Yesterday I shoulda slept in. But I got up early and headed to Trash and Treasure with friend Tania.
Where I bought a Sunbeam Mixmaster for $30 to "use in my class project". Woulda been better to not try and pretend as I knew from the moment I first clutched if to my beating heart that there was no way in hell I was going to be pulling it apart.I coulda then gone home and cleaned the house. Instead Tania and I went to Spill the Beans cafe for their two-for-one breakfast special. We're not planning on going back. Want to know a couple of reasons why? Their breakfasts are too big (seriously: who expects to find FOUR eggs on the Eggs Benedict?!) and, when we got to the counter we were asked what we had so they could add up the bill ("Nothing!" I tried saying but, oddly, they didn't believe me). Finally, when I commented that I liked the waitress's headband (a vintage tape measure she'd wrapped several times) she witheringly informed me it was a tape measure. Sure, whatever...
I coulda stopped myself buying a button bracelet by Natasha Jude. I tried, by telling myself I could make one but the reply was "yeah, right. Like you'll EVER get round to it!"I shoulda spent the couple of hours I had when I got home cleaning the house. But I blogged instead (while doing washing, at least)
I woulda managed the housework except Cycling S came and picked me up and drove me to Barry by 3 at Pialligo Estate Winery...I coulda just had a coffee but the High Tea (with bubbles and accompaniment by Zoe Barry on the cello) was too good to pass up.
And then I came home and (finally) cleaned the house!
It was the Bingo Extravaganza so there was a lot to do. Cleaning and setting up, putting the prizes out,
and setting up for dinner.Barb, the Executive Director, mysteriously disappeared so we had to rope a couple of Bingo-expert Nannas in to help sell the tickets and explain how the game worked:It was a *ahem* full housewith suitably Nanna-esque decor:As the evening progressed the Nannas got naughtier(what a big box she has!)I had no idea why they might have been acting that way...There was true/ false trivia to break up the gamesand very excitedand happywinners.
Where was I while all this was happening? Serving dinner, selling drinks, clearing up dirty plates and glasses, collecting rubbish, loading the dishwasher and rinsing pots. Yep, working in the arts is so glamorous... (But did I have fun? Hell yes!)
After spending all day the National Museum Symposium I decided the only thing to do was buy a bottle of wine and a Turkish pizza for dinner, it being Friday and all. So I trotted across the road with my green bag, wallet and keys.
I bought the wine first. Got to the Turkish Pizza place, ordered my pizza and sat down to wait, putting the bag down on the chair next to me. Where it promptly fell to the floor, smashing the bottle, which emptied its contents into my wallet.
So I now have a wallet that smells like the inside of a bar slops bucket. Sigh...
Class last night was a Library orientation session. Hardly exciting blog fodder.
Instead I thought I'd share with you some of the things that have excited me over the past few days (apart from the release of the 2010 IKEA catalogue and all your generous offers to send me one!)
Lark's new op shopping totes (the perfect Christmas gift):Pretty little pins' "Shh!" brooch: perfect to wear when I'm working at the library (in a completely ironic way since we're not allowed to shush patrons any more)
This book, due to be released next week: (Because I've always loved stationery and therefore art made of stationery)
My new Eames House of Cards which arrived yesterday and which I've only been wanting to buy for what seems like forever:(Except I really wanted the black edition which only seems to be available direct from the Eames store with a massive postage charge...)
What's not to like when your $30 a year gets you not only lots of great openings with good food and free champagne, access to a lovely quiet space in the middle of town with coffee, tea, biscuits and a big yellow couch to collapse on, but tickets to an $80 symposium?!
Prehistoric animals andpachyderms(all by Ben Hubbard. I was almost tempted to buy the elephant stools until I remembered I a) had no room and b) had a car insurance excess in my near future...)
Petite pearparades,petting,playing,and pretending!A patch of pride (to be closely followed by a pile of preparation)and, finally a party (note minor promotion of our page which is my project).
My Creative space this morning included the brief from last night's class, the results of present wrapping and card making for an upcoming birthday and a quote I rediscovered in my FLICKR pool and printed out for my visual diary.
You've heard of (or addictively watch) Iron Chef. Tonight at class we played "Iron Artist" as a loosening exercise for our Big Very Important (Scary) Final Brief.
"Take two disparate 3D objects that have had a life or been functional and have now ceased to function or have been discarded - one natural (in our case a bucket of bones) and one manufactured (a child's bicycle)"Then combine the two to make a piece of art in no more than 2 minutes. Our tutor demonstrates:
We discuss the symbolism of the finished piece and then have a go ourselves.
One classmate produces the Bicycle Bird (which I suggested could become the mascot for a children's bike safety campaign): And I come up with err... this:Which I could say (if I wished to practice my Art Wank) symbolises the potential death of Miss Daisy. Note the skull portraying death. The daisy eyes. The colours white yellow and black, being common daisy colours. And the speaker symbolises the hissing noise coming from under her bonnet when the accident happened.
Next Monday we have to bring our own objects to fulfill the above descriptions. I seriously considered ringing the smash repairers and asking them to keep the bits they remove from Miss Daisy when they repair her for me to use in my final project. Except I don't have a car to transport them to class...
There was a rather expensive taxi ride to work this morning (as the buses weren't running yet).
A little sketching while I waited for the person with the pass to arrive to let me in to the library: Lots of lovely Library users very happy that I could help them find what they were looking for.
I'd vaguely considered going to see Coraline in 3D after work this evening but the offer of a lift was more appealing. Besides, I get to see Coraline in 2D for free at ANU Film Group in November (if I can wait that long) and I have lovely new things to watch and read this evening...
I was sitting in the file room today when a Rather More Important Person Than I came in and said to my colleage "I've been told I need to be a better alligator"
To which I replied "Is that why you're wearing a green jumper today?"
He looked at me. I looked at him. We both blinked a couple of times.
I thought I was safe. I thought I (amazingly) had a weekend ahead of me (I remember those: I had one back in July)
But the lure of Officer In Charge on a Sunday is too great, especially when it's going to cost me $600 to bring Miss Daisy back from the dead (not counting the possible cost of new daisies required to resticker her mangled bonnet and such)
The Migraine Monster paid me a visit yesterday, probably to remind me I'm trying to do too much. As usual. I took to my bed and ignored it. As usual. But not before admiring the photographs Krista Peel sent me of her latest roombox:
(If you're so inclined, prints are available here.)
By 3pm I'd staggered out of bed, tidied myself up and tried to look human for last night's Design Fundamentals class which involved a trip to The National Gallery to listen to Contemporary Australian Architects 2009 speaker Philip Thalis on Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects.
And the "eeny meenie miney moe" part of the day? Involved a flying visit through the National Portrait Gallery gift shop to start thinking about what to spend a gift voucher I received for my birthday on. I love gift vouchers and the long drawn out process of deciding exactly what to buy with them!
I also have to decide on which designer to use for my oral presentation for the Designers in Context part of the course which we received the details of last night. Terence Conran? Charles and Ray Eames? Raymond Loewy?
Still trying to get into the habit of drawing something each day to get more practice...(Outside chairs and table drawn from the window seat of the place I had lunch today. And my ever present Keepcup. I'm rather pleased with the second sketch...)
Spotty shirt: $3.50 (Vinnies Queanbeyan: the collar sits a bit strangely so it'll be unpicked and finishing it as a chinese collar)Daisy shoes WITH COLOUR! (Also Vinnies Queanbeyan: $4.00)
Where the wild things are book (Salvos Mitchell: $1.00)Arty box with oil paints and watercolour paints and acrylic paints and brushes and matte varnish (Vinnies Dickson: $20)I'm happy!