Happy New Years eve

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but I decided that I need to be more productive this year, so why not call it a resolution. Part of my decision is linked to the fact that I don't produce enough art, so I am going to try my very hardest to do an art-related creation every day this year. I know that sometimes my schedule won't permit it, but gosh-darnit I am going to try. So to kick-start 2009 (a whole day ahead) I woke up this morning, had a tinkle, and then drew my high school chum Keith. I have a bunch of photographs of him because he liked to steal my camera during class and take pictures of himself making awkward facial expressions.

Keith Redston

Infection and self portrait

It is imperative that I get into university for September of 2009 (I could care less, but my mom is very avid about it). Some of the places I am applying to (for their photography programs) just want to see a portfolio strictly consisting of photographs and nothing else. However OCAD and NASCAD's first year program is a foundation year, meaning I will be doing all sorts of things that I don't know how to do (ie. drawing and painting), and chances are I won't even have a single class related to photography in any way that first year. But the good news is that it is going to cost a whole buttload of money. Wait... no, no that's bad news... I need to have a sketchbook full of drawings and such so that I can fool the faculty into thinking that I am talented, therefore letting me into their school where I will be educated for four years, receive a bachelor in fine arts, and then be broke for the rest of my life because artists don't make money.

He is infected with some sort of disease. But seems quite pleased about it.

It's me! It's me?

Happy Boxing Day to all

Merry Christmas. (I know it's the 26th, but I have yet to go to bed, so in my mind it's still the 25th).

Lazy Sunday

Today is a good day. I'm at home in my pajamas and slippers (the mention of slippers is important because my feet are always cold), I just prepared some dough, and soon I will be baking that sucker into cute little sugar cookies. Also, it's gorgeous outside, white, fluffy snow everywhere... OH and I found a camera of mine, that I thought I had lost, in a random drawer in my house. Hoorah! I will post pictures of the cookies when they are completed, icing and all. In the meantime, here is a photo that I took with my Holga camera (the one that I thought I had lost). It's this guy Ben, that I went to high school with, in a tree. We were waiting outside the school for our turn to play in whatever concert was going on that night, and I guess he got bored and decided to climb a tree.

Santa at 100% completion

Well, here you have it folks (or Barbara, because I'm pretty sure you're the only person who reads my blog...), it's the moment I know you have surely been waiting for, sitting at home, biting your nails, mumbling to yourself "When... WHEN is it going to be done? OH SWEET MERCIFUL CRAP, WHEN?!" And the answer is NOW!! Santa is complete, mostly thanks to Graeme because he is the far more proactive one in the relationship. I like to scratch my bum. With the party being tomorrow (actually if we want to be technical, the party is today), and only one reindeer being fully complete (also thanks to Graeme), I feel as though I have failed. Perhaps building seasonal characters out of balloons and gooey flour-water is just not for me (sigh).

"I see you when you're sleeping"

Photoshop fun

My mom's boyfriend, Luigi, writes reviews for a magazine (which I can't remember the name of right now...) on computer programs, and technological devices. The companies send him the products, he uses them for a while, then writes about them. Recently he wrote a review on Adobe Photoshop, so Adobe sent him all of the latest versions of their programs for free. He let me install them on my computer, and last night I had some fun with Photoshop (note: I have no clue how to use Photoshop, so even though I am sure that the outcome of my exploration with the program is probably juvenile, this is the best I can do at the moment).

Ahoy matey! (I'm hilarious).

Graeme in a boat, and third paper mache update.

Well, the title is pretty much self explanatory. Why he is in a boat certainly is not. And I prefer to leave it that way, it's funnier.

Our paper mache project is coming along, not as quick as we had planned however, since we took a huge break from it for about a week, and the party is this Saturday... So now we are in a fantastically tense race against time. If this were a movie it would most definitely star Keanu Reeves... not as Graeme, or me, or anybody else, but simply as himself. He would just be there, looking stunned, yet somehow bored at the same time.

Crime scene shot.

Santa looking sharp in his red attire (I guess it's not technically attire yet... just red).

Graeme's fuzzy reindeer, made out of a nasty sweater-find at Value Village.

Eek!

Mom's birthday brunch

Yesterday was my dear mother's birthday so her best friend Barbara and I teamed up and planned a surprise brunch-type thing for her. In order to distract her while I was getting everything ready at the house, Barbara took her out for the two of them to get makeovers at Mac, and that is why they look like they are ready for a night on the town. Everything went very well and my mom seemed very happy, which is the exact reaction we were aiming for. (p.s., Barbara if you are reading this, thank you so much for your help, I loooove you).

Barbara and my mom, looking all fancy.

Mom with her birthday cake (the creme caramel is next to her on a plate). She looks like she's doing a very dramatic laugh, yes?

Blowin' out the candles.

Aaaaaand cutting the cake.

Creme caramel making

Tomorrow is my mom's birthday so I thought it would be nice to make her some creme caramel while she was out with her sisters this afternoon. I used a recipe that I found on the good old internet about a year ago. This is my third or fourth time making it, and it gets easier to not burn the caramel every time... I like making creme caramel because it has few ingredients, little preparation time, and it's not that complicated to make. Yet in the end, you are left with a delicious and somewhat fancy desert. The dishes are cooling in the mini fridge in the basement so my mom won't find them and will (hopefully) be pleasantly surprised come tomorrow. They don't look as pretty when they are in the dishes, especially because I put plastic wrap over them, but they will look like the picture in the recipe link I put here when they are served tomorrow.

Claudia... SMASH!

I am angry. I hate my stupid part-time job. I hate the fact that it's part-time and they don't give me more shifts even though I really need them because I am not in school this year and need money. I hate the job itself (picking up lazy people's garbage, even though there are garbage cans literally EVERYWHERE around them, cleaning bathrooms, ripping tickets, and, most importantly, getting yelled at by old rich people). I also hate that I had the opportunity to get a much better job during November, but procrastinated, as always, and now all of the positions have been filled. Now I have about three hours until I have to return to my sad and demeaning job, where I'll try not to dwell on the fact that I fucked up and should have called for that other job sooner.

This is a picture of my cat Norman, doing what I wish I could do for a living.

P.S. Fuck Cineplex.

Saturday? More like... Blahterday...

Not much to report today. I spent a few hours in the afternoon with Graeme, which was fun as always. Now, just sitting at home, debating whether or not I want to eat a sandwich. I know what you're thinking: "Gee, that Claudia sure knows how to PAR-TAY." And you're right. I do. I might even put hot mustard on the sandwich. That's right, you read correctly; HOT mustard. None of that regular crap for me.

Here are some photo's I took the other day while walking my lovely dogs, Ziggy and Brody. If you're ever feeling low, play with a dog, or get two dogs together to play with each other. You can't not smile when you see how much fun they're having.

Brody, doing her battle stance.

Eeez on!

Trot, trot, trotting.

Ziggy, looking pretty.

Running from Brody I believe...

Still running...

Brody is catching up.

Paper Mache Update

Last night Graeme and I continued our work on paper mache Santa (who, now painted in his white undercoat, strikingly resembles a bowling pin even more than before). We also made the heads and bodies of two out of the three reindeer. We recently made the decision to make the third reindeer a robot, so naturally his body will be made from a box painted silver instead of a balloon covered in newspaper shreddings.

Santa's fantastic bod.

The reindeer's assorted body parts.

Both Together (Kevin pointed out that this photo looks like a crime scene)

Paper mache

Last night I went to Graeme's to begin our Christmas paper mache project. We're fashioning a Santa Claus and three reindeer out of paper mache for a Christmas sweater party that Graeme and his roommate Kevin are having in a few weeks (just to clarify, a "Christmas sweater party" is just like a regular Christmas party, eggnog, decorations, cheer, etc. except everyone is required to wear a disgustingly tacky Christmas sweater and look like a dork. I thank my friend Gurston for the idea). Anyways, we only worked on Santa's body for the time span of about half of The Shining, and the above photos are what we have so far. Also, Graeme made the incredibly accurate observation that right now Santa looks like a huge novelty bowling pin. I agree. More on that yet to come.

Discovery drums

This afternoon I went with Graeme to Toys R Us to get his niece a big stuffed panda for her birthday, and a toy drum kit (for himself). We set it up and he played away. The man to drum ratio is pretty hilarious.

Rock lobster

Today, I milled about the city with Graeme, taking the occasional picture. I haven't been shooting very much lately, so these are kind of me just getting back in the groove. They're not very good. Oh well.

Down and out.

I'm feeling a little down today, so I thought I would put up some pictures of Connie taken in Gurston's swimming pool. Connie is a funny lady, she is just a pocket full o' sunshine. When I told her I wanted to take some more underwater photos she said "OH! Can I be your model? I can hold my breath REALLY long!!" I was sold.