Elle's mini mobile 'blogging for today...

06:35 condolences to friends of Jamie Heard, UMBC student and reslife staff member died of complications of diabetes in his sleep monday night. 08:57 Happy wednesday! 10:40 I need a quick lift to Hampden today, can anyone help me out? Sima? Liz? 12:03 Desperately in need of aloe tissues and body butter and way stronger sudafed. 15:42 Oy, napping, paper writing, and passing the arabbers cart on mount royal. 18:37 Still ill and my throat and tongue feel swollen it's horrible. 20:57 I feel as sick as a dog right now, i hope the ibuprofin kicks in soon so i can drink lots of fluids. 21:11 I am warning you to drink lots of water you do not want what i have. Seriously. 21:11 I feel as sick as a dog right now, i hope the ibuprofin kicks in soon so i can drink lots of fluids. 21:12 I am warning you to drink lots of water you do not want what i have. Seriously. Posted every 24 hours by LoudTwitter

I have no idea why I get sick all the time.

Maybe it's the stress from finals, but I am snorting Zicam congestion relief nasal spray (PS I hate nasal sprays!), drinking orange Triaminic, and breathing as close as possible to my humidifier, which means in bed. For some reason, where normally I would be eating lots of matzo ball soup and drinking OJ, for this cold I appear to be on a home-made dumpling kick. Making dumplings is not hard, four parts flour to one part water makes the skin, and one styrofoam take-out container from whatever the hell is downstairs and could be oriental...Quick food this is not, but it's worth it, comforting and warm, and let me tell you I got SO damn good at rolling out those thin little wrappers, my friend Annie Song would have been proud. Eww, the nasal spray burns and is dripping down my throat in an unpleasant way. I've got to go to the station building and put together my photography set up in a little bit, I've got some work to do to prepare for a mock interview tomorrow morning. Friday we are going down to Washington, D.C. for the first time this year, checking out some shows with the PERGA crew before final crits next Friday. I'm sorry my blogging is pretty lazy right now, untagged. I just have way too much to do and on my mind right now to be an even-mediocre blogger. Ahh, and as for my rice paste resist that I silkscreened? It still needs to be washed out more, we'll see. (Really, I am very sorry that this post sucks.) Oh, also, I wish I'd taken some journalism classes so I could work for Gawker. Even though I suck at deadlines, maybe being a pro blogger would make me less of a wannabe-perfectionist about the whole thing. Clearly, I am on a lot of medication right this second.

Elle's mini mobile 'blogging for today...

23:47 Resisting the urge to become engorged on cherry blossom ice cream in bed while watching sex and the city. Stay strong, magpie! 04:50 I can't breathe through my nose! 05:20 Falling over light kits and digital slr's getteing dressed so i can make a sudafed and ludens run, ugh 05:33 Found soup in my freezer, thank g-d 09:54 Grabbing pie and ginger beer for breakfast, sporting my short shorts just to spite the foul weather. 10:31 Does anyone know somewhere I can crash around Allentown or Reading PA next monday night? 13:09 Hooray, i got out of work tonight! I can lay in bed and rehydrate 15:03 I think i want the new justin townes earl cd 15:10 Heading to lexington to rent 27 dresses at the mcd's redbox and grabbing some fruit. 15:43 Nothin like a white girl in shorts and legwarmers at lexington to turn heads. Thank g.d for headphones! 21:04 Who wants to watch 27 dresses and cuddle? Posted every 24 hours by LoudTwitter

Also

I wish I were spending today beating up hookers and stealing cars in the newest Grand Theft Auto game. But it doesn't come for the Wii. I can see it now--you could actually physically beat the hookers with the Wiimote.

Apparently it's too early in the year in Baltimore to show that much leg.

I went downtown to pick up 27 Dresses from the RedBox near Lexington Market and I suppose that it's just too darn early still to wear the short-shorts because let me tell you, the guys can't keep their comments to themselves with that much of my leg showing. I am really glad that I got a new pair of headphones, because it gave me a reason to ignore them. Not that I don't love guys twice my age making passes at me, or the boost of confidence which counters the miserable feeling of being utterly congested and full of snot that hit me this week. It's just that I don't really know how to respond to come-n's that are not standard. and sometimes include expletives. I really wish I were all-up-on updating you on my life, but it's the week before the last week of classes, job interview on Tuesday, I'm staying with a friend from MICA's orthodox family in Allentown, PA the night before. I got sick Sunday night, so here's hoping I can shake this thing before the weekend. Oh! Also, I will be in Baltimore through June 6th for one last little Art History class. Which means I will have a prolonged time in campus housing to go ahead and job hunt from my Baltimore home base. Who knows where I'll end up after then, here's hoping G-d's looking out for me.

Elle's mini mobile 'blogging for today...

05:34 One more application down, sixteen to go? 05:59 Back to bed! I kind of wish i had a typewriter sometimes. 09:33 Super allergic to something in the hoff today, full of mucuous 13:46 Shit, i burnt my rice resist paste in less than three minutes. I shouldn't have added so much water. 13:58 I think the rice resist paste will be okay. So much to do! 17:56 Forgot my power cord in graphic design class, brilliant! 20:48 Dropping off the laptop and picking up a light kit. i am thinking of heading to the tavern for a fountain coke. 21:15 Attention baltimore! Rickroll more! 21:19 Swallowing snot and making matzo ball soup 21:35 @RENEEpie whatever my ludens flavored postnasal drip is hot. Brings all the boys to the yard. Fo real. Posted every 24 hours by LoudTwitter

Elle's mini mobile 'blogging for today...

01:22 Great performance, chatted with the roomy and going to itchy bed. 10:27 I'm up i'm itchy wish it weren't foul out so i could go riding. Bikes not horses 13:57 Coating screens with eric. 14:51 Weather in baltimore sucks today 17:45 @capearce81 I feel your job market pains. 21:32 Napping before the midnight shift Posted every 24 hours by LoudTwitter

Student leadership award

I know that there are lots of seniors who are more involved in the community, who do humanitarian work, who do amazing jobs at running their clubs and organizations. But at least in the last three years I've helped continue the existence of the Jewish Student Union at MICA, and that's important, too. Maybe not world-changing, but it has meant a lot to me to create my own fellowship here at MICA. And there's always being a better student leader during graduate school, and learning to groom student leaders using my experiential education skills. The yellow and blue honor cord is a Leadership Award which I will be wearing with my graduation gown come a few weeks. When I get my machine back, I really must make sure to mock up a sweet little peter-pan collar to go underneath my gown. Or a shawl collar. Maybe just a white blouse with a yellow bow-tie or schoolgirl tie and the woodgrain skirt. We'll see. Definitely a bright blue wide belt with the skirt though. Anyway, working on more applications until my shift.

Elle's mini mobile 'blogging for today...

14:33 Working till 7 when i go to the closing reception of stuttering in carroll mansion you all should come! 17:42 Making lemon curd 18:00 Boca burgers at sav a lot! It's a baltimore miracle! 21:39 I've now reached the itchy phase of my surface-depth burns. Posted every 24 hours by LoudTwitter

Today's Tweets

01:12 I have tried all of the standby's but i'm still awake # 12:44 Hates the current job market. # 12:54 @RENEEpie i'm looking for jobs in student affairs and experiential education and outdoor guide jobs. I have other skills too as an artist. # 15:45 @baltimoregal you and your love of puppies astound me. # 16:02 @baltimoregal you just love puppies so much! My parents are vets, i am slightly over them # 21:39 funny. She doesn't look druish. # 21:56 10 jobs applied for, 15 to go. Maybe tomorrow? # Automatically posted every evening by LoudTwitter

Don't count on it.

(Regarding the open job at MICA I applied for. Oh well.)

I have a confession to make.

My life is like a romantic comedy. I mean, not with the happily-ever-after part of things. More like the "zanyness ensues" aspect. Or, more specifically, I have seen so many romantic comedies and comedy films with strong romantic elements or romantic dramas with sarcasm and irony that I can find a quote for almost any situation, emotion, or angsty 'blog that lies within my ribcage. Joe from You've Got Mail: Have you ever become the worst version of yourself. That a pandora's box of all the hateful things, your spite, your arrogance, your condecension has sprung open? Someone upsets you and instead of smiling and walking away... you zing them. "Hello it's Mr Nasty".... Wouldn’t it be great if I could pass all my zingers to you, then I could always be nice and you could be nasty whenever you wanted to be. Although I must warn you... when you eventually have the pleasure of saying the thing you want to say at the moment you’re wanting to say it... remorse eventually follows... Clearly, I should have just ignored the late-night text message. Instead I got in to a passionate, silent argument where self-preservation motivated my own unkind behavior, when all the sender wanted was someone to talk to. I just can't be that someone right now. One day I will have to make a massive post on all the best Romantic Comedies. Christmas in Connecticut, anyone?

I am almost out of matzo, go figure?

If you've ever felt the need to see inane pop songs analyzed and the info contained theirin in the form of visual diagrams (charts, graphs, etc), get thee quickly to Damien Jones' flickr set . And all the other images people have created (one of my favorites is Friday I'm In Love as a Windows Calendar.) Thanks to Lux Nightmare of Boinkology for helping me not pay attention to Arts in Japan this morning.

Hosts in PA?

I am looking for a place to couchsurf to late on Monday night, the 5th of May, and to leave early from in the morning to get to Blairstown, NJ. I have relatives in eastern PA, south of Allentown, but wasn't able to contact them today. If you or someone you know may be able to help me out, please let me know.

Thank G-d!

Baruch hashem I finally have a job interview! This one is as an experiential education facilitator in Blairstown, NJ. Two weeks away! I am amazingly relieved. If I can get paid more than $15,000 a year to do something I love, I am -there-. Here's hoping some other jobs come down the line as well. My job would be to work as a facilitator on trips (canoeing, backpacking), as well as facilitating ropes elements, initiatives, and doing a lot of traveling during the school year. It's a fulll-time job that promises a wide range of experiences, and I'm excited to be a candidate.

Bad timing on my Kenmore.

Rainbow sunrise reflected in MICA's new Gateway building. Whenever I go to the Sears repair center at 41st and Chestnut, I know I will get two things: slow service and the urge to buy discount power tools and TV's. Don't get me wrong, I trust the Sears name, my mom taught me to sew on a 1970's Kenmore and I had that same one till I got tired of lugging a machine that weighed 30 lbs so often. I know that they service everything, pretty quickly, and there is a guarantee on labor for 12 months. I think it cost me less than $60 last time to get my sewing machine serviced (last year). And I'm hard on my machine, I sew harnesses and belting and nylon and paper and other things you're not supposed to sew, I think. I biked to Hampden this afternoon to bring my Kenmore sewing machine in for repair. I biked the scenic Jones Falls Trail then took a detour through Stone Hill before hitting the Avenue and recalling where I was. My chest is still tight, I didn't take my inhaler with me so I took a nap when I got back and am doing some cooking-cleaning tasks, downloading of podcasts, and working on classwork this evening. It was about 3 miles. I'm growing increasingly aware that if I don't replace my little Schwinn, I don't have the kind of gears I need to bike around Baltimore. It's too small for me and I wonder if I could get $100 for it--after all, it's got personality and streamers! I digress. This is not the time for my machine to be broken, but I put off taking it in for too long, when itn too temper mental then it is indeed time. It should be ready in a week, so I'm going to be printing and cutting things out all week. I should be around Baltimore through the 6th of June, after some more cleaning and GD I'll be filling out more applications, and that's all I can do. For now, though, I am indeed looking forward to my little Kenmore purring like a kitten when I get back. The 3 mile bike ride? Not so much. Can I say that the Jones Falls makes me want to make a four-hour kayak and a PFD. Though I gotta say, the new portable commercial-grade Singers are really pretty.

I hereby forbid myself to do any job hunting tomorrow.

My life is consumed with the paltry task of sending out Cover Letters and Resumes with the vague idea that I want some school to like me so much they want to talk to me, make love to me, and have me for an on-campus interview. I did, however, discover a site today that's called SimplyHired and gets jobs from multiple student affairs (and other?) job site, in a searchable database. Hopefully it can let me decrease the time I spend looking at a bazillion different student affairs job sites and instead I can write great letters and get them off. Two more letters done this morning. Please, I beg of you, shoot me now? Elle

Nothing makes me happier than fresh sheets and a well-made bed.

It's finals and I'm overwhelmed but it did have time to wash sheets and make my bed and here is a gratuitous image post of the wisteria I stole from someones fence with my pocketknife while eating a matzo and cherry blossom ice cream sandwich (it was awesome). I also cleared out the space under my Murphy bed so I could take before and after pictures. I finished listening to one of those cliche chick-lit-cover break up books on CD and I wish I'd had it like a year and a a half ago. Also I am working on job applications (what's new?) and I may have to say no to this counseling job in Colorado and that sucks because I love love love it there. I have to note that 2008 is not a fun time to be graduating from school, it's not that there aren't tons of ResLife positions (comparatively, you must understand student affairs is a very small field which sounds like something entirely different than what it actually is), it's just that people aren't really vacating low-level openings in an economy as crappy as this one, or perhaps they are waiting to say they are leaving and there will be more jobs open later in the summer for unexpected openings. Either way, I'm not putting all my eggs' in the MICA basket, and I hope I at least get an interview for experience's sake.

Sink or swim: Elle Sinks

I just got my second terrible critique from my performance garment instructor this semester. This was supposed to be my final critique, my presentation of the pancake manifesto. I silk-screened it a half hour before class. I made pancakes. I broke down under my professors' scathing critique (which I don't think I deserved in front of my peers or before the work was responded to), had to take a moment, got passed over and instead got no critique, lost any lingering interest I had in performance-garment work, and am seriously considering saying "fuck it" and going back to bed. Clearly, performance art is not for me. I suck at it, and I would have been better off spending the past three weeks figuring out how to visually display my travels as blogger and comment on, well, anything, instead of hemming and hawing over something that got me nothing.

Six down, ten to go. Job hunt rant ahead.

Three more applications out the door! I wish I had more of a handle on how many more people are still looking for reslife jobs and how many more there will be, because it feels like there's not a whole lot of new jobs going up at the moment (I'm searching at the Chronicle of Higher Ed and Higher Ed Jobs). Of course, people are also snagging jobs at their colleges which will soon be their alma maters, so for me it looks like taking a summer job is getting to be a better and better solution. Still haven't applied to outward bound baltimore, I suppose I'll get on that and be done in the next hour on that. Maybe there is still a chance I can be a assistant instructor for the summer and maybe even into the fall. I could always apply for Semester At Sea, but I don't know that I want to be on a boat for that long. Even I draw the line someplace. Few greater are the buzz-kills to graduation than actually having to move and find a job, decide where to settle or how the heck I'm going to make my way. In addition, the job I'm applying to at my own school has gotten no response to me. I've seen the heads of reslife and student affairs more than a few times but have no idea where I stand, if I stand at all as a candidate. I would really love to know whether or not I'm even in the running, considering in the past my performance has been less than perfect as an employee of residence life (I've learned! I swear!). But I tell a lot of my friends and acquaintances that I applied, and they are excited about me potentially being around. It doesn't hurt that my love Megan, my own RA from my freshman year, has decided not to compete with me for the position, a huge sigh of relief, though word on the street is the position is not free of competitors. But I know that I want what's best for the residents. Recently MICA ResLife redid it's goals, and I have to say that if this is how Scott's running the joint now, then I want in! We will offer the best housing program in the country for students specializing in the education of visual artists. (okay, the grammar could use some work)) We will become experts on our students. We will appreciate the gifts that they bring to our community and educate ourselves on perennial challenge areas within this distinctive population. We will share what we have learned with our colleagues through both publications and presentations. We will keep an open mind, promote inclusiveness, and challenge expressions of intolerance. We will educate the whole student. We will provide an atmosphere, augmented by structured activities, that encourages introspective exploration and personal growth. We will promote personal and community accountability, model effective communication, and stress the importance of responsible citizenship. We will be teachers, students, advocates, and allies. We will dedicate ourselves to issues of accessibility and excel in serving students of all abilities. (One I'd personally like to see in student affairs and academic affairs here at MICA). What did you/do you like about your on-campus college experience?

State of the Artistic Union

Anyone who is an artist or works in the traditons of art and design in our contemporary world needs to read this article in ArtForum called "State of the Union" about artists and labor and the evolution thereof. The article is by Gregory Sholette and can be read here.. As artists in a post-9/11 world, we find ourselves to be subjects of suspicion. We act strange, and strange is bad in the world we live in today. In other places artists are supported by the state. They are supported by insurance, healthcare, and it's pretty amazing. I think it's frustrating for contemporary artists, so often we're seen as nuisances of contemporary society, getting in the way of people trying to make money or maintain o their bourgie lifestyles. . And I have lost steam, let me know what you think.

Elle is officially a space cadet.

So, as if my life isn't hectic enough, this past week in addition to weaning down my dose of fluoxetine/prozac that I take for Seasonal Affective Disorder during the dark part of the year, I took a break from my Adderall XR. Adderall is a Schedule I controlled substance and a common medication used to tread children, adolescents, and adults with Attention Deficit Disorder and ADD with Hyperactivity (ADHD). I've had symptoms of ADD since I was a kid, and been medicated almost as long. In classrooms and colleges students with learning disabilities either keep up or get put in special education classrooms where college is never even talked about as an option. The fact is that I would never have made it through my three high schools without some help to concentrate and stay on-task, and it turns out that even now I am still not very good at that. When I take my meds, I can prioritize, make lists, accomplish tasks without getting completely sidetracked. Without it, like this week, I am easily overwhelmed by the many things I have to balance in my life, lack tenacity and have a hard time building up steam to accomplish large, complex tasks. I don't know that many people who've never been affected by ADD or ADHD can understand that it's pretty hard for us to function in highly-productive highly-organized environments. When I'm outdoors with my girls in the summers, it's okay for me to lose focus quickly, , they do too! Summer camp is a place that empowers lots of children who may not do well academically or who experience a huge boost in confidence because these kids are gregarious, impulsive, adventurous, and think outside the box in problem solving. But in most contexts I am much disadvantaaged not to be on medications. So, we come up with ways to cope. These ways include: Physiological - Exercise can help disperse energy and wake up the brain, get you going in the morning. Stimulant medications can do the same thing. Some people even wake up early, take their meds, and get up an hour later once it's kicked in to make their mornings run smoother. Psychological - Coping techniques such as yoga, deep breathing exercises, and eating foods that power your mind and body for long periods of time can increase productivity and reduce stress reactions and hormones. Behavioral modification - List-making, setting timers if you tend to lose track of time (ADDers hyper-focus as well as lose focus easily), prioritizing the least pleasant work for the time when you have the greatest chutzpah and energy. It can also include hiring an ADD coach, relying on a significant other or room-mate to help you stay in line. Unfortunately, this week has sort of proven to me that I can still really use medication as a n accommodation. At $3 a dose, I can't afford the brand-name Adderall XR that's a time-released capsule. So I'm meeting with my doc here at school to decide what's going to be the cheapest way to manage my ADD symptoms post-graduation. Still, though, at least I'm getting my ducks in a row.

decor8: Emily Barletta

There is a fibers "look" at MICA. First of all, we wear things we make sometimes. We all have a scarf that we wove in our first weaving class. In fact, we wear lots of scarves, draped close to our necks and out of the way of working. We replace buttons and edit clothing bought and found at will with little respect to the person who initially designed or made it. Yesterday on the design blog decor8 (which I warn posts in large volume and is not necessarily easy or fun to follow, sometimes it feels like work!) was featured a post on an artist /blogger named Emily Barletta. The work looks suspiciously like other works made in my department, so I did a little sleuthing and found that Emily graduated from MICA in 2003, a year after I went to pre-college there when the Fibers department was just a little twinkle in my eye. Emily is currently living in Brooklyn (of course) and making art, no doubt this plug from decor8 will give her a new audience to market her art to, and I was really excited to see someone from my school getting some great ink. Go, Emily! decor8: Emily Barletta

Fibers @ MICA

T minus four weeks. So ready for graduation!

Hair in my eyeballs (before). Gonna look super-cute with a beret in 4 weeks (after). I got my hair cut today at Zena's salon at 1014 N. Charles St. by Sarah Cathcart, who won Best of Baltimore Women's Hair Cut 8 years ago from the Baltimore Citypaper. She was great, very sweet and I showed her a picture I cut out of a short hair mag (narrowed down to by my good friend Alexandra) and she said "I'll be able to get pretty darn close" when I said that it was just a point of inspiration. Also, my Vibram fivefingers distracted the receptionist to the point that that was the FIRST thing I was asked about when I entered the salon.

Humans, too, hard-wired leverage sex

There's a really interesting Scientific Blogging article on how no matter how wealthy young subjects of the study were (college students aged 18-27), the men and women both attempted to trade "sex" (term undefined but I believe it was broad, meaning any sexual act) for resources. Even those not lacking for resources tended to negotate these "nuptual currencies," and these findings are a preliminary suggestion that just as in hummingbirds, penguins, elk, trade sex for investment or access or protection, humans are hard-wired to do the same. Study was by Daniel Kruger at University of Michigan School of Public Health.

The 7 unexpected things grown-ups do at sleepovers

I have had more sleep-overs this year than I may have had the entirety of my time in high school. My dear friend Sima and I have some very good habits. Our riveting sleepovers include: Creative pillow distribution (this is the first priority for a good sleepover). Reading. Setting of alarms (sleepovers are a way to bond when weekends and work schedules aren't aligning well. Careful coordination of pajamas based on current inventory and how they complement the o other person's pajamas. Watching old VHS tapes of horribly wonderful movies such as Undercover Blues and Spaceballs. Eating strawberries and drinking cheap champagne. Falling asleep less than half an hour into a VHS of The Wizard of Oz. Eating as much candy as we damn well please and not brushing our teeth...until we realize how much money we have to spend on cavities where we get up promptly to do the right thing. Making whole wheat pancakes in the morning.

Clearly, I am becoming a Baltimore hipster.

I've spent two of the past two nights eating rosemary garlic fries and drinking beer at The Brewers Art, a restaurant/gallery/bar in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of B-more city proper. Also, my roommate and I are winning the most-adorable-roomies award. That is all.

Zero to jam in twelve minutes.

Baltimore has been drop-dead sexy this week. Everything is in bloom, everyone's shed their ugly clunky boots for sexy strappy sandals and peep-toes. The weather has been great for the dumpster collective and my room-mate, Gabriella, brought home a bunch of blackberries. I added a pouch of cherry vegetarian gel mix, some bueberries, strawberries, pomegranite juice, and some domino organic sugar (my roommate and I are addicted to the stuff), seived those blackberries and threw it in a jar, this morning I woke up and I gotta say Gab and I are pretty damn excited about the stuff. If you've never tried Domino organic sugar, you should give it a go. It's pretty, a pale parchment color, and tastes not like chemical sweeteners but instead like something that did come from a sugar cane (amazing!). It's not that much more costly than regular sugar, and I find that I can use less of it since it adds a little flavor of its own, you don't want to make things sickeningly sweet with it, you want to find a balance. Anyway, that's my product recommendation of the day: Organic Domino Unbleached Sugar. I finally am starting to feel optimistic--I really think that it will all work out, that if I keep applying to these jobs, I'll get enough call-backs and interviews to really find a place for myself for the next year. And I gotta say that I am really looking forward to working some place other than MICA, to learn about a new campus culture and group of students. Not to mention to find a new city to spread my wings in.

Another WFR dream.

I dreamt that my mom and sister and I were visiting a house in Chicago that was turn-of-the-century yet got moved in 1951 and had beautiful gardens and somehow stone and stained glass worked into the foundation. Suddenly, the current owner began having a "heart attack," IE he was doing a scenario and testing me, and I remember doing chest compressions and asking if we had an epi pen since he was losing his airway and I needed to delay death which is what you use epinephrine for, and we had epi, so I pretended to give that to him....it's always strange to do scenarios because there are huge differences between what you do when you're pretending and what you do when someone is actually hurt. I still think that maxi pads make great trauma dressings. Did you know that a disposable scalpel is just over $1? Needless to say, I'm putting together my first responder kit and having a pretty good time of it browsing the Moore Medical site. Oh! I have an uber-cool date lined up today with this guy Jacob! Let's hope the weather holds out so we can do something outside!

Do you not communicate well with your plants?

Allogagan, I'm looking at you. Perhaps you need to follow the Botanicalls instructions which allow your plant to send a tweet when it needs care! Right now I feel like I care more about my dear Twitter buddy pothos than whoever actually has this plant in their office.

Oh to be a Pro Blogger

It takes a lot of hard work to make a lot of money. This is the case whether you make money in mid-town Manhattan wearing a suit and tie or you commute from a recumbent to semi-recumbent position in your bed (my personal office of choice). Those of us who heeded not the wise, wise words of Dooce "My advice to you is BE YE NOT SO STUPID. Never write about work on the internet unless your boss knows and sanctions the fact that YOU ARE WRITING ABOUT WORK ON THE INTERNET." Us idiots, we know the massive negative effect blogging can have on your life. You have a lack of freedom, can't publish what you are thinking for fear of being connected to those thoughts that you do, in fact, think in your heart. You have to keep in mind your audience, i.e. am I a summer camp counselor or do I work in Residence Life with minors during the summer and would it be bad for them to know that I could potentially be a sexual human being due to sharing of posts from sex blogs? And sometimes you have to resign from your job because you make a dumb youthful mistake without the benefit of the time afforded by the leisurely past-time of letter-writing, including (but not limited to): uncapping the pen finding the notepad summoning up an envelope and the saliva white-outing and waiting for the white out to dry re-folding to fit it into the envelope looking up the address a 20-yard walk a 36 cent stamp putting on of pants BUT, that's not what this post is about. Earlier this week I replied to a pro-blogging post asking what the biggest mistake people made regarding blogging...most people it was not doing it soon enough, or often enough, not having faith in their own integrity and interest as bloggers (writers+people) that someone wants to hear what they had to say, even if it is your own mom (Happy birthday Mom!) Now that I have truly adopted the life of a blogger in the past 18 months at this here blog as Elle, now that I am part of the dialogs going on at my favorite sites and articles and am becoming part of the second-lowest faction of internet blogging elite, the technorati if you will, an avid Twitter-er and aggregator of information: my hits are up. Quantitatively, a more regular blogging schedule and a tiny bit of authority that I've earned from length of time and variety of topics has accumulated a healthy readership (for a personal blog). But qualitiatively, I am an active participant in the online conversations, a subject of posts every once in a while, and have even gotten the attention of a favorite author who I 'blogged about. I've also met some professionals who I would never have gotten in touch with otherwise: case in point is Susan at Hug The Monkey). I'm pleased that I've been able to be as much of an open book as I have on this blog for the past year. And while I got myself in trouble and learned the hard and dumb way, I find that I'm liberated in so far as I don't want to work for companies who can't handle me being who I am. I have strong opinions that I can't always camouflage into the apathy so endemic to fellow members of my generation. Am I the person I seem to be on this 'blog? What do you think? A blog entry, just like a photo, is just one moment of one angle of a person. Occasionally it's an insightful art student with her finger on the pulse of the zeitgeist. Sometimes it's an angry bitter ex-girlfriend. Often it's an overwhelmed adolescent who just misses her mom and dad and wants people to know what she's up to. And those it's that combination that makes this blog what it is. Could it be more "targeted" towards a "niche"? I know you guys--my loyal and exclusive following--are only getting glimpses and flashes of memory and experience, and that this blog seems to be just as much about the person I am as the world I live in, but I have grown to truly value the attention you pay me with your time and comments. I value the blank space that this blag has become to me, a place to empty my brain so I can move on. And even if you stop reading, I know my mom, dad, and twin sister will still remember to check up on me every once in a while. I don't get paid to 'blog, and that's not because my 'blog isn't interesting. It's because that's not the goal of it. If money was all I cared about, you know I would not be at art school, would not be reading blogs all day. But that's the luxury of being in school, that working part-time and going to class full-time allows just enough time to explore the interwebs and find my place in that realm, as this identity, and to some extent to my identity as a whole. I'm not relying on that right now to make me a living, but one day blagging via satellite phone in the wilderness and posting images or selling evidential sculptures could make me a living, too. Where do you stand on the subject of blogging as occupation? It's relation to citizen journalism, user-created content, and on-demand media?

Fake wood is a girls best friend!

I'm not the kind of girl who likes diamonds. In case you didn't know (and I'm pretty sure you all do), the diamond industry is not the most humane industry in our global world, and I can see the need for diamonds due to their being harder than everything else criteria, but as far as for a wedding or engagement ring? I don't need it. Unless it's a hot heirloom number. ANYWAY, you all know how I covet all things faux bois (a disorder only made worse by the reading of It's (k)not Wood's blog). Etsy seller RobandLean offers a pretty titanium ring with a faux wood finish in copper inlaid. It's pretty damn hot. Mokume is the a Japanese word meaning wood-eye-metal, which talks about the way that metal is layered and pierced and layered s'more till it gets all beautifully moire-d.

I am cross-website photogenic

I just woke up from a dream in which I was Ariel on ice (in disneyland where I suddenly became very proficient at toe loops and single lutzes). Also there was meringue making. Not real life, in the dream. Oooh, which reminds me, I have key limes. Yes, I am still sick. I know, it's pitiful. But at least I have bizarre dreams where I get critiqued for my swimming ability and imperfect body and nothing fits me, hooray! And who profits from said dreams? All of you fine readers who don't remember your own fever-addled dreams, which I have impeccable memory of. Now since I'm already missing arts in Japan I am going back to nap.

So many ideas...

Pancake Manifesto followed by savory sequel Love & Garlic Fibers Majors Do It With Process... Printmaking majors do it with ink everywhere... Painting majors do it over the summer... Graphic designers do it in Brown... IS majors theorize about the concept of it and never really get around to actually doing it. Photo majors do it in the crib....in the darkroom.... Animation majors do it in the tech center.... Animation majors do it sequentially in individual frames.... Drawing majors would have to exist to do it.... Experimental fashion majors do it wearing flamboyant scarves. Photo majors do it in plaid.... Eric Goldschmidt does it in green, red, and blue plaid. Isaac Linder does it on LiveJournal MICA students do it in Baltimore.

For all my fellow clutzy homies

This Sunday I found a live outlet near Load Of Fun gallery and made pancakes from 11:30 AM to 3 PM. Pancake Manifesto, the project was called. It was bitterly cold out, and by bitterly I mean I was bitter about the fact. Let's face it, after Minnesota during spring break I've been forced to reevaluate my homeostatic needs. Anyway, I burnt my arm on the pan and am writing to tell y'all about Ching Wan Hung, a oil-based burn ointment that you can find in Chinatown anyplace and can be used on any and all burns. It also smells like Mu Shu, so that's a bonus. More of it's fascinating history can be found here, including the fact that it can stain clothes and that it contains frankincense and myrhh! Look for the packaging above, gold with red accents, it comes in two sizes of tubs and also a tube, and let me tell you don't even try to pronounce it to find it more quickly, you will only be laughed at. Note that for sunburns during the summer I have a dedicated long-sleeve shirt to wear with this burn ointment. Sad yet true.

Google Reader's my religion.

There is no better way to aggregate the many sources of Really Simply Syndicated information than Google Reader. It's a web-based RSS feed aggregator that can be used to put all of your blogs in one place and will "pull" new data as entries are published. I can even share my favorite items with my friends and see their shared items (if they use Google Reader and I've got their e-mail in my address book). Until yesterday, though, I could only share entries from within my Reader, meaning blogs I am subscribed to. Luckily, I found a sweet little javascript workaround here that lets you share any blog entry, even if it's not on one of your regular haunts. Enjoy! And let me know if you use Google Reader so I can check out your shared items!

Applications just may be the death of me

I can't even imagine applying for jobs before the internet, as young as that makes me sound. Even so, of my 12+ schools I'm applying for full-time positions for this fall, only a few are accepting online applications without any supplements. Seriously? Well, anyway, here's my cover letter-- April 3, 2008 To the House Director search committee: I am seeking a position that will allow me to continue to work with a diverse population of college students and employment as a house director at Hampshire College would be an important step on my journey as a student affairs professional. My skills and experiences coincide with the description of responsibilities of a house director. Attached are my application materials, including my resume and a list of professional references. Highly-visible, friendly and compassionate student affairs professionals help provide students with an education that is well-rounded and not just academic in nature. It is my personal commitment to the development and support of the whole student that would make me a strong asset to your residence life team and coincides with the goals of Hampshire College. Of particular interest will be my varied experiences in leadership, residence life, and programming in the context of a small private institution. My passion for working with college students stems from my time at the Maryland Institute College of Art as an involved undergraduate student and residential community advisor. Four years at MICA have given me a dynamic education as both a fibers artist and creative problem-solver, but I knew when I was putting off hitting the studio for planning programs or spending time with my residents, that I had a greater desire and energy to serve full-time in the field of student affairs than pursue a career as a fine artist. In addition to my art and residence life background, I also have experiential education, team-building, crisis management and conflict resolution skills from my work in the outdoors and camp environments. Given the diverse skill-sets outlined in my resume, I am well-prepared to embrace a broad range of roles that would likely be required of me at a small liberal arts school like Hampshire College. Many thanks to the committee in advance considering my application. I would be delighted to further discuss my skills and qualifications, and I look forward to the possibility of serving your institution and students this upcoming year. Respectfully yours, Elle I really hope I get some call-backs for these applications. I'm going to spend the rest of the evening working on them, I spent the entire day working on the cover letter, but now that cover letter has to be re-written for every single school with the appropriate things changed, most hall director letters will be very similar but the more student-activities type positions will need a decent overhaul. I feel like I'm applying for so many positions, but I have no idea what the competition is like. All I know is that I have three summer job offers, and I probably can't take any of them (all outdoor jobs) because for student affairs jobs you start in the summer and help put training together for the fall RA's. I have simply got to be just the person SOMEONE is looking for, and if fate is kind, hopefully I'll get in touch with them or didn't throw out the application already. PS: I made Boinkable links again today with my Kevin Smith-Chasing Amy entry. I am feeling the love from Richard Blakeley at the cute/dirty/smart sex-positive blog these days, and y'all know the quickest way to a girls' heart is to link to a post of hers on a highly trafficked site.

I totally forgot I took this picture and sent it to my sister.

Clearly, Will and I are very charming people when enjoying the weekend and some Grey Goose.