Sunny Fall Days

I love love love the weather, and I love love love the colors. Suddenly when I woke up this morning a bunch of leaves were on the ground and it looked amazing. Amazing enough that I decided to take a walk with my camera. I ended up walking around for about and hour and a half.

Some shelf mushrooms on a dead log

Deer skulls galore

Trees

Swirly twig...or something like that

I randomly found a patch of the woods where all of the trees oddly bent into the ground. If anyone knows why that would happen, can you tell me?

I found a leaf stuck to the side of the tree

Then I started seeing faces in the trees

I call this one "Whistling Cyclops"...haha

You see the old man face?

I should take more walks like this. Maybe I'll find more old men in the trees.

We're family, of course we have that special connection...

So in completely separate incidences, both me and my brother made posts on our blogs about voting. Hurrah, finally a confirmation that we're related...we have ESP. If that doesn't confirm it I don't know what does.

This is what Zac posted:

Get Out and Vote

It frustrates me to hear people saying that they broke down and registered to vote, but they're still not going to vote. Why not? It takes little time, and your vote does matter no matter how much you think it doesn't. Think of it this way, if everyone who had this mentality (which is probably a good chunk of the population) didn't vote, their votes combined could sway the entire election. The way to make sure that doesn't happen is by getting everyone out of their houses/apartments/dorms on November 4th.


http://slackeruprising.com/

Slacker Uprising is Michael Moore's newest addition to a long line of politically charged films. However, it's not like his other movies. For one thing, he's released it free to the public as a downloadable film. Secondly, he's given away all of his rights to the film, which means anyone can show it, and anyone can make money off of it. Thirdly, this film is not like his other films. He doesn't constantly spew skewed facts, but shows the audience what his Slacker Uprising tour in 2004 (before the election) went through. All he wanted was to inspire people to vote, and promoted the not-so-radical idea that a single vote does matter.

Watch it if you love Michael Moore, watch it if you hate Michael Moore, watch it if you have doubts about whether your vote counts or not. Michigan has a record breaking 95% of it's potential voters registered this year. That's huge if you think about it, but only if all of them go out and vote on November 4th.

Happy Birthday Sputnik!

51 years ago today the Soviet Union launched Sputnik into orbit. As a result the space race began.

So I just would like to say Happy Birthday to Sputnik. I guess maybe I should say Happy Launchday, but whatever. Semantics.

Bruises

Can't help it, I love this song.

Elephants and Cuddle Fish

Over the past month(ish) I've been staring at the stars every time I come home. It's so dark out here that I can see more than I've been able to see for a long time now. This reminds me of all of the things that I wish I could be doing...like working as an astronomer. I can't figure out why I chose the path that I did. No matter what I do, I always wish I was doing something else. I don't feel like movies are for me, no matter how much I love working on them. I just feel like I'm not that good at it. The problem is that I don't feel like I am good at art either. I do, however, miss art, now more than ever. I miss making art, I miss talking about art, I miss going to shows, I miss going to museums, I miss so much about it. But I'm starting to question how I am going to live. Do I work on movies? Do I paint? Do I go to get a completely different degree? Well for now, I'm just lost.

The only good thing about this? It's finally fall. I love that I can wear a sweater and not sweat my a** off. It feels nice outside, it smells nice outside, and I can't wait for the colors to finally change. It's my favorite time of year.

I like orange, and I like berries, and I like fall.


Oh, and recently I've decided that Elephants are my favorite land animal. Cuddle Fish are my favorite water animal.

Arty Farty

I have a proposal. Right now, all of my thesis paintings are just sitting on the floor at my parents' house, which is not at all where I want them to be. I would like to hang them up in the house, but our walls are old and falling apart already without a heavy painting on them...conundrum. So here's the plan, I am offering them up to friends and family to hang in their houses under one condition, that if ever I need the painting for a show (unlikely as that is) I will take it back for the duration of the show, then return it. I really just want them to find a good home, and not have to go to the happy farm (aka the barn). Let me know if you want in on it.










The Michigan Theater painting is already claimed, but I thought it would look odd without it.

First Day Off

Today is the first day that I've had off in nearly two months, and I don't even really have it off. I have to go to work later, but I feel so bored. I haven't had time to just sit and watch a movie in so long that I forgot how boring that really is. I like being with people, and now that I'm not, it's starting to suck...a lot. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do now that everything is done. It's confusing to have something to do everyday and then just have it be over. Also, school's starting soon, but not for me, and today I just had this realization that the art school is going to continue on without me? Really? How? I don't get it. Not that I want to be back in school, it's just that I think I lost the one and only consistent element in my life. Every year, school has started in the fall, ended in the spring, and now what?

Ok just going over things and apparently I'm doing it online. I need to find something to keep me busy. Being bored is an unfortunate symptom of relaxation.


I think I may just miss my girls. Not only is it hard going from being busy to bored, it's hard not seeing the same people everyday, and may not see all together again...forever...sad.

NOWAY!

Haha, I'm on IMDB now. Wooooooooo.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3095163/

Also, here's a neato photo from the Olympics...


I wish I could get back into archery. Maybe that's something I can work on when I am at home by myself in the coming weeks. Just to keep myself busy. I'm too busy right now, and I know when that ends I'll go crazy. I'm going to have to get a few jobs or pick up a few extra hobbies. ARCHERY! Woot.

Movies

I feel bad because I haven't been in contact with a lot of people recently, but that's because I'm working on Art House now. It's making me busy. Happy, but busy. I'll be much more free to do fun things once we're done.

Love you all!

Shut Up, It's Fun

iTUNES! What?!

How many songs? - 2,671
Hours worth? - 6 days, 22 hours, 43 minutes, and 6 seconds

Sort by song title:
First song: A.M. World -Loudon Wainwright III
Last song: /=/=/ -Andrew Bird

Sort by time:
Shortest song: Muh Nuh, Muh Nuh -Space Ghost (0:17)
Longest song: Troubadours The Annoying Noise Of Death -Rilo Kiley (22:03)

Sort by album
First Song: 3 A.M. -Matchbox Twenty
Last song: C'mon N' Ride It (The Train) -Quad City DJ's

Sort by artist
First song: On The Table -A.C. Newman
Last song: Let Me Go -3 Doors Down

First five songs that come up on shuffle:
1) A Better Son-Daughter -Rilo Kiley
2) The Sound Of Silence -Simon & Garfunkel
3) I Want To Break Free -Queen
4) Hey You -Pink Floyd
5) Madonna -CocoRosie

Search the following and see how many songs come up: (and favorite song):

Sex: 8, I'm Too Sexy -Right Said Fred
Love: 132, One More Night (Your Ex-Lover Remains Dead) -Stars
Hate: 3, Whatever Gets You Through The Night -John Lennon
Death: 60, I Will Follow You Into The Dark -Death Cab for Cutie
You: 327, You -Rogue Wave
Heart: 46, Kicking The Heart Out -Rogue Wave
Rain: 22, Red Rain -The White Stripes
Day: 96, Salesman at the Day of the Parade -Rogue Wave
Night: 30, The District Sleeps Alone Tonight -The Postal Service
God: 35, Motorcade -Beck



I don't know I have some of these songs, don't make fun of me because I have some crap music on my computer. (I don't know if you can tell from the last section, but I still love Rogue Wave the best.)

Mural

So, I painted this mural for a friend's movie. The direction I was given was this; I need a guitar, minimal colors (no neon), needs to be big, and you know those abstract desktop designs that apple has as a default for macs? yeah that's your inspiration. This is what I came up with...




It was fun painting it though.

Out in San Francisco

So here I am, reading my April 1932 edition of National Geographic, just like any other typical Sunday afternoon, when I come by this article. It's titled, 'Out in San Francisco: Fed on Gold Dust and Flattened by Sea Trade, a Pioneer Village Becomes a Busy World Port.' Naturally, this catches my eye. First of all, apparently grammar was different back then, 'today' was not one word yet, it was spelled 'to-day'. Little things like that make me happy, like I'm getting a backwards glance at our society. Anywho, this article goes on about San Francisco, of course, but I came across this section labeled 'Masterpieces of the Tattooman's Art.' It's slightly laughable:

To-day, new structures rise where old ramshackle frame hotels housed the visiting sailors. The tattoo artist still survives; for this is a seaport-and seamen like it. (what?!?!)

Odd are the tales the needlemen can tell-of women patrons asking to be decorated with patterns of scorpions, spiders, and other creepy things; of a wealthy woman who had her will tattooed on her back, and an English sailor with a portrait of King George on his bald head; a zealous missionary with a picture of the Last Supper on his chest, and another who was tattooed with the Ten Commandments.

"Dragons, lodge emblems, anchors, cupids, fat women in tights and out-all these are favorite designs," said the tattooman. "But the most interesting case I ever heard of was that of a sentimental sailor, whose favorite song was 'Where Is My Wandering Boy To-night?' He worried because so few people knew the words and music. Finally he had them tattooed on his chest; then, when he was lonely, in some far port like Capetown or Sydney, he could stand by a music-hall piano, take off his shirt, and have the 'Professor' play and sing to him."

The advertisements in the back are pretty amazing as well. Here's one:

DAME FASHION can't lead American men around by the nose!
'The Big Chain is Back'
Why are more and more of our best dressed men turning to substantial, man-size watch chains-the kind their dads and granddads wore when they were 'young men about town'? Why are the up-and-coming fellows who set the pace in social and business circles giving any chain that might be called 'dainty' or 'delicate' the go-by?
It's because 'the big chain' is smarter and more sensible. It looks as if it were made for MEN! It's strong, sturdy, masculine. It has character and bulk enough to 'set off' a man's clothes to better advantage.
The smart new designs in the 'big chain' are put out by Simmons. And, incidentally, this famous old house was making fine watch chains back in the days when the 'old timer' in the photograph above was shopping for his.
The better jewelers in all cities handle Simmons Chains. Why not have a look at these smart new, big calibre chains for yourself!

These people must have loved their watch chains...right, cause that's important. The bigger the watch chain, the bigger the...well you get it.

Nothing's changed really in the past 70 years...well, I guess I can't say nothing, we spell 'today' differently, but that's pretty much it...haha, yeah right.

Why Not?

Why can't this happen to everyone?

Wow, just wow

TURIN BRAKES - Dark on Fire
Uploaded by supershorts

I love this, I mean, I can't express how much I love this.

It makes me want to make some costumes out of some old clothes and go play cowboys and indians.

Hylophobia

...is the fear of forests.

Glad I don't have that. Or these:

Ideophobia- Fear of ideas
Geniophobia- Fear of chins
Euphobia- Fear of hearing good news
Cholerophobia- Fear of anger OR the fear of cholera (that's an odd combination)
Aulophobia- Fear of flutes

AND, the best for last...

Numerophobia- Fear of numbers (REALLY glad I don't have that one, my IP would have gone so much differently...haha)

I swear I didn't make these up.

http://phobialist.com/

There's some pretty awesome ones in there, and obviously there are those out there that have these fears, otherwise who would have gone to all that trouble to research latin AND then name a phobia without there being a large portion of the population which it affects. That was a long sentence, but if you have Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia don't read this next word:

Antidisestablishmentarianism.

There, I just had to get that off my chest. (By the way, Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of long words. Do you think the person that created that phobia name just did it for shits and giggles? I think that may be true irony...am I right?)

Tell the World

Let everyone and anyone know about this. We are looking for all kinds of art, everything from the smallest of small, to the biggest of big. We need to fill a house with art. Email me if you would like to submit, or if you know someone who wants to, forward them my address.

emilyemilton@gmail.com

The best part is that those chosen to show on screen will get film credit, and free publicity.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

Dream Big

I think this is one of the coolest drawings I've ever seen. And it's just a self portrait. Creativity meets the new world, where anything is possible.

Too Much

There's just too much hustle and bustle in town. I like being out in the country where it's slower and quieter. I was taking care of my parents house for a couple of days and now I miss it. I haven't really stayed there for that long over the past couple of years, especially in the early summer. It smells different. Yes sometimes it smells like manure, but hey, I grew up with that, it's just 'fresh country air' as my dad used to call it.

Right now all I hear outside my window is people speeding around in their noisy cars and the occasional scream and/or yell from someone walking on the sidewalk. Every once in a while there will be an accident, or someone with road rage, or some drunkies coming back from the bar. It's just not a peaceful environment.

Don't get me wrong, I love Ann Arbor, but I think I love nature more. I wish more people were ok with just going to hang out at some random park, but alas, most people want to be inside when it's time to decide what to do with the day. I guess I don't get it. Summers were always filled with slow days for me when I was little, just hanging out, doing whatever you felt like doing. When I'm in town, I feel like unless I'm alone, I'm supposed to do my hanging out inside.

I want to go on picnics. I want to go to the park, just to take a walk. I want to go swimming. I want to go canoeing. I want to go biking. I want my life to slow down.

Everyone is telling me to speed up, go faster, there's more out there to do, but what if all I want in life is to slow down? Take my time, spend it doing the things I love, and with people I care about. I like being myself, letting my mind wander when I feel like it, and taking my time figuring out how I want to live my life. I don't want to make a wrong choice, so just let me figure it out slowly. Just because I'm graduated from college does not mean I have to have a job, or even have a job in mind. As long as I can pay the bills and keep food on the table, that's all that matters to me right now. Heck, that may be the only thing that ever matters to me.

Just let me be myself right now. That's what will make me happy in the long run.

I want to be like Josie. Carefree and loving every minute of it. Just let me be the 5 year old at heart. It was good times.

Just(ice) Dance

Probably one of the greatest music videos out there. At least I think so.