Wednesday, July 15, 2009

My ongoing projects to-do list

My problem is, I think of great stuff to work on, but it's always while I'm out or away from a notebook or on the bus or whatever. I thought it made sense to make a post with a list of projects I'd like to work on so that the next time I find myself with some free time going "Duuhhhhh, what should I do?", I can find something here.

Knitting

-slipper socks with grey chunky yarn (see pattern in Not Your Mama's Knitting
-Noro scarf
-sweater with white cotton yarn
-iPod sock
-dog blanket

Painting/Collage

-Heartbeat
-Laika
-Supernova/Unfamiliar Sun

Drawing

-Ink drawing (Ghosts, Siobhan Donaghy)

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Public art discovery.

One of my favourite things is when I spy some kind of public art while I'm out and about. Last year I started seeing these two stickers on the metro and on lampposts. Recently I found that the two greatest TDs in the history of the universe* were serving as gatekeepers to the park right behind my building. Unfortunately, since then the Ted Danson one (on the right) has been all but ripped off:

TD Power

TD Power CLOSEUP!

They remind me a little bit of those OBEY/Andre the Giant stickers and posters. I like how sneaky they are, and how they just assume a familiarity with pop culture without making any apology for it. In our relationship with pop culture, there is a tendency to offer up a kind of goofy, half-serious veneration and immortalization of icons, especially those that may be well-known but not necessarily widely-hailed. In other words, no one's saying that Ted Danson is Jesus, but there's a kind of affection there that's cheeky and very real. Sometimes you've just got to give props to Who's the Boss, you know?

One of my sources informs me that these are made and put up by a friend of a friend of a friend. Urban legend in the making?

*or at least in the latter half of the twentieth century

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Happy belated Dominion Day, ie., moving.

As you may or may not be aware, July 1st is moving day in Quebec. Which means that everybody's lease is up at the same time so you can imagine that it's something like musical chairs for a week or so, if musical chairs involved going down to the liquor commission to score free boxes.

So I've just moved into a new place and have nothing to show you. But this is an entry of things to come! I got a new job and so I'm hoping to get down to the yarn store and pick up some supplies in a few weeks.

Well, I guess I could show you some pictures of the lovely plants I'm growing on my enormous balcony. Seriously, it's huge.

These were all planted about three or four weeks ago, and they were little scrawny plantlings then. I get tons of sun and we've had lots of rain lately, so they look great (except for the basil, which I'm not showing because I believe I am killing it without meaning to. Forecasts call for a high chance of pesto in the next 3-5 days).

Cherry tomatoes and pepper:

Peppers and tomatoes!

Thyme, chives, and mint:

Thyme, chives, and mint!

Parsley:

Parsley!

(not pictured: pathetic basil)