it's been a while

Yesterday was my friend Tiffany's birthday. After an afternoon with our friends at Disneyland and a dinner at Joe's Crab Shack, we went to a 21:55 showing of "The Fall".

i don't want to say much, because i really knew almost nothing before seeing it.
i will say, however, that i don't remember the last time i was so completely absorbed into a movie. it is unique in expected ways: visually, of course...and unexpected: like the interactions between the two main characters, and the fact that the fantastical elements, though glorious and stunning, do not take themselves too seriously...as you will understand if you see it. and i think it works out beautifully.

anyway that's all. :)


this is just my opinion. i recommend going in with no expectations. Sarah always says i build things up too much.


know what? just...forget i wrote anything.



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i am blessed

on sunday my wonderful family and some of my friends came over to celebrate my graduation...

Sarah, lovely Katie, and me































Edan even got serenaded by Pip, Jeff and Alec...











Wednesday at midnight i saw Indiana Jones with my fantastic friends...






i don't have much to saw about the film except that i wish i could get those 2+ hours of my life back and...i don't know...pull my own teeth out...

yesterday it RAINED like it was January again. thunder, lightning, and the studio started flooding so mom's interns (who are also my friends from school) and i had to run and get sandbags to block the rising water...

last night was auntie Robin's wedding, i have pictures from that that i will put up when i can. i'm leaving for the Oakbridge retreat today, but not for a while.


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Catching up...Days of fun and art! WOW!

So, i know this is a few days late, but i've been busy.

Saturday Pip, Sarah, our other friends Florette, Eddie and his wife Heather and i went to the Getty Villa in Malibu. I had never been, and it was very very beautiful. It was built to resemble a Grecian Villa, and holds ancient Greek and Roman art.
There is something so undescribably magical and chilling about being up close to things that have been around since long before Christ walked the earth. I'm starting to appreciate figure sculpture a lot more, so i loved looking at the busts and the figures carved in Marble and Limestone. People in the ancient world were extraordinary.

Pip and a creepy head. There were a lot of these.


Eddie and Pip. Chillin. It was a gorgeous day...!


Eddie Heather and...you guessed it...Pip!



On the way home, Sarah, Pip Florette and i amused ourselves by telling one-worded continue a stories and singing songs and listening to tunes. Pip is really into Michael Jackson right now...so that was interesting...

After arriving home, Sarah and i busied ourselves for a couple of hours and then headed over to Alec's apartment to hang out and record music. Now, Alec here is one of the most amazing crazy talented people i know, if you don't believe me check out his music myspace...

So we made some very silly songs about nonsense and Alec gave me an awesome mix cd which i haven't stopped listening to. Then we went to go get dinner and see a movie! horray!

Los Tacos. mmm. mexican food...


Lovely cousin Amy was supposed to meet us at the theatre, but we didn't see her until the movie was over. She had sat only a few rows behind us! She said she realized we were in front of her when she saw my profile. Hard to miss that!










We saw The Science of Sleep, hence the previous post. I love Michel Gondry because you know you are going to expreience something truly unique and genuinely heartfelt. I loved this film.

Well, time to go home and work on my painting.
ohoh, first some pictures of what i've been doing...

some hand studies...(again, blurry...sorry...)





underpainting for our next in-class portrait...now that we're doing half-length we get 6 sessions instead of 2! :D
This is my friend Krystyl...i'm very excited because i've been wanting to do her portrait for a long time...

i'll be painting on it more tomorrow...

cool.

Now, I thought it would be kind of interesting to let everyone see my process for my homework i'll be doing for that class i was writing about a couple of weeks ago. I'm a bit reluctant, because art goes through some very awful "ugly stages"...but oh well. It might be cool anyway.

Here's my set-up for the painting, Complete with 40x60 canvas, and lots of pictures of Pip's back and shoulders. Thank you Pip!!




A couple of hours later...


i still need to fix the hands. that's not what they're going to look like. The head will be more thrown back, too. I know this sounds terrible, but because Pip shaved his head and i wanted longer hair on the man in my painting i might need to use another head...any takers? I'll be working on it more tonight, maybe i'll get the hands right.


okay. now i really do need to go home. It's getting dark and cold an hour earlier...which i'm happy about, by the by.

A bunch of people are going to Universal to party and yuk it up in vampire costumes and fairy wings. But i get to do something better with my evening...i get to listen to my new mix cd and paint and dance around. Who needs trick-or-treating. Not me!

Happy Halloween...

Colors Songs and Crying

My mom and dad just left the room after praying for me...i'm having surgery on my toe for the EIGHTH time in a couple of hours and i'm kind of not looking forward to it. It's extremely painful and i would feel a lot better if i knew this would be the last time, but i don't. so yea.

Otherwise things have been generally good. I'm almost busier now that school is over than when i was pulling 1-2 hours of sleep a night for the last week or so during finals. Bettina is getting married next month, so that's been crazy...and will only get crazier...friends are coming back into town...last night i saw Laurel for the first time since August; looking lovely as usual. I've seen a lot of movies...

Walk the Line-good film...though i was a bit sick when i saw it, so i don't want to say too much until i see it again. The singing is awesome.

Harry Potter-very enjoyable. as you already know. Saw it twice.

Narnia-I REALLY wanted to like this movie. Really. But i didn't. Sarah and i walked out of it so disappionted we almost didn't know what to say. There were neat little instances here and there...but it was so whitewhashed and sloppy to me. It really makes me sad. Sarah remarked that she was glad Lewis never had to live to see it.

Pride and Prejudice-I thought this was fantastic. I still prefer the BBC version to it...mostly because Kiera Knightley was not a convincing Elizabeth to me...and it's styalized direction and grittier setting failed to capture the elegance of Jane Austen's world. Yet by setting those things aside and just looking at it as it's own entity, it was excellent.

King Kong-i'm not the worlds biggest Peter Jackson fan, but if there's one person in this world who knows how to direct action and grandeur...it's him. I've said many times regarding this film, that it's so refereshing to still be able to see a movie...and be absolutely astounded. This film was AMAZING. It has it's flaws, yes...but i would see it again in a heartbeat. Someone should just give Andy Serkis an oscar already...i mean come on! It's beautiful and stunning...like it should have been. And i cried at the end. How could you not??!

Autumn is wonderful. The picture is one i took of the ginko tree in our backyard. there are Colors everywhere. i love it.

Been doing some music, too.

My appointment is now in an hour (i got up half way through typing this post), so i should get ready.
Jesus, please let this be the last one!

Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas everyone!


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