Onwards and upwards

So, my stomach and body in general are getting better; the salmonella is gone, and my cold's almost there! Woooo. Also, I bought tickets for my cousin's wedding in Portland in August, and now I need to book the train leg of the trip down to San Francisco. (Yes, that's approximately 18 hours on Amtrak.) It's remarkable how much the act of purchasing tickets makes things that much better.

Speaking of trips, I was in New York, and it was fun! My attitude about the city has progressed from a feeling of being totally overwhelmed to a desire to explore it all.

One thing I found: a preserved shark ("The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living"), the sale of which apparently made Damien Hirst the the world's second most expensive living artist after Jasper Johns. (He went on to claim 1st place by making a platinum cast of a human skull that is covered in 8,601 flawless - and, worth mentioning, "ethically sourced" - diamonds. It is aptly titled "For the Love of God" and made the rounds on BoingBoing, etc., last year) Qualifiers: I'm not really a fan of works like Marcel Duchamp's pissoir, this work isn't my favorite stuff either, and that many diamonds is ridiculous. But I have a strange appreciation for this shark, because I actually felt something when I saw it (unlike the pissoir). And I liked the title. At any rate, it does a lot more for me than most bowl o' fruit still lifes.

More photos on Flickr.

Painting and ongoing efforts

I am really happy with these two little paintings I finished last night. They are hanging in my bathroom over a set of big holes. The dingy walls in my (rented, old) house have so many gashes, and without repainting, spackling can only do so much.

The other project has been cleaning up the back yard; Tyler helped me weed (for 5 hours) and put down weed cover, and Aaron eventually hauled away the wood pile that appeared out of nowhere. Now we need mulch and a few plants, and the backyard will no longer be a rat haven or source of shame/disgust. Expect invitations to events on the backporch.