Roses, Christmas Trees, and Paper Snowflakes

I've been asked if having my birthday so near to Christmas is disappointing. Never. 

Christmas is my favorite time of year, cliched as it might be. My birthday being in the middle of it is more like a present than any gift could be.

But since I have mentioned presents, I will tell you what I have gotten so far, even though my birthday isn't until tomorrow. Grant got me an electric blue Ipod shuffle, that I promptly named Leland, which he was nice enough to give me a few weeks ago when it was delivered. I use it more than I ever thought I would. 

My sister gave me a "themed" present - a cute T-shirt with the recycling symbol and what looks like stylized paint spatters, some super-cool recycled paper coasters (the paper looks like its from Chinese newspaper!), and a "Live Life Green" keychain, with a last minute addition of an orange and almond flavored bar of super dark chocolate. Does she know me or what?

Grant arrived home with an armful of deep red roses. I baked bread and we ate fondue.  I've made paper snowflakes, and watched Home Alone while Grant did laundry and has been putting my four-poster together. 

Could tomorrow be better? I'm not sure. 

They may take our lives, but they will never take our independence day

Inspirational speech composed from clips of 40 movies = awesome

TV Haiku

driving down the road

on the curb a surprise gift

one big flat TV

a five minute poem

YES - Grant and I were driving home from my parents house, and on their street we spotted a 46" Flat screen HDTV. Nothing appeared to be wrong. We brought it home and the lights flash on the bottom, signaling the lamp needs replacing. A $2500 TV for the price of a new bulb - around $115? We'll see. We can always return the bulb. It's worth a try!

The bad news - it won't fit in the Ikea shelf that I wanted. But don't worry - I'll figure something else out.

Gotta love the Japanese

Poster

My Derek Hess did an Obama Poster

Pretty Pretty

Turkey Cookies

On Sunday, my mother, grandmother, aunt &  cousin made the traditional Thanksgiving turkey cookies. 

Since I will be partying in Pittsburgh this Thanksgiving, I still wanted to feel like I was a part of my family's celebration. It would also ensure that I would get my turkey cookie. 

The flour clumps in the cracks in our hands and highlights the hand prints on our clothes. As we roll and stamp the dough, the sun spills across the table, catching the dusty flour and reflecting in the glasses of sweet white wine sitting beside the half empty plate of apples and cheese.

We laugh, we talk, we listen to music that Doug has cobbled together, we drink and eat, reminisce and decorate cookies.  The time passes and the light changes, without much notice.

After the sun has set, Aunt Sandy puts on the finishing touches - the names - just after I finish the last color of the plumage.  We search for cookies large enough to fit the longer names, and we threaten to put on embarrassing nicknames for the longest, but only one comes out altered.  Autumn's cookie proclaims, "Baby." (I guess it's better than "Fall," which was my suggestion.)

When we finish, we survey our cookies with satisfaction and perhaps a little indifference. They are not really the reason we came. We came for the talking and the laughing, and the family. The final product: A tray full of familiar names, a few more family stories passed on, a nice buzz, and turkey cookes.

FREE AT LAST

My concept sketches are finally done! Just in time for a lonely weekend, cuz the Grant is working a ton. 

Oh wait - I'm making turkey cookes with the Aunt Sandy and the mother.

Huzzah!

Ninja Emailing Power!

Sue's Gmail now has super ninja power! You can have ninja power too! or mountain serenity or any one of a bunch of cool new Gmail themes. Go to settings, then themes. It's all just a few clicks away! You could be in ninja heaven.....

What's wrong with this Christmas Decoration?

Look like anything particularly horrific from a history book to you?

Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Autumn

Is that the only song they know?

After a very lazy weekend, what has been accomplished?

- 26 hours of sleep

- 3 movies watched

- dinner and hanging out with cousins

- rainboots worn & umbrella used

- 1 book lent

- 1 book returned

- 1 sermon contemplated

- 5 cups of coffee

- 2 loaves of bread baked

- dishes cleaned

- leaves kicked up

What has not?

- applying make-up before noon

- consuming a quantifiable amount of vegetables (about to be rectified)

- holding a baby

- making the bed

- traveled farther than 3.6 miles from apartment

- finger nail polish touched up

- hair done

- contacts worn

- dirty close picked up from floor

- plants watered

- shoes tied

- concept sketches sketched

BUT Grant doesn't have work tomorrow. Will anything be accomplished?

Fall has fallen all around

Fall has fallen all around 

The leaves leave their marks as the rain pounds

They print their imprints on the ground

The wonder of it seeps through my pores, as my poor soul pours down

And collects in joyful puddles around the thrift store shoes I found in town. 

a five minute poem

I took this picture out on the pavement in from of my apartment. Isn't it pretty? I will definitely be using it to age some photos in photoshop. Very exciting.

it's the little things

How do you store your buttons?

This is how I store mine now!

Fun with double exposures

Just screwing around - and it turned out kind of fun!

PS - Jen - I heard you mention leaving comments. If you are leaving comments, they aren't showing up,  so you need to try something different!

Speaking of Jen - here's a picture of Grant with the baby girl she and Jim made!

Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog

This is absolutely wonderful. ESPECIALLY if you like Joss Whedon, or Nathan Fillion.

disillusioned sue

i have never been more astonished and horrified at finding out the true nature of some of  my friends by what they can say in one sentence or less. There is no reason to be so crude and cruel, even if you are disappointed. Gee, thanks Facebook, for causing me to lose a little hope in a few more people who are supposed to be the salt of the earth. 

That's what I call a true disappointment.

It'll all be over soon

I voted. Yay on me. If you did - Yay on you!

If you haven't voted yet-

Like my sister said - make sure you vote for someone, and not against someone.

There's no room for hate or disrespect in this or any election. Or at least there shouldn't be. 

a piece of glass to catch the sun

I bought some glass to catch the sun

All wrapped in plain white paper

I brought it home and set it up

between a plant and taper

I went to sleep where dreams of light

and colored glass did caper

But when I woke, I rose to find

my vision but a vapor.

The sun was laughing far behind

a cloud that stretched an acre. 

Savor your glee, my pane will shine

I tell the sun with candor.

-a five minute poem by sue-

coffee coffee coffee

A Visit to Pittsburgh. 

Today we went to a coffee shop that I wish was near us. This is only a picture of the counter, but it had 2 more large rooms that were decorated with old 50s chrome kitchen table, with hideous thrift store lamps - it was absolutely amazing! It's called The Beehive. So cool.

This is a picture of Grant and Elyse waiting for their beverages. Note the whimsical clouds painted onto the ceiling. 

We also saw this trash can covered with stickers. G and I have one of these type of trash cans, but its blue. Now we totally have to plaster it with stickers!

it grew 'til it touched the sky

My Basil Plant 

It was seeds in August, it grew and I haven't killed it yet! 

I am not the best with plants. I've killed cacti. It takes a high level of disregard to accomplish that! Unlike puppies or kitties, plants to not cry when they are thirsty. so it becomes difficult to remember when they don't grab you attention.

For years, I have wanted to grow my own herbs. I realized that my track record was atrocious, and decided to work out a system. A self watering system, that is. I used the design from this Instructable (with a prettier V8 Fusion bottle), some basil seeds and viola! About once a week I refill the water in the bottom of the bottle. It's been growing really well. I decided it was old enough to start using the leaves. 

Since my initial experiment has worked out so well, I bout a few flowers at Produce Junction, and am attempting to do the same. The reservoirs are smaller, so I might have to refill them more often. That is where HassleMe comes into play.  It is a website that emails you to hassle you to do things. You tell it to hassle you approximately every (blank) days, and it will! I set mine for approximately 3 days. 

It's not so hard to remember, now that they live inside. But it will probably be harder in the summer. 

We've got a baby

Meet Autumn Grace Waldin

Flying Fish

I want one! Plus I learned how to embed videos into my blog!

Something wicked this way comes

Doug's Halloween party was fun for all! Here is a photo of the sign I painted for the party. Skeleton and coffin will have to be added next year.  

This is a photo of Doug modeling his Jack Sparrow wig after he finished it while hanging at my place. 

And here I am, rocking the Juno look!

Not a bad match.

Graining a Hardwood floor

This week I've been painting a hardwood floor. I thought I'd take pictures of the steps. Obviously these are from my camera, so the colors are off a bit. 

distinctive dancer

This is one of the coolest things I've seen for a while.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Daddy!

more pictures

If you're not sick of pictures of Talley's Folly stuff - there are are more of the professional pictures on the McCarter website here.

sneak peek it is

Well - this is a rough idea of what it's going to be. The graphic might be a bit different, and it will probably say "jasonnixon.net" instead of just his name. But the color scene is pretty much on target. 

This was the first one i suggested. I thought it was pretty. but a little girly I guess!

PICTURE!

This is the first of the real photos that McCarter has put up on their site of Talley's Folly! 

Isn't it pretty!?

Pandora-licious

Since we have gotten our internet a whole week ago, I've been tweaking our chumby Darla with more fun widgets. A few days ago I made her into a digitital photo frame, but now it's even better. Since she has speakers, I went looking, and Darla can access my Pandora account! At this very moment I'm listening to my "Jem" Station. However - I've recognized almost every song it's played: Dido, Frou Frou, and Teardrop (the theme song from House). Makes me feel well rounded in the singer/songwriter/techno movement!

A yearly love affair

I was walking through Princeton today. Princeton in the fall. The grass is still green, but the burnt leaves fall around old stone buildings. Students walk, sit, read, and talk in the dappled light. 

All of autumn's light is indirect. That is one of the reasons I love the fall. The light is never above. It's always to the side. Always in your eyes. I don't mind the blinding ginger light of autumn. It doesn't burn the way the harsh summer sun does, or the cold sun of spring. in the winter I am desperate for the sun's heat, but in the fall it's a companion. I don't need it's warmth, but I welcome it.

Fall is a time of long pants, sweaters, light jackets, and a thin scarf. It's time to air out all of your browns, oranges, deep reds, and golds. Hiking boots, knee socks. Autumn is for slow, thoughtful walks, and deep, calm reflections.  

The smells of autumn are distinct. Crisp, and clean. The natural decay of leaves. Cinnamon and nutmeg. The fresh chill of a fall morning, and the inviting warmth when you come indoors. 

Just when the world is starting to go dormant, it comes alive with color. The handful of green shades breaks into a myriad of warm, fiery hues, like a light show sending the world to sleep with a flourish; like the firework finale right before the palpable silence that follows, as you solemnly watch the ash fall to the ground.  

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK

Neil Gaiman's new book has come out. I've finished it - and it is wonderful, as all his books are. However as a special treat, on his book tour Neil has been reading a chapter a night! If you have not listened to one of his audio books, he is a fantabulous reader. His voice is crisp, with a nice British accent, he does the voices, but not absurdly. And with these videos you can see his mannerisms, which is always fun.

The videos are at mousecircus, I haven't found any downloadable audio yet (besides the one you have to pay for - totally worth it probably), but when I do - i'll let you know!

Jury Duty

I was supposed to have Jury Duty today, but they didn't need me to show. I have to call again tonight to see if I'm needed. 

BUT, that gives me a day to do things I haven't done since we've moved: food shopping (we still have a fridge full of condiments), dropping stuff off at goodwill (it's been living in my car for a week and a half), going to the bank, laundry, and the continuous task of unpacking. 

I know that I've been tooting his horn, but now that jason no longer possesses my TiVo - have you noticed how much more often I've been posting than he has? And I almost always include pretty pictures, and he NEVER does? 

but we're both way better at it than Grant

Here is a photo of a sign in the works I am  making for Doug's Halloween extravaganza. It's actually in a more peeling state now. And it has gold trim.

It will be an old sign for a tavern called The Occupied Sarcophagus. 

It just so happened that he wanted a sign with colors that matched the set we're painting right now.  I found some old scraps of wood and presto.

TECH WEEK

The Talley's build is really coming together - here's a shot of the set almost done. I'm planning on taking my nice camera sometime tomorrow and getting some shots with an actual camera. 

Good news - everyone not building or painting the show seems to be very impressed. It's definitely the prettiest set I've ever painted at McCarter. We're just putting finishing touches on. Tonight is the first onstage rehearsal, so hopefully the actors can stay on the deck.

Grant's been spending his days attaching greenage to the set. EVERYWHERE. Apparently John Lee Beatty gave them a detailed list of greenery, so they initially bought triple what he asked for. Today, they are going out to buy some more.

Today was grant's first day at McCarter. It was also the first day of tech week. So instead of having a two hour introduction, he got a quick walk around, signed a bunch of papers, got some keys and parking permits with almost no explanation, and was quickly ushered into the theatre to work a ten hour day, helping with things he knew nothing about.  AND his department was having a foliage emergency.

But being the stalwart soul that he is, he jumped right in, and really loved it! He's so thrilled to be working in a theatre again that he didn't even mind that he was hanging fake foliage around the set all day!

The photo is of Grant talking to Chris ( the Technical Director who is precariously hanging a giant pulley) and Michelle (the new boss) while John Lee Beatty (Mr. Designer Man) looks on.

IN OTHER NEWS - we finally have our cable and internet hooked up. Grant was able to get the TiVo back from the incredibly gracious care of the glorious home of the splendiferous Nixons. Those illustrious folks also benevolently minded Grant while I was waiting for, and assisting the cable technician.

So our TiVo is hooked up, our wireless internet is functioning, and the hula girl on my Chumby is dancing happily.

goodnight world. 

The Haircut

Here it is! Not quite as short, but still cute!

My mom doesn't want me to get rid of the red, so i might be doing black chunks soon. we'll see.

The apartment is coming together. We made our first ikea run - we needed more shelves (obviously) and some kitchen solutions because there are only itty bitty cabinets and almost no counter space. 

We also got one of those magnetic kitchen knife racks - I've always wanted one!

Helpful, but lousy Photoshopping

This is a really crappy Photo-shopping job, but I think it gets the idea across.

 So NOW what do you think about me in the hairdo?

Shout outs

shout out to everyone 

but especially anyone who happens to be taking rockstar care of my tivo, which i do say I am missing badly. 

However I am probably getting more done by carrying my laptop (from now on to be called by her name - Quinn) around with me. Almost done Buffy season 2. Angel is bad, Oz is a werewolf, Miss Calendar is dead, and things are about to get crazy!

caffiene is my friend

or is  it the wine?

Today we finished up the very last bits of emptying and cleaning the condo. I removed the last of the junk, and Grant was amazing and cleaned the carpets. HOWEVER a shout out goes out to my mom and dad for helping, nay championing the final push yesterday - Dad helped Grant carry out all the final miscellaneous boxes and crap out of the condo, and into the apartment, and Mom helped me scrub down the bathrooms, kitchen, carpet and walls (and by help, I mean did EVERYTHING because she's wonderful) .

Meanwhile, I've definitely made a dent in the mountain of boxes currently dominating our new abode. The kitchen is almost entirely set up, which is surprising, considering I thought we would have no where near enough cabinet space for all of our stuff. But alas, I have room to spare - which most definitely assists my outlook on the rest of the apartment. 

By putting all of the kitchen items in their places, I emptied quite a lot of space in the dining room. Perhaps, tomorrow I will make the living room more of a room, and less of a hallway lined in boxes. 

goodnight.

Fun times with the Grant and the Sue

Fun times with the Grant and the Sue. Moving day was largely uneventful, except for this priceless moment. In case you didn't see him - that's Grant under the couch trying to see if the hinges of the front door of our new apartment were removable. They weren't, but we (and by we I mean the guys) were able to twist it at just the right angle that it barely slid in. 

Luckily I had made a basic floorplan, roughly to scale, so most of the furniture is where it will be, with boxes piled around them. That way I just unpack boxes, not try to rearrange and unpack as I go.

There are still a few piles of things here at the old place. Right now I am sitting on the carpet, which is jones-ing for a hardcore cleaning, waiting for the dryer load to be done, so we can have clean sheets at our new place tonight. 

The rain held out almost the entire time. Just a light misting when they were unloading the last books. 

moving sucks

I can barely stand to be in my place of residence right now - boxes everywhere, things in piles waiting to be packed. I'm not a neat freak, but I do like things to have some semblance of order. 

Tomorrow we get the keys, and Saturday is moving day. We're going to move most of the big stuff then. Hopefully it won't be pouring - we have a pretty big box truck and everything will be wrapped, so that shouldn't be a big issue. Anything left over we'll move on Sunday.

possible 'do

How do we feel about this look?

on the move

we've spent all day packing - all the walls are bare, which makes me sad. I'm a big fan of color, and as we take everything down, the rooms all return to their neutral state. Icky.

BUT, despite my love of color, I'm considering going semi-goth - not creepy goth, but dark hair, dark color clothing. I just thing that if I'm ever going to do it, I should do it now, before I get to old to pull it off. I am going to try non-permanent hair color first, to see if I like it.

Arrr Matey!

It's National Talk Like a pirate day! Look it up!

Can you paint the sky?

Sorry for the small hiatus. Been a little busy. 

I thought you'd like to see the 

backdrop that we just finished for Talley's Folly. Isn't it pretty? It took us 4 days, from stapling it down and starching to fire retarding it. That's actually about a medium amount of time for a drop. Many drops only take 2 or 3 days.

And if you look over on the left edge you can see the top of the gazebo. 

The drop is massive - 54' x 30something. It barely fits on our deck.

Hmm -  it's hard to find something that will put it in perspective... 

okay - along the wall, right in the middle there is an unpainted door. Does that put it into scale any more for you?

The clouds were done by Carrie with an assortment of sprayers and a few pieced of torn cardboard to define the edges. The leaves were done mostly with giant stamps that we made and a few painted in to break ups some edges. Rather backbreaking I must say.

I don't know how much you know about how painters do drops or pretty much anything on the floor. We actually paint standing up and using bamboo.

Now THESE PICTURE ARE NOT US - but I don't have a picture of us painting with bamboo. I found these on google to use as an example. But we do paint in our socks or bare feet, so we don't track little footprints around. 

Maybe I'll get some good pictures of our crackling technique today to show.