"Carnivorous Jesus... I need your blood."

Rain spills from the cold, grey sky and I am awakened by a case of the stress lung [i.e. lungs tighten, scary coughing ensues, usually resulting in loss of voice]. My room, pitch black, dances with the colors of my wandering mind, but I wouldn't want to take anything for granted.


All this means is my artistic endeavors have increased in productivity. I've finished two collages in a small sketchbook, and have begun drawing with old black mascara (similar to my attempts at drawing with old black nail polish). They only take me about 20 seconds and the texture is amazing.


I seek pleasure in the little things 'cause that's what really matters. That's what gives life it's color. Amused by a cup of tea, the bloom now floats in a vase on my window sill.


Let the colors inspire you.

All Things Go

Nothing like a brisk 5 mile stroll at 6:30 am on a cool Saturday morning. The sun arose to a dull, overcast landscape, and lacking both sleep and substantial nutrition, I stuffed my green polo T-shirt and khaki pants into a backpack, and scurried out the door to catch my 9 am shift.

Yes, I walked to work. And yes I was late. But I decided to take pictures along the dangerous backroads and partial highway action. Consider this my first installment of many photo experiments to come, and one adventure I hope to NEVER have again.

The cows across from my house.


A large tree in a frozen pond.


Horse farm.


Tiny white house.


Barn doors.


Rt. 99


Up the hill...


Cross the road...


My exit.


Middle of the highway.


Sidewalk's end.

"Being bad-ass as usual."

Wandering downtown with the temperature reading "feels like -6", in the two minutes it took to step out of my car and sift through my wallet for a few quarters to feed the meter, my feet were numb.

It's been far too cold for any adventure, at least that's my excuse for leaving my camera in the car. Though I did finish sewing a camera holder using fabric I unintentionally stole from a college friend, so future excuses are no longer optional. And there is always adventures to be had...

"We're going on an adventure!"

Happy 2010! And it's going to be a productive year. My head is adorned with new ideas and things I hope to accomplish, important things involving travel or trying something new.

And, as always, there is the ever-growing list of projects. A new camera now in my possession inspired a creative brainstorm as I am currently deciding on a pouch design to hold said camera for damage-free transportation.

Earlier, my brother gave me a fantastic suggestion to take a photo adventure every week. A purposeful use for my camera, to not only practice my rather lacking picture-taking skill, but to discover new places and with a more valid excuse.

Challenge accepted.

But first on the agenda is to find some home decor to defer one's focus away from the cracked, peeling paint of my apartment walls.

Let the adventure begin.

"If God isn't a Penn State fan, then why is the sky blue and white?"

I don't know if anyone listens to public radio, but one network aired an episode recently about this year's #1 party school in the country and over 40,000 of my next door neighbors. It's crazy, I don't even go to school anymore and I'm already partying more than ever. Good friends and natty lite are all you need, and you'll think you're in the middle of a Chevy commercial.
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I have been commissioned to recreate a charcoal drawing I did at least 5 years ago. But I look at my newly completed drawing in disgust. The original, which was stolen from me, was better. I remember hating the first one too, but this is just pathetic. Of course, I haven't touched charcoal in the last few years, and then I make my amazing comeback working on not only something I've already done, but something really really stupid.

Oh well. It's not for me which makes all Christmas preparations officially done. I came up with a clever way to wrap the ink cards I did too. I constructed an envelope out of festive tissue paper, and tied metallic ribbon to the inside to close it. The holidays are gonna rock this year. And soon I will see my siblings again, and at the same time too!

"I want change and excitement and to shoot off in all directions myself, like the colored arrows from a Fourth of July rocket."

Ink card project is complete as of today. I did a series of bamboo leaves from different perspectives, changing the picture plane each time. And I started doing another foliage mixing ink with water to highlight the detailed shadows of the leaves. I was planning to draw more, and have two separate sets, but I wouldn't want them too repetitious. Now I'll just need to create a fancy packaging system of which to "give" them for Christmas. I think back to my initial inspiration to this stationary idea... and I don't know whether to feel thankful for the creative motivation, or jaded by the stacks of drawing paper accumulated, decorated in desperate hope, and presently useless. Though I believe I will be using them very soon. There are changes on the horizon and I am convinced. Especially after the past weekend of long, crazy, birthday partying with my amazing co-workers. Nothing like jumping into a jacuzzi at 2 AM in your underwear when it's only 20 degrees.

"I consider the roads not taken and feel moved to quote Frost... but I won't." Perhaps this path is dangerous. And perhaps it is exactly what I need.

"Holy Sh!t it's Christmas"

I know I know... Thanksgiving is in two days, and no one should ever do anything Christmas-y until this righteous holiday is complete. But here I sit, under the illumination of twinkly lights with seasonal melodies caroling from my stereo.

Christmas came early this year, and after being struck ill this week [screw the onions by the way] I had to do something productive, thus the decorating frenzy began.
My Yuletide decor doesn't consist of much - I hung my small glittery stocking next to the crack in the wall. And I created my own window decoration tying a jingle bell to a white beaded necklace.

I am most excited about the lights for some reason... it's festive. After untangling the massive knot accumulated over several years of neglect, only two small strings worked. So I have white lights stretching from the top of my bookcase out into the hallway, then a string of colored lights continues across into my sun porch.

De- wait for it -lightful.