In celebration of the Inauguration, I give you...

filial piety:
An acrylic and oil painting of Barack Obama on his unicorn Penelope and posed in front of the post apocalyptic Capital dome of the Fallout 3 Vault video game.

Genius.

End Serenading

So it is now 2009, and I promise not to quote Death Cab for Cutie lyrics to you.

Generally, no matter what year it is, towards the end of it, people are always so eager for it to go away and for a new one to start. A desire for change combined with awful feelings towards crippling events and overall lackluster times would be a suitable equation for this. Some years I've agreed with this notion, but 2008 was pretty grand all over for me, so I wasn't in a particular hurry for it to move on. Nonetheless, I heart change and dynamism, and am stoked to see what 2009's got up its sleeves.

To revert slightly, here mostly for my own memory, is a sliver of 2008's awesomeness:
-Moved in w/Rick (Okay, technically end of '07, but I'll count it because it's now been a YEAR since I've lived in Tacoma)
-Worked in a bookstore (Not the best experience, but I'll count it because it was on my list of things to do in life)
-Visited Portland at least 3 times! Vegan/bibliophile heaven
-Visited CA w/Rick + introduced him to CA friends + crazy family
-Went to the original Largo site + met Jon Brion/Benmont Tench! (still get goosebumps)
-Loads of awesome art exhibits
-Got back on the reading train
-Balls Crazy was born
-Helped Rick make the illustrious Bestsellers by working the PA/boom-mic operator/extra positions - such an amazing reason to become unemployed
-Got a stable job with a boss and co-workers that I do not hate!
-Started freelancing at the Weekly (hoorah!)
-Cooked/baked for my first ever all-vegan Thanksgiving w/Rick's fam
-OBAMA!
-Paid off my credit card debt!!!
-Rick and I discovering the glory of homemade vegan nachos sans cheese
-Didn't die in the Snowpocalypse, and actually enjoyed it for a bit
-Figured out the subject of my book, and wrote 1/4 of the notes for it

So yes, even though a good amount of the world was undergoing a traumatic economic downturn, I somehow managed to come out on top financially and generally over the year, and will remember 2008 quite fondly.

And I expect even greater things in 2009, especially in light of the Obama administration.

And to continue the goodness, I leave with you images of a papercut/painting artist I'm currently fascinated with, who was on the cover of Giant Robot Issue 55:








Saelee Oh

Snowpocalypse 2k8 - Tacoma edition

Okay. So snow is kinda winning me over on days when one of the following apply: a) a weekend, b) an official "Snow Day," or c) a weekday in which I can now "telecommute" in lieu of going to work. Snowballs never seem to get old, snowmen will always make me laugh/point, and everything just looks cooler covered in it, especially Hilltop. But on a day when I have to trek out to Lakewood or, you know, get anything done that cannot be completed indoors, it fills me with hate and fear, hateful fear. Growing up I probably imagined that I'd be able to go through life without ever having to drive in the snow - but those childlike dreams died a couple of winters ago when I had to drive to get a paycheck from a coffee shop I worked at, and make it down an insanely steep hill. If a friend from the East Coast hadn't been in the car with me at the time, I'm sure my car would've spun into a mailbox or an electrical poll. I've gotten the jist of what to do down now, but it makes me no less fearful, friends. Even if I'm a safe, overly cautious snow driver, I can't say the same for all the other idiots out there, tailing me, or trying to drive ahead of snow plows.

I'm coming to realize the best jobs out there are the ones that a) pay you when you can't come to work/fear for your life due to "inclement weather" or b) the ones that let you work from home. I want the slushy snow to end, so that my family/friends can drive free of worry! That, or let it snow so hard that all institutions will close down for a week, allowing all to bask in the glory that is constant sledding, snowballing, and hot cocoa. What'll it be, vengeful snow gods?!?

joyous news

The Get Up Kids Reunite in Kansas City

The inner 17-year-old in me that wore lots of black zip-up hoodies, black eyeliner everyday, had a lip piercing, and never washed her hair is screaming with glee.

You can bet your boots I'll be at a reunion show, and will be pre-ordering the re-release of Something to Write Home About. Hooray!

Zoom...

That's what I feel that this year is doing now - zooming before my eyes. I can't yawn without a day passing. I know, it's like this every year, cliche cliche, etc, but still. It never ceases to amaze me.

Lately it's been work, Weekly writing and art gallery visits, lots of reading, lots of Lost watching, being lazy about cooking and making cop-out dinners, sleeping early, waking up early, lots of smiling because of Rick, (as always), attempts at catching up with friends from home (some successful, mostly not - phone tag is lame), and writing ideas down for a book. Finally. This is something I've been putting off for way too long. I've got a bunch of short stories in Word files, on paper, in notebooks, but none of them follow a theme or are really related at all. I've also become privy to the fact that one cannot publish a book of short stories (usually) unless they have a novel out and (obviously) do well with it, so this is the logical progression for things. I've got 2 ideas, and one seems slightly more feasible so I'm going with that.

I've been reading Tete-a-Tete, and just finished it yesterday. It's a dual biography about the lives, (both professional and personal, although those often melded) of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre...two writers/philosophers/thinkers that I admire very much. I read de Beauvoir first in the Virginia Woolf class I took while in Oxford, and fell in love with her ideas and the way that she so seamlessly puts them together. Also, greatly because of her feminist leanings. Then I read Nausea three summers ago and was blown away, so much so that I devoured many of his other works. I must've read it in a day and a half. I love when a book makes me excited and spurns discussions and thoughts the way Sartre's work does. I was a Philosophy minor in college, but there were no Existentialist classes in my school nor did any of my other instructors really touch upon it much. So I did all the reading and research myself, and it was grand.

Tete-a-Tete, in addition to just being an informative and excellent read, really served to inspire me to get started with my writing again. For the past couple of years it's been either short stories, or daily journaling/writing down of observations, but no big idea to work on or towards. Reading about how dedicated both Sartre/de Beauvoir were about writing, re-writing, and carving out hours of every day (even after teaching) to get all of their thoughts out, just made me realize how much I'm slacking with one of my greatest passions/sources of happiness. I do write on a weekly basis for the Weekly, and that still feels amazing, but I want to make time to write for myself now too, as opposed to trying to fit it in with everything else. So, this is the goal. We'll see how I do with it.

Thanksgiving is coming up next week! Any holiday where food is the main event is automatically my favorite holiday. Well, as long as it isn't with my family, that is. I still have no idea what I'm making for the main course and dessert for our "Vegan Thanksgiving Extravaganza 2k8!" that's taking place at Rick's mom's place, but I've got a couple of things I'm mulling over. Pumpkin-cranberry cupcakes? Pumpkin cheesecake? Gingerbread apple pie? I'll decide soon enough. But this is where the funny irony comes up...people are always asking me what I CAN eat, because apparently there's nothing for vegans to eat. But whenever I have to make something, I'm always overwhelmed with all the choices I have. Poor ignorant fools.

Gonna snack then head out to write with Rick in a bit. Happy rest of weekend, all.

Eeep.

It's been a solid minute since I've posted. I will write something with more girth tonight later, but for now, check this out:

Obama's flickr account

Naturally this would exist.

There's a million sets, so check them out.

12 days.

This is a huge "duh," but it's good that they finally gave their endorsement after so many other major newspapers gave theirs earlier in the week:

The New York Times Endorses Barack Obama For President

And it's beautifully written. And makes cohesive/sound arguments. And makes me so much more eager for Election Day to roll around. We're so close.

Arts, Education, and Journalism

Last week I started my new job. The first day was a whirlwind of information, new faces with names I still might not remember, Excel spreadsheets and really helpful individuals. The woman whom I'm replacing is incredibly sweet and thankfully on the same floor of the college, so she trains me a bit everyday so that slowly I can acquire all of the knowledge she's gained in 12 years at the job, (not 7, but 12!). She understands that it would be impossible to learn all of the little and big things that I need to know how to do all at once, and is basically just teaching me as they come up. It is so amazing to be have bosses/people around me who understand that you can't do a job well until you've had full and proper training. Most people would assume that this is standard, but I can attest from a hellish experience that it isn't always. So being on the same page about taking things slow and learning things the right way is refreshing and calming. I've been told that it will take me about 9 months to a year to have the job down, so it makes me feel good despite the fact that I don't have all the answers yet.

I've had a couple of big projects to handle already because I came in at the busiest time of the year - beginning of fall quarter - but I think I've handled them pretty well considering. Last week I attended 2 meetings: a Division meeting (for the Arts & Humanities Dept. in which I work) and a summit on Arts Education in the Tacoma area that my boss put on. It was held at the Tacoma Art Museum, and was a really interesting event to watch and think about. There were other professors/instructors from local colleges/universities, museum representatives, high school arts reps, arts commission and organization people and local artists as well. The main topics of discussion were what is it that students need to know about continuing art after school ends, what is the community doing for art, and how can these two things be brought together to benefit the other. It seemed like there was a lot of general consensus about what needed to happen, and some interesting points were brought up, but I felt like one integral group pertinent to the discussion was not represented or being spoken about: artists who are my age, or who also graduated college recently. They talked a lot about what happens when you're in school, but not a lot after. Also, I feel that (as an artist myself, and also as a friend to many working artists) recent college grads don't always know the ways in which they can make their art and still be able to afford rent. It's usually a case of one or the other, and it really shouldn't have to come down to that.

The business side of art isn't always taught in school, (it's even sometimes avoided), and as a result some 20-somethings come out of college not knowing what to charge for their art, how to do your taxes when you make/sell art, what resources are available to them, how to get medical insurance if their jobs don't provide it, etc. I know there are some great resources out there, (Artist Trust, 4 Culture, Tacoma Arts Commission, to name a few), that do support artists in their endeavors, but there really needs to be more. There should just be a class, an integral, pre-requisite class in all art curriculum around the country that breaks all of this information down for those who are entering the "real world." Art shouldn't have to be stifled because of lack of knowledge about how to live and be an artist concurrently. The two should be able to occur harmoniously, and when that happens both the artist and communities benefit.

In summation, I really liked that art summit. It got me thinking, and I even asked a question towards the end, (I was helping out the boss lady by writing notes about the discussion on the wall, but finally opened my mouth). She later thanked me for doing such a great job at the event, then two days later her boss emailed me, thanking me for for my good work as well. All of this positive reinforcement so early into the job is wonderful, and is making me confident in my decision to work here, and in my abilities to do the job well.

In the middle of last week, something really really rad happened. Clare (Rick's bro Riley's gf) called and asked if I was still interested in freelancing for the Tacoma Weekly. It was really ironic, because just that day I was daydreaming and thinking about how I should try and get a hold of the Weekly Volcano, because it seemed that the Tacoma Weekly wouldn't work out. Not so, my friends! I met with her boss the next day, and he pretty much hired me then and there to write for the Arts & Entertainment dept. solely on Clare's word. I had no newspaper clips to speak of prior to that meeting, so it meant a lot that he agreed to hire me on a part-time basis not having seen a paragraph of my work. Although I haven't exactly had journalistic stuff published, I have done tons of reviews for various classes in college, so it's not anything I'm not familiar with. I did my first review this past weekend on an art gallery show that recently opened in Tacoma, and also have taken over the Calendar section. I'll be writing at least one A&E article per week and updating both the physical/online calendars in the future, so this will be a regular, ongoing gig. Today I had the physical article in my hand, and it felt unreal. It was so sweet to see my name on the page connected to a piece I wrote and am proud of. I know many friends who write for papers or magazines and have been published for years, some on a daily basis, and they've probably forgotten this feeling. But I want to try to hold on to it as long as I can.

And with that, I've had a most awesome week. I finished the Murakami book, (hooray!), Rick and I are gonna work on some new Balls Crazy joints, and I have an income again! I hope everyone else is enjoying/experiencing life just as much.

oh hells no!

(source:gorilla busfare)


yes.
in light of tonight's VP debate, the katie couric interview, and every other public performance of Sarah Palin ever, i think this poster pretty much sums up my sentiments on the notorious hockey mom and "joe six-pack" supporter. not the leader, (female leader at that) for me!

Bringing home the (tempeh) bacon

Tomorrow I start the new job, and I'm sufficiently nervous.

It's been a long time since I actually cared about my performance at a place of employment, so this speaks highly of the job itself. I have done most of the things I will be doing there, but hope that I'll be able to do them well, or at least to the best of my abilities. The last woman in the position worked it for something like 7 years. Yikes. I have nowhere near that much experience, but that's okay. I am quick and bright and pick up things fast in good, creative environments. I'm optimistic, because I know this job will be good for me and teach me the ins and outs of the educational world, in case I ever do decide to pick up teaching as a job. You never quite know with me.

Off to keep reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, aka the book that is taking me forever to read. I am so, so close to finishing and can't wait to see how it resolves. I love my Murakami, but I have so many books just waiting to be read next. Delicious, lovely books.