in the name of love

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vodka

Jagermeister

Red Head Slut

Red Head Slut

Red Head Slut

Red Head Slut

Vodka

Vodka

Jagermeister

Poetic, right?  Happy 2009.

so yeah

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

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?

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

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.

crafty

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

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

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

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!

so, um, yeah

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

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

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!

I heart Photoshop.