eyemaker

following a tunnel of glowing lotus flowers transcending space and time

2009-06-30T09:22:00.002-04:00

2009-05-14T14:14:00.001-04:00

orbs

2009-04-26T12:29:00.001-04:00

2009-04-23T15:29:00.003-04:00

i am pretty awesome. i mean LUCKY!

thanks, Monica! thanks, Rachel E. Foster!

i love it!!

Pipe dreams

2009-04-06T13:55:00.005-04:00

Things that I want but that do not exist:

A squirrel print leotard.

Well, that's it actually, just one thing, a leotard with squirrels on it. Or even spandex with squirrels on it and then I can make my own (not likely)... It's hard enough to find any fabric with squirrels on it, and I'm talking real looking squirels here, none of this cartoon, cute, little kid stuff.

Although I found this guy.. he'd look pretty awesome on a leotard.

"Hello there, I am Mr. Squirrel and I am quite professional. Yes I am."

This one is more like what I'm talking about though. Without the nut, of course.

who's a professional?

2009-04-05T22:55:00.003-04:00

it might not look like much but that is progress. i am a taker of action. i even showered and slept less than twelve hours today. i am the winner when no one else is around. (if you were wondering, this just took a little common sense and some plastic.)

I get messages on my phone

2009-03-25T16:26:00.002-04:00

So every once in a while my dad will leave me a gem of a message that I decide is too good to erase. Here is one that he left me while we were on vacation.

more shuttlecock!

2009-03-15T16:16:00.001-04:00

p.s. it's a lamp.
when it stops raining, we'll go outside and play.

kevin bacon enjoys some jason dove now and again

2009-03-05T13:38:00.001-05:00

mustache wednesday

2009-03-04T12:00:00.003-05:00

i was reminded of steve prefontaine today. what does he make you think about?

2009-03-04T11:51:00.002-05:00

this news story just passed along from jo ella:

BC-People-Phil Collins, 2nd Ld-Writethru,0304Singer Phil Collins finds new passion in the AlamoEds: Adds photo link.AP Photo NYET915 SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Singer Phil Collins says his new "mainthing" is the Alamo. Collins, who said he has "hundreds" of cannonballs, documentsand other artifacts from the Alamo, is in San Antonio this week inconjunction with the anniversary of the March 1836 battle of theAlamo. The collector and history buff's most prized item is a receiptsigned by Alamo commander William Barret Travis for 32 head ofcattle used to feed the Alamo defenders. "Basically, now I've stopped being Phil Collins the singer.This has become what I do," he said in an online story Tuesday forthe San Antonio Express-News. His interest began in his youth when he saw actor Fess Parkerportray Davy Crockett. The 58-year-old singer, whose hits include "In the AirTonight" and "One More Night," said he has passed on hisappreciation for the Alamo lore to his five children, especiallyhis youngest sons, ages 4 and 7. "My youngest two, they can identify Travis, Crockett and SantaAnna when they see their pictures," he said. Collins narrated the introduction of a 13-minute "Alamo dioramalight and sound show" at the History Shop by the Alamo. He is scheduled to speak to the Alamo Defenders DescendantsAssociation on Saturday. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) AP-NY-03-04-09 1141EST

She says:

i just thought you should know that in case you get tired of the civil war -- i didn't want you to get your hopes set on having a bunch of cannonballs from the alamo only to have it turn out that phil collins is already hogging them all.

2009-02-24T14:40:00.001-05:00

together at last!

2009-02-18T15:54:00.001-05:00

bag shop

Breezy

2009-02-10T23:09:00.004-05:00

Maybe I would not worry about the authenticity of my life if I lived in a treehouse.

2009-02-09T12:10:00.003-05:00

book out in april '09

more details here and here and here and play around on his flickr page here,

or just snoop dogg his blog here.

Look no further...

2009-02-06T16:28:00.002-05:00

For those of you who can't seem to get up early enough to catch Sesame Street, you can download weekly episodes, free of charge!, to your iTunes.

http://www.sesamestreet.org/podcasts

You're welcome.

His birthday is coming!!

2009-02-04T13:36:00.002-05:00

And the stamps come out next week!

Youngsters may mail their birthday wishes to Mr. Lincoln at the following address:

Abraham Lincoln

Old State Capitol

1 Old State Capitol Plaza

Springfield IL 62701-1507

2009-02-04T10:41:00.002-05:00

walls

Dumb Stuff That Keeps Me Distracted From Work

2009-02-03T15:18:00.003-05:00

My dumb thought today:

While sitting at my desk I reach over and grab my fake Nalgene bottle and start chugging. Immediately I wonder what I look like while drinking this water from a jug that is about as large, if not slightly larger than my face.

The image that pops into mind is hard to describe with words. I will attempt to do so:

Lips taught but apart
Upper lip region not quite covering upper teeth (possibly similar to a baboon showing it's teeth to frighten you)
Tongue levitating inside mouth, not resting on teeth, or bottom of mouth, but hovering there in the middle.

The image is not pretty.. So I look around to see if anyone was watching me.

Phew.. no one was.

I decide to write this blog. In the process I google images that would help to show how ugly I think I might look while I drink water. I googled:

"people drinking water from a nalgene"
"people drinking"
"people drinking water"
"funny people drinking water"

Nothing came up besides an african lady drinking through a reed of some sort into a pool of water, water purifier pump things, nalgene bottles and a white rastafarian holding a glass of water.

I've officially wasted about 20 minutes writing this and it all started with a sip of water.

Curiouser and curiouser: An e-mail from my boss

2009-01-29T11:13:00.002-05:00

I find the action and its contents fascinating, especially the bit about the telegraph machine.

Subject line: Tomorrow - A Limerick

"I'm sorry to cause you sorrow,
But I'll be working from home tomorrow.
Lilly's day care is closed
My wife could stay, I proposed,
But then she threatened to leave and take half my stuff because I do that to her all the time.

The last line needs work...

I will be on e-mail and cell, and am having Western Union install a telegraph machine in our computer room. "

2009-01-27T17:05:00.005-05:00

boots bathing suit dress

welcome to baltimore

2009-01-27T09:49:00.002-05:00

sometimes it's fun to go to work.

2009-01-26T21:32:00.002-05:00

2009-01-26T16:51:00.002-05:00

dress forever 21, doll mimi kirchner

2009-01-26T14:05:00.002-05:00

my kind of shopping cart

2009-01-26T09:45:00.003-05:00

this shopping cart won an award. i would like to add it to my spring garden.

2009-01-26T00:16:00.004-05:00

onesie quilt bra dress

2009-01-22T00:20:00.002-05:00

Babies in tutus make me happy lately.

2009-01-20T16:58:00.003-05:00

2009-01-20T13:35:00.002-05:00

hat umbrella furniture shoe

2009-01-19T22:07:00.007-05:00

shirt bag shoe chair

2008-11-18T22:55:00.002-05:00

new office all to myself. the new view came with it.

beards

2008-11-05T10:25:00.004-05:00

Some natural speculation now about whether Obama will form a cabinet of rivals as Lincoln did. I am not a huge Hillary fan, personally, but I think a diverse team is the best idea nonetheless. All very exciting! Anyway, in poking around and rereading some info about the election of 1860, I came across these letters and they are always a good read.

Oct 15, 1860

Eleven-year-old Grace Bedell wrote this letter to Lincoln just a few weeks before the election:

Hon A B Lincoln...
Dear Sir
My father has just home from the fair and brought home your picture and Mr. Hamlin's. I am a little girl only 11 years old, but want you should be President of the United States very much so I hope you wont think me very bold to write to such a great man as you are. Have you any little girls about as large as I am if so give them my love and tell her to write to me if you cannot answer this letter. I have got 4 brothers and part of them will vote for you any way and if you let your whiskers grow I will try and get the rest of them to vote for you you would look a great deal better for your face is so thin. All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands to vote for you and then you would be President. My father is going to vote for you and if I was a man I would vote for you to but I will try to get every one to vote for you that I can I think that rail fence around your picture makes it look very pretty I have got a little baby sister she is nine weeks old and is just as cunning as can be. When you direct your letter direct to Grace Bedell Westfield Chautauqua County New York.
I must not write any more answer this letter right off Good bye
Grace Bedell

Better still is Lincoln's response!!

Miss Grace Bedell
My dear little Miss
Your very agreeable letter of the 15th is received - I regret the necessity of saying I have no daughters - I have three sons - one seventeen, one nine, and one seven years of age - They, with their mother, constitute my whole family - As to the whiskers, having never worn any, do you not think people would call it a piece of silly affectation if I were to begin it now?
Your very sincere well wisher
A. Lincoln

Oh, how I love him.

Woot, woot, elections!

making history

2008-11-04T22:12:00.005-05:00

i just ate [a possibly record-breaking] 6000 cookies [for Obama!] on this historic evening.

if you are dropping weight from law school overload, this might be the answer for you. these cookies were prepared in 6 stages, corresponding with study breaks during the last few days.

(add sprinkles to the list of happy-life-building-products that eddie's market does not carry.)

shrinky dink ornament night

2008-11-03T00:44:00.003-05:00

if christmas came every payday

2008-10-31T00:08:00.004-04:00

links links links links

october 6, 2008

2008-10-07T08:53:00.003-04:00

telephone wires on old court road

"once you begin watching spiders, you haven't time for much else"

2008-09-12T09:33:00.005-04:00

1. I think we should all take a fieldtrip to this exhibit in Philly on Crumb.

It's there till Dec 7! Any takers??

2. if you get the chance you should listen to the Driveway Moments podcast about E.B. White.
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=93263496&m=93278560
It is a short nice little reflection on Charlotte's Web, AND DID YOU KNOW that E.B. White is just about the sweetest man who ever lived?? When he was being recorded reading the book aloud for the making of the audiobook it took him 17 tries to get through Charlotte's death scene. He just couldn't keep it together! He wrote it, read it a million times, and just could not get through reading that passage out loud without crying. You can listen to him read a chapter here.

Sick of Going Green

2008-09-08T15:04:00.002-04:00

No. 1 Tip for Saving the Earth: Build your own car.
No. 2 Tip for Saving the Earth: Become a Republican. You will be too busy running other people's lives to care anymore. You might also merely decide there is not a problem and the argument is moot.

cleaning out my closet, moving to new apartment!

2008-08-13T13:29:00.001-04:00

more more more san francisco

2008-08-08T10:02:00.002-04:00

saw some more sights

and bought a clock!

another day of street wandering

2008-08-06T20:44:00.003-04:00

still in san francisco. here's my view.today i ventured out to britex fabrics a few blocks from my hotel. it is 4 floors of everythign you could ever want and i may have to go back again tomorrow. i picked up a few fabrics i had my eye on from internet perusing but they had such great trim and notions that i did not get to look through as carefully as i would like.

here's the one jason and i picked out for our shower curtain that i think will now become our bedroom shams instead..
and this woodgrain turquoise i might make bedroom accent pillows out of, because.. you know.. why not.
then this one i just fell in love with when i saw it online and it was cheap enough that i figured i would get a little even though i have no plan for it. maybe i will use as a liner for little fun things like pencil cases and oven mitts.

sfmoma

2008-08-06T13:48:00.002-04:00

2008-08-01T10:20:00.000-04:00

French food in Ellicott City

2008-08-01T10:09:00.001-04:00

This man is making Crepe Suzette.

a pox on your mirrors

2008-07-16T21:51:00.002-04:00

my vote is cast

2008-07-11T14:50:00.001-04:00

the week in review

2008-07-10T16:57:00.002-04:00

record party at work

leads to record shopping with lori.

ah, to be the lady in red. jealous!

need to decide where to send gretchen on her honeymoon for the raffle. sri lanka, switzerland, spain..?

i still haven't rsvpd because i can't make up my mind.

hair is shorter but i am bad with photos.

Decorator Extraordinaire

2008-07-09T12:28:00.002-04:00

In the spirit of cramped Mt. Vernon apartments, here is my wishlist of things I need to make my place look like an adult lives there.

-new floor lamp
-cohesive design theme...most likely vintage...attained by various antiques and tapestry-like pillows and curtains. or very light colored curtains in vintage designs.
-antique desk
-hooked up record player
-cleverly hidden record storage
-dark wood book cases or! those book cases that look like leaning ladders from crate & barrel
-small pictures hanging in large matte frames
-vase
-one prominently displayed floral arrangement
-small, tall bistro table instead of kmart kitchen table
-the couch! what to do about the couch! maybe just throw a revolving series of blankets over it.

i will shove the craft area into the bedroom and not worry about that part yet. oh yes, and of course, i will settle for a headboard, but in my real life, i will take black metal canopy frame. it is not suitable for cramped living adult-impersonating lifestyle.

i would like everyone to know that i now own matching sheets and towels for my master suite.

it seems that i just want furniture from crate&barrel and everything else from anthropologie.

hmph.

talk to us, tinman!

2008-07-04T12:27:00.003-04:00

lori and i might have to start writing fan fiction about this abandoned car in our parking garage. it seems to have a story to tell.

i have not talked to anyone for days

2008-07-03T12:06:00.005-04:00

on her cottage knitting blog, my friend kellie posted a tidbit about a [west elm] console she had her eye on now that she and her hubby ben are getting into the decorating aspect of first-time home-ownership. it's a lovely console, see?

but that got me cursing my apartment anew. for those of you who have not been there, once inside you feel like you part of something very efficient indeed. an ultra-efficient log-cabin-like space hovering all alone on the roof of an otherwise totally normal and somewhat fancy apartment building. [love me some hyphens!] ashley's apt #3 downstairs (and worlds away) is a nice example of how classy and normal the other apartments are with their high ceilings and shiny wood floors and marble fireplaces. mine is about the size of two twin size beds and wood-paneled all around. delightful! it even has a "junior" refrigerator.

ANYWAY, people, my point is that today is rambling day. on that note, i got a lovely little desk chair for my tiny little apartment and it is so cute I must share it. It ships flat and they let you pretend you are so good at things by making you assemble it yourself and bend some metal! they even give you a link so you can watch a giant squirrel assemble it first if you are nervous. i found this comforting, unnecessary, and somewhat entertaining, so here is the link to that demo. this is what my little guy looks like. he's a gem!

and, fair warning, if i feel like i might ever want to post again about my adventures in home decorating in my laughably small apartment, i will.

in other budget-decor news, jason and i found a nice little pianola on the side of the road a few months back that we have no home for just yet but are counting down the days till we can set it up someplace nice. knowing very little about pianos myself, and seeing as so far i am only really able to play the first noel with any kind of identifiable properties and not a single other tune you might know, i was most excited about this particular little heavyweight because there is a switch on the side that lets you play it as a tack piano, all tinkly and fragile sounding. i am all for extra functions! i have already grown bored with the 700 fun frames my camera phone offers and am ready for more toys! if you need some help getting excited about this tack function, listen to some Fiery Furnaces or The Other Side of Summer or So Like Candy from Elvis Costello.. or or or.. To Find a Friend by Tom Petty. I bet there are more, too, people. Jeesh.

so, the piano looks like this, only more homeless.

it came with a million scrolls for the player piano feature too!! who's lucky!?!! meeeee!

backtrack

2008-07-02T15:08:00.003-04:00

perhaps i should have explained more...

this is for gary b's video for 3 horse carousel.

harring was nice enough to mock up how the forced perspective works.

see his rough example here. http://www.redstarkgb.com/chris/forced_perspective.mov

here is mine in its early stages with my mom's bf frank modeling how it will work, sort of.

part 2

2008-07-02T11:57:00.002-04:00

sisyphussing

2008-07-02T11:54:00.001-04:00

Some reading material

2008-06-11T09:44:00.003-04:00

To keep up with the theme of my last post, I've come across this:

Body Position Affects Memory of Events

When we see a familiar face, or even a photo of a favorite car or pet, we're often flooded with memories from our past. Sometimes just seeing a person or object that's similar to the ones in our memory will trigger recollections we never knew we had. Maybe you've had a memory triggered by a scent or the texture of an object. Sometimes emotions such as happiness or anger will spur vivid memories, too...

(click on title of post to be linked to rest of article)

2008-06-04T10:17:00.000-04:00

Smelly stuff

2008-05-30T14:33:00.005-04:00

"When nothing else subsists from the past, after the people are dead, after the things are broken and scattered· the smell and taste of things remain poised a long time, like souls· bearing resiliently, on tiny and almost impalpable drops of their essence, the immense edifice of memory" -Marcel Proust "The Remembrance of Things Past"

Recently I've been somewhat preoccupied with smell and memory. Perhaps it's just one of those times in life, like spring time, when things are more fragrant. I wrote a poem the other day, posted on my lame myspace blog, along the same lines.

I never knew that the sensation of a smell that brings up a past memory is actually called a "Proustian Memory," which I find incredibly fascinating, but also a little dissapointed that it wasn't named a "Hackelian Memory." Alas, I'm not as talented.. and well, kinda late.

From searching online I've found a plethora of material relating to smell and memory. It seems that there are a lot of people besides me that are intrigued by it.

Just today I was walking up the back servant steps at work and someone sprayed Raid. It rememinded me of when I sprayed Raid in the cracks all around my ex's and my kitchen floor. During the hot summer, no AC, the ants would infest the kitchen. The sent of the Raid was one thing, but it was accentuated by the muggy heat of the apartment at the time. Also it was an old house, floor boards creaked, plaster fell off the walls periodically, not unlike the building I work in.

Just think about it.. the smell of your grandmother's house, your old car, your first cologne or perfume, your elementary school, the geraniums in your neighbor's yard ... what else?

modeling

2008-05-08T13:46:00.001-04:00

april14+/-

2008-04-15T16:19:00.001-04:00

spirits dashed; lots left vacant

2008-04-09T10:36:00.003-04:00

whats left of my preschool playground?

2008-04-08T19:07:00.000-04:00

drum costume

2008-04-07T23:38:00.002-04:00

whore queen

2008-04-04T10:27:00.001-04:00

cards were scattered all over in the alley next to my building. i had to look around a bit before I found a face-card. it was worth it.

40E

2008-03-27T12:48:00.001-04:00

check!

2008-03-26T23:21:00.000-04:00

rode horse for first time. check it off the list!

threadlessly

2008-03-26T14:05:00.000-04:00

half-stepping

2008-03-23T22:57:00.007-04:00

one. i am having second thoughts about the color of piping i chose for the next claxtonian pillow. it looks great with the deep green-blue backing that the pillow will have, but maybe it is too close in tone to the gray of the printed side?

two. for peter's pencil case, i will be using this hat i lucked into for free as inspiration. look out!

three. greg, believe it or not, has requested that his laptop sleeve match his ensemble pictured here.

so.. he will get the homoerotic hippy laptop case of his dreams, but it will match only in spirit, not in tone. see? they are actually much bolder colors than it looks like here..

four. i leave you with..
pencils!!

Things I heard at Body Worlds today

2008-03-23T22:41:00.005-04:00

A young boy looking at a skeleton with his parents...
Boy: (pointing to lower half of the skeleton) Is that where pants go?
Dad: Yup
Boy: (pointing to upper half of the skelton) Is that where shirts go?
Dad: Yup

A young boy standing near me looking at a display...
Boy: Is that what my lung looks like?
Me: Yup
Boy: Bleech!

A young boy looking at a body displaying the muscular system with his dad...
Boy: Do we eat that meat?
Dad: You mean do we eat humans? No.

A young boy talking to his Dad, getting ready to leave...
Boy: Hey Dad, guess what?
Dad: What?
Boy: Thanks for taking us here, that's what.

maxes

2008-03-23T13:42:00.001-04:00

substituting camera for booze

2008-03-21T16:29:00.001-04:00

here is a sample of my finest work from last night!

check check check check check

2008-03-21T09:59:00.002-04:00

holy moley!
http://www.archive.org/details/csr004

claxton has a licking problem

2008-03-19T17:22:00.001-04:00

2008-03-19T17:16:00.002-04:00

hrmmm

2008-03-19T17:05:00.002-04:00

I think this is a swell idea, eventhough I don't really know half the people on this thing and they probably don't know me so who cares because I don't care. Right? You know? RIGHT?! hahahahahahaha!! ... haha!

Anyway. Someone really really bored today.

Ashley walked to work today. Ashley facebooked today. Ashley myspaced today. Ashley IM'd today. Ashley worked today. Ashley gmail chatted today. Ashley ate lunch today. Ashley practiced french during lunch today. Ashley facebooked today. Ashley myspaced today. Ashley IM'd today. Ashley worked today. Ashley gmail chatted today. Ashley wrote random boring blogs about nothing today. Ashley walked home from work today.

Ashley essentially did NOTHING TODAY.

Ashley is talking in the 3rd person. Ashley is going crazy.

random sasquatch sighting

2008-03-19T11:29:00.003-04:00

2008-03-19T09:20:00.000-04:00

visiting

2008-03-18T19:35:00.004-04:00

i went to see gina last weekend- this is one of two pictures i took. i don't think gina wants me to post the other one.

reacquaintances

2008-03-18T10:35:00.006-04:00

pillows so far are a snooze a minute.

this time! focusing on! contrasting backs and contrasting piping! and switching up the fabric! no more heavy, stiff cotton duck! lush burgundy corduroy and peachy piping!

mail birds

2008-03-18T10:25:00.000-04:00

birthdays!

We ran.

2008-03-17T10:32:00.004-04:00

2008-03-02T19:11:00.000-05:00

loose lips sink ships

2008-02-09T15:19:00.001-05:00

peace to the earth

2008-01-29T22:13:00.001-05:00

2007-12-15T01:46:00.000-05:00

2007-11-18T18:27:00.001-05:00

2007-11-09T11:13:00.000-05:00

Cocolate Talk of the Rings

2007-11-01T10:48:00.001-04:00

h.jeebies

2007-10-11T17:37:00.000-04:00

this is my new bed.

city that reads

2007-10-02T14:20:00.001-04:00

allergic to things

2007-09-07T14:48:00.001-04:00

#6 - ripped from the headlines

2007-09-05T08:32:00.000-04:00

I encountered a swish (predatory),
In a Belgian roadside lavatory,
Was subject to abuse,
But have no firm excuse,
Such are risks I should know a priori.

#5 - tuesday's early, dirtiest yet

2007-09-03T23:57:00.000-04:00

Should you survey the Isle of Man,
Make a night with the harlot Roxanne,
A true jane-of-all-trades,
She'll your billfold invade,
(But don't we all have to catch-as-snatch-can?)

#4 brand new poopy

2007-09-03T21:11:00.000-04:00

The gray gypsy woman forbid,
Our overseas voyage to Madrid,
Had we trusted that source,
Such to alter our course,
From the belly of that foul, heinous squid.

Buick

2007-09-02T13:13:00.002-04:00

More chrome than my 1972 Scwinn Twinn Deluxe--though they both have rear drum brakes.

9.1.07

2007-09-02T00:43:00.001-04:00

2007-08-31T10:45:00.001-04:00

8.30 photo

2007-08-31T08:37:00.000-04:00

here's yesterday's.

updates!

2007-08-31T08:17:00.001-04:00

forced, ribald limerick #3

2007-08-31T00:01:00.000-04:00

Who could tell what foul fate might transpire,
In the reasonable practice of Empire?
But a cannibal mob,
Spiked my ass (man-kebab?),
On their cruel aboriginal fire.

forced, ribald limerick #2

2007-08-30T09:06:00.000-04:00

The unfeeling Bengalese jury,
Handed my sentence down with great fury,
The registrar of the State,
Mailed my cock (express rate),
To my invalid wife in Missouri.