Today, I woke up feeling like I’d been run over by a team of horses. Not a herd; a team. Because only a team could work together, rallying up the effort and efficiency to run me over with such an unrelentingly brutal force. My nose won’t stop running. I can’t stop sneezing, and my body temperature is fluctuating faster than I can take off my sweater or put on my COAT.
I walked home from dropping off a vehicle early this morning wearing four layers of clothing, topped with a fleece. Others around me were wearing tanks and shorts. They looked a bit chilly, but I still looked rather ridiculous. The point is that I walked home. It took me almost 45 minutes. I wanted to ensure that by the time I got home I’d be so exhausted, there’d be no way I’d be able to stay up to endure the terrible cold that had struck me overnight. In my cold-ey haze, I walked, and walked, and I really saw my neighbourhood. I saw it in a way that you can’t quite grasp when you’re whipping by on a bike. I saw the little stores I wanted to explore. I saw the little bars I wanted to ignore. I saw the bakeries and took note of their opening times. I noted which cafes looked like they’d have free wi-fi. I noted which coin laundries had tempting food options near by. I walked along the bike path and noticed the meticulous planting methods of those who had filled the formerly drab, chain-link fence with creeping vines of Virginia Creeper. I arrived home and promptly passed out in bed for nearly four hours. Had I had the energy to resist the sleep at all, I would have noticed the sound of more than one rush-hour GO-Train going by less than 100 meters away.
I awoke to the sound of my own sneeze. I sneezed IN my sleep. This is a terrible feeling that I wouldn’t wish upon anyone. I endured the fit of sounds that would be emitted from my nose and throat over the following fifteen minutes. Once it passed, I worked up the energy to make myself some eggs and toast. I thought about adding kielbasa and tomatoes, or making a sandwich, but I decided that simple was what my system needed. I realized I hadn’t made myself breakfast in nearly two weeks. It was then that I decided to make the time in the mornings to give myself some sustenance before embarking upon physically taxing days of labour.
I puttered. I put away clothes. I moved my mattress to the other side of the room. I rested on said mattress for nearly fifteen minutes because the act of moving it nearly knocked my entire bank of energy out of me. Finally, I mustered up enough energy to pack all my dirty clothes into a suitcase and make my way to the laundromat. I passed the closest one. It was so close it didn’t feel worth the effort of having to pack for a laundering adventure. I found the one I was looking for, and realized it was right next door to an amazing little coffee shop. Today marks the very first day of their liquor licensicng, and had I felt up to it, I’d have raised a glass to them. They have local art on the walls. They serve real coffee. They offer more than just danishes, donuts, and muffins to snack on. They’re amazing.
Clean clothes, fully belly, I walked home. I passed another team of animals, waiting outside a sports bar. The least pleasant of my neighbourhood experiences, I was asked by more than one of them to come away with them on vacation with my big suitcase. I literally felt leered at. But I walked past and stopped at a little 24hr convencience store to pick up a little milk for my morning tea. He had something that smelt WAY too good not to look at underneath a papertowel. “Columbian empanadas.” Yes please. And yes, I will tell my friends. Tender beef and perfectly mushed potatoes, encrusted by a batter that can only be described as perfectly fried. I will have to prevent myself from eating these every day. They’re that good.
Came across a really cool project that really sparked my interest. It reminds me of a project I read about recently where a young man decided to take a picture of himself every day? week? for the rest of his life. I think it’s called one day at a time or something. Too lazy to look it up. . . yet.
Anyway. Also too lazy to describe this project called Exactitudes, so I am plunking the description from the website. Check it out!
Rotterdam-based photographer Ari Versluis and profiler Ellie Uyttenbroek have worked together since October 1994. Inspired by a shared interest in the striking dress codes of various social groups, they have systematically documented numerous identities over the last 14 years. Rotterdam’s heterogeneous, multicultural street scene remains a major source of inspiration for Ari Versluis and Ellie Uyttenbroek, although since 1998 they have also worked in cities abroad.
They call their series Exactitudes: a contraction of exact and attitude. By registering their subjects in an identical framework, with similar poses and a strictly observed dress code, Versluis and Uyttenbroek provide an almost scientific, anthropological record of people’s attempts to distinguish themselves from others by assuming a group identity. The apparent contradiction between individuality and uniformity is, however, taken to such extremes in their arresting objective-looking photographic viewpoint and stylistic analysis that the artistic aspect clearly dominates the purely documentary element.
Wim van Sinderen, Senior Curator Museum of Photography, The Hague
Some of my favourites:
I also particularly enjoy the game boys, think it’s hilarious that so many of the skaters wear Tommy, am slightly embarassed that how I used to dress in grade five is labelled as preppy, don’t particularly understand the title for these adorable children, and adore the title for these adorable young men.
OH, and I should probably mention that I most definitely have a crush on the majority of these handsome fellas, and these cuties too! AND these early birds!
There’s been four before: Little Bites One, Two, Three & Four
Edition Five is about Crafts & Art.
Etsy – I’m sure most people have already heard of this website, but it is such a great artists community where you can buy and sell homemade art. I’m pretty sure when I have a job again, this site will be the death of my savings account. Favourite thing: can filter results to your local artists! Economic AND Ecological!
Karkovski - This one pulled me in from alphainventions.com. She also links to etsy.com and is evidently quite crafty. She speaks about ikea, but I think that her work is like a more skilled version of ikea toys and artwork. It’s also nice to find a blog where people talk about their kids and it doesn’t feell ike a letter home to grandma.
Hemp Jewellry – I`m so very excited to think about making things out of hemp again! This entry is so cute because the person actually used paint to illustrate the square knot. Most of the time they used photos and words, but I like this one the best. BUT I definitely disagree that you should buy your beads from Wal-Mart. Yuck. Wal-Mart = bad.
When I was informed that someone clicked on thepicture in one of my former posts, I decided to look through their site again. I found the first of this week’s little bites:
Noah Kalina - Apparently some sort of youtube cult star. I have no idea. But I like his work. I especially fell in love with this shot. And I’ve always wanted someone to take a picture of me like this. There is just something incredibly alluring about the anonymity, despite the fact that it is an incredibly respectable nude shot. I love the lighting and the framing and the general sense of ethereal-ness. (word?)
Uke Hunt – Oh my. What a find. My righteous dude stumbled across this video, of Will Smith singing Men In Black with Stefan Raab playing the Ukelele. I loved it. It made me smile on the inside. It made me feel nostalgic of Fresh Prince Days… and it was all-in-all, a great find. So I looked up on the google, and came across this website. Cute.
Other Words for Said - Ever been caught in a conversation that goes something like this? :
Other person: ‘omigod you won’t believe what happend with me and my EX-best friend yesterday’
You: ‘oh yeah? tell me about it!’
Other Person: ‘Well she told me that ____ and I was like ‘_______,’ ‘and then she said ___, and then I said
_____, and then she said _______, and then I was like __________, then she was like _______’?
I’ve started to explore the internet a bit more since my main squeeze introduced me to stumbleupon.
I figure that if anyone is reading me, they should know the sites that I have fallen in love with.
I guess this will be a sort of weekly blogroll that I will update throughout the week.
Red Nose Studio – UNBELIEVABLE talent in carving and puppetry and photography. Truly stunning work.
One Word - What a great idea to get your mind in the mood for more writing. I visit it at least once a week. Sometimes I get anxious and check it too early and end up submitting two entries for one day.
Wesley Burt’s Drawing Samples - These came up randomly in my clicking in the morning and I’m SO happy. It’s refreshing to see real sketching done with pencils or charcoal or other mediums that actually show the brush strokes of the artist. It’s as though you get to experience and understand their proccess a little more. Really great work.
Jerusalem by Matisyahu – I can’t get a link to work to any youtube videos, but this song is worth looking up. It made me very happy.
< baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahah. ok. i put in some links to beautiful art. this is just plain internet stupidity. i like it and i’m not afraid to admit it.
i have a consistent pattern of behaviour. it’s procrastination.
i also have another pattern. that is to change topics instantaneously.
i notice patterns and repetitions when I walk, and I was thinking that to myself when I noticed this:
immediately after I saw this, I turned around and noticed that birds ALSO follow patterns, in that they teach richies that polishing your car and then parking it under a tree is going to result in some repetitively ‘beautiful’ artwork;
no. it doesn’t. but i stand below a sycamore tree. this is my favourite tree. they are basically like mosaic art in nature. without the smashing of old plates or glasses. awesome.
these two are almost exactly the same. it’s called art, okaaaay?
requisite close up angle-ey shot : (A.K.A. ‘detail’ for those who REALLY understand art)
and now i treat you to a shot from above. so you can feel like you’re god of the trees. or tall. whatever you please.
