“EMOOOOO!”

*Insert random emo song*

“EMOOOOO!” by random emo band

Hi Mary!

I’m really sorry about having not replied in a long while; I’ll explain myself as the letter progresses, seeing as how it’d sound too rushed and weird to give you the skeleton of my past week in Ottawa. One thing I should talk about is the title; “EMOOOO!” definitely sums up my past few days, if not in the sense of the genre, but in the sense of the word it stems from: emotion. Definitely not the average weekend, and not something I think I’d like to go through again, except for one part which I shall mention!

So, in wonderfully chronogical order:

My mid-work week came with a bang of guilt, because my co-op advisor gave me some feedback on my performance from my supervisor. It was an average sort assessment, with one particular comment that sent me in a frenzy of trying to do everything and staying focused, hence lack of posting. Throw in an not so pleasant life-related situation in Ottawa and it just made my my Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. One good thing that did come out of it was that I got to try an African cuisine where you had to use your hands to eat it!! The set-up of the food was reminiscent of curry, except instead of rice or naan, you’d get this steamed-type of flatbread. I didn’t appreciate the bread itself that much, but the ‘fillings’ and the ambience of the restaurantwas great!! Don’t you find that where you eat can make all the difference in the taste sometimes?? And apparently, so do names. I’ve read of studies that talk about giving mac and cheese exotic names will actually increase amount of food eaten by the client. Oh, Shakespeare, if only a rose did smell as sweet if it were by any other name!! I’m going to end up using this tactic the next time I cook for someone; I’ll call my burnt porkchops ‘charred viande du porc’, with LOTS of ketchup for extra flavour. XD

The weekend with HighSis and Karen (Ro couldn’t come last minute) was definitely not what I thought it would be like. But I DID get the computer fixed….HUZZAH!! And lots and LOTS of really good food….my stomach is exhausted just thinking about what we had!! I ended up hanging out with Karen a lot, which was a good thing because we went to see the National Art Gallery’s special exhibits: Ron Mueck and Robert Davidson. I think they probably will ring a bell for you!! I thought Robert Davidson’s native art was very fascinating, but the two of us were just blown away by Ron Mueck’s sculptures!! I’d never seen his works prior to this exhibit, but I walked in and my jaw just literally dropped at the sight of his first piece: Baby Head. It was incredibly detailed and life-like, except for the fact that it was huge and 2m tall and 3 m wide. The first view of it is astonishing, but I really LOVED coming up right against the works and just admiring the attention to imperfet details that Mueck had added: moles, veins, wrinkles, different natural colourings of your nails….there’s just so much to appreciate!! Most of the sculptures were nude and not life-sized, which made it even more cool to examine for ‘human marks’ .

Can you tell tell I really liked it?? I’m considering going back to see it again before I leave, actually….they said the collection wasn’t going to come to Toronto and it would be the only opportunity to see it in Canada!!

And that’s what has been going on with me these past days. Hope yours were very productive for the Busy Week!! Is this week your last day of classes? I know my friends at Guelph said it is for them. If your pic of your workspace was anything to guage your week by, I’ll probably not hear from you until Friday!! Speaking of which, I’ll be going home on Thursday night, be out in Guelph for Saturday and go back to Ottawa on Monday. Think we could squeeze in some time to see each other? I don’t mind what we do; I was thinking something as simple as me walking over with Rocky for a stroll would be good for your busy self. K-I-S-S-ing is the trend here.

I’m going to end on the K-I-S-S note, seeing as I have to run to work now!! Here’s a VERY much delayed question for you now….the due date will still be Tuesday, so I hope you do some fast-thinking about this one!! I thought about this before, but it’s funny how this turned out to ‘fit the scene’….

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Pop Question of the Week:

If you were on death row and had to order your last meal, what would you choose to have??

And that’s all, folks!! Have a great Monday, Mary!!! Work hard, drink water and BREATHE. It’s all going to be over soon. XD

Linda

P.S. My sister LEFT ME HER CAMERA!!!! I will make up for my un-visual post soons, and I’ll be able to take the time at HOME to do it to boot!! XD

Helloooo, Linda, how are you?

I have a friend who greets me like that every time I see her (save the “Linda” part); I always feel like she’s so happy to bump into me and is inquiring after me with the friendliest, owly curiosity.

I gather you are Extremely Busy (and Hard At Work) on The Presentation. Best of luck there. I hope you’re remaining focused and clear-minded and not frantic or nervous.

This has been my busiest week all year, but when it finally arrived, I felt great. Maybe I like and am motivated by adversary and competition more than I realize. I had five major or final projects to hand in within three days, and in a short while, I’ll be presenting the last assignment, my second-last of the year. I’m quite excited, though sad to see the year ending – it surprises me that these are the last classes, and therefore the last time I’ll be in this place and time, with the same people and working towards these goals. Perhaps that sounds surprising – it seems most people are burnt out and can’t wait to end the year – but I guess I really love to make the most of the present, which always passes, and learning. I wonder how my parents would feel if I spent the rest of my life in university… lol I jest!

A blog entry doesn’t seem quite finished without a picture though… so above is the crap I call my work space… the aftermath of a week’s work, anyway. Well, with your little eye, you may see something that just might be for you. Go nuts, lol.

There are lots of things I’d like to tell you, but you’re busy and I’m going to run late, so I will K.I.S.S. (not stupid! Ah, remember learning this acronym, Linda?)

I hope you will have wonderful guests at their best behaviour this weekend . Have a lot of fun, don’t feel stressed or wonder at your inadequacy (happens when you’re a hostess), and ignore any perceived criticisms (bound to happen too right?). I hope your guests will come with lots of food and that Steve will do some serious computer fixing.

Best of luck again with the project!

Have a great weekend if I don’t hear from you before!

Best,

Mary

Hard Day’s Night

Mary’s Question: Happiness is…?

Firstly, happiness is not my inability to form a proper question. But, I think happiness to me is… success. When after working so hard, you finally achieve just what you were looking for. These last few weeks, trying to finish these last big projects, I lost sight of the point of it all… making a goal and accomplishing it. When I got there, I was hit with that wonderful feeling: “I did it!” Success is what I think happiness is because it’s a bit of a catch-all – success in work, life, relationships… everything from good time management today (those to-do lists) to earning that scholarship or dream job or whatever. Or surviving!

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Regular, but truncated broadcast: This is a short post because I haven’t been sleeping much and I must make those books for tomorrow!

I’m about ⅓ – ⅕ done… that is, I’ve almost finished one book (the standing accordion), and am going to make at least three books… maybe five (that stack of little square papers on the bottom right corner would be prepped pages). How much will I cry if my prof tells me four of the books are utter crap, or that she only wants me to submit one? Or that I “really didn’t need to do so much”?

Thanks for letting me know about the reunion; I’m waiting on Matthew for details. Maybe I should ask that guy on the floor above me (he was in my brother’s year at North A).

Best of luck on your presentation!

Have a great day tomorrow, Linda!

I’ll be more talkative then provided I don’t crash.

Mary

PS: I can’t actually see, but do you actually have admin status on our blog? I was wondering because you made another copy of the banner, and maybe you didn’t have full access to our image uploads.

“Sitting on the Dock of the Bay”

” I’m just sitting on the dock of the bay…wasting time…”

- “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding

Hi Mary!!

It’s times like these in which the pressure gets too hot that I seem to depress and revert to my slacker ways in order to cope. I managed to do less actual work all of yesterday than I did in the first two hours at the office this morning. I really think that having a weekend of nothing to do does you in; it sets you in the mindset of laziness. I’ve always found it hard to maintain routines, which is why I too share the love of making lists and ignoring them. ^^;; You should see my notebooks and agendas!! My lyrics today pretty much sum up what I’ve been doing yesterday. And pretty much today…..argh.

My presentation project is on hiatus for now, because of the project that has to be done at work. Which is why I’m really psyched about finishing this ASAP. My most hopeful ideal is on Friday, but I highly doubt that’s going to work out. But….thinking positive!! ^^;; I’ll have to present it during my last week here, so I also have to make a PowerPoint for it. Steve told me he usually takes an hour to do one, so it shouldn’t be too hard, but I NEED material to work with first!! I’m probably going to smuggle home documents to work on in my spare time. School starts on May 10th (a THURSDAY…O.o) but I think I’ll probably have to go the weekend before, or there’d by no other way for me to move stuff around. So I’ll have a week and it sucks that it’s actually going to be less than that, because I’ll be pre-occupied on the 28th moving back to Toronto.

A little thing I forgot to mention!! North A’s 50th Anniversary Reunion ON the 28th (another reason that I am crushed). Ask Matt for more details, seeing as I’m too lazy to look up details on Facebook (I HATE that thing) to relay back to you.

From the snapshot you took, I do agree with The Boy. I do like the images from your litho, though. Even in B&W, I can see alot of detail in them. Keep up the good work!! Maybe your female prof will find a deeper connection with it than your male profs ever could. Unless they knit….but I’m playing by stereotypes here.

Your parents are very amusing!! Did they hang up the partial nudes?? I’m surprised that you even HAVE ‘nude’ shots, even if they’re just partial. You must have an extensive portfolio by now…and now I’m curious if a lot of the pieces will have the same ‘?!!!….?’ factor.

Oh, masochistic Mary…at least your fetish will have results worthy of the pain, which is more than I can say of some that others indulge in…..I mean, stretching out earlobe piercings until they pretty much can fit a tennis ball in it is not very practical nor attractive, IMO.

And yes!! Unfinished sketches have a great, dream-like quality to them…I remember cleaning up some of the few drawings that I’ve done in the past and really wishing that I didn’t. I really like those artist figurines; wooden models with no defining features just sparks imagination!

(This guy is just BRIMMING with inspiration. Like an Insta-Muse!! ) –>

Sorry for the paltry paragraphs of response…the ticking deadline has sparked a revival in industriousness….and I really need to reply, as:

(btw, the banner is very cool!! )

I’m trying to work on getting more photos in my posts, but when I tried to nab the camera from home, HighSis told me that we only had one in the house….so I had to leave it there. However, she and Karen and Ro are going to be taking a short trip up here this weekend, so I’ll have guests to entertain and possibly photos to upload, seeing as how Steve will fix my home PC for me on Friday. Bwhahahaha!!!

Feelings on belly-dancing:

It’s cool!! Dancing doesn’t really feel like I’m dancing at all though, just because we’re practicing how to do the moves properly. You’d be surprised at how difficult shimmying can be…..it’s a beast!! I’ll never perform, so I’m comfortable with not having to bother with the clothes. I’m glad it just gets me out of the house…and it doesn’t really feel like the other sports I’ve tried so far, as in feeling like a chore to go to practices instead of wanting to go. So that’s a good sign! The instructor is very sweet too….although the rest of the class is pretty much French and I’m the only one who prefers English, she translates to make it easier for me to learn.

Argh…now I have to go and read until my eyes bleed for work….and then I should probably go to the gym. I hope your day is much more interesting and enlightening, Mary!!!

Linda

P.S. Working on the category dealio!! I started off with BlogSpot, and never had these sorts of functions, so I tend to stick with what I know….pretty much just posting.

P.P.S. I must’ve inhaled too much hairspray that day during prep….^^;; Thanks for being a sport and going along with me silly notions!

P.P.P.S We should try and work on it during Easter or something…those About pages, that is.

P.P.P.P.S CSI + Wikipedia = and unproductive Linda for Tuesday mornings. Never edited on Wikipedia though. Do you need an account for it??

P.P.P.P.P.S HAHA!!! thought I forgot to mention the whole point of this post, eh??

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“Happiness is __________”

At this moment, happiness is having finished everything I wanted to. I never realized that I had stuff to do, despite the lack of people around me and computer at home.

But broadly, happiness is feeling at peace with myself. Yes, because person at the top-most priority in your life should be you (for now, seeing as we’re still young.) . No doing things because of media and peer pressure. And who else spends as much time with yourself? No one. That’s my five cents; I blab too much. I’ll be thinking of a question for Thursday!!

Dear Linda,

I hear you about the pressure, and not getting things done. I’m an avid list maker, because the pressure of seeing the list makes me get work done. Of course, I ignore the list once I make it, and it doesn’t get crossed off. At least not according to “schedule”.

The French “Clan of the Cave Bear” moment is spectacular! Is Gatineau/Ottawa not friendly enough a place to strike up a conversation with a stranger? It would’ve been nice to be able to ask him how he enjoyed it! I do love moments like that… and I do like the “personal freedom” I get from this enjoyment, lol.

How is your presentation project going? When is it due? Are you going back to school in May? I do know what you mean about a beautiful campus in the summer, but for me, many courses aren’t available in the summer, especially studio ones, and there are lots of excellent full-year courses, and I think they’re only good for fall-winter. I really like winter here though, so I don’t mind too much.

I am happy to say, I’ve finished printing my photographs and my lithographs for assignments! Above is a proof (a non-good copy – it’s marginally too light) of my litho plus the photos I’ve printed so far. The two I’m using will be of course the one you’ve seen and… maybe the one at the very top.

And I’m happy with it. (Or so I’ve decided at the moment…) Thank you for the compliments; this is one of the first times I’ve tried double exposures and I’m happy it worked so well; even the fuzzy registration (from camera shake) added to it. The Boy says the second image (which is a single exposure of me in my room) looks like an artist bio pic. If I give copies to my parents, they may feel obligated to hang it up or something. Putting stuff up at the parents’ can be weird; the works “read” differently in the context… more self-involved than expressive, I think. Good thing they’re not nudes though. Though my parents might not react much… (I showed my parents some “fake nudes” from another photo series I did… in two pictures, I’m under the cover, apparently undressed, and then one wherein I’m shirtless but bra-donning. Dad didn’t seem to care or say anything, and Mom asked me if I got my good mark becuz my prof was a man. Thanks, Mom.)

As for the lithographs, for once, the technical side of litho has been on my side. I printed upwards of ten prints today and they just looked right. I was so happy I thought that maybe I would consider doing more litho next year, in an upper year print course… but then you always knew I was a masochistic. I am, however, sorry I will have to cut up those pretty prints, to make that book!

As I’ve mentioned, I’ve changed my mind and am making a book on knitting: the process of knitting a gansey (a particular kind of sweater). The images themselves are very sketchy, loose and simple but sort of dreamy… That sounds silly; what I mean is that you know how when you sketch something, it looks very rough, but is more suggestive than a finished drawing? Because when it’s all refined, the image loses that sense of spontaneity and possibility… and since my book follows process and design, I wanted to convey that. I hope the images aren’t too sketchy though… I’m hoping to counter the “simplicity” (if it’s a problem) by making really good books. Hopefully a number of them. It will have a loose narrative, aided by printed text… you might even say it’s a mystery, lol. I’ll try to put up pictures post-evaluation. And yes, I do plan on continuing in print media… it suits me well… but then I’ve loved every media I’ve worked with, and even if I didn’t, I would probably do it again (the masochist in me again).

I’m very happy to hear about your co-op advisor’s visit. It sounded so nice. It’s an extremely useful personal touch; sometimes it’s little things like having someone go out of their way to ask after you that makes the biggest difference. And plus, (referring to your job), big things tend to start small…

Goodness, did your dad really used to ask you who your best friend was? Wasn’t it horrible shaming when he’d then ask, “So what’s-her-name’s not your best friend anymore?” I’m very amused. Jennifer and Courtney are super-cute best friends, though, I think. Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts are a couple of my other favourite celebrity BFFs – like Leo and Tobey Maguire – and quite a few of the other pairs I mentioned – they met as kids back home auditioning… I love seeing the proof that careers don’t have to be cutthroat and you can be best friends with your competition. Not that I’d want to be best friends with my competition.

Speaking of printing and dancing… a friend of mine in litho did a project that sounds like your belly dancing exercise… it looked like a woman dancing a traditional Persian dance, only her body was a feather quill. Something about freedom of speech like dancing. I’ll have to ask her if she does belly dancing… according to Wikipedia, “belly dancing” does have some history in Persia.

 

Btw, how do you like belly dancing? You know how I wanted to take lessons… I still want to, but I still hate the clothes.

I better do my dummy lab due tomorrow morning… it’s on “colour in chemistry and art”… the art part is stupid, and the chemistry makes me ask, “I learnt about electrons in gr. 9, but why don’t I remember anything useful now?”

Hope you have a great day tomorrow, Linda. Hope you get everything you want done, done. And remember, it’s Tuesday!!

Love,

Mary

PS: I love the Wikipedia. I even use it for science, but the simple stuff… I like to read all about BSG and sometimes edit the synopses, and wrong art history.

PPS: The hand thing in the prom pic was your idea, lol.

PPS: I’ve been using the categories on the side, because it is very amusing.  You should give it a twirl.

PPPS: Someday when we’re less busy, we should build up some pages, just for fun… like our About page.

“Under Pressure”

“Pressure!! Pushing down on me, pushing down on you…”

“Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie

Hi Mary!!

Please excuse the lack of posting on Friday; I did mean to drop you a word, but I was feeling my deadlines and worked frantically to meet my personal deadline on Friday, which did not happen. Ooof!! Hate that when it happens.

One thing I did really want to tell you about Friday though; I was on the morning bus on my way to work, and I happened to sit beside a man who was reading “The Clan of the Cave Bear” in French!! I couldn’t help grinning and looking like an idiot on the way to work as I tried to inconspicuously read over his shoulder. Does that ever happen to you?? Seeing something that just makes you grin, or even laugh, in a public place but all the people around you’d probably give you strange looks because you can’t be bothered to explain why it just does. I do that all the time, like watching pigeons huddle with sparrows on ground ‘heat spots’ or when a particular song comes up in the roulette on my mp3. I’m pretty sure that’s why I always manage to get a free space on the bus.

Mary, I really like the double-exposure picture that you took! The steam-ironing of the carpet and the getting pretty on a Saturday at HOME ( I don’t know how you do it) has paid off. I’m no expert of photography, but that’s my two cents. I would like to hear your concept, but I really think you should give this to your parents whenever you decide to move out in the future. It’ll be like a warning: “You’ll never be rid of me for GOOD!! I’ll always come back for the free food and laundry occasionally!! Bwhahhahaha!! ”

Hahahaha!! ( I’m feeling jolly in the morning) It’s good that you have a good idea of where you want to go in the future, Mary!! So many people just think about picking up a degree in university and then wait until later to decide what they want to do in life, and it must be hard. My mother’s told me so many horror stories of people hanging out at home for three years after they finish school, doing NOTHING. Some by choice, some not by choice, but the fact that it happens is not fun at all. But how do you like print media, Mary??Your profs may be encouraging you, but whether you like it or not should be the biggest key-turner. You must be having a good time with it, though, from your descriptions. I just wanted to play the part of the nagging mother for a bit.

Also, I’m not sure what kind of book you’re going to do….it is going to be like a binder of visuals, or an actual novel book sort of dealio. Or is it going to be a storybook sort of thing?? My guesses probably seem ridiculous, but I’d just like to clarify, if you have time. ^^;;

SPEAKING OF BOOKS!!!! Somebody saw fit to put your yearbook back on the shelf with all the rest!! I SAW IT AND FOUND IT!!! So somebody will be getting something green for Easter, which is the next time I will opefully get to see you. Or at the end of April.

Speaking of coming back home and finishing up work here, my co-op advisor came in on Friday from school to check in on me ( I lost an hour precious work time meeting with him!! Argh.) . I do appreciate that he comes out to see the students; it’s a little personal touch that makes you feel like they really care that you feel good at your position and are learning things that will benefit you in the future. He asked me about my workplace, the people and my surroundings as well as how life in Ottawa was. It made me think that I was very lucky to land this job, because a lot of the footwork was already covered before and they pretty much hand me everything I have to do on a silver platter. It’s a monotonous job without much excitement, but excellent if you want an easy start into working co-op jobs.

Ack!! So many things I want to tell you, but so little time!! I miss the 3am chats in the car, which I’m pretty sure was where the best friends conversation spawned. I remember hating it when my father would ask me at random, ” So who’s your best friend now?” when I was a kid. But from the list that you presented me of “celebrity best friends”, the only one I could recognize was Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Another pair I think would probably be Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox. I do love surfing Wikipedia though…..I do remember reading up on Dr. Who ( I try to avoid anything too scientific on Wiki, as it may have bad sources and not be reliable or true information. Psychology is exempt from this though(good times!!)….what do you like to read up on??) , so I do know about his13 possible ‘resurrections’. I tend to read up on shows and movies that I will never have the time to watch, so I’ll read about what happens and get a vague idea of whether I’ve missed something good or avoided something silly.

Avoiding Red Bull is good for you, Mary….don’t do it!! I’ve never tried it, but I have tried Jolt Cola and it was the worst feeling ever…I felt so sleepy but the damn cola wouldn’t let me sleep!!! Oh, university….

But I should get back to work now. My weekend was filled with couch potato moments, so that was nothing exciting. Practiced dancing a bit though…..try writing the alphabet with your upper torso ONLY as if you were the pen and the ground was the paper. Guaranteed good time with a sore tummy after a while. Hope your week is grrrrrrrrreat, Mary!!

Linda

P.S. I remember something I should mention, but it needs more time. I’ll tell you later.

P.P.S. I won’t kill you for posting up that picture, but I will chase you around at a later date. And what was with us sticking our hands out?? I don’t remember why we did that.

Best friends

Dear Linda,

How are you?

How is your work term project coming? It sounded a bit stressful. I’d be pretty stressed if I had to present in front of my coworkers. Embarrassed big time.

Today I was reading about celebrity “best friends”. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire are best friends, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are famously best friends, Jennifer Garner is best friends with the girl who played Rowena in Mr. Holland’s Opus, Ben Affleck’s little brother Casey is best friends with Joaquin Phoenix… (Ah, isn’t Wikipedia great? And uh, wasn’t that a brilliantly fascinating bit of info?)

What I wonder is, how do people confirm these “best friendships”? Do they ask, “Who’s your best friend?” Do actors publicly announce, “My best friend and I – Tobey Maguire – like to [play poker together or whatever]“. Or do gossip mongers just keep track of who spends a lot of time with whom…

Maybe it’s just that the title of “best friend” is so weird and static to me. If you say you’re “best friends” with someone, does that mean you can’t have another friend you are comparably close to? Does that mean you can only have one best friend? If you drift apart, briefly, are you not briefly non-best friends? If you stop spending as much time together, have you had a falling out? Would there be something wrong with not having a best friend? Is it cheating to have more than one best friend? Is it lying about having a best friend if you like another friend more in different ways – e.g., your not-best friend is a better theatre performance companion.

No, Linda, I am not too upset; I am more amused. We’ve had this conversation before, if you recall, and you know how I feel about it.

To conclude, I will post up a picture of us on the Internet that will make you want to kill me. Why, Mary, why have you posted this on the Internet??

Hope you’re having a great weekend, Lin.

Love,

Mary

PS: Linda, what has happened to your home computer?

Happiness is…

Dear Linda,

How are you?

I read your last missives pretty much as soon as they were posted, and I was all revved up to reply, but I turned out to be way too tired last night. Actually, twenty-four extra hours have not helped!

Tonight I will be focusing mainly on my studio work, as that’s what I’ve had no choice but to obsess over lately… you’d feel the same if you were taking any studio classes… enrolling in one is like hooking yourself up to a vacuum, lol.

I’ve keep busy these last couple days, both starting with early morning classes. (Boo morning lectures!!!) Yesterday (Tuesday), I got the film from The Boy, finished my photo shoot, and then saw my friend Sophia for a few minutes (she was visiting from UofT!) before going to the photo studio. I’d exposed my first roll of film wrong, so I had to develop it after the first roll – normally developing two rolls of film that can be developed exactly the same, you can – you guessed it – develop it at the same time. So the developing took me two hours, including some serious freak-out, because I thought I’d ruined one roll through developing. I planned my work time well enough to print contact sheets (because you also have to wait for the neg’s to dry before you can cut, file and use them! and contact sheets are prints of your negatives) during which I continued my freak-out. You see, Linda, I had forgotten that cardinal rule of life photography – while they co-exist, the world of the darkroom and outside the darkroom are, well, different worlds. That is to say, things don’t look the same inside and out of a darkroom! MY FILM (which I absolutely cannot re-shoot, no freaking way would I steam iron my carpet again when I barely have time to finish my work anyway!) WAS PERFECT! *Mary is dancing, whooo!!*

Tonight I started printing my photos, so I wanted to show you:

It’s not a final print, and it’s really not that nice warm tone, but that’s basically it. It’s a “double exposure”, which means I exposed the same bit of film twice – once with me posing, the second without me. Usually a multiple exposure is used to include things a number of times, for example, multiple mes. But I wanted to create a ghost image. I’ll tell you more about it when the concept when I make more prints.

Otherwise in Maryland… today I’m really happy because I finally picked up my papers from my Portraiture art history lecture from last semester. It was a 3000-level course (basically, third year) and with a professor I really respect, so I really cared about how I did in this course. Especially when I liked the lectures, too. I’m sooo happy because I go straight As on every essay, including my exam! So I got a final grade of A! It makes me so happy not because I got eighties, but because my hard work paid off! Don’t you love that feeling, when you give it your best and it goes well?? Whooooo!

I’d also worked so hard on my last set of lithographs (as you may remember!) and that also sort of paid off. I got it back today, with a good mark, but what made me happiest were my prof’s kind comments, emphasizing my good work and abilities and not my super bad luck. She even told me she really liked my work (totally not necessary to say; I’d written my course/prof evaluation earlier, lol). I really like this prof because she makes her work personal and thoughtful, and it shows in everything she does, from the careful way she teaches to her considerate remarks. Don’t you love when you have a really good and inspiring teacher, Linda? They remind me of why I love school so much.

My prof also said that she thought that I had potential in print media, and since that’s what my intaglio instructor told me too last year, it strengthens my resolution to continue in the media. Encouragement is good, no?

And finally, the book. I got sick of the “Possible Futures” theme, so I’m shelving it for now. Thank you very much, though, for your help. Note that I said I’m shelving it, not discarding it completely.

In lieu of “Possible Futures” I’m making a book about… knitting. I am happy, Linda.

I need to go design my book now, so I can start drawing on my stone tomorrow (we hope). Have you tried Red Bull, Linda? I stay away from caffeine in my everyday life, but maybe it would make getting up for a nonstop full day tomorrow, starting with an 8:30 lecture… lol, or not.

Have a great day, Linda!

Love,

Mary

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Bet you thought I forgot it was turn to quiz!(What do you think of the temporary banner?)

The Question of the Week is: “Happiness is __________.”

No need to be profound; just fill in the blank something that’s been happy making right now or lately. Could be some really yummy cookies or something.

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Notes: By steam ironing the carpet I mean putting a damp cloth over the carpet (or dousing it in water) and then ironing at your highest setting, to raise the flattened carpet.Moreover, I tried to make a password protected entry, but it didn’t seem to work… all I had to do was type in a password and hit publish, right? “Private” works well as an alternative, though…

“Big, Blonde and Beautiful”

“…Then, one day my grandma who was big and stout, she taught me how to love myself from inside out!”

“Big, Blonde and Beautiful” by Hairspray cast <– Gods, I love this musical. XD

Hi Mary!!

I sent the link to Abe and now that you’ve done it for Matthew, no need! I just hope that if they ARE reading this, they’ll comment or something just to let us know.

I’ll be posting two today; one public and one private. Which means even MORE reading to be done on your part…you know you like it. XD But just don’t faint from exhaustion, mmkay? Actually, if you must, you should do it today…the Boy will catch you and it’d be unbelievably romantic, for some reason. XD New feminist movements aside, there will always be some old-fashioned customs that garner appreciation. But for exhaustion, do remember that caffeine is an addiction, not a habit and sometimes a brisk walk in the cold will wake you up.

CHEERS!!! School is over in THREE WEEKS for you….and all your hard work will have paid off. I’m getting worried that I won’t be able to finish everything on time…I have a presentation to give at the end of all this to my colleagues, but I’ve barely started on that….I really need to hurry up and finish my current project or else I’ll have no time!! Argh!! It seems like we could both use some extra time…but who doesn’t?

Oh, the “eating too much” comment came from HighSis….she kept complaining how her clothes were tight and stuff; she’s always saying stuff like that, regardless of when I say that she isn’t. She recently had an amazing trip to Guatemala for work and everything they provided for her was pretty much five-star….so the meals were really extravagant.

I do agree about the disordered eating diseases stemming from the family, though…it makes sense, though I’d expand it to close peers as well. Some people just don’t understand how off-hand remarks or “harmless” jokes can really damage someone’s self-image, especially if the “victim” is close to the unintentional abuser. I remember reading several novels based on anorexia that were triggered by an incident like that.

Another thing I don’t get is bulimia…it’s an outrageous extreme that isn’t worth even thinking about, much less consider. And there are actually groups that consider anorexia and bulimia to be a LIFESTYLE, not a problem!!

This is why I really like the musical Hairspray; it seems so light-hearted and happy, yet it addresses serious issues like racism and image discrimination in a way that’s not offensive, but leaves an impression on the audience.

But onto the next subject; this post is getting longer than I envisioned it to be….

Usually at Guelph, we take 5 courses per semester, so taking a sixth course would definitely be lots more work and require adjusting. I wouldn’t mind trying for a seventh one, but then that’d be suicide. XC This summer shouldn’t be too bad, since I’ll know more people at school and there’ll be more work to occupy my mind with than last year. I’ve been looking for places; there’s not a lot up right now, but I’m doing what I can. Do you think you’ll ever want to live off-campus or just stay at home for uni, Mary??? Or maybe you could try to be a don one year….be the cool one that everyone loves. XD

I think I may go back to visit some friends during Easter and cheer them up before exams!! I do miss my friends, especially since one in particular; I probably won’t see her until my fourth year again!! I’m not very good with meeting new people, so I’ve learned to treasure my relationships. I’m also going to see Steven from England again; remember him? He’s coming over for Easter and since our moms are such good chums, I’ll have dinner with him and his family. I think he’s trying to organize something, so I’ll keep you posted to see if you’re interested in seeing him again.

Oh, you ripped the fingerless knit!! It looked nice in the picture, but I’m not very knit-savvy, so I’m not the best critic. I hope your labours over the weekend weren’t done in by the badly exposed film…that would totally suck ( and it must’ve be hard work to steam-iron the carpet…don’ think we’ve EVER done that ourselves. O.o) Maybe you’ll have to trade in the Errand Boy for the Free Labour Boy, this week…he may just kill me for suggesting that, though. XD Thank goodness I’m not home…

I do know a lot of over-acheivers that are both good and bad…and I know what you mean, by some people making a goal seem….unsavoury. I always feel like I can try harder, so I don’t know when I’ve really tried harder than others. I’ve always been lazy, and the fact that I recognize it makes me think I have potential that I’m not tapping into. Or that could just be an excuse why my results aren’t always the greatest. I know some people with that same mentality, so it’s nice to see someone like you, Mary. You do try hard and it shows. Which is why I think everything will work out in the end for you somehow. I’d love to see how your projects turn out, and see if you used my ideas…:D

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AlakaZAM!! The answer to the question:

(Graphics are always good!! But we can do that when you have more time…)

If you found $20 on the ground, what would you do with it??”

Since $20 is nothing HUGE like$1000 that you should turn in to the police, I would pocket it myself, feeling guilty for about 3 minutes. I’ll probably leave it in my wallet and forget that I actually picked it up and didn’t earn it…it’ll transform itself into something useful eventually, like food or a spur-of-the-moment novel.

Note: I asked HighSis and Steve the same thing, and they argued about the max amount before the line of keeping it and giving it to the police!! Good times, good times…

Get some sleep when you can, Mary! Have a good day/evening/period for work!!

Linda

Tuesdays Are For Inquisition!

But first, so you won’t accidentally see the answers early, regular broadcasting… a very flighty post follows…

Dear Linda,

I linked Matthew, but not Abe (he looked busy). Haven’t heard anything since though.

Glad to hear that you seemed to have an eventful and hopefully good weekend! I hope the Jack & Jill was fun! And also successful. And I hope you didn’t have too much to drink and embarrassed yourself! :p

My weekend was fairly good, though with the usual small tensions that seem to come with change. I ended up really needing Sunday afternoon for schoolwork. I didn’t get everything I wanted to get done, but I got what I had to do… fraught with error of course. But back to that later.

I hope being at home was good for you too. To be honest I’m not sure what your comment about “eating too much” refers to – eating too much that weekend, or you eating too much?

I came across something at mamaVISION that really made sense to me: eating disorders are a family disease. I’m not suggesting anything about anyone having an eating disorder, I really just want to talk disordered eating (which is a temporary thing – like girls pigging out on Tom & Jerry’s after a breakup). It’s so true that insensitive remarks from family (like our moms telling us we eat too much) can lead to such dark places. I personally feel very strongly about this; I hope I never make a kid, or anyone, feel bad about their weight.

Yes, I cannot wait for summer to come; I love the reprieve that makes me happy to return to school in the fall (oh, to say that now seems… dishonest). I may yet look into summer courses, but for now, I’m going to think about school only as much as I have to!

Are you looking forward to school? I took six courses this year, seven last year. What is the usual amount for you, or students at Guelph?

I hope you find a better living situation this time ’round. At worst, could you rent a basement apartment sort of thing, with bed, bath and kitchen access? I think I’ve seen a lot of postings advertising that kinda thing here a lot.

Now, see this?

This is the first of the fingerless knits I’ve been knitting. (More on The Other Blog.)

This is how it was before I ripped it. Turned it back into stringy yarn. I didn’t like the poor technique – those squiggly looking indented lines – and wanted to start from scratch.

Do I regret it? Slightly. I think it epitomizes my weekend, and the way things have been going for me lately. So so, and when I try to fix it, not necessarily better, lol.

This weekend, I hermitted away, shooting for a photo assignment. Setting up included rearranging all the furniture in my living room (all by myself; my mother was in disbelief), then vacuumed and steam-ironed the carpet (bizarre, no?), all while trying to still look neat in a tidy skirt and makeup. After shooting, I thought about my possibly poor film choice and realized I’d exposed it wrong… and today, that I’d left it at home. And hopefully my images are salvageable, otherwise I may cry! Ah, just a regular day in the Mary world…

Today I’ve mainly been feeling very tired. I got back to York early in the morning, shot some images, ate breakfast at 3:30pm, could not find my prof , but after 4+ hours finished graining my stone (preparing my lithography stone surface). I’m not looking forward to another long day tomorrow, though I’ll be seeing The Errand Boy (my film-bringer ♥) and my friend Sophia briefly. I’d like to focus on these highlights, but I’ve got a lame 8:30 lecture and unfinished work I need to plan to do tomorrow night and I am too tired, at least at the moment, to feel excited. (I think the theme of tiredness has been exhausted and I will try to bring it up less now.) Please tell me you don’t miss these aspects of school, Linda!

About over-achievers… many of them make me question their motives: why are they trying so hard? Who are they doing it for? Is it for the right reasons? Sometimes they “inspire” me, sometimes they make me want to do the opposite. It’s hard to say; with many things, I know I try a lot harder than others, so in the end, what they do doesn’t affect my plans. You know what I mean?

About image formatting, when you click the tree icon up there on the formatting tool bar, you’ll see “alignment” listed. Play around with the options, though left/right should be what you want.

And about private posts, you can set a “post password” (over on the right under Categories and Discussion).

 

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And now, for the first Tuesdays Are For Inquisition!(Maybe I should make a special graphic for TAFI/Pop Quiz Tuesdays; what do you think?)

From Linda: “If you found $20 on the ground, what would you do with it??”

Mary’s Answer: Buy something frivolous and totally unnecessary – you know, the kind of thing you would hesitate to purchase with our hard-earned coin, but you secretly covet very much and would spring to get with a certificate or something. Like found money. I think I’d buy flashy new earrings. Or really sumptuous yarn. Whichever I found first.

What about you?

Have a great day, Linda!

Mary