Movies I love...

An incomplete list in no particular order...

Pride & Prejudice
Shawn of the Dead
Wall-E
Indiana Jones (yes, all 3...)
Italian Job
Office Space
Paprika
Run Lola Run
Tombstone
Serenity
Back to the Future (just the first)
To Kill a Mockingbird
Wristcutters
Monsters, Inc.
Planet Earth Series (I know, not really a movie, but I'm still keeping it on the list)
Juno
Penelope
Chocolat
Amelie
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Aladdin
10 Things I hate about you
The Sting
Survive Style 5+
Hellboy Movies
The Secret of Nihm
Big Fish
Darjeeling Limited
Snatch
Frida
The Host
Basquiat
Happy-Go-Lucky
Little Miss Sunshine
Shawshank Redemption
Howl's Moving Castle
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
3:10 to Yuma
Batman Begins & Dark Knight
Manufactured Landscapes
James & the Giant Peach
Princess Bride...

...okay that's enough for this post! There are so many good movies...

We were cute!

So, I'm continuing my scan project of old photos...check these out:

Travels, Projects, Good-times Fall-time

Travel is over (mostly)! Yay! ^_^
It is really nice to know I just have some day trips left. I'm a day-tripper, yeah.

I have so many projects I am working on at home, I want to be home! Speaking of recent projects...I went to the 2nd Skin Fashion/Textiles show at the New Hope Arts Center on Saturday.

I have...maybe 15 pieces in there - 8 or 9 outfits. The show was well put together & a lot of work was shown. I had a great time (artists' reception) hanging out with C! There is the fashion "show" part this Saturday (17th), but I will not be able to attend b/c I'll be in Rhode Island for work (just for the day/evening). Bummer! I'm sure I'll see pictures...

I did take a few pictures (which are on my flickr), but here is a pic of my favorite piece in the show:

(vintage gloves, up-cycled red fabric, satin: finished September 2009)

I also really like these pieces:

This is a neck piece I finished right before the show (Sept. 09) made from an "up-cycled" old hat (alpaca), scrap super-soft leather (blue), and orange silk-velvet. It is amazingly soft and snuggly to wear. It is hand & machine stitched. I L<3VE this piece, and will be kinda sad if it sells! Haha...not that sad...I can always make another. I really liked it paired with the aqua pop-corn knit top & pink/orange petals (hand dyed) top (also below).

AND...my "Party Dress!" This is a yellow rayon-knit (with yarn donated by a Ms. E of ArtStar...thanks!), pink satin, & novelty yarns.

_________________________________________

In other news...

E turned 18 this past week!!! 18!! Wow. She is a gift from the world to me every day. There is a long blog about her below, so I won't go on & on, BUT I am SO thankful to have her in my life. What luck!


I am taking a screenprinting class with M this semester. I'm glad I am in it & I am looking forward to making some stuff! Yay for free classes! If anyone is thinking about taking a screenprinting class in Philly, you should totally take one with her b/c she is a fantastic teacher (clear, hip, excellent at what she does, flexible).



I have officially been at UARTS for 5 years! 5 years! Wow, that was fast...I am invited to a "Years of Service" lunch b/c it is my 5 year anniversary thrown by Staff Council. That's nice.



In New Hampshire, I did a mini-Goldsworthy (one of my fav. artists). This little tiny bit took me an hour...gives me new appreciation for his works! North of Boston is just spectacularly beautiful...sigh...

Setting: High School College Fair
Moment: Student makes the comment that taking a pencil from the US Army table is "kinda stealing."

Okay, first issue - the US Military branches print SO MUCH CR*P! What a waste! They always have Army Frisbees, Army key chains, Army Tee-shirts, Army pens, pencils, stickers...and all one that table AT THE SAME TIME. It's not as if they print one & then another. Nopers. They print all & give them away like crazy.

Second issue - I am essentially paying for that sh*t. My tax dollars are going to Army Frisbees. GREAT. When that girl said she was "kinda stealing" from the US Army, I wanted to tell her that you were just taking what her dad and mom had paid for.

Gotta love when the gov't uses large amounts of tax dollars for this kinda stuff. It may seem small, but there is an army dude at every high school college fair in the country. Do not doubt it.

Also, I was talking to the army rep & he was saying that his FULL-TIME JOB is to be a recruiter for ONLY 3 HIGH SCHOOLS. Now, that is a good use of personnel. One army recruiter (who is an active member of the military) for every 3 high schools?! I'm sure not every high school has an army recruiter, but again...not the best use of resources there.

sigh.

Green things?

Hi friends.
I am waiting for class (taking a CE screenprinting class with M)...have a moment...

I just wrote Stonyfield Farms (I like their yogurts - yum for the Chocolate Underground!) and encouraged them to either package in recyclable pastic (#5 does not count as most of America cannot recycle 5s) or bio-degrade materials (like the corn/veggy material). Why does no one do this? It is a big waste!

Along the same lines...
Here are 2 sites that S found that are stellar! Become involved:
http://www.freedomspeaks.com/default.aspx - write a letter and have this site send it to all your political representatives

http://www.citysourced.com/screenshots.htm - iPhone app

Sweet! Thanks to whoever started these sites...pretty awesome.

In other news...
I dropped off the glove dress from the last blog (I called it "Standing Ovation") for the show on the 17th. I spent a long time finishing it so it was all finished classy and well made. I hope it finds a home with someone who will love it. I think it has a good shot! YAY!

I have sewed a LOT this week. I have also realized that I can make a lot of extra money sewing...hmmm...maybe I should do this...

}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}Project:
Have you ever done something that you just didn't do as well as you had hoped to (due to time restraints or other issues) that drive you crazy for...um...ever? Well, I do. I think about them until they sit in the back of my mind and fight the dust bunnies back there.

I have a hard time saying no, so I get roped into projects I just really do NOT want to do, or am not really good at or qualified to do. Ugh. So, then I do the project & it is less than excellent (or just passing) b/c I should never have DONE the project to begin with...okay, sorry...rambling.

Anyway, I am setting about to take back a project and right it as best I can. It will involve hours of work with no thanks in return, but I die a little bit every time I think about it. So...I'll let you know how that goes...

2nd Skin Fashion Show

This week was a crazy week!

Sunday I left for New England - CT & MA - but only for 2 days. It was filled with driving, being pushed off the road (yes, sir!), crazy questions (like, what division we are in wrestling - really??), crazy signs (DO NOT STOP - Correctional Facility Ahead), and lots more driving. I also saw some students.

Upon my return I was immediately and head-splittingly sick :( boo. Flu, flu, flu...I was at work Wednesday. Yes, I napped at my desk when it was slow I was so sick. I figured if anyone needed me they'd wake me or call! I was out yesterday...

ALSO, I talked to C who is organizing a benefit fashion show. I realized I needed to finish/work on a lot of stuff if I was going to give her things for the show. Luckily, this is all very last minute, and I was sick! Blah....

I did get to see both C and J this week though. I was terrible company as I was battling it out with the virus attacking me, but good things have come from it.

I am going to be in this show:

I will be showing 8 "looks" (outfits) which is about 15 pieces.

Here are some that I'll show:

Scanning Project...

I am in the process of scanning old photos so that we can all have a copy (and then giving the originals back to my parents). Here are the 2 I did Wednesday night :) Enjoy!

Mom & Dad. My guess is the early 70s b/4 they were married:

Dave & Mom. My guess is 83 b/c Dave is so little. He looks like an old man! Look at his tiny little hands - too cute! I love this pic :)

Run Em Run!

This past Saturday, I went home to see E run Cross-Country.
There is a season beginning invitational called "Petty Fun Run." It is run at Del Val, so I know the course well ;)

The invitation is for a number of teams, one of them a serious contender for great state finish this season.

One of the girls was ranked by the Star-Ledger as one of the top 10 runners for XC in the state. E was not ranked...

The race was very exciting! E & the girl were running together the whole time. You can see the runners many times during the course, and they were neck & neck.

Dad made the comment that if they were together coming up the hill (the hardest part for E), then he was confident she'd win...She was ahead of her coming up the hill...

Coming out of the woods at the end, E had a pretty good lead & then seemed to slow. The other girl kicked & E let her pull up next to her! Em didn't even look like she was running hard...

But, she then just blew her away at the end! It was AWESOME!
She won the race!

E is the first student - girl OR guy to ever win Petty that anyone can remember from Del Val :)

I won't be able to see a lot of meets b/c they are mostly during the week & then I have to work so many weekends :(( BUT, I was super happy to see this one!!

I am SO lucky to have her as a sister. She is not only a fantastic runner, but a good person, a FUN girl, a GREAT sister, smart, and (of course) beautiful :)

Things to do while waiting for the bus, the subway, in the Waiting Room, in line...

I made this list for a friend, but thought I'd share with everyone! Compiled from lots of lists & added to by me, these are fun things to do while waiting (not all apply to everywhere, but most do!):

1. Puzzles.
2. Puzzle Books.
3. Boggle (you can play this together or alone & is small & compact).
4. Write Christmas Cards.
5. Read (book, newspaper, magazines...)
6. Make your grocery list
7. Knit, Crochet, Embroider…
8. Make a list of 10 things you are thankful for.
9. Write postcards! Bringing a small piece of cardboard is helpful.
10. Draw Caricatures of the people in the waiting room or in line.
11. Make up stories about the folks in the waiting room"that man is a spy! His bow-tie is really a camera" {Thank you Simon & Garfunkle}
12. Rock, Paper, Scissors.
13. Play Cards. Something that you can play w/o a table works well.Hearts, War, Gin Rummy, Crazy 8s...
14. Clip coupons
15. Balance your checkbook/pay bills.
16. Play the A,B,C game (find the letters or name things that start w the letters).
17. Play the celeb name game! Start with a name ex: "Michael Jackson" andthen the next person has to name someone who's first name starts with thefirst letter of the last name of that person (so "J" for Jackson - could be JanetJackson)…
18. Make/organize Recipe Cards
19. Make a To-Do List
20. I-Spy!

A note about my dad...

It is my dad's birthday this weekend.
I think he'd rather not be reminded, but it does give me a moment of pause.

It has been such a gift to be blessed with 2 amazing parents that have been healthy & alive for my lifetime. I feel very lucky to have them.

My dad is truly one of the best people I have ever met. I think sometimes people don't realize how smart he is b/c he is humble, or how funny he is, b/c he lets other people have the spotlight.

He is so unselfish and giving. He is the kind of person you can never buy anything for b/c he will never complain that he needs something. He would rather you kept your money than spend it on him.

The best birthday pressent you can give him is to make him a card, write him a note, and/or spend the day playing games & being a family.

My dad never wastes food! Ha! We lovingly have referred to him as "The Goat" b/c he'll eat anything (except liver!) and will not allow food to be wasted.

My dad is also often called "Rand" b/c he is a living map! I have called my dad in the middle of the night lost in some part of NJ & he is always like, "okay, so go to the next light and make a right, you'll see a 7-11 on your left..." He is the kind of person who just understands the way roads work. He can have driven down a road 15 years ago & remember it still. There are many amazing stories that we all have about his mapping abilities.

My dad's artist abilities are in map-drawing. He can draw you the best map ever!

My parents have told folks they received a "scholarship" when they felt it was important for students to attend something they could not afford. The "scholarship" was my parents. They don't have a ton of money, and they have a TON of projects that need to get done, but some things are more important to them.

My dad has coached so many of our teams! He is such a FAIR coach. Starting line-ups would often be determined by who had not missed practices, and he would try to play everyone in every game. He would spend lots of time learning how to be a good coach from other coaches.

My dad is VERY non-materialistic. This is really annoying as a pre-teen or teen. But, it has been an excellent lesson, and there are more important things in life than a new pair of shoes (this coming from a Fashion Major!). I am thankful for this philosophy.

My parents always encouraged us to join!, play outside!, have friends over! My childhood weekend dinners (or all of the summers) would see at least one other kid at our table who was staying over or playing for the day. Our home may not have been spotless, but it was filled with fun and laughter.

I used to hate that my parents were always right. They were, really. Now, I love that I can look to them for advice, and trust them with anything.

My parents are an excellent pairing. Dad could tutor math & science, mom is a fantastic writer. Mom will help with art projects, dad would coach our teams and work on our batting stance.

Most of all, my parents always respected our opinion. Even as a small kid, we were allowed to dress ourselves, voice our opinion, and enter into the conversation.

I could go on, but you get the idea...my parents are the kind of people that restore hope in humanity & make the world a better place...

Happy Birthday to my dad.

G'ma House Pictures

So...as promised, here are pictures from the awesome g'ma house we walked through:
Picture #1 has so many things to look at! Note the RED phone on the end table, the LAMP (which are completely amazing), the rug, and the huge mirror on the wall:



Picture #2 also gives us lots to look at! Note the floor to ceiling lamp on the left (foreground). What IS that? Have you seen such an amazing piece of lighting before EVER? I'm guessing NO b/c this was probably the only one ever sold...
Also note the arabian arch...very nice, and the woven chair which S is looking at. That chair was actually quite nice, but needed a new seat. You also get more of the rug in this photo.

If this house didn't need SO much work in EVERY room & was not overpriced by 50G, then I'd totally have considered it (but those are 2 huge IFs). I would have asked for the lamps in picture #1 as part of the settlement.

House Hunting in South Philly

Well, this is already fun!
If you need a realtor, we have a FANTASTIC one.

Okay, so looking at S.Philly houses has been awesome. 2 out of the 3 houses we saw last night were WAY overpriced (typical) & one was just too small.

The one house was an old lady's house & was a little "wonderland." There were just amazing things in that house! I did take pictures, so I will post some of them tomorrow (forgot the cord today). Think old rugs, lamps, weirdness...It was pretty amazing.

There was also a house that was bought 2 weeks ago at 135 & then immediately (without working on it AT ALL) was put back on the market for 200. What a bum. It was a mess, too. The least they could have done would have been to put down new carpets. There is someone who thought they'd get some sucker to just basically give them 60 grand. It seems so dishonest to me...

I am thoroughly enjoying this part though!
I will keep you posted :)

Been a busy couple of days...

So, it has been super busy! AND, now it is September...my how the summer has flown.

S & I have recently been looking at houses...this process is so overwhelming. I, of course, fell for a GORGEOUS house that needed some work, but was truly gorgeous. Unfortunately, some flipper bought it IN CASH the day we wanted to go look at it! Bastards! I was so sad for 2 days (and am now just a little sad). I don't believe we will find a house that great ever again. It was a once in a million houses... I will show you pictures below. There is NO WAY we could have afforded this house b/c it was bought for 150K more than the listing 2 years ago. They must be in a sad state to sell :( but we would have taken good care of it and loved it:

So, we'll prob end up either buying nothing...or buying something that is eh...okay. Great. Not that I'm a defeatist....oh, wait - yes, I totally am!

In other news...

Here are some scans of old photos I found! I was cute, but D was every cuter! He was SO FRICKIN' CUTE when he was little, I can barely stand it.

Here I am showing promise of art school (that's a California Raisin!):

Yay! This is D's 5th Birthday. There's my mom on the right :) & me in the front. R is behind D. Ah, summers in the pool...

This is probably Saturday morning cartoons. We LOVED Saturday morning cartoons! Things to note: our awesome clothing, lego buckets!, and the orientatl rug which I have fond memories of. Am I laying on a record?

We had white sweet corn from the farmers' market last night. It was delicious! I love sweet white corn in the summer. Yum.

These are pics of a tomato catapillar that was on our tomato plant. Isn't he cute? Too bad he eats something like 10 leaves a day. BAH! BAD catapillar. We saw him this weekend.

This weekend was filled with new and fun things ^_^

1. We tried the "IMAX" theater in Cherry Hill. We went to see Harry Potter. It is not a real IMAX. It is just a big screen, but costs $5 more! Ah, well, now we know. It was still good, though. This movie was a slower pace than the others, but was still entertaining & beautiful.

2. Abington Art Center. S & I took a drive out that way & while out there decided to stop in & see the um, sculpture garden. It is more like a clearing with a few sculptures & a wooded path with some sculptures along it in the woods. It is cute & worth a stop in (and it is free!), but it is little, and maybe not worth its own trip.

3. Earth Bread Brewery. This is a brew pub in Mt. Airy. We went out with B & S and it was like A Comedy of Errors or like a Marx Brothers Film. It was a little loud & echo-ey when we first got upstairs & the server had some trouble hearing us. S & B ordered a flight & when he got back he had brought 2 flights (the only asked for one to share). So, when they commented on this, the server asked if it would just be okay if they had 2 instead. Um...no. So, they had to ask again! Then, they brought out one of our pizzas with 2 plates (there are 4 of us) and went back & brought us out one other plate to make 3 (there are 4 of us). Doh.

Soooo, then we were waiting for the 2nd pizza & the server told us it had to be re-made twice! This is a regular item on their menu. It finally came out & everyone was satisfied, but my-oh-my!

It is always fun to go new places. I love Philly b/c there is always something new and fun to do!

Fight the Fight: a Wednesday Rant.

Today I continued to fight. Fight down those things that creep up through your mail slot leeching onto your ankles. You almost can't feel them. If you don't notice them right away they will eventually infect your bloodstream making your life extremely difficult...

To what do I refer??

Fight #1 - PA state taxes. Seems it is a difficult concept that someone could live only part of a year in PA. Luckily, I had lots of documentation and I submitted said documentation (this dispute is concerning a few years back).

Today I call to make sure that all of the documentation was received (and to find out what happened). It has been a month since the documentation was sent. It was received - good. AND, since they are already reviewing items that were received in FEBRUARY, they should get to mine "shortly" (6 months). Nice that they give YOU a deadline...
**makes me wonder how much we are paying them & how efficient this process is...

Fight #2 - E-rental. If you don't know the story, I'll sum it up:
I rented a car for work. It was damaged in a public lot. Work + E were working on what should be paid/etc & E sent the bill (during this time) to a collection agency. Bill was paid NOVEMBER, collection agency reported it to my credit account when work + E were working it out (nice). Still shows up on my credit as a non-paid outstanding account (did I mention it was paid in NOVEMBER??). So, the lawyer (thank GAWD for L's) drafted a letter & together we submitted a packet which said: a) it was not my responsibility and b) it was paid in November. I received a letter which I thought stated that the credit bureau was on E's side...called today & it turns out a decision hasn't been made yet...there is still hope...

Fight #3 - FSA. Flexible Spending Account...I think I won this fight today, but it is still pending...

Fight #4 - Doctors. I definitely lost this battle. I ALWAYS lose this battle. Here's how it went today (the first part is from 2 wks ago to catch you up):

me: "Hi Doctor, I'm here b/c this and this are wrong with me."
Dr: "Hmmm...well, we can't make that go away, but we can do some more testing. Come back in 2 weeks. Please pay me."

2 weeks/today...

me: "Hi Doctor, I'm here for my testing."
Dr: "It is confirmed that we cannot do anything for you. Please come back in 2 years. Pay me."

Glad I get up super early for a 7:30 am apt, so I can get to work on time...

Normally, my doctors' visits go like this:
me: "Hi Doctor, I'm here b/c this and this are wrong with me."
Dr: "That is interesting. Well, I'll make notes, but there is nothing we are going to do differently. Come back in 3 months. Please pay your co-pay."

Repeat on a 3-4 month cycle.

Luckily, these are all specialist visits, so they are the $25 co-pay. It surprises me that Doctors wonder why people don't go to the doctor. Why would you? You pay someone to tell you they can't help you...in any other line of work, you'd be fired.

That is my rant for today. Have a nice weekend.

So, the farmers market has to be one of the greatest things ever...

Check out all the fantastic stuff we got on Sunday!! The onions front right are called Torpedo Onions (cool, right?). We picked up a large heirloom tomato & some motz to make tomato & motz salad tonight (yummy!), and some heirloom cherry tomatoes. I love the heirloom cherries - there are

yellow
PURPLE!!

red

orange

GREEN!!

It's fantastic.

I'm also loving the yellow stringbeans. They are super sweet. S doesn't like them raw, but I do! They have been a constant snack...

Oh, and the peppers are ours :) Yay for a small container garden. We had a tomato earlier, and 4 more on the plants. There are lots of peppers growing, too.

On Saturday, S made "Bread-egg" which I hadn't had, but is delicious:

Isn't my ketchup cute?? You cut a hole in a piece of bread with a glass & butter both sides. Put it in a pan & crack an egg into the center. Flip when 1st side is done and wha-lah! If you like eggs in the morning, I highly recommend it. Easy & satisfying...

What a busy week!

Home for a visit...
BBQ upon immediate return...
Pool day for a birthday hang-out next day...
and now worky late M, T, W this week (but I get paid extra, so it's all good)!


Luckily, it is all good stuff! It is birthday time...first E, then J, now me...next D then D! Birthday-time means good times. Ah, summer, I do love thee.


Here are roses from my M&D for my 30th. One rose for each year (gosh, it's a big bundle!). BEAUTIES!! You can also see the cupcake A made me (that I love!) in the b/ground & my UArts mug. The small flier for Gamarjobat was a show S & I saw when we were in Edinburgh. It was HILARIOUS. It was also an asian mime show. I highly recommend them if they come to a theater festival (like fringe) near you.

Yay Plants! S finished planing some herbs we picked up at Greensgrow & some garlic seeds from my dad's garden. Now our back patio looks like this:



And with the red chairs (from my studio) outside, it looks so fun:



The pansies are from early in the summer. They are the best b/c they'll bloom all summer with a little dead-heading. They are so pretty, too:



I had a great weekend filled with friends from home...it is good to have friends that go way back! I also got to hang with such cute kids - OM for real G. I'll steal pictures from friends and post them later :)

E (from A & E Detective Agency) and I are now the same age for 2 weeks...

Zucchini Pancakes with Golden Tomato Concasse

http://recipes.bgkulinar.net/recipe-Zucchini+Pancakes+with+Golden+Tomato+Concasse-15949
I made these last night & they were DELICIOUS. Took about 1 hr & 15 mins. Here are my steps/photos...

Gathering my ingredients:

And then the first step is to peel tomatoes (I love that boiling water trick!) and chop them & place in a collinder to drain. They have to sit for a while, so you can do this first & then do everything else. I would give them a stir every few mins with a wooden spoon...

Peel the zucch's & onion to get ready to grate...

Grate them up! This is fun :)

I made up the dry mixture next & put it in with the shreddings & then added the egg:

It is soupy and chunky and ready to be fried!

There was a lot of oil in the pan (it says 1/4", so be careful):

Flipped once when browned (this is a little tricky)...be careful not to make them too big!

We placed them on napkins to drain on a plate & then we plated them after that.

Seriously yummy...

Hamburger Cupcakes!!

Hamburger Cupcakes hang in the fridge.

Jesus gives them his blessing. Approved.

We made MINI Cupcakes too!

These are the regular-sized all done. Yummy :)


I found the idea here: http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2009/06/fast-food-fun.html

Awesome! They took a long time, though. I used brown sugar for the sesame seeds on top...

Gotta Love old photos...

I re-found these while doing some cleaning over the weekend...haha!

Just came across this...remembering the November opening & how great it was...
I have such great friends and an amazing family ~ <3 them all...

HAPPY JULY!!

This is a picture from Friday night at the M Room. I like it b/c of the chick with her knees up and the dude next to her with the tats. All the lights were reflecting on the ceiling and walls, and it gave the place a nice atmosphere.

Friday during the day (Sean & I both had off), we took a drive over the bridge to Collingswood, NJ. What a cute town! We ended up a The Pop Shop for breakfast/brunch. http://www.thepopshopusa.com/ It has a ton of different types of milkshakes (yum!), eggs benny, omelets (which are HUGE)...and is adorable inside :) I highly recommend it. I bet it gets really busy there on the weekends, but a weekday visit was perfect.

I also finished moving out of my studio this week. Goodbye studio! I definitely left it in better shape than when I moved in. This pic is of the "long wall" and I spent about 2 weeks just patching & painting the far part of the wall when I moved into the space. It is now very pretty! I will miss the space, but it was too far away for me to use often enough. I will miss being able to hang out with Janell more-so (I know we can still hang out, but it is V easy to chill when you have a space in the same building).

I love that everyone has a long weekend coming up! Yay 4th!! ^^