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Giving running another try

2012-04-18T15:07:23Z

I never thought running was for me. Ever since grade school I've always been one of the slowest runners, and in high school I inevitably received a D in gym class whenever the mile was involved. Every run was painful and an exercise in humiliation. So I've never really thought I was capable of running, never mind enjoying it. It's definitely been at the bottom of my priority list when it comes to "fun things to do" or even "tedious things that are necessary to stay healthy". And in the past, the few times I did agree to go for a run, it felt like a huge chore and a struggle.

]]> My attitude towards running has evolved into something different over the past few months. Wayne has been training very steadily with the aim of running the marathon and I couldn't help but be curious. I also read the Murakami Book on running and thought to myself, this actually sounds like something worth exploring. And I wanted an activity that would complement my karate training, especially when it came to building my stamina for fighting. So I decided to approach running with an empty slate and to let go of the baggage I've been dragging around for years. So I set up some parameters:

Run as slowly as you need but don't stop.
Set a distance goal but don't pay attention to a time limit.
Don't compare yourself to others, just focus on reaching the next goal.
When my mind wanders focus on the breath.
Enjoy what's going on around - Don't run on treadmills!
Run only as many times a week as I feel I want and don't feel obligated otherwise.
Give it at least six weeks of steady training before making any decisions about "liking" or "hating" running.

And I headed out.

As with anything, the first few runs we're tough. Just as tough as in the past. I was dying for air and completely sore after a little more than 1 1/2 miles. But I stuck to my guns - I ran really slowly, but I still completed the goal I had set at the beginning. I ran the same course multiple times and I started to notice things. Like how I didn't have to run up a hill with everything I had. To breathe a little differently so I didn't have to struggle for breath. I changed up my stride, tried various paces to see what was comfortable.

And I could really see these improvements through Runkeeper. It was in the stats - my average pace decreased a little, my route got a little longer, I maintained a steady pace more consistently. Seeing these data points helped me keep my motivation up - especially when I thought I had had a really tough run, but in looking at the numbers I had actually run a faster time.

The encouragement that I got from Wayne and many of my friends who enjoy running is an enormous help too. Getting positive feedback no matter my pace was such a welcome relief. I was even motivated to run a race, which I never would have thought of doing six months ago. Even though I run alone, running started feeling like a social activity.

With that encouragement and by sticking to those parameters, I've run distances that I never even considered possible for myself. The other day I ran the Central Park Loop - more than 6 miles - and I had a good time! I'm still not a fast runner by any means and I still struggle (I've only experienced that "runner's high" once for about five seconds) but I'm seeing other aspects that I hadn't before.

I love spending the time outside no matter what the weather is, and I honestly like running in winter more because I tend to overheat quickly when it's warm. I enjoy the time I have to focus on my breath and my body moving through space, it almost becomes a meditation. And the challenge of reaching a goal and not giving in to feeling "tired" or out of breath is daunting yet satisfying. I've realized that I don't have to fit into labels like "runner" or "athletic", rather running can be a continual process of improvement and understanding.

These days I look forward to the weekend ritual of putting my shoes on and heading out the door with only my phone and subway pass and the wind at my back.

Baked Eggs with yogurt and chile

2012-04-14T21:11:08Z

This really is my favorite new brunch recipe. It's from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty and I find that I've been getting a lot of mileage out of this cookbook. The recipes are vegetarian but not in a "I can't eat meat and that sucks" vegetarian kind of way; instead, it uses lots of inspiration from Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and even Asian ways of cooking and flavoring things. So you never feel like "oh my god I'm missing meat".

This recipe is ridiculously easy to make but the results are so deeply satisfying. I think it also holds a special place in my heart because it uses kirmizi biber, a Turkish dried red chile flake that we encountered everywhere when we were in Turkey. In fact, we've been using up our supply that we bought at the farm that we spent a few weeks working at - we'll have to make a trip to Sahadi's or Kalyustan's soon to remedy that situation.

]]> This is my take on the recipe - I made a few changes and substitutions to the original. The original called for arugula but I really like it with chard or kale. I also like to add fresh chilies in at the beginning to give it more of a kick, but of course you can leave that out.

Serves 2

1/2 bunch of swiss chard, stems and leaves separated
1/2 serrano or jalapeno chile, chopped (or to taste)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 garlic glove, minced
2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp kirmizi biber (you can substitute a mix of dry pepper flakes and cayenne pepper)
6 sage leaves, shredded

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Chop the stems of the chard into bite sized pieces and set aside in a bowl. Chop the chard leaves and put it in another bowl. Heat a pan over medium heat, when it's ready add the olive oil. Add the chard stems, a bit of salt and saute for about four minutes. When soft, add the chard leaves and chopped fresh chilies. Saute for another 3-4 minutes until wilted.

Transfer to a small ovenproof dish and make four deep indentations in the chard. Break an egg into each hollow, taking care not to break the yolk. Place in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes or until the egg whites are set.

While the eggs are in the oven, mix the yogurt with the garlic and the pinch of salt. Stir well and set aside; do not chill.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the kirmizi biber and a pinch of salt and fry for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the butter starts to foam and turns a nice golden-red. Add the sage and cook for a few more seconds. Remove from the heat.

Once the eggs are cooked, take them out of the oven. Spoon the yogurt over the center and pour the hot chile butter over the yogurt and eggs. Serve immediately.

Spring Cleaning. Of a sorts.

2012-04-08T20:55:36Z

On this beautiful, beautiful spring day, I spent most of the afternoon hunched in front of my computer combing through files in terminal looking for hacked files and to upgrade all my various far-flung software installations (MOVABLE TYPE I AM LOOKING AT YOU) so that I won't get hacked.

I'm all for control over my data...yes, I still have a non-gmail address for those paranoid moments when I don't want Google to know what I'm up to. But god what a pain in the ass it is to deal with hackers. Then the guilt comes on, like "oh god I haven't blogged in a YEAR what is WRONG WITH ME". And then I look at my site and I think "oh god WHAT IS WITH THIS DESIGN."

Oh right I'm making stuff all over the place, just not here.

Where I'm at these days:

Tumblr - This is more like a "I read this super long article in Instapaper and I thought it was interesting and maybe one day I'll get around to commenting on it" link blog.

Foursquare - This has totally supplanted my "Eaten" blog. Oh well. The key thing is that I can find stuff while I'm out and about.

Lonestar Taco - Our taco joint! If I am putting energy towards blogging more likely it'd be there.

I have pretty much abandoned Posterous, it was great while we were on our trip but I haven't been that into this whole move to Spaces (and now it's been acquired?!). Typepad is dead to me. (unless someone can convince me otherwise.) I tweet like twice a week. I guess I'm gonna go old school and start blogging here again even though the layout totally annoys me.

LONG LIVE MOVABLE TYPE!

(ps. - WHAT THE HELL is up with this zemanta plugin? *fail*)

oh and yay for figuring out how to embed my latest instagram photo.

You and I

2011-05-25T21:47:28Z

I totally love "You and I", the new power ballad from Lady Gaga. And I realized that it distills qualities of music that I've been listening to for my whole life, and that she's created a huge tribute to so many of these artists. And that these are awesome karaoke songs. (Looking forward to adding this one to the repetoire)

I made a playlist of this on Mog, otherwise - um d/l off of iTunes?
Update, 6/2/11 - I dumped Mog for Rdio and it's so. much. better. here's the embed:

You and I - Lady Gaga

Dude, she got Brian May out of retirement to play on that track? Amazing. Every good power ballad builds to a crazy crescendo and this song has it in spades. And damn she's got a set of pipes.

]]>

Alone - Heart

Funnily enough, this song came on in the pharmacy this afternoon. And I thought "this is the ultimate 80s power ballad." I love the tinkly piano entrance, it seems so meek, but then it builds into this wall of Ann Wilson's vocals. And even though the tempo is slow, it has this epic quality that never lets you get bored. Lady Gaga must have spent many hours in her childhood singing this to the mirror in her bathroom.

Always - Bon Jovi

The other band that immediately comes to mind when the phrase "power ballad" is uttered is Bon Jovi. These guys were tough ("Blaze of Glory") but had a cheesy soft side too ("Bed of Roses"), and you can't deny that they had the best hair. And maybe it's Jersey pride, but I still love listening to their songs. And doing karaoke.

Open Arms - Journey

All power ballads are held to the Steve Perry standard - can you hit those notes, with the intensity and feeling that he does? Listening to this song, I want to cry. And this quote from Steve Perry is just so awesome:

The line "wanting you near" -- I just wanted that line to go up and soar. I wanted it to be heartfelt. Every time it would come by I would just have to keep my head down and try to swallow the lump in my throat. I felt so proud of the song".

Lady Gaga feels that way about her music.

You And I - Queen

The obvious Queen choice would have been "We Will Rock You" (hello, sample!) but I think this one points to why I like Queen so much. Freddie Mercury's vocals shine on this track, and you get both the clean and layered versions of Brian May's signature guitar. It also has this happy go lucky tempo and this epically cheesy bridge where the entire band is the chorus (a la Bohemian Rhapsody). And Lady Gaga could not have ignored the fact that she named her song exactly the same thing.

Take Me to The Pilot - Elton John

Most of the time I don't know what the hell the lyrics are for Elton John's songs (except "Tiny Dancer", and I blame that on "Almost Famous"), but it so doesn't even matter. The aggressive piano intro is so striking, I feel like I could identify this song after only hearing three chords. I do wish I had been able to see Elton John in his "crazy 70s outfits" period, but alas I only got to see him on tour with Billy Joel. I do love the Grammies performance where Lady Gaga brought Elton John out onto the stage and did "Speechless/Your Song", and it's even more appropriate that she's Elton John's son's godmother.

Mein Herr - Liza Minnelli

This is not exactly a power ballad, but you can't ignore the influence of the American musical on Lady Gaga's work. Liza Minnelli was at Lady Gaga's concert the night we were! And of all the musicals, I think the dark, Weimar Republic atmosphere of Cabaret (plus Bob Fosse choreography) seems most apt.

New York State of Mind - Billy Joel

It's hard to mention Elton John without Billy Joel. Of course Lady Gaga is much closer in temperament to Elton John (wardrobe-wise and musically) but Billy Joel did have some sweet piano ballads - especially his ode to New York, which I think Lady Gaga would really appreciate.

A Fool for You - Ray Charles

All of these songs are rooted in the bluesy-gospel-y goodness of Ray Charles. 'nuff said.

Martha

2011-03-30T16:11:38Z

(I actually wrote this back in December but only now am publishing it.)

I am currently in the land of Martha. I don't really pay much attention to her when I'm in Brooklyn, but spending time in the 'burbs for the holidays made me realize that you can't escape. She's everywhere - on TV, magazines, the radio, the grocery stores, the mall. The past few days have been a barrage of decorating tips, makeovers, recipes, and craft ideas. And damn is it alluring. I totally got sucked into reading the past two issues of Martha Stewart Living from cover to cover, and thinking, wow, these are such great ideas! I should totally do that! Why haven't I thought about making little velvet Christmas trees? Why haven't I invited people over for a dignified brunch with poached eggs and croissants? Why don't I have a nicely painted pegboard of craft supplies? And I could make so many awesome labels!!! I couldn't get enough of it.

But after a couple of days Martha started bugging me. I couldn't figure out why at first, it was just this sense of uneasiness that I couldn't pin down. As the parade of decorating experts came through on her radio show, I realized that I disliked the way it made me feel. It gave me this sense of inadequacy - if only I was a crafting wizard and expert chef and the perfect hostess could I be happy. Because it's all about impressing other people. She's tapped into this desire that women have to be seen as the perfect homemaker - beautiful, classy, practical, ingenious. Even I can't escape from feeling like I want that when I flip through her magazine - who wouldn't drool over those shots of her home and all of the beautiful things she has and makes?

My militant feminist side starts screaming, "What the hell?!! Didn't women's lib happen already? How could you even get sucked into this crap?!! You're already beating your own drum, why feel like you need to even care about this?" But it's still there, no matter how hard you fight it. Martha's just a manifestation of what our culture values. How else could someone go to jail for like two years and get back on TV like nothing happened? If anything she's tightened her hold on her empire. If you wanted to, you could live in a Martha fantasyland 24-7. And that's what makes me feel uneasy more than anything else.

I could see how easily I could get totally submerged in yearning after a proscribed Martha Stewart life. If only I had xyz it would make me happy. If only I had a bigger house to hold my Martha crafts and to cook my Martha recipes and to throw my Martha parties. Instead, I'm going to resist dropping one of the five million subscription postcards that fell out of the magazine into the mail and look forward to returning to my non-crafty home in Brooklyn.

Firefly

2010-09-14T23:49:11Z

So why hadn't anyone told me to watch Firefly earlier? Ever since I finished watching Lost (can we just pretend like that series finale never happened?), there was a big hole in my life. OK, maybe that's overstating it, but I was totally caught up in the characters. So along comes Firefly in my Netflix queue and I start watching it. And I couldn't stop.

Captain Malcolm Reynolds

It's got lots of bits that I love - smart, witty dialogue, good special effects, some sweet action scenes, a brooding captain, strong female characters, spaceships, sexual tension. Even after a few episodes I felt like I knew them. I got totally obsessed with their world - I think because the show did such a good job of creating this universe and populating it with such interesting characters. If anything, I wanted most to find out more about Shepherd Book, a man who appeared to be a preacher but evidence pointed to something else.

It's the kind of show where you feel like there are worlds beyond the edges of the camera frame. It's so tangible that you could poke it. It's all in the details - the dialogue is sprinkled with Chinese phrases and alternate slang words, the costumes look like a cross between Young Guns and Oliver Twist, and the scenes on the ship have this grungy, lived in feel. And there is no wooshing sound when the ship passes by BECAUSE THERE IS NO SOUND IN A VACUUM.

It's also billed as a Western, which in the past I haven't been fond of, but the genre's really grown on me. In the past I sort of assumed that Westerns were just hokey period action films with very little substance and ridiculous stereotypes. But recently I watched the Big Country, Stagecoach, Jeremiah Johnson and the Magnificent Seven and they really got me asking why I've been so against watching them. They're so much more nuanced than I thought, with main characters facing Big Moral Dilemmas while traversing the hinterlands. They also have that "larger than the camera frame" feel that I love so much. And you can totally see the influence that those movies have had on shows like Firefly.

Gregory Peck in The Big Country

Firefly was canceled barely after a season on the air back in 2002, and now I'm left with a big fat hole in my life again. I'll never find out Shepherd Book's past nor if Mal and Inara ever get together. I'm a loser for letting eight years pass before I actually got to watch it but a nerd for liking it so much.

And just because I'm admitting that I enjoy Westerns, please do not tell me under any circumstances to fill it with Walker, Texas Ranger.

Pfeffernüsse

2009-12-06T23:24:04Z

I was tired of sugar cookies and decided to try something different this year for the holidays. They came out pretty well, I wish I had been able to find regular molasses rather than blackstrap molasses - then I think the flavor of the spices would have come out a little more. They're not that difficult to make - just a lot of waiting. I suggest making the dough the night before and baking them in the morning, or vice versa.

The recipe from the Gourmet (R.I.P.) Cookbook after the jump!

]]> Makes about 11 dozen cookies
active time: 2 hours
start to finish: 14 hours (includes chilling and standing time)

For Cookies:
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses (NOT robust or blackstrap - this is important!)
3 cups sifted all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons anise seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water

For Coating:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Make the Cookies:
Beat together butter and margarine in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in brown sugar, egg, and molasses. Whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and spices in a medium bowl, then beat into molasses mixture. Dissolve baking soda in hot water, then beat into batter. Beat in remaining 1 1/2 cups flour until incorporated. Refrigerate dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least 8 hours.

Put racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two large baking sheets.

Roll level teaspoons of dough into balls and arrange about 1 1/2 inches apart on buttered baking sheets. Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until puffed and just set in the center, 10 to 14 minutes total. Transfer cookies to racks to cool.

Make the coating:
Combine granulated sugar and water in a 1-quart saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cool syrup completely.

Transfer syrup to a shallow bowl. Place sheets of wax paper under racks of cookies. Dip cooled cookies one at a time in syrup to coat and return to racks to drain. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.

Sift confectioners' sugar into a paper bag. Shake a few cookies at a time in bag to coat, then lightly brush off excess sugar with your fingers.

Soundtrack 2009

2009-11-28T05:28:45Z

Looking back on the past year, there are a couple of bands and albums that stood out as my soundtrack for 2009 - they were on heavy rotation on my iPod and I couldn't get them out of my head. In no particular order:

Quantic and his Combo Barbaro: totally great mixture of Latin, African and Middle Eastern sounds. I wish I could be driving in a convertible down the beach on a summer evening with this on my stereo.
Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska: I know this album is more than 20 years old, but I recently downloaded it and made me realize that I don't hate Bruce. In fact, this album is totally stark and moving and unlike anything that I had associated Bruce with. Thanks eMusic.
Under the Covers: A two disc covers album with Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs, lead singer of the Bangles. Some of the covers are pretty straightforward, but I love Susanna Hoffs' voice and I can't get enough of it.
Metric: This was Metric's year. "Help I'm Alive" was an earworm for me for almost a month straight. I blame it on @djacobs.
Cut Copy: Poppy electro disco perfection.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: I think this was in every hipster's playlist at some point this year. But there's a reason why! Twee, endearing vocals, with a sugary pop coating.
Darker Than Blue: Soul From Jamdown 1973-1980: I was never a huge reggae fan but this album has made me change my mind - the music on here is deep, powerful and yes, dark.
Neko Case: Because she's brilliant and I always need my dose of countrified alt rock.
Thao: This album recently made it into heavy rotation - I constantly download female singer/songwriter type music with high expectations but often they blur together. Thao has a really unique sound that just grabs your heart and makes her stand out from the rest.

I think that Lady Gaga also deserves a mention even though I have been resisting her for months - Bad Romance has been stuck in my head for days now. Damn her wily charms!

Thankful

2009-11-26T18:08:50Z

The older I get, the more nostalgic I become for the holiday season. There's something different about this time of year, when you think more about family, reflect on the past seasons, and enjoy the last fading colors of autumn (at least in New York). I have a love/hate relationship with the retailers, they definitely bring out the Christmas stuff too early these days but it puts me in the mood for hot cocoa, curling up on the couch and making tree ornaments.

So in celebration I've dug up some old family photos that I'm going to post over the next few days over in Seen - not necessarily of the holidays, but pictures that bring up that sense of reflection and remembrance that is so prevalent during this time.

A Better World by Design

2009-10-06T02:52:31Z

Inspired and impressed. This past weekend, I attended the Better World by Design conference in Providence, RI. It's "an immersive experience that deepens our understanding of the power of design, technology, and enterprise to reshape our communities and sustain our environment" - which is exactly the thing I'm interested in. A number of themes and principles really resonated with me, especially the focus on addressing systems, ethnography and user-centered research, collaboration, and multidisciplinary methodology. I'm always trying to clarify my view and approach to the design process, and hearing multiple points of view this past weekend has gotten the wheels turning about what I can do better.

The thing that we often forget as designers is the fact that everyone has the skill and capacity to design. It's not something that should be put on a pedestal, and that true collaboration is needed to make the work successful. Project after project demonstrated the power of working WITH the user, from the fetal heart rate monitor that won the INDEX: award to the murals India to the redesigned hippo roller from Project H. Designers should work with their clients/constituents/users and listen closely to what they need.

]]>
In addition, I've been noticing more and more that contemporary art and design practice are converging. Perhaps the differentiator lies in art addressing the metaphorical/poetic/emotional level and design focusing on the practicalities. Sometimes I forget that the double perspective of artist and designer are actually not very far apart, and I even need to stop separating the two.

Relaunch, of a sorts

2009-09-07T13:27:40Z

So, what, it's been a year since I promised an overhaul of my site? It's finally here! I got a kick in the pants to finish up my templates and launch the site because the inaction was preventing me from producing any content. Part of what I had to overcome was seeing this site as a finished product and rather as a work in progress - so please excuse the funny looking search pages. I'm really happy about finally putting this up, dusting off the corners, and adding a whole bunch of new ways for me to consolidate my thoughts.

I approached the redesign from analyzing how I create content; I've never been a regular blog writer in the sense that I was dedicated enough to write every day. I tend to write epic blog posts every once in a while, but I had to admit that it wasn't something that I always enjoyed doing and that I had to feel "inspired" to reach the point of enjoying it - but not that I wanted to cut that out entirely. So those epic blog posts are still around under "Written", and may even have not-so-epic blog posts/rants in the future. But I knew that I had to figure out the other ways that I create content beyond what I consider straight "blog writing".

]]> So I thought about it and I realized that I collect images. I take so many photos, I'm constantly looking for inspiration visually and I needed one place to gather it all together. I also wanted to set up a daily practice for myself, by choosing an image that felt appropriate in the moment and figuring out why. So this has evolved into the "Seen" section - the format is definitely inspired by sites like The Big Picture, The Sartorialist and ffffound, but it may morph into something else entirely as I continue this daily practice.

Another thing that I've been wanting to do forever was create a place where I could document my food experiences, mainly at restaurants, to share with others. I had created a map a long time ago on CommunityWalk, but it isn't flexible enough in terms of slicing and dicing the content, and besides the fact that I am not able to export any data out of the system, which irritates me to no end. So in the next few weeks I'll be copying and pasting all of that data out of the system back into my own site at "Eaten", and it'll be a great resource when anyone asks me where they should go for italian food.

I also needed a space for posting about art and design projects I have in progress or have completed. It's going to be more free form, a mixture of text and photos, and be both a documentation within the process of creating but then also cleaning it up into a coherent, discrete project. This will become the "Made" section, which is still in the works.

I also wanted the challenge of creating a site completely from scratch and trying out front end development techniques that I hadn't before - like using sIFR for titles and jquery for various user interactions. And if I can use this site as an experiment and let it evolve over time I can continue to try out newer methods (Typekit please!) and incorporate it into my everyday design practice. And it doesn't hurt to work on my MT templating skillz as well.

And lastly I knew that I wanted to tie in all of the "social" sites that I participate in already on the web, but in a way that made contextual sense rather than just throwing up a bunch of "actions". So bit by bit I'm finding ways to syndicate that content around the site that's appropriate to what I'm trying to do.

So take a look around and tell me what you think!

The Rain

2009-03-29T15:32:26Z

Isn't going to get me down today. In fact, it's another kick in the butt to get all of our seeds sown indoors so that we'll be ready to go once the weather really gets nice. This year we're going for tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, beans, lettuce, and even some flowers. We learned a lot last year about where to plant things, but the fallen tree will present some new challenges. Looking forward to spring!

"Holiday" Party 2008

2009-03-13T00:13:15Z

IMG_0383, originally uploaded by ambienttraffic.

well, it happened in March 2009.

Thanks so much to Danny, Ethan and the crew at Hecho en Dumbo for a fabulous party!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T22:36:19Z

The spread!, originally uploaded by ambienttraffic.

A very nice day - with family, Mariokart, and LOTS of food.

Five months in one post!

2008-10-06T01:39:33Z

Geez I haven't posted anything since May. Almost five months!! I've been too busy working on other people's blogs to even write anything on my own blog. So sad.

Stuff I've been involved with/have done in those past five months:

participated in Meaning Cleaning
am playing with Typepad's iPhone app
Made cool web sites - one for a friend and lots at work
Visited Crater Lake and Portland and hung out with some peeps
Did beach training with others at Seido
Drove up to Cold Spring with Stepha and a rented Mini
Cooked lots of yummy food and am part of the Bed-Stuy CSA
Attended two very lovely weddings - this one and this one
participated in a show at Gallery Aferro
Visited San Fran and friends!
attended Wordcamp NY
Made more paintings which I haven't posted yet...boo

Phew! What a list! Maybe it would be helpful next time to actually write a post when these things actually happen.