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Monday, July 18, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Why So Busy?
I have no excuse. I am just not good at multi-tasking. I'm not good at writing without a theme, not good at finishing anything without a purpose. I am always looking for a purpose though. Feel free to suggest one.
Anyway, to show a little of what I've been so busy with, I will attempt to show in pictures...
Anyway, to show a little of what I've been so busy with, I will attempt to show in pictures...
Hand-painted Jewelry Boards...
Making Journals and other books or albums from recycled materials--pictured pocket album made with an aluminum can...
Making jewelry for Relay for Life--which took a big junk of my creative energy...
Farmsitting, which further cemented my vegan appetite (aka, keeping these little lambies ALIVE)
Spoiling dog and boyfriend
Making Jewelry to sell (and have crafty boyfriend take the photos)....
So that's just a taste of what I've been doing lately. Nothing Fantastic, but time-consuming nonetheless.
Oh and I also came up with a good recipe for a chocolate shake when one is sans-vegan ice cream.
Maybe not as good as it could be, but it definitely hits the spot (as long as said spot is barren of chocolate and cooler temperatures.)
1 blender
2 heaping cups of ice
1/4 c of chocolate chips
1 c of non-dairy milk
1/4 c chocolate syrup
1-2 Tbsp of "organic" sugar
Add all ingredients except ice. Blend to crush up/mix ingredients. Then add ice to the blender and blend until smooth. ( I have a crappy blender, so you could possibly put everything in at once and you'd be fine. But not me, I've got the cheapo, lazy blender that can only handle one step at a time. *sigh* )
There you go folks, Hope you are enjoying life wherever you may be!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
I'll neVer forgeT 4.16.07
It's been such a long time. A blog to showcase my writing, when I have nothing to say. Doesn't seem like the best idea does it?
Well today I do have something to say. It's honestly just something I need to get out. It's been swimming around in my head since I woke up this morning (30 minutes ago).
When I was at Tech, I took it for granted that we all shared the same collective memory of that day. Now, as I am almost 2 years an alumnus of Virginia Tech, I am among people who heard about that day only on the news--they gasped, some cried, and some wondered if so-and-so was up there and if they were ok.
I was there. I knew that some of those distant people that cried and wondered about their friends at Tech, would never hear from them again. That week--month---months after 4-16-07 were some of the most surreal, saddest days of my life. You hear about tragedy on the news every day--you never think that you might be in the midst of that tragedy.
In the midst of it, all of the sudden, the news channels tone, as the number they report dead climbs higher and higher, grates on your nerves until you finally shut off the television--disgusted by the fact that those people have no idea how you feel.
Caitlin was the only one that had not been accounted for amongst our dorm friends. We were in the leadership program together as freshmans. While she bloomed into a wonderful leader her second year, I decided I'd rather be a follower. She was one of those people that seemed happy all the time--life never seemed to get her down. She was the bright spot in everyone's day--no matter how emo or how little they knew her (like me).
When we finally realized that Caitlin was never going to answer her phone and never going to come back to the dorm---that seemed like the real breaking point. You think, "well, I'm in this tragedy, but maybe I'll escape it without too much bruising"--but when she never comes back, every hour that passes without her answering her phone---that hope slips away like a burglar in the night.
That's what that gunman was--a thief. He didn't just take away lives--he took from all of us. He took away the bright spot in our days, the happy person that made such a difference in our lives (though a difference we couldn't see til it was gone). That gunman took away our innocence, our naivete about the world--the belief that the world isn't as bad as it seems.
I will never forget that day or the weeks that followed. Honestly, you will never know a family like the one I had at Virginia Tech. Strangers that you pass going to class every day became your brothers, your sisters; your professors became your aunts and your uncles. I don't think we could have gotten through those weeks without the support of our fellow Hokies.
The Hokies that were there that day are now scattered all around the world. But today, the collective memory comes to life--remembering and sharing those who were lost. For those that were there, where ever you may be--I will neVer forgeT and I know you won't either.
"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places."
~Ernest Hemingway
Well today I do have something to say. It's honestly just something I need to get out. It's been swimming around in my head since I woke up this morning (30 minutes ago).
When I was at Tech, I took it for granted that we all shared the same collective memory of that day. Now, as I am almost 2 years an alumnus of Virginia Tech, I am among people who heard about that day only on the news--they gasped, some cried, and some wondered if so-and-so was up there and if they were ok.
I was there. I knew that some of those distant people that cried and wondered about their friends at Tech, would never hear from them again. That week--month---months after 4-16-07 were some of the most surreal, saddest days of my life. You hear about tragedy on the news every day--you never think that you might be in the midst of that tragedy.
In the midst of it, all of the sudden, the news channels tone, as the number they report dead climbs higher and higher, grates on your nerves until you finally shut off the television--disgusted by the fact that those people have no idea how you feel.
Caitlin was the only one that had not been accounted for amongst our dorm friends. We were in the leadership program together as freshmans. While she bloomed into a wonderful leader her second year, I decided I'd rather be a follower. She was one of those people that seemed happy all the time--life never seemed to get her down. She was the bright spot in everyone's day--no matter how emo or how little they knew her (like me).
When we finally realized that Caitlin was never going to answer her phone and never going to come back to the dorm---that seemed like the real breaking point. You think, "well, I'm in this tragedy, but maybe I'll escape it without too much bruising"--but when she never comes back, every hour that passes without her answering her phone---that hope slips away like a burglar in the night.
That's what that gunman was--a thief. He didn't just take away lives--he took from all of us. He took away the bright spot in our days, the happy person that made such a difference in our lives (though a difference we couldn't see til it was gone). That gunman took away our innocence, our naivete about the world--the belief that the world isn't as bad as it seems.
I will never forget that day or the weeks that followed. Honestly, you will never know a family like the one I had at Virginia Tech. Strangers that you pass going to class every day became your brothers, your sisters; your professors became your aunts and your uncles. I don't think we could have gotten through those weeks without the support of our fellow Hokies.
The Hokies that were there that day are now scattered all around the world. But today, the collective memory comes to life--remembering and sharing those who were lost. For those that were there, where ever you may be--I will neVer forgeT and I know you won't either.
"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places."
~Ernest Hemingway
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Happy Two Two Day. (or happy ballerina day)
Well, it's official. I hate winter. If you think winter isn't so bad--that it's beautiful and a refreshing change from the summer heat, then you obviously have never lived in a geographically isolated po-dunk town called Monterey. If it snows even an inch here, life in every corner of the county comes to a brake-screeching, snow-crunching halt. Schools close. The stores are empty. Main street becomes a barren wasteland of snow, salt, and plow trucks.
This is where I grew up and apparently it's where I secretly wanted to come back to. In all fairness, it does have it's redeeming qualities--even if I have to write those qualities down and plaster them all over my desk to help remind myself why I'm still here.
The view IS spectacular here. Even though I don't see it's overall splendor the way an outsider might, I still catch glimpses of its true majesty out of the corner of my mind every once in awhile. The air is also very clean. Yes, there is the occasional whiff of cow or sheep or turkey manure, depending on the wind shift, but that's almost more cleansing to me than the smells of the city. In the city, there's car exhaust and cigarette smoke and the smells of every restaurant in the area mingle into one big deep-fried burger. Here there is only the cow dung. And let's face it: dung is a fact of life.
In the summer there is the smell of wet dirt after it rains. The leaves turned their silver sides up to soak up the rain they knew would come, making the mountains seem brighter after it rains. To me, the best part about this po-dunk rural town is what grows here. The green thumb I inherited from my grandma always appreciated the way the plants grow so lush here. The tomatoes are plump, juicy and in every color you can imagine--red, orange, green, yellow, pink, and purple. The flowers in yards grow so tall, so fragrant that I cannot help but steal some from neighbor's yards to bring back to my kitchen table. In the summer, my porch is a jungle--the houseplants that sought shelter on every shelf and counter space in the house during the winter, are soaking up the summer sun, stretching their leafy arms and shaking the winter slumber from their roots.
Summer is when my small town comes to life. There is always something to do in the summer. So that's why my body aches for it now. Summers in Highland are why I came back and summers are how I'll make it through these wintry months. I just hope summer doesn't take it's sweet time getting here this year. I'm anxious for Summer and the festivities she brings with her.
This is where I grew up and apparently it's where I secretly wanted to come back to. In all fairness, it does have it's redeeming qualities--even if I have to write those qualities down and plaster them all over my desk to help remind myself why I'm still here.
The view IS spectacular here. Even though I don't see it's overall splendor the way an outsider might, I still catch glimpses of its true majesty out of the corner of my mind every once in awhile. The air is also very clean. Yes, there is the occasional whiff of cow or sheep or turkey manure, depending on the wind shift, but that's almost more cleansing to me than the smells of the city. In the city, there's car exhaust and cigarette smoke and the smells of every restaurant in the area mingle into one big deep-fried burger. Here there is only the cow dung. And let's face it: dung is a fact of life.
In the summer there is the smell of wet dirt after it rains. The leaves turned their silver sides up to soak up the rain they knew would come, making the mountains seem brighter after it rains. To me, the best part about this po-dunk rural town is what grows here. The green thumb I inherited from my grandma always appreciated the way the plants grow so lush here. The tomatoes are plump, juicy and in every color you can imagine--red, orange, green, yellow, pink, and purple. The flowers in yards grow so tall, so fragrant that I cannot help but steal some from neighbor's yards to bring back to my kitchen table. In the summer, my porch is a jungle--the houseplants that sought shelter on every shelf and counter space in the house during the winter, are soaking up the summer sun, stretching their leafy arms and shaking the winter slumber from their roots.
Summer is when my small town comes to life. There is always something to do in the summer. So that's why my body aches for it now. Summers in Highland are why I came back and summers are how I'll make it through these wintry months. I just hope summer doesn't take it's sweet time getting here this year. I'm anxious for Summer and the festivities she brings with her.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
All the blogs I've read lately by people i know and admire are stories. These stories are from yesterday or a 1,000 yesterdays ago, but they all have one thing in common--they are compelling. I want to read their story to its very end and I wonder; is it because they are good writers or because they have an interesting story to tell that makes me want to read it so much?
I envy these people for the sheer fact that I want to read their stories. What I wouldn't give to write a compelling story. Alas, all the stories I have to tell are not out of the ordinary, and my writing is not unusual either.
I wrote a story once in 8th grade. It was called, "The Snow Prince and the Seven Stupid Maidens." Don't ask me why I decided to write a story based on the fairytale. Maybe it was because I secretly hated the real Snow White, with all of her shrill singing and her constant efforts to please men; however, I dearly wanted to write in a character with more backbone. Anyway--my teacher told me that she could hear my "voice" in that story. I'm not sure if she was just pumping up the ego of a little 8th grader, but maybe she heard me in my story.
I've thought about finishing that story, but yet another teacher--college this time--said that my story must be worth something to everyone else. "What makes your story unique and worth reading," he said. Well, what makes that story different? Between Gregory Maguire and Robin McKinley, there's no room for another re-fairytale. Right?
For now, they're right--I have no unique stories to share. I'm just one of millions of people who do the same thing every day, only slightly different. In the mean time, I must subject my unknown audience to the woefully ordinary life of me.
I envy these people for the sheer fact that I want to read their stories. What I wouldn't give to write a compelling story. Alas, all the stories I have to tell are not out of the ordinary, and my writing is not unusual either.
I wrote a story once in 8th grade. It was called, "The Snow Prince and the Seven Stupid Maidens." Don't ask me why I decided to write a story based on the fairytale. Maybe it was because I secretly hated the real Snow White, with all of her shrill singing and her constant efforts to please men; however, I dearly wanted to write in a character with more backbone. Anyway--my teacher told me that she could hear my "voice" in that story. I'm not sure if she was just pumping up the ego of a little 8th grader, but maybe she heard me in my story.
I've thought about finishing that story, but yet another teacher--college this time--said that my story must be worth something to everyone else. "What makes your story unique and worth reading," he said. Well, what makes that story different? Between Gregory Maguire and Robin McKinley, there's no room for another re-fairytale. Right?
For now, they're right--I have no unique stories to share. I'm just one of millions of people who do the same thing every day, only slightly different. In the mean time, I must subject my unknown audience to the woefully ordinary life of me.
Monday, January 10, 2011
A wee bit off the beaten track
Well, what can I say--I haven't posted in....quite a while. No excuse really, but lots of things have happened...I just forgot to tell the internet about it.
Let's see, I became a vegetarian in the summer--I get crap for it every day. At least 3 more college friends have gotten married and several more are in "serious" relationships (*sigh*). I am a DJ at the local radio station and I'm now on the Relay for Life committee for Highland. Also thiiiiis close to joining the Highland Arts Council Board...
I know what you're thinking...small town girl swore she'd never come back to her hometown after college and here she is...planting root after root in her garden of life right where she promised she'd never end up. Don't get me wrong, I still don't plan on staying here forever....but for now I guess I'm content to be where I am (though maybe not content in this specific house). But you know what they say about making plans....
Exactly.
I promise more exciting thing will be posted...later...I'm a procrastinator...what can I say?
Let's see, I became a vegetarian in the summer--I get crap for it every day. At least 3 more college friends have gotten married and several more are in "serious" relationships (*sigh*). I am a DJ at the local radio station and I'm now on the Relay for Life committee for Highland. Also thiiiiis close to joining the Highland Arts Council Board...
I know what you're thinking...small town girl swore she'd never come back to her hometown after college and here she is...planting root after root in her garden of life right where she promised she'd never end up. Don't get me wrong, I still don't plan on staying here forever....but for now I guess I'm content to be where I am (though maybe not content in this specific house). But you know what they say about making plans....
Exactly.
I promise more exciting thing will be posted...later...I'm a procrastinator...what can I say?
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
The ride is always bumpy at first
Hey all,
Just thought I'd update everyone on the meanderings, panderings, and wanderings of this bored small town gal (yes, I just called myself a "gal").
I went to the Neptune Festival in Virginia Beach last weekend and booooy what it HOT! I think I've now ruled out deserts or tropical climate areas as future homes....
It was a neat festival though--gave me lots of ideas I want to try this year.
This lady and her (husband?) were selling resin pendants that were pretty awesome. If you'd like to see more of her stuff check out her website: butterflybones.com. She said that she wasn't selling on Etsy at the moment, but they hoped to get more stuff up this winter.
Also, if you are not familiar with Etsy...you better get that way, because it is the one-stop shop for unique gifts (ok, so you'll want to buy for yourself too).
Let's see, what I'm working on now (when I'm not at work or being worked by home chores) is Bookbinding! Who knew that this was such a large hobby trend amongst creative farts like me. I had an idea for a Christmas gift for (someone) but I couldn't find anything premade, so I just decided I would make one. So I researched....and googled (yes, I like to google, leave me be) and found several methods. First, I am going to try Coptic stitch binding, because it seems to require the fewest materials. There are several youtube videos I've found, and hopefully I'll have made a book by the end of this week.
Oh and I should mention that my boyfriend and I are already gearing up for Halloween! He takes his holidays very seriously and I think he hopes to out-do himself this year.
Check out his B&B turned Pirate Ship house video from last year!
Halloween Pirate Ship House
ttyl folks!
Just thought I'd update everyone on the meanderings, panderings, and wanderings of this bored small town gal (yes, I just called myself a "gal").
I went to the Neptune Festival in Virginia Beach last weekend and booooy what it HOT! I think I've now ruled out deserts or tropical climate areas as future homes....
It was a neat festival though--gave me lots of ideas I want to try this year.
This lady and her (husband?) were selling resin pendants that were pretty awesome. If you'd like to see more of her stuff check out her website: butterflybones.com. She said that she wasn't selling on Etsy at the moment, but they hoped to get more stuff up this winter.
Also, if you are not familiar with Etsy...you better get that way, because it is the one-stop shop for unique gifts (ok, so you'll want to buy for yourself too).
Let's see, what I'm working on now (when I'm not at work or being worked by home chores) is Bookbinding! Who knew that this was such a large hobby trend amongst creative farts like me. I had an idea for a Christmas gift for (someone) but I couldn't find anything premade, so I just decided I would make one. So I researched....and googled (yes, I like to google, leave me be) and found several methods. First, I am going to try Coptic stitch binding, because it seems to require the fewest materials. There are several youtube videos I've found, and hopefully I'll have made a book by the end of this week.
Oh and I should mention that my boyfriend and I are already gearing up for Halloween! He takes his holidays very seriously and I think he hopes to out-do himself this year.
Check out his B&B turned Pirate Ship house video from last year!
Halloween Pirate Ship House
ttyl folks!
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