Birdy

So incase you guys were wondering about Birdy, she is good. To my knowledge... I dropped her off at the wildlife rescue center on Bainbridge Saturday morning and she was doing great. So I hope they have taken better care of her than I and hopefully her wing will be healed in no time.
I was pretty stoked on the fact that I was feeding a hummingbird with my fingers. Not many people can say they have done that. I can see why people like birds, I just can't stand the cacophony that inevitably ensues with most domestic birds. But I think I'm going to get a hummingbird feeder and put it under the Mexi's balcony in front of my living room window. I'm sure Dime would be stoked on that. And I would be able to think about Birdy every time I was on my computer in front of the window and I happen to see a hummingbird.

A Day Unexpected

So yesterday was one of those days that by the end of it, I had no idea how I had gotten there from where I started. Only one of my original plans for the day worked out, and that was because it was fool proof once I put it in the crock pot.

 Not that I am complaining, I spent my day with my favorite people, and my favorite new people.

I was going to take Dime to the nature preserve between where I live and my job, but instead we took him to the creek so he could play in the water. And he freaked out. I don't know if it was the fact that it's been a week or so since I've taken him anywhere where he can really run or just the nice weather mixed with the fact that both of his favorite people were taking him to his favorite place to play, but he went ape shit as soon as I let him off the leash. He didn't even let us work our way down the side of the ravine, he brought me a stick to throw as soon as he physically could. It was like he had to fit in every millisecond of playing in that he possibly could before we snapped the leash back on and took him back to his cell.

It wasn't as warm as I would have liked, but it was sunny. Which I was thankful for, because on the way to our spot I slipped in the creek and got my whole right shoe soaking wet. It's been worse, I've tripped and pitched the Flip into the water before and I've dropped my phone a few times too. You would be surprised what can withstand being dunked as long as you take it all apart and let it air dry immediately after. Not that I am advocating throwing your electronics in the sink, it's just not necessarily the end all - be all if you have a water related accident.

On the way back to the car Dime made a most unexpected discovery on the trail. He found a baby bird. He wanted to keep it and play with it in his mouth for a bit, but we rescued the baby from Dime's oversized playfulness just in time. Being the animal lovers that we are we were a little dumbstruck as to what to do, and after some deliberating phone calls to Moms we took it home with us. I made it a little bed and feed it sugar water every hour or so. I'm pretty much positive now it's an adult hummingbird with a broken wing. It's made it through the night and even left me a few presents showing it's not too sick to poop. Which should be a good sign. But I need to take it somewhere where they know what they are doing.

But for now I have a pet hummingbird named Birdy. I know I shouldn't name it... deeper connections... harder to let go.. yada yada yada... It's just who I am. I have to call it something.

Typography

Is anyone else as interested in the type faces we use as I am? I love different fonts, I love trying out different fonts and making up new ones. Typography is a lot like color to me, and everyone knows I love me some colors. You can express any emotion you want with your font. You can make it three dimensional, colorful, blurry, smooth, rough, big, tiny, inverted... anything you want. If it is readable it works. A lot of graffiti artists don't even bother doing that half the time.

I want to redo the banner for the blog, but I don't know what I want to do yet. So I've been doodling all over my notebook at work. The boys are impressed that I can print perfect bubble letters almost as fast as I can write normally.  And they marveled at my lightning fast cursive that none of them could read. I might as well have been rapidly scribbling lines on the paper for them to gape at.

It's been a while since I have thought about my handwriting. I used to be one of those girls that tried to change their handwriting every few months. I was constantly on the search for the perfect penmanship. I've frequently switched between the different ways to write a lowercase A, giving my Bs and Ds littler and littler tails, I even tried to write a G with the hook thing on it like Times New Roman for a little while. All the bipolar mind changing about what looked good has actually made quite an impact on how I write now. You can look at a single note to someone and find contradictions everywhere in my text. I can't write the same way twice! I often switch between cursive and print and something I like to call "lazy cursive" all in the same paragraph.

I'm an admitted note writer. All my friends know that because probably all of them over the course of our relationship have received one. My addiction is farther reaching than notes though, I love lists too. You guys know this, you can find my random lists scattered in posts and an occasion one will pop up on my art page. I'm just a writer in general. I have to get everything out of my brain and on paper or I feel like I might lose it forever. Or change the idea in a way I can never get that original one back. My thoughts are like photographs and my brain is like photoshop out of control. I can't stop thinking and rethinking things, and it's hard for me to get back to my first idea sometimes.

I don't know if any of these random doodles are going anywhere, but at least it's out there now.

Back In White Country

Has anyone else noticed the spring flowers? I can't wait for next month! The May flowers will be wonderful! After all we are having plenty of April showers. Today was a perfect example of that. But it was still too irresistible to pass up a chance to pick some of the first Spring flowers.




My shoes soaked through... it was after all an impromptu tromp through the wilderness. But it was worth it. I never knew how many different types of moss there are here, and I am planning on spending a day in the sun documenting every type I come across. But today was not that day.




I ended up leaving most of my flowers for Bigfoot. I found his tracks and felt bad he was so lonely out there wandering life on the run. So I left my flowers for him in the trees by the trail.




I think a few more random, inspirational, spontaneous journeys are in order to cure my artist block.  I know my creativity it still flowing strong, my mind is constantly racing with ideas and stories and plans and thoughts. It's harnessing all those random and sometimes useless tangents and centering my thoughts on art again that is proving difficult.   

Getting Restless

I'm in a creating rut again. I don't know what throws me into these, but it seems like I get them semi frequently. I smash out like ten pieces and I feel so full of ideas and progress, then its like I just can't keep my eyes ahead of me and I slam right into this Berlin Wall of creation block. Maybe it was giving all my finished stuff to Like A Boss Lady. I don't have anything to stare at while I'm thinking of new things. I gather a lot of inspiration from stuff I have already done. When I look for art or artists I love looking for patterns in pieces. I love diptych and triptych sets and I am always searching for little similarities and repeated imagery in everything. So I tend to do lots of little mini sets and "collections" if you will, in my own art.

I thought of something to draw yesterday, Tody and I talked about my looming wall and he helped me think of some interesting ideas. I'm just not motivated, and I'm not sure why. I feel like I'm falling farther and farther behind but I'm letting it get out of control. All this stress hasn't been good for my tummy or lower back and feeling sick and uncomfortable a lot also drags me down. I need to get focused again and ignore all these distractions around me that in the long run will probably end up just holding me back more. My life is here in my art, in my home, and in these relationships I've made. I feel like my head is on a kite stuck in a storm cloud; being beat at every side by tear drops and cold shoulders and the occasional, confusing electrifying touch.

I slept a lot last night off and on, and I had nightmare after nightmare that I can't remember. But it made me realize I hadn't had a bad dream in months. I've been more relaxed this year than ever. I don't want to revert back to my stressed out dramatic ways. I barely make anything on a consistent basis when I'm unhappy, and the things I do finish are just not a good representation of me. I guess one could argue that it is a testament to who I was at that given moment, but I don't like that either. If I don't like how I am feeling than the art I put out there shows that distaste.

Maybe its all just a vicious cycle, because the more I make the better I feel, yet it is near impossible sometimes for me to get happy enough to just start one piece.

Hopefully venting helped.

Are You Happy?

I hope you are. Where ever you are sitting reading this I hope you are comfortable and warm and loved. Everyone should feel those things every day! I do, even if it's not the majority of my day, at some point in my day I always feel comfortable, warm and loved. I am lucky though, I live with two great boys that love me very much and other than the occasional paw to the stomach when being stepped over, both of them try they're best to make me happy and comfortable.

Even those who live alone should find things that make them feel good at home. I believe as humans we are constantly searching for comfort and stability in something else. It shows us how attainable it is for ourselves. Probably why we need domesticated animals around so much. We need to feel loved and powerful and needed and cared for all at once. The respect is always nice too.

I'm kind of rambling on about nothing really. But I just feel thoughtful today. Current Roomie is no longer Current Roomie. I guess I'll need a new name for her. We'll just call her The Solitary Woman for her love of being alone in her room. She moved out yesterday, and I'm not going to lie. I almost cried. It was a mixture of the shock of seeing her room completely empty and the pure realization that I will probably never see her in person again that made me so incredibly sad. From the little I have gathered over the past 7 months with her is that she was a very kind person. She had great taste in music, and a good political head on her shoulders. She did a great job that not many people get the privilege to do and she had a cute little (spastic) nephew that got along great with my love. Even if he never once called him by the right name. But nevertheless Diamond Dime will still miss him.

I'll post more about my recent vacancy in the apartment later after I take some more pictures. But for now I am just enjoying the amazing bipolar WA weather and my Tody's company. We have art on the mind today. 

The Longest Post I've Ever Made

So Tody and I are the best of friends for many many reasons. The most important, perhaps, is that we are incredibly similar. Both of us are unreliable at best with sticking to something. So although I at first thought having two people man this blog would mean I would never miss a day of posting, I am really not surprised we just went a week without putting anything up. There are plenty of excuses; we were both getting over being sick. I was working up to my epic meeting with Like A Boss Lady. I have been working a lot on both art and watching the boys most days (where I don't have internet access all day). Blah blah blah. I don't have a valid excuse, because every time I open my internet I see this blog. I have just been opening another tab and checking my other shit and moving along most days. Which is all my fault. I'm a flake.. I'm sorry guys.

But I'm here now to fill you in on everything Tody and I have been up to in the last week.

 

 

I have been making jewelry, well, necklaces, lately. I really enjoy it. I'm glad I got my inspiration back. I don't know where it went, or what made it return. But I'm not questioning it. I've tried making other things like earrings and bracelets, but they just look tacky and cheap. I usually go by if I would wear it. And I ask my friends. My new roomie came over and helped me out the other night. She modeled my necklaces and kept me company. I need nicknames for them, so for now the lucky couple are just the Future Roomies. They make for some pretty darn good pictures and lots of laughs. 

We've all been hanging out a lot. It's been nice to chill with another couple, and I'm so relieved we all get along so well. Dime has been extra happy to have the constant attention, and Future Roomies have taken to him quite fast. As he has taken to their bean bag love seats... Dime seriously can't wait till they move their stuff in. 

  

The boys are cute as ever since they are all over their snifflies. Although it is Spring Break for one of them... and he's being a menace since him and the Middle Child have stomach bugs. Sucks to be 7 sometimes. But that cutie-patootie little Cam is just a ball of adorableness since he's been better. 

Hopefully with this new job I'll be getting more hours, and more moneys and all that goodness. I just really can't wait till the weather improves so I can take the boys to the park and the beach. They will get to meet Dime this summer. He'll love it and so will they. 

Dime has been so happy this past week. He's not as itchy and he loves having people around. Copper was even over for an impromptu play date. 

 

The boys and I decided to play with Tody's Fisheye lens after everyone had left for the day. But they were quite uncooperative. 

Dime couldn't keep his tongue to himself. But they were happy when CR'sN showed up. They got to have one last play time with they're little friend. I helped Current Roomie move most of her stuff the other day so I knew it was coming. 

Dime will miss his friend, and Copper probably couldn't care less about his frenemy... But I'll miss that spastic little kid and his quiet Aunt.

 

The boys napped with me last night.. I had a long day. But it's been good. 

PS I also took a bunch f pictures of the fish...