A little birdie... give-away

The great fun of the world of blogging is stumbling upon new blogs.  The new, fun blog I found today is called "What Meg Makes".  {I've been enjoying her posts and not just because she share's my name.}  And get this... she's hosting a give-away.  

The give-away is for this sweet little birdie bag that can slip on your wrist made by another great blogger.  It's got a pouch big enough for a phone or keys or whatever little necessities you'd like without having to haul around your purse.  The little birdie reminds me so much of spring.  

Isn't it amazing that there are great opportunities in blog-land to win beautiful things?!  

A little cooking experiment

Since I just moved into my new apartment and haven't amassed a great pantry or even food to fill my fridge yet I had to go grocery shopping the other evening.  I managed to get through the week on just a few necessities, but before leaving Santa Cruz to go back to San Mateo last Sunday I made a quick stop at Safeway.  Seriously, I think I was in and out in less than 20 min.  

While grabbing the things I needed for the week I thought it would also be nice to get some pancake mix.  I love how quick and easy and yummy pancakes are.  So, I found the right aisle and was eyeing the different choices as I walked closer.  But, just steps away from actually having a good view of the options of the shelf I was assaulted.  Head-on, skin pealing, toenail curling fart dropped by the man already gazing at the boxes of mix.  I switched into high gear and without pausing grabbed a box of something and ran.  

It wasn't until I was loading the groceries into the car that I noticed that what I grabbed wasn't pancake mix.  Instead, I'd gotten waffle mix.  Hmmmm, I began thinking,  This could probably work for pancakes, right?

Fast forward to Friday... I had the day off {thank you Cesar Chavez} and decided to make my "pancakes".  Well, wouldn't you know it we were all out of eggs.  In my search to see what we could substitute I found some of the weirdest things.  Have you ever heard of substituting a banana for an egg?!  I decided to just wing it - followed the recipe, but added a little bit of milk too.  When that made it seem way to runny I added a little flour.  

And... it worked.  Slightly different tasting, almost sweet due to the mix I think, but not bad.  We ate them with butter and honey {gosh, I guess I need to get some syrup too}.  All in all, they were good, but I wouldn't recommend this method.  Next time I'll just make a quick run to the Safeway that is a 5min drive from my place {although, I was less than impressed the first time I went there}.  Next time, I'll actually buy the right mix or even make my own - it should be simple, right?

Happy weekend!  I'll be spending it looking for good deals at the Flea Market and making curtains.  

SPT - Eight is great::spoons

I've been enjoying the challenge of finding 8's.  And it is challenging.  I've been wanting and trying to find things that aren't actually printed 8's.  Something more creative.  

But, I can't take credit for this SPT today.  Lukas has been helping me think of ideas and spoons was his inspiration.  Tripod, remote trigger, and tons of pictures later... here's my SPT.  

{ps. taking this picture was harder than it looks}

Photography: lesson #5 - Flashing on my own

While looking for silverware in the attic of the garage at my parents' house I got a little side tracked.  Really, I was looking for the silverware but just had to see what was in the big leather case with "POLAROID" stamped in gold.  I slung the strap across my shoulder so I could have the use of both hands to climb back down the slightly unstable ladder.  I gently set it down on the work bench and popped the lock open.  Inside was a solid case and inside that was this old camera.  It opened accordion-style with adjustments for "zoom" and light.  Steps 1-4 were labeled right on the camera.  Too bad we didn't have any film.  

So, instead it became the subject of my photo-shoot.  I set up two off-camera flashes - one with a shot through umbrella and the other with a reflective umbrella.  And then (with only a little trial and error) I found the exposure that gave me what I was looking for.  Not under exposed, aperture to give me the depth of field I wanted, flash power to make up for what I needed in light and to creatively light the camera.  So many things to change and think about.  And as I took different shots and adjusted each to get the look I was going for I found myself counting "stops".  I still got a little confused when I went down to f/4 and thought I'd just cut my light by a stop when really I'd just opened the aperture.  Flash exposures can get so creative.  I'm not even touching the tip of what you could do with flash.

*More pictures and a couple of the dogs because they happened to be laying close to the lighting set up.

Starting fresh

Well, the day finally came... I got a job.  After several months of perfecting my blogging skills, blog reading skills, a few sewing projects, scrapbooking, and more I have cut my free time down to nothingness.  And that's not such a bad thing because I'm happy to be working and using the "scholarly" side of my brain again.  

A week ago today I signed the lease on my new apartment in San Mateo.  It is so exciting to not have roommates.  In general, I've had good roommates, but I was ready to have a place that's really my own.  The place itself is not all that exciting, but it's nice and clean and just about the right size.  It's just a 15 min walk to the train station in the morning.

Then, work is just a 3 min walk from the last stop in San Francisco.  Gosh, I feel like such a "big city" gal now - taking the train to work.  My new job is with UCSF working for a researcher who has studies going in both San Francisco and Uganda - all pertaining to HIV.  Three days on the job and so far I'm liking it.  Done lots of reading, a lot of trying to understand my benefit options, paperwork, and some actual real work too.  

New job, new apartment, new city... it's really a new start to the next chapter of my life.  I'm excited!  

{Yes, I am a big enough dork to take my own picture on my first day of work.  My cubicle needs some serious livening up.}

SPT - Eight is great::sea shell

I found a pretty sea shell

held it in my hand

turning, looking, touching

Simple, white, smooth

I held it

While we watched the ocean crash

Upon the slippery, black rocks

We stepped carefully

A picture latter

I set it down

Dropped back to the rocks

and walked away

Simple, left behind

Left where it belongs

Photography: lesson #4 - Five Senses

Hear::bells

Bells on a red strip, like sleigh bells, jingle every time the front door is opened.  They signal someone's arrival or departure.  Sometimes they are used by the cats as a signal to be let outside, but most often not.  

Mostly, the bells go unnoticed unless they are jingling.  Only when you HEAR them do they capture your attention.  

These bells are something I am going to miss when I move up north to my new apartment.  {Yep, new job = new apartment = growing up a little more.}

Smell::Old Spice

Scent has such a powerful hold over our memories.  Catching a whiff of something can transport us to different places and times.  Each of us has our own unique smell.  Old Spice deodorant will always make me think of Lukas.  My brain even gets confused if another guy walks by wearing the same deodorant.  The power of scent is that strong.

I don't want to touch this or taste it and I most definitely can't hear it, but I would SMELL this any day.

Touch::hope

This is a smooth stone with the word hope etched in its surface.  So cool and polished that it makes a good "worry stone" even though it doesn't have an imprint for my thumb.  I keep it in my pocket of my brown, fancy coat.  I'd reach my hand in my pocket while walking into work some mornings.  These were mornings during the time when I was hoping to get accepted to phd programs, mornings that I was hoping to get a new job, mornings that I needed just a little extra hope.  It was nice to find it in my pocket.  

I don't look at this all that often.  I TOUCH the smoothness though and remember to have hope.  

See::Words

The world of words holds a special place for me.  I was the kid who the librarian looked at with skepticism as she checked out my stack of books that towered well over my head.  And yes, a week later I had read them all and was back for more.  I love to read.  So much so that I even just love the way words look on a page.  {maybe I've shared about this before?}  By SEEING the words on the page I can see so much more in my imagination.  {ps. Does anyone recognize this book?  It has been one of my favorites since about the 8th grade.}

Taste::Challa

Taste, like smell, can trigger memories in a flash.  This morning I mixed the ingredients, knedded the dough and let it rise.  Hours later I punched it down and divided it into six - three for each braid.  Bread making is such a tactile experience that this could have been used for touch.

Oven set to 350 and the challas in to cook.  I packed my car for the trip up north.  When I opened the door to come back inside I was hit by the amazing smell of warm baking bread.  But, it's more than bread.  Something about challa makes it extra special.  I could have even used this for smell.  But I waited...

I waited to use this for TASTE.  That first bite after reciting the blessing, dipped in a little bit of salt is really a taste of Shabbat - rest.  It's worth waiting for to get to the TASTE. 

{This has been a slightly different take on Five Senses Friday from this blog.  I also used this as a photography lesson - ambient light vs. flash exposure.  I got a chance to try things on my own, but also got direction for creative lighting ideas.  So much to learn!}

Photography: lesson #3 - more macros and flash!

Lukas gave me another photography lesson this afternoon.  The sun was shining, urging me to go outside but making taking pictures a little bit challenging.  I am finding that I have an easier time exposing correctly on days of slightly diffused lighting.  It's fun to feel my understanding of the components of exposure growing.  But a sticking point I can't seem to get over for the moment is the inverse relationship f-stop has with aperture.  I understand this, but I seem to mix them up in my head when choosing my exposure.  The good thing is that I have started to catch myself in this.  Hopefully, it'll only be a matter of time before I stop doing this.  

I also got my first real introduction to using a flash.  That adds an entirely  different level to understanding exposure!  First there's max-sync speed which limits the shutter speed so that the camera can trigger the wireless remote on the off-camera flash.  Then there's adjusting for ambient light and how you want that affecting your picture.  Goodness it's a lot to think about.  {and I'm probably boring you all with these photography details... on to more pictures}

{Score: Mosquito=2, Megan-1 but the one was a crushing blow}

SPT - Eight is great::new shoes

New, brown, polka-doted shoes, size 8.  Aren't new shoes great?  Especially when they're bought on a whim for $10 while making a mad, 15min dash through Ross to find a dress to wear to an engagement party.  {dress: $12}

And the funny thing is... these shoes may have just been my unconscious inspiration for my fabric choice on my new toiletry bag.  I wore them to the fabric store with my red shirt.  Interesting how these things happen.

Photography: lesson #2 - Toilet Tree Bag

For a little bit now I've been wanting a toiletry bag.  {Isn't toiletry a weird word?}  I've gotten increasingly tired of reusing plastic grocery store bags for my bathroom necessities - toothbrush, toothpaste, and such.  The plastic bags always seem to tear and are really awkward to deal with.  Plus, they are totally un-cute.  

I'd been thinking it would be great to make a toiletry bag.  Not that it would be a money saver - it wouldn't.  But, I would get to pick out cute fabric - always a plus - and I could make it how I wanted it.  So I went in search of a pattern.  

I looked long and hard on the internet to find something even slightly resembling the idea I had in mind.  When I found this pattern that was kinda close to what I wanted and it was only a buck I thought I'd give it a try.  Well, after downloading the pattern and doing my best to figure it out I would have to say that it is only worth the dollar I paid for it.  I'm not saying it's a bad pattern - I couldn't say because I choose not to sew it.  But, it was more complicated than I thought it would be and I was confused by the pieces I was given.  Maybe if I'd had more experience sewing from patterns I'd have better understood it.  Anyways... in my confusion I decided that the style really wasn't what I wanted or had in mind.  

Instead, what I wanted was a toiletry bag just like Lukas has.  His is canvas but very much along the lines of these bags.  With a little inspection of his bag I promptly announced, "I think this is pretty simple.  I could make this."  Words can come back to bite you in the end.  And then I followed up my announcement by dreaming up my fabric combinations.  Then, last Friday I made my second trip to Hart's.  

First, I looked over the plastic lined fabrics and then the heavier canvas fabrics.  I was not impressed by the canvas.  They were are solids - pretty colors, but really boring.  There was one print - white with green leaves - cool, but would get dirty in two seconds.  And then I perused the cotton fabrics and the corduroys.  Both just didn't feel substantial enough.  Gosh, choosing fabric is sooooooo hard.  Finally, this brown print with little light blue birdies caught my eye.  I actually remember seeing it online, but liked it so much better in person.  I hurried back to the plasticy fabrics to pick out a matching liner material and grabbed some heavy thread, cute bias tape and stabilizer.  

I cut out my pieces using Lukas's bag as a template and then came the tricky part.  I had to figure out the best order to do things in to make this bag go together.  It's a great brain exercise and I was exhausted at the end of all that thinking.  Here's the way I did it... maybe it's not the best method, but it worked.  {This is a long winded description of what I did.  Skip to steps 3, 7, 9, and 11 for the most entertaining parts.}

Step one: Bond stabilizer to outer bottom piece and sew inner bottom piece to outer wrong sides together.

Step two: Sew upper outer piece together on short sides to make a big circle and repeat for inner upper piece.  (Outer upper got a layer of interfacing as well.)

Step three: Attach zipper to the upper pieces in such a way that the end product is the zipper sandwiched between the two and everything is going the right direction.  I originally put my zipper in upside down... the seam ripper lived in my hands during this project.

Step four: Make piping with super cute bias tape and cording.

Step five: Get boyfriend to find you some wire coat hangers to cut and bend to shape bag around the zipper.

Step six: Sew tabs around zipper ends.

Step seven: Attempt to sew bent coat hangers into bag along zipper.  Fail and go interrupt said boyfriend to complain that it is impossible to make this bag.  Require his brilliant thinking abilities to figure a way to make it work.

Step eight: Pin top to bottom with piping in between and attempt to sew it all together.  FAIL.

Step nine: Have boyfriend hold 6 pillows against his chest so you can punch them repeatedly to let off a little steam.  

Step ten: Sew piping to bottom so you don't have to worry about it slipping when you try to sew the top on.

Step eleven: Pin it all together again and curse at the sewing machine while you slowly feed the thing through.  (I'm pretty innocent in my language so my cursing consisted mostly of grumbling and dirty looks, but feel free to let the dirty words fly at this step.)

Step twelve: Sew bias trim on the ugly seam you just made in step eleven.

Step thirteen: Turn right side out and you're done!  

I was actually surprised that it actually turned out ok.  I really like it and will now be using it often.  And for a bit now I don't think I ever want to see another seam ripper again and my finger tips are soar from pressing so hard to get everything through the machine.  Well it was "simple" and "I could make it", but this is way above anything I've ever done before and not half as easy as I thought it would be.  

Then to celebrate my success Lukas gave my photography lesson number two and I got to take some pictures of my bag.  He gave me more pointers on composition.  Like having leading lines isn't enough.  They've got to take you somewhere, to something that makes you want to look. He set up his lighting equipment and we had fun shooting my new bag.  Here are some more pictures to show-off my work...

More paper crafting fun

Well this post is a little over due.  First I was waiting for the card to get there in the mail before posting and then I forgot all about it.  Better late than never, right?

I just happened to come across this old picture of my dad during my last visit home.  I love how coincidental this was - my mom just happened to leave out one of the photo albums, I just happened to page through it while having my lunch, I just happened to be thinking about making my dad a card when I saw this picture of him dressed up as batman -perfect!  My dad had mentioned wanting a copy of this picture of Lukas as batman so I thought it would be great on the card too. 

The front of the card reads: they say a girl chooses a guy that reminds her of her father.

Inside it reads: they might be right.

Again I had fun with my clear stamps!!  Any excuse is a good excuse to use them. 

A day with my dad

I extended my stay down in L.A. when I found out my dad was going to be there before he left for Israel.  After meeting up with him on Sunday we drove around to check out the rentals we have down there.  Boy was that an eye opening experience.  I went to places in Los Angeles I've never been before and never would have ventured into on my own.  I learned how to fix a broken faucet and picked out fixtures with a 13 Mexican kid we'd just met that day.  I got a chance to try my Spanish skills and was surprised at how much I could understand - a word or two there combined with gestures and such.  It was disheartening to see the amount of work that needs to be done on these places.  Lesson learned: Get the right person for the job the first time.  If it's not being done right than they're probably not the right person.

Monday morning my dad and uncle attempted to fix a leaky faucet in my cousin's bathroom.  With much yelling, a little cursing, and lots of sweat they got it apart.  Then we were off to hunt up the parts for a new handle - stem and leaf (I think).  I learned how to tell which came from the hot side and which came from the cold side.  We also drove by a gate to check it out.  My uncle had this guy instal a new gate at his house, but it is darn right ugly.  So, we went to look at similar one done by the same guy - just in different colors.  It was much better.  Then it was on to breakfast - finally.  That was the reason I was tagging along.  

That afternoon my dad and I went to see Slumdog Millionaire.  We both really enjoyed it.  My dad said, "They don't make many movies like that these days."  We may be some of the last people to see this movie, but I'm giving it my recommendation.  

Then it was early to bed, early to rise - 3:45am to be exact.  I delivered my dad to LAX and he was off to Israel.  I made my way back up to Santa Cruz.  Glad to be back up north, glad to have spent some extra time with my dad.  

{The entire weekend with my dad he kept asking, "how come you're not taking pictures of this for your blog?  Is this not blog-worthy?"  So, Aba, this blogs for you.}

Photography: lesson #1

You would think that having a photographer for a boyfriend would inspire me to take up this hobby.  And maybe in a sense he has.  But, stumbling upon this cool blog has pushed me over the edge with photo inspiration.  I've been impressed by the quality of pictures they post and inspired by the styles that shine through.  I've been wishing I could be part of this and therefore, requested my first photography lesson.  

I have been listening when Lukas talks (and talks) about photography - elements that make a good picture, depth of field (DOF), exposure, composition.  It's the putting this all into practice that really intimidates me.  Even the composition part just doesn't come naturally for me and needs development.  We ventured out to the backyard for my first lesson.  With his help I let my ideas for composition guide my choices for setting exposure.  Medium aperture to gain a shallow DOF with a shutter speed fast enough to compensate for my less than steady hand and ISO to make up for the rest to keep it from underexposing.  {wow, I actually, mostly, understand these principles}  It was nice to be given solid time to take pictures and ask questions, to get guidance on compositioning {I don't think that's a word, but I'm going to use it.}  I've found I really like these shallow DOF macro shots.  Something about simplifying things, having the colors be part of the feel of the picture, seeing the every-day stuff in a different way.

My other shot that I really liked from our little lesson session was this one of an old outdoor chair.  

Click here to see Lukas's picture from our session.

Another curious kitty

Maybe I should make this into a multi-part series - curious cats.  Today's post is featuring my uncle's new kitten, Tux.  Tux is a spunky cat with tons of character who loves to play.  He's not above following you around the house, hoping for you to pick up a cat toy and play with him.  And if you're too busy or your arms are tired of dangling the toy he'll just play on his own.  Pouncing, bounding, and making mad dashes all over the house.  

While doing dishes I was putting the clean ones in the dishwasher away.  My uncle has a fancy, two drawer dish washer.  It's very similar to this one.  I had finished putting the pots in the bottom drawer away and was closing up the dishwasher.  The drawer didn't want to slide all the in.  Instead as I pushed on it, it felt like I was hitting a soft stop.  I didn't want to break it so I was being gentle.  I thought, maybe the top drawer needs to be open for the bottom to close.  But that didn't work either.  I could hear a little jingling as I moved the bottom drawer in and out and thought maybe something was broken in there.  I really didn't want to force it.  I had finally given up and was going to ask my uncle how to work his fancy dishwasher when from under the bottom out walked Tux.  He walked without a care in the world.  When the drawer was open and I was putting stuff away he must of scooted under and to the back behind the drawer while I wasn't looking.  The jingling wasn't a broken part - it was the little bell on his collar.  Thank goodness I didn't forcefully try to shut the drawer.  

And then from the dishwasher, Tux moved on to checking out the pots and pans cupboard.  When I tried to get him out, he just wouldn't come.  So, I got my camera instead.  Tux found the perfect spot for a little nap - the big soup pot.  Silly kitty cat!

This little kitten stole my heart.  I'm not really a big animal person.  Not that I don't like them.  It's just that I'm not gaga over them like some people.  I'm more ambivalent about them.  But this little kitty is darn cute.  

Zits

No, not those ugly red and white dots that fill the teenage face.  Zits the comic strip about a hilariously, sarcastic teenage boy and the "trials" of his life.  I'm sure many, many people know about this comic strip but I am going to take my post on 'Z' to share a few favorites.  What makes this comic so great is how closely it mirrors life.  

Like... my dad was working on the computer and was coming up with some error.  He couldn't get it to work right.  My mom, in her sweet way of helping, suggested, "Have you checked the Zip Disk? Just put in a Zip Disk."  But she didn't have a clue what a zip disk is or used for and her suggestion was far from helpful.  Still it was good for a laugh and has become a family joke.

Some times the remind me of stories that are only slightly related.  But they're funny non-the-less.  Like the story my dad loves to tell us from when he was about 6 years old.  He and my uncle decided that instead of taking their nap like they were supposed to they were going to walk to my grandpa's furniture store.  So while my grandma napped and assumed that her boys were napping too they climbed out the bedroom window and walked several blocks to the store.  They were already on their way back by the time the cops came to find them.  To their credit they did take walkie-talkies incase they were separated.  The only problem... the walkie-talkies were connected by a 3 foot wire.  

And I think most people can relate to this next one at least some point in their lives'.  It's all part of growing up and being in that awkward stage between been seen as a child and an adult by your parents.  Maybe there are some jokes you'd never be able to share with your parents just because they are your parents.

I just have to share the next two because I find them very funny.

You can get a daily dose of Zits here or here or I'm sure a bunch of other places too (including probably your local paper).

PS. Another great thing starting with 'Z'... Zoolander! 

"If there is anything that this horrible tragedy can teach us, it's that a male model's life is a precious, precious commodity. Just because we have chiseled abs and stunning features, it doesn't mean that we too can't not die in a freak gasoline fight accident."

-Derek Zoolander

{and now I'm done with my 26 days!}

Baby Booties

Remember when I gave a sneak-peak on this post?  Well, here it is and a few days early too!  

It seems like everyone I know is having babies.  Well, ok, not everyone just some college friends and a friend from grad school.  I happened to find a couple of patterns for booties and thought this would be the perfect time to give them a shot.  

The flowered and puppy dog booties are made following this pattern.   {I love to get inspired by the rest of Heather's website as well.  She does beautiful work.}  I learned a new skill, blanket stitch, for these.  Thank goodness for the endless information that can be found on the internet.  I choose to do the small size and boy are they tiny!  I can't believe these will fit, but if they don't they could be a cute decoration.  

I also really wanted to try these cloth booties.  My search for the correct fabric for the soles took me to Hart's Fabric in Santa Cruz.  I hadn't known about this store before and was excited to find it.  The girl that helped me was very friendly and after coming from Beverly's I was in awe of the amazing fabric options.  Plus they had the fabric I was looking for for the soles - fleecy on one side, suede-like on the other.  Wow, I made a mess sewing the fuzzy soles.  The fuzz went everywhere.  

I was really happy how these turned out.  Now more people need to have babies so I can make some more.  

SPT - Eight is great

Ok, this might technically be an infinity symbol and not and eight, but I thought I could get points for creativity.  And isn't that was this is all about?  

This "eight" graces the bottom of a surfboard mount up on my uncle's wall.  I just happened to be down here for the weekend and was inspired to take this picture by the SPT prompt.  Funny how things just sometimes align like that.  

Can you see me in the picture?  In the right bottom corner.  Too bad I don't have crazy photography skills to get a good reflection picture.  Oh well, something for me to work on.

Now I'll have to keep my eyes open for other 8's in my life.