Shrinky Dink Roll of Film!

Take a look at the miniature roll of film I made!!! It is crafted out of ceramic and acrylic paint.

Alright, so I made the big one, you got me!

............................

Here is an extra just to make up for that trick.

I took this photo while on riding along a lovely bike path in Sebastopol. Please enjoy this small window of the fall season in Sebastopol.

The House Where Mary Lives

That's right, I have moved yet again! I am digging my new digs too! Since some of you, whom I dearly love, are not coming anytime soon I thought this would be a perfect thing to blog about! And, of course, I will do my best to keep it fresh, and entertaining for my regular readers that have already paid me the fine honor of a visit. :)

The first photo for your eyes to see is this of my ceramics in the "cottage" which was actually built as an artists studio, which, I do use it as such occasionally.

I was quite impressed by the capability of my 6 pixel point and shoot, this has caused me to rethink digital yet again.

Readers! What are you doing in the bathroom?

An interesting item in the house of a woman who volunteers at the animal shelter. I suppose that it is imperative that we have items such as these out of the hands of someone who may actually use this, after all it is "scientifically compounded."

I have improved upon my cooking skills, I am now able to cook rice in a pot on the stove!!!!
~what you see here is the penne pasta and onions and marinara I had for dinner.~

Creepy lady looking in at you from the other side of the mirror!

My workstation in the kitchen.

Painting project, I worked for hours on Wednesday to finish paining a ceramic film canister that I made. Here you can see that I am painting a likeness of Shadow, a cat that lives here.

Shadow doesn't like the house so she live in this shed.

One of the hens, surprisingly hens will eat there own eggs if they are cracked, it is so strange how much they enjoy it.

The level of intensity in her eyes is disconcerting.

One happy hen.

Rodney relaxing on his favorite leather coach, he will not accept anything short of decadence.

I just like this one. ;)

Part of the yard.

I really love this swing.

The top window is part of my bedroom.

The inside of the same window, the light is to showcase the special piece of sculpture that I made.




Thanks for reading! I hope that those of you whom I wish to visit me will be able to in the near future, but for now I hope that you enjoyed your little virtual tour.

October Rain

Today, October third, two-thousand and eleven is a monday. Today also marks the first real October rain of the year, at least for me. What a delight it is.
This morning marks my first morning in my new (old, 1913) place of living. My Sebastopol home is very condusive to the artists spirit, after enjoying a quiet morning with Rodney King, Tom, and Bunnie (the three dogs that I live with) I got ready to head out to SRJC. I dressed myself in a big fluffy multi-colored wool sweater made by my Grandma for my dad. I took into my hands the great responsibility for wearing this sculptural masterpiece crafted from mere balls of yarn, and two needles.
This sweater, which will now be referred to as Gloria, for such a stupendous sweater deserves a name, is not only a marvel of the humans ability to evolve a method for weaving animal fibers into wearable clothing but is also more effective than a raincoat for keeping me warm. When wrapped up in Gloria my core was very cozy as I ventured out to starbucks (my apologies to all of my beloved hipster friends who will only drink coffee from shops that have the name of an animal within the title)
All I can say that being drenched by the sky, and rude drivers, on my walk back only enhanced my experience. Sure, I could have done without street water on me, but walking in the October rain was one of the big highlights of my year. As Gloria made sure that I was feeling good, I enjoyed the simple pleasure of enjoying my day. I find that being a student often gets people confused, you start thinking that you can enjoy yourself after you are finished getting your education. I find that this is untrue, it is your time to live right now! You are never again in your life going to experience the first rain of October 2011, so why don't you go outside and take a stroll?


"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31






BTW- I have a shop on Etsy nowadays. :)
http://www.etsy.com/shop/vintagephotographr?ref=si_shop

A Bit on Beauty

Solomon, Michelangelo, King Henry the 8th, (sorry that I don't know how to type Roman numerals) William Shakespeare, Beethoven, Mary Cassatt, Julia Morgan, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fred Astaire, Andy Warhol, Diane Arbus, Me.


What is the common strand that ties these names together? This strand is an imaginary cord of leather tying these scrolls of life bound.
A theme repeated. Repeated is the drive created through inspiration from and for beauty.


My definition of beauty tells of something about anything that strikes true and pure inspiration. 


Beauty can be many things. A photograph. A song. A cat coming to snuggle on your lap. That old camera that was given to you.  When the problem in math class finally clicks. The film Midnight in Paris. A warm hug. A kind word from a stranger. Laughter. Rhapsody in Blue. Frank O'Hara's Having a Coke with You. A friendship that is forever, and true. A life story that brings tears to your eyes. Worshiping the creator.


These are some of the things which I find beautiful. The other persons previously mentioned, have some similarities and differences to me.


     Solomon found beauty in building a house for God. He also found beauty in loving his wife, which could be considered odd because of his obscene amount of concubines.  
     Michelangelo, was payed, and forced to have time, beauty from fresco and Libyan Sibyl combined. The Pope pleased, cheeks turned red.
     King Henry the 8th, killed his wife dead, married another beautiful woman instead. Because when a daughter, not son was produced, this chauvinist went to the next to seduce.
Shakespeare's words, poetry to play form, beauty runs throughout, even when in scorn.
     Classical music was his game, Ludwig Van Beethoven his strong German name. Beauty to my ears and yours, he heard this music in his heart where he would create the scores.
     Mary Cassatt saw the beauty between mother, and child, painting this domestic scene, pieces that leave me beguiled.
     Julia Morgan knew her stuff, created the beauty of Hearst Ranch. A woman architect? She was tough!
     Written words of novels, the American dream exposed. Still poetry is found in the telling. Fitzgerald knew how to make beauty happen.
     Dancing on the walls and ceiling, Fred Astaire captured beauty while dancing with feeling.
     Despite the awful wigs, Andy Warhol knew how to create beauty through repetition. Repetitive as smoking a pack of cig-arettes.
     Dianne Arbus saw the outcasts society as beautiful, in photographing them in medium format she was quite dutiful.


I hope to bring you beauty through my work, if you find this statement untrue and prideful, please don't label me a jerk!

Addicted to Dance

Recently I have been indulging myself by going to the local dance hall for some good ol' fashioned jitterbug. Something that if you have never done, I highly recommend it! Here are some of my top reasons as to why you should try social swing dance:


1) Jazz trumps most other genres of music.


2) Swing dancing is about the feeling, not having all of the best moves. (though in a lead, this does help)


3) I end up meeting really cool people there, I have met two new girlfriends dancing.


4) Dancing is one of the most fun ways to get some great cardio.


5) The kind of people that hang around dance halls for the most part, are not afraid of vintage style along with many of them are artsy, a definite plus in my book.

6) Swing can bring a lot of excitement to your life.




Provided that you enter the dance floor with an attitude to have fun, make new friends, laugh at yourself, and smile a lot, you will have a fabulous time!

Introducing the Kindle Patch!

Do you own, or have you ever wished to own a kindle?
To tell you the truth, I don't want one. I much prefer having a collection of books on a shelf where I can look at them, feel them, and lend them out at will. My books do not run on batteries, they run only on the ability to read and the willingness to expand ones imagination.

The only time I have ever wanted a kindle is when I thought of an invention. The kindle patch. Does it count as wanting a kindle if the item I desire does not exist?

My idea is to make a kindle that is just a square sticker that can go inside of a pair of dark sunglasses.

How many times have you been engrossed in a novel, and then you have to drive to work or school and you must leave it? I know that for me when I am in these circumstances I wish that I could read while driving. With the kindle patch, you can! No one will ever know that you are because they will be cleverly disguised behind your own personal dark shades. 

Are you a lifeguard who is terribly bored with your work? Can it be a drag to watch children dive into the water over and over again. Are you sick and tired of your boss telling you that you have to stay awake while sitting on the lifeguard chair?! Not to fear, the kindle patch is here! With the kindle patch lifeguards will no longer sleep on the job, no, they will be too busy trying to decipher if Bella will choose Jacob or Edward. Who could ever fall asleep under such tension? Best of all, your boss will never even know.

Bored in class? Pretend that you are blind and utilize your kindle patch!

Do you have an overly chatty friend that is always bugging you to go on walks with him/her so they can talk your ear off about their disappointments in love? The kindle patch is a great fix for this situation. Just nod and mmmhhmmm, while you are are actually considering if Elizabeth secretly loves Mr. Darcy.

The kindle patch is a simple device, just plug into the usb port in your computer and download one novel at a time! Stick it into your favorite pair of sunglasses, wink once to turn a page and twice to go back a page. Move your eyeball to scroll up or down. With the new audio feature you can purchase the headphone plug attachment, with this you can start of where you left off, but have it read to you, designed especially for those of you who are to timid to drive and read.

The Adventures of the Headless Me Whilst Camping

Here, on this blog lies a whimsical tale of missing faces and found waterfalls.

Here I am! Or, at least most of me, when shoting with the Diana F+, one is expected to expect the unexpected. Did you intend that I had intentions of telling you my intent of using the camera with unintentional consequences? Apparently, I had lost my face, but not to worry, who needs a face while sporting a Yashica TL Electro? A lover a camera's would never even know the difference.

Approaching the waterfall, there were many lovely trees.

"Ain't she a beut?!" Robbed of my brain, I resorted to poor english.

Closer, the water is camera ready. "Work it girl!"

 Even without a head I was still able to manage the scurry over to the dark side of the falls. 

 The water runs over the side as smooth as frosting on a cake.

 Is that a single or a double rainbow?

Without a face I couldn't find much use for my sunglasses, thus I set them on a rock.

Beethoven's Rage Over a Lost Penny seemed appropriate for this moment.

Miraculously, my head was returned to me. I leap for joy.

Something that may look cute, can often have an evil streak. Don't believe me? Try and consult with the dead chipmunk.

In the end the trip was finished off with a magnificent lunch at Floyd's Frosty. No heads rolled, except for mine, just for a short while, and chippy the chipmunk. All together, a fun time.