Last Saturday, I tried to jump across a puddle and my phone fell out of my pocket and directly into the water so I finally gave in and upgraded to an iPhone 3G.
Pros: I can play Tetris, listen to music, and take pictures.
Cons: BJ wins & I’ve already used 65% of my data plan after 3(!!!) days.
We’ll see how well I can keep it updated, but BJ set up a twitter account awhile ago, and I’ll be posting photos every now and then from my phone there.
With the help of a broken dining chair seat that I’m using as a portable workstation (thanks, Ikea), I’ve been finding a little bit of time in the evening to finish a series of 15 small watercolor paintings that will hopefully form part of a larger collection of new work.
With the start of the new year, and with BJ and I more actively contemplating our future, I need to push harder to make time to pursue our creative projects. We really can’t foresee what next year will bring, although our plans continue to multiply—and sometimes, as intimidating as it is to get your work shown or to sell your work, there’s no reason to keep postponing our own work. And if we fail, we just try again, and fail better.
It’s been over a year since my last haircut, and my hair was getting a little out of control. I made a last-minute appointment at Blue Mambo Friday, and asked for 3 inches off. Now I feel renewed. Unfortunately, my blow-drying talents are limited, so my hair won’t be this tame or smooth for a while.
Birds on our drive back home.
Thanks Megan for the tag. This offered a welcome, much-needed break from my work last night + a relaxing assignment before bed. Proportions are totally not to scale and coloring’s a little haphazard, but here ya go!
I’m going to tag my little sister, Thuy, in hopes that she updates her blog soon!
Update: Thuy’s 5 picks
The deadlines at work are constantly changing and getting back into the routine has been tough, especially since I got so comfortable staying up ’til 2 during the holiday break. To relax, I took a mini break and did a quick pen-and-watercolor drawing of my bedside reading. My Secret Santa gave me the top two. I’m loving them all!
We had a full winter break with a lot of family in town, meals at different houses, and plenty of cute kids to keep us entertained—especially this butterball. Now, I can’t help but wake up feeling anxious + grumpy about the work I have yet to do before heading back to school. It’s something I have to work on. Before I start my (hopefully productive) day, here are a few pictures of what we’ve been up to lately.
Filling up on AKA Sushi and flipping through the 3×3 Illustration annual (which made a great present for the little sis). ¶ Lunch and bold beverages at Empire Cafe. ¶ Leftover pie from our pre-New Year house party. We should call it the Old Year Party. Certainly we’ve never had so many people, and “bacon candy,” at our place. ¶ Visiting Kaboom Books and chatting with their owners, where we scored Area for 12 bucks. Also, falling in love with their dogs: a charming pair of Hungarian pointers a/k/a Viszlas. ¶ Finally cleared the moving boxes out of the living room and found a place for my new Lena Corwin pillow from Jackie(!). ¶ Visited the antique shop across Empire Cafe and bought two super-sturdy school (say that 3x) chairs originally from Dayton I.S.D.
This year, I wanted to set aside some time to make homemade gifts. I did a few pencil sketches and watercolor washes on my bristol pad, cut them to size, and placed them in Ikea frames. My sisters received these…
I’m squeezing in some cooking time during this break, because I need a lot of practice! Lately, I’ve been going to Orangette for recipes and each dish I’ve tried has been a keeper. Last night we made Pasta with Hashed Brussels Sprouts and Pine Nuts, using whole wheat pasta and adding minced garlic at the end. This morning, I made a third batch of the chocolate chip cookies, but I finally got the recipe right. The previous two times, I mixed teaspoons with tablespoons so there was more salt + baking soda + baking powder. (Can’t even claim that as a rookie mistake.) Although the other batches tasted pretty good, these cookies were so much better with just the right amount of crisp around the edges.
It had a slow start, but the holiday spirit is beginning to spread. On my first couple of days off I’ve baked cookies, tuned into the Christmas station while driving, wrapped presents, and set up a little winter scene. Now if only Houston could get a cold front to come through…
Other things I’ve enjoyed:
It’s been a long week, but I’m looking forward to getting some rest before returning to school. In between work, commutes, and all the busy stuff we’ve found some time to visit Igby (btw, she’s not that obedient: her eyes are fixed on my cookie), finally put up curtains and organize our place, indulge in yummy chocolate chip pancakes from Max’s Wine Dive, get hooked on Gossip Girl (I heart Blair), and drink lots of sparkling cider!
