Giverny

Giverny is a misfit rabbit. He used to have arms, but they were too low on his body, so they were surgically removed (ok... actually I just cut them off with my scissors when I realized that they looked terrible. You can barely tell they used to be there!).

Inspired by...

100 Things about Me

Things about myself.

+ I talk to animals. All the time.
+ When I'm having a terrible day, one of my favorite remedies is to dress up. If I can't feel good, I should LOOK good.
+ Everytime I pass a rose I stop to smell it.
+ I love catching june bugs and japanese beetles.
+ I also love holding cicadas.
+ I don't like spicy food.
+ My feet haven't grown since the 6th grade.
+ I haven't thrown up since I was 4.
+ The last book I bought was book 8 in the 10 volume set of Kodocha. But that's not really a book. It's a graphic novel.
+ I don't like giving change out to the homeless because I'm afraid they'll spend it on booze.
+ When I'm waiting in line at a store and I have cash in my hand, I compare the different treasurer's signatures on bills.
+ When I go through a yellow light, I kiss my fingertips and then tap the ceiling of my car.
+ Sometimes I wonder what my nose might look like if I had plastic surgery.
+ I won the Biology award at my highschool.
+ I also won the Art award (it sounds so vague, I know).
+ I hate reality TV.
+ The thing that relaxes me most is someone scratching my back.
+ Horror movies scare me, but I pretend that I'm not scared.
+ I rarely go the speed limit.
+ I really miss Nick at Nite when Mr. Ed, Donna Reed, My Three Sons, I love Lucy, Green Acres, Bewitched, etc were aired every night.
+ It annoys me that toys from the 1980s are making a come-back because it makes me feel less privledged and unique.
+ I had my heart broken for the first time when I was only 9 years old.
+ My favorite stamp right now is the Buckmeister Fuller stamp.
+ I like to recycle, even though I know it doesn't really help.
+ When I buy candy I eat it all within 24 hours, even if it's quite a lot.
+ Every time I see a fox I think of Todd.
+ I don't like really ice cream cones. I preffer a cup.
+ I don't take medication because my body goes haywire.
+ It's difficult for me to prepare for things in advance.
+ Even though I don't like peanut butter, sometimes I crave a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
+ I want to be a celebrity.
+ I don't like my handwriting.
+ I am very loyal, but I get hurt easily because I'm always trying to make people happy... so if they complain, or suggest I've done something wrong it makes me sad.
+ Someday I want to own a great dane.
+ When I get dressed in the morning, I put on my socks before my shirt.
+ When I was in college and felt lonely, I would walk through the neighborhoods around school and pet people's cats. If I sat on the sidewalk outside their house while doing so, I would look at the house and make up stories about what went on inside.
+ misspelled words are a turn off, even though I sometimes do it.
+ I like to sit with my feet tucked up under me.
+ I love squirrels.
+ I don't trust hair-dressers, and usually cut my own hair.
+ When I sit next to the window at night, I'm nervous that someone might be looking in at me.
+ I pretend that I love the rain, but really I only love it in certain conditions.
+ Sometimes I tell lies.
+ I like to give gifts, or shop for other people.
+ I'm not really sure what's in Maryland, or why people live there.
+ I have had a cavity in mot of my teeth because I used to eat so much hard candy and chew gum. Now I don't eat hard candy, and only chew sugar-free gum.
+ Sometimes I wish I had more courage to do the things I wish I could do.
+ I hate it when people don't use their turn signal until they're at the turn or the light has already changed.
+ My favorite drink is water.
+ Sometimes I'm suspicious of other women, but often I can't pin-point why.
+ I'm afraid of dying by heart-attack because it's so sudden and quick you can't wrap up affairs or say your good byes.
+ I'm lazy about putting new toilet paper on the toilet paper holder.
+ I like to neaten other people's things, but not my own.
+ When I get the new commemorative quarters I look to see which mint it was made at - philly or denver.

monday, monday... oh what a day

I made these today (in the free time I didn't have, but used anyways, because it only takes me about 15 minutes per):



Also today, in between creating floor plans on AutoCAD and my internship, I got to see Garth and watch an episode of CSI.

ALSO today, I realized, while uploading the previous goodies onto Etsy, that I had money in my PayPal account from Etsy, and have since requested that it be transfered to my bank account. I AM SO EXCITED!!

I find myself feeling thanks for...

- Reunions with old friends! My friend Kayti from the 4th grade found me on My Space. It was really exciting (oh man, I'm such a dork)!!! No, but for serious. We were totally inseparable for a while there. What happened??

- Friends in general - that's a "dur" thanks though :)

- Delicious food - I had so much studying to do that my mom and dad prepared the whole TG meal today without my help, and BOY was it delicious. D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S.

- Heat lamps - my poor bunny is freezing cold in the garage.

- TV - to play in the background while I work on drafting stuffs.

- band-aids - I sliced my thumb open with an exacto knife today. OUCH! But it's warm and clean now; ahhhhh.

- Architectural scales and drafting triangles - No, really. They make life easy.

...

What I WISH I was thankful for: resin. But I'm not. I tried making coasters this evening during a break from studying, and all I really acheived was dizziness from inhaling the massive amount of fumes that overtook our house. The resin never hardened. And one of the molds spilled all over and I had to throw them both away - that was $6 of molds down the drain! *sigh* But hey, it was fun. Probably because of the previously mentioned fumes.

I forgot...

Annon1: My mom is taking college classes right now.
Mars: ... Is this when I'm supposed to chime in with "your mom goes to college"?

I hate finals week(s)

I don't often use the word hate. In fact, when I was on LiveJournal I did a whole post about the few things I actually HATE:

1. Dave Matthews' music (Haha, now lots of people hate ME!!)
2. Beanie Weenies - This actually goes beyond Beanie Weenies to include beans of any variety, whether paired with pork, chili, or... even velveeta cheese. Because, you know, Velveeta is supposed to make everything better. The smallprint on their packaging should be required by law to say "Slogan not valid when used with beans".
3. My Printer. [it was very broken at the time]
4. Dead Bugs. Ok, I realize you're probably thinking "only DEAD bugs?" Well... yeah, pretty much. I'm AFRAID of cockroaches because the ones over here grow to roughly the size of a komodo dragon, but I don't HATE them - I can just chase them away. They're very nervous little fellows, and are kind enough to run off at the slightest provocation. I only hate them when they're dead. They freaks me out. It's one of those things. Just don't ask.
5. Peanuts and peanut products.
6. Life Cereal. Do you remember Life? "Mikey Likes It!" Well, I don't. And when they used the slogan "Unless your kids are weird, they'll like it", I was all "Oh man, this is bad news. I'm weird." It was the first of many signs... ;)

I can't really think of anything else I hate. That's a good thing, I'm pretty sure. I just realized that the things I really, truly dislike are things that most people love. What's wrong with me? Hmm. It'd probably be difficult to pinpoint any one thing, so let's leave that one unanswered.

The actual entry was much longer, but you don't need to read all of the details. The point is - I'm adding to the list:

#7. The last two or three weeks of grad-school semesters.

I've essentially been turned into a studying ogre (if Warcraft was real, and I was in it, I'd be a frightening creature named something like "Scholasticus"). I can't see my friends because I'm studying. I can't make any crafts because I'm studying. When I DO get to see my friends, they have to pretend I'm not around and let me study. My main example is Garth, because I've spent several evenings sitting at his table and ignoring him. I feel like a jerk, and despite his assurances that it's no problem I know it's annoying. And so I think that instead of studying with friends - as much as *I* enjoy it - won't happen anymore because the friend I'm with doesn't.

*sigh*

AND FURTHERMORE - !!!! - One of my required courses for next semester is only offered on a Wednesday night, so I have to drop my Bible Study for REAL now. How much does that suck??

A LOT. >:p

random in the japanese news...

+ One of Japans hottest new fashion brands is called "Bathing Ape in Lukewater"

+ Yoshinoya isn't just expanding in NY (I go there every time I'm in the city :)- it's growing in China too!!

+ "otaku" culture (manga and anime) is a 2-trillion-yen market

+ sales of "bottled tap water" (yes, the title is literal) are going up.

+ so are sales of "on-the-go" food packaging: foods like jello or yogurt put into squeezable baggie-bottle-things.

+ enter stage right: kuchofuku - "air-conditioned clothing".

+ enter stage left: "intelligent toilets" - all in one trip to the potty it will monitor your blood-sugar, blood-pressure, weight, and body-fat percentage.

Samples: the joy and bane of my existence

Holy cow... I can find everything in the world online, but apparently my powers of online-look-upability have been overcome by the hiding prowess of metal manufacturers willing to send out samples of their finishes (presumably because they are heavy...?)

If anybody knows where to get a sample of the metal that I'm picturing in my head for the Earthworks storefront... NOW IS THE TIME TO SPEAK UP ! ! !


In other news: on the way to Garth's apartment this afternoon to study on his computer/order various samples in the warmth of his office-chair-gone-domestic (while he baked pie), I drove for several blocks behind a black Nissan pick-up truck with a bumper sticker that read:

my other ride is your mom.

Heehee...

I took an inventory of the softies I have last night. I wanted to figure out my strengths/weaknesses, and work with/on them. I also divided them into types of toys - for example, the "Not There Squares", which are basically square toys with eyes/mouths. Or the "Bowie Dolls", who have one eye or eye-patch different from the other (named after our beloved David and his multi-colored eyes). Also I have the "Bubbeeboos", who are sorta made up of my favorites that don't fit into another category.

ANYway...

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The sky was really nice when it set last night. I was, fortunately, out helping Garth run errands, so I got to see it. *yay*

Also, the "Robotica" robots are all set up on etsy now, so BUY AWAY! $15 per drawing - or if you want all 4 (eventually I'm going to draw 10, I think) I can give you a discount.

'Truth is more important than the facts'

I have had the most wonderful day. My 'Modern Architecture & Design' class went to Falling Water, and OH! What a trip it was. I say it with conviction: The rumors are true. Frank Lloyd Wright was a genius of architecture. No words can describe the sensation of standing in Falling Water - its presence, its ambience, its brotherhood with nature that is so complex that it comes back to being simple... You look around, thinking: "Well of COURSE windows should open like that..." while all the while wondering with furrowed brow "If it's so obvious how come I wouldn't have thought of it, not in a million years?"

Of course, Wright was a cantankerous egomaniac, which does make me feel better about myself - while I may not be a genius of architecture, at least I can relate humbly to people. But I am still envious of the ideas that came so naturally to him as I struggle to design a floor plan for my design studio. Did you know he drew the floor plans, elevations, and perspectives for Falling Water in about 2 hours?... and again I'm led back to wondering why I'm pursuing Interior Design instead of painting, because the paintings to me come like the floorplans for him. Alas.

And it's time for images (keep in mind, this was designed in the 30s. It was about 30 years ahead of the era it seems to represent so well) and quotes.

"Early in life I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility. I chose the former and have seen no reason to change. "

"It has often been said by philosophers, that nature is the will of God. And I prefer to say that nature is the only body of God that we shall ever see."

"Noble life demands a noble architecture for noble uses of noble men. Lack of culture means what it has always meant: ignoble civilization and therefore imminent downfall."

"True ornament is not a matter of prettifying externals. It is organic with the structure it adorns, whether a person, a building, or a park."

"The mob-ocracy is destroying the United States with their bad taste."

"Abandon it."(on being asked how he would go about improving Pittsburgh)

Well, Thursday wasn't an entire loss.

I drew another robot last night:


And the sky today was very beautiful, despite (or because of?) the cold, crisp weather. I also realized how blessed I am to have a lifestyle that I can be out, walking in a trr-filled neighborhood at 3:15 on an incredible autumn afternoon.

Self-Portrait Tuesday

Just for the record --- I blame you, Timoni, for my Flickr obsession (I reached photo #575 today). I do blame myself, however, for the photography obsession.

Jumping rope on a ball!

Oh also, there are a couple of things I'm on the lookout for - help me out if you can :)

A) I want to get some of those sun-paper things that I used as a kid - the blue paper that you lay out in the sun with a shape on top of it, and it develops into a print. Do you know what I'm talking about? Yeah. I want some of those. I found some old ones in my closet, but they were too old to use.

B) New tea. ... That's all. Tell me your favorite kinds - I might try one :)

C) A "Sharp As Toast" t-shirt. Prefferably the one that says "Mr. Tooth Decay's real name is communism." or the one that says "Kick a commie for Ronnie" (I'm also fond of the Chester A Arthur shirt). (

sharp as toast)

D) Chocolate from:

Cocoa Vino (omg... yumm...)

she's conking out

I'm tired (again) but I had to tell you:

My co-worker Jennifer told me about this great thing called "daily candy" today, (at dailycandy.com). It's like a listing of cool places/things/stores/etc - you can sign up for one in your nearest big city. For example, NY, DC, or Philly...

Anyways. I signed up for DC's DailyCandy today at lunch, and I think you should too. It's really neat. I also shamelessly sent them a link to my website (it'll never make it on, but it's one more person with power who *might* go look at my site, if nothing else. Right?

I've been doing more drawings

I guess I slept too much last night, what with being asleep by 11pm, but now I can't fall asleep... Oh well.

I did some more drawings this afternoon, and spent the rest of my time - about 6 hours, in fact - working on a project for school. I feel like a failure because I couldn't finish a project in 6 hours, but I've done most of the busy-work. From here on out I'm just researching finishes and stuff... Ok, anyways, that's boring for you, I know. Here are those new drawings :)

freemasons, turtles, and shoes make up a Saturday

Garth bought a turtle today!!! He named her, very cleverly, Ladybird Johnson. It's great. This is his darling Ladybird (in the box she came home in, while we worked on setting up her cage):


Also today (earlier) we went to the Masonic Temple, because it was somewhere we kept talking about visiting during it's weekend hours, but never quite made time to do. So, just prior to the turtle purchase, there was a trip to see the freemasons. I had a good time. Among their relics were: an animatrinoc George Washington and an enormous light-bright.



Other than that I've done a few more sketches for my Modern Architecture and Design class, and sat around enjoying my new shoes.


And now I'm at home, (still enjoying my new shoes), and having a great time deciding whether I should make some jewelry while I sit in bed listening to good music, or if I should just go to bed (the main point here being: I am tired. And I can't wait to fall asleep.)

The day has gotten better

The sky this afternoon was lovely.

I was cheerful this morning, then things went downhill. But they have recovered, and I am quite happy again - in part, I think, because tonight at Murky Coffee when I was sketching for my Modern Architecture and Design class (see the sketches below) two random guys across the table from me started telling me how impressed they were with my drawing skillz... and there's nothing like a good, old-fashioned compliment (or three or four...)to make you feel better about yourself, right? ^_^




Also, I had a nice excursion to Michael's and Goodwill today, where I bought a bunch more beads & a brand new (white, hard-covered, spiral-bound) sketchbook at Michael's. And then a lovely pair of new chucks at Goodwill. ALSO, I fell in love with:
1. a sky-blue chest of drawers (in picture below)
2. a set of (almost)Brno chairs (behind the chest in the picture below)
and 3. a hideous (but very awesome!!!) night-stand/cabinet (also in a pic below)




And that was my day!

Seriousness and complaining erupt

Last night was weird... yesterday was weird... come to think of it, my whole week has been weird. I just feel very out of place in my life right now. I don't know what I'm doing, what I should be doing, or how to do what I'm not sure that I'm supposed to be doing until I figure out what I'm actually supposed to do. Does taht sentence make an sense at ALL?...

Plus, school is kicking my butt right now, I feel all out-of-sorts with several friends, and I have like a million things all screaming "Do me right now!! No, NO, over HERE!!! Do ME instead!!! Noooo, not them, me, MEEE!" And my head is in a whirl.

What I WANT to do is still be a missionary. But I can't do that, because everyone who would've given me support will say "it didn't work last time - God probably wants you at home, so I don't know how I'd feel about supporting you." But last night at s.group, Laura said something about how when she was visiting Israel she had this sense of contentment that she didn't feel here. And I realized that I experienced overwhelming contentment whenever I was on the field (except for the last 3 months I was in Japan, but that's because panic attacks were making me a crazy woman. Literally.). I had contentment during my 1st summer in Japan, I had it during the summer I spent in Indonesia, and the 1st year I was in Japan, and also in Louisiana after Katrina, and even way back in college when I spent a week in Mississippi helping Habitat for Hummanity. Those are the only times I can definately recall that much contentment packed into such a little amount of time. But how does a failed missionary get support to go back and be a missionary again? I don't know.

...

I mean, I do have happiness here. I'll be making a collage or sewing, or stringing together a necklace, and I'll be happy. But it's totally different than true contentment. You know?

Anyways.

Are total strangers going to read this entry about me? That is odd.

Via a small-group e-mail chain...

I'm sitting in silence at work, because the whole office is out at some designer event and I'm covering for the receptionist... and so, I present you with this small token, a thing to be remembered by, a way to pass the time: a very, very long list.

Put an X by all the things you've EVER done *** just as a note: I got rid of some of the obvious stuff, like "seen a sunset". I mean, durr, just look at my flickr account's huge number of sky photos to see that I love the sky, or "been on a plane" - hello, I was a missionarly in Indonesia and Japan, right?... I did this for length's sake.

(x) Caught lightning bugs on a warm summer night
(x ) smoked a cigarette
( ) crashed a friend's car
( ) stolen a car
( x) been in love
(x) been dumped
( x) shoplifted
(x) kissed someone
(x) been in a fist fight
() snuck out of your parent's house
( ) been arrested
() gone on a blind date
(x) skipped a class/ school
( ) seen someone die
(x)had a crush on one of your internet friends
(x) been to Canada
( x) been to Mexico
( )purposely set a part of yourself on fire ***why... I mean, I've set other THINGS on fire, but yourself? honestly...
(x) eaten Sushi
(x) been skiing (and SNOW BOARDING)
(x) met someone in person from the internet
() been moshing at a concert
(x) love/like someone or miss someone right now
(x) laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by
(x) made a snow angel
(x) had a tea party
(x) flown a kite
(x) built a sand castle
(x) gone puddle jumping
(x) jumped into a pile of leaves
(x) gone sledding
(x) cheated while playing a game
() fallen asleep at work/school
( ) used a fake id
( ) felt the earth shake
(x) touched a snake -
(x ) slept beneath the stars
(x) been tickled
( ) been robbed
(x) pet a reindeer/goat **why is this a question? As for animals: I've pet them ALL. Including amazonian snapping turtles... so... see, THAT would be an interesting question!
(x) won a contest
(x) run a red light
(x) been suspended from school
(x) ) been in a car accident
(x) had braces
(x) eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night
(x) had deja vu
() witnessed a crime
(x) been obsessed with post-it notes ***CURRENTLY AM
(x) ) squished barefoot through the mud
(x) been lost
(x ) been to the opposite side of the country
(x) swam in the ocean
(x) cried yourself to sleep
(x ) played cops and robbers **does cowboys & indians on horseback count? I think so :)
(x) sung karaoke
() paid for a meal with only coins
(x) made prank phone calls
(x) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose **it was chocolate milk. At something my brother said. Remember, Drea?
(x)caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) written a letter to Santa Claus
() been kissed under a mistletoe
(x) blown bubbles
( ) made a bonfire on the beach
() crashed a party
(x) gone rollerskating
(x) worn pearls
( ) jumped off a bridge
(x ) ate dog/cat food ***HAHA... yuck...
(x ) kissed a mirror
(x) sang in the shower
(x) had a dream that you married someone
(x) glued your hand to something
( ) got your tongue stuck to a flag pole
(x) sat on a roof top
(x) screamed at the top of your lungs
() talked on the phone for more than 6 hours
(x) stayed up all night
(x) didn't take a shower for a week
(x) pick and ate an apple right off the tree
(x) climbed a tree
() are scared to watch scary movies alone
(x) believe in ghosts ***I believe in Demons freaking people out and making them think they've seen ghosts - sorta the same...
(x) believe in angels
() have more than 30 pairs of shoes ***I have about 20...
( ) gone streaking
(x ) gone doorbell ditching
( ) played chicken
(x ) been pushed into a pool/hot tub with all your
clothes on
(x) been told you're hot by a complete stranger
(x) broken a bone
(x) been easily amused ***ALWAYS....
(x ) caught a fish then ate it after it was cooked
(x) caught a butterfly
(x) laughed so hard you cried
()cried so hard you laughed
() cheated on a test
( ) have/had a Britney Spears CD
(x)French braided someone's hair
(x) gone skinny dipping in a lake (pool)

bery bery fuh-ny!

YOU MUST LOOK AT THIS LINK. Seriously. Read the whole thing. Hilarity.

I have a cavity

Yeah... these are my teeth. I took this when the Dentist stepped out of the room for a second. Heehee ^_^

Halloween

I went as a Geisha.