Fall For Anything

I can’t sleep. Lately I have found it more and more difficult to sleep past the early hours of the morning. The sun isn’t even up, the only light to be found is the charge light on my laptop so WHAT IS MY PROBLEM? I usually don’t have this problem. So here I am, sitting in my bed listening to Matisyahu and typing by the light of my LCD screen. Grrr I have a 4 hour drive today! I don’t want to be sleepy on I-70!!!

Ok well while I’m up I might aswell talk about something. TELLURIDE Bluegrass Festival is in June guys! My plan (I did this last year) was to stay at a camp site and then just listen at the side stage but unbeknownst to me, one needs a concert ticket to stay at the camp ground. DRAT. I wonder if it is possible to just sleep in the woods… I don’t think I can bare not going. Last year was pretty much the best time I have ever had in my life.

Here is a picture one of the people I was with took of us having, well, the best time of our lives.

In a surprise twist yesterday, it SNOWED at my house. WHAT THE HELL??? IS IT NOT THE MIDDLE OF MAY???

My Dad was stoked about it but I was pissed and then, of course, our power went out so I had absolutely nothing to do. I demanded that Dad take me to Boulder so I could get some exercise and whadyaknow? He did! I went to the North Boulder Rec Center and ran on a treadmill. I am determined to lose 20 lbs by the end of July.

Then we came home and I made a screen (as in screen printing) out of an itty bitty embroidery hoop and mod podge. I still haven’t gotten the hang of it completely but here’s what I came up with:

The best part of yesterday? My awesome little brother got home from college! He was on a mini-roadtrip on his way home from Tulsa and he pulled into our driveway in his hot little car with a chin full of stubble (when did my brother get to be this OLD?) smelling like camping. I really missed him a lot and I won’t get to see him much this summer so I’m glad he’s here now.

Monday! Lovely day with lots of sun! I went to town (against my better judgement, gas prices as they are) to figure out what’s up with my battery in this fantastic little bundle of joy I hold in my lap, and yes I’m talking about my Mac. Thanks Kieth at Flatiron’s Crossing Apple Store- you replaced my battery and I am eternally grateful. I freaking love Apple.

On a sad note, I got the WORST haircut I have had since first grade. I look like Raggedy Anne (without the red yarn). I should know by now that when you go to Cost Cutters for a $13 cut, you’re gonna get a $13 cut. Oh well. Hopefully it grows fast.

And I went to Walmart (vomit) where I returned my sewing maching * tear * because I need to have gas money to get to Aspen on Saturday. While I was down there I bought some sweet flats from Payless (which totally negates the purpose of returning the sewing machine but OH WELL). They’re pretty much slippers and I have begun embroidering on the toes which is difficult because I suck at embroidery but I guess it looks ok.

I just read the article in the Daily Camera about 2008 CU Graduation and I have to say- I am COMPLETELY INSULTED. The overall tone of this article by Brittany Anas was probably meant to be reporter-ly but the basic idea I got after reading it was that the representative this paper sent to cover the Higher Education Beat thinks that CU Graduates are a bunch of vapid, partying Californians with no motivation and a lot of money that isn’t really theirs. You can read this atrocity that passes for journalism here: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/may/09/cu-awards-5488-degrees-folsom/

I think the reason I am so damn upset is party because of the quotes she took from the stadium:

 In reference to the commencement speaker:   “The 1974 CU graduate — now the general partner of MSP Capital, a consumer goods strategy and investment firm she founded — said the graduates prefer plain front pants to ones with pleats.”

Or

“Oh my God like hurry up we’re going to be walking with the Deans and stuff!”

or my favorite

“D’s still get degrees.”

OK so granted there may be some of my fellow students who say stupid shit like this but I am absolutely certain that for every lame comment that flew out of some very relieved individuals’ mouths, there were five talking about what awesome things we’re going to do for the world that is currently headed down the pisser, thanks to the generation that certain Staff Reporters may or may not be a part of.

And then there was the Graduation by the numbers section. OK WE GET IT! ONLY TWO KIDS GOT STRAIGHT A’s! But as I recall, College is supposed to be challenging! If you get straight A’s taking 15 credits every semester, then you are probably taking the laughably easy classes aimed at keeping student athletes’ and j-school students’ GPAs high.

All I am saying is that for most College Graduates, earning their Bachelor’s degree is an accomplishment that took a lot of tears and hard work. And, everyone says dumb stuff when they’re excited. The victims of this tactless reporting didn’t know their words of a moment would be poster-children for what ‘defined a generation.’

So congratulations CU Grads of 2008! Never let a dumb local paper devalue something that means a lot- time will prove the magnitude of your accomplishments!

And Brittany Anas: shame on you.

Even though your CU degree doesn’t mean much, it isn’t a testament of what many of us are getting out of higher education. You have no right to soap-box about it in a publication. 

Here is a Picture I drew when I was listening to this American Life/ Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show.

Sometimes being an American doesn’t suck so bad. It can be so romantic…

No I wasn’t going to make you read that. Here is the Full post in plain non-Gwynniescratch english.

Alright! Here it is! I made a font and today lucky you guys! I am writing in it! Hurrah!

Mother’s Day is on Sunday and my Dad sat down to talk to me about what we are going to do about it. Kindof as a joke because these days every day feels like Mother’s day. No no it is important to let my mom know how much I appreciate her and such. OK. So there is the obligatory delicious Sunday breakfast, but where do I go from there?

A card: a card is key. And here is the best part- I live in Boulder, Colorado where independent card retailers come in SPADES. My favorite BY FAR also happens to carry a number of items like cool books and decorative papers and journals that are perfect for mother’s day gifts too!

Two Hands Paperie on West Pearl. Know it. Love it. Give it all your money. Visit it online at www.twohandspaperie.com

I know what you’re thinking- shouldn’t a crafty girl like me be MAKING a card for her mother? Well, yes, but I’ll give you an honest answer: TIME IS MONEY and why waste my own time doing something when I can pay somebody who will do a MUCH BETTER job. There I said it. I am a child of a capitalist society! NOOOOOOOO!

 Sometimes we just don’t want to go looking for new stuff. It is at times like these when I turn to things I know and love from the past to give me a happy day. This means digging up albums I used to listen to, pictures I drew, photos I took. Recycling my personal fads. So I was in this retro-vision mood and Googled Gil Mantera’s Party Dream, a band whose album I bought on a whim when it came out in early 2006.

I f*ing love this CD.

It is the biggest turn-on ever. And I mean EVER. So, I wanted to know if they had put out another album. No joy. However, I discovered that The Partydream is in the Warped Tour this year and even though I promised myself I wasn’t a Warped Tour kind of girl, I may just get a ticket to go.

These guys have been described as borderline performance artists because of their wacky stage antics. www.musicsnobbery.com even said that the album was more a backdrop for their crazy theatrics. But for me (having never seen them live and feeling uncomfortable in crowded rooms) the album has plenty going for it without the two band members dancing in bulging speedos.

Basically, the Partydream is synth compositions with the most bowel-shakingly emotive vocals you will ever hear layed on top of a synthed-out backup vocals, with some screeching guitar riffs thrown in. And the lyrics?

Did you ever make up songs when you were little, singing about what sweet things were happening in your head or maybe about some mundane thing you were particularly interested in? The lyrics in these songs encapsulate that innocent approach towards putting together a thought.

I just really love it so for me, show Gil Mantera’s Party Dream some love so they will give me another album!

Ok, here is another thought. I have recently (as in like an hour ago) realized that it would be cool to make my own font. So, I did a little www search and wala! It turns out I’m probably the LAST person on the internet to realize this was a fun idea. OK so maybe it isn’t totally original, but that is OK.

However, I started thinking about why there is such a big subculture of people who start sites like: www.ilovetypography.com and I realized that typography is an easy way to be creative without having to generate ideas. It’s like a coloring book for adults!

You don’t have to think of content and the basic form is already layed out (i.e. the alphabet) so all that you have to do is make it your own with a flourish here and a bubble letter there.

Whole books have been written on typefaces. This really is geekery at it’s finest. Putting your own brand on something that can be recreated OVER and OVER again via Microsoft Word. So now this ‘creative’ pastime has TOTALLY lost it’s novelty for me. Dumb geeky font addicts.

So now that I have secured this view on fonts, I don’t really think it’s cool anymore. Regardless. I’m totally creating my own typeface.

But they didn’t. 

Good news everybody! I passed Geology… which means my schedule next semester will consist of:

Art Internship Class - I am completing my internship at Anderson Ranch this summer! I will be assisting the children’s workshop programs, and that should generate some really interesting experiences. I leave May 17^th for Aspen! www.andersonranch.org

BFA Seminar Class – Well, we made it to our last semester. And I really really don’t want to leave. Anyway. Jason Sheppard, David Krause, Leslie Benson and myself (plus a bunch of other people I don’t know) are gradumacating from college and we are leaving a mark where so many others have with a final BFA show at the Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder. This means we are really talented and prolific because we had to APPLY for BFAs- it doesn’t just happen folks. So this class shall prepare us for the realities we signed up for as students of Fine Art.

History of Modern Philosophy – I don’t have anything clever to say about this. Philosophy is serious, serious stuff.

I’m still debating weather or not to take printmaking classes.

Anyway. On to something slightly more universal!

I got inspired by Denver yesterday and so I started poking around. Here is what I found:

www.magnetmafia.com

Underground art is my favorite! These guys design big magnets and leave them around town for people to find, guerrilla art at its best and it’s all happening here!

Rhinoceropolis: Tragically off-beat and hip little underground venue (which I wrote about a month ago). If I’m going to be honest, I have to say that no I haven’t been back since. I’m so intimidated. I just don’t have the right hairdo! DAMn this hair thing is going to hold me back I just know it- maybe i need to cut the euro-mullet again. I think I will do some drawlings of possible updated ‘dos I need to try out. But I’m serious I think about this every day!

www.dailyserving.com : A website that is basically an inventory of contemporary art. I should be looking at this site at least every day but for some reason it’s one of those things I know I should be looking at but can’t bring myself to it. So I’m obsessed with why I’m not obsessed with it and how I should be obsessed with it? I really don’t know.

Denver (so close yet so faaaar): On my ‘worlds coolest cities” list, which I have yet to make. But it is cool because it has a lot of public transportation, and it’s got a great view, and Rhinoceroplois is there, and the Democratic Convention will be there soon and my grandma lives there.

Wendover, UT: I miss being in an abandoned army base in the middle of nowhere. I got a wicked tan there- and I want to move to South Base at CLUI. www.clui.org

Milk Magazine: Since I can’t read French, I just look at the pictures. But riddle me this: how is it that everybody is OK with the way Europeans photograph children? I mean lets face it. It’s practically pornographic.  I’m euro-centric and hip and everything so it’s no big deal (a little alarming, yes) but I can just envision an American mother on vacation in Florence or something and seeing the come-hither look in the eye of the latest Ralph Lauren Baby model and taking a South Park episode-worthy action against it.

 http://www.milkmagazine.net/

That’s what I’m obsessed with at present…

Why don’t I dance anymore? When I was really young and even up to when I was 12 or 13 I danced all of the time. I choreographed my own routines to everything… Mozart, Tchaikovsky…the Spice Girls. I played songs over and over and over, adding new moves each time. Now I don’t do that anymore and I think it might be because I am too tall and too heavy. Standing on the arm of the couch for dramatic effect was fine when I was four feet tall and wearing a tutu, but now I just hit my head on the ceiling as the couch gives an ominous creek.

And it’s not like I don’t want to dance! Just the other day I did a fancy move ascending the stairs in my apartment while the Hairspray soundtrack blasted downstairs.

Shows used to be my THING. My brother and I would put together circuses and Television programs and radio programs, dressing up, composing songs and content for the commercial breaks. We were good at what we did.

So now I think the only solution is this: build a house with bigger rooms, higher, ceilings, and sturdier furniture so I feel free to move about in an expressive manner.