Home.

I recently started working for a home builder up here in Idaho. Aside from occasionally enjoying looking at model homes, I had no prior experience in real estate. Needless to say I was thrown into the fire and have been trying to keep up with all that I'm learning. And I honestly am learning a TON. About unnecessary upgrades that people think they just HAVE to get. About inspectors and appraisers and all the other random people that call me asking for info about our homes. Even about electrical outlets and why some can handle more voltage than others.

I never thought I'd love this job as much as I do, but I'm continually surprised by the passion I find myself having for homes. I'm known for looking at loftily priced homes in the Treasure Valley, and here are a few dream images I've come across of late.




































Lovingly,

L.

Excuses.

So, I had every intention of keeping up with this thing.. Unfortunately, my life got in the way. BUT, I had a revelation today in the kitchen about how to make this easier.

I got to thinking about one of my art classes from last semester. We talked at length about "appropriated images" and how the internet allows just about anyone to take and manipulate an image that they find, and successfully call it their own. I'm still torn about how I feel on the subject, but I know I commandeer a good amount of images and keep them in a file on my desktop.

This will be where I share them with you.











This is a cake. NOT a burger. I know, I was shocked too.
















Puppy!











And a beautiful piece of art from a friend of mine.


I'll be posting these three at a time. Hopefully my theft of internet images will be able to keep up with my posting.

Cheers, friends.

L.

Wait..

I might be a Blue Morpho Butterfly.

Brownies and Thoughts..

I've always loved to cook and bake, and now that I have a kitchen worth cooking in, I've been concocting as much as I can. This is one of my favorites [Jared's too] and it so easy, well, a cave man [with a stove and some basic kitchen utensils] could do it.

Short of going to the store and buying their already baked brownies, this is the easiest recipe I've found. It doesn't use eggs or oil, just instant chocolate pudding mix, devil's food cake mix, and chocolate chips [I use semi-sweet, but you could probably use whatever you want].

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Make the pudding mix as it says on the box. [Typically, it calls for two cups of milk and a minute or two of whisking.]

Then, stir your cake mix into the pudding.

Finally, stir in your chocolate chips.

Then bake the sucker in a greased jelly-roll pan for 30-35 minutes and you have some yummy brownies to feed your friends and family with. Mmm.

Cooking has always been equated with fun and love in my mind. My mom always cooked really amazing meals nearly every night of the week, and I guess I've been trying to live up to that. I'm not as good at cooking dinners and meals, but I'm working on my skills. I have big shoes to fill, and I know I'll never live up to them.. But I'd at least like to be able to be proud of myself.

And I'm getting there.

But for now, back to practicing. I've got brownies in the oven. :]]

Sweetly,

L.

I am..

For one of my art classes I was asked to make a list of misconceptions about me and then a corresponding list that states qualities that I actually possess. This is in preparation for our final project: a self-portrait. This project as a whole has given me pause and made me think a lot about who I really am.

In a nutshell, I'm a Copperband Butterflyfish.

Positive.

Today's been a bit of a test. I'm making a conscious effort to stay focused on the good things in my life, and not get bogged down by the bad. Some days this plan works better than others. Today happens to be one of the days that causes me to take pause and refocus.

Unfortunate facts of life have been getting me down. Like not being able to afford things. And not being able to find a job. Wanting to hang out with friends more, but being busy with school. There isn't a whole lot I can do to remedy the situation. Just kinda need to endure it. But today I just needed to take my mind off of it all.

I sat down this afternoon and took a look through some of my old photography. I kept just about everything that I printed in my high school photo classes, down to the dull and lifeless prints I should have thrown out. I even kept my contact sheets. I've got a ton of stuff, and I didn't know what to do with it all. Until now.

I've somewhat fallen in love with the idea of keeping a sketch book. But although I'm not too keen on sketching, I am quite fond of mixed media creations. This new direction has me going through old ticket stubs and photographs and planning out how to layout each page. I'm finally finding myself getting excited about art. And not just anyone's art; MY art. Now I'm not exactly painting or drawing or creating all of the elements myself, but somehow, that makes it more like me. I don't feel as though I'm 100% original. I feel like I take bits and pieces from people I know and encounter through out life, and use those to make me, well, me.

Mixed media allows for me to showcase these bits and pieces I've obtained. And once I finish a piece or a page, they feel finished to me. I don't have the urge to keep going and going like I do when I draw. That is a huge weight off of my shoulders.

And finishing this entry, well, that's another weight off my shoulders.

Back to homework. Lol.

Cheers.

L.

Inked.

I'm required for two of my three art classes this semester to keep an art journal filled with my sketches and mixed media creations that help inspire me artistically. It sounds a lot more intense than it really is. I'm actually really excited about being able to finally force myself to get my ideas down in a more concrete form. However some of the ideas I have aren't best conveyed through me sketching them out. My drawing capabilities are still quite limited. So I'm going to use my blog to help keep my more complex ideas in the quality they deserve.

Some of my greatest inspirations come from tattoos. Although I only have one, I find myself observing the ink of others and letting my mind wander. What does their ink represent? Is it dedicated to anyone? Where did they decide to get it done? Did they research their artist or walk into the first shop they saw? Was it a well thought out idea or a passing amusement?

To me, well-crafted ink is some of the most beautiful art out there. It requires a canvas that is willing to wear it for the rest of their life. That fact makes not only the tattoo a piece of art, but the owner of the tattoo as well.

Eric Victorino's "Ever-lasting Job Stopper" is a remarkable piece of art. The extensive work took multiple sessions, presumably. It tells more about the canvas than the piece itself. Takes an extreme amount of dedication to make this idea into reality.












This girl feels so passionately about music to go into a shop and get this extensive tattoo done. What does that tell you about her?

My small patch of ink means a lot to me. I have scores of ideas for additional tattoos, but who knows if I'll ever get around to going out and getting them. That says a lot about me, but I'm going to let you determine exactly what it means on your own. No need for me to spoil it for you. ;]] Here are a small handful of my ideas. They all have some meaning or another, some deep and others more superficial. Can you figure out my reasons?

Enjoy.

L.

New Beginnings.

If my memory serves me, this is the third blog I've had. I've moved from Xanga to MySpace, and now I'm here. But I feel as though this is a different beginning than the previous two. Diving into this blog feels new, fresh. Not like the past.

Maybe it's because this semester feels like a new beginning in a lot of ways. I finally feel like I'm getting where I need to be in school. I'm not wasting my time in pointless classes, and I'm actually making art. Or, at least I will be. I'm not preparing to transfer to UNLV, so I actually have the desire to focus in my classes and not stress about college bureaucracies.

I have to stop myself every once in a while, and remember how lucky I am. I have a wonderful, supportive boyfriend. He keeps me grounded and makes me unbelievably happy. I have the opportunity to go to college in a beautiful city with friendly people. I have loving parents who let me follow my dreams and do what makes me happy. I truly am blessed to be where I am in life.

Which brings me back to my title. New Beginnings. That where I feel like my life is going right now. I'm on track toward a new chapter in my life where I don't dwell on the past or the bad things. I have a drive to be more positive. Motivate myself to be more artistic and creative.

I have this energy flowing through me and I'm determined to harness it. And this is where and how I'll make myself accountable to the world.

Well, at least the portion of it that will listen to me.

Bye for now.

L.