesterday, grace and i got notification from the oklahoma art in public places office that the contract in place and signed by two agents representing osu is now considered void. it is an absolutely pointless document. so... how does that happen? i re-read it this morning. "first payment upon execution of the contract by all parties," meaningless. the contracts were signed at the end of may. and now the contracts are being amended and the new timeline has yet to be determined. what?! how does this happen? how is this acceptable? i can't even imagine. i don't understand.

"...working very hard to get this problem resolved... very sorry about this situation, but this time all any of us can do is wait."

the oaipp people have been gracious and sympathetic which is nice. but the plans for this project started in february and it was originally slated to be finished over a month ago.

"please don't let this set you back for your other shows and works..."

i operate on an extremely tight budget and on an even tighter work schedule. tight. everything about this systematic failure is a set back. everything.

sigh.

i'm frustrated and humiliated and impoverished. this is what success feel like right now. it's hard to be optimistic. it's hard to want to work at all. it's hard to not want to crawl into a bottle of booze. this is extremely disheartening news. and it's taking all that i have inside me not to sob.

i know it could be worse. i suppose i could have nowhere to live. i could have no food. or no teeth. or hungry babies to feed. or cancer. or no friends or family. it could be so much worse. i should count my many many blessings.

but right now i'm so freaked out. and i'm so sad that my ultimate measurement of success is financial and that i continue to struggle to make ends meet even though i work so hard.

07 29 2011 : butterflies

2011-07-29T07:15:00.000-05:00

i got up way to early and i'm already exhausted. but i get to see the sun start to illuminate my backyard which is always nice and it hits the chain fence on the west side of the yard and the color of the rust is quite possibly my favorite color. it's only been in the past few weeks that i've been able to put that together. of course i like lots of colors. but there is a light rust color that just might be my favorite. i saw it on the underside of a bird in rob's backyard and kablamo! that's it! i love that color!

doesn't change the fact that i'm sleepy. do i drink a ton of coffee? or just realize it's going to be a long low-energy day? hm.

happy day regardless.

07 28 2011 : my my my

2011-07-28T20:54:00.000-05:00

what a busy day. updated four one : four two, meeting at ovac, site visit with julia for 12x12, lunch with meagan, home for a quick pick up, then an ask committee meeting back at ovac. lots going on. it was a good day though and nice to not be sewing. and nice to be out of the house. tomorrow should be equally as go go go. hopefully it is just as good.

still, i'm looking forward to saturday.

07 27 2011 : phil collins

2011-07-27T06:42:00.000-05:00

i woke up with the song separate lives playing in my head. i'm sure it goes without saying that this is not a nice song to wake up to. so. i'm trying to pick up the mood via pandora with a something a little less depressing.

as i anticipated yesterday, i couldn't work until midnight. i made it to 9:30 but then i hit a wall and could hardly keep my eyes open. i'll finish piece four today and start five.

i'm already ready for a nap.

07 26 2011 : fives

2011-07-26T06:49:00.000-05:00

i'm so tired of asking people for five dollars. it's crushing my soul. and by soul, i mean ego. and by ego, i mean pride. bleck. someday, and someday soon at that, i won't have to ever ask anyone for money ever. come on someday.

worked most of yesterday, aside from quick lunch break and errands. finished piece three which looks great and is called everybody but me. started piece four. if i work until midnight, i might finish it. i don't know if my body will let me work til midnight. (well, not with that attitude, it won't.)

where's the coffee?

i'm going to try to not eat anything with gluten for the rest of this week.

stop procrastinating. ok.

07 25 2011 : three

2011-07-25T06:31:00.000-05:00

should finish piece three today. thought i might be able to last night, but no dice. too tired. so today, then onto four.

finished watching heroes last night. overall it was a little like watching a super long chess game with different pieces having different powers and figuring out how matt parkman can out move sylar... interesting series. glad to see how it ended. certainly have many many criticisms i could share, but what good would that do?

it rained last night. woo hoo.

ok. get to work.

07 24 2011 : kittens inspired by kittens

2011-07-24T09:29:00.000-05:00

yesterday in tulsa was great. perfect way to start a new job. watching the artists pack up their work after such a long project reminded me of what it is like at the end of summer camp when the campers have left and all the counselors are packing and cleaning up. kinda bittersweet.

took rob to the airport this morning. pretty early. when i came home, i watered the front yard for a bit then went back to bed. when i woke back up, there were kittens playing in my backyard again. they are so cute. not quite kittens anymore. almost teenagers. they grow up so fast.

busy day. get to work.

07 23 2011 : poetry

2011-07-23T09:23:00.000-05:00

rob and i went to see a movie called poetry at the okcmoa last night. it was bleak. the description doesn't paint such a grim tale. argh. bleak.

headed to tulsa for my first ovac assignment. woo hoo.

07 22 2011 : heroes

2011-07-22T06:43:00.000-05:00

so i have been watching heroes for a week. is that right? i think so. anyway, i am at the beginning of season four now. it's so dumb. but i'm so wanting to know how it ends. i won't finish the series today, but maybe sunday. but one question came up in season three, given the choice, would you choose flight or invisibility? i keep thinking about it. invisibility. i'd choose invisibility for sure.

sewing all day today. dinner and movie with rob tonight before he leaves for ten days.

time to make the donuts.

07 21 2011 : rush rush

2011-07-21T08:13:00.000-05:00

yesterday, after getting things photographed, i felt a manic urge to rush to the next piece. it was already 3:00, and i was freaking out, knowing that by 9:00 i would be wiped out and that meant only six hours of work left in the day. so i rushed and rushed. got a sketch, started printing, started cutting and assembling, almost on some kind of automatic pilot mode. everything is where it is, and i look at what i've got together so far and ugh. it's no good. it's ok. i mean that in the sincerest way possible. it is ok. but really. it's not good at all. i mean really not good. i'm going to have to spend some time today either adding to this piece so it's more aesthetically pleasing or start again from scratch. i'm going to spend the next 30 minutes making that decision and whatever i decide is what i will do. wish me luck.