the one a day project

the oneaday project is cashing in its vaction time

2007-02-05T11:45:00.001-08:00

i am soooooo glad i did this project.
so glad, in fact, that one day i just might want to do it some more.

but these days
i'm not even on the computer every day...

and i really really like that.

maybe it's the winter.
maybe it's being married.

maybe
it's simply
that a year was enough.

but until further notice
(and that notice will appear on my blog, http://iamaloverofchaos.blogspot.com)
the oneaday project
is taking some days off.

thanks so much for being there and holding me to it!

the... oneadecade project???

2007-01-26T21:52:00.000-08:00

yes, i realize i haven't started my january
let alone february
let alone deciding if this is a project to do in 2007...

i'm mulling....

i'll get back to you....

december 8: dressers

2006-12-08T18:25:00.000-08:00

kenny and i are both artists
and not the kind that sit with a little tin of watercolours and paint demurely in a clean white studio
(i'm not sure if artists like this actually exist... maybe they're just mythical creatures like unicorns)
but no
we're the types that are more like cave people
always dragging home our latest finds
hunting, gathering, transforming, sustaining

so
we need places to put all our stuff in a way that isn't too unsightly
hence the birth of dresser world

when i first moved in
kenny bought me a dresser
"it can be your art dresser"
...
he'd filled the top drawer with all sorts of wonderful trinkets
supplies
treasures.

ken's presents to me often incorporate 3 ingredients:
some sort of tool, something useful, something to help me be autonomous and a builder;
something beautiful and from the heart, something that makes tears come;
and something fun, funny, lighthearted, or something tacky and cute

recent gifts i've gotten from him (i.e. this week) are:

a unicorn pendant (category 3);
a candy apple (3);
a bag of embroidery thread (1);
breakfast in bed every morning we're both home (2).

sometimes there's a little combo that happens, like:
a note written on a wooden doll he was working on (1, 2, and 3)
a good utility knife wrapped in a popeye cartoon (1 and 3)
messages written inside my clothes (2 and 3).

i've never met anyone who lives with so much love and beauty.

december 6: crows

2006-12-06T16:50:00.000-08:00

ken's been feeding the crows.
he does it in the morning while i'm working in bed...

he sits our on our front porch, has his coffee, thinks about art and dolls, and feeds the crows.
we ordered pizza the other night
and yesterday he said
"you'd better finish yours, or you know who's gonna get it."

kenny and i sometimes disagree about what crows can eat.
you should see what they eat, he says, they can eat anything.
he's right.
he's so sweet, so giving, he's like a year-round santa claus.
it's one of the things i love about him.

today ken left in the morning before the crows came.
he gave some smaller spotted birds some bread crumbs.

i decided
i'd leave my perch
and go feed the crows.

they got apples, organic ones, not pizza,
because i'm stricter and worry more than ken.

i went out to the porch and sat in ken's chair.
there was one crow looking at me from a tree.
i threw out some apples i'd cut up.
the crow cried out.
within about 30 seconds,
there were more than 20 crows in that tree.

they didn't go down to get the apples at first.
they don't like being looked at, ken's said.

i put some along our fence.
as i got up, they flew to high up in our neighbour's birch trees, watching me the whole time.
i sat back in the chair.
they flew back to their tree.
i watched them.
they watched me.
i pretended to read a book.
one came to the fence.
he picked up the apple so gingerly.
then another came.
and another.
there was lots of quiet flapping of wings.

they finished the ones on the fence.
i threw more down on the snow.
they stayed in the trees.

after a while, only one was left.
i was wondering if he was on duty, watching for me to go away.

i went in to watch from the window.

the lone crow called.
the other crows came.
the apples were gone in minutes.

these crows know ken well enough to come to the ground when he's on the porch.
there's a big patch of trampled snow where they eat the food he leaves them.
they're not built for snow, their feet not webbed but their bodies not light enough for them to hop along the top. they kind of trudge through it.

i love thinking about ken out there in the morning, gathering his thoughts, watching the crows. he's such a beautiful man.

sitting in december

2006-12-06T16:16:00.000-08:00

so i've been sitting with this oneaday thing

thinking hmm, i'm not really on the computer these days
not really drawn to it

i'm in bed, in blankets, on couches, on mounds of pillows
...sitting with things

don't get me wrong, it's the busiest time of year for me and i'm working lots
just
not on the computer

but that's the whole thing:
i'm sitting
and thinking
and making
and digesting

i'm inward.

and looking back at the year
the rhythms make sense to me:

january i gathered
february i watched the ocean
march i listened
april i made flowers
may i dug through my room
june i knocked on people's doors
july i found friends
august i pumped things out
september i made excuses
october i looked around my new little town
november i looked around my backyard
but mostly was just inside.

and now it's december
and i feel quiet in my busy-ness,
thoughtful, introspective.

and...

i'm getting married.

so for december oneaday i'm going to just sit with things, work on my time consuming pieces for a show i have in january, and as i do everything else, i'll prepare for my marriage.

my december 2006 oneaday- like my whole life right now- is mostly going to be about getting married.

i don't even know what day to call this

2006-12-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

it's been brought to my attention that my last post was nov 2.

for those of you who notice such things, thanks and sorry. i hope maybe you've taken up a wonderful new hobby, adopted a foster child, solved world poverty, or fallen in love in the time you would have otherwise been looking at the oneaday project.

however, if instead you've found your life has turned into a steady downward spiral, behold: a new post.

here are some things that have happened instead of the oneaday project in my life recently:

1. a flood (this is a couple of blocks- downhill- from our house)

2. a nagging feeling that although our garden is indeed beautiful in this quieter of garden months, my ability to photograph what i want to photograph is limited and my time and motivation to get better at it this month is equally lacking

3. an idea that i should change this month's oneaday to taking a picture of the mill every day to see how it changes over time

4. mass christmas busy season blowout extravaganza madness

5. a blizzard. this is the picture of it before it really really dumped. we've had a few feet of snow stick here for over a week.

add to that a few out of town workshops and some illness, and by the time december 1st rolled around, i wasn't even thinking of oneaday. all i could think was:

december 2006: wow, this is the month i'm getting married.

so... where does that leave us?

i'm not sure.

i'll get back to you in the next day or two.

thanks for understanding.

november 2

2006-11-03T15:41:00.000-08:00

november 2

i'm cheating today...
it rained- hard- from the moment i woke up all day
and i'm kinda sick
so
here's one i took yesterday

it's a dried blackberry

the raspberries are still going, though, incredibly
i ate a few yesterday
i can't believe it's november

november 1

2006-11-02T09:32:00.000-08:00

november 1- the stellar jays

see, already there were like a million things i wanted to post from today
but i decided to go with the jays

they've been around all spring and summer too
they used to get all riled up and yell and yell at kitty
today there were about 6 or 7 out back
i'm not sure what they were finding but they sure were eating a lot

november- the eleventh month

2006-11-02T09:24:00.000-08:00

so we're back in port alberni, it's cold, it's wet, it's foggy, it's rainy.

this is the perfect month to avoid being out in the garden, or at least to forget about it.

which is precisely why i think it's important to have a reason to spend time out in it every day... it's not like it's ceased to exist, but if i don't go out, i'll feel like it has.

so this month for oneaday i'm going to find one thing worth looking at in our garden.

what i would really like to do is draw it. the honest truth is that the more steps i have to do on the computer these days, the less likely i am to do it. so i'm going to try to do drawings as well, but i'll definitely do photos. i may do photos first and then upload line drawings later. but either way, i'm excited to find 30 things in the garden that i would otherwise probably ignore this month.

october 31- happy hallowe'en!

2006-11-02T09:21:00.000-08:00

October 31- The Rooftops and Backs of Buildings

ok, this one's a cheater
because october 31 was are traveling day
but
one of my favourite things about this area
is the brick buildings
and the back alleys

this is a view from the dupont circle area a few days before
out an art gallery window

october 30

2006-11-02T09:17:00.000-08:00

october 30- The Walk Along The Potomac

this is sort of a funny picture to put
because the potomac is super wide
and earlier in the day
we were at great falls park
...it's a pretty high drama river
but
this is where we sat for a while and had a snack
and thought about what it would have been like to live here hundreds or even thousands of years ago
and thought those banks would make a nice place to live

october 29

2006-11-02T09:11:00.000-08:00

photo courtesy of monsieurkenflett cropped and butchered by me without his permission

october 29- The Museums

the whole reason we're here
is because today is my dad's 60th birthday
happy birthday dad, i love you

one of my favourite things to do with my dad
is go to museums and galleries
and washington has the smithsonian
and a billion other cool galleries
many of which are free
i don't know how many days it would take to really do them justice
but a lot

october 28

2006-11-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

october 28- The Forest Behind My Parents' House

when my parents moved from a town in ontario to washington dc
this wasn't what i was picturing
it is sooooooo lush
so much green all the way up to the city

...i miss east coast forests sometimes

october 27

2006-11-02T09:04:00.000-08:00

october 27- The Architectural Details (photo courtesy monsieur kenflett)

there is so much to look at in this city...
my dad always uses the word "grand" to describe it

october 26- important announcement

2006-11-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

ok everyone, time to switch gears
because for the rest of the month
i'm in maryland/washington dc
visiting my parents
...
so...
i'll continue along with things from *that* part of the world

ok:

october 26- The Cute Little Doorways And Funny Pigeons

washington dc feels really european
nothing can be taller than the capitol building, which isn't very tall
lots of cute little townhouses that are really old
some brightly coloured
some with little gardens
and some more basementy
like this one

october 25

2006-11-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

october 25- The Funny Buildings

...
not really much to say
just that there are funny buildings here

october 24

2006-11-02T08:42:00.000-08:00

october 24- The Trails

there are lots of walking trails around town that i've only minimally explored
some of them go along the railway tracks
and are absolutely beautiful

october 23

2006-11-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

october 23- The Fog

seems that fall here is characterized by really really foggy mornings...
they're beautiful

october 22

2006-11-02T08:34:00.000-08:00

october 22- The Movie Theatre

only one
that shows only one movie at a time... remember those?

it changes every week
usually between a kids movie
and a comedy aimed at high school kids
but
occasionally
we get something else
which makes it that much more exciting
and once a month we get a foriegn film
as part of the port alberni film festival

the theatre itself is really cute

october 21

2006-11-02T08:08:00.000-08:00

happy birthday to the most incredible man alive...
i love you and am so lucky to be here with you.

october 21- Heart Graffiti

ok, well, the bottom picture is just a scrap of paper
but
i have seen quite a few hearts created outside
in varying degrees of permanency
and i like them

october 20

2006-10-22T14:32:00.000-07:00

october 20- The Steam Train Station

there's a train in pa
that goes out to this cool old mill
and in the busy season
you can hear that whistle blowin...
10 and 1 and 2 and 5ish
it's really nice to hear

right now
they have some hallowe'en decorations on the roof
apparently they do a haunted station
and i've been assured by the kids in my art class
that it's scary

and i really like the decorations
and like
that if it was in a bigger city
i wouldn't have gotten as excited

...
it reminds me of mexico

october 19

2006-10-22T14:28:00.000-07:00

october 19- The Harbour

well, this is looking up from the water
you can just see part of the beautiful salmon fountain

this is where the farmer's market is every saturday, year round
i just found out that if you want eggs you have to line up at 8:30
there's fish & chips places and little touristy shops
and of course
the inlet

october 18

2006-10-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

october 18- The Birds

this has been another wonderful surprise... the birds
crows, stellar jays, chicadees, other little ones i don't know the names of
and
most excitingly to me
those huge flocks
that i haven't seen since ontario
the ones that start gathering in the trees
until the trees are almost screaming
and then
it suddenly gets silent
and they all pour out
and you knew there were lots
but there's hundreds
...
i love those

october 17

2006-10-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

october 17- The Inlet

port alberni is in the middle of vancouver island
which means it gets hotter summers than most towns because it's not right near the coast
but
there is an inlet
(hence the tsunami.... warning... system)
and i forget how beautiful it is

october 16

2006-10-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

october 16- Autumn

well, this picture is actually from parksville

(which means, as you recall, i went "over the hump")

but

i am absolutely delighted to find out

that up island

there's real fall...

maybe not quite ontario

but closer than i've seen in the 9 falls i've been on the west coast

lots of maples in pa

which means lots of red

makes me feel nostalgic for ontario

much to my surprise

october 15

2006-10-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

october 15- The Newly Renovated Smitty's

well, not quite the japan house

but

it's really close to my house

and the other night the mood struck

...

when we drove past on sunday around noonish there was a huge lineup to get in

but there are some other better little places in town

october 14

2006-10-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

october 14- Japan House

this is a japanese resaurant

in a hotel (travel lodge, i think)

just outside of town

...i was worried

but

it's soooooo good

october 13

2006-10-18T12:03:00.000-07:00

october 13- The Clearcuts

i know i already touched on this one

but it's quite a thing to see every day

....

we had the welcome wagon come today

and found out (unsurprisingly)

that all those logs get sent somewhere else

and the wood milled in town

comes from much farther away

october 12

2006-10-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

october 12- The Sunsets

i've really been enjoying the sunsets here

mostly it's because of the mountains

in the daytime, you can see the crooked line of their peaks

but at sunset

the depth comes out

you can see the different shades of purple and blue as it gets darker

and can see how far away from each other they are

mount arrowsmith is to the east

and the setting sun turns it pink

it's a beautiful time of day here

october 11

2006-10-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

october 11- Mount Arrowsmith

one of the best things about walking around pa

october 10

2006-10-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

october 10- 3rd Ave. Downtown

... actually maybe it's 2nd

the town is so small that i generally haven't been paying attention to street names, especially of the major ones

so here along whatever street this is

there are more little shops

as well as zellers

and a really great second hand store

yes, this *is* downtown, and i love it

october 9

2006-10-18T10:01:00.000-07:00

october 9- Argyle St.

this is one of the main streets in downtown

well, "the old part of town"

the one and only movie theatre, post office, stores, a nice theatre theatre, and ending with the sort of touristy harbour

my german friend videotaped this street for a while because

"it's just so wide and there's nobody on it"

there are some fun things on this street that i'll post later

october 8

2006-10-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

october 8- The Alley

ok, ok... i think most residents of pa wouldn't consider this an alley with a capital a
but
now i live right beside it
and it figures pretty big in my day here
i walk down it to get most places
and a lot of other people seem to also
can you see the pile of wood from the mill way down at the end of it?

the past month or so it's been a big fruit gathering route
plums, pears, blackberries
and as a walker and a yard stander
there are lots of over-the-fence conversations
... today, for instance, my alley walk to shoppers drug mart brought me the piece of information that it's supposed to be 24 degrees celsius here tomorrow
and i met a really cute dog

people here are generally very friendly and down to earth

october 7

2006-10-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

october 7- The Mill
well, this isn't a picture of the mill exactly
just the smoke rising out from it
and the clearcuts in the background

it's taken on what i guess is 2nd ave, i think it has a different name on this part
it's a main road that connects the old part of town to the new part of town
its attractions include, as you can see, smitty's and dairy queen
a bingo hall (the light blue building on the left)
a billion little pawn shops and second hand stores
the clamshak farther down
and the mill

it doesn't always have so much steam/smoke coming out of it, but today it did for some reason
port alberni is largely a mill town
which is what i really like about it coming from victoria

october 6

2006-10-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

october 6- The Hump

the first time ken told me he was going "over the hump" i thought that was such a cute thing to say
and it is
but it turns out it's local parlance
what it means is
you're driving out of the alberni valley
and going to communities like parksville or qualicum or coombs or errington

anyway
today we went over the hump

october 5

2006-10-08T18:54:00.000-07:00

october 5- The Clamshak
a very important feature of port alberni is their drive-in diners...
you know, like the a&ws from the 50s and 60s where you can eat in your car
well
port has a few
the clamshak being one near our house
they have a veggie burger for $4.99
it's good in that gross way,
or gross in that good way...
either way, i like it

october 4

2006-10-04T21:18:00.000-07:00

october 4- The Test

no picture for today
and i really really really wish i had a sound byte for you
but today
i was at home
when i heard a voice say:

"this... is a test...
only... a test...
a test...
of the tsunami...
warning...
system."

it was the weirdest thing
it seemed to be coming from every direction
or like the air itself was speaking

i've never heard anything quite like it

i found out later i guess it just happens from time to time
it was creepy and cool

october 3

2006-10-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

october 3- The Old Hotel
before i moved to port alberni
a few people told me they knew of artists who had bought an old hotel here
they live in it and use the whole thing as a studio
one person who told me about this couple was my uncle, who used to be good friends with the man
today i walked passed it while i was doing errands and decided to knock on the door
my ridiculous opening line was
"uh, hi, are you an artist? do you own this hotel?"
well, turns out the answers were yes
and they invited me in
really nice people, great place, great art
and turns out they're moving at the end of the month, possibly to mexico
so it was good timing

october 2

2006-10-03T18:04:00.000-07:00

october 2- The Shopping Centre

this is where i go to get my groceries, go to shoppers drug mart, etc
note the large vehicles
there are a few little other stores
including this gifty/dollar store
whose sign ("TREASURE CHEST furniture jewellery loans")
is one of my favourites

and one of my favourite views as i go about my days
is coming out of the grocery store, looking out beyond the parking lot
that's when i remember it's beautiful here

october 1

2006-10-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

october 1- The Salmon

well, my digital camera is still packed somewhere
but
today kenny and i went on a little outing down to this beautiful spot on the river
the somass river
and we saw a bunch of salmon
in this little inletty area
sort of breaching like little whales

the tenth month

2006-10-01T19:32:00.001-07:00

today is october 1st, my first official day living in port alberni. i've been spending a lot of time here, pretty much the past month and a half, but now i'm here.

so for my oneaday i want to explore the town, and put up one interesting thing about it every day.

towards the end of the month i'll be visiting my parents for a week, so i'll do the same thing wherever i am.

september 30

2006-10-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because
my computer and digital camera were packed
and i moved to port alberni

september 29

2006-10-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because
i packed
and picked up my wedding dress

september 28

2006-10-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because i packed
and said goodbye to a few friends

september 27

2006-09-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because

i woke up at 3 am and couldn't get back to sleep

so i made a store on etsy

then went to victoria and had a secret wedding dress meeting

and got to see martin and shauna

then came home and realized how important living here has been

september 26

2006-09-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because
i've been working on pinwheel
and a gallery proposal
... yup, got 2 computers goin

september 25

2006-09-26T16:18:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because
i worked on necklace planning stuff
and wedding planning stuff
...thanks for your help, dad!

september 24

2006-09-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because
i taught altered photos
at rubydog art house in vancouver
for the first time

september 23

2006-09-25T13:34:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because
i was in vancouver
at the i heart crafts bazaar
unleashing my necklaces onto the eager public for the first time ever
but not the last

september 22

2006-09-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday project because
i got ready to leave for vancouver
and left
(... and forgot my digital camera at home)

september 21

2006-09-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because
i didn't leave my house, just made a bunch of necklaces
... so i'm posting this picture from the day before

september 20

2006-09-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because
i made a bunch of necklaces
and went to the "port alberni international film festival" at night

september 19

2006-09-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

september 19
today i didn't do my oneaday because
i worked
then took a break and went for a walk to the forest near my house where massimo and i saw a bear
i went specifically in hopes of seeing one again
but
once i got there, i was scared
so i didn't go all the way down
and i didn't stay long

september 18

2006-09-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because
i'm working
and trying to set up the new truckload of stuff i've brought up island

september 17

2006-09-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because
we left early early early for victoria
and i taught a daylong altered photos workshop
then we packed up a truckload
and came back up island

september 16

2006-09-18T15:32:00.000-07:00

last night kitty died

bravely, calmly, beautifully, with strength and love
...like she did everything.

we love you, kitty.

september 15

2006-09-15T23:09:00.000-07:00

september 15- happy birthday, grandma
today i didn't do my oneaday because
i did things around the house while ken finished the new front door
like picked garden stuff, looked up canning information, put pinwheel orders together
and designed a new little logo for pinwheel
then sorted through buttons
and dried flowers
and tried to be nice to kitty

september 14

2006-09-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because
i was worried about kitty
and when i went to have breakfast with conrad
he told me him and stu were driving up island to get the ferry to hornby
and i decided to get a ride
and hope ken would get the message that i was there
i did work while i waited

september 13

2006-09-15T23:01:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday project
because i worked
and took care of kitty
and went back to victoria

september 12

2006-09-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because
i worked
and disassembled dry bouquets
and spent time with kitty
and ken was home tonight

september 11

2006-09-11T22:40:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because
i worked
and spent a lot of time with kitty

september 10

2006-09-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

september 10
today i didn't do my oneaday because
i was still working at mount washington
and when we got home
we had to talk about kitty

september 9

2006-09-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

september 9
today i didn't do my oneaday because
i got to go with ken up to mount washington to work a construction job
and mike took care of kitty
and we stayed overnight at the cabin the company has rented
and it doesn't have internet

september 8

2006-09-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

september 8

today i didn't do my oneaday because
i was up late last night with sick kitty
then this morning i watched some of massimo's movies and showed him some of my art before he left
then i worked and did errands and worried about kitty
and downloaded some pictures from my camera like this one from last night
and got pants, boots and a polaroid camera for $7.50 at a thrift store
and ken came home and we're gonna watch a movie

september 7

2006-09-07T18:51:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because
massimo and i went around pa again taking pictures and movies and going into places we'd never been, like a curling hall (curling rink?)
and i'm getting really excited about a project i'm doing with lucky pennies and rusty bottle caps
and i'm getting everything in order after being away for so long

september 6

2006-09-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

today i didn't do my oneaday because
in the morning i came to a new understanding of my relationship with my parents and wanted to write it all down while i was clear about it
and then massimo and i went out to look around port alberni
and met some pretty amazing locals
and did some errands
and saw a bear a few blocks from my house
and kenny came home and we all went out to japan house for dinner
and dairy queen for dessert (the full canadian experience)

september 5

2006-09-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

september 5
today i didn't do my oneaday thing because
i cleaned out this room from all our workshop stuff and power tools from putting the door in
(i wish i had a "before" picture)
and really really cleaned the floors in all the rooms
and got back on track with pinwheel stuff
and took care of kitty
and now i'm going to pick up my friend massimo
who i met in cuba about 5 years ago and haven't seen since
... we hit it off so well right away there, he was the only non-cuban i really wanted to spend time with
and he's here from germany
and tonight we're gonna visit

september 4

2006-09-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

september 4
now, i know everyone thinks they have the best cat in the world
but ken's cat is incredible... sweet, smart, loving, independent, calm, strong
neither ken or i are generally cat people but she's so special

...when we got home this morning, she was sick

today i didn't do my oneaday thing because
we were taking care of kitty
and as a stay-at-home-today project
we put in a new front door (remember those shingles?)

september 3

2006-09-05T15:24:00.000-07:00

september 3
today i didn't do the oneaday project because
i woke up
went to teach a day-long workshop with kenny
then left grand forks in an attempt to get back to port alberni the same night
we missed the last ferry so it didn't work

... this is a picture of osoyoos looking all smoky from the big fires in the states
we smelled and saw smoke for a couple of hours at least.

september 2

2006-09-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

september 2

the reason i didn't work on oneaday on september 2 was because
we camped the night before and then kept driving to grand forks
arrived in the middle of our art openings
and right after that the curator took us to a beautiful old barn
then we had supper at his house and planned our workshop and went to bed early

september 1

2006-09-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

september 1

my honest excuse for september 1 is that i completely forgot
september 1 is my parent's anniversary- 38 years today- pretty amazing
i was on the road between calgary and grand forks and mostly just concerned with phoning them

september

2006-09-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

ok, ok, i realize it's past the beginning of september.

we just got back yesterday from a trip where computer access wasn't easy.

but really... this is just getting hard.

but: i've given my notice, and as of october 1, i will be living in only one place, and that's exciting. of course, i'll also be out of town a lot still. so really, that's no excuse. and i do really *want* to do this. but my energy for it has hit a bit of a lull.

so, in the spirit that this is supposed to be an alternative way of keeping track of a life, and a practice of doing something every day, here's my proposal for september:

every day i will give you the excuse i have in my head as to why i didn't do my oneaday.

i think it's an idea that will fulfill my commitment and give me a little rest so i can be back in full form for october.

august 23-31

2006-09-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

i've been away but i made lots of pictures and my first ever public art gallery show.
i'm just gonna put a bunch up.
then on with september.

august 22

2006-08-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

august 22
pinwheel cards and wire
(just a small image to keep some mystery)

august 21

2006-08-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

august 21
today i started on some wire work for the insides of the boxes kenny helped me with yesterday
which i have to say are progressing well
so i'm gonna cheat and post what i finished today:

august 20

2006-08-21T20:22:00.000-07:00

august 20
ok, i had a very small part in making this prototype other than basic requests
but i'm going to make a bunch more

august 19

2006-08-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

august 19

more sorting of a dried bouquet
they're gonna be so beautiful all together
this was one with flowers from the top to the bottom of mount washington
he pulls over to collect them on the way- what a sweetheart, huh?
it was- and is- beautiful
this one took a few hours to sort

august 18

2006-08-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

august 18
you can tell i didn't take this picture today because it's august in bc and that means every single day the sky is blue
but
i'm resizing images and still making things for my website
so this is what i made today
a resized seagull picture
(don't bother enlarging it for a closer view... it'll be pixillated)

august 17

2006-08-17T16:11:00.000-07:00

august 17
today i made a mockup for my other website
frickin finally
yes, that's right
i'm doing it in microsoft word
i'm one of those stubborn set in my ways people
you know, the kind that inspired the saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks"
i know how to use word really really well
so i do everything in it
and photoshop
it's pathetic
i know

august 16

2006-08-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

august 16
today i made the bathroom green
(you may notice i'm on quite the little home improvement bender
i'm doing lots normal work too for pinwheel, but this is what i'm most excited about)

unfortunately i went to home hardware to get paint
and didn't know if the dusty rose i was painting over was oil or not
i think deep down in my gut i knew it was oil
but i went home and did an alcohol swab test and reported back to the paint person
she said it was latex, which was exactly what i wanted to hear
but
all you gotta do is scratch
and the dusty rose is back like a bad penny
argh

august 15

2006-08-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

august 15
does unmaking things count as making things?
today i de-shingled part of the house
all by myself

it took way longer than i thought it would
and if you're at all bothered by insect husks
i wouldn't recommend it

august 14

2006-08-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

august 14
ok, you're just getting the raw images because one thing i didn't make was a connection from my computer and scanner to something here in pa
so i'm just cruisin along with programs i only half know how to use on kenny's computer
anyway
today i did the soldering part of the stamp necklaces
i need a lot of practice
just as well this is blurry

august 13

2006-08-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

august 13

the thing i made today was bags of blackberries in the freezer...
the first step of some blackberry something that i guess i'll make soon because our freezer is pretty small

august 12

2006-08-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

august 12
ok, this one is a serious stretch
first of all, i didn't make this at all
second, i especially didn't make it today
but
i did plant the seeds
and i do water them every day i'm here
including today
and i didn't make anything else today because it was a pack up and travel to port alberni day

august 11

2006-08-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

august 11, in the wee hours

operation copper foil

these are just practice ones because you can see the glue on the white ones

coming up next: soldering
i know, i know

so exciting

august 10

2006-08-10T22:34:00.000-07:00

august 10

ok, well, i didn't make the stamp

but i cut the glass and glued it

along with a billion other pieces of glass

and one day this will be a necklace

august 9

2006-08-10T00:04:00.000-07:00

august 9

today i made a new little writeup for the back of my block mounts for pinwheel

i did make some other things that are more interesting, but they're presents for people and these people haven't gotten them yet

...that keeps happening this month and it's annoying me

august 8

2006-08-09T23:54:00.000-07:00

august 8

what am i looking for indeed??

i scrawled this on a piece of paper as i was falling asleep last night

i can remember doing it but i have no idea what it pertains to

sure felt important at the time, though

... oh well

august 5, 6, and 7

2006-08-09T23:48:00.000-07:00

this was a whirlwind weekend at the beginning and then turned into one of the most relazing ones i've had for as long as i can remember

i went to hornby island with ken to help at a children's workshop and made a demo...

a box painted black with stars and little clear beads hanging from fishing line hanging from a piece of wire and glued grass on the bottom and made a stand-up little girl holding a lantern made of straw and a button at a lantern festival...

but then i gave it to a kid to use as an actual box to put things in

then went back up to port alberni and my forgotten digital camera was there but i forgot that i didn't have any batteries for it and the things i made were only take pictureable, not bring home and scannable

so here's something i made on thursday

a little composite of some of the february oneaday photos that i was going to include in my gallery submission but couldn't quite get the way i wanted it to and didn't want to fuss for hours

august 4

2006-08-09T23:47:00.000-07:00

august 4

i made a floor plan for a possible exhibit i'm applying to do

didn't end up using this because the typewriter was too hard to read

you know, another living space of a fictional character

august 3

2006-08-09T23:39:00.000-07:00

august 3- telephone pole, bamboo and part of a plug thing

made this as a demo in the class i was teaching on sculpture

we took apart electronic things and made other things out of them

nobody wanted this copper part (suckers)

i also had wire for the telephone wire but it fell off

i want to make a bunch of them of course

august 2

2006-08-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

august 2

today is a cleaning day

i have piles of flowers in my house in various stages of moisture and dryness

this man i'm gonna marry is amazing

he's given me more flowers than i've ever gotten in the rest of my life combined

and i was thinking today that whenever he does something for me, or i imagine for anyone

he makes it so special and with so much love in it

it's never just "oh, well, you know, i was gonna cook some food anyway so here's some for you"

he puts himself in everything he does

so today these roses seemed dry and ready to move off the counter space

there are other piles of petals i've been collecting that i'd like to post but i don't want the scanner to squish them

i love that i get to spend time with the bouquets when they're blooming and then when they dry

i go really slowly- sometimes it tales me an hour to gather the blooms from just one bouquet

eventually i'm going to do something big with all of them, not sure what yet

but in my opinion plastic sandwich bags have never looked so beautiful

august 1

2006-08-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

august 1, 10:30ish pm

i made this just right now especially for oneaday

i've been making things out of cool old postage stamps

buying them off ebay

some are so so so beautiful

got more in the mail today

here's a little something from the ones i put in the "not gonna use" pile

someone told me it's august

2006-08-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

how does this happen that the month is suddenly over? and last month only did 17 objects...

ok, well, i guess when i started this the whole idea was that it would be influenced by whatever was going on in my life, and this summer has been really busy for me. and i certainly never would have guessed when i started this 7 months ago that by the 8th month i'd be engaged. yup! engaged! geez, 7 months ago i wouldn't have been able to predict that i'd like the thought of being married. but, as they say, when it's right....

so on top of my busy-ness i've also been in a cloudy hazy lovestruck forgetful world. for instance, i just got back from visiting him (he lives in a different city) and realized i forgot my digital camera at his place. that makes things difficult for what i originally was planning for august.

and i'm struggling a bit because i don't want to just post something once a day, i want it to be something i've *done* that day.

but the thing is that i make or create something every day, even if it's just a whipped off demo for one of my classes.

so- august is simple and a bit more wide open. i'm just going to post something i made that day.

wow, that's not what i thought august was going to be when i wrote the subject line! but this makes more sense, and now i have an idea for another month.

item 17

2006-08-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

ok, have to wait for the picture of this one

from jaymee, a girl from my mixed media class last week

i think she's about 12 or 13

we went out to the park to find things to make found object sculptures out of and this was hers

it's not exactly in keeping with the oneaday theme but i really wanted to include it because it's so great

she had a little character, bob, who appeared in a lot of her art

she's sweet and funny

i showed them some robert rauschenberg stuff

and the one he has that's a long print of a tire track made her say

"some people have too much time on their hands"

i have to say

if i was rauschenberg

and a 12 year old told me that

i'd love them forever

item 16

2006-08-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

item 16- a piece of a book that has the listings of all the pharmaceuticals

from shauna

dr. shauna

new dr. shauna :)

she's amazing

i have to say i was surprised how small this book was

a little pocket size one

i don't even know where to begin with my gushing about her

she's sweet and funny and fun and down to earth

so so so humble

beautiful, smart, laughs a lot

is great to go camping or hiking with

always brings along the perfect snack

and tea or wine or something nice

she's so warm

and is an incredible doctor i'm sure

item 15

2006-08-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

item 15- a british pound from daniel

he just got back from, well, england

but more importantly 42 days of walking with his dad and his sister on the camino in spain

you know, that spiritual pilgrimage

daniel's one of those people who's into math for the beauty of it

he's always up for anything

lots of energy, curiosity, excitement

often wears gumboots

and my roommate just told me she thinks he biked to whistler once

but now that she mentions it i think it was the queen charlottes

he also always licks his plate and brings over organic chocolate

and upon further consultation with briana

we've decided to give him full credit for the day the three of us drank cream earl grey, brandy and frozen blueberries

item 14

2006-07-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

item 14

from a chance run-in with my friend shea

i was about to teach an art class at an art store here with a huge art class program and he was in getting some brushes

it's a napkin from having a scone with friends he had just run into at the parsonage

"sitting outside the cafe looking very european"

shea is well known around town for being one of the nicest people in the world

and making pretty paintings and silkscreened shirts

item 12 & 13

2006-07-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

ok, these are other moss st. paint-in items
from megan and amy, the two little girls who lived in the house i was stationed in front of

the way the paint-in works is there are artists who have to get juried for a spot
and then there's all the people who live on moss st
who come out with garage sales, lemonade stands, everything

so the people whose house i was in front of were out having a garage sale
when i got there amy, the younger one, proabably about 7,
showed me these amazing drawings of raccoons she had done the night before
there are raccoons going around in their yard lately getting the cherries from the tree
megan said
"she's named them, apparently, henry and henrietta"

they were wonderful neighbours for the day

item 11

2006-07-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

ok, item 11
from my friend paula
who i haven't seen in probably close to a year
but i happened to see at the moss street paint-in
a big crazy zoo of an event where i had a piece of lawn along with 99 other artists from victoria and the surrounding area
something like 30 000 people come to it
really fun

anyway
paula gave me these two things
one is a lucky yuen her recent trip to japan
and a paint chip- she offered me to choose but i told her to so she gave me both

paula was another laugher
interesting that none of the strangers laughed
but almost all of the people i know who have given something have laughed

she's amazing
joyful, friendly, smart, interesting, with contageous excitement
always willing to help and share when she can

she also told me she just got engaged

which she's wanted for a long time

so we can all wish her a hearty congratulations!