tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179055322024-03-23T11:23:20.097-07:00Naiad Nocturnenotes from a drowning naiadClairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-3901899602885382732009-10-25T20:33:00.000-07:002009-10-25T20:55:48.090-07:00guess what!<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I'M PREGNANT!!!!!!</span><br /><br />that's right. yup, you heard me right. Joseph and I are going to have a baby.<br /><br />The baby will be born sometime around May 15th.<br /><br />I'm hoping for under 9 pounds, but considering my family history, that's unlikely.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-55195328738175524132009-10-16T02:41:00.000-07:002009-10-16T11:42:08.503-07:00homemadeI promised many people a picture of the chairs Joseph and I recovered with the help of my mom and dad. So here they are. They are definitely not perfect and I'm not sure I would ever do this project again since the chairs are still wobbly even though we tried to reinforce them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3pYReK_bhMqQuYc1xt-m6mxo3hs4HTbgHFTZXvbVnlxYdqC6Es1_Twl5_vSRjQ2qMZYwLKlzq4Ac6yyzL-Kq2-9R8EcM4eWw1THupm1BHv7-2UVZ-xMHfDKA-btnTYVs3tXk/s1600-h/IMG_0159.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3pYReK_bhMqQuYc1xt-m6mxo3hs4HTbgHFTZXvbVnlxYdqC6Es1_Twl5_vSRjQ2qMZYwLKlzq4Ac6yyzL-Kq2-9R8EcM4eWw1THupm1BHv7-2UVZ-xMHfDKA-btnTYVs3tXk/s400/IMG_0159.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391519928875487010" border="0" /></a><br /><br />One thing Joseph and I have started doing regularly is baking our own bread. We use the simple no-knead recipe from the New York Times and it is always yummy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibmixdPnQvMAPv4nuuydIN44IVM3FBgBQzMZmQjvLl6TK_8QxyvKZYY9rgYYqX9P4-nx-cRbJYRunDftmetSdO6RHIFkXNUks9HHiyOKr74mGBfDk2GL5h4Tev-zgGM_BcnLL/s1600-h/IMG_1180.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibmixdPnQvMAPv4nuuydIN44IVM3FBgBQzMZmQjvLl6TK_8QxyvKZYY9rgYYqX9P4-nx-cRbJYRunDftmetSdO6RHIFkXNUks9HHiyOKr74mGBfDk2GL5h4Tev-zgGM_BcnLL/s400/IMG_1180.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391519945867021426" border="0" /></a><br />A few times in the summer we took a loaf of bread and had a simple picnic and searched for geocaches around the city.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQ5cQG4CGnrVox7vkXEDFMLibzW7wnqRhOv5dAn5hXrX22DG_PiTNUYEeqiuuu9XGrkv6TfuqGF1N1OkwOAWzo5LhPYDHph24-7MUSPN_nRgwpTZQllfT4USbklqOvcADuVbJ/s1600-h/IMG_1195.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQ5cQG4CGnrVox7vkXEDFMLibzW7wnqRhOv5dAn5hXrX22DG_PiTNUYEeqiuuu9XGrkv6TfuqGF1N1OkwOAWzo5LhPYDHph24-7MUSPN_nRgwpTZQllfT4USbklqOvcADuVbJ/s400/IMG_1195.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391519966097711490" border="0" /></a><br />I've made a lot of treats lately but my fourth of july oreo-esque cookies were the yummiest.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVD-gBrCSYlhpcTsFsnuioOlQ2s1y44hzoqH-2hB7FO1iSodgw48tHB86yE15XGxU-o297yOhpFt6DiZn_8OoRkFiwVdTK8kGLWsxLD7WozeNLJ4FxXgDe2nlUcTTRYozlIHY/s1600-h/IMG_1183.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVD-gBrCSYlhpcTsFsnuioOlQ2s1y44hzoqH-2hB7FO1iSodgw48tHB86yE15XGxU-o297yOhpFt6DiZn_8OoRkFiwVdTK8kGLWsxLD7WozeNLJ4FxXgDe2nlUcTTRYozlIHY/s400/IMG_1183.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391519955572331458" border="0" /></a>The best craft of the summer, however, goes to our new quilt my mom and I sewed while I was visiting at the end of summer.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPQ0NeYBPPzEhPrnuUEGeOm8wQOHanZbFW_xk1MR43HnqvO_pdpPTQjHEF5ffl2xn5YQ1ZXTHDOYRTkSU9wika01-jRiGbY3sv80SCX51YzFz2yQZVZKLn2hdfCi2Us0oAykv/s1600-h/IMG_1198.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPQ0NeYBPPzEhPrnuUEGeOm8wQOHanZbFW_xk1MR43HnqvO_pdpPTQjHEF5ffl2xn5YQ1ZXTHDOYRTkSU9wika01-jRiGbY3sv80SCX51YzFz2yQZVZKLn2hdfCi2Us0oAykv/s400/IMG_1198.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391526104625832994" border="0" /></a>It looks mostly blue in this picture which is misleading. only that corner has blue in it the rest is warm colors. It fades from blue in the bottom left corner to dark pinks and yellow in the top right corner and the two other corners are light pinks, yellows, and greens. I love the fabric, it comes from <a href="http://store.annamariahorner.com/gofofa.html">Anna Marie Horner's Good Folks</a> collection.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-39757645924102341902009-10-06T22:48:00.000-07:002009-10-06T20:23:25.610-07:00San Sebastian/DonostiaMy favorite place in the world is now San Sebastian (Donostia in the Basque language), Spain. It's amazing beauty, rich culture, and laid back feel had such a soothing effect on me. I love that while it was a relaxing place to stay it was also energizing. I would love to rent a house here for a summer sometime in the (distant) future.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">See how beautiful it is:<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENssxVoIIpPYM9yCXhfkIBYHkN87LuES3Y4h1WtlwrpBG8f2q6jHZeLMfXv1kYjPM29QkOxC70GycMDOjWYGxlk89afyF3u2-49Qk5rpIl-GtjslPn6crtG9oXGaTvB-lFmN9/s1600-h/IMG_1144.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENssxVoIIpPYM9yCXhfkIBYHkN87LuES3Y4h1WtlwrpBG8f2q6jHZeLMfXv1kYjPM29QkOxC70GycMDOjWYGxlk89afyF3u2-49Qk5rpIl-GtjslPn6crtG9oXGaTvB-lFmN9/s400/IMG_1144.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355220845040111954" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Joseph and I on the funicular.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhug75mnAu-RWLZELIq9rHx72O3C6nySeneAo9CotHgd-MDCseF5ZCOVW_OJn-RmbvT9Cpp3pyIgBhsmX57cRPjRMOKzn1rnoxjmd7n-9CeSeB763hxExP5zNMq34_DNzA9WBZt/s1600-h/IMG_1142.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhug75mnAu-RWLZELIq9rHx72O3C6nySeneAo9CotHgd-MDCseF5ZCOVW_OJn-RmbvT9Cpp3pyIgBhsmX57cRPjRMOKzn1rnoxjmd7n-9CeSeB763hxExP5zNMq34_DNzA9WBZt/s400/IMG_1142.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355220837715222194" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Me on the beach:<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-WSvfCc3mfPnnuLzZTtGeesUZ5kKYKkcw3WpzLpbW8h6_s1Gx163Zt1FBNyC8fcJnBwa6HBOG_BTU7ueicRxZ28Hg8d4kscd1S_0mfPmoe4bScjmOZbYdX37oZSvHD2mub_k/s1600-h/IMG_1134.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-WSvfCc3mfPnnuLzZTtGeesUZ5kKYKkcw3WpzLpbW8h6_s1Gx163Zt1FBNyC8fcJnBwa6HBOG_BTU7ueicRxZ28Hg8d4kscd1S_0mfPmoe4bScjmOZbYdX37oZSvHD2mub_k/s400/IMG_1134.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355220831986430626" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The church right down the street from our tiny hotel:<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIGVEmjMovPhNPyfAG3LFSbTPI8Kre3BadKLQXVJBKQ4CRfyql2DVz9nLAyffFfkiLwvg67XjSgYJvZbuv_MuMUuoS451epyr0tW0ypNAIVR6EBZQJEg1DO3jGEqSoCt9TMhAo/s1600-h/IMG_1122.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIGVEmjMovPhNPyfAG3LFSbTPI8Kre3BadKLQXVJBKQ4CRfyql2DVz9nLAyffFfkiLwvg67XjSgYJvZbuv_MuMUuoS451epyr0tW0ypNAIVR6EBZQJEg1DO3jGEqSoCt9TMhAo/s400/IMG_1122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355220825649005330" border="0" /></a>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-56378351638891165812009-08-27T20:57:00.004-07:002009-08-27T21:17:59.154-07:00an admonition: wear sunscreenA few of you know that a few months ago I went to a dermatologist to check out a weird mole I had on my face. It turned out to be basal cell skin cancer. Don't worry, that is the less dangerous non-spreading type. On Wednesday, I had <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohs_surgery">Mohs surgery</a> to make sure all the cancer was removed. Luckily they got it all out in one go, but then I had to wait 3 hours until they had time to stitch me back up. That's Canadian health care for you. However, let me be a lesson to you all. Learn from this and, from now on, wear sunscreen. Otherwise you will end up dealing with this:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">(note: this first picture is mild, if you are squeamish about blood, do not scroll down.)<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnY4zStJQU5iDOpXOZs-YR7pziwi54MKCvE8K5DY1uuxAN9eFfPu3bP9boBGCKYHpweMRkKoH6dbAGfes_NNy2nuO78q_wAGsGc8CTgYCKBv0q-_0uLSTFLUcvQ1aUz95km1R/s1600-h/IMG_1206.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnY4zStJQU5iDOpXOZs-YR7pziwi54MKCvE8K5DY1uuxAN9eFfPu3bP9boBGCKYHpweMRkKoH6dbAGfes_NNy2nuO78q_wAGsGc8CTgYCKBv0q-_0uLSTFLUcvQ1aUz95km1R/s400/IMG_1206.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374861298838794338" border="0" /></a>This first picture shows the swelling I am dealing with and a bit of bruising. It looks more mild in the picture than it actually is. See how the corner of my eye is enveloped in massive bulges, yeah, thats not normal.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHKciISqGL7k3So6Epucs_eb7_C-beCHF3DI0HIbJRr2Kb7FvKQdqG4GzNGr8yIlwXucezSfWxr3mmqlgtwRbY7uJdLTvHQ5tHmf7jjSLsLOn4JvhkT3h7voye1PBHyXnZAOn/s1600-h/IMG_1208.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHKciISqGL7k3So6Epucs_eb7_C-beCHF3DI0HIbJRr2Kb7FvKQdqG4GzNGr8yIlwXucezSfWxr3mmqlgtwRbY7uJdLTvHQ5tHmf7jjSLsLOn4JvhkT3h7voye1PBHyXnZAOn/s400/IMG_1208.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374861307757052626" border="0" /></a>This is the wound in all its glory. You can see the large blue suture at the bottom and there are smaller dissolving stitches underneath the surface. They could not stitch the whole thing up because of where the incision is located; stitching it up would have left really ugly ridges of skin. This way the scar will be smooth. <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Jg_9CZcosks5ChEQcSsq-GIDmOWtXz__As8Rm1nIZ3YqcyikxJ_Shp2kvAMf88S6NtPVGeCXjdlZ4GT6dmG5TKz-clluZWAcvwk0PPaqyupQ2dHkGNYZ0M5uZyAwfCZXuSw7/s1600-h/IMG_1209.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Jg_9CZcosks5ChEQcSsq-GIDmOWtXz__As8Rm1nIZ3YqcyikxJ_Shp2kvAMf88S6NtPVGeCXjdlZ4GT6dmG5TKz-clluZWAcvwk0PPaqyupQ2dHkGNYZ0M5uZyAwfCZXuSw7/s400/IMG_1209.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374859952159461682" border="0" /></a>And, lastly, here is a good close up. Sure makes you want to slather your face in sunscreen, doesn't it?<br />Good. My job here is done. <br /></div>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-57780352676764796362009-06-26T20:55:00.007-07:002009-06-28T21:03:03.868-07:00Spain, the last dayI decided to start with the last day of our trip to Spain and work backwards from there, because I'm crazy like that.<br /><br />Last day in Spain: Bilbao.<br /><br />We arrived in Bilbao in the late morning on a bus from San Sebastian. We left that same night on an over-night bus to Madrid.<br /><br />Our first, and really our only important stop, in Bilbao was the famous Guggenheim Museum. We actually went to the cafe first because the beautiful bus ride through the Basque countryside left us a bit peckish. We had an amazing slice of quiche that involved spinach and pine nuts.<br /><br />We then commenced our tour and I have to say that the Guggenheim has the best <span style="font-style: italic;">free</span> audio tour I have ever had. You just dialed in the numbers posted next to the artwork and listen to an explanation of the work and sometimes listen to the artist talk about his or her work - fabulous!<br />There was also some audio tracks about the amazing building itself.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjiqg8LSp8OzcmOkG0zdKSBRyuK1ZhQ5eHeF1eKRihyphenhyphenq3uHlLRmZgSvNjOQw93_kw4NlIc3kjbsAI1eqKBsVxhfZkxMMkISXXVEQorZLXoZU70mVN41Fot21Rfb-z7od_tfwUH/s1600-h/IMG_1163.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjiqg8LSp8OzcmOkG0zdKSBRyuK1ZhQ5eHeF1eKRihyphenhyphenq3uHlLRmZgSvNjOQw93_kw4NlIc3kjbsAI1eqKBsVxhfZkxMMkISXXVEQorZLXoZU70mVN41Fot21Rfb-z7od_tfwUH/s400/IMG_1163.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351853240614459058" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAaaF2X2epYeJsrC2PdWIQxKK3f2iQ4BTXDhdVk50YwB-d4V1DrhJX-IZqlUdiSNqntZncAw_hay2hB094zvVXFfuuk_p3HrcqLwz8vUl-cxo67C3ZANg6eXnfQJriXpblPyxa/s1600-h/IMG_1165.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAaaF2X2epYeJsrC2PdWIQxKK3f2iQ4BTXDhdVk50YwB-d4V1DrhJX-IZqlUdiSNqntZncAw_hay2hB094zvVXFfuuk_p3HrcqLwz8vUl-cxo67C3ZANg6eXnfQJriXpblPyxa/s400/IMG_1165.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351851957822531154" border="0" /></a>As you can see it is an amazing place. The second photo also shows one of my favorite pieces: a huge metal spider called "Maman" by Louise Bourgeois. There are a few other Mamans scattered around the globe and I hope that we will see the Ottawa one sometime while we are living here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6DvFeBKM9VbkC5A9X-94KWrc9d9B9oD9e4yynV-8y43Z4MaQbl-pQz4f_ADuH6kgaDFuN4MHNgm3XyIq5a-XHc9hpchQBA3Ez-Bg5xDFIlW7qBFik_za1d0tB8uOgG-ujhnlW/s1600-h/IMG_1159.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6DvFeBKM9VbkC5A9X-94KWrc9d9B9oD9e4yynV-8y43Z4MaQbl-pQz4f_ADuH6kgaDFuN4MHNgm3XyIq5a-XHc9hpchQBA3Ez-Bg5xDFIlW7qBFik_za1d0tB8uOgG-ujhnlW/s400/IMG_1159.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351853233109338274" border="0" /></a>This picture is of some sweet nostalgic graffiti. While it is not a part of the museum, I was standing on the patio of the museum when I took this picture.<br /><br />After perusing the museum for hours. We took a stroll along the river, drank some famous Spanish hot chocolate and ate a waffle, and wandered around the old town area. This was a beautiful balcony in the old town:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnO8IXGKR0b_fyTC4fbBid16UAftP5judCX2fC17_Y2-01KZ1hwfPc4M_VRgc3ZTFCLHZ5zt1ILsJuxcmeRL5S0ayQN1ZlKRRAlpxzcKqTSNVA6-PMGuW3mozlAwutpJ_cAWE/s1600-h/IMG_1167.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnO8IXGKR0b_fyTC4fbBid16UAftP5judCX2fC17_Y2-01KZ1hwfPc4M_VRgc3ZTFCLHZ5zt1ILsJuxcmeRL5S0ayQN1ZlKRRAlpxzcKqTSNVA6-PMGuW3mozlAwutpJ_cAWE/s400/IMG_1167.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351853241703208722" border="0" /></a>After our walk we continued to walk around the city seeing some really cool bridges, a nice opera house, and even saw part of mass in a small church (it was Sunday), but we could not find a place to eat and finally ate at a Chinese restaurant near the bus depot. It was pretty yummy and our pineapple chicken dish came served in a hollowed out pineapple, which was pretty awesome.<br /><br />While I liked Bilbao, and its beautiful setting in the green hills, it just didn't wow me like San Sebastian did. However, the museum was worth the trip.<br /><br />Stay tuned for the next segment: San Sebastian.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-87034858819612555512009-04-22T14:49:00.002-07:002009-04-22T14:53:05.213-07:00To Dowash kitchen and bathroom rugs<br />clean kitchen thoroughly<br />rearrange furniture<br />buy containers for closet storage/food storage<br />clean off patio<br />make yummy organic meals full of fresh veggies<br />workout much more<br />plan trip to Spain<br />figure out finances<br />and find a new job<br /><br />life is a strange mix of boredom and stressClairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-60726038737274851892009-04-15T14:47:00.001-07:002009-04-15T15:02:50.414-07:00story fragment...Composing came easily now—music flowed out of her dreams and pooled in little ponds on the staffs of her notebook. O resented the flow of sound that she could not control—it was no longer her music, it was someone else’s, it was the voice’s music, her damned muse’s. Her life took on a pattern, she woke up, convinced herself that today would be a normal day, but it never was normal. She would either stub her toe, fall down flat, space out for hours, almost drown, alienate all those who tried to talk to her or, on the days the visions left her alone, she felt the dread and spent the day imagining what would happen if she left reality during dinner with an old friend, while crossing the road, driving her car, or chopping vegetables for her mother’s favorite gratin. Slowly, methodically, O stopped crossing roads, riding her bike, crossing the bridge, or any other activity that could be deemed dangerous to someone whose hold on her mental life was as shaky as hers.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-53276036228653041472009-03-27T07:03:00.002-07:002009-03-27T07:07:39.819-07:00quotidian inspiration 4This video from <a href="http://www.jem-music.net/">Jem</a> made me dizzy when I watch it the first time. However, after they explained how they made the video, I was floored and watched it three more times. Make sure you watch to the end so that you too will know the secret.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8XDxhDbtDak&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8XDxhDbtDak&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-2168802959807412802009-03-02T16:39:00.003-07:002009-03-02T16:56:07.138-07:00ear artYes, you heard right. Ear art. Art that depicts an ear.<br /><br />A few weeks ago I suddenly got the desire to do a collage piece depicting an ear. I thought that my inspiration channel in my brain was really looking for anything to amuse me with, but I heeded the call and sat down to make an ear.<br /><br />I used a tiny wood block that Joseph bought me for my birthday, so this one is dedicated to him.<br />Here is my ear piece:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjKX5uLeaJ_iJe-KeMGPIWE5xgn9d_fi6ndDO_XBn45oCYStt53FGQRGrR2SbN6nHOwNamaDQMMw4Ngawq83q1sPG5HwgbEamIcKE3nbn74r17bo9hr3oeUHDM34pxtYJdNi0/s1600-h/IMG_0164.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjKX5uLeaJ_iJe-KeMGPIWE5xgn9d_fi6ndDO_XBn45oCYStt53FGQRGrR2SbN6nHOwNamaDQMMw4Ngawq83q1sPG5HwgbEamIcKE3nbn74r17bo9hr3oeUHDM34pxtYJdNi0/s400/IMG_0164.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308742233609671554" border="0" /></a><br />Personally, I like that you can still see the wood grain through the paint.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSPEliDluziBxHLewz-asUYKqPA9noC3oYjq2idS8ivXCfdJrHyK0rThmxeX7kH1Nm0XEfd-G1gg5QnKrc0EGYfh5CKRKf1r-uElKFyAzlUN8xuAMoo62fwsPsFoa-NsDw7xm/s1600-h/IMG_0169.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 322px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSPEliDluziBxHLewz-asUYKqPA9noC3oYjq2idS8ivXCfdJrHyK0rThmxeX7kH1Nm0XEfd-G1gg5QnKrc0EGYfh5CKRKf1r-uElKFyAzlUN8xuAMoo62fwsPsFoa-NsDw7xm/s400/IMG_0169.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308742229631370482" border="0" /></a><br />I was listening to some beautiful music at the time and that is where the swirling lines come in. However, when I look at it, it seems like the lines are coming out of the ear, like wind passing from in one side and out the other.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-24088249063088576212009-02-27T00:12:00.004-07:002009-02-27T00:47:32.087-07:00quotidian inspiration 3empty space<br /><br /><br /><br />can be really beautiful<br /><br />in art it can take your breath away<br /><br /><br /><br />in poetry it could make<br /><br />all the difference<br /><br /><br />I'm inspired by empty, or seemingly empty, spaces. Here are a few pictures from around my house that capture empty spaces.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfAQvPqxFBI4P42EcieXK0blkAUzuGVEaY4tIZmTHDio3wxrtApcqoBP2FzDD9gJR_iU9SZEKkdescTvobrEJfznQkTThd-bOcjBAKrdLm2jA6M2qGvJQ3ErWZCJAc25J3Xfww/s1600-h/IMG_0056.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfAQvPqxFBI4P42EcieXK0blkAUzuGVEaY4tIZmTHDio3wxrtApcqoBP2FzDD9gJR_iU9SZEKkdescTvobrEJfznQkTThd-bOcjBAKrdLm2jA6M2qGvJQ3ErWZCJAc25J3Xfww/s400/IMG_0056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307377256248341890" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3z3v7JqP6x9BsSe1Om5SSSnUH0HFbV3R0VjnzhFH9ViNOYqb4_42vdF1-rGT87bsVzLE-PjtAkf1Co3GTjP5QxFc-7d_LEiu0BSeQF59IQvU4JQyzFp9NFGcD3rDOHlXSmel4/s1600-h/IMG_0055.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3z3v7JqP6x9BsSe1Om5SSSnUH0HFbV3R0VjnzhFH9ViNOYqb4_42vdF1-rGT87bsVzLE-PjtAkf1Co3GTjP5QxFc-7d_LEiu0BSeQF59IQvU4JQyzFp9NFGcD3rDOHlXSmel4/s400/IMG_0055.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307377254854327922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0x3thiDoi3vwDHjquiDyGHrDrdRFTeWvcLituEBSED7RPI6lZrBwYo7qpY45ZS908SFzw6XMz2yxDGcZ8bk4znFGeHv8d9Eg01LEAEMidb_unZcR2h3RmZ-Qp3rFjp4p5MO-/s1600-h/IMG_0040.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0x3thiDoi3vwDHjquiDyGHrDrdRFTeWvcLituEBSED7RPI6lZrBwYo7qpY45ZS908SFzw6XMz2yxDGcZ8bk4znFGeHv8d9Eg01LEAEMidb_unZcR2h3RmZ-Qp3rFjp4p5MO-/s400/IMG_0040.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307377251584906114" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbY5hi-Dpf9JFo_Xj__iE_QbggbpaPirTmwyD5kt7uzTxGoueS6vGoRIB-1orX-lBn1HsbF_-LB9_cYA9xa1lN_D_zsINYbziB5fsz1hDiRcaB3rP8N9990FJPkKvP1XFNXOLJ/s1600-h/IMG_0035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbY5hi-Dpf9JFo_Xj__iE_QbggbpaPirTmwyD5kt7uzTxGoueS6vGoRIB-1orX-lBn1HsbF_-LB9_cYA9xa1lN_D_zsINYbziB5fsz1hDiRcaB3rP8N9990FJPkKvP1XFNXOLJ/s400/IMG_0035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307377245246480258" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Before you go, I have one more inspiration for you. This music video has been on my mind for about 2 weeks - a good indication that it inspires me.<br /><br />Her Morning Elegance by Oren Lavie:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2_HXUhShhmY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2_HXUhShhmY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />Enjoy.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-27718006033515072532009-02-25T22:23:00.003-07:002009-02-25T23:03:39.787-07:00circus artI made two companion paintings for my aunts. They were meant to match each other and both featured a circus animal, two figures (representing my aunts), and a circus tent. The first one was finished in November, but I forgot to take pictures of it before I sent it off. It featured a large elephant and the two figures were running up a hill to a large circus tent.<br /><br />The second one was completed only a few weeks ago.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrAC1Bt_ujxPxBDLYEGEL2DmvTpBs2bMP33gtnB9ee0ieX-3_IjyH_CHuUsxgh810iKXJY8B72GsXK_L4lTU_bo4jJu7yWB6nfGGRyzqxukmNYyHaj1ZIH6vX6jmFRYbZsl9Y/s1600-h/IMG_0093.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 342px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrAC1Bt_ujxPxBDLYEGEL2DmvTpBs2bMP33gtnB9ee0ieX-3_IjyH_CHuUsxgh810iKXJY8B72GsXK_L4lTU_bo4jJu7yWB6nfGGRyzqxukmNYyHaj1ZIH6vX6jmFRYbZsl9Y/s400/IMG_0093.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306981762146243426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fBPVrlvXa2DMvihlC9nccqREHc5wjHTG6_AbhYNYPIcpBS-yspywXJ-jaz73dhp_mxbqEoJ30iSYpzMRMLPyJRL6c3y66q6BcQmwOp2wcNVuY-OqXs6NXYaW_WIItdUDmaYK/s1600-h/IMG_0097.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fBPVrlvXa2DMvihlC9nccqREHc5wjHTG6_AbhYNYPIcpBS-yspywXJ-jaz73dhp_mxbqEoJ30iSYpzMRMLPyJRL6c3y66q6BcQmwOp2wcNVuY-OqXs6NXYaW_WIItdUDmaYK/s400/IMG_0097.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306981769108661986" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_gv43agMynmSZEilbSlHQbd1xXyyLrJ1dnMgTYPwYwNRXeEeFa3gO4wOZYzamlriWGUoR6BLex9ydo8K36VyHIulL5QLbA3Qg3Lm3diPqAHCiyee0lMMWBE0Vh7eE_WUYcIaY/s1600-h/IMG_0099.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 289px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_gv43agMynmSZEilbSlHQbd1xXyyLrJ1dnMgTYPwYwNRXeEeFa3gO4wOZYzamlriWGUoR6BLex9ydo8K36VyHIulL5QLbA3Qg3Lm3diPqAHCiyee0lMMWBE0Vh7eE_WUYcIaY/s400/IMG_0099.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306981775994244482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwugf982J0AoxI8Rqg9qE-yr3zJ_HBREoxAhF1HAK3dkVsZJHRvwJkYWX5at8weeu4T6w4VPJsZkYRQvaBLQZof8lX94F2GH1f8g62DNQzWjV3g3hul57JYd_3G3_KNj3ahGv/s1600-h/IMG_0098.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwugf982J0AoxI8Rqg9qE-yr3zJ_HBREoxAhF1HAK3dkVsZJHRvwJkYWX5at8weeu4T6w4VPJsZkYRQvaBLQZof8lX94F2GH1f8g62DNQzWjV3g3hul57JYd_3G3_KNj3ahGv/s400/IMG_0098.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306981781253535090" border="0" /></a><br />The backgrounds are painted on a 6x8 canvas board, all the figures are collaged from papers with some charcoal, and the lion's mane is made from string.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-61701380953057651252009-02-22T20:58:00.004-07:002009-02-22T21:07:04.728-07:00quotidian inspiration 2Sometimes, it is important to stop and look around you for inspiration. It might be as simple as looking around your own home. There is a reason we decorate the way we do and a reason why we surround ourselves with certain objects, textures, and colors.<br /><br />Today I'll share two pictures of our bedroom, which is actually not fully decorated. There is only one side table and our mirror is not yet hanging on the wall, and a beautiful Turkish quilt has not yet been hung on the wall opposite our bed. However, I am inspired by our bedroom partially because it is unfinished and partly because I love the combination of grey and orange. It is a place of love and a place of dreams, and that is what inspires me today.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxewHolZdrENLNQJj-TIhY1zrZq5CXuqcuHanYUrmw8tULcWZgMu9fG_DBo_FM9eSGcMwl_riv7Kyd7RRkLnkPR-lpe2zgil3diSUGPYg39aK-oo2AFeD9ppGW1RlF4hksonA9/s1600-h/IMG_0123.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxewHolZdrENLNQJj-TIhY1zrZq5CXuqcuHanYUrmw8tULcWZgMu9fG_DBo_FM9eSGcMwl_riv7Kyd7RRkLnkPR-lpe2zgil3diSUGPYg39aK-oo2AFeD9ppGW1RlF4hksonA9/s400/IMG_0123.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305838842538352386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4rrPDTNMzH6PcSojpB2OBhAv6TvTDKAugcGUo6euziY7VBYdcGxNYqSo3KMepzYfP9-ii1ijzMoetMN84KJ8o5ns9hH6T1i1Etm3bjwpoZpa3iB-2by6bz2uxX0cb4q12YUz/s1600-h/IMG_0122.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 316px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4rrPDTNMzH6PcSojpB2OBhAv6TvTDKAugcGUo6euziY7VBYdcGxNYqSo3KMepzYfP9-ii1ijzMoetMN84KJ8o5ns9hH6T1i1Etm3bjwpoZpa3iB-2by6bz2uxX0cb4q12YUz/s400/IMG_0122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305838837058332626" border="0" /></a>(Sorry about the weird lighting in the second picture)Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-59636814055492539132009-02-13T20:25:00.003-07:002009-02-13T20:54:10.926-07:00birthdayI am officially a quarter of a century old (as of a month ago)! This birthday was great, but it was also difficult. I don't think I've ever had one of those birthdays that made me really think about what I'm doing with my life. That could be because this is the first year I have not been in school since I was 5.<br />However, the birthday was, overall, awesome. First, my mom sent me flowers:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDit0KtAt3zDrBI91t2eF4AYegZ-tN_mDXw7v1cfL7VNt_w5HRbaciuqcqOn6O_9o_UjfasGwR_3H-6-I9GkhoIQfVA6IabkSlH6MHRW_NjKEw-QAYq4c-uCusN8sFB8w9VaZF/s1600-h/IMG_0026.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDit0KtAt3zDrBI91t2eF4AYegZ-tN_mDXw7v1cfL7VNt_w5HRbaciuqcqOn6O_9o_UjfasGwR_3H-6-I9GkhoIQfVA6IabkSlH6MHRW_NjKEw-QAYq4c-uCusN8sFB8w9VaZF/s400/IMG_0026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302491511042969794" border="0" /></a><br />Then Joseph came home from school with roses and a cute little cake from a bakery called <a href="http://www.flourstudio.com/flour/index.html">Flour</a>. It was so adorable and very yummy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGqFS_Cdm3srh_2EuJnARa7Dt0Nh_unLKmLQ57IRVkuyww_7YLy1JNs0gAtEW6_EHr1Y57U0Ll6NfeC5M0I9oIKraUaIi4jkhLx2cRlf5vdCcJDEiCPQAmkBHoDMAjgnkfJx0/s1600-h/IMG_0044.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGqFS_Cdm3srh_2EuJnARa7Dt0Nh_unLKmLQ57IRVkuyww_7YLy1JNs0gAtEW6_EHr1Y57U0Ll6NfeC5M0I9oIKraUaIi4jkhLx2cRlf5vdCcJDEiCPQAmkBHoDMAjgnkfJx0/s400/IMG_0044.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302491520458813378" border="0" /></a><br />I loved it:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2IxqRc1o0NHGo1fCfw0IM4HB0lZB0hkmQhlQ4GQHv3WV6njcRtrAbh9oVkn5fK6ZXtfZm3OiCIIAmF-qOkRLnaqBXxwyraxxcSMtPyJcFDsvwHGG0qKCbiXPh66riVZo3JkK/s1600-h/IMG_0043.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2IxqRc1o0NHGo1fCfw0IM4HB0lZB0hkmQhlQ4GQHv3WV6njcRtrAbh9oVkn5fK6ZXtfZm3OiCIIAmF-qOkRLnaqBXxwyraxxcSMtPyJcFDsvwHGG0qKCbiXPh66riVZo3JkK/s400/IMG_0043.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302491520220822018" border="0" /></a><br />After a nice dinner at a near by Indian restaurant, Joseph took me to an art supplies store and let me pick out some stuff for my birthday gift. It was a great idea because Joseph doesn't like picking out gifts and I love art supplies!<br /><br />I also received daffodils from my visiting teachers:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nFgZ9MLuIEFHuS_dJOTdUCiNJn9Jzu2-ohPJPByOQLtmE5IwNnqLoQyEfkXwwwzR32gvZWTRJRZzCfigsv5xHNdclL9DFkttUBMZVWYhqhixeDpepWjc6vM052mTFaMmwjd8/s1600-h/IMG_0084.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nFgZ9MLuIEFHuS_dJOTdUCiNJn9Jzu2-ohPJPByOQLtmE5IwNnqLoQyEfkXwwwzR32gvZWTRJRZzCfigsv5xHNdclL9DFkttUBMZVWYhqhixeDpepWjc6vM052mTFaMmwjd8/s400/IMG_0084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302491525437099074" border="0" /></a><br />Definitely a good birthday!Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-81854523918755684422009-02-11T23:03:00.003-07:002009-02-11T23:48:00.595-07:00a quotidian inspiration 1There are many things that inspire me about daily life, like how simple things smell, taste, feel. I don't know what inspires you, but I'm going to post some random things that for some reason spoke to me on that particular day.<br /><br />Today, I will post two things.<br /><br />First, there is the beauty of a cooking egg:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTsJdiE3k0Farh2BniNdMMSwQX7h3OpklJdjuy6tkLFWSOad3zraNysIIBjv0dcIyvlsGlqwMoBkK9m8Q3dw8N3Hav6ktxBaF8j0fzmsfWEwhrC2-r8cm7Yjfge_zT9nFgdJo/s1600-h/IMG_0049.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTsJdiE3k0Farh2BniNdMMSwQX7h3OpklJdjuy6tkLFWSOad3zraNysIIBjv0dcIyvlsGlqwMoBkK9m8Q3dw8N3Hav6ktxBaF8j0fzmsfWEwhrC2-r8cm7Yjfge_zT9nFgdJo/s400/IMG_0049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301790120129840882" border="0" /></a><br />I love the shapes that the whites make and the beautiful yellow color of the yolk. Mmmm, and the smell....mmm....and the taste of a perfectly cooked egg...mmm. Serious inspiration right there.<br /><br />The next inspiration that I will share is a wonderful song and even more wonderful video by Goldfrapp.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/So93Iny2HWI&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/So93Iny2HWI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />This video has the power to cheer me up no matter what.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-85552204286705419392009-02-10T23:54:00.005-07:002009-02-11T00:43:59.072-07:00artit has been awhile, again. sorry.<br /><br />i'm back and I want to share some art projects I have been working on. Here is the painting I'm currently working on.<br /><br />This is it in the first stages (well the first stage I photographed at least):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkl6cuMSig8MuGnvfAkTSBeGqvV5cNCjeXqWKw31EdrafA0aZWghR4G-9SsWeOeTEETpPDbI4c5u3MOHZXp4d6kECfwnXGEsAUuJdfjkTerPp857Hxpy0pJpqxe9FWl6CtwmF-/s1600-h/IMG_0089.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 357px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkl6cuMSig8MuGnvfAkTSBeGqvV5cNCjeXqWKw31EdrafA0aZWghR4G-9SsWeOeTEETpPDbI4c5u3MOHZXp4d6kECfwnXGEsAUuJdfjkTerPp857Hxpy0pJpqxe9FWl6CtwmF-/s400/IMG_0089.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301431446707244434" border="0" /></a><br />it is now a bit further along:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaPoCSw7RsVg2ERSaO1rxDhylmHDR_H3scrX7q9OBz_B03YM0wo5CVZTsNZb_1e1PHiQIDtTZpRAqNhnxjixPdV7fyC-SVNQ81SxrIqQ5lvPxYHNMrAFQEiRs5l4YeKTE__rt/s1600-h/IMG_0113.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaPoCSw7RsVg2ERSaO1rxDhylmHDR_H3scrX7q9OBz_B03YM0wo5CVZTsNZb_1e1PHiQIDtTZpRAqNhnxjixPdV7fyC-SVNQ81SxrIqQ5lvPxYHNMrAFQEiRs5l4YeKTE__rt/s400/IMG_0113.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301440544805799586" border="0" /></a><br />it feels really good to be painting again.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-19783674034427610032008-10-07T09:45:00.007-07:002008-10-08T09:19:50.131-07:00toronto wanderingsWe have been here in Toronto for a month now. Joseph likes his program, but the only job I have managed to get is a retail job, but I guess it will pay the bills for now.<br /><br />But, enough of the serious stuff. Let's talk about fun things we are doing. We don't have much money so fun things are a bit limited. However, we are up for the challenge. Tonight, we got student tickets to the dress rehearsal of the opera <span style="font-style: italic;">War and Peace </span>by<span style="font-size:100%;"> Prokofiev</span>. While the staging lacked some pizazz and some of the singers were just marking (singing at half voice), it was still very well done and I especially like the second half dealing with the war. I found that ironic since while reading <span style="font-style: italic;">War and Peace</span> with Joseph, it was the peace time sections that I liked the best.<br /><br />Okay, this is boring you. No, no, don't disagree, I can tell by how you are reading this. Fine, I'll just move on to something that has pictures to accompany it.<br /><br />Last week, Joseph and I went to the <a href="http://www.thewordonthestreet.ca/toronto/home.asp">Word on the Street,</a> which is a book festival with authors and publishers and all sorts of cool things for literary nerds like me. First we stopped by the Victoria College's (part of University of Toronto) annual book sale. It was located in this amazingly beautiful building:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCItIULHFnuABEZPYAfEDa82xtK3IrbYOKZqbAjg8AskARMMv173EkoBUvLKcWMXSqG14kNq2DVSQWbVnNf8J6MZPDOHAS4NFZVvMS61QM6CW_8R7n2I9IvwBdsV0QIf5vCii/s1600-h/IMG_5380.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCItIULHFnuABEZPYAfEDa82xtK3IrbYOKZqbAjg8AskARMMv173EkoBUvLKcWMXSqG14kNq2DVSQWbVnNf8J6MZPDOHAS4NFZVvMS61QM6CW_8R7n2I9IvwBdsV0QIf5vCii/s400/IMG_5380.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254657429322527266" border="0" /></a><br />After that we headed to the publishers' tents to look at books that they had on sale. However, it was a sale on the Canadian price of books and that made them cost about as much as we could get them for in the US not on sale.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Vftxvu2kDjCe5gwPwZHMMh9ZJGhD6HbYLLyFSXJd8hsbRts2OnhBAbxM3cy090AG5idrW5X3hxXIkrXwLbuRsMrP5M6Zamft0mZRohXFZmo46szXKM3nVSOKg7X0GmVm_hbL/s1600-h/IMG_5386.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Vftxvu2kDjCe5gwPwZHMMh9ZJGhD6HbYLLyFSXJd8hsbRts2OnhBAbxM3cy090AG5idrW5X3hxXIkrXwLbuRsMrP5M6Zamft0mZRohXFZmo46szXKM3nVSOKg7X0GmVm_hbL/s400/IMG_5386.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254657439855518850" border="0" /></a><br />However, the highlight for me was not an author or even a book, but the <a href="http://www.tvokids.com/">TVO</a> kid's stage. On the stage was<a href="http://www.tvokids.com/framesets/play.html?game=235"> Jackie, who was teaching kids how to dance</a>. I thought it was quite enjoyable. I think kids would have fun checking out those dance moves online, which I linked to above.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSClOAm2fqRnRmXdaWzXjT8P1TCB-Jj1WmLIb6u-Q0TgPKN-AFzOlYZOo07-UP-uOQCFKkZOqA3x4e87z-OeCOnt1VQEK-aNaSw3dnOG7N4gt91I4Hg7_-79WpjU1quAV1TPy/s1600-h/IMG_5384.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSClOAm2fqRnRmXdaWzXjT8P1TCB-Jj1WmLIb6u-Q0TgPKN-AFzOlYZOo07-UP-uOQCFKkZOqA3x4e87z-OeCOnt1VQEK-aNaSw3dnOG7N4gt91I4Hg7_-79WpjU1quAV1TPy/s400/IMG_5384.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254657434367205362" border="0" /></a><br />After walking around Word on the Street, Joseph and I <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=Queens+Park+Cres,+Toronto,+ON,+Canada+%28Queen%27s+Park%29&daddr=43.653342,-79.400253&hl=en&geocode=FT5KmgIdHY9E-yF_uLgwzr8OMg%3B&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=14&dirflg=w&sll=43.664395,-79.389009&sspn=0.028251,0.065231&ie=UTF8&z=14">walked a little ways</a> to Kensington Market.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpZCrRSAfs1EintktQImQSdLol5fFRZX_SdIq4ObqyyiNc_8EeS6e1gfymkmlBMg8gYSlZpsL2HJzAK-yOk7fJKJfn8cmp8yMBPZ6qAsR5OoIV0Pz1wWQR7Ahg-PgNb0MeisE/s1600-h/_MG_5396.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpZCrRSAfs1EintktQImQSdLol5fFRZX_SdIq4ObqyyiNc_8EeS6e1gfymkmlBMg8gYSlZpsL2HJzAK-yOk7fJKJfn8cmp8yMBPZ6qAsR5OoIV0Pz1wWQR7Ahg-PgNb0MeisE/s400/_MG_5396.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254655941955218802" border="0" /></a><br />Kensington Market is less market then a conglomeration of grain stores, organic stands, street performances, fruit markets, bakeries, over-priced restaurants and a colorful crowd of people. One thing that caught my attention was the <span style="font-size:100%;">Community Vehicular Reclamation Project</span>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPM5dqzNArAAbLfxhgNQbd0GK3_3k6eEQaohwz0SdTmy3wExf8Ll0g9XTw79L-jSta7hiX8_Jns-URcWuUcXfAdFk4quAnDIuAGAjZKUm8HhNEyKPtH2VrGNilsZg1ZrgOITs/s1600-h/_MG_5395.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPM5dqzNArAAbLfxhgNQbd0GK3_3k6eEQaohwz0SdTmy3wExf8Ll0g9XTw79L-jSta7hiX8_Jns-URcWuUcXfAdFk4quAnDIuAGAjZKUm8HhNEyKPtH2VrGNilsZg1ZrgOITs/s400/_MG_5395.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254655941023281410" border="0" /></a><br />Isn't that an awesome planter?<br />While in Kensington Market, Joseph and I bought a huge empanada that was filled with beef and kimchi! It was surprisingly delicious. Yum Yum Yum.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Gvg7EG9Xa9NyFZ6AKjXPR3-7R7sjIUqhJ2lqPUWDwEgyiYZsn05Y5JxbCu-bDyrnsovCQXpGIZJh-qiB0eW4Ezbw5nOgbF-xA-e-7hcejQ4KvAvgflGG7G1QunahUSW4_z0r/s1600-h/_MG_5391.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Gvg7EG9Xa9NyFZ6AKjXPR3-7R7sjIUqhJ2lqPUWDwEgyiYZsn05Y5JxbCu-bDyrnsovCQXpGIZJh-qiB0eW4Ezbw5nOgbF-xA-e-7hcejQ4KvAvgflGG7G1QunahUSW4_z0r/s400/_MG_5391.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254655454927829186" border="0" /></a>Tomorrow, and by tomorrow I mean whenever I feel like it, I'll post pictures from our walks in the neighborhood.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-77328664361865989532008-10-02T22:03:00.005-07:002008-10-02T22:13:14.631-07:00skywatch the secondA week has gone by. Weeks go by so quickly, even though I don't do much in a day. However a few days ago I grabbed my camera and ran out onto our apartment balcony to get a shot of the beautiful colors the sunset was producing. We are new to this apartment, city, and country, but this is the first really beautiful sunset that I have seen here. I just wish my apartment balcony didn't face north, so that I wouldn't have to dangle over the railing to get a shot of the sunset, which is what I had to do to get this shot:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXjJpQhtYSu0Z4KaNpnohZ2YHZPqMuwtm-YBa0T1Nc9baKbtqh2CPPKZeaHKP8LnAbiKAPERHf0ajAbIrCHimsYnfizdIU_4OtYKhO9jtlPWfCQgIOawo42WnXxoSEQkJ6stG/s1600-h/IMG_5361.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXjJpQhtYSu0Z4KaNpnohZ2YHZPqMuwtm-YBa0T1Nc9baKbtqh2CPPKZeaHKP8LnAbiKAPERHf0ajAbIrCHimsYnfizdIU_4OtYKhO9jtlPWfCQgIOawo42WnXxoSEQkJ6stG/s400/IMG_5361.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252790173040582290" border="0" /></a><br />And since I'm feeling generous tonight. And because I don't want to post two sunset pictures in a row. I'll also give you this picture, which I took a few months ago when I was visiting Washington D.C. with <a href="http://etxerantz.blogspot.com/">Emily</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBHQd8pREoXinyLHutwvhrhC6TZ_ix0a7OgJ8lS5DDRaYoce5W9G3qcPiN2v07LPHRkiU2kzYoRleU6iAd2ZSw_Jp70AS_3HWe_SfU74KFxR4xynM1ESwgFw5GNrg48Fpo8fu/s1600-h/IMG_5112.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBHQd8pREoXinyLHutwvhrhC6TZ_ix0a7OgJ8lS5DDRaYoce5W9G3qcPiN2v07LPHRkiU2kzYoRleU6iAd2ZSw_Jp70AS_3HWe_SfU74KFxR4xynM1ESwgFw5GNrg48Fpo8fu/s400/IMG_5112.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252790822348909522" border="0" /></a><br />Please visit the <a href="http://skyley.blogspot.com/">Skywatch</a> main page to view more, and better, photos of the sky.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-64043429390939750392008-09-25T16:42:00.004-07:002008-09-25T19:25:17.950-07:00my first skywatchI saw my first skywatch photo a few weeks ago on my <a href="http://etxerantz.blogspot.com/">best friend's blog</a>. It was completely understandable to me why she would be drawn to such an idea; she absolutely loves the sky. So much so, that I used to call her skylark when we were still roommates. She instilled in me a love of sky-watching, and I still I love looking at the sky - it is such a large canvas which tells new and interesting stories every day.<br />After browsing through the many beautiful pictures on the <a href="http://skyley.blogspot.com/">Skywatch website</a> I felt inspired and sat down and drew for the first time in a really long time. This is exactly what I need in my live - inspiration. Therefore, I am joining the ranks at Skywatch.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This photo was taken at sunset in Edfu, Egypt.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGyqL7O-kupKKeuydl5fquQfawsGizh9VawBm99ZVi1gEMvMoFkxPaDtxyO0v1IHXd4IntDN7zOGCeyr0H182kCWu7_a2xv2MiL4ENN1K68FrMEZ2Q5zPclPue4QnKMN7Fmw7/s1600-h/IMG_0492.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGyqL7O-kupKKeuydl5fquQfawsGizh9VawBm99ZVi1gEMvMoFkxPaDtxyO0v1IHXd4IntDN7zOGCeyr0H182kCWu7_a2xv2MiL4ENN1K68FrMEZ2Q5zPclPue4QnKMN7Fmw7/s400/IMG_0492.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250110730179990834" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-2313325938379435462008-09-24T17:02:00.008-07:002008-09-24T19:56:40.673-07:00itinerantIt has been a rough journey these last few months. I completed my thesis and received my Master's Degree from the University of Chicago. A week later Joseph flew out to Boston to attend Harvard for the summer and Emily flew in to help me finish packing up (and I packed her up as well), <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4RFSNVznD4Pbx4O8gd8a-Bcb5I8_PrgnOmMxFc0DFW0vrSE7eymTlB5u41usGiB0XGBLaWiSN22kb1c6cfUAEgf9ZDtXMBusHTr_83pMAXRjVyZoEDLxCxmKxbTArkvqNP9W/s1600-h/IMG_5033.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4RFSNVznD4Pbx4O8gd8a-Bcb5I8_PrgnOmMxFc0DFW0vrSE7eymTlB5u41usGiB0XGBLaWiSN22kb1c6cfUAEgf9ZDtXMBusHTr_83pMAXRjVyZoEDLxCxmKxbTArkvqNP9W/s320/IMG_5033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249772569454081554" border="0" /></a>drive with me to Cleveland, and fly out to Maryland where I stayed with her and her family for a week. We also took a couple of trips down to D.C.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUerYbKM-7wZS91-CCtodMsaHq9R8xKqIxtFl9bZJpTF6kQwgsW4ZYAPPXwh3E2efVlOoKEsd5Z9Pmne-L3dk_p6iuYdqUBJXAWaYk7FV6s6GnJFN7ZDVQRpruVXuANcI7BmyY/s1600-h/IMG_5109.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUerYbKM-7wZS91-CCtodMsaHq9R8xKqIxtFl9bZJpTF6kQwgsW4ZYAPPXwh3E2efVlOoKEsd5Z9Pmne-L3dk_p6iuYdqUBJXAWaYk7FV6s6GnJFN7ZDVQRpruVXuANcI7BmyY/s320/IMG_5109.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249772052217223346" border="0" /></a> Then it was off to San Francisco to visit my Aunts Susan (yes, plural, and yes they are both named Susan). After an amazing 5 days with them, and, believe me, my visits there are always amazing, I flew to Utah to attend my Grandpa's 90<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> birthday party.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfAL405VZKOmMzB_q7nzu6Wy6G1-6GoeqHZ_X7a4sP31hqwUK5i42wPhtITp9qkZj_YL8gyO2pa97tOz-twyPo6vaDJ8xYa7iDjobICrdCmFS-dvt_tS_aIk-4AwHNNyBnjpP/s1600-h/n17806589_35853198_4339.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfAL405VZKOmMzB_q7nzu6Wy6G1-6GoeqHZ_X7a4sP31hqwUK5i42wPhtITp9qkZj_YL8gyO2pa97tOz-twyPo6vaDJ8xYa7iDjobICrdCmFS-dvt_tS_aIk-4AwHNNyBnjpP/s320/n17806589_35853198_4339.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249784653898241394" border="0" /></a> After that family event, I flew to Arizona to spend some time at home with my parent and brother, but because I am ever restless, I was only there 10 days before I flew with my mother to Cleveland, rented a car, and drove up to Toronto. In the 4-5 days we were in Toronto, my mother and I drove around every neighborhood of Toronto, checked out numerous apartments and, after the most horribly stressful day of trying to get money from the U.S., managed to put a deposit on a very nice apartment.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOS1XBeuhGRSVv0q_8JiHPgJZdUQKKqAal-qOay8W8PidM2LXBdQIo6BaPaWOxr0jPYnnm1dexPRj8YadKLOwrgCZ5cCfN49SUiWHhcmYFAloSwmUUmM7S8KxkngCKqx_nh0db/s1600-h/IMG_0046.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOS1XBeuhGRSVv0q_8JiHPgJZdUQKKqAal-qOay8W8PidM2LXBdQIo6BaPaWOxr0jPYnnm1dexPRj8YadKLOwrgCZ5cCfN49SUiWHhcmYFAloSwmUUmM7S8KxkngCKqx_nh0db/s320/IMG_0046.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249773207344878546" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUPKoFp4KyTqRdJ2qK_LC_7pp91ImfWhgbfIymVaauhxBO_Kw6X2pI_tAQ5RmVXx_hXPIrF2AVn7L-d-SD-rSUuewmY3hqOxaAactLkV5yTsj_KEEG3Yj2kIGXvMr0zPKC8pi/s1600-h/IMG_0019.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUPKoFp4KyTqRdJ2qK_LC_7pp91ImfWhgbfIymVaauhxBO_Kw6X2pI_tAQ5RmVXx_hXPIrF2AVn7L-d-SD-rSUuewmY3hqOxaAactLkV5yTsj_KEEG3Yj2kIGXvMr0zPKC8pi/s320/IMG_0019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249772834495194082" border="0" /></a>(note: this is not our furniture, I took these pictures before the previous tenant moved out)<br /></div><br />After that eventful trip, my mother and I drove back to Cleveland, met up with the rest of the family and then headed back to Canada to spend a day and a half in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Niagara</span> Falls. After our brief time there and the most horrible tour I have ever been on, my whole family (sans Joseph) squeezed into two cars and drove to Vermont, where we met up with Joseph and stayed in a cabin near <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Stratton</span> for a week. Then we all drove down to Boston for a few days to check out the sights. After that short history lesson, I once again said goodbye to my husband, and drove back to Cleveland from Boston with Ben, Debbie, and Parker. I then lived in Ben and Debbie's living room for the next three weeks with Joseph joining me after a week of finals (thanks again, Ben and Deb). After wearing out our welcome several times over, we finally departed Cleveland, drove back to Chicago, rented a mini-van, picked up my dad from the airport, loaded up all our stuff, and drove to Toronto. After a small fender-bender between our car and the rental car, we finally made it across the border at 1 am and the next day (August 31) moved into our lovely apartment.<br /><br />That is the summary of the last few months. No wonder I am still exhausted.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-41988060972874550362008-04-23T14:19:00.010-07:002008-04-25T16:41:53.200-07:00its been awhileIt has been a really long time since I really blogged, but I'm thinking about starting it up again. So, when I was thinking about what I should post about, a few things came to mind:<br /><br />1. Wedding pictures-everyone is waiting to see them but I still don't have digital files of the photos except for a <a href="http://www.clients.joshuasky.com/slideshow/jc12142007.htm">slideshow</a>.<br />2. Rant about how amazingly beautiful my nephew, P-man, is. He visited us over Easter weekend, isn't he cute?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KHx2xbkdFLkV-SROsvnwXA4G-C3q7xCqrrnbbyRib1IUECP02Np7unOh19vR_9ush4iTAAqjb-OqGVpGiUGY9oWkt8RtwNO48mo3GT4GbnBanqqp2mpTjGMysHzVngc4C43L/s1600-h/parker.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KHx2xbkdFLkV-SROsvnwXA4G-C3q7xCqrrnbbyRib1IUECP02Np7unOh19vR_9ush4iTAAqjb-OqGVpGiUGY9oWkt8RtwNO48mo3GT4GbnBanqqp2mpTjGMysHzVngc4C43L/s320/parker.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5193321632354846482" border="0" /></a>3. A description of my master's thesis that has been devouring my life for the last five months.<br />4. Photos of Chicago and or discriptions of fun things to do here.<br />5. How awesome the first 134 days of marriage have been, but I think I'll spare you all that.<br /><br /><br />Instead I decided to post a random photo and tell the story behind it. I think this might become my blogging habit.<br /><br />This is the story of banana-chocolate-chip muffins that went oh so wrong and oh so yummy at the same time. Once upon a time in a land called G-5, Emily and I decided to make banana-chocolate-chip muffins from a recipe we stole from an old roommate. The roommate turned out to be slightly insane (as an excuse for her butt always hanging out of her pants, she would always claim that she had an extra-long butt crack) and we ended up kicking her out of the apartment.<br /><br />That is besides the point. We decided to make the muffins and since it was christmas time, we decided to dye them red and green for the occassion (okay, so it was my decision and Emily had no part in it). I had never used this food coloring before. When my family decided to remodel the cabin I took all the spices and other kitchen gadgets. So, I ended up owning some really strong food dye that my grandma used to use for cake decorating. I didn't realize that they were stronger than the liquid stuff at the supermarket. This explains why our muffins ended up looking like aliens. I kid you not, some had faces. I'm serious! You still don't believe me? Well, see for yourself:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCT7vxEfbl9hVxzcboow9OHjyrzOYkVhjA-TrrmdD-4zWZX-a_IEZfjh9v0t4QLVNa_FfT2B7yrGOfCyrgrgeIN5fG_SPyHcLuJvSv3rZAPh0tn3e7SrOYXfXzah7AzuGpJeGP/s1600-h/IMG_4165.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCT7vxEfbl9hVxzcboow9OHjyrzOYkVhjA-TrrmdD-4zWZX-a_IEZfjh9v0t4QLVNa_FfT2B7yrGOfCyrgrgeIN5fG_SPyHcLuJvSv3rZAPh0tn3e7SrOYXfXzah7AzuGpJeGP/s320/IMG_4165.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5193317122639185666" border="0" /></a>To some degree, it made me cringe to eat them, but I got over it and they were so yummy! Here is the recipe if you want to make them:<br /><br /><span>Banana</span> Chocolate Chip Muffins<br />1 3/4 c all-purpose flour<br />1/3 c sugar<br />2 tsp baking powder<br />1/4 tsp salt<br />1 egg, beaten<br />3/4 c milk<br />1/4 c cooking oil<br />3/4 c mashed <span>banana (you probably will want more banana. i tried this amount and they were a bit dry and not very banana-y)</span><br />1/2 c chocolate chips<br /><br />Grease twelve 2 1/2 in. muffin cups or line with paper bake cups; set aside.<br /><br />In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a<br />well in the center of flour mixture; set aside.<br /><br />In another bowl combine egg, milk, oil, and <span>banana</span>. Add wet<br />ingredients to dry ingredients all at once. Add chocolate chips. Then add a bunch of food coloring (at this point I split the batter into two bowls and dyed one red and the other green.<br />Stir just until moistened (Batter should be lumpy).<br /><br />Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full.<br />Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Cool in muffin cups on a<br />wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups, serve warm.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-12539785110973137242007-12-02T01:32:00.000-07:002007-12-02T01:42:53.975-07:00the golden compassI absolutely loved this trilogy growing up. I first read <span style="font-style: italic;">The Golden Compass </span> in middle school when it came out and after that I anxiously awaited each book's release. In the books, there are daemons, which are like companions, a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">separate</span> being attached to the soul of the person and which takes on different animal shapes before settling on a permanent shape. I always wondered what form my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">daemon</span> would take, a snow leopard?, an owl?, a tiger? I no longer have to wonder.<br /><br />This is my daemon, but I might not have answered the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">questionnaire</span> accurately. That is where you come in, you can visit my <a href="http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/?509406">daemon page</a>, alter the answers and give my daemon his true shape.<br /><br /><object height="400" width="450"><param name="movie" value="htt&! #112; 8;//goldencompassmovie.com/goldenCompass_blog.swf?id=509406"><embed src="http://goldencompassmovie.com/goldenCompass_blog.swf?id=509406" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" menu="false" height="400" width="450"></embed></object>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-2753330360313766382007-12-01T12:34:00.000-07:002007-12-01T21:09:12.248-07:00first snow stormactually the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">forecaster</span> called it a mixed winter storm, which I gathered means that we will have all sorts of freezing <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">precipitation</span>. For now, its a blizzard, okay, maybe I don't know what that word really means, but it is snowing a ton out there right now. I check the <a href="http://www.weather.com/outlook/driving/interstate/local/60615">weather</a> religiously and there is a warning that the freezing rain that is supposedly coming tonight might cut off our electricity (you would think Chicago would have precautions to prevent this), so I went out today to get batteries for my flashlight. It was flurrying when I was in the store, but 5 minutes later, when I came back out, the entire ground was covered and the snow was coming down and sideways, and, I swear, up. I got home and took a few pictures from my windows. Here you go:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3IK-HZdWA6alOTG7Ptt-1v9zbSl7U8wlehdaoKu3ttutdNu4vlm9zBhWY52kcyOHR604fU-Ccai6q3FsNRqUoYozjj6GfkXqnWPbQ92j4aUuQM-E2sJSbeb5OUBRL0mp5MRR/s1600-r/IMG_4614.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZzm0xdySHBW315nEprGIJKPFxYSCXzNl8SBKW82UG7uJAy2lbhTQpGpgP6nUrFCFpJNEeSP3RD6hxcZdQfMMQcUJ8HyCWdRDQBw-uL94ql9h53Gup5R_SnP4gs0-vtaDKMT_/s320/IMG_4614.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139096990963676610" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdg0YPKjY_McrV8WrIHfFO4Wt_7HxL0osAVsIwe1qTqKegTZzJ1AClHddfRqj2O8IWvvlTUjiq5_9UXG5LbEq_iVqcx9Jt-xFE9mjb6WUHMP8k0Mk0aZmAzUQs_zvbi0boJ_F/s1600-r/IMG_4611.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnsUL2fRp6hy6SqK6huK4nSvm8LD78nD7G8ck-kSm3gsul7lRLL23TgCez5C11vUQVQM9RJ0Fk8FzlFFrkyFbJtj6B3wcpkgUlev9EbehaD9SisM-ZAscGlhMSp9yus9W7Udw/s320/IMG_4611.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139096286589040050" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iPjmNgdmJCrXuGQFE-DKzNyeYasJyD3svmYNfIx8WlRHSsmTcN9irIJm342t-09di0sPxtUhtDkEDJ5St3_poAGHMU6hO0SyBYmIVQzxm2C8x96JX1_O6LiqAkkSq4r53Lly/s1600-r/IMG_4608.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv32PJjGccHTJh1Wodu9UbuOGnNPmUU7QEKp68iX5dhBHHPqLNBiDZZgFieJxbChPwa39Ry7mgqPCfYzhTPEtnic0YKr78zSCCgfCiqRaqIlBS9VIF7ybOCOGiv50wVI-qvf90/s320/IMG_4608.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139095900041983394" border="0" /></a>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-23441490979808378642007-11-12T14:15:00.000-07:002007-11-12T15:14:26.762-07:00paying attentionI can't. So I doodle during class and luckily my notebook paper has a large margin. Here are my most recent doodles:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmKU-K0FOddBjmrfjJOCdAe4nkMTkseh06ElzSzSBzPfrlJtNbD_qak1gtxx6GGA4KdpC3rbkVH5AxOwE3O42fIAt5hwP5XRNlWObmzKlSzEbKsHjdHEQH2h1M6H4rzuEd3Q-/s1600-h/IMG_4601.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmKU-K0FOddBjmrfjJOCdAe4nkMTkseh06ElzSzSBzPfrlJtNbD_qak1gtxx6GGA4KdpC3rbkVH5AxOwE3O42fIAt5hwP5XRNlWObmzKlSzEbKsHjdHEQH2h1M6H4rzuEd3Q-/s320/IMG_4601.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132070048637371698" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHuV7EeZ9n5113KIPlyzh7iy3WkDRrx8kaGDhIAzXfiUZuK5wmiVQnJJHZDYLYvxM5-VmLDMxyTERLIEcBW-Zjbar5Zj4yoqF4urV_iBT-0fSaQicSuN5FAMGWh8Gc67o1vIUg/s1600-h/_MG_4592.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHuV7EeZ9n5113KIPlyzh7iy3WkDRrx8kaGDhIAzXfiUZuK5wmiVQnJJHZDYLYvxM5-VmLDMxyTERLIEcBW-Zjbar5Zj4yoqF4urV_iBT-0fSaQicSuN5FAMGWh8Gc67o1vIUg/s320/_MG_4592.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132070078702142818" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKI1GTiLfxKSc43TbZTFZtW5Skqh_rGc8KVGQxfGZbV0roq4unjUPXL-ZBt28OfWTRW_UMnLwdfMyFxlyB7Tqq3XCFTaNOoB9RJAZ3tn1DbbavPHSG71-Q9lUUH9pzby79woi/s1600-h/IMG_4599.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKI1GTiLfxKSc43TbZTFZtW5Skqh_rGc8KVGQxfGZbV0roq4unjUPXL-ZBt28OfWTRW_UMnLwdfMyFxlyB7Tqq3XCFTaNOoB9RJAZ3tn1DbbavPHSG71-Q9lUUH9pzby79woi/s320/IMG_4599.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132070031457502498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJg29VFvhaPw9h8ld81adRfYLLnZ1Vec2sOGSU-4QOXh0VeKKg5DuLMNaels98RR2jOkQFtCT2FuiH4Vw1heuloi0z4AptgYyibVzvVtQ4tq-U03KcBkAsydvJYojZxrvFWpJW/s1600-h/IMG_4603.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJg29VFvhaPw9h8ld81adRfYLLnZ1Vec2sOGSU-4QOXh0VeKKg5DuLMNaels98RR2jOkQFtCT2FuiH4Vw1heuloi0z4AptgYyibVzvVtQ4tq-U03KcBkAsydvJYojZxrvFWpJW/s320/IMG_4603.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132070057227306306" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwT9be_pCBd4iiR5BWxyeD47hxMRYDbC1klEOq4jWlRgr9Nwc8F2LGrhyphenhyphenladMvAIpA_MIv83ex_D3RCZUrgorPwx-FnA3yBptyrUycOR9ZyL1mT9C17bWZqXwVghWp0zsLgloL/s1600-h/_MG_4590.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwT9be_pCBd4iiR5BWxyeD47hxMRYDbC1klEOq4jWlRgr9Nwc8F2LGrhyphenhyphenladMvAIpA_MIv83ex_D3RCZUrgorPwx-FnA3yBptyrUycOR9ZyL1mT9C17bWZqXwVghWp0zsLgloL/s320/_MG_4590.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132070070112208210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56dUXudvIjiM-99LQpCXm5xyOyVq7oPeQAMCd3oT6B6FqXhjEpJK75gv09Ll-PljYReECnkbIKEC1XOZLiOo5dkKujtG5-mDbMVAoKzJUy33JPMFi_cKy_Jt7ZvfsHp__pWSt/s1600-h/IMG_4596.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56dUXudvIjiM-99LQpCXm5xyOyVq7oPeQAMCd3oT6B6FqXhjEpJK75gv09Ll-PljYReECnkbIKEC1XOZLiOo5dkKujtG5-mDbMVAoKzJUy33JPMFi_cKy_Jt7ZvfsHp__pWSt/s320/IMG_4596.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132068880406267106" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheHfVKq6uU41Zr6VdJsUkxjK2a6EkE0pOawquXY5t5muqYUL4H5HdrYSTPUlHt1Rk5c6R-b8BTmPyCmcOTLnfcjW7XWLB7boUFQD5FMIGv7yZXu6zSpf2sbzVCneCMW7GH1JTu/s1600-h/IMG_4595.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheHfVKq6uU41Zr6VdJsUkxjK2a6EkE0pOawquXY5t5muqYUL4H5HdrYSTPUlHt1Rk5c6R-b8BTmPyCmcOTLnfcjW7XWLB7boUFQD5FMIGv7yZXu6zSpf2sbzVCneCMW7GH1JTu/s320/IMG_4595.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132068910471038194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4BghrVWxEEuMibI1WBxvFcgxzauuC9MCGXrjkqhf7dRgjkL1zgYMQpu1ryhCYGTE8nTElK2yhEWqMaH1dxENNfpZyjYCcqdBzCycsHJsLHIePjQLP9x5yhi-dl3kEkFc3MeVO/s1600-h/IMG_4598.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4BghrVWxEEuMibI1WBxvFcgxzauuC9MCGXrjkqhf7dRgjkL1zgYMQpu1ryhCYGTE8nTElK2yhEWqMaH1dxENNfpZyjYCcqdBzCycsHJsLHIePjQLP9x5yhi-dl3kEkFc3MeVO/s320/IMG_4598.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132068914766005506" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This is not a doodle, it is the cover of a collaborative art book some of my friends are doing. My theme is myth.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZs837I50z-5czQy7APrjGD8FLchjxl7ZPAFLUr8ruG6ULtLNs9Mgh4s_xCxSAYn0mDL-tM7AelYpmlUTtABOO9C5NoAIN-m6enSKercP-uGH5GtFEGVjNNbuWVH6uUHsvAvS/s1600-h/IMG_4607.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZs837I50z-5czQy7APrjGD8FLchjxl7ZPAFLUr8ruG6ULtLNs9Mgh4s_xCxSAYn0mDL-tM7AelYpmlUTtABOO9C5NoAIN-m6enSKercP-uGH5GtFEGVjNNbuWVH6uUHsvAvS/s400/IMG_4607.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132071878293439858" border="0" /></a>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-62847504468289227382007-10-16T18:29:00.002-07:002007-10-16T19:59:14.058-07:00schoolyard fun<div style="text-align: center;"> this is where I go to school:<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD15fHuJvfN4uC-Rvk_9am7cqH4_mjMiOETduQT3UwW46H7rlc_UMucqxcDqTEx01giq9gHfUvrwcytsbfAXqm6oER9fmZWSGjoylYCDc13YFlrqL_9vQDhUCgALgy66aOca26/s1600-h/IMG_4510.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD15fHuJvfN4uC-Rvk_9am7cqH4_mjMiOETduQT3UwW46H7rlc_UMucqxcDqTEx01giq9gHfUvrwcytsbfAXqm6oER9fmZWSGjoylYCDc13YFlrqL_9vQDhUCgALgy66aOca26/s400/IMG_4510.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122125834697588338" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8L-oKrniWJyzvg7elIv1H2-amsBdsU8vKw8Qc67d13MXuhOElLEGBkQjUWIL_vi3xQDY_FVxbfZoFTIdnwf448WGeba3n7W66Q4NsEThsAzyGpHYXdjrF2lRb4jlgs-RTWn9/s1600-h/IMG_4500.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8L-oKrniWJyzvg7elIv1H2-amsBdsU8vKw8Qc67d13MXuhOElLEGBkQjUWIL_vi3xQDY_FVxbfZoFTIdnwf448WGeba3n7W66Q4NsEThsAzyGpHYXdjrF2lRb4jlgs-RTWn9/s400/IMG_4500.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122113929048243762" border="0" /></a>It is full of beautiful buildings and churches and has a myriad of hidden little nooks like this one:<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJm8lNHqp5tb71g5SENECKkArvWsFlPp5z_VuytUhQlg1a5NtykBRr5N88HsQnDk3SS5EFHkuU_7KFWPeGf_m43IRfSdhaCFpD-POjHKLW7O48_rK_itIrZ-_U7wj4qoItGAy/s1600-h/IMG_4526.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJm8lNHqp5tb71g5SENECKkArvWsFlPp5z_VuytUhQlg1a5NtykBRr5N88HsQnDk3SS5EFHkuU_7KFWPeGf_m43IRfSdhaCFpD-POjHKLW7O48_rK_itIrZ-_U7wj4qoItGAy/s400/IMG_4526.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122128300008816258" border="0" /></a>the building are covered in ivy which compliments the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">faux</span>-oxford style of architecture:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6gMb4IL_0TnnbuCTDh14p07p88IfLbu33ym_WqOMUlzoKpIr6x8OUmSyyey9u8fWS4gzV4dT16tEowaACmW2VzDVltkVpzcoHVZ0kjftBtIR3JS8Q7qR0qgkbGprgGAJ1Lsu/s1600-h/IMG_4509.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6gMb4IL_0TnnbuCTDh14p07p88IfLbu33ym_WqOMUlzoKpIr6x8OUmSyyey9u8fWS4gzV4dT16tEowaACmW2VzDVltkVpzcoHVZ0kjftBtIR3JS8Q7qR0qgkbGprgGAJ1Lsu/s400/IMG_4509.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122130005110832786" border="0" /></a><br />and campus is replete with awesome details like this little reading bust on the outside wall of one of the libraries:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2GWVsZP1PwtYh-zlOUvk87X3tjTqPZaqeNrTelSKx3W_ejbu-7nVGvNxyTA89NDThGYNYOk8LMAf9TX1skErus1cn6OWgcRe7hPSuhudJcwkO2YOedh72AjiE211ry2AlLYf/s1600-h/_MG_4515.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2GWVsZP1PwtYh-zlOUvk87X3tjTqPZaqeNrTelSKx3W_ejbu-7nVGvNxyTA89NDThGYNYOk8LMAf9TX1skErus1cn6OWgcRe7hPSuhudJcwkO2YOedh72AjiE211ry2AlLYf/s400/_MG_4515.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122132234198859426" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Every time I walk on campus I get an awed and excited feeling. It is a beautiful place to be every day. However, in the classroom I feel <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">wholly</span> unprepared, swamped, and unintelligent. Hopefully that will change. For now, I'll just enjoy the surroundings.<br /><br /><br /></div></div>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17905532.post-33603443009793996532007-10-02T08:10:00.000-07:002007-10-02T08:14:35.694-07:00What?Last night I fell asleep while reading Lacan. This is not that surprising since I understand probably every other paragraph if I'm lucky. The weird thing was that this morning I woke up to find that while falling asleep last night I felt the need to write some notes to myself, on my arm. There was an F X S and then some space and then another F and what looked like a capital gamma that trails down my arm. I have no idea what I was trying to say about Lacan but apparently it was important.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09949362426499045583noreply@blogger.com1