MITOCHONDRIA!!!

Hey friends,

So right now I am working on a project for my surface design class. It is supposed to be a metaphorical container. Conceptual. Whatever. You know, one of those words.

So anyways I am doing the family name as a container, because basically mine is made up and yet I am still really attached to it. And I am representing it by making a mitochondrion because my name is inheirited from my mom and you know ramble ramble.

Part of it has to be image transfer so here’s a quick how-to in case any of you are interested.

1. First you get yourself some images to transfer. In this case, I’m using photos my mom emailed me of old-timey people I am related to.

2. Photocopy them, making sure to use a dry toner dinosaur variety copier.

3. Coat them with acrylic medium. Use quite a bit. Like really layer it on. Then stick them onto your fabric and press them down, being careful not to get any air bubbles. You want to make sure they are on there real good. Then let them sit for a day or so.

4. Now you’re going to take the fabric and soak it in lukewarm water. Make sure it’s not too hot because I am pretty sure that would be bad.

5. Once the paper is nice and wet, start gently rubbing it off. DO NOT RUB WITH TOO MUCH VIGOR.

6. Prosper.

You can apply more acrylic medium once you’re done if you want to seal it in. Just be aware that it will make your fabric all rubbery. I am not adding more because these are going to be for the innards of my mitochondrion so I want them to bend a bit.

Oh yeah one other thing: If you are using text make sure you flip it in a photo editing thinger first, otherwise you will have backwards text. Unless that is what you are going for. Then. Yes. Go for it.

Check it out. They made me.

Oh! Also I am looking for ideas for my Design project and we have to do either a self portrait or the meaning of life. I’m using a Stephen Hawking quote, “What do you want a meaning for? Life is a desire, not a meaning.”

How pissed do you think my design instructor would be if I included this picture?

Sometimes it is really hard for me to not push it, haha.

How To Buy Eggs: The Definitive Guide

Hey the internet,

We finally went grocery shopping, which I know is like a normal thing that people do except we haven’t in ages. And we kept being all “OMG we have to stop going out for food!” but then we’d find a reason to not go shopping and well let’s just say it was getting ridiculous. So now we have real food and it is kinda awesome. Anyways.

I made you a video to help you next time you are out buying eggs. Enjoy!

Also this is incredible:

We certainly are Ravishing Beasts

Yesterday Maine and I met up with Val, Sean, Lucas and Grace to check out the Ravishing Beasts and Art of Craft exhibits at the Museum of Vancouver. Maine and I sort of puffed out chests out about being True Vancouverites because we did not have an umbrella. I think after a certain amount of time living here you just realize you’re going to get rained on and also it is not worth it to bring an umbrella because you will probably just forget it on the bus anyways.

There was no flash photography allowed and the lighting was kinda bleh so please excuse the fact that these pictures are pretty weak sauce.

Taxidermy is weird to me. I do not know on what planet this polar bear club would be considered not terrifying and even a little realistic. I sort of picture him holding a tray of cheese and crackers or something.

The moose was probably my favourite because it was the hugest ever, kind of like this dog.

We went into the craft section the wrong way and I’m not gonna lie, we gently touched a few things (I can’t help myself) and then at the front we saw a sign that said DO NOT TOUCH. Ooops. (Though, this would not be the only rule we would break.)

It was pretty sad times for me because my camera battery died but I did manage to squeeze out a few pictures. The good news is I’m going back in like 2 weeks with my design class so I will probably get more pictures then.

These are shoes. With antlers. I was joking that I would like them to be my wedding shoes. Ok it wasn’t a joke.

It was also exciting because there were quite a few textile art things there and I ended up trying to explain to Maine how to do machine embroidery but he was not interested so I told Val instead and she agreed that it was pretty awesome. I wish Val had decided to join me on my textile arts adventure but I completely understand her desire to not have one million per cent debt.

The museum also has a permanent exhibition of old timey things from BC. Some of it was kinda boring but Val and I managed to find the sweet colourful parts at the back.

Part of me truly believes I was born in the wrong era.

We also maybe did a bad thing where we went into the space part without paying for space but I’ll be honest, $15 for that part is a mega rip off. The ride isn’t even working, and half the exhibits don’t work properly, either. I think they are all from 1982.

Afterward we went to Button Button so Val could get buttons for her February Lady sweater. She has been peer pressuring me to make one as well, and so I have decided to have a goal for February and that goal is to make my own. I will be using some of the one million Cascade Eco wool I have in my ever-growing stash. Now I am just trying to decide if I should use my brown (zzzzzzzzz) kind or either my pink or blue kind.

Then we went to a goth store where I bought hair dye and Valtron bought the brightest blue pants, and then had Vietnamese food. We watched the hockey game at Sean’s and made his dog real tired I imagine. Unfortunately there is no photographic evidence of any of this so you’ll just have to take my word for it.

Oh, also I want to mention I had the pleasure of seeing my old friend Laura (Raine) this week. I have a hard time calling her Raine now because I always knew her as Laura but oh well. We stopped by the Ayden gallery at Tinseltown and I am not entirely sure why Maine and I are ever allowed in public but I am so thankful that he is as ridiculous as I am and will do things like this to make me laugh:

It’s an act, I think she’s just pretending!

Remember that time I got a rabbit and he was so skittish, like the most skittish ever? But then I toughed it out even though I wanted to throw him into space and suddenly somewhere he turned into SO CUTE?

That was a good time in Tams History, I think.

I kind of won his love with treats, not gonna lie. He loves the tasty twigs. And I am so so happy because he is a flopper like so hard. Jarkko only did that briefly when he was the only animal I had, so I hope this bunny stays comfortable enough to just flop everywhere forever. He also sleeps that way and it is the BEST EVER!

I have been pretty neglectful lately, I know. Like I have these lofty dreams of blogging all the time and then I realize my life is kinda boring so I don’t. Would you like me to?

Oh ok story time. So the other day Maine and I went on a bus date, which is a thing we do when we are restless but don’t want to spend a lot of dollars. We took the 9 to Alma, and then Maine was hungry so he got some hotdogs at 7-11. Then we were waiting for the 7, and while he was finishing up his hotdog, a homeless man came up to us and said “Can I have that?”

At first we thought he meant the last bit of hotdog but then realized he meant the container it came him. “I have to cook my eggs.” he said. “You want some?”

“No, thanks…” Maine told him, turning to me, his eyes wide with confusion and terror.

“Oh, you want some tubes?” the man asked.

“Nope, I’m good thanks.”

“Ok,” he mumbled. “Suit yourself.”

He then proceeded to crack as many eggs as would fit in the container. Then he broke off handfuls of cheese from a brick he had in his box and threw them in with the egg. Like, huge handfuls of cheese. Then he went inside the 7-11 to cook them.

I have to give him credit for being crafty about it.

So then today in school I was telling Meredith about it, and she told me that one time someone offered her steak and ice cream on the Skytrain. So weird! I’m curious….Have you ever been offered something really weird by a stranger?

And now, for no reason, a picture of the stairs at my school. I basically go to school in the forest and it is magical.

Oh yeah, a friend has been harassing me for music for a while so I made this playlist even though I have been listening to the same music for like three years now. Enjoy!

Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury.

So the other day when I went downtown I overheard a woman on the bus tell someone that sleep is a luxury. This kind of thinking makes me sad.

Now I understand that there are sometimes very legitimate reasons why a person might not get enough sleep. For example, if you have a baby that doesn’t sleep through the night. I get it. That makes it very tough.

But I think in general, our society is so focused on “being productive” and getting things done. So much so, that sometimes other important parts of our lives suffer. You know. Things like family, friends, and our health.

I think maybe I am just getting older. I am noticing now how awful I feel if I don’t get enough sleep, and how it affects my productivity, my mood, even my body. I am also really starting to accept that I am not where I want to be, not by a longshot, in terms of my health and I need to do something about it.

And that starts with making time for sleep, exercise, myself. That might mean going to bed at a reasonable hour instead of waiting for Maine to go to work first. Making time to go to the gym instead of wasting hours on the internet (hello). Maybe I am still basking in the glow of New Years Resolution town.

What about you guys? Did you make resolutions? Have you stuck to them? Am I getting old or am I just crazy?