wonderland

yeondoo jung, an artist from korea, took children’s drawings and made his own real life replications of them in a series he named "wonderland." after collecting more than 1,000 drawings from south korean children between the ages of five and seven he narrowed the drawings down to a small selection of favorites and staged full-scale photo shoots designed to bring each drawing to life. here is the whole series.

i have to say i love this kind of artwork. i'm a huge fan of children's artwork and remember the year i fell in love with a series at my college library featuring the works of young kids living in war torn countries. kids have a way of pairing honesty with fancy and wonderment that adults cannot. we, as adults, can do one or the other well, but there's something in the way (maybe ego) that typically won't let us freely do both, i think.

the lion's share

because i clearly suck at sitting down and doing the necessary after a long, fantastic vacation (by writing an account of the trip and putting together a nice slide show of photos), i am going to submit to the fact that it will come at its own pace. and because i had such a long hiatus, i've been storing up links to share like crazy. so in no particular theme or order, here are some early week treats:

• future me: e-time capsule a note to yourself.
  
  
• stickk: this site helps you commit to your personal goals by helping you create a timeline to reach them and if you fail to, you forfeit an amount of money to a good cause. participating organizations include american red cross, CARE, doctors without borders, feed the children, freedom from hunger, multiple sclerosis society, UNICEF, and united way. i haven't tried this, mostly because i'm short on the dough lately after my big trip. but i like the element of credible threat it provides. and the threat just happens to include good-doery.
  
  
• original oregon trail: i don't think i need to say a lot about this program. oregon trail is fun and even though facebook has an OT application, it just isn't the same. so, whenever you get that itch for the real OT experience, see the link above.
  
  
• quizlet: quizlet was started in 2005 by a fifteen year-old. makes me feel unaccomplished. anyway, the site is great because it's basically a web-based program that helps you create digital flashcards. you make a list of words, and the site teaches them to you. you can also browse other existing sets of cards.
  
  
• metremade: free, pretty wallpaper designs for your desktop.
  
  
• nine months of free credit monitoring: transunion, one of the three major credit bureaus, apparently lost a class-action lawsuit and the settlement involves offering up to nine months of free credit monitoring service to anyone who has ever held a credit card over the last 20 years (i.e. lots of people). this includes free access to your credit score in addition to the report, as well as e-mail alerts when something changes. you don’t need to supply your full social security number (needs last four digits) or a credit card number, and you won’t be automatically signed up for any paid subscriptions after the free period. see this website for more details.
  
  
• fivethrityeight: developed by nathaniel read silver, this site features a system for tracking and forecasting the outcome of the 2008 US presidential election. the site is highly regarded, as forecasts based on demographic analysis proved to be substantially more accurate than those of the professional pollsters.
  

cheap trick(s)

i recently came across three free photo editing links that i thought might be of interest:

photoshop express

free uploading, 2GB

crop, rotate, edit images

has most basic features used by most photoshop users

display albums in 3D, grids, or "crop circles"

picnik

crop, resize, and rotate images

special effects

special fonts with top-quality type tool

works on mac, windows, and linux

no download required, nothing to install

ez rounded corners

quick one time uploads

fast edit: rounded corners

see top of page for more options: ezresize, ezsendlargefiles

i was excited to see these, because my eee is limited on space and i am happy to use these free, bare-bones, no-download options when possible. basically, i think the photoshop one has more bells and whistles for more elaborate projects, but picnik is just more ideal for easy, quick jobs. ez rounded corners is just that, a fast way to nicely round image corners. enjoy!

**image thanks to iiiijjjj (edited with ezroundedcorners.com)

"what sacagawea means to me," sherman alexie

In the future, every U.S. citizen will get to be Sacagawea for 15 minutes. For the low price of admission, every American, regardless of race, religion, gender and age, will climb through the portal into Sacagawea's Shoshone Indian brain. In the multicultural theme park called Sacagawea Land, you will be kidnapped as a child by the Hidatsa tribe and sold to Toussaint Charbonneau, the French-Canadian trader who will take you as one of his wives and father two of your children. Your first child, Jean-Baptiste, will be only a few months old as you carry him during your long journey with Lewis and Clark. The two captains will lead the adventure, fighting rivers, animals, weather and diseases for thousands of miles, and you will march right beside them. But you, the aboriginal multitasker, will also breast-feed. And at the end of your Sacagawea journey, you will be shown the exit and given a souvenir T shirt that reads, IF THE U.S. IS EDEN, THEN SACAGAWEA IS EVE.

Sacagawea is our mother. She is the first gene pair of the American DNA. In the beginning, she was the word, and the word was possibility. I revel in the wondrous possibilities of Sacagawea. It is good to be joyous in the presence of her spirit, because I hope she had moments of joy in what must have been a grueling life. This much is true: Sacagawea died of some mysterious illness when she was only in her 20s. Most illnesses were mysterious in the 19th century, but I suspect that Sacagawea's indigenous immune system was defenseless against an immigrant virus. Perhaps Lewis and Clark infected Sacagawea. If true, then certain postcolonial historians would argue that she was murdered not by germs but by colonists who carried those germs. I don't know much about the science of disease and immunities, but I know enough poetry to recognize that individual human beings are invaded and colonized by foreign bodies, just as individual civilizations are invaded and colonized by foreign bodies. In that sense, colonization might be a natural process, tragic and violent to be sure, but predictable and ordinary as well, and possibly necessary for the advance, however constructive and destructive, of all civilizations.

After all, Lewis and Clark's story has never been just the triumphant tale of two white men, no matter what the white historians might need to believe. Sacagawea was not the primary hero of this story either, no matter what the Native American historians and I might want to believe. The story of Lewis and Clark is also the story of the approximately 45 nameless and faceless first- and second-generation European Americans who joined the journey, then left or completed it, often without monetary or historical compensation. Considering the time and place, I imagine those 45 were illiterate, low-skilled laborers subject to managerial whims and 19th century downsizing. And it is most certainly the story of the black slave York, who also cast votes during this allegedly democratic adventure. It's even the story of Seaman, the domesticated Newfoundland dog who must have been a welcome and friendly presence and who survived the risk of becoming supper during one lean time or another. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was exactly the kind of multicultural, trigenerational, bigendered, animal-friendly, government-supported, partly French-Canadian project that should rightly be celebrated by liberals and castigated by conservatives.

In the end, I wonder if colonization might somehow be magical. After all, Miles Davis is the direct descendant of slaves and slave owners. Hank Williams is the direct descendant of poor whites and poorer Indians. In 1876 Emily Dickinson was writing her poems in an Amherst attic while Crazy Horse was killing Custer on the banks of the Little Big Horn. I remain stunned by these contradictions, by the successive generations of social, political and artistic mutations that can be so beautiful and painful. How did we get from there to here? This country somehow gave life to Maria Tallchief and Ted Bundy, to Geronimo and Joe McCarthy, to Nathan Bedford Forrest and Toni Morrison, to the Declaration of Independence and Executive Order No. 1066, to Cesar Chavez and Richard Nixon, to theme parks and national parks, to smallpox and the vaccine for smallpox.

As a Native American, I want to hate this country and its contradictions. I want to believe that Sacagawea hated this country and its contradictions. But this country exists, in whole and in part, because Sacagawea helped Lewis and Clark. In the land that came to be called Idaho, she acted as diplomat between her long-lost brother and the Lewis and Clark party. Why wouldn't she ask her brother and her tribe to take revenge against the men who had enslaved her? Sacagawea is a contradiction. Here in Seattle, I exist, in whole and in part, because a half-white man named James Cox fell in love with a Spokane Indian woman named Etta Adams and gave birth to my mother. I am a contradiction; I am Sacagawea.

birds on a wire

invited by two of the women i work with, i spent most of my saturday morning china painting for the first time. the ladies i painted with, six in all, meet every month as a club to share techniques, supplies, and a room free of husbands (and children) for a few hours.

china painting is a slowly disappearing artform, but like knitting, quilting, and crocheting, there's a increasing interest amongst a subculture of young ladies who have taken these crafts and made them their own.

before realizing that, however, i was intimidated by the lack of templates or examples i could find that i was interested in. i wasn't keen on what most of the ladies in the club were fond of painting. so, i was very pleased when i found a few artists, like dolamakes, on etsy with a similar design style as my own. it gave me a sense that i could do what i wanted today and i didn't have to spend a few hours begrudgingly painting some dusty roses on an ornate serving tray.

so, after finishing a couple of pieces, i'm excited to get my hands on some more porcelain and do more pen work (which is my preferred technique so far). i'd even like to get an etsy shop of my own up by this summer to share some of the things i've been putting together lately.

i'm (practically) official!

because there's a strict legal timeline that must be honored, my promotion won't be announced until later this week. as far as everyone is concerned, however, it's official. i'll be in my new office by monday of next week.

my office was built in the early 70s, and like a lot of office buildings assembled at that time, the walls are cinder block, painted off-white, and resemble an efficiently built, but emotionally cold box. so, i've begun looking at ways to liven it up a bit. my dad bought me a really nice digital picture frame and put photos from the wedding on it. and i also bought four anthropomorphic prints today from berkley illustration that i really liked (see above) and will display them together on one of my walls. i also spied a neat idea from martha stewart, taking plain ol' storage boxes and files and covering them with fabric or paper to brighten them up. here's to finally having an office again!

in defense of (great) television

it’s been awhile. i wanted to write an entry about my new sewing/crafting set-up in our office, but then i stopped using it the moment i set it up (but i'll share later, because i am excited about it).

the blame for my neglect falls on mad men and the wire, which are two really excellent cable TV dramas. i'll craft later. right now, mad men’s season one is stored temporarily on on demand and seasons one and two of the wire are on loan to me. so, i have to diligently watch them in blocks, because i don’t want to miss the deadline or keep my friend waiting. but i really want to watch them; they’re both really exceptional shows. and they both share critical acclaim, but neither seem to have the commensurate viewership. the earlier is set in the 1960s, capturing the dramatic metamorphosis of american social norms as it follows ad agency executives and their lives. what i like most about it is its look into middle and upper-middle class american gender roles, which are realistically driven more by individual interests than an over-arching allegory. the characters are simply people, flawed and relatable.

though i am not quite done with the first season, i feel comfortable saying the wire is probably one of the best shows ever made. i’ll say upfront that it is a cop drama, but quickly add that no other cop drama before it is as realistic and as compelling. it takes place in the baltimore ghettos, surrounding a homicide police unit focused on drug-dealing gangs. i love this quote by its writer/producer, david simon, who says of the show, "[it] really [is] about the american city, and about how we live together. it's about how institutions have an effect on individuals, and how... whether you're a cop, a longshoreman, a drug dealer, a politician, a judge [or] lawyer, you are ultimately compromised and must contend with whatever institution you've committed to." it's smart, gritty, and forces you to think about it, especially when you're not watching it.

and because this entry has become a recommendation list, i will also say that small town gay bar, who the #$&* is jackson pollock, and sicko are documentaries you should see, if you haven’t already.

i have zero problem enjoying TV or movies with the same enthusiasm that i give reading novels, doing puzzles, playing chess, video gaming, or crafting. everything in moderation, as the saying goes. but i wanna say that i think TV and movie watching gets a bad rap as being lowbrow and/or a waste of time. and although karl and i have our guilty pleasures like wife swap and real world, there’s a difference between those and, say, a documentary or a realistic cop drama that do something more for your awareness, bringing you to see and learn things that you might never be able to (or want to) experience. anyway, i guess what i am saying is anti-TV movements brought on by groups like adbusters are kind of silly to me. watching TV and movies can be as rewarding experience as you’d like it to be. and on that note, i’ve saved you the time of finding some good ones.

my little dead dick

dear web journal,
i wanted to share this, from viceland and perhaps not quite safe for work:

My Little Dead Dick is the visual diary of photographers Madi Ju of China and Patrick Tsai (aka Pat Pat) of the USA. They got together on July 17, 2006, when they both traveled to Macau in order to meet face-to-face after a month of intense internet correspondence. After nine days, they went back to their own countries, quit their jobs, settled their accounts, and said good-bye to their friends and loved ones to pursue their dreams of a life spent together taking photos. This issue is coming out like right on their one-year anniversary, so we asked them for photos from their first nine days together to commemorate it. That’s what you can see here in these photos. True love in bloom. It makes us feel not so cold and sad for a little while.

guano is the new black

dear web journal,

the stress, at least to the degree it was, seems to have lifted. plans have been ironed out and i will visit my friend, who recently lost his mother, in july for some much needed face-to-face quality time. there’s no resolution to the work scandal, but i will say my attitude towards the person in question has changed since i’ve learned more details. i hate being played the fool, but ultimately, i suppose i would rather that than to start out not trusting someone. and there are no changes on the grandparent-wedding issue. but i haven’t written or communicated anything to them either. i will; i just want to make sure i do it with the best frame of mind.

in other (more uplifting) news, an old college friend of mine recently swept jeopardy! with four wins in a row. and wedding plans seem to be coming together and i have reached my minimum weight goal. i’d like to see that go a bit further, however.

whenever i get in better spirits, i get excited about making plans/goals for myself. as a credible threat to commit myself to these, i’m going to document three here:

-wear more color: i know this sounds like a goofy goal, but i wear entirely too much black. it’s less because i am trying to channel my inner tormented teen goth and more because i thought it could go with everything. before i knew it, black was everything in my closet. with karl’s complaints, i finally realized that i too am tired of how drab it looks. so, brown is working its way into my wardrobe and other earthy colors are on the way.

-go spelunking: and i don’t mean wandering down a paved path looking at sharp stalactites. i mean crawling through bat poo, dodging cave spiders. i mean this. i hope to battle any creepy-crawly, roof-caving-in fears and squeeze my butt through these beautiful, earth cracks. arkansas has too many of these for me to miss out on while i’m here. i just need a partner in grime. any takers?

-save up for my next international vacation: we’re doing st. lucia for the honeymoon and i’m already anxious about the next stamp in my passport. i’m also interested in honing my poor spanish skills too, so i found this organization that combines travel, experience, volunteerism, and language immersion. and the best part about it is i can schedule as much or as little time as i need for it. i’m leaning towards guatemala, but we’ll see if karl is interested in joining me and if he has another choice. it’s probably important to see if your husband is interested in joining you on your vacation, right? one month away until matrimonial bliss!

artwork featured: manatee cove, by souther salazar

blame it on the week

dear web journal,

if you can place blame on a week for being terrible, last week was terrible.

my closest friend’s mom passed away from cancer last weekend and her funeral was saturday. i couldn’t be there and i could only provide distanced support. i can’t stop thinking about how truly sad it is that she’s gone and i feel terrible that i am not physically there for my friend. my mom is giving me some of her flyer miles so i can get out there in the coming weeks when my work events come to a close. but i feel anxious with the separation. i don’t know if that is for him or for me, anymore. his mom was totally charming and always welcomed me with the biggest smiles (even on the occasions that she clearly did not expect my arrival and had to quickly throw on her top after sunbathing nude, ha!). she had even been the special-ed aid to my brother, while he was in middle school. it is crushing because i care deeply about my friend, but it’s more than that too.

to add to that helpless feeling, my friend at work (sole-provider of her college student husband and two-year-old child) was accused of university theft on monday and was subsequently fired. she appears to have been a victim of identity theft and has slowly worked over this past week to clear her name. the atmosphere in the office was heavy all last week and still this week.

i also learned that none of my grandparents are coming to my wedding. my dad’s parents aren’t because they’ve been fighting for the last few years over some things that were said: over inheritance, over misunderstandings, over money. it’s all really ridiculous at this point that neither side will speak to each other. and my grandpa admitted flatly that he wouldn’t come because he didn’t want to see my dad. i don’t think i’ve ever been angry with my grandpa for anything before. but i am now. and it isn’t just because they’re not coming to my wedding. that’s important to me, but the quality of my relationships with them and even my father has been spoiled to too large a degree because of this. most of our interactions with each other are consumed with them trying to fight through me (as some kind of unwitting intermediary) hoping that i’ll relay to the other what they can’t communicate themselves. i’m simply tired of it. i’ve given myself some time to meditate over it, calm down, and really think about why i feel the way i do. i plan on writing them and letting them know. i’ll see i suppose.

anyway, i hope better things for this week. work is busy lately; so, i’ll delve into that.

artwork featured: dear florence, by art and ghosts

r crumb: i'm not done with him

dear web journal,

it’s a strange confession admitting to my early interest in r. crumb. i remember being about 11 years-old and my dad handed me a large box full of comic books he had during the 60s and 70s.

i doubt he knew that inside the box, amongst the issues of justice league america and spiderman comics, there were a few issues of original r crumb comics like big ass and other classics. a hungry reader, i read all the comics and of course this included the arguably age-inappropriate ones.

because i was still young, perhaps, it didn’t occur to me that his notoriously misogynistic content should offend me. instead i was fascinated by the taboo content and specifically its existence in comic form. and the artwork seemed so unusual and original to me. ever since then, i’ve been drawn towards the unpolished and intimate nature of amateur art.

and though most of us seem to already know so much about him from the movie “crumb” and have moved past him onto other artists; i come to r crumb’s defense, because he did produce works like this, which remains a favorite of mine:

a short history of america