Your crazy neighbors…

Perhaps you saw through your window some of your weird neighbors decorating a Christmas tree several days after Christmas had passed.  Well, to get things straight, that was us.  I know, Christmas is over…put away the tree and bring out the valentines.  All and all, it went by quick and it wasn’t so bad, but I’m looking forward to the fun part now…Novy God (“God” is pronounced “Gode” here).  For me, this day marks the real Christmas for me these days, not the 25th…and the post holiday sales are excellent.

So, New Year’s Eve when everyone is celebrating New Year’s Eve, we are celebrating Novy God, which means new year in Russian but is actually what wacky Americans would consider Christmas (tree, gifts, grandfather Frost), except that it starts at midnight and involves more alcohol.  So for Pig and I, we return from Decemeber 25th Christmas with my mother and a non-existant Hannakuh with my step-father, and we decorate our flat and Yulka (Christmas tree).  This is the first year we haven’ cut down or stolen a live tree, so it took me a little while to get into it (fake trees just dont smell the same, but finally we start feeling festive.  At last.

The traditional food will start being prepped tomorrow and we will stop by the Russian market soon to pick up the final goods.  We actually bought our Soviet Champagne months ago, but I’m attempting to make khachipuri and need some special cheese.  I’m also making Kharcho, which like Khachipurri is traditional food from the Republic of Georgia, but some of the best bloody stuff on earth.  Pig will make the Russian stuff while singing-dancing shows play in the background.  Lots of hard work and a night probably too peaceful for some, but these are the sites, sounds, and smells that I wait for each year.

So Mr. Putin, we will await your speech at midnight amidst the tolling of the Kremlin bells and welcome in a new year Rusky style.

Those 100 Thumbnails live on…

Ah, another use for 100 thumbnails, a la Sylvia….gift tags.

Merry X

Christmas has just been depressing the hell out of me lately, but it’ll soon be over (the holiday that is – don’t worry, the x-actos are too dull from last quarter for this).  A shame, I know, especially since I am religious and it is an important time, but I don’t need another trigger – so spare me the guilt.  Why celebrate it?  I guess for my mum, tradition, to have some sort of celebratory day during this crazy work-aholic period of my life.  So, since no one in the family reads my blog, I can at least have some release here.

But nonetheless, happy holidays to those who enjoy it, and enjoy the fact that you are enjoying it!  I hope I can be back at that point some day, and for now I will look forward to Novy Gode next week.

Snow on my nose

Seeing as my birthday was a few days ago, my condo didn’t want to dissapoint. It blessed me with the greatest gift of the season, a dead heater fan motor. Anyway, we just had the 1958 motor yoinked out of the ceiling (the set up is a little odd here), so we’ll see what happens. Meanwhile, here’s a picture of what things look like in our flat.

The Aftermath

As my 4th quarter closes and I’m left with the huge mess to clean, I have to say this has been my most demanding aside from 1st quarter (which was from another lifetime, dimension and planet, so doesn’t count). Also, I think the mess was just as big if not bigger, except that this quarter didn’t require the extra bathroom being turned into a Super 77 lab. Instead my mess led to staining several spots on in the parking lot and leaving a trail of alien blood through the basement – will post about that tomorrow when I take pics.

Anyway, I’m a little lost this weekend with this thing called “free time” on my hands. I’ve been working in 5th gear since Thanksgiving – before that I was still working hard as well, but more the concepting and research – the past several weeks have been an intense process of hands-on building, editing, and learning how on earth to make those concepts come alive. Lots of frustration, a terrible cold, and bloody hands (working with hog wire had me looking a bit unstable lately).

So, three critiques later, here I am…yes, THREE…very satisfied by each one, though you would never have guessed if you had seen me hours/days/weeks ahead of them. And thank you Office Depot on Piedmont Road…you saved my ass when Kinkos gave a cold shoulder.

And now, the aftermath – how to wisely use these precious 2 weeks when not working and enjoying holidays and people I’ve blown off lately (sorry)…and of course, cleaning so next quarter I’ll have room to make a mess all over again…

The living room and kitchen…the paper mache/paper dying/ironing/sculpting/general assembly room

Pig’s office, the paper cutting and laser printing room…actually somewhat neat in this picture, paper covered couch and desk not seen.

My office…the printing/throwing stuff around/anything else room. Clean spot on floor is where I sat when I put the workhorse Canon on the floor to print all my war-torn dyed papers for Full Metal Jacket. That Canon kicked my Epson’s ass! (the Epson never recovered from 1st quarter tho the Samsung laser completely died) Very impressed, and happy to soon be adding a Pixma 9000 to the family.

Anyway, I’ve sense got most of the living room and Pig’s office cleared, as the debri and clay shavings from my dremmel tool were making it impossible to breath. Maybe I’ll even get motivated to put up some Christmas/Novy Goad lights soon. Keep you posted.

Local Escape

With the chaos of studio week about, I’ve been pining for outlets to get some fresh air and fresh perspective on things.  West Egg Cafe’s Red Eye coffee has given me a boost lately, though why oh why do they have to close at four pm?

One of my favorite stress release spots that doesn’t involve caffiene is the Peachtree Dekalb Airport.  Sit, swing, watch.  It’s supposdely the nation’s busiest private airport, but it’s small enough to feel intamite.  They have a lovely little playground where you can swing or play on airplane-themed structures, but when the kids overtake them I often just find a bench and watch planes come and go as the sun sets. I guess I find it soothing, watching arrivals and departure of little planes and private jets, wondering who they are and where they are going…

There’s a cafe there also, but the patio often fills up – and thus pointless.  Instead stop at La Suprema bakery on Clairmont and Buford Highway, the backside of Plaza Fiesta.  It’s on the way, clean, cheap, and gringo-friendly.  Fresh bread, pastries, cakes, and flan are available, but I recommend their little fruit cups.  The airport is right around the corner on Clairmont, just look up…you’ll see the planes.

Anyway, a nice local escape….