Countdown to Hibernation... 5, 4, 3, 2,....

Although it would officially complete my first week of classes this semester, a snow day sounds like a better plan for tomorrow.

Some things I hope to do with my time?

-Repair all broken pieces of clothing and jewelry on my craft table, or as many as may be repaired

-Wrap Josh's birthday present and brainstorm ideas for creative birthday cards and items for other friends

-Launder

-Finish Frankenstein

- And maybe even an extra project or two...

So much has happened in the past week, both in my life and out in the world. The speed of time rolling along is overwhelming, and my semester promises to be a stressful one. My goal is to keep my eyes on Christ and those around me and carry out each day with love, patience, and care.

On a totally separate note, I just viewed and commented on this photo from The Sartorialist:

Something about this photo of Kanye West really struck me. Apparently it was taken at a Louis Vuitton show in Paris. I can't really put words to it but it is a strangely beautiful image, not particularly aesthetically pleasing to me (perhaps because of what Kanye represents in my mind). The photo seems profound and almost epic, yet not beautiful. In my literature class we have been talking about the difference between the beautiful and the sublime, the sublime being something profound and aweful (awe-inspiring) and beautiful being something that can be more shallowly appreciated. As an example, a pretty flower would be considered beautiful but Mount Everest is somewhat terrifying, brooding, and inspirational, so it could be thought of as sublime.

What category do you think this fits into? Thoughts?

p.s. There are probably a lot more photos I could think of to post onto this question, but most of them fall under the category of sublime for sure, as I associate it with tragic events and such.

Love,

Erin

A List For The Ages

What a beautiful morning!

Here I am in Fayetteville. Alex has just gone off to work her day shift at Jose's, a Mexican restaurant in Springdale. We stayed up late last night talking after an evening of movie watchin' and exchanging gifts. By the way she is an amazing gift giver. If anyone ever needed help picking a random gift for me I'd say (to quote Grace Slick) "Go ask Alice!" Well... you ought to call her Alex, but Josh always thought I was saying her name was Alice before they met.

Anyhow, I'm so happy to be here with her.

My thoughts waking up today went from the crazy, late-night Goldfish and Oreo-consumption-induced dream that I had to my neatly packed suitcase on the floor by the bed.

What would I do if it were not for the lists I make?

List-making seems to be handed down to me genetically, most people in my family do it. My father does it obsessively. He has a list for everything, all kept on index cards and post-its on his bathroom mirror.

Personally, lists are how I get my brain organized. I make lists for everything, including:

• Packing for trips, long or short
• Homework assignments
• Possible outfits I should try on/wear
• Outfits to wear day to day
• Things I want to write about
• Books I want to read
• Projects I need to do or finish

And on and on... lists are basically the only type of records that I keep, because I've always been opposed to journaling. I tried journaling a lot when I was younger, and looking back on those entires I found the whole "Dear Diary..." thing a bit insipid and forced. The content itself was dry and it was obvious that I focused on the small, unimportant details of life rather than the big picture. I wrote more about how I felt about other people than what my own thoughts and ideas were. So for me, lists are a vital part of my life. I doubt that I'll ever kick the habit.

♥ What kind of records do you keep - whether day to day or things that you'll keep forever?

I think photo journaling sounds like fun. I am just not very proficient with cameras.

And here is some inspiration for your list skeptics:

Secret Society of List Addicts

TeuxDeux

Listography

TTFN!

Second Post, Already?

Alas I must post this to make way for another one.

Because there are just way more than 21 things to be thankful for in this life.

21 Things to be Thankful for - February 2009

1. Weird, interesting music played late on Friday nights on NPR

2. Going birthday party in an old sweater whilst listening to Rocky Votolato’s Makers album

3. Laughing so much my tummy aches

4. The way listening to Fischerspooner makes me feel like I’m in a modern version of Tron

5. Special diet cheesecake with berries

6. The support of those closest to me

7. Scribbles in Moleskines

8. Cleaning out my closet

9. Singing “Pencils in the Wind” with Meli

10. Hummus, Baba Ganoush, and the best pita bread I’ve ever tasted

11. Indian music, old and new

12. Hearing Bill McGlaughlin delight in his love of classical music - with the wonderful accent of my homeland

13. Early Valentine’s flowers from my dad

14. New cereal bowls bought especially for the purpose of consuming Life cereal

15. What seems to be the re-popularization of tie-dye (not the nasty, Joe’s Crab Shack tee shirt kind though.)

16. My warm cosy bed I enjoy hiding tucked away inside

17. Squirreling away moneys for my California trip

18. Magazines of modern fiction

19. Having more ideas swirling around my brain than I can deal with or put on paper - and the energy to put some of them into motion

20. Joshua Daniel Copeland

21. Writing up lists.