not Jennifer Aniston

when you're busy making other plans

2010-06-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

So, yeah, it's been a while. I'm finishing up the design program. And when I say finishing up, I'm done with coursework and just need to get my act together and schedule a final portfolio review. I'm starting up an internship with a small design firm next week. And I built and launched my design portfolio website. I'm also finally sticking with an exercise regimen that has me working out at least 3-4 times per week.

We got a kitten, Tate, in December and he has brought a lot of happiness and energy into our house. It is fun to see him grow up and amazing to watch him fetch little squishy balls.

So things are going well. I'm not sure if I'll be writing much here in the future, but maybe. For now, life is good.

local interest

2009-09-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

I found a really cool blog today that includes recollections of Venice, Playa del Rey and Malibu from the late 1920's on. Great to read the first hand experiences of a native and learn a bit about the history of the area that I now call home. I mean, his childhood home is now subsumed by LAX! Wow.

Thanks, Cal Porter, for preserving the history for future generations.

wait, what?

2009-06-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

Mike and I went to Boston last weekend. We were there for his college reunion, but we spent very little time actually reunioning. We did catch up with a few Boston-area friends, including my best friend from law school and a friend of his from college who graduated a year or two after him. Oh, yeah, we also met up with my high school boyfriend and his wife (and infant daughter, who is adorable). It was the first time I'd seen him in 20 years. Whoa.

Anyway, that went pretty well. I'd been e-mailing with David for the last couple of years and we generally knew what was going on with each other. The funny thing was that we determined prior to the trip that Mike and his wife went to the same college 5 years apart and that therefore they would be at reunion events for her reunion as well (they live locally, so not as big of an endeavor for them). So when we met up, Mike and Shelley started talking about school. They figured out that they lived in all the same dorms/houses throughout their college experience. That was a bit random. But cool.

I think that the meeting went well for all and there was only minimal awkwardness. It was good to see him again and I'm sure at least part of that is that I'm in a pretty happy place both relationship-wise and life-wise. It is good to see that he is as well.

travelog

2009-05-21T15:42:00.000-07:00

France was lovely. A bit rushed, but lovely. I had one day in Bruges, Belgium, one day in Lille and three days in Paris. I loved spending half a day in Montmartre, and would definitely return there on any future trips to Paris. Amazing views and a much different feel than the areas close to the Seine.

I've been rushing, trying to get caught up with my class work in the two weeks I've been back, and now we're about to start one of those busy travel seasons. Vegas this weekend -- we're finally driving there, hitting the road EARLY tomorrow morning -- with Dallas and L.A. friends. Boston in early June for Mike's college reunion (ahem, 20th!). Dallas in late June for friends' wedding party. ANd I got a Save The Date yesterday for a cousin's wedding in Indianapolis in August. We might actually go, because it would be a good opportunity to catch up with my dad's side of the family. I am not in touch with most of my relatives on that side. I think my sister might go as well. We shall see.

like, totally awesome

2009-04-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

I just ordered one of these bad boys (not this exact one) from BraveMoonMan's etsy shop. You can also find felt nintendo controller pouches and calculator wristwatches there. Wicked decent.

not much, how about you?

2009-04-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

Since I'm overdue for a blog update, I figured maybe I'd treat my loyal following (hello? is this thing on?) to a brief list of What Is New With Me:

I booked a trip to France for early May! I'll be meeting up with a girlfriend from Dallas there and we'll spend time in Lille and Paris. She lived in Lille after college and I'm looking forward to seeing that city with her. I'm also looking forward to seeing Paris as an adult. It has been 20 years since my last trip there.
Spring quarter has started. I've decided to finish up this certificate after summer quarter, so things are sort of wrapping up. I'm taking the final required course -- Design History and Context -- online and I have Package Design and Design Career Launchpad on campus. I'm excited about all the classes this quarter. Should be a good one.
I started up a design blog. Feel free to stop by and check it out. I plan to continue updating this blog from time to time, but probably most of the art and design stuff I come across will be exclusively on the new blog. I think one of my classmates will be helping out with content over there and I'm excited to get it up and running!

typography geeks unite!

2009-03-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

This periodic table of popular typefaces is really fun. I've printed it out to take a closer look.

carry on

2009-02-24T10:50:00.000-08:00

So. Here I am. I haven't had much that I felt like writing about lately, but things are generally going well. Classes are fine. Color is challenging but worthwhile and I feel like I'm learning a lot. Calligraphy is fine, if a bit frustrating because I didn't really realize going in that my left-handedness would be a bit of a detriment. I like the projects I'm doing for my Design II class better than I like the instructor and her teaching methods. The one I'm working on now is an ad that employs metaphor to sell a product. I'm really liking the way it is shaping up and I'm certain it will be a portfolio piece.

Speaking of portfolios, I really need to get going on assembling mine. I think I have 2 quarters left after this one and I really should start looking into internships soon. I've signed up for two classes next quarter -- Design History (online) and Package Design. I generally take three, but the offerings are a bit disappointing. I have a couple that I'm considering or I might only take two and promise myself to devote the extra time to portfolio prep. We shall see.

February has included a trip to Vegas for the Super Bowl, a quick trip to Salt Lake City to help out my mom with a meeting she had with her builders about structural issues with her house and a visit from mom to LA last weekend.

(reality tv-related image to follow)

2009-02-05T17:36:00.000-08:00

For any Top Chef fans who come by this page. It is scary how funny I found this Carla Fraggle GIF. Courtesy of Eater LA. Apparently I am mentally quite a bit younger than my 39 (!!) years.

And happy birthday to me.

Vegas, baby

2009-01-30T09:10:00.000-08:00

We are headed out today for a weekend in Las Vegas. Super Bowl weekend in Vegas has become a bit of a tradition. I'll be looking for some sort of teaser bet on Larry Fitzgerald catching multiple touchdowns and hoping that the Cards take down the Steelers, if for no other reason than because defensive showdowns are a bit boring to watch. Also, hold on, let me check... Yes, I believe Pittsburgh already has a ring or two or six.

Wish my liver well.

1.20.09

2009-01-20T11:35:00.000-08:00

I hope we all live up to the promise of this day.

in the name of love

2009-01-08T18:02:00.000-08:00

After all those years in Texas, I deserve to encounter this when out walking in my neighborhood. I did my time in Bush country.

winter quarter rundown

2009-01-07T17:02:00.000-08:00

I don't think that I've prattled on about the classes I'm taking this quarter yet. This was the first week for two of my classes (the online one starts next week for some mysterious reason). Here's the schedule:

Calligraphy (Monday nights)

Color Methodologies (Tuesday nights)

Design II (online)

This is the first quarter in almost a year that I haven't had a computer program on the schedule and I'm looking forward to the break. They are all very valuable to know, but I'm appreciating working in traditional media more and more lately. Calligraphy and Color will both be very traditional media heavy classes and I bought art supplies for those today. I love buying art supplies. My wallet is less enthused about the prospect, but it is so fun to get home with them and break things out to sample and play with.

stasis

2009-01-06T16:33:00.000-08:00

The change today is that I have a lousy cold. I'm gearing up to head out to class, but only after spending most of the day planted on the couch, sniffling and napping. I did pound out another 50 pages or so of Infinite Jest, so that is progress of some sort. The worst part of having this particular cold is that it kept me away from the hospital to see G yesterday and today. I heard from her parents over the weekend that the doctors removed the trach and it has made it much easier for her to talk to people, but I'm stuck here at home until I'm healthy enough to visit her and see for myself. Hopefully I'll have kicked it by tomorrow. I think (hope) today is the worst of it.

in the middle of chapter 3

2009-01-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

My name is Leila and I like to read. It took me maybe 5 years or so after finishing law school before I was ready to get back to reading for pleasure, but I've been doing more and more of that during the last couple of years.

This year I intend to focus on reading more books that are thought of as "must reads". I'm part of a group on Goodreads that discusses any and all of the books referred to in (both editions of) 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. My total percentage read from the list is rather abysmal, so I'd like to try to get through 2 per month on average from the list this year. My current main read is Infinite Jest, which I am totally loving, but I thought I might try to get through some of the classics on the list by reading a chapter per day sent to me via e-mail. So today I ordered Middlemarch (a favorite of my friend Alicia) and The Picture of Dorian Gray from one such e-mail service.

Has anyone had success reading books this way? Do you feel you absorbed as much reading this way as if you have the book in your hands? I'll report back my findings from this little experiment later this year.

revisionist history

2009-01-04T17:50:00.000-08:00

A wonderful lyric by Tim Locke, super-talented front man of Fort Worth-based band Calhoun:

You left behind the good old days,

That never really were.

change I can believe in

2009-01-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

One big change in my household last year was that we moved to a little loft-style apartment by the beach. While for the most part that move was ~~a good idea~~ totally fucking amazing, one tidbit that I've failed to discuss is that we downsized from each having our own giant walk-in closet to sharing one, average-sized wall closet. For all of our clothes. The result is not pretty. So we've been in the market for a wardrobe of sorts, but I have had absolutely no desire to spend money on one.

Today we went to Ikea (an expedition!) and checked out their cheap wardrobes in person because I just don't trust buying furniture off the internet without inspecting it in person first. And I think we agreed on a clothing-storage system that will alleviate our closet-space shortage! May I introduce you to the Odda large and small wardrobes that will soon take up residence in a corner of our bedroom. I'm wondering whether purchasing particle-board furniture will make me feel like I'm a 20-something kid again. Maybe a lava lamp would look good on top of the wardrobe??

little things mean a lot

2009-01-02T16:05:00.000-08:00

I haven't made any large resolutions (though I have been working on the diet and exercise thing for the last month or so, that is always an ongoing project), but I do have a small goal for 2009. I bought a cute 2009 day planner from Sarah Pinto that contains a To Do section for each day. My goal is to write down and accomplish at least one thing per day. It can be a small thing, like taking a yoga class or walking on the beach or reading 20 pages of my current book or accomplishing a task for one of my classes or grocery shopping. Or even, dare I say it, posting a blog entry. I just think that I need to do more goal setting (and achieving) to keep the self-esteem up during my period of retreat from the wage-earning world. I'm optimistic that this little project will get me moving a bit more and keep the spirits up.

poetry in motion

2009-01-01T23:10:00.000-08:00

I haven't quite decided whether to attempt NaPoBloMo this month (the theme of which is "Change"), but I may. I don't have a change-themed blog for today (though I have many changes in mind to be discussed on a future date or dates), so instead I give you a piece of bar poetry that I observed last night. It is from a tab (not my own) and it struck me as incredibly... well... SOMETHING last night and I wanted to save it for posterity.

Vodka

Jagermeister

Red Head Slut

Vodka

Jagermeister

Poetic, right? Happy 2009.

2008: My Year In Travel

2008-12-30T09:18:00.000-08:00

This is my blogging tradition, so here's my 2008 travel list. Not a lot of trips, but the ones I took were good ones.

Las Vegas (Super Bowl weekend)

Dallas (after I quit my job in May)

Las Vegas (July trip)

Peru -- Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu (August)

New York (October for a friend's wedding)

Santa Barbara (October photography trip)

Oahu (post-Thanksgiving vacation)

Dallas (December trip)

I don't really have much of an agenda for my 2009 travel. Peru was big for me. I'd like to do something like that again, but I'm not sure whether that is in the cards for '09.

has she considered any films involving scary clowns?

2008-12-28T11:51:00.000-08:00

Since I stopped working last May, there are some websites that I've been neglecting. When I was a bored worker bee, I spent much more time perusing The Superficial and Go Fug Yourself than I do these days. Today I was inspired to check in at Go Fug Yourself for the first time in a month or two, and I was rewarded with this phenomenal post comparing Kate Winslet to Susan Lucci with respect to awards snubs. Pure genius to this former All My Children addict.

vacation's all I ever wanted

2008-12-11T23:49:00.000-08:00

Tonight was my last night of class for the quarter. I have three weeks until classes start up again -- the only break of any substance at UCLAx is offered between fall and winter quarters, so this is the longest I've had without new classes starting up again all year. No huge plans. We're taking a quick trip to Dallas tomorrow. We were planning to go to the Cowboys-Giants game, but our friend didn't come through with his tickets (ones his business typically has access to) and we decided not to spend a bunch of money to get them. Honestly, I sort of prefer watching on tv and I'm sure that the fans in Irving would not be super hospitable to me anyway, based on prior experience. Yeah, Cowboys fans can be pretty obnoxious. Newsflash. So instead we'll be having a little viewing party with a bunch of Cowboys fans. I guess I'll just have to arm myself with the truth that the Giants will win the division this year regardless of the outcome on Sunday.

I'm happy to report that I ended up enjoying my classes this quarter. The big surprise was how much fun I had with Mixed Media/Collage. So I've included above a picture of the collage I did for the project entitled Seeing God.

That's all for now. Happy holidays!

so I'll sit here waiting while the worlds will pass me

2008-12-05T14:10:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had a day where every single part of life just seemed like too much work? I'm having one of those. Which may explain why I'm sitting around with wet hair at 2:12 p.m. In theory, I'd like to dry it and make some effort to get out of the apartment, but in practice that sounds like a whole lot of effort. Especially so soon after that big shower endeavor.

I'm thankful

2008-11-27T21:33:00.000-08:00

Just a partial list:

Gretchen's condition continues to improve. She seems to respond somewhat to us these days and she opens her eyes and will look right at you when you are talking to her. Her improvement over the course of the last week has been really encouraging. I'm hoping that she'll be "awake" when we get back from...
Hawaii! Mike and I head out for our practically free vacation tomorrow. It has been a while since we've taken a real vacation together and I'm looking forward to 6 days without plans on a tropical island together.
As always, I'm happy to have such a great guy in my life. I would go on, but I fear that I may be schmoopy.
Of course, I can't forget to mention my wonderful friends and family. And the gift of good health. And the New York Football Giants. Alright, that last one has me a bit verklempt.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

pandora

2008-11-25T00:42:00.000-08:00

Why didn't I figure out the internet radio on the iPhone sooner? I'm no longer going to stress about not being able to access our big music library on the iPhone. Yeah, I'm the dweeb who set up Snow Patrol radio tonight. It is not letting me down.

like a-ha, but with yarn

2008-11-11T09:27:00.000-08:00

Cool music video by Montreal's Tricot Machine. I found it on Drawn.

so yeah

2008-11-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

The NaBloPoMo thing didn't really work out so well. Actually the reason I didn't post on Saturday was because I was SURE that I already had done so. I guess the days are running together a bit.

Tomorrow is Mike's birthday and other than organizing outings with friends, I haven't really done or gotten anything for him yet. Guess I need to walk down the street and see if I can't find him some fun casual clothes or something. Odd tidbit about Mike: he cannot buy himself tee shirts or other casual clothes without much handwringing and concern. He's fine shopping for work clothes and even his casual evening clothes (if you consider buying one's self 10 black button down shirts that all look generally the same "fine"). He just can't get the casual daytime wardrobe pinned down. I, of course, am the opposite. I find jeans, tees and flip flops all day long and rarely find a "nice" item that I like.

knowing the things we cannot change

2008-11-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

Today is a bit of a return to normalcy for me. My friend Gretchen is in a coma and it is unlikely that her condition will change in the next couple of days. I hold on to hope that she will get better. Maybe some of it is irrational because I've been fortunate enough to have friends come through worse (though the hard thing about head injuries is that each person's recovery is so unpredictable). Maybe some of it is because I am a glass half full person. And definitely some of it is because I know that my friend is young and strong and healthy. If I hadn't realized her strength before, spending the last day with her mom would have reinforced that for me.

So today I will spend a couple hours in the hospital and then I will come home and spend some time with my wonderful boyfriend before heading out to appreciate the company of some amazing friends. It never ceases to surprise me how times of struggle can remind me how incredibly good my life is. I don't want to ever take that for granted.

why did I sign up for this?

2008-11-06T22:35:00.000-08:00

Today was a rough day and there is pretty much nothing that I want to talk about at the moment. I'm hoping for a good night's sleep tonight and a different perspective tomorrow.

:38 minutes to spare

2008-11-05T23:22:00.000-08:00

5 days in and I almost blow NaBloPoMo already. In my defense, a close friend was in a serious accident last night and I spent the day figuring out her whereabouts, sitting at her bedside and letting her friends and family know what her status is. But the blog must go on. I'll be back tomorrow.

voting for bigger surf and clean beaches

2008-11-04T13:48:00.000-08:00

Now I'm bummed that I didn't get assigned to this polling station. I may need to move closer to the beach...

crafty

2008-11-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

I finally finished my "animal" collage project which is due today. It has kept me very busy for the last two weeks. This project is a 3D collage. I decided to create a giraffe using all wooden elements -- a take on the whittled giraffes that are available at markets throughout the Caribbean and (I'm sure) in other destinations. We had one in my household growing up that I loved. My elements were pencils, cork, whittling wood and lots and lots of wood glue. I'm glad to be done with it, though I'm not 100% satisfied with the results. It looks a bit like a cross between a giraffe and one of those Star Wars ships that walked on giant legs. Maybe I'll put a picture up shortly.

Also, I'm starting on a 2009 calendar project. I decided that I want to put up a wall calendar that shows all the months on my little magnetic board in my office area. Instead of buying one that I like, I've decided to make it. I started out messing around on Ilustrator, but I'm considering drawing it by hand instead (actually I started a colored pencil drawing today).

Oh, yeah, also it is election day. I voted late morning and now I'm counting down until East Coast results start coming in -- hoping that at least a few early states will come in before I have to head to class at 7. And, yeah, I'm really hoping that my night class lets out early so that I can glue myself to a tv somewhere to watch the full results. Not sure I'll be able to get to bed before hearing Prop 8 results. I sure hope it isn't even close to passing.

anticlimactic

2008-11-03T16:25:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that election day is finally here. I've been ready to have the election over already for the last couple of weeks. Not in small part because of the constant barrage of California proposition ads that have dominated the airwaves on all fronts for the last two months. I think I'm clear on how I'm planning to vote on all propositions and I have my LA Times guide handy just in case (not that I'm voting completely in line with the Times, but if there is one I don't feel strongly about, I'm willing to go with the Times, I think).

I'm unhappy that I have class tomorrow night and we are handing a big project in, so I can't really skip to watch election coverage. I'm generally that dork who sits in front of the tv all night on election night, waiting to hear the constant stream of updates and projections. Tomorrow I'd sort of like to go out to watch results in my neighborhood, but I'm not sure whether I'll feel up to it after class. We shall see.

Yes on Obama!

No on 8, no on 4!

more of a thunk than a crunch

2008-11-02T17:51:00.000-08:00

Oops. I hit a woman's car today. I was pulling out from a parking space near my friend's house (the homeowner whose house I was in front of had sort of parked me in with his trash and recycling cans, so I had to pull forward then reverse then I was pulling forward again and forgot to check for a car on the very quiet, usually empty street). My left bumper hit (luckily) mainly on the wheel well of her back right side. My bumper looks worse than her car did, but we think it is all superficial. Hopefully she won't have any damage to be fixed. It appeared all the marks on her car would rub off. Fingers crossed. I really don't want to be paying to have cars fixed right about now.

keeping the doctor away

2008-11-01T13:49:00.001-07:00

Well, it is November once again and since I'm relatively sure I don't have time to participate in NaNoWriMo this year, I'll do my best to make it through another NaBloPoMo. No theme this month, just writing a post every day.

I've spent the afternoon doing art homework and watching the Giants-Cowboys playoff game from last year in preparation for the first meeting of those teams tomorrow in New York. This is a warm-up for the December game that Mike and I will be going to in Irving, Texas. Go Giants!

better than tabasco in your eye

2008-10-22T23:11:00.000-07:00

In case you are interested in such things, I am now a contributor on the Yo! Venice! blog. Officially I'm supposed to be focusing on goings on within the Venice arts scene, but I can also write about other things -- I've kicked it off with a fascinating update on the status of a parking lot in my neighborhood*, because I'm exciting like that. Anyway, yo, check it.

And, uh, if you hear about anything arty or otherwise cool in Venice, shoot me a message about it.

*There actually is quite a controversy relating to the parking lot and there was an article about it in The New York Fucking Times (slow news day?) because some famous artist types with names like Ed Ruscha and Laddie John Dill would have their open air studios torn down under the initial plans for the lot (these guys closed in spaces behind their buildings on the public right-of-way many years ago to keep the local vagrant population that hangs there from bothering them while they were working; and no, adverse possession** doesn't seem like a claim that has much merit against the city, so they're working more of the public sympathy and desire to keep our famous artists in Venice angle). I haven't heard whether some sort of accommodation was reached with the artists or not. Yes, it is still just an update on a parking lot.

**Don't make me break out my bar prep mnemonic on this one. Don't make me remind you that I have passed three bar exams. Don't make me think about the bar dues I'll be paying for at least the next year or so despite my hope not to have to practice again. Just don't.

Santa Barbara

2008-10-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I spent the day in Santa Barbara with my friend Hope at a photography workshop. It wasn't particularly well-run or informative, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. And we have a pretty funny story about nearly missing the train, getting yelled at by the conductor and finally making friends with the quirky assistant conductor.

If you couldn't tell, my favorite part was playing around with Hope's new macro lens. Something to add to my wish list.

no no no no NO

2008-10-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

Today I found some great No On Prop 8 PSA's that spoof the Mac vs. PC ads at afterellen.com (Logo channel's website). It is really disheartening to think that Californians might change the State Constitution next month to ban gay marriage. How have we come to this in one of the most accepting states in the country? I can only hope that at some point in the future people will be able to look at this period in our history the same way that they look at the discrimination against interracial marriage prior to Loving. With shock and disgust.

and quartered

2008-10-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

A friend sent me the link to a cool drawing/painting/collage blog called Drawn. We're doing a 3D collage assignment in my multimedia class starting this week. The assignment is "animal".

color texture light

2008-10-08T22:48:00.000-07:00

Today I fell in love with the artwork of Hollis Cooper. If you are a fan of abstract painting/collage, you must go to her website and click through her gallery. I can't wait until she has an exhibition a bit closer to home. And, uh, no the inland empire is not quite close enough.

tasty

2008-10-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

This animated short takes me right back to my childhood. Found on Mighty Girl.
http://view.break.com/534274 - Watch more free videos

tell me how you REALLY feel

2008-10-03T00:56:00.000-07:00

Something happened tonight that upset me and I feel like I should ask my dear internet friends for guidance. As I may have mentioned here, I've been looking forward for a couple of quarters to taking Drawing For Communication. Everyone who has taken it already has raved about the class and I feel like it should help me out with communicating my design ideas, as well as make me a better artist. So Thursday evenings this quarter I'll be working out my right brain.

Our first assignment was not a drawing assignment at all. Our teacher has been really emphasizing how important proper presentation of our projects is and so he wanted us to create a name card, made with foam core backing and magnets attached to the back, to be used in class every week to designate our project space. I was pretty excited about creating the name card and I spent quite a bit of time this week coming up with something that I liked. Last week the teacher showed us his name card and mentioned when he was describing the project incorporation of initials in the design. I misunderstood this to mean that initials were to be included in our name cards, so despite the fact that I'm not really an "initials" sort of a person (well, except when nfl fan friends of mine insist on calling me LT) I included my initials on my card. Other than the inclusion of my initials and generally the size of the name card (he gave us size parameters to work within, but my shape was similar to his), I think that my card was quite different from the teacher's card -- completely different color palette (I did a gradient blue/green background with a white radial flare and white lettering; his colors were flat, primary red, yellow and black), different arrangement and alignment of the elements, different font choices. So, you can probably see where I'm heading here...

When we got to class we put our name cards up on the board. He didn't make any comments at the time, but during class at some point he said something about my card being similar to his and was it intentional. I said no (and was inwardly surprised at the question, but thought it must have to do with the inclusion of my initials -- which I wouldn't have done if I didn't think (wrongly I found out) that it was part of the assignment). Later he made a point, in the middle of class, while critiquing my drawings made in class, of saying that he thought I should redo my card and then spent over a minute accusing me of just ripping off his idea and copying it. Oh, but it is my choice if I want to redo it or not. But I really should redo it. (I'm not exaggerating to say that people actually *gasped* while he was talking to me.)

I was mortified and deflated. I felt sort of stupid for having been so excited for this class and appalled that he would call me out like that in the middle of class. I kept my composure, but it really hurt. So now I'm trying to figure out what to do. This is where you come in.

One thing that I won't do is drop the class. In any event it is a mandatory design program class and he's the only person who teaches it. And dropping it would be cowardly and against my best interest. One thing that I feel like I must do is somehow regain my joy about being in the class. One thing about creative endeavors is that they are best done with joy and enthusiasm. I don't think it works to half-heartedly learn to draw or to enter the space of learning harboring resentment or anger at the person who holds the keys to my success.

The questions that I don't have answers to yet (though I have leanings), and frankly the hurt is pretty fresh still, are:

1. Do I say something to him? My only rebuttal to him during class was that I understood the initials to be part of the assignment, but that they aren't really me and I'd be fine with removing them. My feeling right now is that I should send him an e-mail that is not accusatory but that conveys that the way he treated me in class was not acceptable and that I do not feel in any way like I copied him. Obviously I would need a little time to process and be less raw before composing this e-mail. Knowing myself, I know that it will be easier to put this behind me if I have an opportunity to express myself. Otherwise I tend to stew and let my anger fester (not my finest qualities).

2. Do I change my name card and if so how much? I really don't care about removing the initials, but lord knows if that would be enough for him or not. Should I scrap the design and start over? I really like my design, but now it feels tainted. Other people in class also told me that they liked it and it did not remind them of his at all, but I guess that's a hollow victory at this point.

3. Do I just need to toughen up already? I've sort of prided myself on being not overly emotionally attached to my designs since starting this process. I am working to become a commercial designer after all, and much like the law there will be clients to cater to and people whose opinions necessarily will drive the design process. Should I try to treat his words as though they are coming from a client and just figure out a way to let them roll off my back without ever letting him know my point of view?

Please let me know what you think. Unless you think I'm a miserable sniveling copycat who stole my teacher's design aesthetic. Well, you can tell me that too, but I'm warning you that it might make me cry.

Whoa! Venice!

2008-09-29T12:24:00.000-07:00

So yesterday there was a street festival on my street, Abbot Kinney Boulevard. It was mostly kitchy artisan booths and food vendors and it was officially only a daytime event (10:00 a.m. thru 6:30 p.m.), though the neighborhood bars and restaurants opened up extra outside areas and stayed open well past the official end of the festival. It was pretty fun, though we were about festival-ed out by 5 or so and we came home, watched bad football and fell asleep.

This morning I found out that around 9:30 p.m. there was a shooting outside one of the local bars that ended with one man killed and a woman seriously injured. Not sure yet what the story is, but initial eyewitnesses fear it might be gang-related. Venice historically had a huge gang problem that by all accounts has been cleaned up in recent years. Needless to say that if gangs are ready to start shooting people on my street (at 9:30 at night!), that would be not good news at all. We shall see.

Meanwhile, I'll be keeping up with the news and gossip on my favorite Venice blog: Yo! Venice!

setting fire to the third bar

2008-09-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

I have found myself not blogging from time to time because I can't figure out a good title to sum up the point of the entry. I've decided that is rather silly. So anyway, the title to this entry has nothing to do with anything, but it is a wonderful song that happens to be in my mind right at this moment. Moving on.

The party was a lot of fun. We ended up with a lot of leftovers. And in a tragic twist of fate (reminding you that I AM the queen of overstatement), our DirecTv was out on Sunday so we were unable to spend the entire day on the couch, munching leftovers and watching football games. Drat.

So far this week, I've accomplished two big things on my random mental to do list:

1. Purchased iPhone. My observations so far are that the battery life leaves something to be desired and that I'm probably going to be right back to my obsessive-compulsive remote e-mail checking after a blissful 3 months of being PDA-free. I can't seem to get my gmail properly forwarded however (after a couple of tries and despite having every single setting exactly as Gmail advises me to put them -- frustrating!) so I can see my e-mails on the iPhone right now but I can't send any. I will have to figure this glitch out soon.

2. Dyed hair a funky color. This was a promise I made to myself when I was billing my life away. I always said that I would dye my hair pink if/when I stopped answering to The Man. Well, a few years later, I decided that I probably won't look that good as a cotton candy-haired late 30-something. So instead, I worked out with my hairdresser (who I love) to have some fun color interspersed in the lower crown. I now have dark pink/magenta underlights that peek through below my standard rich brunette color. And when I'm feeling funky, I can pull back my hair and show a bit more color. Fun!

This Sunday is Abbot Kinney Fest. Our street will be closed for a street festival with three stages, artists/artisans, street performers, etc. Should be interesting. I'm thinking I won't be following much football this week.

prepared for the big one

2008-09-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

Mike and I are having people over tomorrow. We haven't had a party at our home, well, ever. We anticipate somewhere between 10 and 25 people will be coming over. So, of course, we way overdid it in terms of both alcohol and food. $450 in booze/mixers and $450 in food later, we'll probably be entertaining ourselves on the leftovers for weeks to come. Either that or it will be a barnburner tomorrow...

black cab sessions

2008-09-18T23:10:00.000-07:00

I love this site! I spent about an hour this morning listening to (and watching) session after session. I can't pick a favorite (Brit pop! Singer-songwriters! Both of my favorites in one place!), but in the interest of free samples*, here is a fun song by Martha Wainwright:

*(the site is free too, so really this is merely a no-need-to-click-through-to-the-link sample.

fall quarter revised

2008-09-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

Guess I'll be waiting a bit longer to learn Flash. One of my teachers (who works for Adobe and is a beta tester for the CS4 Design Suite being released within the month) advised me not to take Flash this quarter (they are teaching Flash for CS3, the current program) because there are huge important changes on the way which will make the program much more user friendly. So with that in mind, I've dropped Flash and will be taking Mixed Media Collage on Tuesday nights instead. It will be a pretty arty quarter for me, with both drawing and painting accounted for.

tick tock tick (do do do-do)

2008-09-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of summer quarter for me. That means that I'm about a third of the way (or slightly more) through the certificate program at UCLA Extension. This quarter has been a bit of a struggle for me. Part of it was that I moved halfway through the quarter so I felt generally disorganized for much of the quarter. Part of it was that I took a 10 day vacation with only two weeks left in the quarter to get final projects done upon my return. Anyway, I'm relieved to have this one done. Hopefully next quarter will be a bit easier for me. My schedule for next quarter is again a bit heavy on the computer programs classes (necessary, but not all that fun). Here it is:

Flash I (Wednesday nights)

Drawing For Communication (Thursday nights)

InDesign (online)

I've been looking forward to the drawing class for some time and even refused to take some mandatory history class that (apparently) is offered only once per year -- uh, hopefully they fix that this year -- because I was so excited for drawing. I think it will be really helpful to have another chance to focus on drawing, as that is what got this whole process rolling a year or so ago.

After today, I'll have the rest of the week off before jumping into classes next week. I plan to spend a lot of time riding my bike along the beach and practicing yoga at my new favorite yoga studio.

one and oh

2008-09-08T23:03:00.000-07:00

Football season is upon us once again. I had quite a nice week one. The Giants opened up the season on Thursday night with a win over the Skins. Not a particularly exciting game to watch, and I hope Coughlin didn't actually shut down the offense to start the second half (as it appeared) because he does tend to annoy a bit with his overly conservative play.

The play that was not at all conservative this week was the play of my fantasy team. I ended up topping out the league points-wise thanks to the amazing play of one Michael Turner, new starting running back for Atlanta. I picked up Turner in the 3rd round of the draft as my number 2 running back (I also have Marion Barber). Turner has been on my radar since my first year playing fantasy ball, when I was in dire need of a RB and picked him up off waivers. He was just the back-up to LT but he showed a ton of potential and I've been waiting for him to get a starting job. I was not disappointed.

Favre got a win for the Jets and Rodgers got a win for the Pack, so Mike was happy on both counts. I have a vested interest in Favre this year (though I can do with less commentary about him on all the pre-games and sports websites) because he is fighting it out with Eli for the starting job on my fantasy team. With Coughlin's play-calling, Favre may be safe in the starting job until his Bye.

indescribable

2008-09-01T23:32:00.000-07:00

I have never before experienced anything even remotely close to the view from Machupicchu at dawn. I am in complete awe at the wonder of nature.

mountain time

2008-08-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow at 1:50 p.m., I'll be on a plane, headed for Peru. I'm looking forward to ten days of adventure, discovery and peacefulness. I plan to return with either the meaning of life or the secret of a good pisco sour. And with lots and lots of pictures.

deep thoughts

2008-08-15T00:06:00.000-07:00

Bela Karolyi is the James Carville of Olympic commentary. Carry on.

stop me if you think that you've heard this one before

2008-08-12T23:13:00.001-07:00

Stories I could do without for the remainder of the Olympics:

1. Color-commentator Rowdy Whatever* freaking out about whether Natalie Coughlin will hit the lanes during the backstroke.

2. Phil Dalhausser purportedly blamed his parents for his early life hair loss, but he luckily has an attractive head to sport the bald look.

Shouldn't they have a playbook so they don't just keep saying the same things over and over again? Or do they not expect anyone to watch as much Olympic coverage as I've seen thus far?

*I'm sure I'm supposed to know who this guy is, but I'm not even interested enough to google it.

hope progress change

2008-08-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

The new apartment is about 85-90% set up. We haven't put up pictures yet (or arranged other decor items) and I have a couple of shelves to go over my desk/bookcase area that need to be installed. Also I still need to buy a desk chair (I'm lusting over this one, but feeling a bit foolish about spending over $1k on a desk chair). And we need to decide what to do about a coffee table. Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of the living area of the new place. I feel like it is going to end up being a very comfortable space.

fat bottomed girls

2008-08-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

Well hello there. How are things going with you? I just wanted to let you know about my wonderful new bike. I am now the proud owner of a 7 speed electra townie beach cruiser in metallic orange. And, even better, I can ride it around my new neighborhood. For errands or to exercise class or just down to the beach for some cruising. Yes, I'm enjoying my new place. Loft pictures to come soon...

it was 20 years ago today...

2008-07-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

July 29, 2008 is the 20th anniversary of my dad's death. Last month I started to compose a post about him. It turns out that there is a lot to say and before I knew what was happening, it started turning into a multi-part series. Maybe at some point I'll be able to finish more of a life story about him. He was a really intense and complicated person.

But for today I will just say that I miss him still. I think he would have liked the person that I have become. And I've never found anyone who gives better hugs. Love you, dad.

there's no place like...

2008-07-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

First night in the new place. So far I completely love it.

sigh

2008-07-21T23:19:00.000-07:00

I'm in love.

getting close

2008-07-15T14:10:00.001-07:00

'Stina posted a generated map of the US showing number of States visited. So here is my map:

visited 41 states (82%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

I am not counting the visits to Wyoming and South Dakota that occurred when I was 4 years old because I didn't know where the hell I was. Despite the photographic evidence that I have seen the Badlands.

photographs and memories

2008-07-14T23:58:00.000-07:00

I'm still here. Actually, more accurately, I haven't moved yet. We've been planning this move for about 2 months now and at this point I'm just ready for it to be over already. Next Wednesday is our big move date. We've been able to do some small stuff, like setting up the new bathroom, but the state of our current apartment is not pretty. Not pretty at all. We've more or less abandoned cleaning and we have packed and half-packed boxes, bags of clothes for the women's shelter and random paperwork strewn all over the place. My two largest remaining moving projects are to go through all my old saved paperwork and mementos. Because we are moving to a loft-style apartment, we have a storage space across the street from the new place, which will be holding all the stuff we don't want to have on display. Organization pre-move is pretty key.

So anyway, that is what I've been up to. No real point to this post other than to say hi. Hi!

wake me up before you meme

2008-07-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

In honor of my (April) nablopomo celebration dinner with Ericka of City Elf tonight, I am continuing this meme today: 7 Things About Me You'd Not Likely Guess. Now that I've done the 100 facts blog, I'm not sure there isn't anything about me I have told my 5 loyal readers, so I'm going with things you wouldn't guess upon meeting me, I guess.

1. I wanted to be an optometrist. I think I went to the optometrist when I was 8 or so and it really made an impression on me. All the cool machines to play with! At some point this turned into a more general interest in being a doctor. But a dislike of blood and hospitals changed my mind in high school.

2. I was a cheerleader in high school. I don't think I really give off the appropriate cheerleader vibe, but during my sophomore year I cheered for JV football and basketball. Go Eagles!

3. I have insomniac tendencies. I've learned to control the problem primarily through late-night reading, but I have trouble making myself go to bed at night. It's been particularly pronounced and problematic when I've lived alone.

4. During middle school (and, less so, high school) I had severe and chronic migrane headaches. Spotty vision, light flashes, throwing up. It was fun all around. My mom went through a similar phase when she was an adolescent, but it was particularly bad for me because the onset happened to be right around the time my parents split up and they were often triggered by stress. The school nurse knew me very well.

5. I only started being able to stand to eat eggs in the last 5 years or so. I only will eat them scrambled and I only enjoy them if the flavor is masked with yummy stuff like salsa and cheese. And flour tortillas. However I was really good at breakfast grill when I used to do it at Friendly's in high school. I make a mean omelette, or so I've been told.

6. I never liked paper classes at all. Took the bare minimum in both college and law school. Give me a test give me a test give me a test. Design classes are all project-based and that is fine too. I guess my hatred really just extends to writing papers.

7. I always assumed I would die young. When I was a kid I never thought I would live past 40. Maybe lots of kids do this, I'm not sure. Guess I'l have to change these estimates in a couple of years. Still though, 70? Can't picture it.

I won't call out anyone in particular to continue this, but I'd love to read the entries from some regulars if they are so inclined.

meet me at third and fairfax

2008-07-02T00:43:00.000-07:00

ffffound.com had this cute little illustration up today and at first I was a bit alarmed because I am currently (one block) EAST of Fairfax (Avenue, Los Angeles) and I am about to move (several miles) WEST of Fairfax. Doomed to a life of SUCK, it would seem.

Until I remembered that I have lived in the vicinity of a Fairfax before. As in Fairfax, Virginia. In fact I have lived WEST of that particular Fairfax (by Dulles airport) and EAST of Fairfax (Falls Church) and I can confirm that the map is more or less on point with its biting analysis of NoVa suckage. Well, not that Falls Church is all that cool, really, but it blows the doors off all points WEST of Fairfax.

But then I thought -- wait just a minute -- I currently live WEST of Fairfax, Virginia and where I live now doesn't seem so SUCK to me. Where does this map leave off? Am I moving even further into the WEST of Fairfax, Virginia SUCK?? And where do these WEST and EAST directionals meet up anyway? I need some sort of legend here. Who makes a map without a legend, anyway? And, wait, is the earth really flat???? And then I realized I really should go to bed.

Mind. Blown.

[Uh, I probably should add, in the interest of full disclosure or whatever, and despite the damage it will do to the credibility of the above blog entry (to the extent it ever had any credibility), that the illustration is from the Popkiller website, which appears to be a trendy LA hipster clothing store. So, yes, I am clearly moving from COOL (barely) to SUCK (totally).]

fitter happier more productive

2008-06-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

I've spent the last couple of weeks thinking about one of my favorite Radiohead lyrics and doing my best to typographically bring it to life. Then today I stumbled upon a website that took it a whole other direction for me. If you enjoy visual representations of type, I strongly suggest you run (don't walk) over to Wordle and start generating pictures from your favorite song lyrics, poems, quotes, etc.

Wordle's version is above and below are my interpretations of Fitter Happier:

FITTER

NO PARANOIA

write here, right now

2008-06-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

This is awesome:

(brought to me by ilovetypography.com)

busy doing nothing

2008-06-12T15:04:00.001-07:00

So, um, remember how I was going to quit my job and have all this free time to be creative and blog and learn new stuff? I hereby give you the second blog posting in the month of June. As you will note, the month is not quite half over yet. So, hold on here, just a minute, by my calculations you can expect approximately 4 (maybe 5!) posts from me this month. Progress.

I wish I could tell you EXACTLY (down to the last excruciating detail) what I've been so busy doing lo these last three weeks of freedom, but I'm not sure I really know. I've, um, signed a lease and gotten caught up on classwork and spent some quality time petting the cat. I've done some mid-day shopping and met a friend or two out for lunch or afternoon drinks. I took a trip to Dallas. I'm pretty caught up on laundry. Have you moved away from the edge of your seat yet? I'm pretty sure it isn't going to get much better.

Anyway, people keep asking me about my time off and I'm not really sure what to say at this point. I like it. I wish I was making time to do more. I need to start making myself lists I think. Especially moving-related lists, because there is a lot to do. I think that is where I'll start. Making moving-related lists. Tomorrow.

june gloom

2008-06-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

I thought that we might avoid the June Gloom this year because we had a lot of May Grey. I thought wrong. I'm not complaining though. After three days in the 95+ heat in Dallas, I'm perfectly content with some low 70's and cloudy skies. How did I ever get used to that heat??

We had a great visit with friends, stayed up way too late and drank more than I'm used to. Yep, sounds like Dallas.

banging on my drum all day

2008-05-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

Friday was my last day of work. I am a free woman. I'm pretty sure that today I was supposed to sit in my underwear all day eating bon bons and watching bad daytime tv. Thing is, I need a bit of time to catch up first. Before I can enjoy my freedom.

I spent the day doing Photoshop and Typography homework. I have two Photoshop assignments due tomorrow and one new Typography assignment, along with a redo of a prior Typography assignment. Also I needed to finally get my official version of the Adobe programs installed (and the prior versions uninstalled) on my Mac.

I'm enjoying the classes and I'm learning a lot. I'm just ready to be caught up already.

In other news, we are signing the new lease tomorrow evening (so I'll need to go to the bank for a cashier's check, in addition to spending some quality time at Kinko's printing out Typography homework, sometime tomorrow afternoon). And we're taking a trip to Dallas this weekend. By my calculations, I may have a minute to relax next Thursday.

I'm just waiting on a friend

2008-05-22T00:45:00.000-07:00

I had a moment tonight. One of those times when something struck me in just the right way and I had to get it down on paper. Or, uh, computer screen. Semantics.

Anyway, a friend of mine from design class brought in a beautiful, big, glossy book of illustrations by current illustrators (broken up into categories) tonight and I wrote down the names of a few that interested me to look up more of their work when I got home. Yes, I've become a total design nerd. I didn't notice it at the time, but one illustrator whose work I had seen before (on the cover of a recent edition of Print magazine, among other places) shares a name with a friend of mine. Stina.

Now I've known my fair share of Kristens, Christines and Christinas (and Chris, Chrissy, Tina, etc.) but before I met Stina I'd never known anyone who used that particular short form of the name. Some words I would use to describe my friend Stina: warm, funky, artsy, interesting, funny, vibrant, unique. And the work of Stina Persson, the artist whose name I finally learned tonight? Well, you be the judge...

I'd call it a perfect fit. Happy birthday week, Stina! For more of this, check out http://www.stinapersson.com/.

when the moon is in the seventh house...

2008-05-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

Aspiring Hippie Chick Checklist:

1. Quit well-paying job working for The Man.

Check!

2. Spend free time taking art classes.

Check!

3. Move to Venice Beach, California.

Come early July, check! This is hopefully my next apartment building! We put in an application yesterday. Abbot Kinney is a fun, artsy area (originally envisioned as more of an artist colony than it actually is today, but it is one of those "no chains" neighborhoods* with a rare books store, galleries and a couple of coffee joints, none of which is called "Starbucks"). We'd be about 6-8 blocks from the beach. Less than a mile from Main Street shops and restaurants. Decent sushi place right next door. And, of course, a healthy (ha!) assortment of yoga and pilates studios within a mile. Picture me, riding a beach cruiser in flip flops, with my yoga mat rolled up in the basket. California dreamin'.

4. Wear flip flops everyday.

Mwwa-hahahahaa!

5. Never say "mwwa-hahahahaa", even in jest.

Crap.

*Though apparently the neighborhood lost a big anti-corporate fight recently and Pinkberry has invaded their no-chain zone.

lavendar-scented bath bubbles

2008-05-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon a really girlie meme as I was checking out Illustration Friday posts this week (I didn't participate due to a surprising lack of free time, but the topic was "electricity" and there were some really fun illustrations posted on the site). Anyway, here are my answers to an overly makeup-obsessed meme:

My Foundation: If I apply foundation, I use Stila Color Tinted Moisturizer. Otherwise I just powder on Bare Escentuals over my moisturizer all-in-one and call it a morning.

My Mascara: Um. I'm having an issue here. I tend to use any Maybellene product, but I've been having itchy allergy eyes the next day recently. I've tried a couple of products (including the old standby Great Lash) lately with similar results. Seems either Maybellene changed their formula or I became more sensitive. Not sure which.

Day Cream: If this means moisturizer, Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer SPF 15. Wouldn't use anything else. Mainly because this one doesn't irritate my skin or cause breakouts. Common problems.

My Beauty Product Brand: I'm relatively sure I don't have a "brand". I like to pick and choose.

My Favorite Makeup Product: N/A seems like a cop-out on the second question in a row, so I'll mention that I love Philosophy's Microdelivery Peel. My skin is so happy with me after I spend ten minutes applying this two-step salicylic acid peel.

My Perfume: I've been wearing Calvin Klein's CKOne for the last decade or so. I may be in a rut. But I still like it. Clean and light.

Woman I admire for her beauty: Hmm. There are actually a lot of them. But I've had a girl-crush on Natalie Portman for a long time. If I could look just a little bit like any celebrity, she's the one I would choose. (Aside: her acting was atrocious in the Star Wars prequel that I finally watched recently! Quite a surprise because she's been really good in every other movie I've ever seen of hers. Let. Down.)

Woman with the Best Sense of Style: Again, hmm. I think Penelope Cruz usually brings it on the red carpet, though I'm not sure how she dresses in everyday life. I'm on record as saying her face is only good from certain angles (she has a strong profile, which can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on lighting, etc.) but she always looks very elegant. I'm sort of blanking on this one.

My Ultimate Dream: Why dwell in ultimate dreams when you can instead live everyday to make your reasonable dreams a reality? Isn't everyone's ultimate dream generally happiness and love?

How Do I Define Womanhood: I don't. Why box things in?

My Favorite Fashion Publication: I generally only read "women's magazines" at the hairdresser or nail salon, but I like W. I love Jane, though that is not a "fashion publication," and Lucky is a guilty pleasure.

conflicted

2008-05-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

On the one hand, I think that the California Supreme Court decision today (PDF copy here) that struck down as unconstitutional California's law that required marriages be between a man and a woman is amazing, wonderful, incredible news. On the other hand, I worry that given human nature and the raw numbers of bigoted, homophobic people in our country, the end result will be some sort of constitutional ban on gay marriage that will put gay couples in California in a worse position than they are currently in under the domestic partnership scheme. I hope I'm wrong.

Here are a couple of great quotes from the opinion:

"In light of the fundamental nature of the substantive rights embodied in the right to marry — and their central importance to an individual’s opportunity to live a happy, meaningful, and satisfying life as a full member of society — the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all individuals and couples, without regard to their sexual orientation."
"...we now similarly recognize that an individual’s homosexual orientation is not a constitutionally legitimate basis for withholding or restricting the individual’s legal rights.
In light of this recognition, sections 1 and 7 of article I of the California Constitution cannot properly be interpreted to withhold from gay individuals the same basic civil right of personal autonomy and liberty (including the right to establish, with the person of one’s choice, an officially recognized and sanctioned family) that the California Constitution affords to heterosexual individuals."

big time

2008-05-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I was driving into Hollywood mid-afternoon and I found myself behind a black VW Beetle that was adorned with BioDiesel stickers all over the back.* As we headed up the hill, my BioDiesel buddy was pretty slow on the uptake at stoplights and generally just takings its sweet time. I started wondering to myself whether BioDiesel had taken all the spry away from the cute little Bug when I looked a bit closer and noticed that, oh my god, the driver is being videotaped while he's driving! He's giving some sort of interview. And driving. The videocamera wasn't a little home version, it was a full-on giant-fuzzy-mic-attached professional videocamera. I'm sure I was watching an interview for some unfunded biodiesel documentary that will be trying to work its way into the film festival lineups in 2009.

Just one reason I love LA.

*(This blog was supposed to include photographic evidence but it turns out that I'm not any good at taking pictures with my camera-phone while driving. Who would have guessed??)

i (heart) typography

2008-05-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

I found another interesting blog the other day - ilovetypography.com - and so I wanted to pass it along. To, you know, anyone who loves typography or even sort of likes it. I like the guess the font game. I got 20 on my first try, but I plan to retake it after I finish my typography class this quarter.

in therapy

2008-05-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

CNN has an article up today about the therapeutic properties of blogging. This as I'm waiting to watch Heather Armstrong of dooce.com on the Today Show discussing why she doesn't believe mommy-blogging constitutes child abuse or endangerment. Sounds like any kids traumatized by their moms' blogs merely need to sign up for their own and blog about the embarrassment of having bath time photos from when they were 4 splashed across the internets.

along came a spider and sat down beside her

2008-05-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

For the last year or so I've had recurring nightmares about spiders. Now, I'm not really much of a dream analyzer and up to this point my 30-something years on the planet have been more or less* nightmare-free. My spider nightmares are varied but usually involve the general theme that I try to kill a spider** and either it turns into hundreds of spiders or it grows into a giant spider and attacks me. Freaky, right?

So anyway, much to my dismay last week one night, while I was watching some reality tv programming or something equally scintillating, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something run across my arm. When I glanced down, it appeared to be a spider or insect (I really feared spider), but it scurried away so quickly (and I was, of course, momentarily paralyzed with fear) that I didn't see what exactly it was. It was light brown, dime-sized and it had many legs. Once I regained the use of my arms and legs, I ran upstairs and took off all the clothing I was wearing to inspect each piece carefully, then I felt my hair and skin compulsively to make sure it wasn't still on me somewhere. Because I am a calm and rational person (Mike informed me during this freak-out process that I had screamed from downstairs; I was not aware that any noise escaped during The Trauma).

Fast forward to Saturday morning. I spent a couple of hours at my hair salon being pampered and colored and (hair)cut. My hairstylist gives the best head massages. Seriously swoon-worthy. After the hair appointment, I was walking to my car and when I pulled out my wallet to pay the parking attendant, I saw a light brown spider in my purse! Again, racked with fear, I froze and the spider hurried under the amalgamation of junk that I carry around in my purse. Crimey! My hairdresser walked out while I stood there peering into my purse, deciding what to do. He asked if I forgot something in the salon and I was forced to admit that I was looking for a spider in my purse. He wanted me to name it and make it a pet. Uh, no.

So what DID I do? Well, I got into my car with my new spider friend hanging out somewhere in my bag. Throwing the entire purse away seemed rather too extreme. That would be letting the spider win! But there was no way I ever wanted to blindly reach my hand in there again. I had enough time to consider whether it wouldn't be a good idea to just free the spider in the great out-of-doors as opposed to squishing him like the bug that he/she is(n't). In the end, I just lacked the requisite composure to free the spider. Sorry, Charlotte. So got to a nice open air spider-ridding venue and gingerly started picking items out of my purse one-by-one, inspecting them for Spider!, and placing them on the bench. Eventually I found the spider hanging out towards the bottom of the bag. It took me three attempts (with kleenex) to kill the spider, who turned out to be remarkably spry, but eventually the task was completed and I was able to continue my day feeling relatively free*** of all things creepy and crawly.

By the way, no one is more upset than I am about how girlie and shrieky I come off in The Great 2008 Spider Encounter epic story. I'm just glad it didn't spawn any additional spider nightmares as of yet. Maybe I've conquered the spiders of my dreams??? If so, pretty darned anti-climactic ending.

*Unless I've just watched The Shining by myself or taken some other equally reckless action.
**My general live-and-let-live attitude does not always extend to spiders and/or insects. They freak me out a bit with their exoskeletons and their many legs and their propensity for biting and/or stinging humans. I admit it.
***A large beetle was discovered trying to crawl into my friend's purse that very same day at lunch, but his attempts were properly thwarted.

reap what you sow

2008-05-04T01:26:00.000-07:00

The theme for Illustration Friday this week is "Seed". Figured I would play along. Here is my photoshop submission.

ramping it up

2008-05-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

I just submitted my enrollment for summer quarter. They issue the course catalogue early and apparently classes fill up more quickly for summer quarter because kids from all the UC schools are home for the summer and tend to try to take some of their general arts credits at Extension. Today was the first day for enrollment. Looks like (unless I change my mind before classes start up) I'll be taking 4 classes -- two each on Mondays and Tuesdays:

Icons, Logos, Logotypes
Color Methodologies
Illustrator I
Dreamweaver I

Sounds fun to me!

she said with a smile(y)

2008-05-01T01:02:00.000-07:00

I love this recent entry from one of my current favorite sites, Passive Aggressive Notes (dot com).

Oh, to be young again and concerned about the cost of toilet paper. Too bad the I-do-not-use-your-toilet-paper card has been summarily tossed from the deck. I thought that one might be a winner.

eye of the tiger

2008-04-29T12:07:00.000-07:00

I went to Orange County this weekend for a mini camp at David Leadbetter's golf academy in Irvine. A girlfriend and I spent 3 hours each day swinging, learning, adjusting and hitting lots and lots of golf balls. I'm embarrassed to note that I was really sore after the first day. I'm still a bit sore today.

I've played golf off and on for about 15 years. I was introduced to golf in my childhood though. My dad and his brothers loved golf and my dad joined a country club (he was sooo not the prototypical country club type) when I was an adolescent. Also my gramma was a huge golf lover. She coached high school women's golf and watched professional golf on tv voraciously after she stopped playing herself. So I've known the golf fundamentals for most of my life, which helped a great deal when I finally decided to give the game a try in my mid-twenties.

Because I knew the basics and I was actually able to make contact with the ball pretty consistently early on, I never took any golf lessons. I'd take some advice from people I played with (but because I'm stubborn, it had to be presented in a Leila-friendly manner in order for me to listen), but mainly I'd just figure things out by trial and error.

So maybe it will come as no surprise that I've had my posture all wrong the entire time I've played. I've been sitting back on my heels instead of playing over the ball. Turns out that I'm going to need to strengthen my lower back in order to play with the correct posture. Also, as I've known for years, I swing mainly with my arms instead of getting the power of my body involved. I have a lot to think about and try to fix in my long game.

There is some good news. My instructor was very impressed with my pitching. I've always had a decent short game (when I was a kid I would go golfing with my dad and he would hit all the drives and long shots for me so that I could play pitch-n-putt but the greens). And it was nice to get a gold star on that portion of the class.

I'm excited to get out next weekend and see how I play post-camp. Michelle Wie, watch out!

this is not my beautiful house

2008-04-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty introspective lately. Which makes sense, of course, since I am making a pretty big change in my life. I'm trying to be more introspective generally as well. Not in a navel gazing sort of way (though, really, what is wrong with gazing at your navel every now and then?), but in a more concrete action-plan sort of way.

I know that there are people out there who figure out the way that they want their life to go and then they plan accordingly. I've never really done that. I've spent my first couple of decades of adulthood sort of muddling along from one thing to the next. At least part of the reason for the muddling is that I'm impulsive by nature. If something sounds good to me at the time, I head that way without taking the time to figure out the consequences. While that is not necessarily the perfect way to approach things, it has actually worked out remarkably well for me. Sure, I'm still not sure what I want to be when I grow up, but I know at least one or two things that I don't want to be. And my law career more than paid for itself (in preparation for my "retirement" and on the advice of my financial advisor, who also happens to be my boyfriend, I sent the check to pay off my remaining law loans this week so I am a debt-free woman). Plus I met some interesting, fun people who happen to be lawyers. Who knew?

So here I am. I figured out in the last 5 years where I want to be geographically. I'm pretty sure that decision won't ever change again. Now I just need to figure out the ever-important question: What Do I Want To DO With My Life (did I just conjure up Twisted Sister to anyone besides myself? because I do, in fact, want to rock!). I know two things:

1. I can figure this out.
2. I can make whatever I figure out that I want to do happen. Someway, somehow.

So yes, I'm happy right now. And excited. Because something good is headed my way and I plan to be open to it when it rolls on by.

spark

2008-04-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

As usual, I'm a bit late to the game but I found out today about a cool creative site called Illustration Friday that lists a one word topic each week (on, uh, Friday, it turns out) and displays submissions of drawings, paintings, collage, etc. based on the weekly theme. Just another place to look for inspiration. I want to play!

it's not you, it's me

2008-04-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

While that may not be 100% true (search for my rants against the billable hour model if you're interested in how I feel about law firm economics), there's nothing better than leaving on good terms to go pursue my dreams. Oh, the joy of giving notice at work.

sugar and spice and everything nice

2008-04-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended a meetup for women pursuing careers in art/design fields that was put together by Grace of Design*Sponge (one of my favorite design sites). Her summary of the event is included on her site here. It was a great event and I was a bit overwhelmed that somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 women* showed up to talk about design businesses at my local Design Within Reach store (it is located about a half mile from my apartment). There were four break out sessions covering the following topics: (a) opening your own business (hosted by the owners of Reform School, a shop in Silverlake and website featuring art and clothing), (b) an artist's perspective on breaking in (hosted by a wonderful local furniture designer/artist), (c) PR and marketing for the small business owner (hosted by Grace), and (d) finance basics for women (hosted by a financial advisor from Smith Barney). Grace's presentation had great, practical advice for people trying to get publicity on their own and she has a download available on her website of all the basic points from her presentation. Really interesting stuff.

Yet another source of inspiration...

*The friend who was with me said that seeing that many women in one place made her a bit nervous, but oddly no spontaneous fights (of either the pillow- or cat- variety) broke out.

(letters)

2008-04-15T11:42:00.003-07:00

Here is the logo that I created in my Design Fundamentals class. The Company is Guitar Center and my concept was to come up with something that broadened the brand to encompass music generally instead of guitars specifically because Guitar Center sells so much more than just guitars. Lucky coincidence that the initials worked so well for the concept.

copycat

2008-04-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

I liked this quote enough to ~~steal~~ (ahem) borrow it from Maggie Mason of Mighty Girl:

Dave Grohl in Esquire Nov. 2007 — “Anybody who has to focus on being real has a problem. It’s like having a panic attack over how you’re prone to panic attacks.”

so, um, yeah

2008-04-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Dear NaBloPoMo,

I'm just not that into this whole "letters" theme for April, and I guess it shows. I even pulled up my blog to create a quick post before class last night but found I had nothing really to say so I figured I would wait until after class to post. Well, you see how that went. Probably two months of posting Every. Single. Day. was overly ambitious in the first place. But it was fun while it lasted, right?

I'm not saying we can't be friends, I'm just saying I need some space.

Love,
Leila

sign design

2008-04-08T14:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Los Angeles Times,

Thank you for writing an article about the graphic artist who created the running family sign and for finally clearing up for me why there is such a sign by Camp Pendleton on the drive between Los Angeles and San Diego (the answer has to do with a checkpoint for cargo vehicles). The first time I saw the sign, I was very surprised since it is probably 60 miles from the border. It definitely captures a person's attention when he/she sees it for the first time, so I'd say that Mr. Hood did his job effectively. The pigtails were a nice touch. Interesting to learn that both sides of the immigration debate have latched onto the symbolism.

Sincerely,

Leila

t is for tiger

2008-04-07T10:35:00.001-07:00

That's good enough for me.

Somehow Mike and I ended up vying for the prize in his office NCAA tourney pool. I currently have the lead by 3 points, but the final game is worth 5 points. I picked Memphis to win it all and he is the top person behind me who picked Kansas. Should be a pretty exciting private viewing party at our house tonight! Go Tigers!

2008-04-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

I heart Photoshop.

continuing madness

2008-04-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

Today's post is brought to you by the letters UNC, KU, UCLA and M-E-M-P-H-I-S. We're heading down the Redondo for the day to hang out with LJ and Wes at their brand new house and watch some basketball. Wes went to UCLA, so at least one game will be important to someone in the crowd. I'll be somewhat quietly hoping for a Memphis win, because if Memphis wins it all, I'll win Mike's office pool. But mostly I just hope that the games are good and I don't drink too much wine this weekend.

candy candy candy I can't let you go

2008-04-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

Current Crush: Cella Chocolate Covered Cherries

(Alliteration brought to you by Gretchen and the letter "C".)

happy dance

2008-04-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

The post is brought to you by the letter "Ahhhh". The CLE presentation is over. I made it through relatively unscathed. Though I did spill my water all over my papers shortly after I finished my last topic and I had a hard time with a question that came up during Q&A and basically punted. It sounds kind of bad, right??? Well it wasn't. Or if it was I no longer recall because IT'S OVER.

May this be the first and last time you ever catch me talking about the Federal Registry for aircraft in Oklahoma City in public. In other news, there is a partners' meeting in Boca right now and the associates are all going to happy hour on the firm's dime in just about an hour and a half (maybe sooner!). I'll drink to that!

et tu, brutus?

2008-04-02T22:40:00.000-07:00

I can already tell that a month of posts about letters is a bad idea, and yet I trudge on. Today was my first Typography class. We'll be learning about classical typefaces and fonts for the first few classes and we had an in class exercise about spacing (involving scissors, glue sticks and pages of printed letters - somehow I feel that if lawyering involved a bit more glue stick usage in daily life, I'd enjoy it more) that utilized Trajan typeface (see Q, page left). Generally Trajan is pretty tame, classical all caps sort of typeface, but the folks who developed it centuries ago went a bit crazy with the tail on the Q, so I immediately KNEW that I needed to make a word that included a Q. I chose Quirky. I like Quirky. But maybe you already knew that.

That is all I have for you today. I'm participating in a panel CLE program tomorrow at lunchtime and I must practice my part a few more times and then get some sleep. Ugh, I hate public speaking. At least when it involves the UCC. Now if the presentation were about the usefulness of glue sticks...

from the beginning

2008-04-01T23:22:00.001-07:00

I've been on the fence about this month's NaBloPoMo topic which is "letters", but I'll go ahead and give it a whirl because (1) my hero, Miss Ericka of City Elf (see my links, side of page)*, seems to be planning to try it out and (2) I am, after all, signed up for a Typography class this quarter (starts tomorrow!). So today I give you the Letter A in the first font I ever learned (though it was a typeface and this was before I ever knew there was such thing as a "font"): Courier. How I loved typing things on my mom's typewriter back in the day. Well, loved it until I made a mistake and had to deal with that never-working-quite-right, can't-get-the-correction-paper-to-line-up-properly-with-the-typed-letters correction paper. And go ahead and raise your hand now if you ever hit so many keys at once that the keys all got stuck in a clump without any of them hitting the paper and you had to open the cover to the typewriter and push all the keys back down to their proper starting positions. Come on, I know I'm not the only one...

Courier, I salute you. You had the best way of stretching out the words on a line so that my papers took up the required number of pages much more easily than they would have in Times New Roman or (heaven forbid) Arial.

*This is how it works when I start a post at 11:30. I'm too lazy to even add the link to the post. Sigh.

finale

2008-03-31T12:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a meme (most likely created for high school kids, but I'm young at heart!) that I haven't done before. In honor of the last day of NaBloPoMo, March Edition, I give you the shuffle songs meme:

The task?:
1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question.

What does next year have in store for me? The Fletcher Memorial Home (Pink Floyd)*

What’s my love life like? Starlight (Muse)

What do I say when life gets hard? Wow (Snow Patrol)

What do I think of on waking up? To Die In Little Pieces (Calhoun)

What song will I dance to at my wedding? Blackout (Muse)

What do I want as a career? Crazy (Patsy Cline)**

My favourite saying? 10:15 Saturday Night (The Cure)

Favourite place? Perfect Day (Zac Maloy)

What do I think of my parents? Designs on You (Old 97's)***

What’s my Pornstar name? Welcome Mat (Tim Locke)

Where would I go on a first date? Two Suns In The Sunset (Pink Floyd)****

Drug of choice? Soak Up The Sun (Sheryl Crow)*****

Describe me: Mid-Life Krysis (Travis)

What is the thing I like doing most? Electioneering (Radiohead)

What is my state of mind like at the moment? In Between Days (The Cure)

How will I die? The Other Way (Weezer)

*Definitely not off to a good start on this one.
**Would someone please pay me to be crazy? Please??
***This would have worked well for the career choice question.
****Sounds like it would also be a last date.
*****True!!

diary of a long weekend

2008-03-30T17:02:00.000-07:00

# Naps Taken on Friday - 1
# Naps Taken on Saturday - 3
# Naps Taken so far on Sunday - 0

I'm woefully behind. I'm guessing I'll hit at least 1 nap sometime in the next four hours at the airport and flying home. Zzzzz.

bucket list additions

2008-03-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

I've never made my bucket list, but this weekend I determined two items that would be included, should I get around to such a thing:

1. rolling in a giant bubble thingy

and

2. zip lining off a mountain

I could have accomplished the second item today, but, sadly, there was ice on the line so it was shut down. Next time, Tahoe!

things that made me happy at lax this morning

2008-03-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

1. Burger King ham and cheese croissanwich (no egg) and hash browns (tater tots) for breakfast

2. plane appears to be on time

3. (hopefully) figured out way to post blogs from blackberry over the weekend

nipping at my nose

2008-03-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving tomorrow morning for a weekend trip to Lake Tahoe. We're meeting some Dallas friends there for some apres ski (they'll be skiing, we'll be there to celebrate with them by the fire when they are done) and gambling. It's been sunny and 70-80 here for the last few weeks, so I need to mentally prepare myself for a place with "seasons". Here's my current mental checklist:

find socks
review closed-toe shoe options
sweaters/jackets (preferably machine-washable due to Casino Stink)
camera!
figure out mobile blogging prior to departure (don't want to carry computer)
charge ipod
hat/mittens from January Wisconsin trip

I may be overreacting to this winter thing a bit, but the forecast includes the words "lows in the upper 20's". Um, yeah.