assignment #27: take a picture of the sun.

learning to love you more

mays landing, nj.

"Take a picture of the sun. Just a picture of the sun, nothing extra or fancy. Please make sure the sun is visible in the photo, we won't accept reflections of the sun or photos where the sun is not visible. Please be careful not to look directly at the sun through your camera's viewfinder; looking directly at the sun could damage your eyes. If you need to, just point the camera towards the sun and shoot the photo."

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(thinking of moving into a lighthouse.)

RE: Josh Pyke - "the lighthouse song"

boiled peanuts.

last week, we accidentally bought raw peanuts.

they don't taste very good.

i roasted them in the oven.

this week, i bought them on purpose.

the bag has instructions to make 'georgia-style boiled peanuts'.

i vaguely remember them from my childhood.

i jumped right into the two-day process of brining and boiling.

while they were soaking, i did a little research, as i have become obsessed with 'american heritage'.

"No one knows just why southerners started boiling peanuts or who was the first to boil them. However, it is believed that boiled peanuts have been a southern institution since at least the Civil War (1861-1865), when Union General William T. Sherman (1820-1891) led his troops on their march through Georgia. As a result of General Sherman's campaign in Georgia, the Confederacy was split in two and deprived of much needed supplies.

Contemporary writings are full of complaints of lack of bread and meat. The great concern of the Confederate government was to feed the army. When troops of the Confederacy were without food, peanuts were an important nutritional source. Since cooking facilities were scarce, soldiers roasted the peanuts over campfires or boiled them. It seems to be lost in history as to who came up with the idea of adding salt to the peanuts when boiling them. What they were doing by boiling in salt, is an ancient preservation technique. It was discovered that these boiled peanuts would keep and not spoil in their kits for up to seven day. The salt works as a preservative, and the boiling kills impurities and bacteria. This produced a high protein ration that could be carried by the soldier. As salt was also scarce during the Civil War, history doesn't tell us how the confederate soldiers had enough salt to use, unless salt meat, a large part of the army ration, was used somehow." -what's cooking america

I've been telling the story to anyone who will listen.

god, i'm so lame.

ATTN: DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYES WHILE EATING THEM!!!!! THEY WILL BURN!!! IT IS REALLY HARD TO GET YOUR HEAD UNDER THE FAUCET.

this guy will show you how it's done (best accent EVER):

JallaPEnUS. JApANEENAS. BoY. i love this man.

assignment #37: write down a recent argument.

i was given a script typewriter today, and couldn't wait to use it.

if you find it hard to read, larger sizes are available on flickr.

learning to love you more.

(the next time you have an argument, write down what you and the other person said to each other. Write it in script form,... Try to be really accurate, capturing the real words that were used... the argument need not be long or dramatic, it can be brief and seemingly petty. most important thing is that it be an accurate record of the exchange.)

book #7: the bell jar.

when esther releases her clothes into the wind, it seems to symbolize an emancipation from inhibition. this reticence defines her 'insanity'.is it really insane to free yourself from the restraints of 'polite society'?

book #8: cognitive-behavioral therapy.

i always visit the hamsters at the pet store across the street from my house.

the hamsters never use shampoo.

i may smuggle in a travel size bottle of pert plus the next time i stop by.

they would like that.

wip wednesday.

multi layered tube scarf/shawl. (ravelry link)

frogged the first attempt:

addi natura’s were a horrible choice, but i was working with what i had. the yarn would not move and kept getting stuck on the join. i remembered reading somewhere to put mohair in the freezer. nothing happened. i should have known better.

cast-back-on:

knit pick’s nickel plated are working perfectly! the project seemed quick and effortless and but has become quite an achilles heel. i look at the half finished scarf, packed up in it's gallon sized ziploc bag, and cringe. i don't know where this feeling has come from, but i intend to work through it. when did i become such a masochist?

should i cast on a sock to free myself the monotony of this mohair tunnel???

midnight purls has sent me a giant bag of spinning things. maybe i should play with those for a while.

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'lo, in the leaves - happiestlion

this is my absolute favorite thing right now. caleb is amazing. you can download his new album for $1 from here.

"the dirt became a river and carried me away. it felt so natural."

book #6: cold spring harbor.

yates really understands people and relationships.

this book dealt with themes similar to 'revolutionary road', but i liked it more.

the characters are so 'human'.

imperfect. awkward. repressed.

this book was flawless.

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girls- morning light

book #5: during my nervous breakdown i want to have a biographer present.

'during my nervous breakdown i want to have a biographer present'

by brandon scott gorrell

abstract review:

anxiety/alienation/depression/facial expressions.

i taped the book to the wall and took a picture.

i feel photographically 'uninspired'.

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pavement - shady lane

book #4: eat when you feel sad.

i read this book outside under a tree.

a girl named sam was there.

she likes keroauc, i think.

sam was reading 'into the wild'.

this boy walked up and told her that the protagonist dies (re: into the wild).

she put on her jacket.

the same boy asked what this book was about.

i said 'whatever' and went to get some tea.

ΔΔΔΔΔΔΔ

mal blum - my name is earthworm

sunday crush.

happy easter!

this week i'm crushing on:

1. found photo groups on flickr.

i find it fascinating that there are so many unclaimed photos, floating around thrift stores and yard sales, that no one wants anymore. i'm almost embarrassed by our 'disposable' heritage.

is it weird to feel nostalgic towards things you've never experienced?

Helen Ireland

Do you still wear that shirt?

2. mayer hawthorne

i was watching some interviews from SXSW and this guy stood out among all of those neon indians. he's been transported here from the 1960s to remind us of what good music is supposed to sound like.

Mayer Hawthorne- I Wish that it would Rain

you've really got a hold on me.

i didn't wear socks yesterday, i didn't have any clean.

on my way to school, i spilled coffee all over my shirt.

all of the seats on the bus were taken and i had to stand.

i'm pretty sure my math test gave my a peptic ulcer.

i'll know when i start coughing up blood, i guess.

i dropped my pens and pencils in a sewer grate.

i shared my lunch with someone who didn't have anything to eat, so i was really hungry.

defeated, i found a bench and sat down.

i flipped through my ipod hoping to find something 'happy'.

i never really listened to smokey robinson until then.

i wasn't even sure who smokey robinson was.

it didn't matter.

at that moment; the sun peeked from behind a tree, a few leaves spun around in a windy circle, and ol' smokey breathed new life into my rotten day.

the cold breeze on my naked ankles finally felt refreshing.

thank you smokey.

book #3: the gates

i've made it to number 3 without giving up.

book #3: the gates by john connolly

i found this book disappointing. last December, i read "the book of lost things" and was blown away. i may have expected too much when i started reading "the gates".

i think the fact that connolly approached the subject of the "gates of hell" with a sense of humor actually may have weakened his ability to blend child-like fantasy with adult fiction in a effective way.

this was a rather boring read.

i did, however, learn a few things about physics.

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hazel - day-glo

(i want to be in this video. forever.)

sunday crush.

i'm going to start a column called 'sunday crush'.

it will include, but is not limited to etsy sellers, old movies/music, artists, photographers and whatever else i can think of because it's my blog, and i'll do as i please :-)

this week i'm picking two.

first we have a new etsy seller:

10thAvenueEast

this shop is a carefully curated collection of vintage gems.

it has been open for less than 3 months, and really deserves a round of applause.

(by "round of applause" i mean, go buy some stuff)

(please don't buy this bowl. i'm going to decide in the morning. lol)

and second is:

Ghost World

i know i'm nine years late for the party, but i brought enough juice for 8 people. i don't know how this movie could have possibly slipped past my radar, but i'm in love.

"This is the story of Enid and Rebecca after they finish the high school. Both have problems to be related with people and they spend their time hanging around and bothering creeps. When they met Seymour who is a social outsider who loves to collect old vinyl records, the life of Enid will change forever."-imdb

the trailer:

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mohammed rafi - jaan pehechaan ho

(from the movie GUNAAM and GHOST WORLD)

everyone at work is now obsessed with this song and the lady in the gold dress. we will never be that funky.

i want a goose who lays gold eggs for easter.

(i'm still learning how to properly use my holgaroid)

'crafternoons' are bliss.

we painted paper eggs with expensive glitter.

it's still all over my house.

i'm not mad about it.

in fact, it was well worth the sparkle-y mess.

martha's 'glue for glitter' is insanely 'chunky'.

but her glitter is remarkable.

i'm not expert, but i think it's the 'bee's knees'.

i'm currently contemplating a glitter wall somewhere in my house.

maybe behind the bed? could you just imagine the sun sparkling off of the wall when you wake up?

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the klaxons - golden skans
(this is is EXACTLY how we applied the glitter to the eggs)

black velvet cake.

instead of those shoes, i bought a polaroid back for my holga.

i couldn't wait for the flash to come and wasted most of my first pack of film.

not to mention i was digging in the garden yesterday, which i sort claimed eminent domain on...

*(i'm not positive if it's ACTUALLY my property or not.

it's kinda right outside of my front door, and no one has planted anything there in at least seven years. there's a lil' cement lined flower bed and everything. either way, i've bought some heirloom french marigold seeds on etsy and i'm going to plant them).*

...dropped the camera,

and wasted not one, but TWO exposures.

i don't know where 'clumsy genes' come from, but i intend to find out and blame the appropriate parent.

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cold war kids - audience

(i've been listening to their new EP for at least a week, uninterrupted)

book #2: the tortilla curtain

i enjoyed boyle's composition. the opposing stories of the haves and the have-nots are are blended together seamlessly.

the ending was shocking, but also disappointing. not because it was sad, maybe just written hastily? i feel like boyle was grasping at straws to pull all the loose ends together.

the characters seemed boring and one dimensional (with the exception of delaney), and i'm pretty sure i hated all of them.

i have no idea how i finished this book.

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*off topic*

i didn't buy those shoes.

i promised myself if i didn't get 10 comments, i wouldn't.

i bought something wayyyyy better.

but, i'm not gonna share yet.

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shoes.

hey.

do i want these shoes?

i really feel like a do.

they break my >$50 rule.

but, i've been thinking about them since i first saw them.

should i just buy them?

what are you coveting?

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michael buble - haven't met you yet

(not really my scene, but my cousin posted it on facebook. the video is rilly cute)

book 1: revolutionary road.

i'm going to try to read 25 non-school books this year.

i may give up.

i alway let these flickr challenges fall through.

my feelings on revolutionary road:

i could join the mobs of housewives and simply call this book 'depressing'.

i could be a lit. snob and compare this to some other, more obscure novel.

instead, i'm just going to fear feelings of complacency and shun conventional thought patterns for a while.

i don't want to turn into frank wheeler.

i cried when i was finished.

not because i was finished, but because i was nervous.

(i was going to include the trailer for the movie, but it seemed.... whatever.)

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the carpenters - rainy days and mondays.

knitxcore.

meh.

i usually drink coffee in the bathtub.

this morning, that was not an option.

a few days ago, someone hit a pole and our whole neighborhood lost electricity for a couple of hours.

since then, there has been no hot water.

after boiling 6 pots of water on the stove, i only had about 6 inches of water to bathe in.

so now, mr. hot water heater and i are NOT friends.

an open letter to my hot water heater:

hey.

i can't believe you ditched me.

we've been friends for over five years.

i don't want to play with you anymore.

i think it would be best if you gave me back my he-man 'guys' and my skip-it.

i don't want you to have fun if it's not with me.

i'll bring your POGs to school tomorrow.

there is no need to get our parents involved.

robbie.

P.S. i unraveled all of your queen tapes.

if i had to listen to 'bohemian rhapsody' one more time, i swear i would have beat you up behind the laundromat

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the monkees - pleasant valley sunday

(it makes me smile)

randytravis.

my grandma thought randy travis was a 'dreamboat'.

we used to listen to him in the car on the way to kmart.

she didn't live that far away, so it was only one or two songs.

unless there was a sale at caldor. in which case, we would listen to half of a cassette.

it was ok.

sometimes, we would stop by a takeout restaurant and get tiny chicken sandwiches.

it only took one or two bites to finish them.

there is nothing more fun than singing along to 'deeper than the holler' with a mouth full of fried chicken and bread.

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kappa danielson - deeper than the holler (randy travis cover)

-i couldn't find a good quality original-