9.21.2009

Nolan made a friend this morning. This little guy was trying to cross the road with the rest of his flock, but was injured and they flew off without him. Nolan kept him out of the road while waiting for animal control to arrive.

Little known fact: Canadian Geese are protected by federal law, and harming one can result in fines up to $10000.

September 12, 2009

(first of all – ha! we won on a safety!)

Cool things I saw this afternoon at the Renegade Craft Fair (about 4 blocks south of our house).  It was like Etsy came alive.  Things all started to look alike, but these were different and stood out.

Bought a screenprint shirt from this girl.

Pretty coasters from here. (closed til Monday bc they are at the Craft Fair)

Awesome Chicago prints from here.

Adorable stuffed animals from here. (good thing I know 3 pregnant girls!)

9.9.09

Pint night @ Tyler’s, celebrating 9/9/09 with Magic Hat #9. And nachos.

9.08.2009

Megan, Emily and Kara were in Goldsboro for Labor Day weekend, so I drove down to meet them on Saturday at Kara’s family lake house. Not a bad way to end the summer!

Summer: the end

my desk in the lab…

Summer: scherenschnitte

During my last week at work I found Elsa Mora’s blog through Mint.  I was so inspired by her papercuts that I went to Michael’s during lunch to buy an x-acto knife.  I started my own creation using office paper and the back of a notebook as a cutting surface (work was very slow during the last few weeks).  That evening I finished my first creation (the top photo).  I had so much fun that I immediately started a second one, but soon stopped after I cut the tip of my finger off!  Don’t let hearing of this minor injury deter you from giving scherenschnitte a try…it’s very meditative, just like doodling but requires more planning, since you can’t erase, and a lot more force to cut through the paper.  Also, you need very few materials: a knife, paper, and maybe investing in the recommended self-healing cutting mat would make it more fingertip friendly and less arthritis-inducing.

Summer: dead bug pose

look at this crazy huge bug!

it was on the stairs outside of my work for weeks- dead, obviously.  I should have put a penny next to it for scale, but it was about the size of both of my thumbs put together.  I wonder why he needed that big spike of a nose?  His must be an aggressive kind.

Summer: Asheville trips!

Of course, the first Asheville trip was Callie and Matt’s wedding!  It was a beautiful ceremony and celebration, but unfortunately I was too busy enjoying it to notice that most of my pictures are too blurry.

These are pictures from the second trip to Asheville; this time a visit with my friend, Katie, who I’ve known since 6th grade, and her fiance, Sean.  They live near Knoxville, so Asheville was a nice meeting point.  One highlight of the trip was finding Wedge Brewery.  Has anyone ever been?  We went to check out the beer and were surprised with this impromtu show (the band’s original ‘gig’ was cancelled, so they showed up at Wedge to have a beer and ended up playing) and later an outdoor movie screening of Cafe Baghdad which was projected onto the truck in the background.  You can’t necessarily tell from the picture, but it was an interesting place–it’s on the river, and the courtyard is filled with amazing metalwork.  the beer was good, too

Summer: Easter in July?

This is a picture taken at the lake I used to run around during my lunch breaks.  I was always amazed and amused by the things I’d see here, mostly pertaining to the wildlife I’d encounter, but this was by far the most baffling.  So, it looks like someone constructed a series of nests out of pine needles and placed colorful gelatinous/icy eggs inside.  In the middle of July. 

hooligans!

Summer: fried green tomatoes

usually we just make two at a time, but this was an exceptionally enormous batch because a coworker had a surplus from her dad’s garden and left a few pounds of green tomatoes on my desk.  I love fried green tomatoes, but this was too much; I probably should have made salsa with those..