motivated by meredith...

i'm thinking i may blog again. i really do miss it but i can't seem to do it consistently like i used to. maybe if i set a standard time every day or something to do it i could get it done. maybe.

off to see the world's largest cheeto...

and along the way we'll take meghan on her first college visit. a momentous occasion. a pivotal moment in all our lives, the visit, not the cheeto. meghan is the youngest of our four so when she goes off to school we will officially be "empty nesters". i hate that phrase. with jeffrey retired and the kids gone off to do their own things we will have become a cliche, a bladder control commercial, a repaint the kids room and get new carpeting ad. oh, wait. i'll still be working. strike that. they don't make commercials like our family. whew! i just took a large step back from the edge of the cliff. still, it's not that easy to take your youngest on her first college visit even though you know it's the right and normal thing to do. i guess not wanting to do it is the right and normal thing too maybe. maybe the cheeto will ease the pain.

i've done it again...

not in that britney way, come on now, i've started blogging then stopped. i frustrate me. i need more cheetos. i think that's the ticket. wait, more cheetos don't get me down to fighting weight and that's supposed to be the goal. i just can't help myself when it comes to the orange food group. why aren't they good for you? all things orange should be. orange juice is, right? okay, then. i rest my case. i will just pretend that cheetos are made from oranges. that's just too gross.

10 am=snack time. i'll catch you people later. pay no attention to the orange keyboard. it cleans right up. :^)

think you're having a bad day?

from the champaign urbana design organization:

SUPPORT A LOCAL DESIGNER IN NEED
Stephen Glasgow's wife Dawn passed away on Feb 9 of metastatic melanoma cancer, three weeks after giving birth to their second child, Andrew Gene. She was diagnosed the day before Andrew's birth.

Stephen is a self-employed graphic designer. He needs as much support as our community can provide. OJC Tech have put together a site to let you offer financial and emotional support to the family. They've established a PayPal account that will deposit your donation directly into the Glasgow's checking account: www.ojctech.com/glasgow. Anything you can offer the family would be greatly appreciated.

can do when you don't know what to do...

so, what to do? what to do? it's a tough time to work in higher ed. it's extra tough when your husband is retiring and semi-disgruntled and you've got a new boss and your designing arm is shot to hell. uncertainty mixed with an upset stomach and the occasional nervous tic is the extended forecast here. that's simply not acceptable. people live through truly bad stuff not just this stuff. famine, earthquakes, hurricanes, that's the bad shit...this is just...shit. shit, i can deal with. what's good in there? well, i know a lot of good people doing good work. my job is to tell people about them. i guess that that is where my passions lie. i can use my skills to communicate what they do in order to attempt to let people know that higher ed is not all waste and liberal conspiracy. it's people working hard to create thinking individuals...the kind of individuals who can get us out of this shit we're in. now, that is some shit to be passionate about.

Can Do :: Maira Kalman (the woman I would most like to meet)
Everything is invented.
Language. Childhood. Careers.
Relationships. Religion.
Philosophy. The future.
They are not there for the plucking.
They don't exist in some
natural state.
They must be invented by people.
And that, of course, is a great thing.
Don't mope in your room.
Go invent something.
That is the American Message.
Electricity. Flight. The telephone.
Television. Computers. Walking on
the moon. It never stops.

new week=new header...

enough whining about how the blog looks already, right? okay. done with that. i popped in a new header that i'm finding a bit less objectionable. i guess i'd sort of forgotten that one of the really fun parts of doing this is changing things whenever you want. the immediacy is very satisfying. clearly this explains why i began to prefer web design to print those many years ago. seems i do little of either one these days though. let's see what we can do about that.

The details are not the details. They make the design.
:: Charles Eames

i hate the way this blog looks...

seriously. i have got to redesign this thing. it is really gnawing at my soul. my very soul. the angst of it all...arrggghhh!

idon't know about the ipad...

i think i'd rather have this. is it the font? could be. is it the fact that it looks more like a regular computer? maybe. is it because i had such a positive experience at christmas with the eeepc that i got for jocelyn at christmas? very likely. whatever the reason, for the time being i'm not in a big rush to embrace the ipad. and, yes, i do think it's the most ridiculous name ever. so sad.

don't be ugly...

"In fact, not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and waiting for the rat to die"
— Anne Lamott (Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith)

i've been thinking a lot about language and behavior, mine mostly, and i've been trying to be more conscious of the things that come out of my mouth and how they shape my reality. i discovered via a sort of experiment last year that if i stopped describing myself as "crazy busy" every time someone asked i felt less harried. i had to take a deep breath at first to keep myself from my automatic overreaction but as time went on i began answering in more honest and calmer ways. i've tried to extend that into other areas of my life by removing some negative language from my vocabulary and not indulging as much in negative talk. okay, it doesn't always work. i like to blow up just like the next guy and it's so pleasurable sometimes to slip into that muddy pit of complaint.

this morning i was smacked right between the eyes with a fine example of why i should work harder at my goal. i read a message from a person who has been away for quite some time but even with the passage of time still cannot let go of bitterness that has no affect on those it's aimed at but is clearly eating at him. it was such a profoundly sad display and so toxic that it made me sick to my stomach. i may just use his name as my mantra when i'm on the verge of blowing up or when i'm feeling ugly. unbeknownst to him, in his ugliness, he's done something beautiful.

To make pearls you've got to eat dirt.
:: Frank Chimero

take my breath away beauty on friday morning...

sometimes objects stop my heart. i guess it's an occupational hazard. maybe it's how you know you're going to become a designer. i remember cherishing things as a child that other people would have tossed away. little tin boxes and shiny rocks. things that felt smooth or had colors that i couldn't resist found their way into an old trunk that i stashed my finds in. this morning i found this gorgeous website full of amazing pieces of furniture, mirrors, and such that i would build a house around if i could. they have the power to transport. they stopped my heart. take a deep breath and enjoy.

good things/bad things on wednesday

good things: new mixtape release from mixtapeclub. the princess purse...it's sparkly & a purse...double score!
bad things: both found on the princess purse link to sewing world magazine, "tactile twiddling" and "Style Clinic – disguise a crepey neck"

this is one yin that could do without the yang.

the first day back at work after christmas break

it's always a challenge to get up and get going on the first day back. one day when i was feeling particularly grouchy in the morning my daughter, alex, said to me, "it's not like you work in a factory or something, you're a designer." nothing like the straight shooting voice of a child to bring you back to reality. so, I'm here at my desk and focusing on being happy to be a designer. now to do something designery.

dv is a woman after my own heart...

“I’m terrible on facts. But I always have an idea. If you have an idea, you’re well ahead!”
:: Diana Vreeland

i do love me some cheesecake...

and i especially love this recipe from tyler florence's food network show. it's lighter than traditional cheesecakes and it's nice and lemony which i love. i've made it a few times and it's always a hit. this time i was short on sour cream and had to substitute half greek yogurt and it still worked. go make it. i don't know what you're waiting for. it even takes fewer ingredients than regular cheesecakes.