Urban Nature series

Uprooted.

(Urban Nature series is done using my iphone "instagram" filter because I don't have a nice camera right now!)

Urban Nature series

More from the open lot with the barbed wire fence.

Urban Nature series (in fake polaroids)

Who needs the High Line when you have huge empty lots with tons of natural growth?  Oh, except the scary barbed wire and 8 foot fence kind of keeps people from walking around and exploring in there, I guess.

Book making

Today I started assembling the books that I meant to assemble back in February when I initiated a mail-in collaborative artist book project.  Fifteen people signed up, fourteen people actually sent in pages, which is pretty good.  This morning I put holes in the pages and covers and bound six complete books in a few hours.  I'm hoping to finish them tonight and mail everything tomorrow or Thursday, but we'll see.

I really meant to have this finished back in February.  But that was when I started volunteering almost full time, along with a lot of other things, and it fell very far down the priority list.  Since the end of May I cut back my hours and a few other things, and have been spending time winding down.  I finally felt like I could begin to tackle this enormous undertaking.  I can't wait until it's finished.

Will I do something like this again..?  Maybe, but not a book project, not something that requires so much work on my end!  I have coordinated printmaking exchanges and that was much more fun because all it required (after coordinating sign-up, etc) was assembling collections of images and mailing them back.  It's the binding that has been the daunting part of the process.

Anyway... back to work!

Basketball

Stumbled across a basketball game while on a long walk today after work.

Frustrated!

I am so frustrated that my camera was stolen.  I am angry and sad and frustrated.  So angry.  I'm just going to say that over and over until I figure out how to cope with it.

My camera was so important to me.  So important that it is the only thing I keep on me at all times besides my phone and my keys.  The camera on my phone takes pictures and sometimes they are all right, but they aren't nearly the quality that I want.  They look better as fake polaroids than they do as regular images, I think.  At least then you expect lower quality images.

UGH. I'm so angry and frustrated and disappointed.

Today we went to buy a new camera but it was such a frustrating experience.  Not only because being in the store was overwhelming and frustrating, but also - I don't really want a new camera.  I wasn't in the market for a new camera before mine was stole and I don't want a new one now.  I want my old camera.  I don't want to spend money replacing something.  If I'm going to spend money I want an upgrade, I want a digital SLR, I don't want to re-purchase a perfectly functioning digital camera that suited all of my point-and-shoot and some of my better quality needs.  I wanted my next camera to be an upgrade to something that took really substantial, nice photos, not another point and shoot.  But I still need a point and shoot to carry with me for the random pictures I like to take.

It makes me SO sad.

And it was stolen from where I volunteer; I don't get paid to be there, so that adds another blow.

I know, it's a thing, it's not a person or a pet or something truly important, and it can be replaced.  But I am having a temper tantrum over here over having to replace it.  A lot of "I want I want I want" like a child.  I can't control this situation any more than I can control my job situation.  I just have to deal with it.

Expect lots of fake polaroids to come until I figure out what I really want to do next.

PS the picture above is from the garden.  I hung some paintings around the fence and they are slowly being overgrown by the ivy that has come over the fence.  Pretty :)

Assistants on break

Cilantro

Why oh why do I have such little success with cilantro?

This is the furthest I've gotten, out of six pockets, this is what I have, this little bit of limping, struggling cilantro.  This and my marigolds, they basically want to be put out of their misery. Sad.

(Click for larger version)

My camera was stolen and there's a good chance I won't get it back or be reimbursed.  It's pretty sad.  My phone camera just doesn't take the kind of pictures I want, I have no control over the adjustments to light or focus, etc etc.

As a result I have been using my garden as a coping tool.  Today I decided to share some pictures of progress in the garden.

I love that all of the herbs are really taking off (except the cilantro for some reason).  But I think what I'm most happy about is the flower bed feeling alive with wildflowers.  Last summer the flowerbed was completely dead, not even weeds grew in it.  The last tenants threw trash and cigarettes into it.  I tried planting in it last year but it was July when we moved in, August when I was planting, and that is the worst time to plant.  Plus there was also cat poo and stuff in it, so I didn't want to really touch any of the soil.  This year I sprinkled wildflower seeds every week for a few weeks, not knowing what to expect.  Only a few little white flowers have blossomed, but everything is so green and alive.

The whole garden patio is full of life, it is so different from last year to look out there.

PS Sorry for the low quality photos.  Sad sad sad.

Ode to the cats

This little kitten has been with us for almost a week now.  She is crazy.  Also, she is driving Lilly crazy.  But also, she is very cute.

She is obsessed with food, she follows me around the house (often under my feet), she gets into everything, and she chews on things.  Did we take home a puppy by accident?

They said she was 3 months old when we got her, but she is only 2lb - or she was last week.  I believe she's gained weight since then.  Last week when she was lying down you could see her ribs through her skin on the part of her belly that was shaved for her spay.  This week you can't see the ribs.

It's really hard to take pictures of her.  She is a gray tabby with tuxedo markings.  And she has a bright pink nose.  And a HUGE head.  Which I guess makes up for Lilly's tiny head.

For comparison's sake, look at how perfect Lilly is at modeling.  She is amazing.  She should be on America's Next Top Cat Model.  If Tyra saw her, she'd say that Lilly really understands how to use subtle changes in her pose to accentuate different parts of her face and convey different moods through the photograph.

Two assistants?  We'll see if Lucy is as good at the job as Lilly, or if she is more of a Professor Chaos type.