A Little Night Music

"IT IS A STORY you tell lying down, when all the storms have rumbled off elsewhere, the fires abated, the musicians packed up, tents blown away like milkweed, the earth turns--maybe."
(Extract from Between Lives: An Artist and Her World)

(Bateau Bleue)

A quick break from dissertationing to blog!
I am pretty interested in reading Between Lives: An Artist and Her World, a memoir written by Dorothea Tanning, the oldest living Surrealist, and my top favourite artist (probably) ever. She is definately not the most famous, or even known particularly well in the Surrealist movement and often she is more just Max Ernsts wife, but I think she is awesome. Although a lot of what she does scares me, I always end up liking the feeling of being scared and lost in her frightening worlds. It feels a bit like being stuck in a dream forever. Anyway, she pretty much inspired me through most of school (her and Max Ernst= my big obsession in art class) and I think it would be cool to see what she has to say!

"As for still being here," says Tanning, 91, "I can only apologize."

(Eine Kleine Nachtmusik)

Come with me on an Oxford adventure!

Material world

I really REALLY need some new clothes/shoes as everything I own is falling apart. I especially covet everything made by TamamiKo Bag on etsy. She makes everything out of really beautiful fabrics and combinations. You should also check out Sarah Sevens shop as she makes the most gorgeous dresses ever, I think need one.

Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow

(do you like my new belt buckles? I got them from Etsy and made them into a belt)

I woke up with despair in my stomach, it felt like that anyway, just because I couldn't bear the thought of getting up and getting on with life!

Yesterday was my last exam EVER (i hope) and we had celebrations with Tequila and Gin and in the evening we went to see In the Loop, a film I knew little about, apart from that it was a political satire. And it was REALLY funny. Not just a bit funny, where you laugh periodically at the bits you're supposed to, but funny all the time, like every five seconds, it was almost relentlessly funny. It was even funny when sad/bad things were happening. Anyway, I recommend it.

Nothing else to say really.

also....CORALINE SOON!!! excitement.

Today I discovered Wolfmother

(amazing)

The internet is soooo slow today, don't know what is wrong with it. I'll be brief, it obviously wants me to be brief. This film looks fun, mostly because I loooove Zooey Deschanel rather than anything else, the film looks alright but not amazing. OK: some links
Love in the British Library
Signs
Fumio Obata, watch the animation called "Shhh"
Some nice weirdness

Magic mushrooms (I hope)

I made these mushroom stitchmarkers based on some that I made for Sam for Christmas, to sell on Etsy, but apparently you need a credit card to become a seller (which I don't have). So I might take these around Edinburgh to sell them somewhere, look out for them! I'm hoping to make more soon. If you're a knitter and you wish to purchase these lovely items get in touch! Even if you're not at all interested, also get in touch!

I had a dream about large fighting pokemon last night and I was commentating on the match....

I'm complaining

Blogging from the lab....I've reached a new low. My experiment is crushing my spirit....In case you're interested its called ChIP (Chromatin Immunoprecipitation) and it a) takes aaaages (over the course of three days) b) is very fiddly and annoyingly requires great fastidiousness c) I always seem to do something wrong, which when you think about how long it takes, is just ridiculous because it means I can't just start all over again, and if I do it really wrong then I have just wasted 3 days. WHAT. d) also it smells as there are various chemicals/fluids that have a less than pleasurable odour.

What's annoying is that everytime I do it I think "this time will be the time I get it right!" with unnerving optimism and then proceed to feel like I am a bull in a china shop and blunder around and get everything WRONG WRONG WRONG. also the experiment is rigorous and does not allow time for lunch. also the part I'm at now involves doing something for about 5 mins and nothing for 10 (repeat x 10).

Sigh.

The Inner Eye does not see upon command!

I have just watched the extras on the Harry Potter Order of The Phoenix film and there is a whole scene dedicated to Professor Trelawney eating her dinner in the Great Hall. OH THE HILARITY. Its so pointless (because it's about 5 minutes long) but it is possibly the funniest thing ever. So funny. Im so happy (whoops just typed Harry by accident) that someone made the decision to film that and that Emma Thompson spent her time being so Trelawneyesque. If you haven't seen it you should look it up because it is immmensely amusing.

Also, looking at all the behind the scenes stuff has made me wish I was working in the art/graphics department, it looks SO FUN. And I never knew that so many of the things that look CGI'd are actually real props! Real lighting up wands! Real crystal balls! Real crazy mechanical door thingys! There's still time anyway....two more films to go!


Sorry for the Harry Potter overload, I'll come back with something different next time

P.S. Two cool things: Ginny in the new film. The typography and design in the last film.

I know, lets find me a new career

This dissertation is kiiiiiiiiiiiilling me. I have spent all day writing virtually nothing and then deleting everything I do write. Stress stress stress. So much for the goal of finishing my introduction this weekend. I have done sod all!

P.S. Here is a picture of a monkey that Sarah and I found on Google. I thought it was cute and I felt like I should have a picture here to make this post less depressing.

Ok I just realised my comments only allowed registered people to post. Now its a FREE FOR ALL.

Hearts, Diamonds and Spades

Ughh I'm so lazy, I'm supposed to be starting my lab report but I am of a procrastinating nature. Instead I made a nice picture to send to Imogen Heap.

Magical items

I am supposed to be doing more productive things but tonight I am so tired. So I'm just going to do some blogging and then maybe have a bath or something. I wish I was back in London because there is so much stuff happening! Obama is here! JK Rowling is also in London and I'm jealous because some lucky lucky people are going to see her reading at the Royal Opera House. Highly unfair. However, isn't she looking lovely? Come on Jo, I'm not going to be in Edinburgh much longer! Hurry up and accidentally bump into me in a cafe whilst I coincidentally have a Harry Potter book in my bag.

Also in London at the moment is this amazing steampunky Victorian invention known as a Telectroscope, by Tower Bridge. I think it works using fibre optics, but the magic of this thing allows you to see America! Its so gothic and so magical. I hope it's still there when I get back.
Other extraordinary things that blow my mind with their greatness:

The Where the wild things are trailer makes me think October is too far away. Glorious! If I had written that book I'd be fulfilled.

This confuses and confounds me. My stubborn nature makes me refuse to give up on this but it's practically impossible. In fact I don't believe I've got past the first two pages.

Squink. My most wanted book OF THE YEAR. Dave McKean is terrifying, thrilling and inspiring. Seriously I'm telling you about this but please don't go and buy it or I might cry because they are limited edition and if there aren't going to be any left by the time I have money I'll be forced to buy it for just about a million pounds on the internet. I mean, unless you are buying it for me, in which case, go ahead.

Anyway, see ya later chipsticks. I gotta head to bed.