framed!

Here is the framed version of my ledger art (details of purchase here). This was my reward/celebration for earning full professor. I had received my dean's letter of recommendation for promotion a week or two before we went to the Marin show, but I wanted to wait for the provost's letter before getting it framed. I just love the way it turned out. For me, the big question about framing styles was whether to highlight the archival quality of the piece (i.e. the ephemera) or to foreground the contemporary art component. Clearly, I went with the latter. The first image is a cropped version of the second one (I had a hard time dealing with the glare from the glass while also getting enough light to show the true colors). What do you think?

I bought my Prius when I was promoted to associate professor, so it's 5 years old now, but still running like a gem.  I think the biggest expense associated with it must be the new (clean!) floor mats I just purchased. I love that car; every time I pull into a gas station I think "wow, it's been a long time since I've had to do this!" 

advanced technology of old

My very cool find from today's shopping trip: a 45 RPM recording for Carol from Sidney (reverse label is exactly the same, except for the names inscribed on the dotted lines). I'm not sure when these were produced, but it must have been very exciting to receive one and get to hear a loved one's actual voice.  

Should I try to play it? Very tempting--although it's not in great shape. Look for it soon on my home or campus office wall.

Cost: $10

pros and cons

Over the course of the last week, I've been working hard to clean up and organize the debris of the 2011-2012 academic school year.  In the past, I've managed to get this chore done during or immediately after finals week, but this last year has been especially busy and crazy. And I started the school year behind, in the sense that I had never managed to recover from the mental, emotional and physical chaos caused by the ongoing saga that is my mother's crazy life (notice I am trying not to call her crazy).  I've only just now managed to refile boxes of documents and mss. that I brought home from my aborted sabbatical. I'm working on letting go of my resentment about the timing of her latest crisis, but I'm not there yet. 

While I've not found much time to blog this year, I did keep a computer file of images that were intended to be blog fodder. Since I'm now working on cleaning up my computer desktop and Endnote files, I'm going to go ahead and post them. Some are really out-of-date. Others, while old, still retain some currency. This one is an instance of the latter.  I smile every time I see it. It is a white board in MP1's Dallas apartment. She's still acclimating to her work place and city (which has lots to recommend it--great museums, for instance).  And she hasn't been there a full year (i.e. serious summer heat and humidity still to come).  We always encourage her to write out her thoughts, so I was happy to see this (and she gave me permission to post it).  I guess the only thing that has really changed since she made this initial list is that she's been thinking of going to SMU for an MBA--they have a version that incorporates an Arts Mgmt. Certificate. The two of us visited the campus in March (a trip I'll never forget). But that's a different post and set of pictures. Right now, I'm off to church w/MGC (jk); we are headed to "second Sunday"--antique/junk market under the freeway. 

the art of the frame

I'm SO excited. Next week, I get to pick this up from the framer's and I cannot wait to see how my choices of mat and frame are going to look. What mat colors and frame style would you have chosen?

I bought this in late February, at the 28th Annual Mar*n Art of the Amer*ca's Show, which is just an amazing gathering of ethnographic art dealers and contemporary American Indian artists: photographers, jewelers, potters, painters, weavers. When HL, CD (Graphics Girl) and I were making our plans to go, I was committed to buying a piece of ledger art by Michael H*orse. I've admired his work for more than a decade and have been smacking myself that I was too poor or cheap (poor the first time, cheap the second) to buy one of his paintings on old boarding school newspapers like The Red M*n (Carlisle Indian Industrial School). The first time I saw one of these was in the gift shop of the Heard Museum, when they were hosting a boarding school exhibit and we just happened to catch it on our way back from a conference in Flagstaff. I think the painting was $700, which now seems like a pittance. Last year, at the Mar*in Show, they were considerably more, but I just couldn't rationalize spending the $.  But this year, I was committed to the purchase. Of course, he had exactly zero (!) paintings on boarding school newspapers with him. Gah!  And I wasn't taken by any of the other options he'd brought to the show.   BUT, around the corner was Terrance Gu*ardipee's booth.  I had admired the vivid colors in his work last year (but again, saw it as way too pricey for my pocketbook--in part because his renderings are on a much larger scale than the tabloid-sized works of Horse). Gu*ardipee is Blackfeet and uses maps of Montana (ancestral territory), along with related archival ephemera, as the background for his work. The three of us combed through his offerings, while he explained the imagery and meanings (I tried not to take FOREVER, since I had insisted we visit the contemporary art side of the event prior to the ethnographic--which they were really there to see).  In the end, I chose this piece because it I loved the colors and the fact that it was a woman warrior (which sort of relates to the rationale for my purchase--more on that next week).  Her name is "Running Eagle." Stay tuned for the final framed version. I'll try to take a better photo for that (in part because I told Guar*dipee I'd email him an image of the finished product).  Did I say that MGC is super jealous? Yes, he is. Yeah for me, because he has THE best collection of contemporary American Indian art of any of my friends. 

the big show

I'm still recovering from last Sunday, which involved a short road trip with CD and H, to see the M*rin Show: Art of the A*mericas.  It was so fun it nearly killed me. Mostly brain overload, but also that walking-on-concrete-for-hours kind of tired. We wished D of KS could have been there. Partly for old times sake--but also because it really was a hemispheric show with lots of Spanish colonial-era art, some pre-Columbian, and lots of contemporary Native jewelry and handicrafts. We managed to find things we could afford; and we also got to see our favorite basket expert there, so that was extra nice.

 

What can I say about this guy in the distance,

or the vendor below? How about: "apparently,

some people come to these shows in uniform."

Thankfully, these types were in short supply.

  



Mask woven by the Embera (Panama, near Colombian

border). This photo doesn't do it justice. It is really striking.

Had to buy it.








On sale, 2/3rd off regular price. Bought eight--a nineth

thrown in for good measure. I'll use them in classes,

and in my post-retirement life. Can't wait.



 







 

Afterwards, we were starved! The plan? Drive into town,

Find a parking spot, then eat in the closest restaurant.



 Mmm. Good.

 

But then we needed a walk and coffee,

just for the trip home.



those Jesuits got around, ya know?



who says you can't buy happiness?

3G Kindling....

Thanks to all of you who responded to last week's bleg. Following a week of complete craziness and exhaustion, I finally got around to downloading some content:

• Eth*icity, Inc. (J/J Comar*ff) $9.99
• Anthrop*logy & Social Theory (S. Ortn*er) $13.77
• A Visit from the Go*n Squad (thanks P-O) $9.34 (and I have to add that when I saw that quote on FB credited to "surviving your stupid, stupid decision to go to grad school," I totally thought you were joking; guess he's paying back the student loans on the $ he's making from this book. wow !!)
• Diamond (thanks Melda:) $6.99 does Jabi know you read this stuff? (jk!!)

* PFNO and Rented Life: MP1 has Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, so I'm going to read that in paperback (the old school way). 

decisions, decisions

Last month TH gave me a Kindle for my birthday (and I really like it, too!). I've read the instructions, registered it, and now--I'm ready to download!  What shall my first book be? Work-related? Lust in the Dust? (How truly unfortunate that my discipline--and here, I should clarify that my theoretical orientation--does not really offer some combination of the above). Any suggestions?  

loose ends

Today is all about loose ends. Yesterday I worked, shopped, worked. On the shopping front, I have managed to buy at least two Christmas presents each for TH, MP1 and MP2. Woohoo. This is not my usual pattern. Typically, I am out--frantic and stressed--the last Friday night/weekend of the Fall semester, after I've closed the museum exhibit, given my last final, and (many years) tossed a Christmas party for TH's department, hoping that the retail and gift inspiration stars align properly. Usually, I am exhausted by the time the break rolls around. None of that this year. But, I do have lots to do, before I head home for the holidays.

1. refile archival docs I've stacked in a nice little pile (I hate refiling! what is wrong with me?)
2. make packing list (stuff that isn't in clear sight and that I'll be likely to forget).
3. laundry
4. water plants
5. trash to the curb
6. card and gift card for M/MH (already have the former and know where I'll get the latter)
7. last walk on the beach
8. last walk to my favoite coffee shop (reading, reading, reading)
9. enter 'refs to get' on subpage by the same name in my sabbatical onenote binder
10. notes on two articles.

I can do this.

thinking ahead to teaching

Two (+) months into my sabbatical, I've not given much thought at all to teaching. But three things have happened in the last few days that have me thinking ahead to next year. First, my 2011-12 course schedule was confirmed on Thursday; so now I know exactly when and what I'll be teaching. Then, the edited volume I've been reading these past few days  has a couple chapters that struck me as really valuable for students to read in order to understand and think critically about the time and work that goes into building relationships of trust (however fragile and fraught with the politics of research) w/cultural collaborators/consultants. Admittedly, there are now thousands of post-1980s articles out there that touch on this general topic, but these chronicle mid-century projects that were clearly very much shaped and controlled by the collaborators, who dedicated themselves to getting what they needed out of the research. And then this morning, MFW wrote about a book she's reading in a grad seminar, which then reminded me of another book that would be good for my grad seminar next spring. So, I've just created a new onenote binder with tabs for each of my upcoming courses. I can now save these ideas by dumping them into a semi-organized format without getting too distracted from the task at hand. So far, I've got a tab for each course, and then pages and subpages dedicated to readings, possible assignments, films, etc. I do love onenote. Okay. Time for coffee and work before the marine layer burns off and distractions beckon.

*Finished it yesterday at noon--at which point I did go shopping.   Then got Thai takeout for dinner and  spent the night entering the individual chpts/contributions into endnote, while also watching Law & Violence. This morning, I have to go back and write the summaries into onenote. AND, I just  realized I can use some of that for teaching notes. Nice.

try, try again

I tried like crazy to get through those chapters in time to go shopping, but no such luck. First, I got distracted by a mess. Some wildlife  (racoons, rats, badgers, birds?) came in the night (two nights, now) and shredded to bits,  the pillow that goes with M/MH's lovely hammock. I mean shredded. I figure half of the stuffing has been carried off and is feathering a nest somewhere. Ick.  Yesterday, when I was in  the backyard dead-heading the rosebushes, I noticed that the pillow was ripped and some stuffing was coming out. So I stuffed the kapok and foam back in and turned the pillow over where they couldn't get back into. Thinks me. IT/THEY must have been really infuriated, because this morning I discovered that BOTH sides of the fabric were rip-roaring destroyed. Ick. I'm not sure what to do about it. There is still plenty of stuffing to steal and eat or play with or whatever the hell is happening, and I'm afraid if I take it away (as in toss it in the garbage), that these destroyers will go for the cushions on the patio table chairs. Sheesh.  I will take a picture tomorrow just so M/MH can see it.

Second, this book turns out to be really valuable. Some contributions are really fascinating, but d.e.n.s.e, so I'm still not finished, after taking pretty much all damned day long to make my way through it.  Power-reader I am not. I have at least two, maybe three more articles/chpts. to read. I'm going to try for the shopping gig again tomorrow, though. Because Saturday will be very touristy, and I don't like competition.

more shopping

I am going to do some serious power-reading for the next few hours, so I can finish the volume I'm currently reading (only half-way through). I'll probably leave the notes and endnoting for tonight or tomorrow, because this afternoon I am leaving my perch at the window--where on a clear day (like today), I can see the top of  M Rock--and I am heading back to the cutest-ever college town to do some more window, Christmas, and farmer's market shopping. 

Work with a View
 (you'll just have to take my word for it)

Happy Halloween

I am watching the World Series and waiting for the onslaught of costumed kiddies in search of candy (I bought a bunch of it--none of which I like or will be the least bit tempting to me).  By all appearances, this is a holiday-celebrating town, so I think the door bell is going to get a work out.  I went shopping this past Thursday in the central district of nearby town. I got some Christmas shopping done, despite the fact that the entire downtown was in Halloween mode. Enjoy.

 

 

This little boy asked me to take his photo while he

and his sister waited for their turn sitting on the bear

in the fountain (above)--apparently lots of kids have

their photos made while riding the bear. 

(Cute parents, too, who were totally hip to

having their kids featured on my blog.) 



Sin City

So I had to be in Las Vegas for work last weekend.  For the first time ever, we visited (in fact, stayed in) the historic downtown district. I loved the old (mid-century) neon signs, which have been preserved and installed by the Ne*n Museum. I was so exhausted on Friday (I'd had that looong day of shopping on Thursday with  retired colleague here in sabbatical-land and had then gotten myself up at the crack of dawn to drive the 5+ hours so that I could hop on a plane w/TH),  that I wasn't sure I'd be up for any fun that night. BUT, our hotel (recommended by a Vegas resident) was right there next to the "Frem*nt Street Experience," so we couldn't stop ourselves from going. It was an (entirely unexpected) blast. Small stages featuing exotic dancers, musicians/tribute bands, and comedians; costumed Vegas strip characters-of-old (Sinatra, Elvis, etc.); tourists flying overhead on ziplines; casinos and neat old neon signs all under the cover of a huge 3 or 4 block long LED-light covered roof. Everynow and then, the lights would go out and Queen (band of the night?) would appear on the screen overhead--while their music would blast from the loud speakers. Everyone would sing and dance in unison for the duration of the song. We ate at a good (non-casino) seafood restaurant--truly decent food and drinks.  The next night, after a long (long) meeting on campus, we hopped on the Deuce and rode to the Strip. Last time we were in Vegas, we ate at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill (Caesar's Palace) and then at Mario Batali's Enoceta San Marco (Venetian) and the Eiffel Tower restaurant (Bali's Paris). All really, really good. This trip we went to Wolfgang Puck's Postrio (right across from Enoceta). Mmmm.  Delicious. We splurged and got dessert (mine, posted below, was S'mores). I think I was able to finish about 1/2 of it. So rich and deliciously gooey. And (as an addendum to my last post on retail therapy) since we had to wait an hour or so to be seated, we did some shopping on St. Mark's square. TH bought me a  bracelet from Bright*n (I love their costume jewelry--we can actually afford it) and we spent a lot of time in the most amazing rare book store, ever.  Ever. Right off St. Mark's Square ("with locations in London and New York"). Decidely UN-Vegas-y, but oh so fascinating to browse through. I did not take my camera on this trip, so these are iPhone images.

And now, I shall get back to work....

shopping

Having gotten some work done in the last two days, I now get to blog about retail therapy. I spent last Thursday shopping in nearby college town, with a retired colleague who doesn't drive. I bought a few long-sleeve v-neck t-shirts that can be dressed up or down (the temp down here in sabbatical-land rarely reaches 75 degrees and there is always a lovely breeze). I needed them. And I bought a new denim shirt. Needed that, too. Haha. And some new casual shoes to replace the aging, leather sneakers I purchased a 100 years ago in Manhattan. Couldn't find any that were leather (like my beloved brown Merrells), but I fell in love with these red Clark and jute-colored Simple sneakers. MP1 needs to come visit me next spring because the shoe shop where I bought these is just a-mazing. So many excellent brands and styles that are tough to find all in one spot.

And then, in Vegas on Saturday, I decided I needed new eye makeup (yay!). That is because Sephora has such a prominent spot on the Strip. Not because I'm actually wearing eye-makeup while on sabbatical.

And finally, while driving back down here on Monday, I bought a Christmas present for TH. The fact that I found something he will like is just shocking. Men are so tough to shop for. A few Vegas pics to come later.



summer trip goodies

These are my summer trip souvenirs. Clearly, I'm taking a very minimalist approach to shopping and packing.

The kitchen towels are great! Huge and very soft and absorbent, and a much better color than they than they look here. Worth every penny. I found them in a great market in my mom's city. The skillet is from her kitchen, I've been asking her--for years (!)-- for one of her cast iron skillets.  It is certainly well-seasoned, but also needs some cleaing. Any suggestions? (TH had to stuff in his suitcase, as mine was over the 50 lb. limit.) And the book is a first edition that I was thrilled to find in a great used book store in MP2's town. I also brought home a hilarious phrase of his: "If it's baroque, fix it." Cracked me up; so much for that summer music history course. And now I need to get packing for the start of sabbatical fun. 

new toy

This is my new baby. I bought it on Saturday, after spending several frantic hours on Friday night making sure that I had downloaded everything off my old computer (still new-in-my-mind) before the battery drained completely. Several weeks ago I realized that I was having trouble recharging it; I thought it was the jack, but TH had recently had trouble with his power cord so I went out and bought a universal adapter. I brought it home and it worked like a charm for about a week or so. Then on Wednesday and Thursday, even that began to fail. The jack continued to become increasingly loose and I was afraid that the motherboard would short out if I didn't take care of it. I went to a local big electronics warehouse and talked to the service people. They could repair it, but they'd have it forever and I'd have to order all the parts and there would be no warranty for the work (it seemed). So I came home and called Toshiba and they quoted me a horrifying flat-fee figure if I shipped it to them. They also gave me the name and number for a nearby authorized repair shop--about 70 miles away! (and I do not live in the out-frakkin' back), which really frustrated me. And they'd have it for about a month (right at the start of the semester, no less). Their prices were only slightly better (but of course, they reminded me that they might find other things that needed repair or reconditioning). So the long and short of it was that I'd spend about half the cost of a new computer repairing the jack on my old computer. Fail.

*************

My new laptop has lots of great features, including a wonderful keyboard and high def, 16" screen. It is heavier, but I've always got my work computer (a really light-weight portege) for tougher travel conditions. For $20, I was able to buy the entire Windows Office package. And then, since I needed photoshop and dreamweaver, I bought adobe's web premium package for a fairly reduced (but hardly cheap) rate, so I've got to spend some quality time with it later this week so that I can take advantage of all the graphics toys on that (a class may even be in order). My new year's resolution is to take MUCH BETTER care of this computer and battery (calibrating faithfully every 3 mo.s and not leaving it plugged in too long). I got quite a lecture about this from the Toshiba customer service rep (who was clearly in an overseas call center).

help me choose

This year I am participating in a workshop/committee type of forum in which we are (everynow and then) rewarded with techie swag (of sorts). I need help here choosing among the possibilities. I don't think I want either headset, and don't think the microphone is for me (tho I could maybe give it to MP2 or MP1?); so that otherwise leaves the tablet, the keyboard, webcam or hard-drive. I work on PC laptops at home and at work and each of those has a webcam (and one is a tablet....). Hmmm. What would you pick and why? I've copied and pasted the options from the workshop wiki (no photos--sorry).

***The Plantronics .Audio 750 DSP headset employs DSP technology for unmatched audio quality for rich stereo music, DVDs, gaming, and Internet calling. Use an analog connection into your PC or the USB sound card. The QuickAdjust microphone minimizes background noise for callers, while the lightweight, adjustable headset is comfortable for hours.
***Thanks to its 40-foot roaming range, the wireless .Audio 995 Stereo Headset lets you take full advantage of your PC's Internet calling and audio capabilities in full-range stereo without being tethered to your desk. Not only does this headset offer superb audio performance, it also lets you control your iTunes or Windows Media Player directly from the headset with its convenient on-ear controls. And with its soft cushioned earpads and lightweight design, you can rock out, watch DVDs, play games, and more in all-day comfort.

***Webcam--Carl Zeiss lens and Logitech's RightLight technology combine to deliver superior image quality, especially in low light; 2-megapixel sensor lets you shoot video up to 1,600x1,200 resolution; included QuickCam software is polished and easy to use; flexible stand works equally well on top of a monitor or a laptop or resting on a desk.
***Hard Drive --The My Passport Essential is only small in size. The 250GB capacity lets you carry all of your important files with you and gives you room for music, movies and video too. The glossy black case adds a bit of elegance to your system. The USB-powered harddrive means you don't have to worry about carrying a power cord. The 128-bit encryption protects the data from your Windows machine in case the drive is lost or stolen. The included Google software gives you advanced search and management capabilities to make data management a snap. Get all your work done on the road then sync all the changes to your home or office system.
***Tablet--Bamboo Pen & Touch combines the benefits of Multi-Touch with the comfort and precision of Wacom's ergonomically-designed pen. The result: a powerful new way to work with your computer. With Multi-Touch, you use simple hand gestures and finger taps on the tablet's surface. And because the active area is larger than traditional mobile devices and laptop trackpads, it's comfortable and natural to use. Easily move around your desktop, scroll through documents, navigate the web, zoom in and out of photos, and rotate images.
***Wireless Keyboard and Mouse --This ultrathin entertainment desktop set with rechargeable mouse delivers on/off desk top-notch performance with virtually no interference—from up to 30 feet away.
***USB Microphone--Finally, a USB mic that’s not only easy to use, but sounds as good on your desktop as it does in a professional recording studio. Meet the Snowball, the world’s first professional USB mic. The Snowball is a direct plug n’ play mic that connects to either a Mac or PC – no additional software is needed. With its dual capsule design and unique three-pattern switch (cardioid, cardioid with -10dB pad and omni), the Snowball can handle everything from soft vocals to the loudest garage band — and it’s ideal for podcasting.

doing my part for the economy

For MP2: a new tea steeper (same as your old Teavana, just larger, microwaveable, entirely removable filter). You've got to offset it ever so slightly on the old Teavana mug. Apparently there is a ball bearing in your old one that must have come out of its place during shipping. Should be there (UPS) by Friday or Saturday at the latest.

Ik*a rug for my office. I'm redoing the place on a 50s/60s theme. Will post before and after photos soon.



"Rain Forest" Cradle swing for my niece and her daughter.

Pott*ry Barn acorns vase filler for me. Autumn is almost here!

back-to-school shopping

This is a follow-up to my previous post about MP1's new car. I think anyone who has purchased a car in the last 100 years knows what a hard sell the business office begins once they've got you in the office to sign the loan papers. This person, who checks one's credit, draws up the loan papers, obtains one's signature on 40 different documents (at least that number, when cashing in a clunker) etc., is motivated by commission to sell you an even better (i.e. more costly) warranty, on-call road service, anti-theft this-n-that, and the famous inside and out sealant. Having been through all this quite recently, with the purchase of my Prius (2 years ago counts as recent in our family--especially where new cars are concerned), I was fully prepared to keep this guy from a) selling us stuff we didn't need, and b) trying to fold what we did decide to buy into the loan price. He was pretty disappointed when I related that the Toyota finance agent had a big snit-fit when I refused to purchase the already-installed-by-the-dealer anti-theft device (he had to send someone out to remove it from the car and was absolutely furious that I wouldn't pay for it). I realize these folks need to make some money on their side of the car sale, but it is our money they are going after. So the other night, this guy realized pretty quickly that we weren't going to be suckers for all these add-ons that would effectively raise our purchase price by the very same amount we'd gotten through their rebate: $3,000.00. But he did try, and I suppose he has too. I could just feel his pain as he was forced to delete item after item that he had ever so hopefully added onto our loan. We ended up going for only 1 add-on, the sealant. I did this for my Prius and it does help to protect the car (especially the exterior finish, which is very important when parking daily under sappy trees, or--in the case of MP1--without benefit of garage). Both our cars have white leather interiors and in truth, I don't think we needed them "sealed." We buy leather for its durability, versus its resale, since we tend to drive our cars till they are literally all worn out. However, there is no option to go for just the exterior sealant, so we got the price knocked down by $100.00, wrote a check for that amount, and then made an appointment to have the job done that Friday.

This day also happened to be TH's first formal "furlough Friday," and given the fact that a) the dealership would need the car for quite a few hours and b) there is a very nice mall nearby, we decided to turn this into a back-to-school shopping day for MP2, who needed a few special items for when he performs. He has been wearing the same dress-shirt and couple of ties for several years, so I was thrilled that he actually wanted something new (he is a committed non-consumer of everything, but music).

Once we got to the mall, TH and MP1 went one way (blue-tooth device shopping), and MP2 and I headed off to Macy's. I had the sales clerk take his measurements and here is what we bought. I love it all, but especially the paisley.

Very jazz-musician worthy, I think. The white shirt has french cuffs,

so we found some very stylish cuff-links for that.

New shoes!

These handsome, Ecc* Berlin, bicycle-toe, dress shoes will be very comfortable for the long hours of standing up, playing the horn. [Side note: they were a little more expensive than some similar brands, but they've got great rubber soles. It was easy to justfy buying them for that reason alone. But I also felt like they were practically free because they cost almost to the penny the same amount of money that I had just, a few nights before, emptied out of one of our many change jars and rolled up to take to the bank. We throw all our loose change into one or another container--we've got several around the house--and then TH and MP2 inspect it for old or rare coins before we turn it in.]

This was my big purchase for the day.

A new Paul Fr*nk silicone iPhone case. Isn't it cute?