this weekend i got to see a chicken eat a mouse.
that is my second mouse filled weekend in a row.
what will happen this weekend?

(maybe i should start shooting for mousse instead of mouse?)

oh the green agony!
i just spent about 30 minutes trying to figure out which new checks to buy. being the penny-pincher that i am (and because i am not yet fully switched over to a bank that provides me with free checks, and almost out of checks from my old account...) i researched how much they would be to purchase through my bank, and then did some wonderful google work to see how much checks are elsewhere. these are the conclusions i came to...
1. my bank checks are at least $5 more expensive.
2. i can buy just one box (200 checks, w/o duplicates) of cheap checks with an over-the-top design for $9.95 including s&h.
3. i could buy environmentally friends checks at the check gallery. this third option really interested me, and i checked (no pun intended) it out. they have a special offer for new customers of $9.95 for the first box of checks, and only $.95 for the second. i got excited...but it turns out they have a two box minimum. plus $4.50 for the first box and $1.50 for additional boxes in shipping, plus $1.50 per box handling fee.
my conscience had quite a debate (can it have a debate, or can it just be challenged). here are the things i pondered.
a) recycled, soy based inks are great...i should support that.
b) i don't need two boxes of checks. it takes me about 8 years to use a box of checks, so a second box would be wasteful. what is the value of one box of conventionally produced and printed (and possibly made with recycled paper, not sure) checks versus a wasteful 2 boxes of guaranteed recycled, soy-based ink boxes. how do i even start to weight that.
c) the enviro checks required shipment through dhl, which i would consider to be more wasteful than the usps, which the conventional checks offer (for free). i love the usps.
d) yes, price $9.95 versus $19.90.
i will leave you in suspense readers...and i will return in some days with my answer.

it's getting cold here, and it's almost like there is a permanant mister hitting the city. ok, it just feels like that today, probably because i spent most of the day outside shoveling, forking and hauling chip and leveling out land, and it was great and i am tired. so all i want to do is listen to the indigo girls (sigh, i know) or watch alias and eat fudge chocolate ice cream and drink hot chocolate and curl up with a blanket and be cozy. which is fun. but first i will bike to the store and buy some pork, because i need it for this fantastic recipe i will be making for dinner. oh, that's right, it's the night when everyone goes out to celebrate halloween. my costume will be "pajama party" and i will celebrate in my living room. no body latex paint or french maid costumes or sugar candy for me...just a good night of sleep and some delicious food. and tomorrow a choir perfomance which i am quite excited to go to, and work...because i like work. and if you haven't checked out the bag of the week, you should do it now...because it's coming down tomorrow (because it already sold). ok, i should probably practice my coherence before i write anything publicly. time to turn the compost in my hot rubber boots!

oh geez! life is so exciting.
this morning i had a great meeting outside, and then i spent all day cooped up (oh how i wish i could be a mother to some urban chickens) rolling out 5 different versions of the mysterios new 'joy bag' for the upcoming fall/winter line. the design for this bag came to me in a flash of smoke and lights (ok, not really, but it did come from nowhere, instantly) and i was so excited to finish putting it together today. the shape and style is cute, and the detail work (in my own self-impressed opinion) is very cute. i'm so excited. if it's sunny tomorrow i'll take some pictures and be one step closer to having the new website completed...but no sneak peeks on the new items until the website re-launch, which should be the first week of november (just in time for the new duct tales newsletter). the new bag is just so cute, and i hope every duct tape lover in america feels that way. tomorrow i get on to prototyping the smaller pieces (joy cuff, coin catcher, new id wallet-envelope clutch and checkbook holder) i'm so excited. alright, back to work for me.

oh, and this is going to be the best week ever. (for you and for me)

does anyone have any chocolate?

there is something so wonderful about being out and about in nature, even if it's just for a day or two. i was lucky enough to spend the weekend camping in a snowshelter with this wonderful view at lake Timpanogas. ahhh, fresh air and water, it's the best.

this week will bring the finalization of the new website and the fal and winter line. also, lots of new items for the ruby martini show in two weekends. and, if my math is correct, meri will be in town which is very exciting. i also get to give blood and see sarah vowell, what could be better.

i am so excited about the pieces that will be coming up soon. one imparticular, it will have a certain girlish flair that has been missing on the site for a while.

it feels like there is so much to say, but i can't summon any of it right now. so, back to work for me. happy week!

at least i am back to posting weekly, instead of every other month. here is the run down...things are getting busy in the studio for the holiday season, i can feel it coming on. business is getting busier around town too, now that i am a bit more plugged in to the scene and have a wider network of amigos. i'm very excited to put together a nice collection for the ruby martini show on november 5th (at core source from 11 to 4pm) in ne portland. leave me a message for more info. shows are a nice way of meeting people and getting the word out, showing the new line (yay) and getting rid of old pieces that seem like they are going to live in the studio forever. and, it's going to be sarah's first show. i'll be in a class all weekend, so the goods will be managed by her. it's nice to have the added (and much appreciated) teamwork around the studio. i am also so excited to keep developing the website. the new front page is up at vanessajean.com, so check it out and report back about how you like it. it should be running by the end of the week, depending on how many more orders come in (it's so hard to prioritize web design when there feels like more pressing work to do!) either way, it's a good time. also, the fall/winter line should be out in no time, just trying to pare it down to a sturdy collection instead of a few (but great) mishmashed designs. i'm going to be introducing a duct tape pin (you know, a brooch, but trendier) and the stationery is going to come back...although this time it will be much cooler.

as for me, i'm still plugging along at all the other important things in my life! i finally feel like i have a social situation here that i am incredibly happy with (saturday plans for the past two weeks!) and i am moving in the educational and professional directions i want. the benefit of having a work-for-yourself schedule is that you can volunteer on all sorts of projects, which i am trying to maximize. right now i am doing (ok, just starting) some classroom based learning for the psu FEED program, and hopefully getting to work on the farm space more too. i am also taking some permaculture courses with the portland permaculture institute which is incredibly exciting! i am also still riding my bike alot and enjoying the last few sunny days before the need to build an arc sets in here. oh well. also, i have discovered the wonders of acupuncture, and i recommend it all around. ok, back to work...

ok, now it's really been a long time. this is the effect of not having wireless internet in the house or studio, which is prohibitively expensive...and i can't get an unprotected connection in my apartment...oh well. so, here's the run down. pictures of fall prototypes online now. the home page will be redone in the next day (finally!) and then the rest of the facelift for the website will commence. so exciting! the fall/winter line is wrapping up splendidly, and it's just a matter of getting everything up on the site, and all should be superb for a holiday-time re-launch. maybe we'll celebrate with a sale! i've been awash with inspiration lately, from pins (to come) to all kinds of crazy new scissors and hole-making devices, to chinese food to throw-back pendants. it feels great to get some down time to just design. and the bag of the week goes up tomorrow too. i will give you a sneak preview of the items right here...right now...right below...

unfortunately there wasn't superb light by the time i finished them, but i think they will clean up ok, or hopefully it will be sunny tomorrow. on left...polka meri: kelly green with a case of the pink polka dots. on the left: meri sophisticate: olive with pink circles. the dots are hand punched into the duct tape, and they look fantastic.
other things we are working on..re-formating some of the pages on the site that have been a mystery until now (the item detail pages) and developing our environmental policy that will be posted on the site. we are well aware that duct tape is not good for the environment, and we do our best to make up for it with our intense waste reduction, recylcing, re-use and renewable energy policies. more to come on the website.

on the personal side, i have spent the first 4 days into my 25th year of life as a happy woman who has enjoyed a couple extra naps, a couple extra hours to sleep in, a couple extra miles on the bike each day, and a belly full of gluten free birthday treats (thanks gals!). lots more personal stuff, but we'll have to save it for another day.

oh, and vanessa jean is celebrating its 3rd birthday this november...that's a great reason to have a sale!

wow!
i can't believe it's been so long! not like you care, because you probably don't read this blog that often anyway...and my insights aren't all that insightful...so there.

about two months ago i moved to a nice little studio+ apartment in the southeast part of town. as of yet, it doesn't have internet access yet (me = cheap and lazy), so my visits to the local coffee shop for hit or miss internet service focus mainly on, well, more important things.

but i just got an e-mail from bas about the creation of this blog which made me think about blogging again.

but this post will have to be put on hold, as mom, sarah and i are going to the museum and for tea. until then...cheers.

new items!
it's been a long time since i've posted anything debuting some new duct tape stuff...and i've promised it to so many people. anyhow, enjoy these duds.


this is a new mini alice in avocado with brown trim. sure, that's cute...but it also has some amazing features. the leaf is a special addition, and it's actually on a snap fastener, which means it's removeable! the coolest part is that when the leaf is removed, there's a cool flap that flips over from the inside and snaps on there...it looks cute, and you can snap your keys in there too!


this mini maron bag, in white with traditional black velvet handles features a custom made cherry design on the front. cheers!

a rough draft of the infamous indy wallet.


one of the new messenger bags i've been messing with. not only cool new stripes (and stripe technology!) but also an adjustable nylon strap with a buckle closure (helps get it on and off easily).

ok, there's more to come! blogger doesn't want me to post any more pictures now.

i've changed from a boring blogger to a non-existent blogger...
time to change that!

lots and lots and lots has happened in the last 3 weeks, and i am going to list them here, mostly because i really like lists...

1. i got medical insurance. although this might be the most mundane thing on the list, it's my most favorite, because now i am less petrified about being hit by a car, coming down with something odd, or getting pink-eye...and my insurance covers (partly) 'non-traditional' therapies (acupuncture here i come!). that is exciting. my life is about to get so much better.
2. i went to iowa for 4 days. des moines. it was really fun. i met lots of very nice people, played catch, ate chicken with a can in the butt, slept in a camper, played with guns, met the friendliest cat ever, started a campfire, and had lots of nice talks. i'm sure there is even more (like the really fun red-eye flight, someone please remind me to never do that again)that i can't think about now...but that's just because there was so much stuff that happened.
3. i went to san francisco for all of 26 hours. however, they were some of the best hours ever. it's always nice to see old friends, and meet their boyfriends as well.
4. did i mention i got health insurance. i'm going to get my ears cleaned out.
5. my real-person job got extended through the end of july. i will enjoy the friendly paychecks, computer work and co-workers, but the hours of schlepping by bike are losing excitement.
6. i won tickets to a concert (sadly not the indigo girls) during the opb pledge drive. it's on the 4th of july. yay.
7. i got to help build cob structures, my new passion in life.
8. an upcoming grantwriting class makes me excited.
9. permaculture classes and learning is in my future. yipppeeee.
10. engagements. it's started. in the last 3 weeks three of my friends have e-mailed me announcing their engagements. i knew it would start sometime, i'm just glad it's happened with a rush. much congrats and good luck to the recent engagee-s (2 of whom may still read this blog)...i'm pretty darn thrilled for you.
11. the garden is beautiful! the gardening effort started out small scale, and pretty hopeless. s and i didn't really know what we were doing out there. a few lucky things happened to make the garden look at pretty and taste as good as it does. we are lucky enough that our small plot is surrounded by the green-thumb work of some very good gardeners. so not only does their lush greenspace make ours look better, but they've also been wonderful about giving helpful hints, as well as just creating a good garden to learn from. things to harvest now and soon: green lettuce, red lettuce, bok choy, english? cabbage. we've already worked through the peas. the tomatoes are growing (the first one is already much bigger than a golf ball) and has almost 10 little brothers and sisters to match. the corn transplants continue to grow, and the seeds are coming up too. things to look forward to: chinese cabbage, carrots, arugula, some other fancy salad green, basil & dill. some long shot hopefuls include squash, muskmelon and watermelon. keep your fingers crossed about those.
12. the succulent plants are doing fantastically, and s adopted some new jade and aloe from iowa. what a little succulent garden is growing inside of doors.
13. i'm undoubtedly leaving many important things off this list, but that's ok.
i'm going to enjoy the rest of this beautiful day by cleaning my space and cooking a delicious meal! what happy times!

wahooooo!!!
would anyone in pdx like to come with me?

mornings are the best joyful quiet time ever, i love them, yay! yesterday was an uber-productive day, and those are my favorite. the one thing i didn't get to do was fix the problems going on with my sinuses. weird stuff, but no pain. it's amazing how the stuff in our bodies is connected.
things i am excited about:
visiting san francisco this weekend!!!
visitng iowa next week/end
getting rid of my darn cough
building a bike kayak trailer
creating some new duct tape accessories
finishing my long-lost quilt project
building a hanging lamp
making cute aprons with old ties and scrap fabric
tuning my own bike (by myself!)
looking to the future (work ends 7/7, what next?)
sunny days! i love sunny days!

hmmm, i should probably get ready to go to work. what a boring blogger i've turned into. oh well.

oh joyful happy day!
it is beautiful outside, and i am taking a whole weekend to just relax. what a novel idea. ok, so there is just a little bit of working in there, but no complaints. i get to drink juice in bed and read great books! i'm reading middlesex, and it feels so nice to be wrapped up and completely engaged in a book. such a treat. and gardening (chinese cabbage and corn go in the ground, carrots and dill and basil as well) and then some bike tuning and cleaning. oh phenomenally exciting things.

last week i went on a paddling adventure on the columbia river...and on the way there, noticed that the route is a bike lane. this detail (along with the story of the man who bike from the east coast to the west coast, unassisted, and pulling a canoe, gear and dog...and then paddled from the west coast to the east coast through the panama canal...) inspired me to make (hopefully) a nice bike trailer that can haul a 16.5 foot kayak so i can peddle away for weekend adventure of paddling and biking and camping. that would be the best thing ever. so, if anyone has any advice or experience making or owning a kayak trailer for a bike, please let me know.

these are the interesting links i have found so far.
paddleboy (would this woman in her tennis whites really pedal her craft to the lake?)
bikes at work
wike bike trailers (i don't think i want a seat hitch though)
tony's trailer's $$$
so, that's that. it's nice to have another project to add to the long list of projects to work on in the future/finally finish one day!

it's been so long since i've posted. oh well. does it make anyone feel any better that every day i post things to the blog in my imagination? i didn't think so.

today has been quite a sentimental family day, sort of. i called my dad tonight and we talked for a long time, which was nice. i talked about all the crazy natural building and permaculture plans i have for their new house (little do they know...enter evil child laughter here!). i was also cooking some artichoke at the same time, which i haven't done since i was a little kid. we used to boil large artichoke and dip the cooked outer leaves in mayonaise with lemon juice, and just smelling the artichokes on the stove made me think back to those fun summer nights in the harvest gold kitchen i grew up in. it's amazing how much familiarity a specific smell can drudge up from your past. then my mom called from new york (she's such the business traveler) because she met a musician who is mentioned in a raffi song...so i thought of endless raffi songs, and the time she and i spent days in new york when i was looking at colleges (you couldn't pay me enough money to go to school here...and where did i end up? geez) regardless, it made me think of the noreaster of that year, and drafting big rigs to get up a snowy freeway, and raffi songs and driving to the cabin and, yes, more artichoke. then i curled up in bed to do some work online, and i wanted to sleep, and maybe i even shut my eyes a little, even though it was still light outside (even though is was 9.10pm) and it flashed me back to the beginning-of-summer days when i was a kid, when school was almost out, but bedtime was still before 8 o'clock (could you imagine!?) it was so challenging to go to bed before the sunlight ran out...but i guess they coaxed and calmed me somehow. what a novel idea to relax enough while there are still working hours in the day! it's dark now, so i can sleep peacefully...and maybe dream about all the exciting things that i am looking forward to in this summer of long-lit days: almost-midnight gardening, bike rides for ice cream at all hours, climbing to roof, geez...endless adventures.

and now that the sun is down, it's time for me to sleep! (yes, it's 10pm, but apparently my body is on granny time, and i'm just going to go with it!)

cheers and happy summer memories.

it works, great!
that makes me want to blog and blog and blog (but apparently not eat dinner). what a terrific day. super s dropped the big order off at ups this morning, and it felt delicious to get that huge chunk of work out of the studio. so, all those famous people (not to number more than 60) who will be attending the indy 500 this year will receive a fantastical custom wallet. maybe i'll post a picture soon. that sounds like a good idea. to celebrate the departure of this beast of a project i rode my bike (just kidding, that's my job, however i did ride extra fast down hills). actually, i went to women's volunteer night at the community cycling center and it was a blast because the woman running the clinic/volunteer thingy was an incredibly good teacher and i learned a whole lot about how bikes work, and i got to take small pieces apart...and it was great. i also got incredibly greasy, which might be the best thing ever. then to continue the celebration i came home and cleaned my bathroom. wahooo, do i know how to celebrate or what. this weekend is the start of the village building convergence and i'm super excited to build stuff and meet people. (stress on the meet people part). life's been a bit too crazy (and possibly wierd?) for meeting people this last month or so. i was doing such a good job...and then life took over. anyhow, i'll be making stuff and building stuff, and realizing how much i want to be a creative builder landscaper planner designer person in my future. yahooo.

ok. post bathroom clean i showered and got in bed. somewhere in there i was supposed to eat dinner. but i wasn't hungry. and now that i'm in bed, and exhausted (40+ miles - much uphill - wed and thur) i don't want to get up and make something...although my pantry is just bubbling over with food options...

ok, to sleep! (and to sleep in, just a bit).

i've been having some trouble with the blogger button (not lately, just in general, this is just a test to see if it is working)

contents of stomach (past 24 hours):
3 avocados
1 almost rotten tomato
home grown cilantro
1/4 onion
(i made guacamole)
1 homemade quesadilla
some tortilla
1 pb&j
more guac
1 carrot
2 celery slices
1 can pickled beets

who says i'm not healthy?!
i just went grocery shopping, there must be something to eat.

2 sunrises per day
it's absolutely amazing that the sun appears to rise twice per day now that it is summer and i have a semi-normal-person-job. it rises once in the morning sometime around 6 (it wakes up my toes sticking out from the bottom of my bed, they squint, and then fall back asleep). then it's sometimes sunny or rainy or gray or something all day...even on my ride home from work (dear goodness...a 10 minute commute by bike over a pretty bridge and enjoying dodging cars [don't worry dad, it's not dangerous] or an hour long commute on I-95 with billions of other cars moving slowly...hmmm...i'll take the first please (i'm glad i'm sticking to my no commute rule, although breaking many others...back to the point! but as soon as i get home, and get back to work on the duct tape stuff (or run errands or cook dinner), the sun rises again and the whole city becomes brilliantly lit and happy and sunny and it makes me feel like my day is just starting! it's brilliant.

...now if i just didn't have to come home to work more.
oh wait, why am i blogging, and not working?

hmmm....back to work

there are so many things to say, and i almost feel calm enough to sit here and get them all down. it's absolutely amazing how life can go from semi-calm and almost-boring (me, boring? never!) to slightly out of control and full of work (although still slightly boring). it just started to pour rain outside, and it's sending a welcome breeze through the windows. i love the sound of a hard rain, and the smell of wet outdoors, and how it can all start so quickly. there is no lack of this in portland either.

this is undoubtedly what always happens. vanessa decides she's like a 'real person job' and the benefits of a regular paycheck...or else some fantastic opportunity comes along. this usually happens when the vanessa jean * duct tape load is lighter than usual. this indeed happened, about 2 months ago. i've been working for a fantastic project in the great city of portland...the eastside hub project, and i have the grand pleasure of delivering biking (bicking), walking and transit information to the kind residents of se portland...by bike...with a trailer. for a goofy pic and of dork-face #1, read the most recent newsletter. anyhow, it's a really fun way to work 4 days a week...and get around portland and meet people and be super active...and as soon as this fantastic work started (and i got to come home and feel the brilliant exhaustion of 20+ miles of hill climbing with a trailer) vanessa jean work started to multipy and multiply and on and on. a nice article was published in the atlanta journal-constitution (which is archived and you have to pay to see online, i haven't read it yet) and brought in lots of nice southern orders...adn business just started taking off again...in the way it does sometimes...and then the kicker...i got a call from the indy racing league requesting wallets to include in the gift baskets for special attendees to the big race. what a very exciting phone call to receive! although not the largest order vanessa jean has received, it's a lot of pieces in a short time...and it's been keeping the team busy! but it's very exciting, and almost done, and then real life can commence. just kidding!

and so many other things have been going on too. i've been gardening (not with too much success, so cross your fingers for the tomatoes and newly planted starts). s got in a not-too-friendly bike wreck. someone hit my parked automobile. i started reading again.

it's hard to believe that a year ago i was leaving my job at anthropologie to spend every waking minute (and there were lots of them) planning for the big bike the vote trip (doc. trailer now available online), and enjoying the onset of summer. these photos and this person seem long ago and so very young. i had no idea what was in store for me. i had no idea how much i would see and go through and learn and how i would grow in the next year. moreover, i could never have imagined know how much it would influence what i wanted to do next...

(apparently i like elipses)...

so i ended up in portland and i am perpetually inspired by the great stuff that happens here...sustainability, transportation options, being on the edge of the up and coming on how to make the world a better place (in the green sense, sort of). i'm SO eloquent today. anyhow there is just so much inspirational stuff going and i'm so excited to get business in order so i can start working on the millions of neat projectst that i want to be involved with.

so that's my story. things feel a bit out of control because there is so much work to do. and so much exciting stuff to look forward to...like continuing to look for work (outside of duct tape) that has to do with transportation, landscape, sustainability or the likes. and continuing to figure out what to do next.

cheers.

dear diary,
i would like one normal day. just one day without some sort of major or minor disaster. please?
ok, great!
love,
vanessa

p.s. can i get a good night's sleep too?

a few thoughts!
cilantro and tomato homemade pizza...yum!
gazillions of duct tape orders (thanks to an article in the atlanta constitution)
cat-in-heat outside my window (flirting with the cat in the house next door).
20+ miles a day by bike
happy birthday liz!
succulent plants are amazing!

-then end

sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug...
and sometimes you just ride a bike.

i haven't posted in a while, my apologies
(um, to all 3 of you readers)

these are the entertaining things going on...
*tomato plants are growing, and blooming
*a man in a rental moving truck hit my parked car. grrrr.
*i had three flat tires on my bike within 3 hours
*vanessa jean made her first appearance at last thursday on alberta street. so much fun passing out 'duct tape stickers' and chattin' people up for 4 hours. special thanks to sarah for helping out.
*orders: when it rains, it pours
*indy racing league (more info to come)
*i want a trailer for my bike
*i made a new friend!
*being perfect (thanks mom!)
*happy birthday grandma! (my world traveling grandma!)
*large men gardening in kilts
*odd men stringing peanuts (covered in peanut butter) from trees to see what the squirrels would do.

happy weekend all! happy spring. happy happy-ing!

scary things

* waterproof pants
i am brilliant, and yesterday lost the waterproof pants i was borrowing (and had just received the prior day) during my delivery route. then it rained and hailed. i was 1) sad to lose the pants and 2) really wet and cold when it rained and i was 40 blocks from home base. it did make for some good jokes at the meeting that afternoon as i was the first person to lose her pants at work.

ha!

amazing things:
-pulling a burley trailer by bike for the first time (in the rain!)
-attending my first neighborhood association meeting
-actually pondering travel cross-country by non-airplane (i swear i swore off this...but it always seems like so much fun...especially if you're not tote-ing your life belongings...maybe just some bikes)
-realizing i will regain my weird back tan again this summer - yessss!
-waterproof pants
-blackbean, corn & stewed tomato salad with salami(i need cornbread)
-mystery hot dates

life is so beautiful.

last night i went to see this phenomenal and inspiring documentary broken limbs: apples, agriculture and the new american farmer. it was an amazing portrait of the struggles small farmers go through, the effects of globalization and how some small farmers are getting creative to make farming work for them...and the introduction of sustainable agriculture into the new small farming system. an added reason, and a personalized one, to buy locally grown food. support your local farmers. if you live in washington it will be on pbs again (schedule on site), and if you don't...well, i hope you get to see it one day.

i love my bike, and i love my (sort of recent) transition to be a bikier person and an (almost) non-car person, and i so much admire people who are all-bike people, and i aspire to be as hard core as the portland folks who move by bike. by that i mean...move all their stuff to a new apartment by bike. that's hot. these are the best photos ever here and here.

from kitchen cabinet (from other places) about automobile political tendencies.

the spring line is here!
click here to see the newest and hottest in duct tape fashion accessories.

cheers to spring!

vote for vanessa jean!

stylebakery.com and girlshop.com are sponsoring the "on the rise" award "honoring todays most exciting emerging designers and independent boutiques". if you think vanessa jean and the duct tape work is exciting stuff, please click here, and fill out the 'accessories' section. you'll also be entered to win a $250 shopping spree at girlshop.com.
thanks folks!

i'm going to do something that i don't usually do...experience a weekend. i'm going to go on garage sale adventures, the scrap sale, knitting time, biking time, and party time. weekends...what a novel concept.

about a fish going to the homeland, from a cat.

what would we do without the internet?

my fascination with duck races lives on. i want to organize a benefit rubber duck race in portland, that would be super great...and i promise i would go fetch all the runaway ducks.

oh, and i have a real job now!
that is the most exciting part of the week (sort of). it's just nice to know that there will be a regular paycheck. that doesn't mean (however) that the duct tape will suffer...don't you worry!

big checks, cute kid, corporate super hero, adorable dog. click here.

things that are *good*
rain, rain, rain
riding a fender-less bike in the rain and getting water in your pants
cabbage soup
sleeping at 9.45
riding bikes
olive bread
hot chocolate (dreamy)
new duct tape inspiration and products
blooming pink flowers
cleaning & washing my bike
cadburry eggs
weekend npr
wait wait don't tell me! and tea
bruises
organizing
thinking about moving (and having a studio)
possibilities...

so, these past few days have been full of cheerful (graceful) graces.

yesterday i lit a kitchen towel on fire because it was next to the burner and i didn't notice. i caught it in time (phew) but it was a bit frightening (that i could be so thoughtless).

i also did something else equally graceful that i can't remember right now.

today was the topper. upon leaving an interview, where i'd spent the previous 30 minutes talking about my sweet cycling skills, i fell off my bike. the first time falling off my bike since i was in third grade. it was also infront of lots of people. don't worry, i'm a-ok. but i just thought it was hilarious.

and hopefully i'll remember the rest of it later.

this might be one of those rather long, boring, sentimental, whispy, look-back-and-smile posts. sorry.

it's the middle of march, 2005. ally and i talked on the phone this past week, we both happened to think of each other at the same time. a year ago we were roommates in new haven, with no idea of what kind of adventure we would be up for in the next year. and it's been about one year for us to be settled in our normal people lives again.

one year ago, ally came home from new york with an idea...bike across country to do voter registration and education. the excitement built immediately, and bike the vote was born. in two weeks i gave notice at work, as did she, and we were full swing into planning something that was an unknown adventure into the great big world. these past 365 days have been packed with action, growth, adventure, overwhelming emotion, learning & exploring.

the ironic thing is that before thoughts of bike the vote even surfaced, i was thinking about moving to portland. sort of randomly, because it sounded like a neat place, and because there was a chance i could transfer there for work. but then that all sort of turned into a pipe dream with the biking plan and the need to get back to working after that...but wait...i ended up in portland. life is so amazing sometimes!

this is what i remember of the past year, and the hazy whir i remember it in. 2 months of working two jobs and planning a big trip...fundraising, making t-shirts, website stuff, commuting, not sleeping too much. the warm days of late spring, being at home organzing all day, making calls, tying up loose ends, fundraising, planning. packing up and moving out. kick-off with granny d, and actually leading a ride of about 30 riders despite not actually having really ridden my new bike more than 14 miles before. getting sandy dipping tires in atlantic ocean. 84 days of bike riding & voter registration. meeting new people, learning about other folks, talking with people who served their time and letting them know they could vote, having a flow, sleeping in a different house (or chinese food restraunt, boat locker, or church rectory) every night, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, hospital visits, dips in the river, state line crossings, media events, inspirational community members.

crossing the city limit into portland, riding up streets i now live in, and turning at that crazy intersection that made no sense...our last turn in portland...arrival with a finish line, friends, family, champagne, cake and lots of emotions. not being sure about what would happen next.

volunteering then working for almost 2 months on the campaign to stop the oregon constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage...more meeting people in the community and on the campaign, phone banks, canvassing, recruiting volunteers, voter registration, constant moving (not by bike!) and actually feeling at home in portland. the sad loss on election night. saying goodbye.

driving to la. thanksgiving foodpoisoning. driving to portland. car accident in idaho. charlotte, nc. new haven, ct. charlotte. driving driving driving (and not nearly enough biking!). los angeles. portland. los angeles. the loss of a much loved family member. family time. portland.

and after over a month of being here, i finally feel like i am at home, and that the whirlwind of the past year is just a breeze, and life is back to its "normal" pace. there is no way a year ago i could have forseen the experiences my life would take me through. and it's always nice to have time to reflect. it's also a good reminder to take a risk, make uncertain plans, and take a chance on the possibility of something good.

i am so grateful for the experiences i have had, the lessons i have learned about life and about myself in the process. the amazing people who i talked to for minutes, but have impacted my life forever. and the people i met and still have the pleasure of knowing. i'm amazed at the lessons that can be learned from each day of life as long as you have your eyes open for them.

and now i would like to take a nap.

today i learned: hot yoga is not for me. well, one day, when i get past the woozies and the fear of passing out, maybe it will work for me, but not until then! but i can't say i didn't try.

I can’t quite figure out why some designers create strange things that most people won’t wear — like Vanessa Jean’s collection of handbags and accessories crafted almost entirely of duct tape says pamela hulse andrews, publisher/founder of cascade arts & entertainment...well, at least include a link to these designs that you can't imagine anyone making! (which isn't included in the original online editorial).

fine living recommends the vanessa jean clutch as a great bridesmaids gift. cheers to that!

exciting press, the vanessa jean goods have been featured at she finds dot com, yahoooo!

more press...well...duct tape stuff that vanessa jean happens to be included in...visit fastfoodkids - duct tapes fashion and you might not be able to read it.

this is a very exciting site, and the whole project looks so neat. this is the kind of thing i like!

i love being able to eat like a champion (but not eating the breakfast of champions). yesterday i put away teriyaki chicken leftovers, spaghetti squash and tofu scramble leftovers, the remaining chocolate chip creme sandwich cookies, and about 1 pound of delicious, homemade french toast this morning. yum! i love having a hearty appetite.

this little bunny is tired...super tired...so tired it feels good!
sometimes feeling tired, exhausted tired, is the best thing ever.
and on that note, enter the (working) weekend!

for some reason i get a kick oiut of vj stuff and duct tape stuff popping up in blogs.

sometimes i wish my job would pay a bit more...just kidding. i always think it's funny when press pops up and i don't know about it. read here about unusual hobbies become real paying jobs.

some things are really bizarre...
like yesterday, when i spent the whole day trying to send a mass e-mail, but ran into problem after problem with my webmail interface, got frustrated, and after hours of slow-paced work, put it aside. and to wake up this morning to an entirely new webmail interface? what are the chances?

oh oh oh! this is so exciting. this new e-mail stuff has fantastic fantastic spam prevention. my dreams have been answered!

ahh, the culture of my youth.