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.

The Littlest Nano ipod~ Based Upon A True Story

Once upon a time there was a small device known as an ipod nano. Sometime approximately an indefinite amount of undetermined, unspoken moments directly, but not punctually, after, there was  a mystical, shiny pink square shaped ipod, with a precious little touchscreen, and a clip on the back especially for the tacking on of this small gem. End Sentence.
One gorgeous, sunny, glorious day a girl named Mary decided to go into an artificially bright, ugly light lit store known as Target. Here it was on that fateful day, that the young maiden Mary chose to buy the littlest nano ipod. (The smallest one from apple yet!)
Mary and the littlest ipod had many a grand adventure together. They shared the same taste in music, together they would listen to their eclectic taste on many a road trip. The littlest ipod would gladly store music ranging from Ethan Keller, to Jimmy Needham, to an array of random artists, all the way to there beloved Nat King Cole.
The littlest ipod and Mary became such close friends that they would always be in within a short distance from each other. The littlest ipod came in handy at work as well, proudly supplying tunes for the lifeguards and the children in the pool to listen to.

Yes, this was a relationship built to last, or was it?

One day Mary probably doing something in her head, for she was prone to entertain herself with her imagination, must have forgot all about the littlest ipod. For, that day, she cannot remember which, she realized that it was missing! She looked around for it, but alas! to no prevail.
Mary, aware that others may perceive her way of keeping her room and car as being a slob, knew that the device would turn up in due time. She had been in this situation before, things seemed to do that to her, run away for a few days or so and then come back, pretending that they were under the Ace of Cakes t-shirt on the floor the whole time. The question is, where did these items go on these mini vacations? Did her treasured Pilot pen go to a writers convention? Maybe her toothbrush went to go file a formal complaint to Mary's dentist.

After a while of being seperated from the littlest nano ipod Mary learned to extend her time of deep thinking, and rediscovered the joys of radio.

Some time had passed, by now Mary knew that her ipod was either hiding in her room, or stolen. She did wish for the former to be true. She was wrong on both thoughts.

One fine summers eve in August, Mary and a few of her guy co-workers wished to view the film Mulan, the boys' idea of course. She had never noticed before how much disney pumped their actors with steroids to enhance there muscle volume. Those poor men, that were playing the Huns, she was sure it was Disney pressuring them to be overly buff, such a vile display of the lack of concern for human health, and the problem with the American image standard. After this a couple of the guys were apparently influenced by the film enough to where she was able to convince them to have a push up contest. The winner and loser of this shall remain anonymous. She proceded to discover a coat getting caught within the lazyboyesque chair in which she was sitting. "Who's coat is this?" She asked. Before anyone else could answer she answered herself, "Oh! It's mine." After some laughter, "I bet my ipod is in this pocket." She then screamed as if she was in a rock band. There it was! The littlest nano ipod!!!! It had been returned to her, all along in her coat pocket in her coat, on the floor, safe and sound in Macintosh, the boys house.

Hippie Car

Dear Readers,
I must comfess something to you. I know this may come as a shock, but I, Mary, drive a hippe mobile! A person may never know, because to the naked, untrained eye it appears to be a normal girl vehicle.

The thought process of someone examining my vehicle may go something like this:

First Glance: "What a cute blue VW Beetle, I have always secretly wanted one. And look at that fabulous fin! So shiny too!"

Second Glance: "Hmm I feel like this poor girl has seen some better days, that is some big dent. The wheels look semi-hideous without the VW circle in the middle."

Third Glance: "I wonder who owns this thing, it is filthy! Ever think of washing your car or getting new tires, eh?!"

Fourth Glance: "WOW! I don't know which is worse, the inside or outside? Why on earth would someone want to keep all of that junk in a car? Oh wait... maybe I shouldn't judge, she may be homeless."

Fifth Glance: "I think I can slip $20 in through the window, poor thing!"

Me Partying with one of my best friends, my car!!!
If I could tag little blue in this, I would.

If only it worked that way. *sigh* I would love to be the recepient of free money! Just a joke.

I have a different way of viewing my horseless carriage than most people. I am sure that most are familiar with the idea of being "married to your car." I myself violently reject this idea, I for one want to marry a man, not a man made metal machine. No, I think of my horseless carriage as more of a best friend. I spend more time with my car than I do with any of my other friends, and like a friend you need to take car of the other individuals needs or you will loose them. My girl, Little Blue, has been very true. I have been neglecting the poor thing for some time, she was in desperate need of new tires. Now that she is equipped, our friendship has been stregthened because there is trust. We have the mutual understanding that she will transport me from point A to point B without getting a flat due to the rubber running through, and in return she knows that when push comes to shove I will sometimes pull through. I am vowing to be a better friend though, and hopefully this will bring upon forgiveness in the end, I am still experiencing other issues due, in part, to my neglect. 

My vehicle contains the equivelent of a tornadoes debree. I believe that you should always be prepared for a variety of situations, and climates. The contents of my car heavily reflect this belief. There are always several outfit changes, shoes, and some jewelry, and most of the time makeup in case I decide to spend the night somewhere, go out dancing, or swimming.
Than I have at least two camera's with me, my Diana F+, and my Yashica TL Electro.
I always have at least one pillow, and in the colder seasons a small blanket.
There are also little odds and ends that find there way around such as my rainbow kite(you never know when you will stumble upon a good windy day), nailpolish, and of course last but not least, my books and notebooks. I carry half of the time in my car half in a house, my poetry notebook, and whatever novel I am reading, currently The Age of Innocense.
I am hoping to up the anny on my automobile, I invision an organized array of clothes in the trunk, with a better garbage system. Oh, and maybe it wouldn't hurt to vacuum and clean the thing. :0

When I was out swing dancing with a friend last week, she needed some sock because her feet were tired. She said to someone, something along the lines of, "If we had taken Mary's hippie car we would have had them by now."

Fowl Society

I have not yet seen the Alfred Hitchcock film The Birds, and I think that I will keep it that way for a long while....

Dear Readers,
I know that this is mainly my Mother, and Catherine and Chuck Thode, but I still would like to call you Readers. I have been presented with the unique opportunity to be a female farmer.

Yes, I know what you are thinking, shy, timid Mary taking on the perils of farm life. Well, you see, the truth is, for anyone that has known me for a long while will have seen me grow up, and something that would have scared me three quarters of the way to death will now only scare me one-tenth to death, a very managable level I must say. Having pushed myself out of my shell, yes the egg has been cracked. No pun intended here. I have taken on a full fledged farm. Around two hundred birds, turkey and chickens, to be exact. Let us not forget the cats, fish, small horse and sheep, they are part of my life right now as well.

As I sit and write this, I am thinking to myself whether or not a female farmer can aquire some sort of pet name, "farmess" perhaps? Maybe "farmett" would be a cute title.



In my hours of feeding and egg collecting I have observed a number of things, which have become profound(ish) revealations to me.

1) Silky Roosters are insanely vicious. (Ok, so this may be a bit of an exageration, but they are very territorial)

2) Male Silkies, though small, frighten me.

3) Turkeys are not bright in the slightest.

4) Bubba the male is so interesting looking that he could belong in a zoo somewhere where Turkeys aren't such a huge item on the menu.

5) Humans are like Chickens.* (Don't worry, I will expound upon this thought)

6) I can only touch a dead chicken if it's feathers are plucked, it has been refrigerated at some point, and it is lacking a head.

7) They say that the Cuddle Fish is at least as intelligeant as a bird, I thought that this was a bigger deal before I spent time with chickens and turkeys.

8) The wispy grey feathered one in the back seems to know something important and it gives me the creeps.

9) Turkey seem to be a dostle creature.

10) I have come to deeply grasp the full meaning and implacations of the insult "bird brain."



*When I walk about doing all of my feeding rounds, I noticed something interesting: birds that were in seperated enclosures but were right next to each other had equally seperate societies. For instance, the chickens in one bin may be duking it out while the guys and gals right next to them were just chilling.
I feel that peope tend to be the same way, we often only observe what is going on with our friends and family that are either in close contact with us or are around all of the time. Like the birds, us humans can be consumed in our own mini-societies, while maybe the guy in the next cage over is dead, or in the case of the human someone who you don't know very well is in need. Working with the chickens is teaching me to evaluate my own life, and to make sure that I am not just showing the same common courtesy as an animal. Humans posses the God given intelligence to pay attention to others outside of our cliques.



I am hoping to take some interesting shots of the animals, so hopefully at some point not too far off I can get those posted for ya'll!



..... So you can see that at this time it would be very wrong for me to watch The Birds.