Friday Thoughts

This week went by so quickly! I cannot believe it’s already Friday. I am so ready for the weekend. I can’t wait to sleep until 9 tomorrow. I had a few blog posts planned out in my head for this week, but obviously I never managed to get pen to paper. It was quite the busy week, so finding time just didn’t happen.

One reason for my radio silence, was that I added babysitting on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays to my schedule. I hang out with two really awesome kids on those three afternoons. I really enjoy it, and it’s giving me some extra money to help with these things called bills, but it’s exhausting!

I also spent all my nights this week at the University working on a letterpress project that is due next Wednesday. I haven’t even started printing yet- I’ve just been setting type, sizing my paper, and doing some planning. I’m really excited about it so I hope it turns out as awesome as it is in my head.

This weekend is going to be a busy one as well, but hopefully it’s as awesome as I imagine it could be. I’m definitely going to be working on my letterpress project some more but I also hope to hit up the farmer’s market (possibly for the last time this season), do a little bit of painting or knitting, carve a pumpkin, and find a new book to read. Additionally, I have tentative plans with some new friends (who are a few of Jon’s students- Is that weird?). We’re supposedly going to watch some Disney Halloween movies and make some Mexican fare. If it ends up happening, I’m positive it will be the highlight of my weekend.

Anyway, life is really good. It’s busy and chaotic and full and positively awesome. I feel so much better when I focus on the now, instead of worrying about the future. What are your weekend plans? Any one else going to butcher a pumpkin?

I hope you have a happy weekend no matter how you spend it!

Some Letterpress Love

One of the first few days after our arrival in town, I was hanging out with Jon in the glass studio when an older woman entered. Jon introduced us. As she asked me about my interests, I examined her necklace: an image of Jesus with two sparkly red gems where his eyes would be. My attention returned to her face when she said, “You should sit in on my letterpress class.” Not having a clue what exactly letterpress entailed, I enthusiastically responded affirmatively, because I wanted to get to know the woman who wore such an outlandish necklace. 

In the short time since that day, I’ve learned quite a bit about letterpress, art, and generosity. By allowing me to actively participate in her class, she has made me feel so welcome and so capable. In the past, one of the things with which I struggled, is feeling accepted in Jon’s artistic world; I’m often embarrassed by my lack of experience, talent, and ideas. I’ve not once felt that way being here, and my letterpress friend has been a big reason why.

Before this letterpress class, I had never been to, let alone participated in a College Art School Critique. In our third critique last week, I felt at ease discussing my work and others’ works and I was actually excited to share what I had created. I feel like this class and my friend have helped me to tap into my creative capabilities.

Unlike almost every other craft in which I’ve dabbled, letterpress doesn’t allow for a great deal of spontaneity. It requires a high level of patience, planning, and meticulousness. Despite (or perhaps because of ) the fact I don’t possess those traits in droves, I am inspired by the parameters of letterpress; I am enjoying the push to think and create in a completely different way.

I’m not sure that I’ll pursue letterpress very much after this class ends, but right now I am loving it. I relish having due dates for my creations. Knowing that others are going to be examining and critiquing my work forces me to push myself to create to the best of my abilities.  I know it won’t last forever, but I’m kind of high on letterpress right now.

The Great Pumpkin Sale

Since early September, Jon and his students have been busy making glass pumpkins. This weekend, their efforts culminated in a glass pumpkin sale. I enjoyed hanging out with them as they sold their work to raise money for the student sculpture organization. They ended up making over $10,000 total and at the end of the sale, only 20 pumpkins remained. It was definitely a success! The only damper on the day was the weather; I don’t think it could have been chillier.

One of Jon’s students borrowed my camera for a bit and took some really nice photos. She managed to snag this one of me as I was texting my mom. It might just be my new favorite picture of myself.  My hair got so long!

Jon worked really hard to make this fundraiser happen. He taught his students how to make the pumpkins, spent countless hours making them alongside his students, organized the marketing, and presented the idea to do a sale in the first place. During the sale on Saturday, a customer asked the students about why the sale was happening and how it came to fruition. One student responded, “Well it’s basically because of him,” and casually pointed towards Jon. Needless to say, I remain quite proud.

Thoughts on Aimlessness

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be veterinarian. I loved animals and I couldn’t imagine doing anything other than caring for them. My father even called me Ellie Mae (like the Beverley Hillbilly); I also spoke to the squirrels in our neighborhood. I was passionate about the animal kingdom.

As I got a little bit older, my interests shifted and I dreamed of being a movie star. I acted in the plays in elementary school and sang my heart out in the shower and while laying in bed at night.  I fondly recall my first (and only) standing ovation for playing Yente in Fiddler on the Roof. I was passionate about the stage.

In highschool, as my friends and I were all deciding on colleges and majors, I was drawn to advertising and communications. I dreamed of writing commercials, designing print ads, and developing entire marketing campaigns. I thought it was going to be my future career.

Then, my freshman year of college, I hated my intro to communications class. It was the worst class I had my first semester and the only one I was subsequently doing below my normal standard (which was all A’s). So I did what any thoughtful college freshman would do, and hastily changed my major to psychology.

I did not have a clue what I was going to do when I graduated. I purposely tried not to think about it. I enjoyed the classes in my major- they were interesting. I never declared a minor, but instead took any and every class that interested me. And I had a wonderful college experience because of those choices.

However, here I am, three and half years later, and I’m still not sure what it is I want to do with my life. I’m working at a job that I’m very, very good at, extremely overqualified for and embarrassed to tell people about.  I feel like I’ve gotten stuck in a rut because I’m not sure what it is I want to do with my life.

Fortunately, I have a highly valuable education, lots of knowledge, a good heap of creativity, decent people skills, and a bit of born-with talent. I’m just lacking direction. I don’t know what I want to do or who I want to be; And this world is so big, so scary, and completely overwhelming.

I’ve always been told that I can do anything I set my mind to. (All parents say this to their children).  I just haven’t been able to set my mind to any one thing yet. And I really wish I could.

Influencing the world in a positive way and being happy with who I am and what I do- that’s all I really want. But sometimes that feels like it’s too much to ask.

Our Town

As part of the photography class I took, we went on a field trip through the town I live in, and took photos. I thought I’d share a few of my favorites. The town is really lovely and quaint. Originally, it was a logging town but now it’s primarily a university town, and has quite a few bars. It has beautiful old brick buildings as well.  A few of the stores are vacant, which suggests to me that the economy may have hit a little harder here. Regardless, the town still has a lot to offer. I hope you like these photos as much as I do! Have a great Monday!

200th Post

This is my 200th post. I noticed a few days ago that I was nearing my 200th post and I got kind of excited. It feels like it hasn’t been that long since my 100th post. I feel very lame acknowledging it, but today is also 10/11/12 which I’ve been looking forward to.  Dates that have numerical patterns make me happy. I am already looking forward to my 28th birthday, which is on 12/13/14.

I also like it when the month, day, and year can make a complete mathematical equation.  For example, July 5th was awesome this year; 7+5=12. April 3rd and March 4th were pretty neat this year too, 3 x 4 = 12, 4 x 3 =12.  I do the same thing with license plates while I’m driving, look for patterns. It’s a bit odd, but once I started doing that, I couldn’t stop.

And this 200th post of mine keeps getting more and more lame… But seriously, I’ve put my craziness out there 200 times and I still have people following along. I guess what this long-winded post about how weird I am with numbers should really be saying, is Thanks. Thanks for reading, thanks for commenting, thanks for tolerating my weird and making me want to write 200 more posts. Happy Thursday!

Autumn Manifesto 2012

I guess this manifesto is a little late, considering we’re probably more than halfway through the fall here in Wisconsin. It’s quite cold already, but hopefully that won’t stop me from crossing off everything on my list. You’ll notice that this manifesto is quite a bit shorter than my summer one. I’m the opposite of the majority of people and I prefer the summer to the fall. These goals are also a bit more involved than most of my summer ones.  I’d like to elaborate on them a bit.

Make Soup: I love soup. I have been experimenting with some different kinds of soups and I can’t wait to try even more this fall (and winter). I’d love some suggestions!

Collect Leaves: I’ve been admiring all the beautiful leaves bursting with color here. I’d really like to take a few walks and collect a variety of types and colors and make a collage.

Crochet & knit: It’s chilly already, which has caused my fingers to do some itching to knit and crochet. I’ve started to make a few granny squares, and I’d love to amass enough for a blanket. I also want a new hat, a new scarf, and possibly a sweater. I’m feeling ambitious.

Try Mulled Wine: The other night, a friend was talking about how much they enjoyed mulled wine. I’ve never had it, but it sounds pretty delicious. I’d love to make some to try.

Photograph People: I’d really like to expand my photography comfort zone and learn to photograph people. I figure the only way to do this is experience. Now if only my boyfriend didn’t hate having his picture taken.

Carve Pumpkins: Carving pumpkins has been one of my all time favorite fall activities for basically forever. I’m planning to carve some awesome pumpkins this year.

Make Apple Pie: Jon is allergic to raw apples and I’m not the biggest fan of apple sauce, so I figured I’d better learn to make some really good apple pie. Then the both of us can enjoy the delicious apples, fall provides.

Explore Wisconsin: Since we arrived over a month ago, we haven’t had the opportunity to do too much traveling. We’ve both focused on settling in, but I’m feeling more comfortable now. I hope we can do a bit of exploring some nearby towns and areas before it gets too cold and snowy.

I also forgot to put it in the photo, but I would like to get a library card so I can read some more books. I was on a bit of a reading frenzy but I had to stop because I was spending too much money! I need to start utilizing the public library.

So what are your goals for the fall?

Fall Farmer’s Market

I’ve already mentioned, that one of the things I really love about our town is the farmer’s market. Since we moved here, Jon and I have spent almost every Saturday morning shopping at the farmer’s market. The local organic produce is plentiful and gorgeous.

I figured you wouldn’t mind if I shared a plethora of photos from the market. It’s a daily presence in the town square (but has the most venders on Saturdays). I love strolling through the booths and I take far longer than necessary to pick out the produce I want to buy.

These pictures are a bit different from the ones I shared from Portland’s farmer’s market. The produce available in Wisconsin in October is very different from the produce available in Portland, ME in July. I love all of the different pumpkins that are available, especially the bluish-green ones.

There’s one stand that I stop at every week. This baker brings his wonderful French baked goods, all the way up from Madison (It’s a two-hour drive!). His breads are amazing, but I’ve made it a habit to eat a chocolate croissant every Saturday. They are divine!

One of the most challenging things for me is taking photos of people or in the presence of a bunch of people. I’m trying to break out of my shell a bit and take more photos in public places, as well as more photos of people. I really love candid portraits. I was pretty happy with the ones I got at the market this day.

The only being who knew I was photographing her, was the beauty below. Her name is Mable. We met at the farmers market, and I fell in love immediately. She is quite the ham about having her photograph taken. I was happy to oblige. I really miss Tex, so when I encounter a friendly dog in public, I make sure to get some love.

Sorry for the photo and text heavy post! I’m a little bit in love with the farmers market. I’ll be a very sad girl when it ends for the winter. What produce is in season in your area right now? Happy Monday!

Friday!

I mentioned on Monday that I have a new part-time job.  It’s at a very small local daycare, and I only work mornings. I’m in the room with up to 16 three-year-olds, and one or two other teachers. It’s been a while since I worked in daycare, and I really missed the children, but I’m quickly remembering all of the reasons I left. However, jobs seem pretty scarce, and I’m happy to have this one.

This week has definitely been rough. With my being back at work, my having a project due for my letterpress class, and our hosting a visiting artist (/friend) at our house, things have been pretty stressful. I am so glad that it’s Friday, and I have the entire weekend to look forward to. I’m hoping to take a nice long walk or two and collect an assortment of the beautiful leaves I see everywhere.

I also want to get out with my camera a bit more, and take some photos. I’ve been taking another continuing education, (adult school) Photography class, and I learned a few new things about my camera. It turns out that even though I’ve been shooting in Manual for while, there were a few tricks I could still pick up. I’m quite excited to see the photos that may result from learning these new things.

It’s so wonderful that it’s Friday. I really forgot how wonderful Fridays are, it’s been a few months since I was working! What do you all have planned for the weekend?

Currently

Recovering from a nasty cold…

Eating lots and lots of soup…

Adjusting to a different schedule provided by a new part-time job…

Enjoying the gorgeous autumn foliage that Wisconsin provides…

Admiring the awesome pattern the crack in my cell‘s screen has created…

Spending far too much time making myself chai lattes with fresh ginger…

Missing home a bit more than I’d hoped…

Loving my photography class challenges…

Laughing at my boyfriend’s affinity for homemade applesauce…

Relearning to crochet and loving granny squares…

Yearning to find time to execute all the plans in my head…

What have you been up to?