a day of progress

This morning I woke up and all I wanted to do was spend all day in the garden. This afternoon I got my fix. Perry and I went to Home Depot and that doll of a boy bought me gardening gloves. And I must say after all the work we did today my hands aren't raw and it feels really nice. We bought seeds, and looked at renting a rototiller to till the rest of the space. They said we need to water the whole thing for like 3 or 4 days and then come back. Sweet. So here are some pictures of what is going on in there currently.

zucchini and peppers

baby corn

cucumber sandwiches anyone?

the newest sunflower

my jalapenos

monster zucchini

corn taller than I am

Get excited people. This garden is about to become legitimate.

garden inspiration

I got excited about our garden yesterday. I definitely am feeling inspired to do some big things in it this next month. I think it came when I picked a zucchini that was as long as the length between my ankle and my knee- and the fact that there are five or six more that size on the same plant. Plus I've been looking at pictures of gardens on flickr.

Things that I want:

raised flower beds, for the herbs

stepping stones

for the weed pile to go away

to plant beans next to the fence

all the weeds gone

a legit compost pile

Its a hefty list. Yesterday I got on Craigslist looking for things that would help me accomplish these goals. A lady in Irvine posted that she had 120 garbage bags of free dirt in her driveway. So Sara, Perry, Becca and I drove and got like 10 bags and some grass. It was the greatest time. I felt like our community garden really does build community sometimes, or at least it did yesterday as we were driving down the freeway in a loaded down truck, dirty, eating sugar snap peas.

girl time

My make-up is done, including mascara. There is a tea party spread out on the living room floor downstairs complete with two kinds of tea, pink and purple. My nails are done hot pink with red polka dots. There are barbies in my room for the first time since I was 7 years old. I am now more knowledgeable about kids pop-culture, Hannah Montana and High School Musical, than I was when I woke up this morning.

There is also a soundly sleeping Princess Rebekah in my room, curled up in Bethany's purple princess bed. I let her stay up as long as she wanted (maybe not a good idea on a night before church) and at about 1030 or 11 she finally crashed. We had so much fun and all night she couldn't stop telling me how much fun she was having or how great she thought I was. I kept telling her how wonderful she is and how much I like having her as a friend. She was so sweet and helped me with everything. It is fun to me, to watch our relationship change and grow. I am so excited to see where it goes in the future.

But I should get to sleep, because in the morning there is breakfast and then we are going to get ready to go to church. And somehow I have to convince her that we shouldn't wear mascara to Sunday school, cause if I don't I have a feeling that John Mark may kill me.

uganda...heres to you

Ryan and Bethany. Two of my greatest friends that are on their way to Uganda tomorrow. They are going with Krochet Kids, one of my fav's. I am more than excited for their trip. We had a packing party tonight. Beth hadn't packed at all, so we got some music going in our room and Ryan Beth, and our friends Simeon and Perry came over to hang out and enjoy the company. I feel like Beth would have a lot less stuff if she wasn't shooting a documentary this next month. But she is, and it's going to be amazing.

But the fact that they are leaving means a few things for me. First, my roommate is gone so if anyone wants to come sleep in her bed and keep me company that would be awesome. Second, the garden is now completely under my care. I will have a little help, I'm planning on rotating days between Seb and I. However I think I am going to be doing some major recruiting over the next few weeks.

That garden is almost out of control. The corn is now officially taller than I am. The cucumbers are like as big as my arm. Yet the weeds are just as bad. We slacked off this month honestly. They are definitely encroaching on the plants and sucking our soil dry. However a new sprinkler system installed by the incredible Nic has "revolutionized the way we do gardening".

Uganda, here they come.

might as well be mary poppins

the kitchen is clean
dishes done
the windows are washed
that was fun.
laundry folded
and put away
books are arranged
lets hope they stay.
rooms are clean
mirrors shine
only to stay a matter of time.
the floor is mopped
all spic and span
and oh i washed
that round black pan.
the garden is weeded,
watered too.
something i forgot?
oh i vacuumed.
phhew!

making things beautiful

Coeur de Pirate || Comme des enfants from Dare To Care Records on Vimeo.

A beautiful french music video. I normally don't put things up like this but this one is wonderful.

an unfortunate event

sitting in the kitchen with my roommate. perfectly decent cup of coffee next to her. spider descends from the ceiling. she swats. a quick drop into said cup of coffee. a moment of struggle. drowned.

"he didn't make it but what a way to go."

the dust jacket project

Bethany discovered Joel P. West today, and we both fell in love immediately. He is a friend of KKI and as a musician encourages others to create, love and enjoy art in it's various forms. He made an album, and the only way one can get this album is if one sends in a piece of art to trade him for his. Poems, lyrics, songs, paintings, creative writing; anything goes. Check it out.

The following work has been anonymously contributed to the dust jacket art gallery:

"Perfection is not found in flawlessness, but rather in the collection of honest people who each bring unique experiences and perspectives into the whole."

"A value system based on what will and will not sell devalues the essential idea of creating things in the first place; to say that one painting is worth a hundred dollars while another is worth a thousand is to say that expressing one thing is more valuable than expressing another."

i saw my birth tonight
reverse of death
follow the darkness
snow leaving light

death again
jerusalem
fireworks begin
the end of infinite commencement

few are biased
during despair and peace
monotony hates love autonomy will cease
fluids cascade
from crown through brow

ledges and dimples
while nerves explode
synapse stream tao
each drop of intensity
delivering galaxy brevity
what once was known
fate assumed
would never
be

haiku #246

love roots us in life
without it, we’re weedy stalks
squatters of stone cracks

This is just a little bit, a few of over 600 pieces. http://www.dustjacketproject.com/

alone...well almost

This evening I went to a church service that two friends, Simeon and Wicks (Chris Nowicki...hence Wicks) invited me to the other night. I went and sat semi alone, there were other people around, and they were there, but helping with sound and the music. It was an awesome service however, and the people after were so great. Welcoming, because it was obvious that I was new.

After I ran home quick to grab some change and then took Geoffrey Chaucer out to coffee. I sat for a while with a great cup of Sumatra, reading, feeling great. I look up once to see my good friend Seb standing at the counter. Smile spread across my face as we made eye contact and he came over. We talked about art, school, traveling, philosophy...what more is there to talk about?

I drove home and (because coffee makes me hungry) I got a banana and some yogurt. Most of my roommates are gone for the weekend so it should be kinda quiet tonight, however there are 3 or 4 people here that don't pay rent, but maybe they should start.

in the dojo

Tonight I have been sitting in my living room listening to a menagerie of musicians playing. Guitars, kahones, and pipes belting out covers, original songs and worship music. So does my heart good...music just moving and flowing through the rooms of this place. It comes from the fingers of the ones I love.