back to school August 25th, 2008
This is one of my favorite times of the year because I love preparing to go back to school. Shopping for the appropriate clothes and supplies has always been so exciting for me. Last year I got a new backpack, as well as an army of art supplies. This year I had to get a new bike and soon I will also have a supply list for my classes. I know that I don’t really need any new clothes but I cannot help but wanting to shop for that too. When I found this old journal entry I realized that this is the best way for me to shop— “polyvore” style! I just like to look, and then pick out my favorites. This way I can define my style identity without spending hundreds of dollars. *_*
new folders in my gallery August 21st, 2008
If you visit my gallery at photo.susanmagnolia you will find that I have been busy the last few days! I borrowed the scanner from Kimi and Justin and started scanning my classwork from last semester in sketching and printmaking. Also I added a collection called “journal as art” because I am a big fan of doodling and writing in the little notebooks that I always carry around with me. Hope that you enjoy the new additions! My next plan is to put up all of the other work that I have done since attending the Academy of Art, ie: logos, vector illustrations, designs, etc. I have big files that I am sure need to be edited before they are ready for the gallery.
I am getting very excited for the next school semester to begin! I will be taking three classes, but this time focusing on graphic design. Since working at the Pasta Shop I have become even more inspired to design packaging. I even had a little conversation about packaging with the genius behind Charles Chocolates. He and I agreed that Japanese packaging and design have been our biggest influences and I geeked out to him on how much I love his products, design and of course logo! It was fun for me to express my affection to someone that actually cared about what I was chattering on about. *_*
name change process begun August 19th, 2008
After 1 year of procrastination I have finally decided to brave the courts again and filed paperwork for my name change. I had purchased a book at Nolo last fall before they closed their Ninth St. store and this week dusted it off and finally read through it. The book was a great resource and easy to follow. I wish that I had bought a book like this when I was filing my divorce paperwork. It would have saved me lots of time and tears of frustration.
Today I took the Bart to Lake Merritt and went to the Alameda courthouse to turn in my paperwork. They line was not terribly long, the people were super friendly, and the process was painless. The filing fees of course are pricey but it is worth it to me. Now I have to wait until spring of 2009 to actually be done with it but I am glad to have begun the process. More to come regarding my productive week!
b-day celebration by justin owens August 1st, 2008
my golden birthday August 1st, 2008
My parents came up to Berkeley to spend my birthday with me and were here Wednesday and Thursday. It was really fun to show them around my neighborhood but I am not used to navigating Berkeley as a driver and giving directions. Also I drove my dad’s car which felt so different since I am used to being on foot or bicycle. My mom and I shopped around on Wednesday and I took her to 4th street and showed her my Pasta Shop where we ate alfajores cookies. They are definitely the best thing that we sell! My dad went to Golden Gate Fields, racetrack that is right on the bay, where you can see the Golden Gate bridge from when it is not foggy. For dinner that night we went to Temari with maiki and they ate Japanese food for the first time. They seemed to really enjoy the food and hopefully they will find a place in L.A. to eat at when they return.
The next day was my birthday and I woke up super early with excitement. We went to Ihop for breakfast because I love their butter pecan syrup. Then my mom and I took the Bart from Berkeley to the Montgomery station in S.F. I wanted to show her my school buildings and the area around there that I frequent. We went to Anthropologie on Market and I got some flower rings and glass bear shakers. We had lunch at ‘wichcraft and shared a piece of Schoggi hazelnut chocolate and an vanilla eclair from Beard Papa’s. It was the best b-day dessert ever. We went to the MOMA store and both immediately regretted not having time to go to the museum as well. It was a lot of walking and more standing around would have been too much for my mommy to handle. We had lots of fun though! It was funny to me how since my mom is left handed that she held on (with a death grip) to the left side of the railing on the escalators and stairs. People are used to passing on the left and she was definitely throwing a wrench into that system. We do live in right handed society. *_*
When we got back to Berkeley we had dinner at a Chinese place on Shattuck called King Dong. It is a favorite for their hot & sour soup and mu shu vegetables. Afterwards we said good bye to my parents and walked back to Cloud Ninth where we drank Pyramid Hefeweizen and watched a week of the Daily Show. It had been a wonderful two days off work and I was happy to be with my mom in person rather than being on the phone with her doing those things like I normally would. We really are pretty close now and I call her almosr everyday to say hi and check on her. Now she has seen the area places that I’m always talking about. *_*
all in bed July 8th, 2008
I made this in Illustrator using the paintbrush tool. It is not a tool that is very exact but can be fun to use. One day I was looking up Tilden Park on my laptop while laying on my bed. Then Jason came in and jumped in next to me. Next Justin and Kimi and so maiki had to take a photo. Cuteness!
the pasta shop July 8th, 2008
I love to visit the Pasta Shop on 4th Street here in Berkeley. It is the closest market to buy fresh bread and produce. I also love their bulk olive oil that is just so rich and buttery. One day when I was in there I thought, I might like to work here. I filled out an application, brought it back the next day and received a phone call right away. They said that they were interested and would call me back to schedule an interview. I thought well that was easy. I had not worked in a year and was excited to get a summer job to keep busy. I was hired last week and began training Monday at their big store in Rockridge called Market Hall. Everyone I met was super friendly even though I was only working at that location for the day. They went out of there way to help me out and made sure that I knew to eat everything I could for the first two weeks. That part was a bit strange but I found out that newbies get to try everything no matter the price (later we are restricted to a seven dollar meal). I was trained to use the pasta cutter and how to weigh and price the fresh pasta. Then I learned to use the big meat slicer. I was relieved to use gloves and not have to touch the meat. I did pretty well and spent the afternoon slicing meat for customers. It seemed every person that came in wanted to buy meat. I was a little grossed out but knew it was just the first day and everything seems overwhelming at first.
Last Tuesday thru Thursday I worked in Berkeley at my new store and was happy to discover that most people did not buy anything from the meat dept. Most of our customers come in for lunch and get ready made salads, pasta and bakery items. I spend my time filling orders for half pints of orzo or lima beans and not prosciutto. I have been trying to sample everything but am limited by the fact that I am allergic to cow’s milk and most of our high priced items like lasagna consist of lots of cheese. I do eat grilled salmon for lunch everyday now, which is so wonderful. I also bring home lots of food at the end of the day that we cannot save like salad, fruit, scones, etc. It is fun for me to work with the customers and it makes me extra smiley when they are also genuine and friendly. The people that I work with are all really cool as well. I am on my feet for a really long time but to me that is better than sitting behind a desk all day. Another unexpected perk for me was that I really enjoy my days off. I feel like they are worth more now that I am working. Before I was spoiled by too much free time. I would love to keep working in the fall as well. I have registered for three classes and my bosses have said that I could go down to three days to fit with school. I want to try to make that work for me.
graffiti love June 25th, 2008
As you may know from see my photo gallery, I love graffiti. Big colorful paintings that cover unexpected areas of my environment. Mostly it’s just someone name or design but sometimes I come across pieces that I have to just stop and stare at. It is art that is just as important to me as anything I would see in a museum.
Today I was going through my bookmarks and re-read this article. It is about the street artist Banksy and how he has managed to keep his identity a secret despite his rising fame. He doesn’t want to be bothered as much as he doesn’t want to be caught. I think his work is brillant and his website contains a great sampling of his work. Not to be missed!
Design Shorts Film Festival June 18th, 2008
San Francisco Design Week: Design Shorts Film Festival
Here are some of the shorts that I saw. They are linked to you tube videos. Hope you like!
The White Stripes: “Fell in Love with a Girl” dir. by Michael Gondry
Typographics dir. by Marcos Ceravalo and Ryan Uhrich
Paul Rand dir. by Imaginary Forces
Frank Film dir. by Frank Mouris
Rabbit dir. by Run Wrake
By the way, this last one is a bit weird!
looking up *_* June 16th, 2008
I have had kind of a tough time lately. I lost my bike and had to quit my job due to health problems but I realize that I have so much to be thankful for that there is no reason to dwell on that. The last few days have been fun and friends nearby and online have reached out to cheer me up and wish me well. I am happy because I feel loved and hopeful for the future.
Yesterday Neko and Jason and I went to the laundromat together and played Mario Party on the DS. It must have been cute because we were all squished together on one bench giggling and cheering at our hand held gaming toys. Afterwards we adventured through Berkeley by car and saw some really neat areas. We stopped for lunch at a taqueria in the Epicurious Garden and ate outside in the sun. Next I took them to the Rose Garden and Codornices park. It is located on the hill and the view from up there is great for looking out over the Bay. We took so many photos and walked around the area. Later I spent lots of quality time with maiki and he shared Beard Papa eclairs that he had brought from the city. They are so delicious!
Today has already been wonderful for me. I slept great. Woke up and went for a walk down to 4th street. I bought some compfy green pajama pants on sale from Anthropologie (so I can stop borrowing from my roommate!) and found an amazing collection of design books at the Builders Booksource. I didn’t buy any books today but sat down in a chair to study a stack of them. They were all so inspiring, especially the Japaneses produced ones about icons and signage. They are beautiful to me! I picked up some fresh vegetables from the Pasta Shop and came back to C9th to make lunch for maiki and I. We had tofutti covered everything bagels with lox, tomatoes and red onion. Now I am enjoying a nice cup of earl gray lavender tea. Lunch was better than anything I could get in a restaurant—seriously I never know why I waste my money eating out with such a restricted diet. I have some paperwork to deal with today but I know that I can relax because I have done lots of cleaning and organizing as of late and can now enjoy the fruits of my labor. Yahoo!