30 October 2009

october 30





i'm so happy it is friday! the other night i made caramel apples with a friend. we stirred up a deep, dark caramel and dipped the apples in them. once the caramel was set, we decorated the apples with anything and everything from dark chocolate, toasted almonds, coconut, chocolate nibs, white chocolate, more caramel, cocoa nibs, milk chocolate shavings, sea salt and orange sprinkles (for that halloween flare). delicious.

i have no big plans for the weekend, but if i do end up celebrating halloween i think i will be her. i do, however, have big plans for next week and updated news on my photo shop. until then, or before if i feel the inspiration...


27 October 2009

october 27



more film images from my walk to work last week. aaah, seattle is having the best fall. i can't stop talking about it! speaking of the best fall, my work has been really vibrant lately. we have hosted so many amazing and inspiring authors this october, i'm sort of sad for it to start slowing down next month. for those of you who don't know or are unclear, i work at an independent bookstore, in the author events department. that means that I--along with four other people--organize, book, promote, set up, introduce and clean up all of the bookstore's community events. mostly, authors tour for their newest book and we host them, but we do other promotions and community related work as well. it's invigorating, intellectual, social and inspiring. and, like i said, this october has been madness in the best sort of way. i've had an event practically every night of the week! i've introduced or hosted people like taylor branch, sarah vowell, langdon cook, tracy kidder, bill thorness, tim flannery...the list goes on.

and last night, jonathan lethem. i know i said a few things about him last week and how i was having a hard time with his new book. no more. chronic city is about manhattan, a step out of lethem's traditional brooklyn scenery. he says it is about the "solacism of manhattan" and the "solacism of cultural obsession." he talked about art as everyone's and how the book will never disappear because it has invested itself too deeply into culture.  it will only mold itself to how the world changes. and, relating his internet bookmark tabs to life in manhattan (or the big world, for that matter), he said "if the rest of the internet disappered, how long would it take me to notice? we create a tiny, controlable system out of gigantic possibilities."

like i said, our super packed events schedule will be soon teetering off to a trickle of only a few events a week and i am both sad to see the busy season go and ready for a well-deserved rest.

what is inspiring you lately?

23 October 2009

five senses friday: at work


happy friday!
these are some of my own fall film favorites, from that walk to work i told you about. today i'm going to participate in this week's five senses friday, hosted by abby. i happen to be at work right now and though i don't normally post at work, i have a half an hour of down time, so here we go...

five senses of this moment, right now:

*taste: coffee, slightly sweetened

*touch: the fresh spines of new books and the soggy, warm spines of old books.

*hear: the world's greatest reader, nancy pearl, asking thoughtful questions (i'm overseeing the filming of book lust!). she has such a distinct voice.

*smell: the residual of my wonderful soap on my hands, it's called "sea berry"

*see: people browsing in stacks and rows of books, bright, blinding studio lights of the seattle channel, filming book lust in our bookstore.

have a great day!

21 October 2009

a list for the evening



hello there. i don't feel like i have much to say recently. i hope that's okay. instead, maybe i'll make a list.

1. wendell berry has a new book of poems out, called leavings. i have yet to open it, but i'm quite excited.
2. i'm reading this right now and having a hard time with it. while i'd rather disagree with the new york times' bad review and more agree with the stranger's view, i still can't seem to sit through the book. at any rate, i'm hosting an author event with jonathan lethem at the sunset tavern and can't wait. who cares if i don't like the book, he's still an american literary fiction icon.
3. i would put this up in my house.
4. i may have started tweeting...maybe...you can find out here. yikes.
5. listening to a conversation on the state of publishing.

hope you are well

19 October 2009

fall favorites on film







i'm enjoying all the fall photos around flickr these days and i can't help but notice how well film picks up the wonderful texture and light of fall. above are some of the many examples. i am posting these to inspire my walk to work today. with camera(s) in hand, i'm going to walk along a quiet beautiful boulevard lined with huge maples. i can't wait to slosh through the leaf piles and look up to a yellow, orange dotted sky.

i hope these images inspire your monday as well...

17 October 2009

mad hungry



i took home this book yesterday. it is called mad hungry: feeding men and boys. the publisher sent it to us (the bookstore i work at), because we are hosting lucinda scala quinn in december and after sitting up in our office for about a week, i figured no one else wanted the book more than me. (i deduced this by the fact that i went to look at it everyday to feel it's pretty matte pages). lucinda is the executive food director for martha stewart--so how can this book not be good?


i think i might make the flat roasted chicken...or the spanish fritatta...or...

15 October 2009



i am moving over to digital for awhile. in a way, it sort of excersizes a different part of my brain, or at least a different part of my creative tendencies. also, as you may notice, i am making slight changes to the look around here. with the onslaught of fall and all of it's turning and renewing, it is only proper to renew and change parts of my life. i am so excited by autumn colors these days!

i have been getting great feedback about the photos i have for sale from people in my daily life. people in particular have been interested in my double exposure series. it is great to share my art with my friends and family and coworkers, but needless to say, my etsy shop is a bit neglected. in many ways, i find in-person sales more invigorating, reassuring and sustainable. however, i hope to put more energy into my online shop soon. i have a lot of ideas and want to make a lot of changes, i just have to sit down, organize my thoughts and put them into action. we shall see what the future holds...

14 October 2009

inspiration



now here's a motto i can live by,

We believe in paper.
We believe in film.
We believe in the tangible.
We believe in the design of the voyage.
We believe in the world-altering power that is art.
We believe in the alchemy of the photograph.
We believe the image is as potent as the words.
We believe the right book can change someone's life.

Forever.


 --from the new jenifer altman project: fireyed books.

*

a couple of other inspiring things lately:
monday we hosted tracy kidder, who was so humble and sweet and well spoken. for a man who writes about world aid and health care, he said his hope is to tell stories and create art through his stories. wow.


yesterday, i introduced sarah vowell. she is really smart. and witty. here is her recent appearance on the daily show. i loved her.

10 October 2009

exploring my new house


hello! i have a moment with internet access to say hello. i should have internet at my new home sometime next week, but i've been enjoying being unplugged for the past week. it is simpler. i do miss you, though.

here are some photos of the corners of my house and a walk around my neighborhood. i think it will be great! hope you are having a nice weekend.

07 October 2009

my first black and white roll



hello there. just stopping in while i have a chance. i am cleaning out my old house and taking advantage of the free internet while i do so. these photos are crazy, right? so my first black and white roll that i put into the holga was also the first roll where my holga started to break down. if any of you out there know about medium format plastic camera photography, you will understand when i say--i saw the foam roll by in the advancing window. and when i was done with the roll, the foam (you know, that backs the spool where you put the 120 film?) from both sides of the camera was rolled up into the film! my lovely local professional photography lab, panda lab, saved the day and unwound my film in a light sealed space to retrieve the foam. surprisingly, this is the worst of what came out. it could have been completly exposed to light. oh, how i love you film.

beyond the weird light leaks, i don't quite know what to say about this roll. i have to admit, that i know nothing about black and white photography. my dad would look at the tonalities and i know that the tones are pretty dull and there isn't much contrast, but i thought it is best to post them as is. as a diary of my first black and white roll.

enjoy...

p.s. thanks for all the comments on "a nice day," i am so excited to meet some of you new people and to see people who haven't commented here before.

05 October 2009

a nice day





a few weekends ago i had the pleasure of meeting brian ferry. he was great! we walked around ballard and fremont, chatting and snapping photos and sitting in the sun to drink coffee. of course, the highlight of the day was our delicious dinner at delancey (alliteration?), complete with royal treatment from the restaraunt's two fabulous owners (need i even link to tell you who they are?). alexandria was also so sweet to accompany us. the three of us, plus jon shared the most delicious meal. brian, come back anytime.

***
my prescence here may be sporadic this week, due to the move and potential lack of internet at the new place. i hope you all have a great start to your week.

03 October 2009

me time


a seattle night on film.
taken last weekend with a special visitor in town. 
more photos from that day to come.

i loved your comments on the last post! i'm sorry to all of you southern hemisphere readers, i didn't even think that not everyone is celebrating fall. it's so easy to only write about what you know. i hope you have a beautiful spring. and, for everyone who asked: i'm moving to a new neighborhood in seattle. not too far, but a big change. i took some film shots of the light coming into my new empty house and i hope they turn out well for me to share with you.

today has been full of packing and cleaning and hauling and moving. and now i am sitting down to take some much needed (and usually neglected) me time. for the next hour or so i get to relax, explore the internet, journal and finish my book. and i will do it all sitting by a window, because i can't get over the beautiful light today.

hope you are well!


01 October 2009

happy october



this october i am looking forward to:
leaves crunching under my feet
red, orange, brown and yellow
pumpkins
baking pie
cooking soups
crisp air, woodsy smell
the excited anticipation of a night out for halloween (i don't go out for halloween anymore, but the feeling wont die)
drizzle, cool and dark
a new house...i'm moving. yikes.
wearing more scarfs and shopping for a new sweater
boots
curling up with a book and tea and calling it a weekend
planting bulb flowers

happy october to you