i recommend :björk - voltaic

a screening of

Björk

performing her voltaic album in paris is playing at the northwest film forum.

saturday the 27th at 11pm will be the last showing.

i've been searching images of gnomes for a project i'm working on. here's what i've found:

( i realize i shouldn't assume that you have the same keen interest in them as i do... )

black hills garden gnome
this company makes early-2oth century antique garden gnome reproductions. they have an old-world-european feel to them, which i like very much. reminds me of these trolls my norwegian uncle brought back for me form norway - they scared the pants off of me.


GNOMES by Poortvliet/Huygen
this book was a gift from my grandmother for my first birthday. i sincerely believed that gnomes existed, based on the careful and knowledgeable way that they are presented in this book.




there is also a world wide gnome association

hmm....

anyway, i am sill searching and researching these mighty, little creatures. i haven't seemed to get past the pictures quite yet, however.

oh, and beware, for some reason google image searching 'gnomes' brings up some some inappropriate pictures.

books

recently read:

II politically inspired II by stephen elliott

i have never read anything quite like this, though i am sure more exist. politically inspired is an anthology of short story fiction inspired by the current political climate. the 29 works of fiction bound in this collection come from the pens and minds of writers all over the world and they explore the confusion and incontinuities surrounding us . just to note: the first story is based on 'freaky friday'. in this case george bush switches bodies with, kyle, an 11-year old boy in love with baseball, spiderman and comic books. it's a book to have lying around.

reading:

II harry potter and the goblet of fire (year 4) II by jk rowling

i've left off with year three years and years ago. i am ready for some lighthearted, imagination pleasing reads.

as of yesterday...

i have a job @ a local community college!

official title: americorps literacy facilitator


i begin at the end of august.i will be working in the adult education department doing a little tutoring, instructional aiding, teaching basic computer classes, advising, leading talk time discussions.

leeta scott, the literacy americorps director is very friendly and knowledgeable about service sites and the overall program. i am thankful for her guidance.

sweet relief!

i have two months left to poke around at my leisure ... expect a few adventurous jaunts.

cuuuute

never before have i been so enamored with felt.





(ahyingmui's chi chi memories)

two handmade books- the sea and SMALL view

(good morning sunlight)

nudge your comfort zone

i accompanied mpg last night to an isis show @ neumos.

not my type of music normally. sort of heavy-- fuzzy effects pedals, back of the throat screaming standing in for singing, and a whole lot of hair-- but, i loved it. i helped usher in the encore!

these guys were in sync the entire night, had great song progression and had TREMENDOUS energy. exactly what i needed.

mpg could talk circles around most people about their gear (mainly effects pedals) but i can only speak for the awesome release of energy and feeling.

i warn you though, it's HEAVY. i believe the term i've heard used to describe them is metalgaze, but i'm open to dispute that one.

lesson learned: try new things! and let go of yourself once in a while...

i must share my contentment...

it is directed by majid majidi, and came out in 1999 (in the US, i think).

this film is so very heartwarming. it is about a brother and sister, and their shoes.
cinematically it is simple and clean. it has won national and international praise. but, please watch it for its true warmth that comes through between the family and the compromises made by good people in tough situations.

searching

i cannot find this movie:


anywhere.

it's for sale on vhs on amazon, i am hoping to find a dvd.
scarecrow video doesn't rent it.
netflix doesn't even have it in their collection.

i'm stumped, and desperately want a copy.

help?

grey to blue

i awoke this morning to grey clouds (again) and announced that it was time to escape to blue sky. i took mpg with me. we went to coupeville on whidbey. nothing to note except for the aromatic salty puget sound air, clear coast lines, bold mountains next to brilliant formed cumulus clouds, and mpg's first time on a ferry. absolutely perfect. changing places for a while is goooood mental hygiene.

i am home now. mpg is making me something in the kitchen with onions and tomatoes and i am tickled.

on my list of reading...

this cover speaks volumes. having not read it, or held it i can only say that if the pages inside do not strike a cord at least the message on the cover is worth reading. as a scavenger myself, my hobby is (and my enjoyment comes from) watching, or participating in, the transformation objects undertake as the old become new, and the discarded become treasured. there is nothing like the thrill of spotting perfectly usable items in trash bins, or at local charity shops/yard sales and nothing so frustrating as finding them there! it is no secret that our current consumption rates and demands on the production industries are not cutting it. before that changes, however, the way we think must first. values must realign with the well-being of the whole, and perhaps this might start with what is important to us in everyday life. if we value the things that surround us, be it items or other people i beleive we will see a shift in the way we desire the things of empty fashions and of the consumer industry. i am inspired by, and have hopes for this book. often i wonder at my scavenging, but the fact is, it might be all the more necessary to find the scavenger in us all. the transformative process of make something new and usable is steeped in creativity. it is with this creativity that i make my home and items my own and continue the life of objects, becuase if you put thought and work into an object, it is unlikely you would want to see it in a trash heap.

4 in. found paper squares

gleancreativereuse is more interested in finding creative materials than making art. a person after my own heart, really.

paper ephemera

cut down to 4 in. squares,



bound into sheets of 100 or so and sold.

a grand idea.

dear pj harvey,

you sung magnificently in seattle last night.

yours,

erin

p.s. would you mind terribly picking up the guitar on your next tour?

swell

(trampoline)

dum dum dum

recent reads:

ll our longest days: a people's history of ww2 ll
this is about the mass-observation project that began in britain in 1937 and ended in the 60's. the project's aim: to record daily life in britain. thus, an archive was created (now housed @ sussex universitiy) thanks to the hundreds of volunteers (approx.500) who kept journals of their daily life. luckily (or interestingly, rather) they captured the second world war as it happened to them. this is simply a compilation spanning the war years from several of these individuals, both men and women of all ages, who wrote about the war. i enjoyed it very much, and i wish i could replace every history textbook with works like this. what better way to remember history than from real people?


ll the dew breaker ll by edwidge danticat
a "dew breaker" is a creole nickname for torturer. this web of glimpses into haitian/american lives surrounding the political climate and strife during and after jean claude-duvalier's gruesome 15 year dictatorship, devotes its pages to healing, nurturing and ways of filling the empty spaces. it is not uplifting, but powerful in its purpose.

currently reading:

ll the river wife ll by jonis agee
it's marketed as an historical fiction novel, leaning towards chick lit.--but it deviates from both of those models and it's sort of it s own epic saga . for example, it isn't bogged down with minute details of rote things to appease our curiosity of "how things were back then." no detailed descriptions of butter churning, or carriage rides that demonstrate the authors vast research. still, it is apparent that things are happening in the 19th century. and it isn't the typical chick lit kind of read either, it deals with issues that span a lifetime, not just the modern working woman. true and dirty human emotion is a strong thread throughout the lives of the women, both in love and loss. what has caught my attention is the deep symbolism given to rivers, and the processes of construction and destruction on many levels-- houses, hopes, lives, dreams, pain, love... yes, yes, it is a great piece of escapistic literature (and this function is a very good thing, it's nice to get lost in another's story and think for a bit, unfettered....)

screen printing sunday

good fun.

we ( liz and nate-o) are having a bit of a screen printing party-- in the wake of having an awesome time using professor larry sommers inks and screens in an open-to-all printmaking session at the UW school of art in memory of his life and work.

we will be printing everything. i might post pictures, depending on the results. it is our first time preparing the screens at home. i am excited, and thankful that liz is an artist ;)






a clear diagram of the process can be found here

reality

i am struggling to keep my chin up. the consistent turn down from prospective employers is simply a learning experience, right?

you'd think that with two BA's, a host of community involvement, a year of kitchen experience, leadership and four years of customer service i could at least wash coffee pots, for pete's sake.

i truly appreciate all of you guys, and your support.

dinner for all of ya when i land that perfect position.

fingers crossed!

service sites

all three interviews are finished, as of yesterday. i feel confident, yet i am very aware that it is quite possible there is a better candidate. unfortunately our current economy has increased AmeriCorps applicants, and new sites are slow to join.

however it turns out, with me as a service member or as another unemployed college grad, it is turning out to be one heck of a learning experience.

now, here are the great places who requested an interview:

the seattle public library- ESL programs
here working with immigrants and refugees is the bulk of the position. running and arranging talk times and volunteers would be my job. i REALLY would like to be the ESL program support specialist. it was a great environment, and great people.

literacy source
here is an organization that works also with ESL individuals, but they have a civic minded, all encompassing focus on the issues surrounding immigrants and refugees. i would be doing much of the same things as the above position, but spread out all over the seattle area.

YMCA metro center
here is a place that works exclusively with troubled youth. "troubled" here includes a variety of challenges for these young people. my job would be a GED instructor. while i am attracted to the instruction aspect, i was warned by the folks who run the programs that the kids (16-20) who use their services can be challenging. i am torn with this site, really torn. i know that i could meet the challenge, it would take a lot of trial and error, but i am not sure i am up for the commitment. everyone who worked there seemed so tough, and run down, i am not sure my skin will ever be that thick.

swallowfield

SWALLOWFIELD

illustration and collage by jennifer judd-mcgee

this artist hit my spotlight.

homes, homes, homes!
sorry, i couldn't post just one home print.
i am fixated on them lately.

her book art is also quite good.

enjoy!



ledger diptych


veil of flowers



yellow house



overgrowth



neighborly



island living

please, support the :

KEXP pledge drive!

radio is a drag these days, but this station is far from it. it's fresh, local, and personable. check it out, even if you're not in seattle.

listen and love, y'all.

happy

. today.was. great.
i successfully underwent a job interview for a local newsstand, and i also arranged three more interviews for Literacy*AmeriCorps service sites.

my days of mental traveling are waning. i can feel a homecoming. it's about time.


i am hoping to share as much of my experience as an AmeriCorps service member as possible. it's really a valuable service and it situates you into the community in countless positive ways.