A Vampire's Plea

Liquids, please--
Only the freshest for me.
Oh, to taste that iron-plated drink
So tangy
So tempting
So dripping of you.
Just one little bite and I'll take flight--
I only seek to sample that which flushes your cheeks
And pumps through your veins
--Blood.

Happy Halloween!

As of late

I feel like a grown-up... or something. I met with my advisor yesterday morning and I will finally be a senior in the spring, but this also means more respoooooonsibilities. I'll be taking Research in Art History which is an independent study and I'll be working on my own research project. At some point and maybe at this particular conference in Texas Dr. Janzen was telling me about, I will give a TALK about my research project. I mean, whoa-- give a TALK?? She said I may need to do this a couple of times at different events.

It also looks like I won't be able to let go of Spanish just yet. Being really fluent in a language will be good to getting into grad. school and French and German are preferred for Art History majors, but I haven't been able to take any of those yet. My advisor told me it's better to just know one other language really well.

My computer is being worked on! I basically got scammed by this company pretending to be an anti-spyware program and they took over my computer and gave me a bunch of viruses. Fun, huh? I was stressing over that and how much it would cost to get it fixed and I took it into Best Buy and remembered that when I bought my laptop two years ago, I had gotten the three-year warranty. So instead of costing $200 to run a diognostic and repair the damage, it was FREE. Score! I miss my little computer-- it has a lot of my pictures on there and all of my music. I should get it back in a couple of days.
EDIT: So, it looks like I'll end up having to pay $200 anyway to get my computer repaired. The Geek Squad called today and said that my warranty only covers the diagnostic and not fixing the infection. So... that's cool. Anyone need to hire a photographer?

There's a trip to England the Art Department is hosting at the end of the Spring semester, and if I go it will satisfy one of my required major classes. The trip would be 12 days and I really want to go! I'm told I can apply for scholarships and such to help fund the cost.

Cupcakes in the park

This afternoon Mom and I bought cupcakes at Daddycakes and took them over to Holliday Park, enjoying the sunshine and crisp Autumn air. I got the Peanut Butter and Chocolate cupcake and it was delightful. We brought a Cookies and Cream cupcake back for my dad, because he's been working so hard on our roof for the last few weeks. I had never been inside the cupcake shop before, but it is quite charming! It's pretty tiny, but there's one little table with a couple of chairs by the window, and the whole inside is decorated in pink. I definitely want to come back just to take some photos of the interior! A particular flavor of cupcake that caught my eye was called "Sugarplum Fairy Princess." It makes me so happy that places like Daddycakes exist!

Shades of Red

I'm never quite sure what to say when asked about my most embarrassing moment, but unfortunately that problem has now been eliminated. If this moment isn't bloggable, I don't know what is!

Yesterday I was eating lunch at Tuptim Thai with some friends. At one point, Tricia excused herself to go to the restroom, but she returned very quickly. She explained that she had tried to open the door, not knowing it was locked and a voice yelled from inside the loo, "In a minute!" I laughed at her story and at all the awkwardness involved in public restrooms-- little did I know I would soon have my own anecdote to tell.

We were all finishing up our meal and I decided to try my luck with the lady's bathoom. I pushed open the door, discovering that it was unlocked and who do we have standing right in front of me but a woman lifting up her skirt and adjusting her hosiery. I quickly apologized and she said very jovially, "Oh, well! It's my own fault for not locking the door and here I am adjusting my stuff."

When I went back to the table, I looked around to make sure the woman was not within range of audibility and I began telling the girls my little awkward bathroom encounter. I have this love for storytelling (if you couldn't tell just by my writing this post!) and sometimes it can get me into trouble. I had just finished the story with the quote from the lady about adjusting when a voice interjects-- "Uh, I don't have any stuff."

It was the lady and she had been sitting at the table right next to us, with me completely unaware! My whole body froze-- I couldn't remember how to speak and I giggled nervously. I looked to Tricia in stunned silence and she saved me with declaring, "Well! We should all probably get going, huh?" She didn't have to work hard to persuade me! I quickly paid and I cannot recall a time when I wanted to leave a place so badly! I'm sure my face was as red as my Lumberjacket that I was wearing. I am a classy and tactful lady, huh??

So, here's the moral of this fanatical story, kids: If you have an awkward encounter with someone, wait until you are outside of the situation to retell it. Then you can cackle and quote all you want in a safe place with safe people.

Elena has been tagged...

... By my good friend, Racquel on her blog. Here are the rules of this little game I'm supposed to play, but like her-- I will only follow a couple of them, because that's just how I ROLL! Also, you should check out my very first poll to your right >>>


1. I love dance movies, regardless if it has a poorly constructed plot and awful acting (i.e. Centerstage)-- I also recently saw Step Up and I do confess that I loved all the hip hop moves. Okay, I am going to take that hip hop dance class next semester!

2. From the age of four to six (?-- Help me out, Ren), I wore these black pants-- you know the ones with the stirrups?? I wore them about everyday, along with my favorite hair accessories-- red bow scrunchy, purple and teal headbands, etc. I started doing my own hair when I was four, and I used to pull it back so tightly that I began getting BALD spots on the sides of my head! Freaky!

3. I have the weirdest, horrific and most vivid dreams than anyone I have ever met. Mostly, they involve a strange animal or person chasing me and bent on killing me-- all while I try to do something to prevent it, but I cannot. On more than one occasion, I have woken up screaming, kicking the air or yelling, "HELP!" Possibly due to an overactive imagination, perhaps?

4. When I was in eighth grade, I had this huge hamster named Penny who took up half of her cage-- that's how obese she was. She occasionally got stuck in her tube and bit my friends. I grew tired of her shenannigans and sold Penny at our garage sale for $5, along with all of her belongings.

5. Now, I know probably a lot of you are cat fans, so if you are feel free to stop reading this one, because it might offend you. Cats make me want to throw up and die. I abhor these strange creatures. They are unsanitary (rolling around in their filthy litter boxes and then walking all over the kitchen counter tops?? No, thank you), selfish, smug and they don't ever come to you when you call for them. Oh yeah, plus I'm allergic-- so there's that small problem.

6. Sometimes I wish I were a guy just so that I could grow a beard. That would look a little funny on a woman, unless she had aspirations of joining a circus family.

7. I have a pretty high pain tolerance. My mom likes to tell this story of how when I was three years old, I shut the front door on one of my toes-- and the nail was hanging by a thread. But the amazing thing is that I didn't even cry-- I just stared at my loose toenail all curious-like and just pulled the thing off! But okay, if you shoot me in the arm, I'll probably cry.

Hello, lurkers.

There have been a few people who have said to me in the last few weeks, "I was reading on your blog..." Yes, I'm referring to YOU-- the person who reads and doesn't leave a comment, perhaps you don't even have a blog. But I'm gonna pull a Rachel WaMills and invite you to say hello, even if that's all you say. I'm just curious as to who all reads this crazy thing! There. Now do your thing.

The Mirror Has Two Faces

This is another watercolor/charcoal piece I did over the summer and it is still not complete. I feel quite vulnerable in posting this, so please be nice-- hehe. I based this image off of an actual photograph, even though this looks nothing like what was originally photographed-- kinda funny how things morph into a totally different direction than you originally intended. I actually kind of hate the left side of the page-- and I think it would be cool to maybe incorporate a real mirror into the flatness of the drawn mirror. I don't know-- it definitely needs more work, but I thought I'd show at least another piece I've been working on. You are all among the very first to see this!

My new favorite accessory

Tricia gave me this little camera pin that a classmate of hers handmade. I think it's fantastic! Maybe I should wear it at my very first paid photography job in December??

Art History Lesson

Several months ago, Renae asked me to do a blog post explaining a work of art I am studying in one of my art history courses to further understand my love of art. So, here is the promised post that is long overdue!

In the Art of the Renaissance, we just finished our section on Italian Art and have begun studying the Northern Renaissance-- a period which produced truly delightful images! When people reference the Northern Renaissance, they are generally referring to old Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and an area called Burgandy, which was situated in modern-day France and Switzerland.

A lot of illuminated manuscripts were produced during this time, an art form that many miniaturist painters perfected. An illuminated manuscript is basically just how it sounds-- the page displays very fancy text and is usually accompanied by the addition of decoration such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations. It was typically reserved for special books and wealthy people often had richly decorated "Books of Hours" or prayer books on display in their houses to show off their wealth and possessions.

This page is from a Book of Hours and you notice the prominent use of blue color. Most illuminated manuscripts were done on a vellum paper, which was cost-effective and the most popular choice for many artists. Illuminators usually mixed their own colors, so the inks and dyes are varied in different images. The most expensive blue ink contained lapis lazuli which was imported from Persia. The lapis was crushed to a fine powder and washed multiple times to separate the deeply-colored particles from the rest of the stone. It was then mixed with size and applied with a brush.

A particular illuminated manuscript I want to focus on is Pucelle's Arrest of Christ and Annunciation to the Virgin, which was completed in 1325. Pucelle was a major French book illuminator, painter and specialized in miniature painting. He had an independent workshop in Paris and created a special Book of Hours for the French queen at that time-- Jeanne d'Evreux. She was only the queen of France for about three years, but she was a huge patron of the arts and was renowned for her piety. She is visible in the "D" below with a closer view onto the page:

These two scenes-- the arrest of Christ and the Annunciation--act as a religious narrative, but also as a commentary on what is going on in the world at the time. At the bottom of the page, or bas de page, with the scene on the right there is a courtly game of tag being played by a group of women. This directly parallels the narrative above of the Annunciation--dabbling with the image below of the angel tagging Mary as "It."

In the scene on the left--the arrest of Christ-- there is a game of comical jousting by knights riding on goats, rather than horses, at the bottom of the page. This is a playful interlude paralleling the Roman soldiers above.

Pucelle uses a technique called grisaille, or shades of grey--making the figures resemble sculpture, with touches of color added for faces, haloes and some still-life details. This style emphasizes a certain aspect of painted realism: three-dimensional modelling and relative placement in space. Grisaille also suggests a kind of half-life or emergent life, as sculptural ideal becomes incarnate in living flesh.

There is the conclusion of today's art history lesson-- I hope you have all been enlightened and I hope you can see why I find all of this so fascinating!

Harriet M. Welsch

Harriet the Spy came out in 1996, and I loved it. I loved it so much, I wanted to be just like her. Having already attained aspirations of being a world-class detective, I decided that it was time I donned my own cool spy notebook so I went with my friend Heather to the store and bought one.

I wrote on the cover "Secret Detective Notebook," although I'm not sure why I couldn't have been more secretive about it. Anyway... One of my favorite things to do at this time in my life was to carry my composition notebook down the alleys close to my house. I dug through people's trash--finding breakup letters, keys and empty chocolate boxes and peeked inside the windows of houses where I thought things might "go down." Yes, I'm sure many privacy laws were violated, but what other choices do you have when you're a secret spy? I still have that love for mystery, only now I don't try to solve petty neighborhood cases, or any cases for that matter. I wish I could find that notebook! I think I even drew pictures...

I've decided to pay tribute to my strange obsession with spydom and have decided to be Harriet the Spy for Halloween. All I need is a yellow raincoat, a magnifying glass, black Chuck Taylor's, official composition notebook and an eye for the peculiar.

In doing a google search on my costume, this face came up:

And I realized that it's our little Harriet M. Welsch all grown up-- and not only that, but she played Sarah Michelle Gellar's sister on Buffy!

Harriet M. Welsch: "I want to remember everything. And I want to know everything."
Ole Golly: "Well, you must realize, Harriet, knowing everything won't do you a bit of good unless you use it to put beauty in this world. True or false?"
Harriet M. Welsch: "True."
Ole Golly: "Of course it is."

Lot's Wife

Lately, I have been looking over my shoulder a lot, trying to recreate moments from the past. I mourn the fact that so many things have changed in the last few years without my wanting them to. I realize that it's very silly to cling to old memories and not create new ones-- I just can't help but say, "Remember that one time...?"

I've been very caught up in feelings of nostalgia, wishing some things had turned out differently than they have-- Why am I so needy when it comes to friendships? Why must every friend be so dear to me? Why must the loss of a friend hurt so badly? I had many many close friends move away from me to their new lives in other states over the years and I think that those experiences have turned my heart into a huge pile of mush. I would think the opposite might happen-- that my heart should harden and I would have trouble lettting people in. But the truth is, and here is my honest confession, that once I make a friend I don't treat them flippantly-- they are my treasure.

I guess I'm having trouble accepting the hard truth that some friends have moved on and people change and people come into your life for a reason at a significant time. Yes, I must accept this-- and I cannot keep looking back and wishing. And yes, I just focused on friends here, but it's not just that-- it's just a general feel of the way things used to be.

And life right now isn't horrible by any means-- it's quite wonderful and I am blessed, indeed. My fear is that if I keep looking back, then I am going to miss out on what's ahead and I don't want to make those mistakes. I want to live my life fully for Jesus-- I want what He wants and that's all. I want to live Jim Elliot's motto and wherever I am, "to be all there."

All you need to know about Elena:

Seemingly shy and quiet on the surface:

Crazy and slightly unstable upon further inspection:

Flickr Photo Survey

I stole this form Magen/Reagan's blog, only I used Flickr, because I'm just a rebel like that! Here's how it works: Figure out your answers for each of the below questions. Put your answer into a Google/Flickr image search. Grab the first interesting image for each answer, and post the images on your blog.

Enjoy!

1. The age you will be on your next birthday

2. A place to which you'd like to travel

3. Your favorite place

4. Your favorite person

5. Your favorite food

6. Your favorite animal

7. The town in which you were born

8. The name of a past pet

9. The first name of a past love

10. Your favorite color

11. Your first name

12. Your middle name

13. Your last name

My Geek Status

So, two posts today to make up for yesterday's missing one. Plus, I'm at work right now and it's super quiet! Jan is gone today, so it's just me sitting at the desk on the main floor. I feel like... you know those nights when your parents are at one of their little events and you have the whole house to yourself? It kinda feels like that now. "Mom" is gone and I have the gallery to myself without someone telling me to warn visitors about not touching the cases or leaving drinks by the door. It's nice.

Today on the Washburn website, they listed the courses already lined up for next Spring. Being the school nerd I am, I seriously get really excited about which ones will be taught! And this is even a whole month before the earliest enrollment date! Okay, so here are some I'm thinking about:

-Baroque Art (yesssss!!)
-Chemistry in Context (one of those sissy chemistry classes-- exactly my kind of science class)
-Research in Art History
-Printmaking
-Stats (trying to decide whether to save this for next year...)
-Yoga or Hip hop (I think it would be sooooo fun and I just want to dance again!)
-History of Modern Western Philosophy (Hello, Mr. Sarte)
-Romantic/Victorian Lit (even though I'm pretty sure I fulfilled my English electives a way long time ago!)

I'll probably only take anywhere from 15-17 hours, so I won't be able to take all of these. I guess I have a little time to think about them, huh? ;)

TGIF... anyone remember that amazing ABC lineup?

I didn't blog yesterday, which ends my continuous daily blogging streak since Friday, September 26th. Nothing big to report, but I'll tell you little snippets of my week:

1. I got an antibiotic for my mutated sickness that has turned into a sinus infection. Woot!

2. Spanish class is killing me. Why did I decide to take this class again?

3. I had to buy a $50 online program to kill the virus that has infected my computer and I was scared silly because all of my Maine and Colorado pictures only exist in the files on my computer. But, crisis averted, and my computer is well again and I'm gradually taking off pictures and storing them on CD's.

4. I led Bible study on Monday night and I was spiritually fed by the amazing girls who go each week. This Bible study is a huge blessing this semester!

5. I stayed up all night on Tuesday to get my paper and presentation ready for class on Wednesday. I did get to sleep for a few hours, but three cups of coffee, a bad morning and a mental breakdown later, I was not feeling so great. However, my presentation did go smoothly.

6. I got an A+ on the Renaissance Art test I took on Tuesday. Score!! Does that constitute bragging rights?

For you, Rennie...

Make it stop, make it stop!

I've heard a constant ringing in my right ear all last night and today. This is due to my newly diagnosed sinus infection, of course. But maybe I should pull a Van Gogh and just cut it off?

What Breaks my Heart

There are tentative plans for USD 501 to buy the campus grounds of the Topeka State Hospital and if this plan turns into a reality, then a third of the campus buildings will be destroyed-- including the iconic center building. They claim that this building is too unsound for anyone to go in and instead of paying maintenance fees, they are just going to destroy this Topeka treasure.

I heard on the news that the Topeka Historical Preservation Society is trying to prevent this from happening, so perhaps there is some hope. Here is the link to the full article in the paper: http://cjonline.com/stories/100608/bre_landbuy.shtml

I am torn by two opposing emotions-- the first is just utter heartbreak. I discovered this beautiful building years ago when I was first learning to drive with my mom. It later became an obsession as I sought to find a way into this abandoned building-- something that actually became a reality three years ago with a friend of mine. But that is another story itself-- I could write a whole post about that amazing experience.

The other emotion I feel is just sheer outrage at the Man and I want to shout a line from one of my favorite movies directed at the powers that be: "Damn the Man, Save the Empire!!" This being a reference to Empire Records in saving a small record store to defy the corporate "Man." I want to protest and prostrate myself in front of potential bulldozers and scream, "NOT THIS, TOO! DESTROY THIS AND YOU WILL DESTROY ME!"

At least we got to have a little post-wedding celebration at this wonderful spot when Spiro was here...

Assignment Checklist

Does it freak anyone else out that it's almost halfway through the semester already?? The month of October is lovely, but extremely busy for me school-wise and I think I may only be able to truly enjoy the last week or so of this month.

Things to get done this month:

1. Paper/Presentation for Business of Art (tomorrow--halfway done at this point in the evening)
2. Renaissance paper proposal and research bibliography (still need to pick a topic!)
3. Human Impact quiz, e-mail assignment, and test
4. 32 Online Spanish activities
5. Big essay for EN 300
6. Spanish test and oral exam

Deep breaths. Okay, that's really not as bad as I built it up in my head. I think it's just stressful for me right now, because I am still sick-- yes, after two weeks of misery, STILL SICK! I think I'm going to try going to the campus health clinic tomorrow because I think this weird sickness has turned into a sinus infection. My body needs to make up its mind of whatever I'm sick with... I can't seem to get better! All I want to do is rest but there is always something to get done for school.

At least after tomorrow, I will not be as stressed because presentations freak me out-- I get so nervous talking in front of a group of people. For some reason, I can joke around and be the center of attention if I'm trying for laughs or being silly, but if I actually need to be serious, I freak. That's probably my insecurities coming out, huh?

I've decided that I'm going to Lawrence on Saturday for some refreshment and new inspiration. Maybe I'll check out the latest exhibits at the Spencer or go to a couple thrift stores, grab some coffee and forget my cares. Anyone is welcome to join me if you also need an escape from the stress of your life, too!

Doth here live a Harry Potter fan?

I found this little treasure as I was walking around downtown the other day and the inner dweeb in me squealed.

Art Auction + Book Suggestions

Tonight I helped out at the gallery auction in the Union tonight. The mirrors that were displayed in the upstairs gallery for the last month were auctioned off tonight and it was a lot of fun! I hadn't ever helped with an auction, let alone even been to one before and it was pretty exciting. Two other work-study students besides myself carried the mirrors around to each table as they were up for bidding. I got to be the Vannah White of mirrors as the auctioneers went crazy trying to stir up the rich to hand over the big dollars. The highest mirror that sold tonight went for over $550! This was a fundraiser to support the museum and the art lab, so tickets to this event were not cheap. I got to wear a pretty dress and help myself to a glass of wine at the open bar and some fancy desserts when I got done displaying the mirrors. It was also enjoyable to see other gallery workers since I rarely get to interact with them.

I really would like a good book to read, so I am taking open suggestions here on my blog. I'm really up for anything-- fantasty, adventure, theology, a biography, non-fiction, something Donald Miller-ish-- Really just a book that you personally love and would recommend! So, please-- shout them out.

On the mind...

I feel like this little guy, because like a good student I have squandered away my free time lately by just doing nothing and now I am way beyond overwhelmed. I have about a billion things to do-- and they all nicely came up around the same time and are all due in the next few days.

I'm still a bit sick and all I want to do is sleep and rest and try to get feeling back to normal, but there is no time. This semester is very hard... I don't remember having this much homework in my previous semesters, unless I just forgot and tried to block it out? I do a lot of my homework when I'm at work, but there's still always more to get done when I get home.

This year has a very different feel in general... so much about my life has changed a lot in the last few years. I still feel like I'm in a weird transition in regards to friends, church, etc. I just feel like I'm a constant state of flux trying to get back to normalcy... which brings me to another Art History image: Oh, Mondrian. I really like you. I'm sorry you're so misunderstood.

Anyhow, some really cool new things this year that are exciting: I've been wanting just more FELLOWSHIP lately, so I joined a couple Bible studies-- one for older girls in Challenge. It's more like a sisterhood and I've really learned a lot from these ladies so far-- they are awesome and so welcoming. I've also been wanting to meet more people at FBC since I really do want to make it my church more, and I'm starting a small group next week with a few other girls who attend Washburn.

I think your 20's are so unsettling. People constantly come in and out of your life, friendships change, people move away, friends get married, etc. I don't know how to explain how I feel about all of this other than feeling unsettled. Honestly, I feel like right now there are very few people in my life I can still relate to, being a single woman with pretty much no responsibilities and having no desire for a relationship. I think it can be both the easiest and hardest thing to be single. People forget what it's like. But I think the most valuable thing to a single person is genuine and sincere friendships. I'm so blessed by having a few strong friendships with women I know I can laugh with, cry with and share the most vulnerable places in my sentimental heart. And there's my Jesus whom I know I can ALWAYS rely on. He is always there to hold my hand in these lonely times when I'm so tired of facing the world alone.

Why I love my hair straightener:

Pre (aka Wild Lion Mane) vs. Post Straightened:

After straightening the hair, it also magically adds makeup, a smile and the Lumberjacket, of course.

VP Debates Tonight

....Should be very entertaining, I think, hehe. :) I'm going to miss them, because I will be spending some time with my bosom friend Tricia!

The poll board is full on Election Day, so I'm signed up as an alternate to help with things should they need me. I feel so political!

O'Dooley's with Grace

We celebrated the first day of October by spending a little time at this warm and fun Irish pub, discussing politics and the world of work.