perhaps allergic

i've got that dopey headed furry brained feeling
maybe it's the allegies that make me feel this way?
like i don't know which end is up
where do i need to be?
what day is it?
when do i neeed to be there?
am i late yet?
like my brain is wrapped in many layers of cotton
making clear thinking virtually impossible

i am feeling really frantic about my thesis proposal
i don't have a single good idea
i want to be REALLY excited about it

i have found (once and for all) that it is nearly impossible for me
to be productive between the hours of 2pm and 6ish or so
productive in the creative sense that is...
i am entirely capable of dealing with all manner of mindless tasks
such as laundry, dinner, surfing the web and counting paper clips
but i can't get any REAL work done
and i always feel like i need to be shackled to the computer 24/7
since there is NO chance of me getting any work done
if i am not sitting in front of the computer
so i better be doing that
or else i am a bad girl, slacking off, neglecting my duties
so i am giving my self permission to step away from the computer after lunch
STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER

the train

taking the train to school makes for an entirely new dynamic
i was used to the whole driving thing
i'm trying to adjust to this new way of life

in some ways it is much less stressful than driving
but it sucks up much more time out of my day
much of that sucked up time is spent waiting
i end up downtown much earlier that i need to be
i catch the 11:30 train for a 1pm class
and it's about a 30 minute trip
including walking from the train station to school
and then depending on the day
i can end up waiting anywhere from 30 seconds to an hour
to catch a train home

when traveling by train there is no possibility
of stoppng to buy groceries (if neccesary) on the way home
there is no singing along the the car stereo
there is no screaming and cursing at people who should have their drivers licenses revoked
so there are pros and cons

in some ways it makes the day more leisurely
i can read on the train
i can stop for lunch somewhere on my way to school

in some ways it can make my day more frantic
as in: ohmygodhowdiditgetsolate.....
...i'mstillinmypajamasandmytrainleavesinfifteenminutes

and sometimes i just miss being able to
jump into my car and be off and away
as the weather gets colder and wetter
i guess i may choose to drive more often
for now i am looking for good books
any suggestions?

busy and buzzy

so much to do to do to do
but i definitely don't feel tortured like i have in years past
i am actually excited about the various projects
and look forward to working on them
i just need to parse out my time equally
so that everything gets the appropriate amount of attention

the data analysis of my office is what we chose on monday
so i am busy cataloging the contents
so far i have recorded 375 items
i think i should have 1,000 items by the end of this coming weekend
and then i will be able to start the analysis
i also need to clean up the office and take some beautiful pictures with the fisheye

KITCHEN UPDATE
we are basicly kitchenless for awhile (4 weeks at the minimum)
which means we are subsisting on frozen burritos and sammiches
and the ocassional meal out (mexican last night, burmese tonight)
it's going to start getting old really fast

warm

i am ready for the hot and the humid
and the wet and the sticky to be over now
i would like to order up some nice
72 degrees and sunny fall days please
i want to wear shoes insted of flip flops
i want to wear a long sleeved shirt instead of tank tops and tshirts
i would like the evenings to be cool enough to warrant a light jacket
i want to wear long pants and not feel like i am being smothered

i am ready for the weather to change

i didn't once get to dip even a toe into a body of water this summer
well, ok....
maybe i dipped in a toe when we were in the san juans
but i never got to put on a bathing suit
and i never got to go swimming
so summer might as well just go ahead and be over
because the chance to do anything splishy splashy isn't happening anytime soon
so a wanna put some damn pants on

status report

busy and a little overwhelmed
i want to get past this project planning and proposing
and get right into the meat
but, i know that the set up is an important part
not to be skipped over

my book production project is beginning to take shape nicely
it will be the size and shape of a cd booklet
the content will be part song list of all the cd's
i have made for myself while in art school
and part text about school and music
i am working on the images and writing the text

in my design studio class i am working on a
two page spread working with a personal narrative
we started with simple layouts and
are now moving towards the more expressive
slowly
i'm not so good at this
i need to figure out how to aproach it
i feel as though i fumbling in the dark
the simple clean structured layouts i can do
the crazy stuff, i'm not sure how to start...
i'll post the story that i am working with when i finish the final draft

and problem solving, where we will be designing a unique interface
my 3 ideas are: hot yoga, origami and my office
i have taken some images and notes and i need to put together my presentation for monday
the one that i want to do is "my office"
where i will catalog 1,000 items in my office
and use that data to make various kinds of graphs and charts
inspired by edward tufte
this is the project i am most excited about
and tufte is giving a lecture at school on friday
so that should give me some more fuel

KITCHEN UPDATE
josh has been ever so busy ripping out all the cabinets in the kitchen
the new cabinets arrive on tuesday
the plumber will be coming some time next week
we have to prep the floor and the walls and be ready to start installing the new cabinets so that we can then have them come and measure for our countertop which also includes our sink, and then that is supposed to take 2 weeks, so we will be sinkless for awhile.....

really really good

the bar has officially been raised
what a farking relief
my only frustration is that it took this long to get to here
why can't the bar be raised at the sophmore/junior level
why do they coodle them/us for so long?

i am feeling stumped though
i need to document some kind of journey/event/place
and build an interactive interface
i'm feeling a little stuck
i have also been sick and doped up on nyquil for the past several days
so that doesn't help
but i have to do research and do a presentaton of 3 different ideas next monday
and i have nothing that i'm excited about
i have a couple fall back positions
but nothing that i really want to sink my teeth into yet

i'm so glad that i am part time this year
because i already feel like my plate is full....

grid structure

i'm not sure how you make it out of junior year
with a passing grade without understanding the grid
perhaps it's not is important as i thought it was
2 and a half years of typography & doesn't know what a grid is?
how does this happen?
oh! their type teacher was who??
now i understand!

i had a good friday, i am still cautiously optimistic about this year
i do find it hard to concentrate and get any work
of substance done in the studio
but i got my story rewritten and a few things done
much exploring to do before next week

my project for book production is a CD book that includes
all of the musicthat i have been listening to over the past few years of school song lists and a little story about the various circumstances and some photographs
i'm having fun working on the dummy

josh ripped out all the wall cabinets in the kitchen
prepping for the big remodel
we packed most of the kitchen up in boxes and are living in a semi-demolition zone
it's exciting
i can't wait till we're done and have a spanky new kitchen

beating my head against the wall

there are just so many goddamn variables
when it comes to typography
it's really difficult to start simple and small and constricted
and not consider the greater whole
while at the same time not forgetting the greater whole
i think in small pieces and then i feel like such an idiot when i step back and reconsider the self imposed constraints that i have set
usually the wrong ones
ones that make very little sense when you think about it
i know that most of you have absolutely no
idea what i'm talking about

i am working on my homework for tomorrow
and i realized (almost too late) that i actually care
i want to make a good impression, i have a clean slate
there is no passive agressive apathetic mind numbingly boring (AKA those who shall remain nameless) individuals to contend with anymore

i should be working on my homework....

cautiously optimistic

friday was good
really, really good
now if only he actually walks the walk, we'll be in good shape
perhaps this year will be my reward for all the misery i have endured over the past 2 and a half years of swiss modern boot camp

now i need to come up with a 450 word personal narrative
that i will work withover the next 14 weeks with various projects
it's actually difficult to pick something that you know
will keep you interested and inspired over the entire semester
i think i'm on to something though...
details will be revealed as the weeks progress
stay tuned

anxiety and anticipation

this year i have 2 studio classes that run the entire year
design studio on friday and problem solving on monday
my wednesday class is book production,
where i will design and print (via offset) an edition of 100 books

i feel really anxious about today
i will have a full report over the weekend

so far so good

day one
i was a little nervous, a little excited and a little scared
scared that the second i walked into that building i would feel
trapped, imprisoned, shut down
but it was fine
i didn't go to the sixth floor though....
that will be friday

something about riding the train makes me feel
melancholy and introspective
i don't know what it is...the space, the light,
the movement, the people
or some combination of these elements