Majestic Makeshift Memoirs

20 + 10, 2009

2009-12-26T12:58:00.007-07:00

Oh yes. It's that time of the year when I scour my iTunes for anything that came out last year that I had possibly missed listening to and perform a mad harkening sweep of it all, and in doing so, get all gushy about the albums that are engraved into my memories of the past year, which my family members then mistake for christmas spirit, of which I have little. So, here you go kids. My top albums and singles of 2009.

Top 20 Albums:

20. Japandroids, Post-Nothing
Favorite song, "Heart Sweats"

19. Cryptacize, Mythomania
Favorite song, "We'll Never Dream Again"

18. Neon Indian, Psychic Chasms
Favorite song, "Deadbeat Summer"

17. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz!
Favorite song, "Heads Will Roll"

16. Frankmusik, Complete Me
Favorite song, "3 Little Words"

15. St. Vincent, Actor
Favorite song, "Save Me From What I Want"

14. The Antlers, Hospice
Favorite song, "Bear"

13. Bat For Lashes, Two Suns
Favorite song, "Daniel"

12. Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca
Favorite song, "Cannibal Resources"

11. Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion
Favorite song, "Bluish"

10. Grizzly Bear, Vecktimest
Favorite song, "Two Weeks"

9. Major Lazer, Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do
Favorite song, "Hold The Line f. Mr. Lex & Santigold"

8. The Flaming Lips, Embryonic
Favorite song, "Powerless"

7. Dinosaur Jr., Farm
Favorite song, "Over It"

6. Andrew Bird, Noble Beast/Useless Creatures
Favorite song, "Masterswarm"

5. YACHT, See Mystery Lights
Favorite song, "Psychic City (Voodoo City)"

4. Why?, Eskimo Snow
Favorite song, "Blackest Purse"

3. Bill Callahan, Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
Favorite song, "Eid Ma Clack Shaw"

2. The xx, The xx
Favorite song, "Heart Skipped A Beat"

1. Timber Timbre, Timber Timbre
Favorite song, "Trouble Comes Knocking"

Top 10 Singles of 2009:

10. Jeremy Jay, "In This Lonely Town" off Slow Dance
9. Chromeo, "Bonafied Lovin'" off Fancy Footwork
8. Alela Diane, "White As Diamonds" off To Be Still
7. Beirut, "The Akara" off March of the Zapotec/Holland
6. Sea Wolf, "Wicked Blood" off White Water, White Bloom
5. Miike Snow, "Animal" off Miike Snow
4. Pheonix, "Listomania" off Wolfgang Amadeus Pheonix
3. The Strange Boys, "Heard You Wanna Beat Me Up" off The Strange Boys & Girls Club
2. Apostle of Hustle, "Soul Unwind" off Eats Darkness
1. Maluca, "El Tigeraso" off El Tigeraso EP

Hell yes.

2009-11-12T18:43:00.004-07:00

…the filet mignon is the Paris Hilton of meat—lean and completely without personality.

this is not the way to a chef’s heart…the real engine of gastronomy—now that I think of it—is poverty.

do you really think the first person to eat a snail was a gourmet? that was a poor son of a bitch.

(ANTHONY BOURDAIN)

Best Greek pasta salad

2009-10-10T13:08:00.002-06:00

I absolutely love Bulgarian pure sheep's milk feta, but you can use any type of feta you'd like. However, I chose Bulgarian because I prefer a rich, buttery feta to compliment the lemon and walnut oil dressing I made the salad with. If you do use a more acidic, pungent, feta, I would suggest cutting back on the lemon juice.

You will need:

Half a package of farfalle (6 oz)
8 oz. sheep's milk feta
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup walnut oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 small-ish Roma tomatoes, diced
8 large fresh basil leaves, chiffoned
2 teaspoons fresh dill, minced
2 teaspoons fresh chives, minced
Salt & pepper to taste

1. Boil pasta as directed. I like to take a minute or two off the cooking time for my pasta, since I like it al dente, and it'll keep cooking once I start mixing everything in a stainless steel bowl.

2. Drain pasta, toss in large bowl with walnut oil, lemon, garlic, and feta, and incorporate so that the feta has melted into the hot pasta a bit. Add the rest of the ingredients, sans tomatoes, and chill for 20-30 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, and here is where I threw in some leftover caramelized onions I made yesterday (such a good idea), and serve!

Doin' fine.

2009-10-01T21:25:00.003-06:00

My best friend's bedroom.

Maybe i'll update my blog more often when I move to Seattle at the end of the year.

Until then, sorry, but i'm working forty hour weeks.

Currently listening to:
"Spinnin'" by Speech Debelle

NW Coast beats.

2009-09-14T12:37:00.002-06:00

Dang. I can't believe I didn't have these beats this summer.

...

2009-09-10T15:01:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, I miss the way he used to be

2009-09-08T10:14:00.001-06:00

Said an old friend on Pedro the Lion-
"If I wasn't lonely, I wouldn't like this kind of music".

I think, mostly-

2009-09-05T18:11:00.003-06:00

That I need to slow down a little bit.

I have been working double shifts most days, if not every day this week and yeesh, do my feet hurt. But this all feels lovely right now. Today, I made a pot of coffee, a fancy omelette, and then spent two hours outside eating breakfast reading A Tree of Night. Then I watched Murder by Death, again, and laughed myself to sleep. Oh, afternoon naps! You remind me of passing out on my couch in my old college apartment with that Ella Fitzgerald record playing. Gosh, what else have I been doing? Pretty much making money, saving the bulk of it, and counting down the days 'til I move to sweet, sweet, Seattle. Lately my pastime has been watching what Houston calls "autumn" roll in just as September starts and all the little kiddos go back to school. Which doesn't feel as odd as I thought it would. I used to yearn for school to start, so I could bury my nose in books and sit in the front of the class and talktalktalk and then write essays on the importance of understanding conflict between sexes in other cultures residing in areas of the world i'd never been to. It was all so wonderful and naïve at the same time, but it's nice to have had my four years of that, and to be done with it, and to move on to one of the biggest decision i've made in my life... moving out of Texas. I can't wait to be back in Washington state. I already have my future address, where Vienna and I will live until March in Belltown. My first Christmas away from Texas is going to be scary, but i'm sure i'll find something beautiful to do. I am a little worried about packing enough sweaters to get me through my first cold months up North... I can already tell that the hot coffee and fresh old fashioned doughnuts from Top Pot on 5th street downtown will be a favorite of mine this December.

Well, enough of that. I'll leave you with a scene from one of my favorite films. Oh, my favorite part is when Maude starts dancing and you see it's a player piano, that cracks me up every time... look at me, ruining it for the lot of you. What a spoilsport I am. Someone smack me in the mouth!

I love you all dearly,
Amanda

101 degrees

2009-08-23T13:20:00.001-06:00

The only thing that I've been able to stomach is tea.

I wish to not have a white girl's body

2009-08-14T08:17:00.003-06:00

Sitting in my room eating a little bit of cheese on some crunchy bread, and hoping it will go directly to my bum. I don't even want to to pass through my body the way food normally does, the way you learn about in your kinder years. I'd just like for it to transform into a massive, cheeky, brazilian lady bum. That would be magnificent, as I am quite tired of my skinny white girl body lately.

When I was in Seattle (weeks ago, now!) Vienna and I were walking along midday, with the beast in tow on pink leash, when we saw this really gorgeous curvy black woman in a suit walking past. We were both so shocked by the enormousity of her bum (like a small ottoman it was!) that we started to gawk and gape and giggle and it was a miracle this lovely lady did not stop and turn around as to give us an incredulous look.

I just wanted to pat my hands on it, like a child at play.

I will never have a cool bum,
Love,
Amanda

Heaven

2009-08-12T09:29:00.004-06:00

Was standing in the middle of Pike Street, listening to music I grew up on while the Seattle sky turned pink at 9:00 PM, & the rain started to fall lightly on my face. I wish my camera hadn't died, but it really doesn't matter. I felt like glowing all night.

I am a girl of simple pleasures

2009-08-01T16:30:00.001-06:00

I have been spending the weekend at my Grandma's house in north Houston, and I can tell you, it's been absolutely deLIGHTful. My gram is the eptiome of the quick-witted Southern lady- I owe her a fortune for teaching me how to balance my charm and sass. This morning we woke up and had coffee, put on a Ornette Coleman record (she said she was feeling wild!), and made waffles topped with fresh Texas peaches I picked up from a stand on FM 1960 friday evening.

I love the way the inside of her house looks- I remember growing up here, with the giant pine trees in the backyard, the old, steep wooden staircase lined with framed photos and brass ornaments and dried flowers and lace. I've been helping her clean up the house and get rid of things since my grandfather died this spring, and she has so many tuxedoes, suits, cashmere coats and fur capes i'm helping her sell on Ebay. I was lucky enough to make off with some embroidered boots and a silk bathrobe she gave me! She also told me that i'd better take some things, even though I already have a beautiful brass floor lamp and a full-length mirror she gave me when I moved to Dallas. I took some pictures, and i'll upload them next week, I promise. Right now, i'm squealing at what a lucky girl I am to inherit this old rocking chair i'm sitting in with the cream crochet cushions, the wooden turntable that's sitting on a skinny hand-carved bedside table, her Singer from the 70s, all the little framed mirrors in the bathroom.

Tonight we're going out for dinner, but when we get home she'll probably want to make some fresh lemonade. We'll put it an ice cold pitcher with some Jim Bean, sit out on the back porch on the swing, have drinks, and watch the stars come out.

I'm down.

Lovelovelove,
Amanda

P.S. I told her all about Seattle, and she gave me a big thumbs up, y'all.

Seattle

2009-07-19T17:19:00.004-06:00

I don't have a lot of time to update while i'm here, but i'll tell you kids right now. I've fallen in love, and my decision [between Chicago or Seattle] is clear- I am moving by the end of 2009.

2009-07-14T12:28:00.004-06:00

Today will be a day of getting back to my roots. Of meditation.

That means: hemming two vintage dresses i'm bringing to Seattle with me. Sewing new buttons onto another one. Baking vegan banana bread I made two weeks ago that got eaten up in three days. Preparing the salmon for dinner tonight with some fam that's coming over. Preparing my cyanotypes to bring over to a gallery that might display them early this evening. For lunch I made roasted chicken sandwiches with portobellos and gruyeré cheese. Sometimes it's nice to pamper yourself.

"Rock Bottom Riser" by Smog

Treats to keep you wired

2009-07-10T08:25:00.005-06:00

You'll need a pot of coffee (4-5 cups), 3-4 tablespoons superfine sugar (to your liking), 1/4 cup heavy cream, and 1 shot amaretto/kahlua.

Brew the coffee, stir in the sugar, and allow it to get cold (30-40 minutes).
Pour it into a baking pan (or two), making sure that it's less than half an inch deep- any deeper and it won't freeze properly.

Every hour for 4-5 hours scrape the frozen coffee with a spatula to break it up, then pat it down into place and stick it back in the freezer- it will start to resemble sno-cone ice.

Five minutes before serving, whip the cream with a sprinkling of sugar and the shot of liquor until stiff peaks form. Pile the iced coffee into tall glasses and top with a dollop of whipped cream. Voila! After-dinner coffee for summer nights.

Eat well,

Amanda

It's hard to take risks with a pessimist

2009-06-22T13:34:00.001-06:00

Recipe wednesday

2009-06-17T13:23:00.005-06:00

Is what I call it. Because I love you guys.

Grilled 'bello burgers (for two):
For the burgers: you'll need 2 big portobello mushroom caps, 2 slices of fresh mozzarella, 1/2 a medium tomato sliced, 4 tablespoons EVOO, 4 tablespoons basalmic vinegar, 2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce (optional), salt & pepper.

For the pesto: 1 cup fresh basil leaves (dried won't do), 1/4 cup EVOO, 1/4 cup pine nuts, 1/4-1/3 cup shaved parmesean (I love a lot of cheese in my pesto, personally), 3 big cloves of garlic.

One hour before grilling, season the shrooms and tomato with salt & pepper generously, throw in a ziploc bag at add the vinegar, olive oil, and worchestershire. Give it a good shake to coat everything and marinate for ONLY one hour in the fridge- too long, and they'll start to get mushy. No one likes mushy shrooms.

When you're ready to grill them, fire up your grill to... 375? 350? Mediumish heat? and make the pesto by putting all the ingredients in a blender/food processor and chopping the hell out of it until it forms a thick, bright green paste. Then try it- if it's too spicy, add more cheese. If it's too runny, add more pine nuts.

Now, plant your mushrooms face side DOWN on the grill (after brushing the grill with some olive oil to prevent sticking). Cook them for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes on that side, then flip them face up. Fill the inside of the shrooms with mozzarella, the tomatoes, and pour the reserved marinade over it all.

Cook for another 2 1/2 - 3 minutes, then transfer to warm buns coated in pesto, and chow down while they're still warm! I served mine with some green beans I grilled outside in a pan with some olive oil, black pepper, and shallots. Super simple.

Eat well,
Amanda

Currently listening to: "The King of Carrot Flowers" by Neutral Milk Hotel

Last day of spring, first day of the HEAT

2009-06-13T20:25:00.007-06:00

Cmon texas summer. Give me some love!
I got bbqs, star-watchin', short shorts rockin', gardenin', rollerskatin',
cyanotype-makin', & soul singin' to do.

P.S...

I blame whisky.

Summer came up and sang a song

2009-05-28T21:54:00.005-06:00

Life post-graduation is insane.

There's so much to write about, but I think it's going to have to happen later, because i'm exhausted right now. I've been up since five to see Mike & JR off to the airport so they can find an apartment in Chicago. My days are spent saying goodbye to old friends or packing up my things in my apartment. Thankfully, some great ladies are still in the Dallas/Ft. Worth/Denton area to keep me company. Two of which I am traveling with to the Canton first monday fair on saturday! Oh gosh, i'll miss that place, among many. I suppose that I could put up a couple polaroids from the surprise birthday party I threw for Mike last night. I'm happy that so many people came out for good conversation and some nice memories.

Cheers for beers!

Just me and my estrogen had to face this.

Well, it's off to bed for me. I've still got so much more to pack, I swear i'll never buy another vintage knick knack again. I have so much clutter and so many art supplies. Three boxes worth, sheesh!

Love+sorryit'sbeensolong,
Amanda

Currently listening to:
"Brazil" by the Arcade Fire

Graduated from the u-n-i-versity!

2009-05-09T16:19:00.009-06:00

Woahmygod I made it.

I've been going crazy with school lately, which is why I haven't been online a lot in the past couple weeks. But i'm almost finished. I just have to matte my prints for my last photography portfolio showing this thursday, and that's it. Then I graduate on the 16th. I could scream i'm so excited- i've worked so hard for this for the past four years, and all semester to get distinction, which is only given out to a maximum of 2 anthropology graduates per year. I needed a B or higher in two graduate classes I had to take, and a small thesis paper.

And I did it! I got a B+ in theory, and A- in history of anthropology, and 31 pages of written research on the effects of ideological and structural violence on women's health in Ciudad Juárez and Mexico City, Mexico. I can't believe i'm going to have a bachelors of science in cultural anthropology and a double minor in photography and italian studies. It feels pretty surreal.

I'm going to celebrate by going to the Paper Chase concert after that. Oh man. It's all so good.

Does anyone want a hug? I'm giving them out to whomever I feel like.

Currently listening to: "Business Cats" by Mika Miko

Pizza Rustica

2009-04-17T21:20:00.005-06:00

I love making pizza on the weekends when i'm being lazy and I want a quick dinner, and this is a tried-and-true recipe that my apartment-visitors inhale quite often.

Ingredients:
1 pre-made pizza dough (for two)
5-6 oz. of fresh mozzarella
7-8 tablespoons sundried tomato pesto (recipe follows)
15 large leaves of fresh basil, torn
About a handful of pine nuts
Freshly shaved parmesean
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

First, start off with your dough in a baking pan, with your oven preheated to 375 F. I like to use a pre-made dough, since I don’t have time to make dough on my own. The Central Market by my house sells rich, whole-wheat thick pizzas for 99 cents, and they’re aready pre-baked a little, so it saves me time. First, spread your tomato pesto over the pizza, using the back of the tablespoon you’re measuring with as a make-shift spatula (this saves time on dishwashing). Next, break apart the fresh mozzarella with your fingers and sprinkle bite size pieces around the pizza- don’t crowd the pieces, since they will melt a lot. Next, take your basil leaves and tear the leaves into halves or thirds. Damaging the leaves ensures that you release the oils and aroma of the basil, giving you more flavor than you’d have if you simply lay the leaves atop the pizza. Now, sprinkle pine nuts and parmesean evenly over the pizza. I like to use a handful of each, but that all depends on how big your hands are or what your tastebuds prefer. Top it off with a drizzle of olive oil- don’t put too much, the cheese will create enough oil. Also, if you’d like to top it with some sausage or any other ingredients, do so now. I like to use Applewood Farm’s (because it’s organic and gluten-free) chicken-&-sage breakfast sausage, halfway cooked and chopped on top of my pizza.

Sundried tomato pesto:
Any pesto can be done perfectly by remembering the ratio 4:1:1:1, that is, 4 parts fresh herbs to 1 part nuts, 1 part garlic, and 1 part extra virgin olive oil. For this pesto, I use 2 cups sundried tomatoes with ½ cup pine nuts, ½ cup garlic, and ½ cup oil. Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. I’ve found that it keeps in the fridge for up to a week, and I also spread it on sandwiches, or stir it into vegetables when i’m roasting them (any pesto is excellent over fingerling potatoes).

Beasts

2009-04-14T00:37:00.006-06:00

I often wonder how much i'd flip out if I didn't have my moleskine on me.
However, two years ago my grandma generously gifted me with a pack of six 5x8" notebooks for me to fill, and I just started my third this past February. It's quite interesting- my first one was full of doodles and poetry and to-do lists, my second was filled with more poetry, but also recipes. So far, my third one is quickly being filled up with not only recipes, but collages, free-hand drawings, and magazine cut outs i've glued in to provoke thought-conversations, like a picture of the inside of a spaceship I found that created paragraphs around it recalling my fear of space as a child, despite my father's want for me to become a rocket scientist. He plastered my bedroom walls with posters of astronauts and NASA launches and planets, to which I was horrified for years to come.

Anyway, thanks Gram. I owe you a drink. She can drink me under the table, really- my first inebriation was with her at 13, but that's another [long] story.

I'm thinking about stitching this one. Perhaps on canvas, or heavy weight paper.
It will most likely fall under "summer projects", which is becoming a long list.

Gentle monster: rapidiograph pen with a cut out from a 1960s National Geographic

NO!

2009-04-13T21:53:00.003-06:00

How did I miss finding out that David Sedaris is coming to SMU to perform in the auditorium on campus on April 19th?!

It's sold out, anyway. McFarlin auditorium always sells out quick.

I'm so tired

2009-04-03T20:34:00.008-06:00

Okay, I guess this is senoritis. Like, hardcore.

All i've been wanting to do is sell all my stuff and go out and party with friends and sleep in with Mike every morning. Don't tell me I have a 35 page distinction paper to write. Don't tell me I have to make twenty prints for a show at the end of the semester. I just want to start my life, so I can save up for a couple months and go up to Chicago. Or to Seattle. And go to grad school for my masters. And be in a community that really appreciates art. My whole body is buzzing with energy for everything to begin.

But now I have this ugly, ugly, theory paper to write. I used to love social theories and reading ethnographies, but this class is ruining them for me.

I'll cope.

Currently listening to: "The Man In Me" by Bob Dylan

I was given the most beautiful and relaxing birthday weekend

2009-03-23T14:02:00.002-06:00

My heart swells.

Currently listening to: "On a neck, on a spit" by Grizzly Bear

Finger kisses for old friends

2009-03-20T12:53:00.004-06:00

Friendly creatures

P.S., at the moment, sprouts+cucumbers+carrots+lettuce+avocado+fat free mayo+Annie's green goddess dressing*+whole wheat bread=BLISS

*thank YOU, Cassie!

Currently listenin' to: "Bottom Below" by Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs

I was getting ready to go out-

2009-03-15T23:24:00.007-06:00

-& Mike was in my room fiddling around with things on my dresser & noticed two books.
"Honey, you have Birth of a Tragedy lying on top of Let's Arrange Flowers."

After laughing, I forgot to explain that I was using the vintage flower book for collages. Dang.

Currently listening to: "Cold Blooded Old TImes" by Smog

Ridiculous Weather

2009-03-12T02:17:00.006-06:00

It hasn't stopped raining since Tuesday night. What up, Dallas.
I have errands to run. On my bike.

In respect to the weather, "Tahiti Rain Song" by CocoRosie

Living simply so that others may simply live

2009-03-11T16:18:00.007-06:00

I've been selling so many of my clothes on ebay lately! It's amazing how relieving it is to let go of things. I can't wait until I start selling the big furniture in my apartment so I can finally live minimally again. I feel like the next place I live should only have my bed, the old oak kitchen table & chairs I grew up with that my parents bought in 1985, the necessities (what's in my bathroom, clothing, dishes), my giant 30x60" bulletin board, the turntable Mike gave me, and the two pieces my grandmother gave me that I could never get rid of: her full-length wooden mirror, and her brass lamp with the cream-and-lace shade. That's not too much- is it? I don't think it is. I'm sure that i'll probably be keeping most of my smaller vintage knick knacks for now, since 1) I am an old lady at heart and 2) it's going to be hard to sell those things anyhow.

So, back to my point on selling off most of my wardrobe... since i've been getting rid of so much, i've realized that I do need some more staples, some things that I can wear throughout the seasons, but most especially for spring (almost here!). Perfect timing, with my birthday coming up, you know?

A vintage coach messenger bag
One pair black lace-up granny boots
Two or three soft blouses in pale blues or saturated reds
At least two pleated miniskirts
One beige trench coat (for rainy spring weather)
Several pairs of over-the-knee socks to wear over tights
Two or three oversized tees
One pair of perforated oxford flats
At least two a-line floral skirts
Two white or cream vintage slips

I'm thinking this is my spring color pallete.

Currently listening to "New Way" by Dream Supreme

My fingers smell like three different kinds of glue

2009-03-07T01:06:00.006-07:00

Occasionally, I go on these goddamn crafting sprees. This time, I had a purpose, since I was making my best friend Jon's girlfriend, Meredith, a birthday present. You know, the usual: Handmade card, CD. Oh, and I made a cherry custard pie for the three of us.

First, is Meredith's CD.

Then, her card. It's watercolor on paper with a cut-out from 1950s medical encyclopedia and gold ribbon.

Then, Mike's CD. A little music therapy always makes him feel better.

Then, for M's card- drip on the sealing wax...

...& stamp it!

Man, i'm such a dork about my note-writing. I'm so excited to have brunch with Jon and M tomorrow! I picked out a cute little french cafe for us to go to along with some other plans, and then when it gets late; drinks/dinner/dancePARTY. Then, on Monday and Tuesday i'll be staying at Hillary's house for two days so we can explore Ft. Worth and go to the museum district and hit up some antique malls. I need one thing to make it perfect... that darn 60s floral peplum dress I won for $1 off Ebay last week. Where is that thing?!

Currently listening to: "Interior of a Dutch House" by Beirut

Baby baby baby

2009-02-25T22:09:00.010-07:00

I miss my dearest darling dog so MUCH.

Right now i'm sick & i'm achy & all I want is my favorite brown furry creature to cuddle with. If he were in my apartment right now he would come sniff me & then make whining noises & push his head into my lap. Oh, honey.

Currently listening to: "Dog Like This" by Drakkar Sauna

Stretch your feet out

2009-02-23T22:32:00.007-07:00

I have some nice tobacco-free mint shisha in my little hookah, my Lyre of Orpheus 12" playing, a glass of red wine, and some fifty-some pages of reading ahead of me for anthropology. Ahhhhh. Maybe we'll go to bed around 1ish; fall asleep to an episode of This American Life again.

I'm going to make sure I enjoy this last semester of college.

Monday was a great night,

2009-02-19T19:30:00.009-07:00

...better than any Monday i've had in a while.

Charles, Hillary, & I (the tri-fecta) attended a private opening ceremony at the 6th Floor Museum in Dallas, TX. You know that famous picture of Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald? That was taken by Bob Jackson, (for whom the whole exhibit was about), who happens to be Charles' father's old neighbor and best friend growing up in Dallas. And Bob invited us all, since Charles considers Hillary and I pretty much family. Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures at the reception, but there was complimentary fancy cheese (!), wine (!!), and these amazing little crab quesadillas floating atop chipotle sauce in little shot glasses (!!!) that Hillary and I had over and over again until the hors d'oeuvres lady stopped visiting us with her silver tray of goodies. But, afterwards we ended up going to this dive bar, Lee Harvey's, of all places, that was in east Dallas. We had a drink, relaxed, and played a couple games of pool. Everyone kept looking at us like we were crazy because we still had on our fancy schmoozin' clothes. I don't understand how we have these amazing times together. I'm sure that its not normal for other groups of friends to do these things, and for this i'm glad, but i'll miss these guys when I graduate from college in May. It will probably make meeting up in a random US city next fall even more exciting, I bet.

Where am I going to be in four months? Chicago? Seattle? Boston? San Francisco? Zanzibar?

Currently listening to: "This Time Tomorrow" by the Kinks.

Eine, zwei, drei!

2009-02-15T21:23:00.006-07:00

unexpected Valentine's day gift: a beautiful orange Man Man 7" with the song that I fell in love with, they one they did on the Take Away Show. remember?

i'm trying to figure out how to describe the rest of my night without sounding like a squealing teenager. i'll get back to you guys on that.

Completely inattentive

2009-02-14T11:35:00.003-07:00

I left my phone at Mikes.
Again.
Before he goes to rehearsal until 7:00 tonight.
For the second morning in a row.
Ughhhhh.

Hate/Love

2009-02-12T21:34:00.010-07:00

I know it's awfully lame, and I really hate to mush on you all, but i'm excited about having dinner with Mike on Saturday. Not excited because it's Valentine's day*, but moreso because it gives us an excuse to relax away from our busy schedules.

*For the past, I don't know, five years, when Valentine's rolls around, my opinionated-easily-offended-by-sexist-propaganda-side comes out...even more than usual. I definitely have my own thoughts on how corrupted this holiday is. I feel like the whole advertising industry is catering to morons who have girlfriends that overemphasize a completely fabricated holiday and need gift ideas to fool her into thinking they've snagged a winner for another year. One hideous example of this is an advert Mike and I saw on TV last night for "Vermont Teddy Bear Company".

I don't know if it's the squealing, cleavage-baring women that gets to me, or the line "where can I get a boyfriend like that?!" Ugh.

I was so livid at the TV (reason #41 I choose not to own one) I grouched for a solid five minutes after it was over and the Daily Show had already started. Mike's response to the whole nasty showdown: "i've got a bunch of masked bears to return". I bet it's antagonizing to be the boyfriend of a feminist, but he's such a champ.

Side note: I just ate an amazing cinnamon roll out of a batch I baked earlier that has been cooling in my kitchen for the past half hour now. Amazing. I got the recipe from this lady, who is spontaneous cook extraordinaire and has a wonderful blog that's especially yummy to read for kitchen geeks like myself. Mike's best friend Freddy is going to cook us a dinner this weekend (I think), and i'm going to be bringing a cherry custard i'll make tomorrow morning.

I just had another cinnamon roll. Oof.

Currently listening to: "Marmalade Fires" by Múm

Disquietingly yours,
Amanda

P.S. I'll be happy if Mike agrees throwing down for Blue Fish sushi is a good idea for dinner. I dream about the tuna rolls and crab cakes there...

Italian Day, 2009

2009-02-08T23:45:00.009-07:00

Mikey Napodino, my dear friend Hillary's boyfriend of a year now, has been throwing Italian day celebrations for more than a decade. It's basically a day-long feast of amazing italian food, the Godfather triology, and doo wop music courtesy of the band boys who make up the Fabulous Harmonaires. This year, it was at Scotty's little house off Greenville, where about 30+ people showed up to drink Italian red wine and get stuffed with chicken parmesean, chicken marsala, scallops diablo, portobello ravioli, homeade pasta, fresh garlic, sweet basil, and olive oil dipping sauce for the just-baked tomato foccacia... i'm drooling again thinking about it, my gosh. Here's a rough summary:

Noon-2:00 PM: the boys prepare food; first bottle of wine is opened.

2-4:00 PM: Late lunch, Hillary arrives/the tri-fecta is reunited; third bottle of wine is opened.

4-7:00 PM: Stuffed from italian food, shenanigans, party crowd reaches 35+ people, Mikey turns on A Bronx Tale; fifth bottle of wine is opened.

7-10:00 PM: Doo wopping out on the porch with the band boys, being goofballs, shit I missed Hillary and Charles so much; seventh bottle of wine is opened.

10:00-11:00 PM: strolling down Greenville to the liquor store for whiskey.

11:00 PM-1:00 AM: Accordion playing and doo wop harmonizing, my throat is still sore from singing for hours; whiskey has replaced wine.

1-3:00 AM: The tri-fecta wrestles in the backyard, I throw dirt on Charles, Hillary bodyslams me, we come back into the kitchen filthy and yelling to snack on portobello ravioli in alfredo sauce, I count eleven empty bottles of vino in the kitchen, some guy on the front porch hears me singing and asks me to join his Neil Diamond cover band... six times. We all go home and pass out.

Currently listening to: "Mack the Knife" by Louis Armstrong... what did you expect?

Nothing beats one girl's night in

2009-02-04T23:38:00.004-07:00

I'm curled up on the futon with a record playing, eating rosemary-olive-oil triscuits, drinking homemade lemonade, and surfing Ebay for cheap dresses. Since I quit smoking two months ago, i've been amazed at how my apartment smells fresher! Well, considering all the antiques I have, I suppose it still smells a little like grandma's + my favorite Marc Jacobs perfume. Tomorrow night is karaoke with the ladies, and Friday night is dinner with the boyfriend. Life is pretty good, guys.

Oh- and that dress project turned out great! Remember? I'll be sure to upload full-length pictures sometime this week, I left it in my darkroom locker. For now, here's a picture I took of when it was drying.. over my bathtub.

Currently listening to: "Alligator" by Grizzly Bear... on vinyl!

Artists get dirty

2009-02-01T16:58:00.009-07:00

When I was a kid, I never minded getting dirty. And I mean sticking-your-feet-in-the-mud-and-the-grass-dirty, dirt-under-your-nails-dirty. It's a different kind of dirty than forgetting-to-take-the-trash-out dirty, or picking-your-nose-dirty. The latter two I do not care for. Which is funny, because there is a fine line between good dirty, and well, filthy, in our society. I'd rather be rolling around in mud than rancid milk, thank you, but to each his own. Personally, I like getting dirty making art. I like the feeling of accomplishment when I see charcoal smears up my forearms, ink marks on my cheeks, or paint crusted onto my elbows and knees. My hands are my tools, and I see no reason why they shouldn't reflect that any more than paintbrushes that need a good cleaning. When I had my three-hour art foundations class all freshman year, it came right before my italian classes, and I quickly learned the phrase, "mi dispiace, Teresa [my teacher], sono davvero sporche" (Basically, "sorry i'm dirty"). Lately, blue stains from cyanotype developer all over my hands have been my forte. When I start Van Dyke prints in a couple weeks, peeps are gonna think I've got a skin disease.

Currently listening to: "Noah's Ark" by CocoRosie

How I get up at 9:00 AM on a Saturday morning to clean my apartment before my father arrives

2009-01-31T09:43:00.005-07:00

One, start the coffeepot- check.
Two,

Finding old negatives I had presumed to have vanished into the ether is a blessing, a gift, a euphoric state

2009-01-27T17:11:00.005-07:00

120 color film, 2006.

Currently listening to: "L'Enfant Assassin des Mouches" by Jean-Claude Vannier

What a wonderful weekend

2009-01-25T12:53:00.009-07:00

As promised...

Mike explained to me how he picked it out: it folds up into a luggage-looking thing so it's easy to move, since i'm going to be moving a lot in the next couple of years. It has speakers built into it so I don't need a receiver or anything, and most importantly, it has lots of potential for decorative elements! It's so perfect for me.

My first vinyl: a limited edition CocoRosie LP!

Also, last night I had a couple of white russians, sat outside a nice fire with good people for Freddy's birthday. It was a darn good time.

Freddy's feeling pretty accomplished.

Currently listening to: the birthday playlist I burned for Freddy last night:

Hungover and in love

2009-01-24T11:22:00.007-07:00

Last night Mike and I started drinking wine and messing around with my lovely lovely record player (i'm posting pictures once my apartment is clean tomorrow, I PROMISE), but we did this all before I started cooking dinner, so I was giggling in the kitchen and it took a whole hour to make a simple dinner. Thankfully I can make chicken piccata over pasta with garlic bread blindfolded standing on a floating inner tube in a tank of angry eels, so when it was done, we just inhaled. Man, I love chicken piccata.

Though, we did drink too much, and this morning at 9:30 when Mike had to leave for work, I saw him to the door, made some tea for my stomach's sad cat noises, and went back to bed.

Life is good.

Currently listening to: "Animal Midnight" by Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks
[the ending to this song is so beautiful]

Shhh, don't tell my competitors

2009-01-21T18:15:00.010-07:00

OK- cool news.

When I saw my dear friend Leeanna today for our first day of alternative printmaking, I commented on her canvas Toms (way cool shoes, Google them), and she told me she was going to cyanotype them. Not like it's impossible, though. You can put a photograph on anything and for cyanotypes all you need, really, is a water-absorbent surface. Which is an awesome idea, considering our professor has a concentrated fixer that produces a rich prussian blue print. All photography talk aside, her shoes are going to be a walking (literally) bright blue photogram. How cool is that?

I'm telling this story because it gave me the idea- to cyanotype an outfit. I've never been able to wear my work to a critique, so i'm thinking about finding a flowy, white, vintage dress this weekend when I drag Mike to Salvation Army for proper thrifting time. I'm going to make it into a photogram, and i'm going to wear it.

The ever-busy,
Amanda

Currently listening to: "The Color of Tempo" by Prefuse 73

Nan Goldin

2009-01-20T13:51:00.010-07:00

I've been fascinated by Nan Goldin lately.

I'm intrigued that most of her work dealing with her loved ones' personal lives are centered around the bed. People sleep, wake, make love, play, get sick, and die in beds.

Currently listening to: "Life-Support" by Meanwhile, Back in Communist Russia

...

I think it's kind of comical that my salad is peeking out from the right in two of these photos- I just finished it, and it was scrumptious. Romaine lettuce, goat cheese, provolone, vegan salami, red onions, carrots, and Brianna's homestyle french dressing. I could probably drink Brianna's homestyle french dressing, but I wouldn't go that far. It does taste amazing on anything green, though.

My favorite.

Christmas is January 12th

2009-01-13T13:45:00.006-07:00

Last year and this year, Mike & I decided to exchange presents after Christmas because we couldn't be together. Last year, we did it on New Years, but last night was the first time we'd seen each other in three weeks, so January 12th was full of holiday cheer as we drove back from Houston to Dallas on I-45.

We curled up in front of the TV & exchanged presents: I hand-made a christmas card for Mike, and gave him a live Don Ellis record, some cassette tapes and another recorder for his solo performance pieces, a book full of letters written by Groucho Marx that I wanted to keep for myself, and a big tupperware container full of homemade chocolate candies and butter cookies I whipped up a couple days ago. Mike got me a book of Nan Goldin's photography, since the work I/we want to do this semester is inspired a lot by her, and... a limited edition CocoRosie record. So, after a little pause, holding the lovely screen-printed vinyl, I dumbly ask Mike,

"What am I going to play this on?"

And he tells me to keep looking through the book, and I find an Ebay receipt for a vintage 1970s turntable- all white, with the receiver and the speakers already in there. It hasn't arrived in the mail yet, but I can't wait. I squealed a lot, and we exchanged lots of sappy hugs. Finally- I have a turntable. Which means I have a lot of catching up to do on my vinyl collection, kids!

Merry Christmas again!
Love,
Amanda

Currently listening to: "Beg Waves" by Ponytail

Mike's fancy christmas card to me.

Amanda's top ten of 2008! Twice! Makes twenty!

2009-01-02T21:34:00.010-07:00

In my eyes, they're all winners.

1. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
2. The Mae Shi- HLLYH
3. Okay, Huggable Dust
4. Sun Kil Moon, April
5. Marnie Stern, This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That
6. M83, Saturdays = Youth
7. Deerhunter, Microcastle
8. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
9. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
10. Ponytail, Ice Cream Spiritual
11. Chad VanGaalen, Soft Airplane
12. Santogold, Santogold
13. Beach House, Devotion
14. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Real Emotional Trash
15. Ex-Reverie, The Door Into Summer
16. Man Man, Rabbit Habits
17. Jeremy Jay, A Place Where We Can Go
18. Mount Eerie, Lost Wisdom
19. Amadou & Mariam, Welcome to Mali
20. Girl Talk, Feed the Animals

Other very, very, honorable mentions of 2008:

1. “Debutantes/The Town is Ablaze!” by Paper Airplanes (off Scandal, Scandal, Scandal, Down in the Wheat Field)
+ The only reason why this album isn’t on the top 15 is really, because, it kind of hasn’t been fully released yet, even though the CD was done and recorded this past summer. However, due to some pretty obvious connections (that trumpet playing on a couple of the tracks? That’s my boyfriend), I was able to be gifted with an album. And I couldn’t get enough of it- the subtle orchestral back ups, the boys’ raw vocals, and most of all, the catchy guitar melodies that permeate the album and keep hits like “Luckbite” and “White Angry Saxon Protestant” on your mind for the rest of the day. I’ll try to notify you guys when the album is available beyond the reach of close friends and concert-goers in Kansas, but for now, you can find their equally-lovely, widely-available Boyhood album on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Boyhood-Paper-Airplanes/dp/B000NJL15Q.

2. “When the Child Awakes” by Mount Righteous (off When the Music Starts)
+ One of the quotes on the band’s flyers is, “…we sing for you. We have fun”, and that couldn’t be a more accurate description of the 11-person ensemble that is Mt. Righteous, hailing from the indie Grapevine scene. After taking photos for their show at the Grenada theatre in Dallas, TX, I was fully convinced that this is definitely a band you have to see in concert. With the members playing instruments from tubas, bass drums, xylophones, cymbals, and the ever-present slide whistle in my favorite song off the album, their talent is bound to entertain you, if their joyous attitude and clapping won’t. Their 2008 album can be presently found at:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/mountrighteous

Furthermore...
I know you are all wondering, "Amanda. Where is the latest of Montreal CD in all this snobbery? Where are your priorities?". And I will have to answer you all, respectfully, I am scared to listen to it, simply because I am afraid it will be far too sexy for its own good.

The way to his heart is through his upper digestive tract

2008-12-31T18:02:00.004-07:00

9:53pm Mike
hey
9:53pm Amanda
hey bootskoodle!
9:53pm Mike
I'm hungry
What should I eat?
9:54pm Amanda
I made lovely butter cookies
I should send you some
9:54pm Mike
I'm lost without you

The luckiest little gal of them all

2008-12-20T23:59:00.014-07:00

I've several things to be joyful about this season, in fact, i've actually had to start a little list. Really, guys. Bear with me.

1. I started working out three times a week again. Like, woah. Energy.

2. I have been spending so much time hand-making christmas cards this season. A lot more than in 2007, when I really didn't send out as many as I hoped to, and ran out of time. But this year i've immersed myself in it. I do love it, because I feel like sending something tactile to my dear friends means a lot more than an email or even a phone call. Phone calls are nice, don't get me wrong, but i'm a sucker for snail mail. And I just got new ink for my calligraphy pen, and I found some old 1970s textbooks at a garage sale that i've been cutting up for collage-making. They are so cool, guys.

3. Speaking of keeping my hands busy, i've been sewing! I don't get to sew as often as i'd like since I got into college, but I get a chance to embroider a pillow or hem a dress every now and then. I'm making my own christmas stocking out of velvet, and handmade sequined appliques. I'll have to upload some more photos soon, because it's really coming along well. It's a tradition in my stepmother's family, and she always wanted a daughter to teach the technique the women in her family have used for four generations, so she's taught me, making me the fifth generation. It's a really cool process, and i'm sewing on a little handmade camera, and holly berries, and a violin, a bike, etc. etc. You'll see.

4. I uploaded a bunch of old pictures that my opa, my mother's father, gave me of her. Most of them are from their trip to Europe in 1971, when my mom was 18, but there's so many of those left to scan. However, he did include some of her with me, as a baby.

Seriously, mom. You're a babe.

Oh my gosh. Am I eating a stuffed animal? I'm so glad I dropped that habit.

5. I get to cook so much when i'm at home. I made a batch of delicate fall-apart-in-your-mouth butter cookies that my family and friends have been eating non-stop for the past four days. They're already 2/3 done, and I made four dozen cookies, which means... I get to make another batch soon! I made pears poached with a whole orange, honey, cinnamon sticks, and ground nutmeg atop of frozen yogurt last night. It was, needless to say, amazing.

How can you not dig poached pears? What is wrong with you people?

But despite all this, Houston has not impressed me yet. Probably because I haven't spent a full day wandering around the museum district, or gone down 19th street for vintage shopping, or perused Montrose with my cameras. Also, I am a colossal sap: I miss Mike. Although, at least i've got a replacement snuggler. My dear furry pup, Gus. He is lying next to my bed right now, in the guest room, yawning and poking his head up at me occasionally, wondering what i'm up to typing away at this hour.

I think it's time for the both of us to get some sleep.

Currently listening to: "Bag of Hammers" by Thao & the Get Down, Stay Down.
(She is such a great songwriter)

Love,
Amanda

Back home in Houston

2008-12-14T22:18:00.006-07:00

Hello all!

I've been busy this past week finishing up finals and worrying about packing in time to leave for Houston yesterday, but I got it done, and did really well this semester again, and quite frankly, i'm proud of myself. I think I deserve to be. Or is that too haughty? Moving on.

I will miss all the lovely people back in Dallas, but I applied for a position as a front desk bitch and tour guide at the MFAH, but, I mean, I would get to wander around an art museum after hours, so how bad could it be? Anyway. I got home and spruced up the guest room to feel like i'm more at home, because for some reason, I love unpacking and putting away things when I visit someplace. I only brought one medium suitcase for my four weeks home, but I did bring a lot of my vintage dresses, too. My winter hats are hanging from hooks on the wall, and the dresser drawer is full of scarves, sweaters, and art supplies, too. For a finishing touch, I got my mother's old ceramic christmas tree out of the attic. I just love it.

Yeah? Yeah, it's cool.

Another thing I can't stay away from when i'm at home is cooking. I can deal with not being able to cook when i'm up at school, and I can only make a nice fancy meal for me & Mike once a week if that, because grilled cheese is easier to eat while studying than chicken piccata topped with goat cheese:

I forgot how good that dinner was.

Anyway, I made dutch babies for breakfast this morning. They were so good, with powder sugar, lemon, and blueberries; I stuffed myself. So, here's a good stand-by recipe for dutch babies, should you guys be interested in trying it out:

For the 'babes:
4 Tbs unsalted butter
4 large eggs
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour (I used wheat flour)
1⁄2 cup half-and-half

For the topping:
4 oz clarified butter (or, simple melted butter will do)
Juice of 1 lemon
Powdered sugar

OK. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Divide the 4 Tbs butter between two 6-inch cast-iron skillets (I used oven pans, skillets are better), and melt it over low heat.

In a blender/stand mixer, whir together the eggs, flour, and half-and-half. Then pour the batter into the skillets over the melted butter. Don't mix them! Slide the skillets into the oven, and bake for 25 minutes, or until they've puffed and turned golden brown.

Remove the puffed pancakes from the oven, transfer them to a plate or shallow bowl, and pour on clarified butter, sprinkle on lemon juice, and dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Currently listening to: "My" by Okay

Love,
Amanda

Winter is a time for bundling up and getting your bum outside to take photos.

2008-12-03T20:55:00.007-07:00

Winter also mean curling up with the millions of pillows on my couch and studying, and then later on going to bed with knees socks on because it gets really cold in my place at night, and the other person who is occasionally in my bed hates cold feet. A couple days ago I brought my Polaroid camera along to classes with me, simply because i've been amazed at all of the beautiful colors the trees have been turning on the street I bike down to get to school. Dallas may be a little off when it comes to having actual seasons, but nevertheless I won't complain. When I move up north soon, i'll remember fondly seventy-degree days.

This is right outside my apartment door.

And this is from the stairs- check out those sugar maples! The polaroid doesn't do their bright red leaves justice, trust me. I'm lucky to live in such cute apartment complex. There are more important things in life, but I love the 60s feel of them. Those of you who have seen the inside of my apartment know what I speak of.

Here's a shot with my Nikon D80 to show the color of the leaves outside my apartment.

My trusty bike parked in the leaves outside the library. SMU is really a very pretty campus.

This is looking up while I was biking back home.

What is everyone doing for winter break? It looks like I will be stuck in Houston working again. It won't be too bad though- I plan on catching up on my photography, and i'll be working on my photomontages for most of December while waitressing. I plan on making some huge, 14x17 ones with leftover matteboard I have from my critique, and selling them off come spring. I wanted to go to L.A. for New Years to see my good friend Jon and his lovely sweet girlfriend, Meredith, but sadly it's just not in my budget. However, there's always next summer. Right now, i'm all about finishing up the semester: I just had two photography critiques today, and I got As in both of those classes, and I think i've pretty much got As in my photo history and women studies' classes. As for history of anthropology, I just hope I get a B. I could totally live with that.

Currently listening to: "Whats mine is yours" by Sleater-Kinney.

Love you kids and stay warm,
Amanda

Currently eating

2008-11-17T00:16:00.004-07:00

I'm here again to share with you kids yummy tidbits.

One package of whole wheat tortelli (or whatever pasta you'd like that serves two people)
3 tablespoons butter
8 sage leaves
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 garlic clove, halved

While your pasta cooks, melt butter in a sautee pan and continue cooking until it turns light golden brown. Add garlic, sage leaves, and nutmeg and remove from heat after thirty seconds. Add lemon juice and set aside. Remove the garlic cloves, and use to rub onto freshly toasted bread to serve with the dish. Drain the pasta, but leaving some cooking water, and gently pour into sautee pan and return to heat. Add the cheese, toss to coat and serve immediately.

Post-dinner thoughts: needs more nutmeg. And maybe peppercorns? Mike gave a mouth-full thumbs-up, however. It was a good meal.

Love,
Amanda

One kleenex down, ten thousand more to go.

2008-11-09T23:45:00.006-07:00

I'm getting back in touch with the feeling of bitterness towards my immune system.

I finally got some meds tonight, and after we got back Mike kept me company by making me some Yogi detox tea and watching an episode of Daria with me. I ran into it looking for Dexter on a free TV online site, and realized what a great show it was. Does anyone remember that show anyhow? I wish I could take back my Halloween costume as Nancy Spungen and go as Daria. I've even got the nasal-y, apathetic voice to go along with it, thanks to my cold.

Currently listening to: "That teenage feeling" by Neko Case

Love,
Amanda

Bring me oranges and bananas.

I just burnt food on the stove, for the first time in months.

2008-11-05T16:29:00.008-07:00

People hire me to cook food for them. I never burn food. Maybe it was how tired I was, but I wanted was a scrumptious SB[smart bacon]LT, and I got a little distracted talking to an old friend online until I got dragged back to reality by a smoky smell coming out of my kitchen. I immediately shut everything off, and opened my door as a cloud of smoke billowed out. All my neighbors probably think I smoke copious amounts of weird-smelling exotic marijuana, now- and they would've never known before.

NEVER AGAIN!
(...will I burn my smart bacon, not stop eating it, it's delish.)

Currently listening to: "Plato's fucked up cave", by Marnie Stern

Love,
Amanda

P.S. My favorite facebook status i've seen about our new president-elect was Kate's, which went "Barack me Obamadeus". Awesome.

Pre-Hallow's Eve

2008-10-27T18:13:00.008-06:00

I'd like to update you kids a little on my social life. A couple weekends ago I went to an amazing pre-Halloween tri-fecta birthday shindig. Oh yes. That kind of party. It made me happy, because I got to dress up in my costume early, which was smart because now I know what I need to complete it. Two years ago, I was Tank Girl, a character based off of the London punk comic strip from the late 80s/early 90s. Don't think Lori Petty. Anyhow, it's my favorite idea i've followed through with for Halloween, and i'm not about to do a sappy couple's costume again (last year, Mike and I were monotone clowns in matching whiteface). ANYWAY. It was Cole's 22nd birthday earlier that weekend, and he was going to be Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws, but we all said he just looked homeless, so I made him a little sign to spruce his costume up.
I would like to point out the cat in these pictures. Kitty is quite possibly the only cat i've met that i'm not allergic to. It's pretty wild.

Usually if i'm going to nuzzle with a feline I need to have a couple Allegra and a prayer beforehand.

There's a story behind this face- it's the face Cole makes every time he gets awkward, or cracks a bad joke, or ponders anything. I'm trying to make it with him here, but I just look like a weird-o. The funny thing is, he can't help it. It drives him nuts. Thus, "the face".

My hips are showing signs of wear from the pre-picture party snacking. Next time- nix the crop top.

This is Cole's roommate, Judd. This is a picture in which you can see the full extent of my costume, though I think my toy handguns were m.i.a. at this point. Judd does make a really cute Marty McFly. I kept asking him if his name was Calvin. Not a lot of people got it, surprisingly enough.

I can't wait until Halloween.

Currently listening to: "Space ghost jam", by Pavement

It's not spring yet, but the grass is thick and fresh, and there's two squirrels twenty feet from my crossed legs flirting with one another

2008-10-23T12:31:00.004-06:00

It's 1 in the afternoon, and SMU is being lovely right now. No screaming hoards of kids visiting the campus, no giggling gaggles of well-tailored, strappy-heeled gals. I haven't even seen one grammatical fascist indulging his or her teacher with their latest out-of-class intellectually superior experience. It's just me out here, in between classes, with a stomach full of bran muffin and hot coffee. I really love the campus when it's like this. SMU really is a gorgeous place, even if part of my tution is going towards putting waxy, unnaturally pink tulips outside the library every two weeks, after the begonias from early October had gone off-white and limp looking. Is it even the time of year for tulips? I'll have to wikipedia that. It's 60 outside, with a cool wind blowing, and it's about time. It takes a little while for me to get used to the chilly weather- Mike and I had coffee this morning before I went to class and I swear my teeth hurt everytime I inhaled after a hot sip.

Right now, it's the lull before the storm- finals, GRE exams, grad school applications. The latter of which i'm really worried about. Right now i've got it narrowed down to Boston U, Chicago U, Temple, Cornell, Northwestern, and Vassar. All up in the Northeast. I mean, that's where most of the good anthropology programs are- that and California, but I don't think i'm ready for the Pacific coast yet. I need old buildings, good museums, cold winters, and public transportation galore. I get excited everytime I think about graduate school, and finally working on something serious towards my career, but it also scares me half to death. Not the moving to another city. The working my ass off and people taking me seriously part. I'm sure i'll deal with it, i'll have to. But for the time being i'm enjoying my lazy fifteen hour schedule, spending evenings in the darkroom and coming home to reading a good book and smoking some hookah. Maybe i'll watch a Woody Allen movie this weekend when i'm at home. Manhattan was like taking a warm bath in honeyed milk. Complete poetry from start to end- something a girl could really get used to, you know? Maybe i'll turn out some more prints tomorrow morning before I leave for the airport. I've already got a couple that i'm pretty proud of, and Charlie, my teacher liked them quite a bit, which always makes me smile when i've got his blessings. I uploaded some of them online, -on Flickr, that is- although the scanner kind of ate up the quality of the images. They're silver gelatin prints from 120 negatives shot with my Holga. I do love that thing. I've gotten better at knowing what it's capabilities are, and how to develop the film just perfectly.

This was a shot from some abandoned slaughterhouses Cole took me to. Turns out there was a federal prison on the property? Creepster, I know. The whole place was pretty cool thought, seeing as how I love run-down, overgrown buildings.

This one's from the first monday fair in Canton, TX that I went to a couple weeks ago. I don't know how I get around to finding these things, but perhaps that's just part of the artist's experience. I will consider myself an artist, and I don't think that's boastful or an understatement. I think it's just how I choose to recognize myself apart from other people.Not everyone is an artist, and I imagine there are people, quite a bit of them, somewhere in the world that see something extraordinary then shrug their shoulders and continue eating or whatever it is that they’re doing.

On that note, i'd better head into class soon.

Currently listening to: "Hotcha Girls", by Ugly Casanova

Why I’m looking forward to the fall

2008-10-05T21:53:00.005-06:00

1. Snuggling.
2. Making my favorite spicy thai chicken noodle soup
3. Leaves changing color (please Dallas, get your act together!)
4. Tights
5. Tea every night
6. Wearing my new pashmina scarves
7. Stomping on acorns
8. Getting my blow dryer out of the darkroom and back into my bathroom
9. Flannel
10. Thinking up something ridiculous for Halloween (Tank Girl again?)
11. Day-roadtrips

Should I go on?

Well, even so- I went to Canton again this weekend. I always love it there. It's so enchanting to walk through that place, shoot a roll of film and marvel at all the junk there.

I know how to look annoyed.

Cole and I found a cool old accordion, too. Unfortunately, neither of us can play one. And what a shame, with all the bad accordion jokes out there.

Besides a $2 1960s plaid minidress I found (the hangers were hanging from tree branches- hilarious), my only other purchase was an old Brownie Bullet camera, and I talked the owner down cheap. I'm way excited to use it.

Isn't it cute and bitty?

The next night, I went to a badass show in Denton (it's been forever since I went up there), a folk / gypsy punk / marching band called Mount Righteous. Imagine eleven happy, jumping, yelling, talented people. All crowded in with audience in the basement of a pizza parlor- it was a veritable hipster sauna down there! If you want to check them out -and you should- their webpage is:

http://www.myspace.com/mountrighteous

I do hope the rest of the year will be as nice as the last three weeks.

Currently listening to: Surf Session, by Moondog

Our Nick Cave Pilgrammage

2008-09-30T13:31:00.011-06:00

Last weekend was the most wonderful roadtrip i've been on in years. Scratch that, ever.

Charles, Hillary and I had been planning to see Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in Denver since last June, when Charles bought us tickets. Needless to say we've been getting excited ever since. We left last thursday night, directly after a huge anthropology exam I had. I said s'long to Dallas and the crazy drama it continues to bring me and through my suitcase in the back of the rent-a-car and drove away. We started off the trip by me burning a couple good mixes for the road, Charles and I catching up since I hadn't seen him in two months (missed that boy), and drove until about midnight, when we hit Wichita and stayed the night in a tiny little motel, where we horsed around for a bit.

Well, let me first state that we were trying to limit our fund on the trip and didn't eat much. We wanted to save up for gas and on things to do once we arrived in Denver. We also got pretty close on this trip, even though most nights culminated in horsing around and tackling, which I still have a huge bruise on my hip from. THANKS, Charles.

The next day, we finished our trip through Kansas and driving into Denver at around 4 PM. Kansas was pretty gorgeous on the western side, this is a shot of the stretch just outside of Hays,

And we made a stop to explore this abandoned town. It was so eerie seeing all these empty shops and roads; and sad thinking that people probably lost jobs and had to move out of the town, but it had one cool thing- an old playground next to a run-down school. We stretched outside of the car-

I got all tangled up in the swings.

We passed through fields and fields of these wind turbines. They were HUGE. I had no idea.

That night, we saw the show at Ogden theatre, which was a pretty small venue. About as big as the Grenada, for you Dallas-ites. It really couldn't have been more perfect. We met some nice people we exchanged numbers with while we were waiting in line, and when the doors opened we got some killer seats right up front. You could feel Nick Cave's breath, I swear. He played for a little over two hours with the encore, and did "Deanna", "We Call Upon the Author", "Wanted Man", and "Stagger Lee", to name a few. I wanted him to do some songs from his side project, Grinderman, but that was a different tour, apparently. Bummer.

Afterwards, we were so pumped up from the concert we ran around downtown Denver and found a cool little laundromat with Marilyn Monroe pictures all over the walls. I don't know how, but Hillary and I always find these kinds of places. We're drawn to them.

Goofin' around.

Saturday morning before we drove south, we stopped for some great pancakes and coffee at Tom's Diner on Colfax Ave- I highly recommend, if you're ever in Denver.

Also, the thrifting scene in Denver is divine. I got 3 adorable dresses, 2 purses, 2 pairs of shoes, and 3 cute little blouses all for under $25. You guys know how I get about finding a great outfit for a good price. We drove back through a really beautiful storm in the mountains as we made our way into Colorado Springs.

And there, we stopped to see Garden of the Gods park. It probably would've been better if there weren't so many screaming kids, but we got some good shots in and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery.

Here's us girls scrambling around on the terrain, as we usually do.

And Charles and I demonstrating "how high" the mountain was.

We drove through New Mexico and saw a great sunset, and made our way into Amarillo by midnight (again!), and stayed at the Big Texan, a horribly tacky themed motel famous for it's 40 oz "it's free if you eat it all" steak. Gross. The motel though, was so funny to stay in. Our room was themed the Alamo, complete with a Texan flag shower curtain and a wanted picture for Jesse James on the wall.

And, a Texas-sized swimming pool. Sheesh!

Hillary and I don't know who this guy is, but he's probably voting McCain.

After waffles, we got our stuff together and got into Dallas by late afternoon. We went to one of our favorite little dive bars, the Cavern, to meet up with Hillary's boyfriend Mike and my friend Cole, and to complete the night with drinks and some great entertainment.

Yesterday, I got out of class early to spend time with Charles before he drove back to Houston, so we went to a cool little antique mall, Lula B's. Man, I love that place.

Aren't they the cutest?

Currently listening to "More News From Nowhere" by Nick Cave & Bad Seeds

Love,
Amanda

It's time to stop denying the fact.

2008-09-18T20:31:00.009-06:00

Goodbye summer.
Goodbye to mint lemonade and my feet on hot dashboards,
Goodbye bright green potted plants and sweet breezes,
Goodbye dripping frozen yogurt and chlorine smells,
Goodbye gurgling streams and grass tickling-

I'll think of you often.

Currently listening to: "A Summer Song" by Chad & Jeremy

People I Miss, Pt. II

2008-09-10T23:14:00.004-06:00

This post is mostly about these two ladies, whom I miss dearly.

And they're on opposite sides of the country. How does that happen? Allison's in NYC, and Andi's in Portland. The photo above kind of mocks our geographic positions, actually. Amanda is stuck in the middle, in Texas, with her heart torn. Boohoo.

The one peeking down at the bottom is Hillary, whom will be joining our dear Andi in Portland by the end of the year. Who knows where i'm going? Chicago? Boston? Sheesh. I'm going to find out pretty soon, when I start applying for grad schools in November. But what a group we were! At least we had college to bring us together. At least I have an excuse to vacation Oregon and New York! But it does get hard when half the people on my phone list aren't in Dallas anymore. Not like I want you kids to move back- Dallas isn't the most spectacular of cities. But maybe you could come back and retrieve me?

Meanwhile, last night Mike & I saw Fishboy, Mount Eerie, and WHY? at the Grenada last night. With each band being successively more brilliant, the whole event was breathtaking. I smiled so hard when Yoni and the band came back for an encore. This is a little teaser, but you can find some other pictures on http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelittletippler/

Currently listening to: "Song of the Sad Assassin" by WHY?

It's time for bed,
Amanda

Starting it up

2008-09-05T00:25:00.013-06:00

Classes started back again on Tuesday, and my schedule, which I thought was going to be light for fifteen hours, is a bit intense this fall. I'm taking two lovely photo courses with my favorite teacher, Charlie, who for all intents and purposes is pretty much the coolest guy you might meet.

This is Charlie DeBus, a tall, lean, graying gentleman who never takes his aviators off or a cigar out of his left hand.
I swear upon this.

Furthermore, even though this is my third year taking classes from him, i'm still amazed that this guy was good friends with Ansel Adams and Imogen Cunningham. It blows me over when he jokes around about Ansel and him lifting Polaroid prints onto hardboiled eggs over lunch, or when Imogen gave everyone marijuana plants for Christmas. I'm also taking a history of photography course that is mandatory for art-photography students, but you know, we read Sontag. It's not too bad at all, and the teacher likes me already.

Fortunately, tomorrow i'm having a photography filled evening with a good friend bringing wine, seeing a Mamet play put on by none other than the talented folks with SMU theatre, and then Saturday i'm going to a Grassfight show and then having drinks with friends. Sunday will be for massive amounts of reading, and possible party-recovery.

Currently listening to: "The Republic of Rough & Ready" by Hella

Love,
Amanda

There's a lot of unnecessary shit in this world

2008-08-13T21:24:00.011-06:00

Things that have been trying to get me down these weeks but fail:

The internet- I'm tired of resorting to my computer for entertainment, but after biking for an hour and a half, and unpacking all day, it's a convenient activity. However, the experience is dulled when I pop up Myspace, or anything, to see "Fat guy breaks chair" or a Yahoo news article for "Cat learns harmonica, makes millions". Flickr is getting to be kind of annoying as well. I can’t tell you how many people who comment, “omg, this is sooooo gr8”, or “u look so rady in this one!!!!” on my photos. I don’t know if that last one is rad or ready, actually. I feel bad deleting them, and I usually don’t, but something about poor spelling really makes me wince.
Dallas heat. Sheesh. One-hundred today, not kidding.
Carrying my heavy vintage Schwinn up the stairs: To my new apartment. It really sucks, but I’m not about to have it stolen, sorry.

Things I’ve been thankful for:

That the semester doesn’t start until August 25th.
Jon is coming out from L.A. to see me Labor Day weekend.
That Vienna is coming to Dallas for all of September before she leaves for Seattle.
The great gams I’ve been getting from riding my bike, everywhere. And carrying it up the stairs.
The wicked concert lineup I have planned for these upcoming months. Check this out, seriously. 8/28, Parachutes. 9/9, i'm seeing WHY? again, & Mount Eerie. On 9/11, i'm going to Houston to see Dr. Dog. 9/13, i'm seeing Jana Hunter again, and maybe the show i'm looking forward to the most- fucking Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. My best friends Charles and Hillary are accompanying me on a road trip to Denver in September to see him perform. I still can't believe I got tickets to see the guy I had a crush on as a gawky middle schooled thing. Also, El Paso Hot Button is coming back to Dallas in October. Can we say dance party? I saw this guy live last fall at a tiny little venue and Mike and I almost lost our eardrums. The kid's a one-man-band machine.

Soon my apartment will be full of amazing faces. I cannot wait.

Currently listening to: My Bulgarian neighbor, Imann, slamming her dishes around and laughing over "Jogging Song" by Mika Miko

Love,
A Very Tired Amanda

My new apartment

2008-08-09T17:26:00.008-06:00

I haven't been ignoring my blog, i'm just super-busy moving into my new place in Dallas, and trying to see everyone at once! Thankfully, I got to see Mike before he left for New York. We had lots of pizza and Blazing Saddles and crashed. I promise to put up a cool post with lots of pictures soon, after I get this place cleaned up. Also- i'm going to be starting an Etsy shop very, very, soon. I need to clean out my closet and stop hoarding it all before I graduate next May. As I unpacked and unpacked about 5 suitcases full of clothes, I had to stop and realize that I don't need so many articles. I'm donating most things to charity, but the nicer, vintage items i'm putting up on Etsy! I hope you'll all check it out in a week or so.

Sorting my things in a new home feels like being hooked up to a brain-sucking machine.

Currently listening to: "That Angel Was Pretty Lame" by Boduf Songs

Love,
Amanda

People I Miss

2008-08-03T00:45:00.013-06:00

Geeez. I just got the nicest message on my myspace since my phone is broken and MIA, and it made me miss this guy, a lot:

Probably the hottest guy I know- SORRY LADIEZ

That's my bestest bestest friend, Mike. He's also a lovely bedmate. We can sit around his apartment for hours talking, eating hummus, typing up poetry on his Remington, and twiddling our toes. Other times we make a mess painting all night listening to Talking Heads records. We both do the same karate-dance to "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots", and we both write "MINE" on our to-go boxes. One time we watched a copy of Battle Royale he got from a friend back in Kansas, who failed to mention how to change the subtitles from Japanese to English. We have a good idea what's going on in the movie, but sometimes we have to ad-lib, which is funnier anyhow. Okay, i'll stop.

In the mean time, there is a strange bug , slightly bigger than a fly, that has gotten into my room and is playing the window-blind xylophone with its spastic flying, four feet from my bed. He needs to decide what he's going to do with his life soon or i'm going to whack him, in the most literal of terms. Stop running into my blinds, bugsy. The window is not open, and i'm not going to open it so more of your creepster friends can have a bug party in my room and screech all night. No.

I killed it. It was a baby roach. GROSS. I'm not a jainist, sorry.

Anyway.

Speaking of people I miss, I really miss Hillary & Andi.

With her is her boyfriend, Mike (so many Mikes), who in his spare time sings in a doowop band in Dallas.

The other is Andi, another very good friend of Hillary's, but she moved to Portland last March. She's so happy up there, but boy do I miss her. We both have the same birthday, and enjoy shots of whiskey on a loud karaoke night. It's love, really. Hillary's wild at heart, but sane enough to have hyperintelligent conversations with, something I really value lately. That, and she's a great person. She knows what she's talking about, and she sticks by it, and if you don't like it, she might punch you in the face.

Just kidding.
Well, I really don't know.

On another note- my Baggu bags came in the mail today! I couldn't be happier. They're so perfect. I'm keeping the bright yellow, bright green, and electric orange ones. I'm giving the rest away. I also went to a garage sale a couple blocks down today and found four silk pillowcases for $1.50 a piece. They'll fit the pillows on my futon/couch back in Dallas perfectly. I'm glad I found them, because that couch is pretty ugly. I got it at a yard sale, and it's this weird brown and olive green faux Aztec print. Makes me wonder how I put up with it for so long.

I also found this little guy. I dig vintage toys, and when you wind him up, he hops around.

I'm about to fall asleep on the keyboard. Man, that sounds pretty lame. What a ROUGH night i've had, blogging. I need to find a better nighttime around the house hobby, but it's either this or a glass of wine watching a Cary Grant movie.

Currently listening to: "Mysteries" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Temporarily Eternally Yours,
Amanda

Taos: the first Week

2008-08-01T21:23:00.011-06:00

OK. I'm going to tell you guys a little about my trip to Taos. Taos is situated in the northernmost part of New Mexico, at the foothills of the Rockies. It was usually pretty hot during the day but at night it dropped down to the mid-50s, something I could really get used to. Needless to say, Taos was gorgeous. I was there for a month last summer, taking photography classes, but this summer I was in SMU's archaeology field school at the SMU-owned Fort Burgwin (I highly recommend), so I was living in a tent in the mountains for a month. Every morning at 6:30, i'd wake up and crawl out of my little tent and greet the sun to the east. Spectacular. This is my tent, which didn't take that long to set up-

-I even had some time to help someone else who had never gone camping before. Luckily, I went a lot growing up. You wouldn't believe it, but that little one-man tent was the most comfortable thing ever, especially for sleeping on top of hard desert dirt. It's a REI mountaineering tent, partially constructed out of recycled materials, and it was at a fair price. It got pretty cold at night, but it kept the heat it so well. Sometimes if I didn't wake up early enough in the mornings, i'd get up sweating. But this is the creek behind my tent.

We were really out there in the woods. It was a fifteen minute walk to get to breakfast in the mornings, but the nature trail was a nice wake-up exercise. The Arroyo Hondo ridge spreads out to the east of campus, and it's a good hike. I tried to go up to the top or halfway to meditate at least twice a week, after work. It was amazingly peaceful up there. The last two weeks we were at Fort Burgwin, these lovely little yellow flowers were everywhere in bloom along the path.

It still amazes me looking at these pictures from last month. Anyhow, SMU recently went all-green on this Taos campus they have, so all the energy and water is from environmentally-friendly companies in New Mexico, and we even used biodegradable cups, baggies, and sacks for our lunches we made every day. It made me really proud to be on a campus like that every day. I know the people of Taos appreciated it.

Another beautiful thing about Taos is the culture- not just the booming art culture (that started in the 1920s and is still in full swing today), but the hispanos and Pueblo people living there. One woman that we got to know really well was Guadalupita Tafoya (we called her Pita), a Pueblo-Spanish woman who has a great reputation in town. She's the mejor doma for the St. Francis of Assisi chapel in the main plaza (you know, the famous Paul Strand photograph of the adobe church corner?), and this is it, after the annual enjarre, where the community pitches in to replaster the church with traditional adobe (mud and straw) and we clean the inside, too; cleaning the ceremonial items, sanding the pews, dusting the vigas. I painted two doors and polished god knows how many brass crosses.

It's so beautiful on the inside, but we weren't allowed to take pictures. But there is a lot of hand-painted crucifixes and carved woodwork. All the pews were handmade, and there's like, sixty-six of them. Wow. Well, because of her status, everyone answers to Pita, and she worked us HARD when we volunteered to do the enjarre with the community, and everyone loved us for it. Here's the class getting dirty shaping adobe walls.

That's me on the far right with the scarf on. That white shirt? It got so messy I had to throw it out. Everyone's boots and sneakers were caked with mud.

It was a good experience, though. We tried to work with the community a lot when we were working at both dig sites, since they have huge historical relevance to the people of Taos, and most of the townsfolk don't leave the area for generations. And if they do, they always come back- which affirms my conclusion to live in Taos, NM for at least a year in the future. When my friend Kate and I drove down highway 68 for the last time out of New Mexico into Colorado, I almost cried. I had withdrawal for a week afterwards, it seemed. And I miss my tan, i'm not going to lie. I'm already reverting back to my undead look.

Currently listening to: "Modern Guilt" by Beck

Love,
Amanda

Do Baggu!

2008-07-29T11:27:00.005-06:00

I just discovered the cutest, eco-friendly bags online.

They're called 'baggu's, and they're reusable shopping bags in like, 30 different colors. You can get them in packs of 3 or 6, and, I just ordered 6: 2 for me, 2 for my stepmom, and i'm giving 2 away to friends. They're really sturdy, too, so I can use them for groceries and throw them in the back of my car. Although I never use plastic bags- especially when i'm shopping anyplace else and buying clothes or knickknacks- I always tell them to put it in the bag I have with me. So much crap you buy already has plastic wrapping on it already, so why waste?

http://www.baggubag.com/

Currently listening to: "S Is For Evrysing" by the Books

Love,
Amanda

In other news,

2008-07-28T17:09:00.010-06:00

My dog is a riot and a half.

Earlier this morning I found him sprawled out on his favorite rug at the bottom of the stairs on his back. When I called to him, he just started barking at the ceiling. By the way, if you haven’t seen what a full-grown 110 pound retriever lying on his back looks like, you’re in for a chortle. Also, he really likes the song “Run to your grave” by the Mae Shi. Maybe it’s because I get him excited by shuffling my feet around and clapping a lot, so he is good at joining in the fun by hopping around and barking.

Noted: My dog will kick your bum in a mosh pit.

I know every kid and their mutt thinks they’re hot stuff, with comments like, “my dog can open the door”, or, "my dog can save five-year-olds from the neighborhood pool". Well I’m sure Gus could open the door and save children if he wasn’t so lazy (I blame television). And he is good at bringing me a towel when he drools all over me. But my dog really is better than you. I’m sorry, but that’s how it goes. You are not of a cute and cuddly nature.

I think it's safe to say this dog gets lots of love.

Listening to: "7xx7" by the Mae Shi

-Amanda

Scribble surrounds, drowned out

2008-07-26T00:05:00.009-06:00

I've got to find a better hiding spot in this house of mine- I can't think.

Currently listening to: "Madonna" by CocoRosie

Wimpy Wednesday

2008-07-23T20:44:00.013-06:00

The thought of grad school is terrifying, so I’ve devised a list of fall-back options:

1. Join the peace corps.
2. Culinary school, get disowned by my father.
3. Get a boob job and extensions, get on rock of love.
4. Art school, get disowned by my father.
5. Get lost in the woods, live with wolves.
6. I would be a cat lady, but i'm allergic. So, an octopus lady. MUCH better family portraits!
7. Be a nanny in Italy. or Finland- I knew a girl who did that.
8. Open a gay roller derby, probably get disowned by my father.
9. Start a fairytale electronica artist alter-ego called ‘Bo Beep’, attempt to get sponsorship from the Disney channel.
10. Figure out how to get paid and not do anything.

I hope you all are doing well with PLANNING YOUR LIVES

Currently listening to: "I Hate Meeces To Pieces" by Baby Calender

Love,
Amanda

P.S. I've decided to grow my hair out. Just so you folks know.

It was an epic night.

2008-07-21T22:53:00.013-06:00

Last night, Charles and I had an lovely night, complete with a midnight trip to my favorite, Waffle House. It might not be the best place for growing, healthy children like ourselves, but my stomach overrides my cholesterol-ethics at that hour. That being said, I may have invisible obesity. Expect me to explode at any moment.

We talked for several hours, polished off a couple glasses of wine, and wandered around West University. The night was consumed by various sing a long bible songs, pretty flowers, and lovely cityscapes. Houston really is a magnificent city. It gets quite a bit of a bad rap from all the pollution, crime, and traffic, but I suppose I have a bias growing up here. Nothing beats a 80 mile per hour night in a wild city with an Iggy Pop soundtrack. Here, here!

Currently listening to: "Real Wild Child" by Iggy Pop

Love,
Amanda

This is a harbinger of social astrocities to come

2008-07-21T22:33:00.005-06:00

So yes, i've decided to start blogging. As much as I was initially dissuaded from doing such, because of several factors,

a. I might be going along with the trend and get bored of it soon
b. I could get frustrated with exposing my thoughts and ideas online
c. No one wants to read about my musings

I suppose i'm going to say 'whatever', and start one for the purposes of,

a. Sharing my writings and artwork
b. Having an indestructible journal full of good stories, as my memory is awful these days
c. Sharing recipes

Are we still on the same page?
Wonderful. Hold onto your pants, kiddos.

To start off, i’m going to tell you about my weekend (in the next post, to keep this shit organized), but I’m going to warn you, i’m going to start this blog in medias res. For you latin-challenged kiddos, it means i’m going to distort chronologically-skewed minds. I was in New Mexico for a month this June, and although I desired to blog about happenings in Taos, internet was not an option when you are camping in a tent in the mountains. So be it.

Another warning: I never said my blog had to be factual. I called it makeshift memoirs for a reason; if I don’t particularly think that my day’s activities are interesting, I may tell you that i’m starting to invest in a unicorn farm, or mention my secret life as the star of my own series of detective-themed porn films in which I bend over looking for clues a lot. This is more fun to blog about for me then, say, stripping the wood varnish off the upstairs banister. Nobody wants to hear about this. I may denote that “blog entry may or may not be true”, or I could just be a jerk and let you figure it out for your own. Those of you who’ve read The Sound and The Fury might understand this better. Those of you who haven’t are probably happier people in the long run.

I hate William Faulkner.

However,
I really do love you all,
Amanda