a short history of america - r. crumb

How typical that I as an architecture student am posting this image but with ideas of (new?) improved infrastructure being pounded through my brain, along with the thought of multi-functional infrastructures that break the traditional mono-functional modes, looking at the detailed lines, lovingly rendered by R. Crumb, is soothing... even with the sad realization that infrastructure in America has been so clumsily wrought that planners engineers and architects have nearly single-handedly destroyed the landscape. Here's to revising that model - slowly and hopefully, hopefully eventually.

cactus & frog

I'm hoping the internet connection doesn't crap out as I type this. It's been rough having the connection go out every 20 minutes; with this modern day and age it's so easy to take Internet connection speeds for granted so when it's spotty it can make people crazy! Lately I can't string together coherent sentences or thoughts and I blame school. Too much thinking with the brain equals stunted functions in other areas. The Lithops cactus is one that my mom got for me after she killed my other one (she gave it water when I told her not to!) I made the bespectacled frog in metal class. It's lame because I didn't weld anything but at the time I made it I was very excited. The glasses need work.

Today was extremely productive in that I spent time with my sister through running errands (always fun!) and after we spent a ton of money on living necessities we also went to spend some money on clothing necessities. I was in desperate need of more jeans and we were both just in a clothing funk so we searched and chose and spent wisely so it's all good. Sorry for the rambling. Even though I'm doing this to unwind myself a little it isn't working so I'm just going to work for a few more hours before I call it a night. Happy autumn by the way, even with the onset of this massive heat wave. 105ºF on Monday?! Holy moly...

hey hey

This is my friend Joe Gil. For the past few weeks he's been touring the west coast from Seattle down to San Francisco with fellow singer-songwriter Allen Stone. Tonight was Joe's cd release show in Los Angeles and it was awesome! Joe was backed by some talented musicians tonight and they took great care to let his vocals shine through and it was wonderful. I have big hopes for Joe, and I think his talent and energy are evidence enough that he will continue to move forward.

METAL

The highlight of my day was working with metal!

1. Dinosaur cut out of mild steel with a plasma cutter, cleaned up with an angle grinder & then filed down further with a regular, er grinder.
2, 3. Stainless steel sheets cut & crudely folded into these "aggregating units" for studio. They didn't aggregate in quite the way I wanted them to but I can now I guess I can give a bunch of cool-ish ornaments to people when Christmas comes around.

I was feeling really angsty tonight this week and I know it's just small stuff but I'm waiting for that moment when I won't take things so seriously. I really need to lighten up and stop obsessing on little things and focus on what matters. Life is great! Why can't I see that?

the third eye

I'm beginning to see the people I know through an objective-tinted subjective lens. Like he's actually kind of a solipsist so no wonder he's so self-centered, or this person tries much harder than he actually has to, or I like this person a lot but past the surface level we really don't get along therefore we don't give a damn about each other. This person has been and always will be loyal to me no matter how tense things get between us, this person is a kaeru, and she will always return regardless of how long it's been. This person is really a genuinely awesome person after the initial repugnance wears away. Someone I regarded so highly in terms of inspiration isn't so amazing anymore, about as reliable as a zephyr. I have a rock, my pillar in the storm, who sacrifices his own interests for those of others so much more than anyone I have ever met, without ever making a point of saying so. I'm seeing... the real colors of people. Or rather, a brighter shade. A truer hue? I feel like I have been so ignorant and superficial. Like life has been a cartoon and all of a sudden I am seeing things in three dimensions. I've long regarded myself as intelligent and perceptive to a point but now I feel like I've been blind all along. I guess this is growing up.

molten gummy vitamins in 1, 2, 3

If you're tired of the conventional method of taking one or two gummy vitamins at a time, why not consolidate all those fussy individual gummy pieces into one massive block? A natural method is the best, and you can do this in 3 easy steps*:

1. Make sure the container is sealed tightly! This ensures that the contents, once molten will not spill out.
2. Place the container in a hot place (I put mine in my car!) for about 8 hours. A day in the 90-100 range is ideal. The day I melted these gummies was 105ºF, but surely the temperature rose as it was baking all afternoon in my car.
3. Let the gummies cool, then when solidified, loosen the gummy mass and take a bite.

Now you don't have to worry about those gummy pieces tumbling out as you hurriedly and eagerly run to have your daily dose of vitamins. Just a small bite will do, and if you're feeling extra adventurous, share the gummy mass with a friend! If you want to get really creative, you can even go for a stained glass effect, which happened somewhat naturally with mine. The possibilities are endless!

*If these three easy steps are not easy enough for you, just microwave the gummy vitamins on HIGH for a few seconds, though preferably not in the plastic container.

dear friend

I'm glad I got to see you today. It feels great to get back on track. :)

westies through my sister's eyes

My sister doesn't regard herself as much of a photographer, but upon seeing these I have to disagree! Look at how perfectly she captures our Westies, the compositions of the photos, how the light falls on them and how intelligent and cute they look. I am obviously biased in my opinion of the poopies, but I seriously think these are amazing.

my dream car

If I knew how to surf, this VW camper van being mine would totally make sense! I saw it about a month ago at the Long Beach Flea Market and fell deeply in love. That New Belgium sticker! The mint green paint job! The vanity plates! Someday one of these will be mine.

I realize

That (architecture) design-wise, I am definitely more substance than style, but strong concepts don't equal much unless they're expressed articulately. So this brings up an uncomfortable truth that I have been avoiding and it makes me squirm, but with the discomfort comes a measured determination to pull myself out of the self-constructed shell that has been constricting me for far too long. Why am I coming to light with all this in my last year of school? I really am a last-last minute person.

the end of summer

I'm almost done for the day, all I have left to go to is my drawing class! I can hear the ice cream truck making its rounds in the neighborhood and I just had a cold glass of water that I desperately needed all afternoon. With cautious optimism I have a good feeling about this semester, and I'm going to have to stay focused and un-distracted to achieve what I want to!

back from Spokane

I have to get ready for class tomorrow! Then perhaps a few more updates later, while I have a few hours left in the day, because this is pretty much the last day of summer for me.

two weeks ago

This is what I was up to: readying myself to move back to school, recycling, and moving & settling in at the new place. Although I've been cheating by staying back at my mom's house every now and again for convenience, with work and all. I kept waking up prematurely for my 5AM shift today and never shook the crappy feeling so I was an irritable grouch all day, but I am so thankful that my mom, sister and boyfriend could look past that and be so understanding. Tomorrow's going to be busy because I'm helping my sister move in to her place and we're going to try to squeeze in some shopping too. I'm so tired that I can't be bothered to find my pj pants, which is too much information, so I'm going to do the right thing now and go to sleep.

22

Twenty-two sounds incredibly old! I'm awake after putting up my polaroid wall and tidying up my room, which I did after going out with a friend to a bar in Silverlake for the evening. This friend Steph, one of my oldest friends from high school, is visiting from New York and we had so much to catch up on, as well as more catching up to do in the very near future! The door guy at the bar noticed it was my birthday in a few hours so wished me a happy early birthday, to which I responded with a chipper thank you! Then Steph and I proceeded to talk for several hours, enjoying the laid-back ambience and then, 5 minutes to the hour, the door guy walks to our table and says to me "So it's 5 minutes til your birthday - would you like a free drink?" To which I reply "Yes, please!" and he goes to the bar then comes back with a Thirsty Crow (the drink I was having and incidentally, the name of the bar we were at) and Steph goes "That's it, this is officially my new favorite place!" I downed the drink, gave the door man a big hug and ended up back here, and now I'm taking a break from tidying my room and, I think I'll sleep.

last day

Goodbye Mammoth, I had a great time this summer with you. See you next year!

fishing, day 2

This little trout head turned out to be a solid choice (note the pinched-down barbs); After I caught this rainbow, my pop unhooked it for me since he had waders, and I got a chance to snap some quick shots. I don't like to prolong the amount of time a fish is out of water for the sake of a picture because staying that much longer out of the water could ultimately kill it, but if the opportunity is there and it's a short window of time (i.e. a few seconds, as it is being released) I have no qualms.

I caught a bunch of fish today (!), but owing to the fact that I caught them using the spinning rod instead of the fly rod makes me feel a little like I cheated. Only because the spinners are so much easier than the fly rods. Oh well, practice makes perfect, and today I wasn't going for perfection - just a good old afternoon of reading the river and getting that adrenaline rush from first bite to catch & release. My pop made the last cast of the day and caught a big native rainbow trout and as he released it he said, smiling, "That one last cast!"

fishing, day 1

I hung out in a patch of bright yellow flowers and watched pop tie on a lure/cast while admiring the surrounding foliage. I wish I had brought my Wildlife of North America book with me to figure out what was what! Anyway, I chilled with a fuzzy blue butterfly that was smaller than the lure I used today, then settled into a patch of young willows (probably not willows, but I was hoping they were) and observed the fisherman again. After looking closely into some blue eyed grass to admire the tiny flowers I looked out toward the marshier grass and, spotting something red and black, found a lost lure - a hand tied 'woolly worm' which pop is stoked to try out sometime.

My pop and I set out to fish around 2 this afternoon, and as he geared up I spent about 15 minutes working on my casting technique with the fly rod. It is an amazingly elegant and precise set of movements, deceptively simple, and for every nine or so 'meh' casts I feel like I only got one awesome cast. Ouch! I felt like I was ten years old again, just getting a feel for the spinner rods and casting my roostertails straight into the plants on the other side of the bank. Quite a humbling experience, and after only about an hour going up and down the bank, I tired and switched the fly rod for the camera and watched my pop, who is a master of reading the water and hooking fish. But he never toots his own horn and almost dismissively says "Well, for having fished here for 30 years you'd think I'd know something by now!"