A change of scenery can help one's thought process a lot. Sitting on top of the photo drying racks, I'm thinking about grad school. I've been musing the idea of going to faraway schools and the type of things I'll do afterward. I've also been terribly anxious from school, work, and home. Historically this is the worst time of year for me and I think for once I need to change my attitude, especially if I'm gonna apply to schools. Kristen wrote about holding oneself accountable, especially for the things most important to you. I think that's something very important in our lives and can easily fall off the radar if we don't pay attention.  Making sure we take care of ourselves is important.  No one is going to tell you to exercise everyday or eat properly, take care of your main interests and find meaning in things.  No one is going to think critically for you; it's your responsibility.

The Penrose Square

After reading a comic on my professor's door last Friday I decided to run with an idea for a drawing on my bedroom wall. This took up the majority of the day. I hadn't done a connect the dots game since sixth grade. I found a website that I could print a diagram from. These utilize math problems to advance the lines. Quadratic equations were as far as I wanted to go; I never got past trig in high school. Done in permanent marker and acrylic paint.











It's funny that this is an object drawn by completing a series of math problems yet no math can explain Oscar Reutersvard's Penrose Square.

Taz is trying to tell me to relax by laying on my arms as I try and write this paper. I left the photo lab late tonight. It's a little unsettling to return to a lifeless house after work, but then there's the cat. I imagine living on my own isn't too far along the road, at which point it's me and Taz. In certain ways, I'm living as though I have my own place this school year. Work and school have kept me incredibly busy. The time I would otherwise spend at home with roommates is spent visiting people and working on personal projects. I'd like to learn some French before this proposed bicycling trip across Europe next summer. I still need some basic gear so I don't die, or at the very least bonk out in the mountains. I also keep thinking about giving the trip some larger purpose than just traveling a ton, such as making a message about climate change and the environment. That doesn't mean I can't see a lot of stuff in the process. :)

"Animal Logic"

I visited the UMMA for the first time in a while today. There's an exhibit on the first floor, a series called "Animal Logic" by Richard Barnes, that I enjoyed a lot. His huge prints of natural history installations are incredible to look at. So incredible, perhaps, because of the juxtaposition with human beings and taxidermy. At first it's pretty strange to look at these and you might wonder, "What the hell?" But I think it's pretty clear when you go through the series the comment Barnes is trying to make. The giraffe is my favorite.

"Museums, like warehouses, are containers of the dead... great warehouses of objects." -Richard Barnes

You can see the exhibit's site here.
These small images don't do the series justice though, as some of the prints are five feet in length, so go see it.

Oh yeah, today is Gandhi's birthday.

The Jenkins

The weekend was good. Kevin and Natasha were wed and I photographed it. I remember waking from a long nap on Saturday and wanting ice cream quite badly, then buying it. Boy did it taste good.

I went to the dentist today for the first time in a few years. Thankfully everything was alright. I should probably quit trying my luck.

Day six of the haiku project.

Treasure all friendships.
One day, you'll think to yourself,
These are what mattered

pocket haikus

I started a project where I'm writing a haiku each day for an entire year. I might only be on my third day but I have high hopes for it.

Be someone you love
In case you might consider
Wanting someone's heart

I'm in the Grand Rapids area for my friends' wedding. I've been itching like mad around my neck the past half an hour and I'd like to attribute it to their cat, that maybe it brushed up against something itchy in nature, like poison ivy. It's such a darling little feline though and its name is Simba. How could I not cuddle up with it?

I'm also starting a log of my pocket calls from Rachel. Tonight's was a pocket voicemail.

Here's a stop motion I made for the Oregano documentary by crumpling up some paper. I recommend viewing in HD and making the window large. I posted it to the Oregano blog as well, which by the way exists.

I'm on track toward getting a BFA in photography with this final fifth year. Let's hope none of these under enrolled studios get cancelled.

the garden

Our tomatoes are almost ready for the pickings. I shot a short video of it yesterday with my new camera. (Make sure you click HD)

I saw Food, Inc. the other day and found it extremely interesting. I've been a vegetarian for over two years and I think I'm going to start the organic route too.

Birthday Bread

I knew this gift I was going to make for Rob had to include bread somehow, so it came naturally that a pillow case was best suited for it.

Today I chatted with my film professor aside the trail I take to work. He called my name as we passed, so I stopped and turned around. Lately I've been catching up with folks a lot and it's been swell. On this ride home, I should have been hit by a car on the last mile or so down Hewitt. The person in the oncoming lane came to a near halt as I embarrassingly waved thank you, crossing. Much thanks for the eyes of others. Eyes and artwork at Forth Form Its Hinges this weekend. I went last night and stuck around for the films.

The time with everyone at the house is dwindling, even more so with our power shutting off this Monday. Some are out of town, some moving. Even with my things in a new residence, I still like being here, trying to hold onto something. Life here was insane in so many different ways I'm beginning to get motion sickness contemplating it. I grabbed the last of some cereal I scrounged upstairs and borrowed some milk from Abe and perhaps now it's time to go to bed.

merging wordpress

I found out my website expires pretty soon, so I'm moving things over to blogger. It used to be boilthechicken.net. I like to think I'll update this a little more.

Rachel sick in bed

We tried making cabbage soup

But no bouillon

So we got a bunch of egg drop soup from Golden Wall and cooked spring rolls instead.