Topic one: little trees.
Today I bought a dwarf pomegranate tree. That makes my collection of little trees two. I also have an Australian tree fern growing in the shade of my patio... it will get bigger, but for now it is still young. I figure by the time it is big enough to demand placement in the earth, I'll have moved to a more permanent location... or not, I guess. Regardless, I have developed a profound fondness for my small trees. I never realized how much one could fall in love with flora... I often sit at my desk and day-dream about my plants. J'adore mon jardin!
Topic two: autumnal equinox
So, the autumnal equinox is this Monday...and I think that's pretty exciting. Just in case you were wondering, "On a day which has an equinox, the centre of the Sun will spend a nearly equal amount of time above and below the horizon at every location on Earth and night and day will be of nearly the same length."
Topic three: Picasso in Santa Barbara
If you happen to be a Santa Barbarian (or will be in this town in the next few months), you should pop into the SBMA to check out the exhibit of Picasso's drawings. It is always so much fun to see works in graphite or charcoal or ink done by artists whom we typically think of in oils or acrylics. I think it is easy to create an image of an artist in our heads based on one or two career-defining works... and thus it is both educational and fascinating to see what she or he has done in various media and/or across years. So, Picasso at the SBMA, toally worth seeing.
18 September 2008
07 September 2008
Today, today.
It is the end of yet another summer weekend in Santa Barbara (some hold to the belief that summer ends with Labour Day... I choose to believe that the end comes at the autumn equinox, September 21ish. Why would anyone admit to the earlier date?)
I've begun my drawing class: so far we've drawn lines and shapes (focusing on positive and negative space). It is quite nice to start at the beginning, at the basics. I had forgotten how dramatically the practice of art can alter ones perception of the world. I sat on the couch in my room this evening, listening to melodious sounds from Portugal, and tried to see the Spanish moss on the patio for its negative space. It tried to see not one continuous shape cascading in tendrils from the place where it hung, but hundreds of tiny shapes dancing about amongst the tendrils. When I looked further into the yard, I saw the sky as a shape bound by trees and structures; for a moment that huge, visually endless expanse was a form that could be rendered. How does it all work? I wondered.
Try it sometime: look for the negative space in the world.
I spent today in the garden... I have a bit of a sunburn to show for it. I've started several plants from seed, and some of them needed to be transferred from there little bins of moss into larger pots of soil. I quite like the process: handling something so delicate, something so mysterious as a seedling. The experience reminded me of certain good qualities of life, but what these are I cannot quite say.
In sum: it was a fine summer weekend in Santa Barbara.
I've begun my drawing class: so far we've drawn lines and shapes (focusing on positive and negative space). It is quite nice to start at the beginning, at the basics. I had forgotten how dramatically the practice of art can alter ones perception of the world. I sat on the couch in my room this evening, listening to melodious sounds from Portugal, and tried to see the Spanish moss on the patio for its negative space. It tried to see not one continuous shape cascading in tendrils from the place where it hung, but hundreds of tiny shapes dancing about amongst the tendrils. When I looked further into the yard, I saw the sky as a shape bound by trees and structures; for a moment that huge, visually endless expanse was a form that could be rendered. How does it all work? I wondered.
Try it sometime: look for the negative space in the world.
I spent today in the garden... I have a bit of a sunburn to show for it. I've started several plants from seed, and some of them needed to be transferred from there little bins of moss into larger pots of soil. I quite like the process: handling something so delicate, something so mysterious as a seedling. The experience reminded me of certain good qualities of life, but what these are I cannot quite say.
In sum: it was a fine summer weekend in Santa Barbara.
26 August 2008
from the other side
Dear friends,
After a brief hiatus--and significant thought--I have decided to blog once again.
So, to begin here is a brief update:
1. I am back in Santa Barbara, working for a small, local company
2. I started back at city college yesterday in French 103. I will start a drawing class on Saturday.
3. I am living with Laura and we have occupied ourselves with a number of home and garden improvement projects these past two months: I've since learnt how to re-caulk a bathtub, how to set gopher traps, and all about fungi that attack peppers and tomatoes.
4. I've decided to stop supporting the large-scale dairy industry (it's not as ridiculous as it sounds... I don't think). It is actually a bit of an adventure because it means learning to use many more goat products and soy-based products. And it feels good to know that I am 'voting with my dollar' every time I decide what to buy and what not to buy.
So that is that.
Something to read and ponder and maybe become disappointed about: Drilling off the coast of Santa Barbara
Something a bit serendipitous, I think: today at the farmer's market I bought a bunch of dime-sized white flowers with great green stems. The lady whom I bought them from used a bit of newspaper to gather the great green stems in preparation for the journey home. When I arrived back at the Portola Place and unwrapped my flowers, I gleefully discovered that the florist had wrapped them in the crossword puzzle page of the LA times. As I cut the stems and placed the blooms in jars and vases around the house, I concluded with confidence that today fate was on my side. I spent the second half of the evening working on the puzzle.
And... Henna! A friend from India offered to do my henna and so of course I said yes! The first photo is a bit awkward, but I think it shows the lovely designs quite well. The second is henna + mushrooms that were growing in the damp shade of the chamomile plant.
After a brief hiatus--and significant thought--I have decided to blog once again.
So, to begin here is a brief update:
1. I am back in Santa Barbara, working for a small, local company
2. I started back at city college yesterday in French 103. I will start a drawing class on Saturday.
3. I am living with Laura and we have occupied ourselves with a number of home and garden improvement projects these past two months: I've since learnt how to re-caulk a bathtub, how to set gopher traps, and all about fungi that attack peppers and tomatoes.
4. I've decided to stop supporting the large-scale dairy industry (it's not as ridiculous as it sounds... I don't think). It is actually a bit of an adventure because it means learning to use many more goat products and soy-based products. And it feels good to know that I am 'voting with my dollar' every time I decide what to buy and what not to buy.
So that is that.
Something to read and ponder and maybe become disappointed about: Drilling off the coast of Santa Barbara
Something a bit serendipitous, I think: today at the farmer's market I bought a bunch of dime-sized white flowers with great green stems. The lady whom I bought them from used a bit of newspaper to gather the great green stems in preparation for the journey home. When I arrived back at the Portola Place and unwrapped my flowers, I gleefully discovered that the florist had wrapped them in the crossword puzzle page of the LA times. As I cut the stems and placed the blooms in jars and vases around the house, I concluded with confidence that today fate was on my side. I spent the second half of the evening working on the puzzle.
And... Henna! A friend from India offered to do my henna and so of course I said yes! The first photo is a bit awkward, but I think it shows the lovely designs quite well. The second is henna + mushrooms that were growing in the damp shade of the chamomile plant.
18 June 2008
jumpers for books
Stuff: Whence does it all come?
Packing is a task that seems to be complained about more often than praised... it is viewed as a chore, really. But to tell the truth, it is one of my favorite activities. I always get excited about packing, so I usually start a week or two too early. This is especially true of the process when the end goal is a drastic move. Before moving to the UK I had a garage sale and ended up selling or giving away a third of what I owned: there is just something good about starting new, fresh. Something good in shedding off the frivolous stuff that has piled up, and giving it to someone who might actually want or use it. There is something good in the limits enforced by a move: they cause one to part with material items to which an attachment would have been (unjustly) justified in other, less transient circumstances. Something good in a move.
With this move I have, likewise, created four piles: 'recycle', 'charity shop', 'Cambria', and 'Emmanuel Road house'. (The Cambria pile contains various items that might be of use to her in London, and will make their way south on Saturday). It has been good to fill these piles: I feel like I am leaving behind little bits of my physical existence in this place and taking back with me only the items that have meaning and/or use. (But no doubt my cases will still be heavy: the category that always seems to win the meaning/use game is books. I have found myself sacrificing jumpers for French histories).
So, the main conclusion of this post is thus: packing is good. It is good to once in a while be forced to lift and shift all of our physical belongings, to remind us just how much we have and to encourage us to part with items and allow them to have a second life.
Packing is a task that seems to be complained about more often than praised... it is viewed as a chore, really. But to tell the truth, it is one of my favorite activities. I always get excited about packing, so I usually start a week or two too early. This is especially true of the process when the end goal is a drastic move. Before moving to the UK I had a garage sale and ended up selling or giving away a third of what I owned: there is just something good about starting new, fresh. Something good in shedding off the frivolous stuff that has piled up, and giving it to someone who might actually want or use it. There is something good in the limits enforced by a move: they cause one to part with material items to which an attachment would have been (unjustly) justified in other, less transient circumstances. Something good in a move.
With this move I have, likewise, created four piles: 'recycle', 'charity shop', 'Cambria', and 'Emmanuel Road house'. (The Cambria pile contains various items that might be of use to her in London, and will make their way south on Saturday). It has been good to fill these piles: I feel like I am leaving behind little bits of my physical existence in this place and taking back with me only the items that have meaning and/or use. (But no doubt my cases will still be heavy: the category that always seems to win the meaning/use game is books. I have found myself sacrificing jumpers for French histories).
So, the main conclusion of this post is thus: packing is good. It is good to once in a while be forced to lift and shift all of our physical belongings, to remind us just how much we have and to encourage us to part with items and allow them to have a second life.
25 April 2008
Across the world and back
First, let me plead for forgiveness regarding my recent lack of posting!
Much has happened since I last posted to this blog. I've started the writing phase of my dissertation, I've travelled to the southern hemisphere, and I've decided to move back to Santa Barbara at the summer.
First things first: writing. Writing, writing, writing. How does one find so many words in such a short time? So, it is really not as dire as that... but looking forward that is how I feel. To think of the project as a whole is quite daunting, so I have relegated myself to thinking only 1000 words at a time.... and then one chapter at a time... and then finally of the dissertation as a whole. It is working so far... but feel free to ask me how I am doing come the end of May!
Second: New Zealand. I spent two weeks at the start of April down in NZ, visiting Kevin and seeing the north island. New Zealand was like a dream: at times so familiar ('wow, this is like the central coast of california!') and at other times a complete mystery (the hokey pokey is an ice cream? I thought it was a dance!) Nevertheless, I had a wonderful time: both spending time with Kev and seeing the country. We did a lot of camping and swimming and I had my first go at surfing. It was quite good, really. :) O, and I chased plenty of sheep. There are plenty of good stories tucked away in that experience... but I will save those for another time.
Third: Santa Barbara. Yes, I am moving home come June. I've decided--for several reasons--not to stay in England for the summer (Mostly it's the lack of good beaches... jk). I plan to be semi-permanently in SB (ie, I do not, at this point, have plans of moving again soon), and I am excited about it! I look forward to seeing friends and family and resuming some of my old habits (but, of course, maintaining some of my new)!
My final point of interest: at the middle of May I am travelling to Budapest with Laura! It should be a lovely trip! So, if anyone has tips on Hungary and 'must-sees', please do share!
That is all for now. I miss you all and am looking forward to seeing you all soon!!
Much has happened since I last posted to this blog. I've started the writing phase of my dissertation, I've travelled to the southern hemisphere, and I've decided to move back to Santa Barbara at the summer.
First things first: writing. Writing, writing, writing. How does one find so many words in such a short time? So, it is really not as dire as that... but looking forward that is how I feel. To think of the project as a whole is quite daunting, so I have relegated myself to thinking only 1000 words at a time.... and then one chapter at a time... and then finally of the dissertation as a whole. It is working so far... but feel free to ask me how I am doing come the end of May!
Second: New Zealand. I spent two weeks at the start of April down in NZ, visiting Kevin and seeing the north island. New Zealand was like a dream: at times so familiar ('wow, this is like the central coast of california!') and at other times a complete mystery (the hokey pokey is an ice cream? I thought it was a dance!) Nevertheless, I had a wonderful time: both spending time with Kev and seeing the country. We did a lot of camping and swimming and I had my first go at surfing. It was quite good, really. :) O, and I chased plenty of sheep. There are plenty of good stories tucked away in that experience... but I will save those for another time.
Third: Santa Barbara. Yes, I am moving home come June. I've decided--for several reasons--not to stay in England for the summer (Mostly it's the lack of good beaches... jk). I plan to be semi-permanently in SB (ie, I do not, at this point, have plans of moving again soon), and I am excited about it! I look forward to seeing friends and family and resuming some of my old habits (but, of course, maintaining some of my new)!
My final point of interest: at the middle of May I am travelling to Budapest with Laura! It should be a lovely trip! So, if anyone has tips on Hungary and 'must-sees', please do share!
That is all for now. I miss you all and am looking forward to seeing you all soon!!
06 March 2008
a list
colour: lemon and gold
scent: crisp morning
taste: peruvian coffee
task: thoughts into words
attire: casual
scent: crisp morning
taste: peruvian coffee
task: thoughts into words
attire: casual
04 March 2008
Choas on the River
This last week was consumed by crew. In Cambridge there is a tradition called Bumps. They are a series of boat races that take place over the course of six days, during which each boat rows in four races. All of the crews start 3 boat lengths apart, and the goal of the race is to 'bump' the boat ahead. Bumping includes both overtaking (when bow passes cox) and literally bumping into the boat ahead. It is one of those competitions that everyone knows is (a) unfair and (b) only allowed by health and safety because it is a 200-year tradition. Anyway, we bumped once, got bumped once and rowed over (finished the race) twice. It was a pretty tiring series of days, but great fun! Below are some pictures from the races (the first three are of the getting on race from the Friday before and the fourth is after our last bumps race).
Getting On Race
Getting on race (I am bow, the one in the very back)
My crew after the getting on race
Our crew photo after finishing Bumps
The photos below are from the Boat Club Dinner, a termly black tie event held after races. Sometimes I think people row just to go to BCD. ;)
Sarah, Matt, Catherine and me at BCD
Me and Jean, ie. Bow and Three: we rowed corners together!
My Crew! (minus me; I am taking the photo!)
In other news, Kevin is in Samoa right now with his students, learning and experiencing a lot. Prayers for his travels are much appreciated. :) He arrives back to NZ in two weeks... and then it is two weeks before I head out there myself!
My studies have started to pick up. I give a presentation on Monday to my course and our faculty on my research... should be an interesting day. It is a bit strange to think that I turn in my thesis in three months and three days... and then I am finished with my masters... so quick! Now all I need to do it write the darn thing so that I'll be able to turn it in!
Getting On Race
Getting on race (I am bow, the one in the very back)
My crew after the getting on race
Our crew photo after finishing Bumps
The photos below are from the Boat Club Dinner, a termly black tie event held after races. Sometimes I think people row just to go to BCD. ;)
Sarah, Matt, Catherine and me at BCD
Me and Jean, ie. Bow and Three: we rowed corners together!
My Crew! (minus me; I am taking the photo!)
In other news, Kevin is in Samoa right now with his students, learning and experiencing a lot. Prayers for his travels are much appreciated. :) He arrives back to NZ in two weeks... and then it is two weeks before I head out there myself!
My studies have started to pick up. I give a presentation on Monday to my course and our faculty on my research... should be an interesting day. It is a bit strange to think that I turn in my thesis in three months and three days... and then I am finished with my masters... so quick! Now all I need to do it write the darn thing so that I'll be able to turn it in!
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