Keeping Busy Ain't Hard to Do

Sometimes I don't even plan anything. Events are everywhere, and it's so easy to find something free to do, free to eat, new people to socialize with, and ways to keep ourselves entertained.

So here are some of the things I worked on this week.

Thrown and unfinished!

 

Over an hour? Charcoal pencils on midtone paper.

Two minute gesture.

Two minute gesture.

We take our work here very seriously.

Hayley bugs out when she gets overloaded.

Emma working on a book.

Hayley talkin' smack.

I have a problem with authority.

We also had an amazing dinner the other night. Sort of a pot luck. Bring whatever. I made brownies with a caramelized icing made from scratch. It tasted like heaven.

I just mixed it up right in the pan.

What are you laughing at? It was sweet, confectionary perfection.

Talia was celebrating two Jewish holidays and made us food!

Her mother sent this bread. The best bread I have EVER had.

Pickles, onions, potatoes, and more. So yummy.

Emma and Tess and I stumbled upon the Korean Student Festival Thingy. Free food and games and it was bumpin'.

Tess got one in.

But I got one in the middle hole! A natural, I am.

Emma just held her plate of food and scornfully jested at our failures.

Hodge Podge

Here are some randoms things you might be interested in knowing about.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch is not for birds!

There are fat pigeons everywhere here. I want to pick them up every time I see them. I feel terrible when I see their deformed feet.

To be social here, you have to get creative.

I found this piece of butcher paper on the floor in the dorm building's studio space, so I wrote my number on it and and wrote, "Say hi to me! (in a text)" and Emma wrote the "WUT UP BEAUTIFUL STRANGER? <3" beside it. It takes a bit of creative effort to be social here. The first night here my roommate Julie and I went around knocking on doors on our floor and had a big Cranium party. Occasionally Tess and I get in the elevator and recruit people for movie/brownie night on our floor. People are pretty receptive, you just have to make the first move.

To get social, sometimes we eat together. Cook together. Michelle, Kylie, and Hayley hosted an evening of food in their room. The desert, these french doughnut things covered in powdered sugar, were so good I almost cried.

Apart, they are desks. Together, they are a dining experience.

Powdered sugar. Messy, yet delightful in every way.

We dressed up for Formal Friday.

I try to cook meals to avoid living off of cereal and milk. Some nights are pretty successful, too.

Bean dip. Glorious.

Emma and I drew portraits of one another. Here are the portraits she did for me. I absolutely love them.

Works in Progress

I'm in three studio classes this semester. Figure Drawing, Vessel Construction, and Intermediate/Advanced Throwing. My first day of Vessel Construction we were free to play with the clay in any way we wanted. I made a pillar with various body parts attached.

We mooshed it all up and recycled the works at the end of class. It was a great first day. This was also my first attempt at modeling... anything. My first time creating ear and nose sculptures.

I just had a few cups and bowls put into the kiln in my Throwing class. I love to write silly words and positive messages into my works. I love words.

My Figure Drawing instructor is not shy to tell you exactly how he feels about your work. Even though it intimidates me to a degree, it also pushes me to work a lot harder and look with a much more critical eye. I know I'm going to improve dramatically by the end of this semester.

Short gesture sketch

Short gesture sketch

Got Lost, Found Pastries

"Want cheap groceries?" they said.
"Yes, I do." I said
So we rode the train to the middle of nowhere.

The view of the street from the elevated train tracks.

I was under the impression Sonny knew where he was going. We all were. And we found the most incredible pastry shop.

Bookcase after bookcase of sweets and bread...

Paper decorations were all over the store.

It was a mostly Hispanic community, but the hipsters still pervaded the streets. There were beautiful, colorful, and sometimes political murals all over the community between adorable victorian brick houses. Even the stairs in the train station were painted.

I couldn't wait to get back to the dorms to eat the pastries I had bought. I had given up on the search for the elusive Cheap Grocery Store. They were flaky and had a strawberry filling with powdered sugar on top. Sort of like a turn over, but doughier. Delicious perfection. I ate one and a half while I waited for the train. I gave Emma a bite of my pastry. It was too much, and the craziness was upon her.

Oh, and the others that kept searching for the mysterious Cheap Grocery Store did find it. Right after we left, apparently. I will definitely be going back there soon.

Craft Fair with Emma

Emma and I took the train a couple of stops north in search of a used bookstore where I found some amazing deals on the books I needed for my humanities class. When we stepped off the train and out into the street a group of young women asked us for directions to the craft fair. We didn't know, and neither did the other group of 20-somethings that overheard our conversation and joined us. Adventure called and we followed this group of amicable strangers to an enormous craft fair. Mostly the etsy type. It was neat, though, with lots of interesting booths. I found a $10 dress and the booth of an etsy shop I've admired for a while online called Soda by Amy. Amazing things!

Auto shop turned restaurant. Loud music. Smelled great.

Flowers on the way. Reminded me of my mom.

Soda by Amy

Soda by Amy