Photo Flurry 124 – Secovlje Salt Pans
Slovenia is dreamy in every way imaginable. This was yesterday. You can read more about these salt pans here and the centuries-old salt-harvesting process here.
Antiviral: Cronenberg Resurrected
It’s been a while since I felt compelled to write about a cultural artifact, but the tide is turning. A couple of days ago I was in the twilight zombie state between consciousness and sleep, browsing the US Netflix site for something stupid and fun to watch, when a description caught my eye: Antiviral – This wild sci-fi vision imagines a freaky future where diseases caught by celebrities are put on the market for injection by their obsessed fans. The …
Operation I – Hunting and Gathering
Our first dinner in the Dublin apartment, just over a month ago: duck and fried rice from the late-night take-away place across the road, washed down with some good, cheap Chilean Merlot. It was perfect, but after two weeks’ worth of take out and pub food during our apartment hunt, we were in dire need of fresh produce. Exhibit A: When we first moved in, we were happy to find a mini-grocery store on our block… Happy until our first …
Photo Flurry 123 – Sundrops in Glendalough
On Sunday, G, our new friend Michael and I packed a picnic and drove an hour and a half west to Glendalough, where not only did we get to explore an indelible part of historic Ireland, but to also truly feel the scope of Irish weather. We experienced everything from icy wind and rain to warm breeze and hot summer sunshine – all in a matter of five hours spent walking around one of the most beautiful green places I’ve …
Photo Flurry 122 – Wet Leaves, Wet Pavement
I’ve been ignoring a fever since last week, but it hasn’t stopped me from continuing to get familiar with my surroundings, including Phoenix Park, where I just spent two rainy hours. ` This may not have cured me (I almost titled this post “Wet in Dublin”. Help.), but the open space, fresh air and all the rain smells certainly made me feel better while I was there. Also: came across a large herd of deer and shot a number of exploratory …
Operation I – Docked. Well.
Current status: bloomers and a mermaid tank top, cup of chilled black tea in hand, a sleeping Micron at my feet. A quiet “Ahhh” can be heard wafting through our new home, as things begin to glide into place. With some good advice from friends and readers, we’ve slowly began to build up our arsenal of spices, teas and cookware. There is plenty of settling and exploring in to be done, but we’re well on our way, with a superb apartment …
Flash-mobbin’ the Observatory with Annah and Josh
A big Dublin update is coming on Monday, but first I’d like to share some photos I took before leaving, near the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles during my dear homeslice Annah’s wedding. Annah, whom you should know as TheBelleFace on the ‘wubs, is one of my longest-time friends. We met at the San Francisco Art Academy dorms in 1998, when I was taking a summer comic book illustration class. We’ve seen each other through countless moves, loves and changes, and her marrying …
Operation I – Going Away Shenanigans
I’m holed up in Manhattan, surrounded by a six suitcases and sleeping people, waiting for coffee and Micron’s final pre-Ireland vet appointment – mandatory de-worming must take place within three days of travel. Yesterday was the best. In thirty-eight hours we’ll be on a plane to Dublin. Last week, we U-Hauled our things from NorCal to my storage unit in LA, stopping at Matt‘s place for a couple of days. I shipped some art pieces to collectors, met Courtenay at my favorite vegan place, …
Operation I – Loose Ends
Just a little update while I take a green-tea-and-sesame-pudding break from final packing hour. I’ve taken on the role of Chief Relocation Officer while G finished up last-week deadlines at his soon-to-be-former job, and this week was all about catching him up on my research and the tying up of loose ends, namely: Initiating the application for a bank account, which is essential for renting an apartment in Dublin More apartment browsing! Still undecided, but here is a view at …
Operation I: The Meaning of Stuff
(Source.) It’s been a week since my last Operation I post. For those of you just joining us, my significant other, my significant chihuahua and I are in the midst of a temporary move from Northern California to Dublin, Ireland (hence the “I”, hurr durr) – and believe you me, it’s been quite the involved operation so far. Far from daunting, though, because I love moving, always have. I remember fantasizing about packing up and heading somewhere new when I was as …
Operation I – Step One: Moving Micron
Micron is my beloved space-cockroach, my favorite nano-beast, the one and only chihuahua of my heart. It’s Day One of Ireland-related planning, and, of course, dog-travel is the first point of order. As of 3:15PM, I’ve spent about four hours researching, getting quotes, and talking with vets to fully understand what it takes to move a small dog from California to Dublin. Turns out it’s an expensive pain in the royal butts, but it could have been worse: until last …
Pulling Up Stakes: Goodbye USA, Hello Ireland
I’m writing the first half of this while convincing myself to drink two more glasses of water with promise of a nightcap. Dehydration is not my usual game, but I’ve been at my desk for seven solid hours wrapping up a commission, with three more to go in an attempt to complete as many of these as possible this week, because next week marks the beginning of mad preparations for Operation I. Rewind to seven months ago. My steady writing …
Photo Flurry 121 – Revisiting the Paris Catacombs
The first time I visited the Paris catacombs, it was the summer of 1999 and I was spending one month riding the EuroRail and sleeping in hostels (and on floors, and in parks) while backpacking across six European countries with my best friend. It was the greatest thing we could think to do after my graduation – our goal was to visit as many of the attractions listed in the Weird Europe travel guidebook as we could – so we …
Photo Flurry 120 – Electric Fun at Maker Faire 2013
Maker Faire is one of the very few Bay Area events that I’ve actually manged to attend since moving here six months ago. It was a lot less conference-centric than I had hoped, but as far as fairs go, it was great. Exhibitors were all super-friendly and genuinely loved talking about their goods, plus I got to catch up with friends, so – whee! And of course I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures amidst all the clamorous excitement, though …
Inkdrops 029 – Alkonost Tattoo Commission
Click image to see her bigger. Alkonost || Tattoo design* for Claire This was incredibly fun to work on. Little-known fact: I drew another graphite Alkonost a few years ago for an unrealized project – it was never posted anywhere because… Well, it sucked. Having a second chance to explore the theme of one of my favorite Russian mythological creatures was pure redemption and delight – I actually want to draw more of these now, but have to work on …