Tomfoolery

Moving!

2008-05-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I've decided that since I have my new website up and running, I might as well take advantage of it. My blog has now moved HERE. I have also started a craft blog: Paisley Cupcakes, and an art blog: White Boxes. Thanks for reading!

*runs off into the distance*

Balint Zsako | Works from the Bernardi Collection

2008-03-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

This February, the MoCCA decided to showcase two artists with seemingly little in common. In the main space was a collection of large abstract panel paintings that make up John Brown’s show “The Visceral THING”. These immense works line the walls of the high-ceilinged room, large and overwhelming, isolated and grand. Annexed to a far corner, quite separate from the main exhibition space, is a small white room in which the 60 drawings that make up Balint Zsako’s “Bernardi Collection” are hung. It is a quiet and subtle space; the small pieces are hung in little wooden shadow frames around the room, some in gridded clusters and some isolated. The works themselves are quirky little things, rife with sexual content, imaginative mechanical apparatuses and botanical motifs. Incredibly, while the enormous abstracts in their large exhibition space are, in essence, complete opposites to the small figurative drawings in their little white cube, both left me with that feeling of wonderment that characterizes an artistic experience.

It is the work of Balint Zsako that I will focus on here, though, because while it seemed to be secondary in the exhibition space to the grandiose works of John Brown, I found that the collection had a much greater impact on me. The strange little drawings, no more than 12 x 16 inches, are executed in a manner that could be called “naïve”, drawing perhaps from childhood doodles or cave drawings in their depiction of the human figure. The backgrounds are left blank, generally either white or black, and the figures are often showed in profile, emphasizing this “primitive” association. And yet, the content includes elaborate mechanical creations that deny this association true validity.

The drawings are a mingling of opposites, filled with juxtapositions that send the mind twirling in confusion and curiosity. They are mixed media works, created both with spontaneous seeming watercolour strokes and meticulous ink line work. In that sense, they are playful and free while maintaining an almost holy precision. While they draw out a feeling of childhood innocence with their simplistic forms, that innocence is subverted by the vaguely sinister sexual content of the pieces. Sexually deformed creatures, human-bird hybrids complete with sexual organs, bodily fluids… all are executed in a disturbingly childish way. The organic imagery in the drawings is often altered by the stark, blank technological element. These oppositions twist and turn the mind to create an undeniable sense of unease.

One theme that I found particularly striking among these works is that of bondage. Figures are tied to other figures with strings in strange and unreasonable ways. A pinky finger might be connected by a string to another figure’s ear or penis or another body part. In the end we are often left with a web of connections. The same is true of the machines that seem to splice and separate body parts, while acting as a mechanical web of connection between them. The work implies a vaguely medical, vulnerable sensation. This contributes even more to the sense of unease that the work encourages. It is self-contradictory and quite intriguing as a whole. While I found the work rather shocking, I left with a feeling of awe and almost a sacred holiness, as if I had just spent my time looking at 14th century manuscript illuminations.

Balint Zsako was born in Budapest, Hungary to a family of artists and has kept their tradition with excellence. His work is fascinating and definitely worth taking the time to look at. In this particular venue, it serves almost as a little contemplative shrine away from the large overwhelming abstractions of John Brown.

And the Lord said... "Let there be Eee!"

2008-03-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

So I have this magical little device, a little notebook with a pearly sheen, a gorgeous little eee PC. Asus has decided to create a laptop that really is the smallest, barest of bare. But it's so cute! It is also a feisty little thing, and packs a lot more punch than you'd expect. It can run games like Black & White 2, Half life... I'm a simple computer-user, spending my connected time mostly just surfing the web, doing homework, messaging and playing stupid nonsense games like Peggle and Bookworm. So really, this thing is perfect for me.

If you'd like some idea of how small this thing really is, take a piece of standard printer paper... now fold it in half. There you have a closed Eee. It's so small I can fit it in my purse. And yet, despite its small size, it is remarkably easy to use. I'm typing this entry with it right now and it's a breeze. The small keyboard isn't even a problem because I'm a speedy hen-pecker anyhow.

Isn't it cuteee? It makes me just want to say "eee" enthusiastically forever.
AND, it comes with Linux instead of Windows or Mac... Which means it's even more incredible. It's freakin' open source. EEE! Awesome.

I'm going to go fiddle around with more functions now... EEEEEE!

the Milkmaid

2008-01-10T05:54:00.000-08:00

The Milkmaid by Jan Vermeer
c. 1658-60 (150 Kb); Oil on canvas, 45.4 x 41 cm (17 7/8 x 16 1/8 in); Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

This is the painting I will be spending the next three months reproducing literally from the "ground" up. Using authentic ground pigments for most but lead white, preparing my own sizing and ground, working with oil glazes in a similar way to Vermeer's own. My course, Historical Techniques of the Artist, is so incredible. Our teacher is one of the most knowledgable and frank people I know and has taught me so very much thus far. I feel like I'm actually a renaissance apprentice in this course, it's so exciting. It's unfortunate that this is not mandatory, I think every art student should be required to learn these things.

Quick, and long-overdue post

2008-01-09T15:49:00.000-08:00

See this picture? As dismal as it seems, this is how Toronto should normally look in the winter. Big, industrial, grey, and snowy. This photo was taken around a week ago... would you believe that now, mid-January, the snow has been replaced by grass?

It's windy, but there are reasonably warm rains, temperatures around the +5 level. And no snow. The most I've seen in the past few days were the diminished leftovers of plowed snowpiles. You can't trust Toronto to be consistent with anything but poor adherence to bus scheduling rules! Where'd winter go? *flails arms*

Jill Greenberg's Monkey Portraits

2007-09-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

I've seen her photography collection in the bookstore, but I was happily suprised to find a link to her collection on one of the blogs I frequent. Jill Greenberg is just... really cool. Her work has a strange, highly expressive quality that calls to my mind baroque portraiture. I am a happy egg!

Incredible how human they are. They remind me of people I know, though I won't mention any names. *evil grin*

Amazing cake

2007-09-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

It's absolutely incredible what one can do with a chunk of fondant and some yummy sponge cake.

A few of my favourites

A sneaker that looks very much like mine would were it blue and made of baked goods:
Food pretending to be other food:
The Edible Eiffel:
A gorgeous golden scorpion of chocolatey goodness:

An edible still life of classy scientific paraphernalia:

Appetizing dentures:

Cake pretending to be russian pepsi:

Cake pretending to be a well-stocked country kitchen:

An incredible wedding cake for the nerdy couple (completely edible aside from the topper):

Cognac in cake form:

An ancient tome of chewy moist cakeyness:

The Booty:

I'm not sure what medal this is, but I'd almost rather hang this on my wall than eat it:

And of course, the summer get-away home

Summer's End

2007-09-01T05:32:00.001-07:00

Summer is reaching it's end and I couldn't be any happier. There was a time when I eagerly awaited the season as a time of rest and outdoor celebration. Now, however, it's revealed itself as a glimpse into the real world of 5-day work weeks and very little spare time. Much of what I planned to do this summer when I still thought it would be nice and lazy still isn't done. Now, of course, school seems like the real vacation. Sure, every day of the week will have some sort of responsibility for me... but at least I'm not spending 12 hour days away from home. A mere four hours on a Wednesday is certainly doable. I only need to do a bit of course-shuffling and I'm all set!

The summer, of course, hasn't been as bad as I'm making it seem. I managed to get out and do some camping, such a complete and beautiful way to detox from the real world. We went to Awenda Provincial Park, nearby Wasaga Beach on Georgian Bay. What a gorgeous area! There were nice hiking trails that we made sure to make use of, and beautiful (albeit rocky) beaches. We spent a good portion of every day lazing about on the beach, and the rest of our time lazing about at our campsite. The smell of meat roasting over an open fire is one of the most delicious things I can think of. Mm. I just can't wait until I finally get the time and resources to get my license and a car, so I can drive out to the beautiful outskirts myself.

So there was camping, some short resting periods with family, and lots and lots of time at the bookstore. And now, with school, there will be courses. I'm eagerly anticipating my "Historical Techniques of the Artist" class. It's my longest one, with a three hour lecture followed immediately by a three hour studio class. I believe one of the major assignments is to make a painting using the same techniques as the old masters... I'm quite excited about the whole thing thanks to my Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture class got me very passionate about the subject.

The rest of my courses are pretty basic, although I think Human Anatomy for the Fine Arts should be particularly useful. It's got the prettiest (and most expensive) course textbook ever. Once OSAP wakes up and tosses me a bone I'll be able to get my hands on that baby. For now however, I just have to trudge through this last five day workweek and wait until Wednesday.

How many things can happen in 6 months?

2007-08-10T05:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I made any additions to this blog that I was once so excited about. In merely 6 months, a number of life-altering, reality-shifting things have occurred. And so, to summarize, I shall make a list!

1. We got kittens! Diva and Doolittle, two amazingly energetic and horribly affectionate little fluffballs that make life happier and softer. They're orange tabbies and quite good-looking, if I do say so myself. ^_^

2. School ended for the year, leaving me with a pleasing grade report for my second year at University. This is possibly the least life-altering of the list, but with the shifting of a few close friends (Crystal is now in Concordia, Sara is now at OCAD) it has managed to fit itself in.

3. My sister graduated! For the first time since... well... kindergarten, she will be facing September without also facing school. Of course, because she's Valerie, she graduated with "Highest Honours" in her art history degree. What she's going to do next is still up in the air, but whatever it is will be done well, thoroughly, and with a great deal of passion.

4. Now this one is truly mind-boggling. On the day I was going to be leaving to see my sister's graduation ceremony, I recieved a telephone call. "Guess who it is?" said the american-sounding voice on the other end of the line. I ran through my list of middle aged men I knew with strange area codes. Of course I had no idea. "It's your Old Man!" What. The. Fuck. A bit of a back story for those unfamiliar with my family situation: I grew up without a father in the strictest sense, my mom and dad having divorced around when I was one or two years old. My father had moved to the US, and I heard from him only once, when I was six. My aunt and uncle had stepped in to help, and my Uncle was my father figure (and still is). I had a tremendously happy childhood thanks to the two of them and I grew up complete and full, thinking about my real father only briefly, only at times when I might have needed one or been socially expected to have one. So when, shortly after I turned 20, I got this telephone call... it floored me. I had been sorting socks at the time- how very ordinary- and all of a sudden a father, a "father's side of the family" blinks into existance. We talked for about an hour, myself pacing around the apartment with quick-beating heart. I have three half-brothers, curly haired like me. I have a step-mother. I have aunts, uncles, recently deceased grandparents. I have a family history of diabetes, a long french ancestry that includes Charlemagne. So yeah. Weird. I don't know where to go with this, for now I think I'll take it as it comes. He's not trying to be a part of my life or anything just yet, and he hasn't really asked me about myself at all, but it's weird knowing about him now. Yeah. Man.

5. On a completely different note, the moment Steven and I have been waiting almost 9 months for has arrived. He is now, officially and fully, a permanent resident of Canada. Backbreaking paperwork and bending-over-backwards to get documents has paid off. As soon as they opened the envelope (8 months after it was sent) things went quickly and efficiently. Sign here, here, and here, stamp this, sign this. There you are: Residency! He can now attend school, recieve the benefits of OHIP, work without a permit, travel out of the country, and vote if he desires. Simple as that.

I'm going to say that that's about it for my big news. I know, it's alot of stuff to pack into one entry, but I needed to purge. Now that this is all out, said, and summed up, I can move on to my regular boring entries.

Umami? Memami.

2007-02-12T06:10:00.000-08:00

This semester has been a busy one, forcing me into activity every day of the week. I work four days, I go to school for three, that leaves me without any lovely "free day" in which all the hours stretch ahead of me like a virgin landscape. Of course I'm idealising it, but now that reading week is finally starting I'm going to have my first perfectly free day tomorrow after quite a while. And so, at last, I am making another post in this little blog of mine.

Today, kids, we're going to learn about "umami". Can you say "umami"?

The other day at work, my coworker Jerry was telling me that in Japan and China, they have a fifth taste. Aside from bitter, sweet, salty, and sour, "umami" has been discovered. In 1908, Dr. Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University isolated this taste while trying to figure out what caused the delicious flavour of "konbu" (kelp) stock. He managed to isolate glutamate as the culprit. Of course, it wasn't until the 1980's that umami was proven a legitamite "fifth taste" through studies of the taste receptors in the tongue.

"Umami" can be described as "savory" or, as my coworker said after struggling for a descriptor, "toasty". The taste of umami itself is subtle. It blends well with other tastes to expand and round out flavours. Most people don’t recognise umami when they encounter it, but it can be detected when eating ripe tomatoes, parmesan cheese, cured ham, mushrooms, meat and fish. And really, if you think about it, you can probably isolate the similarity of these ingredients in your mind. What does steak have in common with cheese? Umami.

Of course, finding out about this discovery has isolated for me what it is that makes me love certain foods. I just really really like umami.

2007

2007-01-01T07:02:00.000-08:00

2006 was fabulous.
Let's make 2007 just as lovely
Happy New Year to EVERYONE!

A Summary of Strange Customers

2006-12-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

Although working at a bookstore introduces me to plenty of lovely human beings, from happy families to social intellectuals, I've seen my fair share of quirky customers. Their eccentricities are not always negative, but there are certainly things keeping me on my toes.

1) The other day I was confronted with a very short bald man who was obviously mentally disabled in some way. He decided this day that he would ask for a book by Plato, and that only -I- should be the one to help him. I have nothing against the mentally ill, but I do have personal levels of comfort that were breached each time he called me "sweetheart" and took his sweet time explaining his search. He apparently wanted a book called either "deseartes" or "gnosis" or something like that (his mumbled speech made him quite hard to understand and he couldn't spell it for me). Now, as far as I know, Plato wrote a very small number of books, none of which had names like that at all. So, I tried my best to reassure him that if there was a book by that name, we certainly didn't carry it. It was a rather distressing conversation, especially when he wouldn't let me leave to help other customers. It was to my good fortune that a friendly coworker of mine had seen my situation and decided to rescue me with an intercom page to the opposite side of the floor. Finally free, I hunkered down in the "9-12 fiction" section and began systematically alphabetizing the bottom shelves. There is no better place to hide than the children's section.

2) This one I've only heard about through stories. Apparently, some years ago, a woman came in claiming to be from a library in the city. As per usual, she was outfitted with a cart and many baskets. Off she went, filling them to the top, wandering around through the sections and asking employees what books they recommended. Once her baskets were overflowing with books, she would disappear... wander out of the store and leave the cart in the middle of the aisles. Obviously, this was quite distressing to the staff... so many re-sorts! Weeks past without occasion, until again this woman showed up. The same thing happened-- baskets filled with books lost their so called "librarian". All very strange, nobody knew quite what to do. A week later, it happened again... however this time, the store received a call. "Have you seen a small Asian woman who thinks she's a librarian?" a man asked.
"Uh, yes, she's upstairs..."
"Don't let her leave, she's a patient at the CAMH and we're coming to collect her"
Soon enough, white men in suits filed through the doors and escorted the poor women away.

3) I work quite a few places, being the versatile employee you have to be when in a store this big. However, my specialty is the cookbook section. Now, I've had two encounters there that have particularly challenged me. One, a regular, a food critic who keeps a constantly updated cookbook collection and must surely have every cookbook we do and more. When she comes in she asks "what do you have that I haven't seen" and it is a great challenge to pick out the newest or most obscure books we have. She, however, is a reasonably pleasant woman who makes her recommendations without great personal judgment. Recently, however, I received another type of customer. A four-star cook searching for books not only for herself, but for her four-star cook friends. Not only was she picky, but she was also one of the most judgmental people I have come across. Almost nothing really suited her. I did that thing everyone does when confronted with opinionated people when they are being paid to serve: I nodded and agreed with everything she said, treading quite carefully when adding my suggestions. She was so picky that the next day I was personally thanked by the manager of the store for dealing with her.

4) One of the most delightfully eccentric customers I've had was this old British man, who, as I was greeting at the top of the escalators, proceeded to pick his way through the Eyewitness book series we keep on display and discuss with me the innovations in deep ocean exploration the world has been experiencing in recent decades. We had an interesting conversation about deep ocean heat vents and the strange creatures that have been discovered there. From submarines to plankton, we pretty much covered the basics of amazing undersea advances and discoveries. He also looked like Santa Claus, which was pleasant.

5) Another woman I've only heard about, although she did happen to be in the store one day that I was working: the "prosecutor". This woman has a very strong conviction that every white male is a murderer. In fact, she is so stubborn about this that she makes sure to yell at every white male that passes her "YOU MURDERER!" It happened once that my coworker accidentally made eye contact with her across the room, and she yelled for about 5 minutes how he better stay where he was and not come anywhere close. She made sure that every woman working on the top floor would leave to go home before ten, because after that "the murderers come out". She has, apparently, been in the store before doing the same thing. It seems with practice she has learned that after these outbursts she should escort herself out of the store, as it seemed one of the store policies.

There are a great many more customers that have made my shifts a bit more interesting than expected, but I'll save those for later.

The wonders of camoflage.

2006-12-04T18:40:00.001-08:00


As a child, I was fascinated with animals of all varieties, but I was especially enamored with those who displayed unusual adaptive abilities. Animals with brightly coloured poison warnings, strange carnivorous jungle flowers that attract flies by producing the smell of rotten meat, fish that create their own light. I was amazed as a child, and I'm just as amazed now.

Keeping myself positive.

2006-11-09T19:57:00.000-08:00

Things that are going right for me:

The immigration papers are almost complete, soon all we’ll have to do is wait.
We’ve figured out a plan to save 50 dollars a month on our telecommunications AND have a home phone.
We’ve begun to explore new wines and taken up the habit of eating dinner at the table. It’s very exciting.
My Dutch is finally improving at a rate I can see. I can now understand most of the content of the television shows Steven and I watch together. I’m also beginning to get the hang of grammar.
I’m earning enough money at the bookstore right now to not be so worried about financial issues.
My love life is in a very nice state at the moment, I feel more connected to my husband than ever before.
I went to an a cappella concert and soon I'll be seeing Leave's Eyes and Blind Guardian... my life is exciting.
I am really enjoying my wood construction sculpture class, I think this might be something I continue with.
I am not worried at ALL for my art history exam… for once I feel incredibly organized about it.
I am learning more about myself and coming to terms with my flaws.
Even in the busy times, I feel I have a lot more clarity than I used to.
I’m learning so much!

Trees

2006-10-30T22:05:00.000-08:00

This picture calls up in me a certain memory I have of biking through the natural areas of Apeldoorn. We were at the Kröller-Müller, an art museum with an outdoor sculpture garden, located within a national park. They had bike racks of communial bicycles which guests were to use to get from the entrance to the museum (a novel concept to me!). Steven, German and I sped down the pathway to the museum, between rows of towering trees, on those strange white bikes, in the wet air of the day. As I recall, Steven's was lacking air and bouncing the whole time. It is such a fond memory to me. Perhaps it was the fullness of my senses at the time: rain on my skin, wind in my hair, laughing friends, pedalling feet, the smell of summer. Recalling that moment makes me yearn to be back in Holland, experiencing a world so completely different from my own.

Fat and Satisfied.

2006-10-13T05:47:00.000-07:00

I was a lucky enough person to have two thanksgiving dinners this weekend, and both of them in the presence of great company.

After the longest greyhound ride of my life (7 hours to Ottawa thanks to the lineup and the long weekend traffic rush) the husband and I arrived back home. We chilled a while with my cousins while my aunt and her husband stuffed the turkey. Andrew made a show of the poor naked thing, which was quite vulgar but did get a laugh. There's something about raw turkey that's a little to similar to human flesh. (ick!)

It was nice to wake up that morning to the smell of a cooked turkey, beautiful, brown and basted. A preview of the dinner that night, which, after a long day of semi-fasting, was quite good. The dinner party included: my sister and her boyfriend, my husband and I, my Aunt Valerie and her husband (and their daughters), my Aunt Carolyn and her Ed (and her daughter). The food was lavish, a huge turkey stuffed nicely with fresh garden carrots (thanks Olivia!), vegetables, salt beef... everything needed for a good newfie meal. As always, the food was accompanied with good conversation, and plenty of laughter. Cake was brought as dessert to celebrate the two birthdays in the house. (Happy Birthday Valerie Anne!)

I love these get-togethers for their great family vibes. I'm constantly reminded that I'm one very lucky duck to have them all there for me. Steven is always telling people that he married well because he married into our bunch. Conclusion: I win!

The next day I had the luck of a second dinner, although Steven and I had been fattened up thoroughly and needed the whole afternoon to deflate enough to stuff ourselves again. We visited my uncle at his girlfriends house. I give her the thumbs up, she's a gentle woman with good interior decorating and cheery kids. Plus, she makes a mean apple pie. So, we sat in the solarium all day drinking Smirnoff Ice and White Russians (ala Big Lebowski) and were quite rosy-cheeked by the time some old friends of the family arrived. Having not seen them for years, It was a very nice experience for me to catch up. The kids are (like me) now huge and no longer really kids. Paul and Marie still glow with youth and banter with eachother like newlyweds. The night was filled with great, sprawling conversation about the nature of art and music with the advent of technology, about people, about life. I discovered that Paul has a video of one of my most fond childhood memories (putting on a dance show at a cottage in Gaspe). The food was good and very filling, followed by three types of pie (explode!). The evening ended with a strong game of scrabble using the french board (a disproportionate amount of "u"'s when composing in English). Then to bed with us!

After a long morning the next day, Steven and I were dropped off in the market. We had a milkshake at Zak's, spent a long time browsing the bookstore, took a nice autumn walk, and bussed back to the outskirts of town. A dinner at Peter and Helene's would stuff us some more, and inspire Steven to begin woodworking. (Peter has the most amazing collection of hand-made furniture and is currently working on a dining hutch... quite spectacular).

We're back home at last, equipped with many containers of generously donated turkey and some tasty salt beef. All I can say is, I am FAT and SATISFIED.

Some notes about work.

2006-09-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

I am really enjoying my work at the bookstore. It's all really making sense to me. I pretty much govern myself, choosing if I want to go help customers or if I'd rather stock some shelves. Sometimes I reward myself after a certain amount of shelved books by looking through the postsecret book, or a new recipe book about hot chocolate, or a book about improving your eyesight, or whatever. Then I go back to putting books away. When it's time for my paid break, I just go, sit down and draw for 15 minutes, then come back. There's no manager hanging over my shoulder, I just follow the rules because I am considered able to do so. Fast food feels like kindergarten whereas this is middle school.

I work on the half of the upper floor that includes the following sections: Home&Garden, Cooking, Sports, Self Help, Sexuality, Health, Pregnancy&Birth, Weddings, Science, Nature&Pets, Transportation, Reference, and (horror of horrors) Children's books. From that list it sounds like I work in every section, and it almost feels like I do-- it really is the world's biggest bookstore. Anyway, the point is that I spend most of my time hanging around self-help and health. Therefore, I often get customers looking for real help, personal help. These people want books that will guide them through times of trouble in their lives, and they want the right ones. I'm so happy when I can find those for them.

For example: Yesterday, a woman came to me looking for books on very specific topics. She had a daughter with borderline personality disorder who had gotten into using Ketamine in search of the "near death experience" known as the "k-hole". The woman was very level-headed and genuinely worried for her daughter, feeling that if she could just get her daughter more information about her disorder and about the long-term affects of the drugs she was using, that maybe she would stop. The woman was worried that her condition (she was dying, she said, and although she looked healthy enough, she also seemed very tired) had worsened the situation. As you can see, the situation was so important as to almost seem like a soap opera. Well, her and I spend almost an hour searching the store far and wide for something that suited the situation. We managed to find only one resource in the store, but we ordered a bunch of other books through the computer's inventory. The best thing was that she truly appreciated my help... she felt relieved that in a time of such stress she got service that was supportive and specialized and completely non-judgemental.

It's this sort of thing, feeling like I truly made a difference (even if minute), that makes me really enjoy this job. Even if I can't solve their problems for them, maybe I can make their day a little more pleasant.

(robot courtesy of Ben, years ago)

Yarr, Here be Pirates!

2006-09-21T03:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true! Talk like a pirate day was the 19th of September, the day my husband turned 21. What was I to do but hold him a piratey potluck party? After a nice long morning of breakfast -in- bed, more bed, and some cooking, friends started to arrive for the piratey festivities.

The socialist lobster had his share of attention, it being the day for the occassion. We drank grog (literally), ate candy apples, frozen potato salad, and many other good foods. We also sat around the coffee table and played a couple of strange board games. Overall, it was a great evening of drinking and laughter, followed by a nice, hearty sleep.
Aye, 'twas a beauty of an evening.

Why I have not chosen photography as my preferred medium for artistic expression.

2006-09-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

I recently found the exact words to describe my personal distaste for photography as an art form.

I have not chosen photography as my preferred medium because it requires a mechanical apparatus to stand between the artist and his creation.

I feel that in the process of taking a picture, it is not -me- who does the work, it is the device. I may compose the shot, find the subject matter, and adjust certain settings... but it is ultimately the camera which captures the image. In any other medium I compose, I find the subject matter, and I capture the image myself. All processes are dependant on my actions, none are automatic.

I use photography mostly for utilitarian purposes, such as the documenting and recording of things, the commemorating of events. I do appreciate artistic photography, greatly, and I do see its value. However, as a medium it does not give me the feeling that I have created something. I'd rather photograph something as a reference for a painting; the mere photograph does not feel like a finished product.

I'm just more visceral than that, I guess.

After Class

2006-09-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

Two new aspects of my life have now begun at the same time. The first: my job at the World's Biggest. The second: my second year of University. I'm already feeling just a bit frazzled, and very excited.

Work so far:
My first shift was on Tuesday and just involved a bit of paperwork, a brief (i.e. one hour) tour of the place and my new uniform. The clothing requirements are so much more relaxed than fast food. You're still required to dress nicely, but there are options. Black, tan, grey, and navy pants are acceptable. Brown or black shoes are standard. All I can say is thank -god- that I don't have to wear the same clothes every shift!

The benefits are quite nice. I get discounts and other such pleasantries, paid breaks, a lovely breakroom with comfy leather armchairs. The managers will give us free pizza lunches if we're especially good, there's a fellow who brings donuts to share during his lunch break. Everyone is really cheerful there, and I've so far been able to help customers pretty well. The best part is that I feel good about selling them books, I feel like I'm doing something nice. Nothing like the fast food industry. I actually have a shift this evening, so I'm almost heading out the door now.

School so far:
I've been to two classes but I'm pretty excited about both of them. The first is a thursday night class on Media, Technology and Culture. The prof is really interesting, he's even written a book. I feel like such a little girl when I talk to someone who is a published author, I've grown up deifying them. To see them in person, just fleshy human creatures like the rest of us, balding and near-sighted... it puts me a little off-balance. Anyway, there have been some great discussions already in that class. Thanks to Steven, I have plenty to say about the subject matter.

The second class I'm pretty hyped about. It's relief printing, not the etching/screenprinting I had originally tried for, but the instructor is a neat guy and some of the work he showed us inspired me a bit. And his idea that "It's not called the art practice for nothing". Two thumbs up for the awesome York facilities, as well.

I am awaiting my other classes, Monday's sculpture and Tuesday's Photography. I might end up in the Renaissance and Baroque Art History course, and if I do I'll say goodbye to the photography one. That is one medium I don't really identify with.

That's enough writing, it's time to make myself a quick dinner and head off.

Nerdy Post

2006-09-05T06:10:00.000-07:00

I remember when I once stared blankly as a boy in middle school ranted for about an hour on the trails and tribulations of his D&D campaign. I have long since entered the realm of geekdom. About a year ago I started roleplaying and I even went so far as to marry the DM! And I swear I didn't even get XP out of the deal.

Anyway, this book is on its way to our home:It apparently details and expands upon the fighter class, offering more kick-butt prestige classes than ever before. Rave reviews from amazon, and Steven's fighter is going to be upgraded to what you could comparatively call an intelligent barbarian. My character doesn't really care about that, though, being a somewhat-persnickity seductress bard. At one point during the introductory session we had a midnight "random encounter" during which she sang while getting dressed, which took the duration of the whole fiasco. Sometimes the system of "rounds" seems a bit silly to me, since this group of orcs technically came, attacked, and were defeated within one minute of game time.

It has been an interesting campaign so far (Kudos to Kyle), albiet as a level 1 party we're fighting some pretty measly beasts. "Oh no! Goblins! Run away!" But the riddles are pretty nifty, I remember thinking while they were read out "Ooh, a rhyming scheme and everything." Poor Kyle has a lot of preparing to do for next time, though, because we're running through this pretty quickly.

Alright, I think that is plenty of geekiness for one day, as the entirety of yesterday was spent in the Forgotten Realms. I am off to shower and get ready for work.

YAWN

2006-09-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday, a day that requires a nice, long, sit down breakfast. But what does one do when her husband has a very small morning stomach? No hashbrowns or bacon for this fellow, and if it's served it will barely be touched. The solution? A make-your-own-fruit-salad buffet! All it takes is a few different sorts of cut-up fruit and berries, some assorted nuts and granola, some raisins, some yogurt, some sugar and honey, and anything else that you desire. Spread it all out on the table, give each person a bowl, and there you have it. Quick, easy, and perfectly light. Not to mention healthy! This is going to start being a common breakfast in our household.

I've been feeling quite domestic lately. I think I'm simply naturally inclined towards things like cooking, crafting and sewing. Perhaps it's all the nifty craft blogs I've been reading lately... they're all so inspiring! I just feel like drowning myself in vintage fabrics and colourful buttons.

I've been getting a little keen with my digital camera, and what better an item to take pictures of than my sexy red cruiser?

It's so shiny and red there in the sunlight!

And just look at the white leather saddle!

Now that is a thing of beauty. We're putting a basket up front, and Steven's going to fix the breaks for me so it's a little less nerve-wrecking to drive, but other than that, she's ready to go.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to round out my new D&D character. A Seductress Bard, let's see if I can shave away some stereotypes.

"Superb!..."

2006-09-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

I am now an employee of the World's Biggest Bookstore. I am so happy that interview went well, I was getting kind of nervous about it. The competition was pretty impressive, a third year university student majoring in literary studies and planning to take his masters in book and document conservation. He wants to own his own little bookstore. He also took the extra step into typewriting his resume on old library cue cards! Needless to say, I was feeling a bit underqualified next to him.

Well, I still got the job, regardless of him, and I start work on Tuesday. Is it bad that one of the drawing factors of this place is that it is right next to a used bookstore that happens to carry a vast collection of every book I've been planning to read? Before my interview, I picked up the John Irving book "The World According to Garp" and I've not really been able to put it down. I'm itching to continue it right now! It's got some really great snippits of writing in it, the sort of descriptions I just -have- to make a note of. For example:

"Bodger then brushed the feathers off his chest and tucked in his shirt, which was escaping, like a cream filling, from under his tight vest."

Now, when I come across that sort of imagery in a book, something inside me does a little joyful twirl. And the characters are spectacular! I can't get enough of these people, they're all so rounded and unique. It's really been a while since I've been this pleased with a piece of literature. What's more, I managed to find a really old (1979) copy that smells exactly the way a book should. And of course, it cost me only two dollars.

Definately get your hands on a copy of this one. I give it two thumbs up. More even! My big toes approve as well! In fact, it's so great that I'm going to read it right now. Bye!

The beginning of the year in the mind of the student.

2006-09-01T08:34:00.000-07:00

Ah, the first day of September. Soon classes will start, trees will adopt their bright autumn hues, and people will start wearing their thick woolen sweaters. I've always enjoyed September, however often I tried to cover that fact to avoid being classified as a nerd. School's arrival marked a time of friends, learning, and general social bliss. Nowadays it is no longer a crime to enjoy school, it's simply the natural way of things. Summer is full of endless hours of work and school is practically a vacation. All of your friends come back from their families and settle around you, the campus pubs open their arms wide to visitors, and you attend classes that you have chosen to take. It's fun, it's energetic, and goddamnit, you pay good money for it!

And so, I plan to embrace this September. As is the case at the start of many new years, I have about a million goals. I have plans that I'm sure will never come to fruition.

To do list:

Go to the gym more than twice during the year
Paint and craft in my spare time, no more doddling online for hours.
Make new friends. I really need to get out their more and open myself up to new people.
Try to start a club based around the discussion of Fine Arts and Culture
Sew more. Sew clothes, toys, useful household items. Everything. I'm going to start collecting fabric scraps from Value Village and see what I can create.
Write regularly in this blog. Let's see if I can manage some more of this blogging stuff. The livejournal was starting to get on my nerves. Too much immaturity, pointless posting.
Learn new, healthy recipes. I have no doubt that I'll do this, I've gained such a passion for cooking.
Get a nice job that will help sustain me throughout the year. I have an interview with the World's Biggest Bookstore today, so we'll see if it all pans out as desired.
Get more involved with the social and activist scene of the university.
Always have a book to read.
Read my school books in advance, get assignments done before they're due. (Yeah, right. I must be one of the worst procrastinators on this planet.)
Keep the house in a generally orderly state. Very difficult. It degenerates at such a rapid rate, I'm sure we're doing something wrong here.
Keep my goals. The last in every of my to-do lists.

Well, I mustn't keep the bookstore waiting. Off and Onwards to downtown Toronto-land!

This is a test entry.

2006-08-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

So, I'm wondering if I will actually manage to make this blog work. I really like the look of these blogger blogs and I often see much better journals here too. Let's see where it goes.