my mind is a sieve

So...I'm going to send/give Karen a thank you note when I finish my internship, and since it is the Print Department, I figure a really nice letterpress/handmade card would be awesome. I know Black Ink in Harvard Square sells letterpress cards, so I could always buy one there. But I found some cool ones on Etsy.



byvikink



papertigerdesigns



tinaspaper



modernmanifesto

So, what looks good? Or give me links to people who sell awesome cards...I need to buy them soon.

WOOO EAT LOTS OF FOOD TOMORROW EVERYONE.

P.S.
This tea towel by slidesideways is adorable.

So, I've been eying this place in Harvard Square for quite some time...every time I walk by I think how dangerous (for my bank account) it would be if I actually went inside.
Glancing through my blogger feed today, and what do I see? It's that mesmerizing building, with all its pretty colors and cleverly hung umbrellas!



Except...oh...wait...you can't go in.

Apparently it's an installation of Design Research, the store for which that space was originally built.

Well then, I guess I better stare at it all I can since it's coming down in April :(

I want to make this; it sounds yummy. Creamy Red Wine Risotto.

I plan on making this tomorrow or Sunday. Hopefully it's tasty!

3 cups of fresh sweet corn kernels - 7 to 10 ears depending on size
(Jersey corn is my preference but then again I'm partial)
1 large red or yellow onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chicken stock
6 new potatoes, cup up into small cubes
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 cup heavy cream
Salt, to taste

Heat the butter and oil in a large heavy bottomed soup pot and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the chicken stock and then the potatoes. Bring this to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for a couple of minutes.

Now add milk, the grated corn pulp and juice only, and thyme and pepper. Let this simmer for about 8 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Add the whole corn kernels that you removed from the corn cobs and the heavy cream. Let this simmer for 5 or 6 minutes until the corn kernels are cooked. Be careful not to overcook them.

Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

From The Reluctant Gourmet.

Unfortunately I will be using frozen corn...I wonder if in place of the grated corn pulp I could just put some of the corn in a food processor...? Oh well, I'll figure something out.

Also, this recipe looks interesting...
African Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup

And...I think I'll be making this with my left over chicken drumsticks...
Onion Smothered Chicken

Today for Natural History Drawing we went to Gemma's studio and made monotypes (well, the class did...I just walked around, ate cookies, and hung up prints on the wall...) I'd have loved to do a print or two (even brought some drawings to use just in case!) but the studio was pretty packed to begin with so I didn't even suggest it.

Anyway, being in the monotype studio and seeing all the awesome prints people were making reminded me that AIB has a monotype class. I'd really like to take it, but I also want to take Intaglio II next semester. I don't really want to give up either one, but I also don't want to kill myself (hmm...2 studio classes, thesis, French, plus 2 writing/reading intensive art history classes...?) I don't know if I want to go there, but it's also my last semester and I'm determined to squeeze everything I possibly can out of it while still retaining my sanity.

Anyway, potential schedule for next semester, if I do indeed decide to take Monotype (which is, thankfully, only 1.5 credits).

MONDAY
1:00-2:15 French II

TUESDAY
12:20-3:05 Intaglio II

WEDNESDAY
1:00-2:15 French II
6:45-9:15 Issues in Visual Culture

THURSDAY
12:20-3:05 Intaglio II
6:30-9:15 Monotype I

FRIDAY
12:20-3:05 Curators, Critics, and Collectors

+Thesis, with periodic meetings throughout the semester.
+January mini-semester class Yoga: Theory, Culture, and Practice

I have a feeling I'll end up dropping something. Almost every class I'm taking next semester is an elective...I don't need any more Art History credits or Gen Ed credits, I only need 1.5 credits for my Visual Studies minor, and the only two classes that are absolutely necessary are French II and my Thesis (6 credits worth of requirements)...so there's some wiggle room in there...I'm just stubborn (and kind of dumb)...

I WANT PUMPKIN COFFEE. I hope Dunkin Donuts isn't out like last time :(

click for many cool pictures



Unfortunately the site that I saved this picture from didn't credit the artist. Looks like Ronald Kurniawan to me.

Simultaneously funny and sickening: The Rape Tunnel. My answer would be "no" to the "is it art?" query.
Buddha Shaped Pears from China. BUDDHA-FRUIT.

Looking at recipes because I have a sudden desire to make pasta salad...I quickly got distracted by other things, however, since recipezaar posted a list of "Top 25 Freezer-Friendly Recipes." I found a really tasty looking mac and cheese recipe that looks much simpler (and cheaper) than the recipe I normally use. So I'll probably try that out. Also found some turkey meatloaf recipes--someone suggested cooking it in a muffin tin to make mini-meatloafs (GENIUS!) Also found something called "Poverty Meal" (lol). Looks yummy, I might try to make it. As for pasta salad, I'm intrigued by "Mexican Chicken Pasta Salad."

My keyboard keeps getting worse and worse -_-

Mexican Chicken Pasta Salad
Poverty Meal
Turkey Meatloaf
Fannie Farmer's Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese


Top 25 Freezer-Friendly Recipes

I've been saving a lot of images from Illustrivo.



( picturessss )

!!!! Fantastic Mister Fox (and all of Roald Dahl's books) was one of my favorite stories when I was little. Just watching that trailer makes me want to dig it up out of my piles of old books, and read it again (hell, I might do just that). I'm excited to see this movie. EEEEEE.

OH MAN. This book looks amazing and I will definitely be purchasing a copy. Femke Hiemstra does beautiful work and Fantagraphics publishes gorgeous, luciously designed books so it's like a match made in heaven and enough to make an art+book nerd like myself drool profusely.



I made a post about Hiemstra quite a while ago, when she was featured in Hi-Fructose Magazine. You can see that post HERE.

YESSSSS!

I haven't made an inspirational image post in forever, although I've been accumulating pictures and stuff on my desktop (as usual). Here are some pretty pictures to look at, prominently featuring random awesome things and beautiful women (especially Ulorin Vex <3 Photobucket will likely delete the photos with boobs but what ever, I'll fix that later.



( more behind the cut )

Will add image credits later.

I am so ridiculously exhausted right now but I just wanted to post about this awesome cause that you guys should help out if you have a spare $10:

The Lunch Bunch

This month they are holding a raffle for a limited edition print by Ana Bagayan (one of the Lunch Bunch creators/volunteers). To enter, donate $10 through the link on this blog post. You can also find some more info there. The drawing is being held July 25th, and there will be two winners.

Reviews and Ramblings of a Bibliophile

I post stuff about books here, but it's a lot more organized in that blog. Also I will probably write some longer reviews of books that I don't bother posting here, if you care what I'm reading or what I think about it (lol).

The reason I even bothered making this blog is because I zip through books fairly quickly, and unfortunately they tend to slip from my mind not too long after that, unless it was a totally life-altering book (which, let's be honest, most aren't). I figure, if I'm going to devote a few hours/days of my life to reading something, I should probably document it SOMEHOW. Also, this is the first summer in a long time that I've actually had enough free time to do tons of my own reading, which means I can make a dent in the ridiculous to-read pile that's been accumulating forever. If I have time to keep it updated after summer, I'll continue to post, but for now I'm just making it a summer project.

ALSO, come August/September I'm going to have a sizable pile of books that I'll probably want to give away. I could pretty easily list these on bookmooch, but I'll also probably post a list of facebook or something. If you are interested in one of the books I post about and would like to borrow/have the book, let me know and I'll reserve it for you. I'm also down for trading, if you have something you think I'd like (in fact, trading would be super nice).

:)

I just received this info in an email from Papercut Zine Library. Very cool. Read below for info about the zine and details about submitting a comic for the next zine.

----

Hello!

Last year, we compiled the first issue of a sex education comic book
called Not Your Mother's Meatloaf. We are two ladies currently living in
New York City. Not Your Mother's Meatloaf is a collection of comics drawn
by various artists that address issues of sexual health and sexual
experience. This project is an attempt to challenge hetero and gender
normative practices in sexuality education, and provide alternative
narratives. Currently, we are collecting submissions for the next issue
of Not Your Mother's Meatloaf. You can learn more about the project on
our blog, sexedcomicproject.blogspot.com We would like to reach a broader
audience and were hoping that Papercut Library and members of the
community there would like to be involved. We are contacting a variety of
Bookstores, Distros, Health Centers, Youth Centers, Schools,
Organizations/Collectives and Magazines, and we see your mission aligned
with ours.

We would like to mail your library a complementary copy of the first
issue. If you are interested in stocking Not Your Mother's Meatloaf, it is
currently available through Microcosm Publishing for 3 dollars. Check it
out here: http://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/2774 We will also
include fliers asking for submissions for the second issue. The theme for
the second issue is "FIRSTS." First experiences in all realms of sexual
health. This can include anything from first sexual experiences to first
experiences with abuse to a first time standing up to street harassment to
a first break-up or any (and many) other ways one could interpret
"FIRSTS." You can check out the blog for more information, including
submission guidelines. THE DEADLINE IS AUGUST 1ST

If you are interested, please send us your address. We look forward to
hearing from you!

Thank you,
Saiya Miller and Liza Bley
The Not Your Mother's Meatloaf editors

Baked some brownies today. Super easy, and super tasty:

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350°F.
2 Grease an 8 inch square pan.
3 In a medium bowl combine melted butter and cocoa and stir until cocoa is dissolved.
4 Add sugar and mix well.
5 Add eggs one at a time and stir until well combined.
6 Stir in vanilla, flour and salt until you no longer see any flour (do not overmix).
7 Fold in additional stuff like M&M's or what ever you want
8 Spread in pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes.
9 DO NOT OVER-BAKE -- your brownies will come out dry. Adjust time/temp accordingly for your oven. If you do the knife/toothpick test, it should come out with moist crumbs, not clean.

For double recipe, bake in 9x12 pan and add 5 minutes to baking time.

Source: Recipe Zaar

My brother wanted marshmallows, so he cut up some big ones and we pressed the pieces into the batter after it was in the pan. Didn't work out quite as planned. So, while our brownies look like they have some sort of nasty fungus growing on them, trust me, they are taaaaasty.