Monday, July 28, 2008

Rising Up to the Challenge of Our Rivals

The other day I had a spontaneous moment. Jennyrose said 'hey, how about doing a show here at my shop for fall artswalk?' and I said 'hey! why not? sure', and then about 26 hours later I started to panic, as I realized that I had exactly 8 weeks to paint 7 new pieces, frame them, make postcards, etc. etc. etc... and all I could think was:

'If I just keep drinking lots of coffee, and doing lots of yoga, everything will be fine. Coffee and yoga'.


And I felt much better. But I needed inspiration.. so I drove to the Mason County Fair. It's pretty adorable; small-time with lots of disturbing crafts and plenty of livestock. Plus Elephant Ears.


And there was this sheep, it looked just like my 'dog' Rosebud. I always knew she was some sort of interspecies mix, like an aardvark/kangaroo/bat.. but now I think I've found the missing link: she is definitely part sheep, with maybe a sprinkle of feral bunny as well.


In the Art Barn, there was plenty of inspiration/kookiness. This was my favorite, I call it 'The Weirdo'.


And this Picasso tribute, with pink cell phone: awesome. Then there were some pieces that were very Los Angeles This Past Year:


Plus some sort or recycling bin/packing tape crucifix:


And finally, the creepy Eye of The Tiger tribute:


Which, incidentally, was a song that could REALLY get me revved up when I was a kid. I think they made us do aerobics to it in P.E., right after doing squat-jumps to Neil Diamond's 'America'. Today!!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Protector of the Kennel

Somehow I've ended up with 7 minions under my charge this week. Canine and feline, young and old. There's my usual crew of Otis, Rosebud, Olive, and Ringo.. and now Salty and two cats that live in a treehouse down the road. Salty is my folks' dog, I sprung him from the pound 11 years ago and promptly handed him off to my parents (the wisdom of a 21-year-old is often short sighted, no?). The two cats, Sydney and Prosprgrlusr (I actually have no idea what this cat's name is, something that sounded vaguely like a mythological figure and/or a word I did not know, so I didn't ask my new friend Chad again, because I like to silently contemplate things before I reveal my lack of worldly knowledge; it's just the way I roll) live in this crazy compound that would be any off-the-gridders dream, the aforementioned young Chad lives there and builds canoes and kayaks in his spare time! And they actually look seaworthy! (The boats, not the cats).

Let's review the posse:


OTIS. Likes: haiku, earthworks, kittens, heavy brooding, pizza crusts, tall grass, mountains, snow, Tim Buckley, Thai Elephant Orchestra. Dislikes: riding in cars, most dogs, the UPS man, jokes at his expense.


ROSEBUD. Likes: sticks, balls of all shapes/sizes but especially basketballs, feralness, toys of any variety, snuggling, riding in cars, messy nests, flaps of things, yards, dirt, running really fast, video-game music, François De Roubaix. Dislikes: dishtowels, hoses/spraybottles/rain, staying indoors, eating, things not involving playing.


OLIVE. Likes: food, gravy, butter, ice cream, sleeping, staring at the wall, lights, mellowness, psychedelic journeys, interiors, valium, food, Brainticket, early Floyd. Dislikes: fat jokes, exercise, spending too much time outdoors, meowing.


RINGO. Likes: men, killing, pituitary glands, dissection, being a 'bad-ass', fresh squirrel, meowing, looking pretty, running the show, taking care of business, warm organs, the thrill of the hunt, stretching/yoga, snuggling, Journey, REO Speedwagon. Dislikes: dogs (except Otis), staying indoors, sitting still, baths, litterboxes, stomachs (yuck!).


SALTY: Likes: men, JUSTIN, panting, chasing cats if he could, chewing his foot, panting, Clay Aiken, the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack. Dislikes: arthritis, this stupid cone he has to wear because he can't stop chewing his foot.

As for Sydney and Progeria/Persepolis/etc., I haven't gotten to know them too well yet. Chad is gone for two weeks though, and from flipping through his record collection I suspect the cats are big fans of the Wu Tang Clan?

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Reading is Oprah

So I was at the grocery store when this magazine cover caught my eye:


This reminds me of something. But what??

Let's look inside for a memory jog:


This whole look.. the colors, the pose.. it's eerily FAMILIAR. Where have I seen this before??

Think, Sarah, think..


No way! Am I being weird? Or did Oprah's people totally BITE MY STYLE?! I've been waiting for quite a while to get a phone call from the Big O, telling me she needs 958 dozen cases of Reading is Sexy tshirts to gift to all of her favorite peeps for the holidays.

Or at least bumper sticker for her private jet.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Canoeing/Canoodling

We cooked up something special for our year 7 anniversary.. a canoe-in camping trip to Willapa Bay! Plus bonus 'city' night in Astoria, OR (i.e. foodfest 2008)!! J.T. and I loaded up the Orange Lady:


And made it to the Willapa boat launch right before sunset.. we cruised the swells as the Magic Hour descended upon the surrounding scenery:


Justin manned the stern, I ladied the bow. We had to engage our ripped triceps to the maxx as the Lady was loaded down with essential supplies (see: beer, mosquito headnets, firewood, and hammock).


We passed an eerie convocation of balls. At first I thought 20 angry harbor seals were moving in formation towards us, but much to my relief it was just a random pack of spheroids:


Landed on the shores of Long Island, a strip of uninhabited beach forest between the Long Beach Peninsula and the mainland. It's beautiful. And desolate.. except for the bears, woodpeckers, swifts, and elk. And traveling clam farmers.


And the Bonker Trail.. a strange loop through a forest of mammoth stumps. Giganterrific! It's like walking amongst dinosaurs.


We combed beaches, stared at rocks, made a campfire, cooked food, read out loud to each other about Banana Slugs, Wolverines, and Giardia, and hiked through the forest. And look what Trospy found hiding in the rocks..


..could that be an arrowhead?? Second only in treasure-finding awesomeness to those elusive glass fishing boat floats? The consensus is 'inconclusive', though the chips around the sides definitely look human made. Archaeology!


We left Long Island to hike around Leadbetter point, which ends in a vast and beautiful beach, home to the endangered Snowy Plover. Then it was off to Astoria to gorge ourselves silly (once again) at the Columbian Cafe. We walked along the docks trying to digest our crab cakes, beer bread, prosciutto-wrapped mahi mahi, fried green tomatoes, homeade fettucine, wine and espresso cocktails, and then collapsed in a satisfied pile at the motel. I forgot to take pictures, as I was too busy stuffing myself. The next day we had a breakfast of almond croissants, egg sandwiches, and coffee, followed by a snack of various danish baked goods, and topped off with a picnic featuring some of the most delicious wine-maple smoked salmon I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. I'm full.