IF I COULD PUT IT ALL IN A SUITCASE

So I am packing for Boston. I leave tomorrow super early... this is always a struggle and always annoying. I hate packing. Especially because I never know what I want to bring, but always feel like I'm bringing too much and not everything I want all at once. This time I decided to do two medium sized bags and mail one box. I think that one bag may be like five pounds over so I will have to transfer some of that weight to the other one. Its times like these I wish I could pull an "I Dream of Jeannie" and blink everything into its place in Boston. Or a Mary Poppins and have a carpet bag with everything. Anyway, I am taking a break to share some internet things.

Some of the first motion picture color film.



So this is a multiple part video of Belladonna (the pornstar) and her husband talking while she stretches before some performance. I stumbled across it and ended up watching the whole thing... from the end to the beginning. Its very interesting. So here is this one:



Kristy sent me this:

Mykonos from Grandchildren on Vimeo.

This is also wonderful and here is the website/blog post from the farm! It is yet another blog I would like to read the entirety of... eventually. I have to babysit for the last time in about an hour... in the meantime I am scanning a few rolls of printed holga film that I found while cleaning and packing. Oh packing. Wish me luck.

STAMPS REQUIRED

Please visit my Tumblr for more envelopes. I just made a whole bunch more.

http://simplesnapshot.tumblr.com/

I WOULD SEND YOU A BIRD TO SING YOU SWEET NOTHINGS

I think I will start with some photobooth. I've been making a lot of mail lately. Above is a thank you postcard to my grandma.
Here are some envelopes, they are mostly made from pages of old books (namely the ones from K's family garage sale.)






It all came about in my last desperate effort to find the library book that is lost. I should really just give it up at this point, but I just know that as soon as I pay for it it will turn up somewhere and be annoying. I'm considering just buying a new copy of the book and giving them that... considering that when I asked about the situation in which it would turn up they told me I should just keep it [which is a little silly] and I think that having the book available would be better than not having it and would compensate for me misplacing it. Anyway. I was looking through the various piles of books that exist throughout my room and while flipping through one on dinosaurs and other creatures I decided to make some envelopes. [This is why I can never seem to clean my room entirely, cleaning it inevitably leads to different projects with the things I find.] Other than making post I have been reading and watching films and spending the last few days of my summer lazing about. Which is good and bad. I do not like to feel unproductive and like I am wasting the day, but its nice to not have a hundred things to do (which will be the case as soon as I step off the plane in Boston.) I am excited to go back to the city since I haven't been there for so long and see all the lovely people I have met over the past few months. I've been thinking back to castle days and wondering how my friendships from there will hold up. So far all the castle brats who are still on the East coast are seeing each other regularly so I'm inclined to think that more adventures will be had with them. Its strange and bittersweet though, because so far I have been able to enjoy the luxury of coming home to my mountain home in lovely Colorado and spend days in the heart of Boston... I've had the best of both worlds (just like Hannah Montana) and I really like that split. Lately I have been realizing that this will be coming to an end due to the fact that I am about to have the expectation of being a "real" adult and maintaining a job and such once I graduate (which will be happening in no time.) Leaving Colorado is a bit sad for that reason. Anyway, who knows what is going to happen. I still have a few big decisions (such as whether I want to apply to transfer to the LA campus) between me and what my future will be like. It's something to ponder if nothing else. On a different note, I do have a few things to share: one and two. I'm also not sure if I ever shared this but: This is cute. There are a lot more. Just look for NYLON TV or go to their website and look there. Finally, here is a short short from an Emerson publication Stork Magazine. It is called Spilled Milk and is by Allison Foster.

I was pretending to be spilled milk when my mom walked in.

"Anouk? What...?"

I lay there under my white towel. Spilled milk doesn't talk.

"Anouk?"

Still silent. I spread my fingers a bit, oozing.

And then my mom, instead of yelling at me to get up or feeling my forehead for a temperature, lay down beside me. She asked, "What are we doing?"

"Grab a towel," I said.

She grabbed a light pink one, formerly white but left in the load with a red t-shirt. She covered herself, and her feet stuck out but that was okay.

We lay there. Five minutes passed. I thought my milkiest thoughts, like how long had I been out? Was I close to my expiration date? I tried out a sour milk face, hidden under my towel. Then I giggled.

Mom's towel was spread out too close to mine. I rolled away a little and said, "We cant touch because we're spilled milk and if your towel touches mine it means we're mixing and you have to be strawberry milk because you're pink and strawberry milk is kind of gross. No offense."

Mom laughed, "What kind of milk are you?"

"Plain. Maybe sour. I'm trying to decide."

"Oh."

"But we have to be quiet now, because spilled milk doesn't talk." And we lay there for a long time under warm towels fresh from the dryer.

THE INTERNET EATS MY BRAIN

It is always so deadly for me to get on the internet. But I have a few things to show you, dear readers/my blog. First, I wish that my Tumblr would be packed full of lovely things such as this one and in a effort to not repost large amounts of it I will just share it. It is someone I know... I got them from my gmail contacts I believe... but their identity escapes me which is a tid embarrassing. But from one of the photos posted I found this gem of a photo shoot. And I really want to choreograph a dance to this song mixing belly dance, modern and ballet type of thing. I wonder if I could get Rita and a few other dancers in on it and actually perform it. Its a Sufjan Stevens cover of the Castanets' You Are The Blood.

That's all for now. Because as I said. The interweb just sucks me in and keeps me here far to long.


P.S. I have read Matilda, Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass and half of the Hobbit since I last shared about books. I've been watching the movies now. The adults in Matilda are very well cast, its on watch instantly Netflix right now. I think you can also watch it in parts on YouTube... anyway.

TRINKETS

A peach pie (from scratch... but aren't they all) I made while babysitting.

A peach pie that I baked from scratch, it was black bear themed.

A cell phone photo of Kevin when we climbed Sopris, this is near the top.

YOUR CUP IS ON MY WINDOWSILL

Today I read Charlie and the Chocolate factory. It was really interesting to read it after seeing the movies and having read it as a little girl with my dad. I remembered a lot of the illustrations from childhood. Another interesting thing that I picked up on is that there is a part where they pass the room for Butterscotch and Buttergin (very clever)... but I wonder if that is where JK Rowling got the idea for Butterbeer in Harry Potter. I am reading Alice in Wonderland now (despite being half way through two other books that I should finish.) I want to read James and the Giant Peach and may re-read Matilda as well. I got a little crazy and raided the bookshelf downstairs... I brought a pile of Steinbeck, a Tom Robbins, a Kurt Vonegut, a Thoreau, the Lord of the Rings and some Edward Abbey back up to my room along with Alice in Wonderland and Matilda to add to my reading pile. I guess I've been into marathons lately. Last night I watched Help!, Ella Enchanted (on tv), Saved, New York Minute and Superbad. My parents just got a new car... a Subaru Forester. It looks like this: I'm excited to drive it... having never driven a new car before. I'm kinda inheriting my mom's car while I am home. So that should be interesting and weird.

AVALANCHES OF OBJECTS

Scene from my 21st birthday, wine and ice cream cake

I'm currently finishing my huge clean out of everything in my room for the summer. I usually do this every so often because:
A) I like to organize/be organized
B) I have a terrible habit of accumulating things
This huge clean is also hopefully serving the purpose of finding my extremely overdo book which I swore I returned to the library but has somehow fallen off the face of the earth. The librarians are all sweethearts though and keep renewing it. Last time I was in there checking out Greenburg the librarian forced me to put my money away (to pay for the book) and over-rode the restrictions that were trying to prevent him from renewing it AGAIN. "Just look everywhere And I mean everywhere... its due back on the 23rd. Good luck." I don't want to let them down but at this point... I have absolutely no more ideas. As I was leaving the library that last time I ran into one of the librarians that has been there since I can remember. Her name is Jean and she knows exactly who I am. We had a talk about what I was doing, and what were my plans after I graduated? "I'm sure you're going to end up in a library" was the conclusion she came to after I spoke of hoping to find an internship that would lead to a position with a production company or something. I always liked the idea of working in a library though, and I could see myself being a librarian when I'm old. Perhaps Janine will work there too. Anyway, it was a nice conversation and I discovered that they are screening European films every Wed night at 6. I couldn't make it to the last one on account of Kevin (I also usually babysit every Wed until 7) but I am going to try to make an appearance at some point. I would like to explain to Jean why I am a no show considering how she went on a rant about how I am different than other people my age and still use the library and its facilities and so on. Anyway, that was a bit of a tangent. I think that Kevin and I should make an animation about the Sapp Bros truck stop. (I found this fantastic group of photos googleing it.) We had quite an interesting experience there that I will share once I am done cleaning my room. I think that we could come up with a lot of good techniques and such using collage style animation. We'll see... it will be difficult but Kevin provides two good things:
A) The ability to make interesting good things
B) The patience to make it well
I got really into the idea of animations again after being in Prague and going to Barrendov studios. The Czech people are really into making films with puppets and we watched several shorts and hung out with the lady who makes puppets (after this I was interested in how I could become her apprentice... she had such a good studio space and it just seemed so good and rewarding to make a puppet. I could also imagine working meticulously on a set with puppet animation, and I liked the idea of it.) So there is all that. My dad just sent me two photos. Notice how I was caving with my Diana Mini.

WHY NOT STAY ALIVE

Also. My car has been pronounced dead. It needs a new engine but it is silly for us to get a new engine for it (says my mother) and we should just get a new car. It is such a shame because I really did love that car. I would rather drive that one than my mom's huge one, even if hers does have air conditioning. Here's to you little gold buggie, I will love you always and I hope that you end up in a good place even though you will probably become scrap metal.

"Grandpa"
Gold Toyota Tercel 1983-2010

COME ON IN, THE GANGS ALL HERE

Cleo: Golden Retriever/Poodle Mix

Lexi: Bernese Mountain Dog/Poodle Mix

Those of you who read my Tumblr may already know that I am dog sitting for a little while for two poodle mixed dogs. Having so many dogs around make things especially difficult when they refuse to let you take the full outfit photo for the every day outfit blog.

From left to right: Cleo's tail, Lexi, Hanna, Coco

Also, I was recently in Boulder after dropping Kevin at the airport. While I was there I went to the Bookworm with Lauryn which Janine and I tried to go to once before but they were closed. Used bookstores are always fantastic and this one was no exception. If I only lived in Boulder I could trade books! They will give you store credit for books that you bring in to be passed on to someone else. Anyway, I ended up leaving with:

The Joy of Cooking
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo By Stieg Larsson
Angle of Repose By Wallace Stegner (thinking of Janine)
Perfume By Patrick Suskind
Punch Drunk Love

I mentioned Kristin's birthday gift earlier, I came home to find a new Brownie camera among a handful of other fantastic thrifted finds. (I really want to go to the West Virginia Flea Market.) This particular model is the Starmite. I now have a cute little family of Brownies.

I've also mentioned that I impulsively bought a hanging plant from the grocery store. Here it is along with where it is hanging in my room.

Cute little plant

I always end up with a billion and a half tabs open on my computer.

P.S. This is a good idea and I am tempted to buy it... I have their first CD and I appreciate how into making things they are. Its such a cute little sketch book box.

KEVIN VISITS MY PHOTOBOOTH

Kevin just came to visit for a week. We did a lot of things including:
*Hiking to Maroon Bells
*Lasering a dog
*Babysitting Oliver
*Climbing Mt. Sopris
*Camping in Utah
*Hiking around Arches
*Making food
*Going through my clothes
*Writing in journals
*Researching Polaroid Land Cameras
*Taking photographs
*Listening to music
*Reading out loud
*Driving
*Swimming in the Hot Springs Pool
*Sleeping in a sketchy hotel
*Eating at a truck stop
*Briefly visiting Boulder
*Watching the first Star Wars
*Sleeping



Once I got home from camping I found the best birthday giftie sent to me by Kristin (aka Kriss Cross) which I will share tomorrow due to the fact that I am tired and will have other things to share then anyway.

FILLING BATHTUBS WITH DEW

So this is so good: click me! and also from Kevin.

And along the subject of photos... Lomo has a great really really really tempting deal right now regarding the next Lomo camera I want, the LC-A. If you buy one you get a free action sampler boing. I am really considering one of the packages (one comes with an instant back!)

My lovely grandma has flown back to Florida to be soon replaced with Kevin who gets in tomorrow, late. It is supposed to rain most of the time he is here... hopefully not, though I do love a good rain storm. Today it poured for a good while in the afternoon making me think of Jane and the time we got out of her mom's car to walk the rest of the way home in the rain. We arrived completely soaked and changed into warm pajamas after warm showers and watched movies and drank hot chocolate for the rest of the night. Its amazing to feel the rain.

I made a list today of the things I would like to be able to do while Oliver was napping.
*Sew
*Cook/bake
*Dance
*Metal work/jewelry/sculpture
*Anything to do with art
*Play instruments
*Knit
*Speak other languages
*Sing
*Garden
*Be able to identify trees and birds and other natural things
*Know more about interesting animals (I was reading about Amazon animals from Oliver's Amazon ABC, at the end there are blurbs. Like Jaguars are the only big cat that do not roar. I was wondering what sound they did make, if any. And there is a wild dog called a Zorro (which is fox in espanol) that we don't really know anything about. And one animal is red faced, but its face gets less red in captivity. I wonder what the purpose of its red face is in nature. And sloths move slow enough to have moss grow off them so what is it like when they have to give birth. Does it take forever?) I think I would just like to know more about things in general.
*Know more about camera related things
*Travel
*Live in a South or Central American country
*Live in a house I love and decorate it
*Keep the things I already have and like
*Read
*Spend time in libraries
*Spend time doing interesting things
*Camp
*Write
*Visit Janine in Alaska
*Live with my Grandma in Italy next summer for a bit (she just rented a little place)
That is all I can remember now. I think anything relating to those areas can be included. I also think I want to come home for at least one more summer. Partially because I feel obligated to the people I work for and partially because I just love it here. Colorado is fantastic.