Goals Meeting '08

I've been on the East Coast for 9 days and am ready to head back to Seattle. It's been a very fulfilling trip. I pretty much toured the Northeast- NY, CT, MA, and VT. Some highlights:

Making pigs in a blanket for Ashley and Jeff's cocktail party. I think pigs in a diaper is a better name. That's what it seems like wrapping all those weenies in little crescent rolls.

Watching Patriots Tom Brady and Laurence Maroney play against the NY Giants at a random NYC bar. They be lookin good.

A loud black dude was whistling at me and Ashley during our run, saying "What? You're prejudiced? Once you go black you can never go back". Ashley replied "I'll take a guy with a smaller dick and a bigger brain any day".

Winning a contest at my family's Christmas gathering. I was voted in as co-questioner; my cousin Ryan and I will carry the torch from my uncle Kevin. Kevin started the tradition 10 years ago of asking a thought-provoking question each Christmas day with the intention of getting to know each other a little better. We all take our turns answering and the person with the best answer wins a coffee table book. It's usually an emotional affair; someone's response brings the house down. There's about 25 people in my family so I feel pretty honored.

Skiing at Mt Snow with my parents and some family. The sun was shining, there were hardly any crowds and we got a bunch of runs in. My dad is a sick skier, so following him inspires me. We brought leftover food from Christmas and ate at a picnic table by the lodge. We covertly drank our beers out of mitten coozies.

Maximum QT with my mom. We ran together, drove to Plymouth to look at venues for my cousin's wedding, and navigated the ridiculousness that is driving into Times Square a few days before New Years. What were we thinking??

Being asked to be my best friend/cousin's maid of honor.

My sister and I are gonna go eat Australian food, whatever that is, in Williamsburg. Then we have a Goals Meeting '08. As the title would suggest, we're talking about some goals for the year. Here's a few of mine:

Redesign website.
Cook a good dinner at least 2 nights a week.
Travel abroad (to Europe and/or Japan).
Frame 8 silkscreen posters and organize a show.
Do not drink and email.
Bike instead of drive when the weather is nice.
Avoid taking money out of savings.

Goodbye '07, it's been real!

Burgled!

My apartment got burglarized last week. I came home from a long work day to find my front door unlocked, bootprints on my kitchen table, and my computer swiped (RIP G4, it's been real). You have to walk up a flight of stairs to get to my apartment, but Seattle is so hilly (San Fran's stepbrother), that my unit in the back is essentially on the ground floor. They came in through my kitchen window, which I'd left slightly ajar. I've lived there a year and felt comfortable enough to crack the window for circulation.

It sucks. Nothing was backed up. They also stole a blanket that my Grandma had given me, which had a lot of personal value. I have renter's insurance. Best case scenario is they reimburse me for some of the laptop's value. We'll see though.

In similar bad news, I got ready for my company's much-anticipated holiday party on Saturday night and picked up some friends when the gas light came on. I pulled into the Shell station and pumped the tank, not even to the brim. When I took the nozzle out, gas continued to pour with vigor, splashing onto the ground with such force that it ricocheted back onto me and my new party dress, etc. A man ran to my rescue and ripped the nozzle out of my hands. We both agreed we'd never seen anything like it. My friends and I pretty much got high of the fumes on the way back to my house.

But, all is well. In general I'm a very lucky person, and I think shit like this has to happen once in a while to even out the fortune. By the way, I really like my boyfriend. Here's a photo of us from the party.

Step into my office, baby.

I made my holiday cards today, finally. (Not shown here, so I can surprise my friends). I love when the studio is empty; I get this monstrous, industrial space to listen to the radio and act like a one-woman production line. You'd be lucky to find a space like this in NYC. When I was printing at School of Visual Arts, it was each man for himself in a constrained space. I had to practically sign up for every god-forsaken step of the printmaking process, edging out the Bklyn hipsters printing ironic tote-bags. I was at Pratt alone today and got stuff done.

When I went to the main building I ran into a dude that was in my class. He asked if I showed my work, and mentioned that we should do a joint show. I said, no, all my artwork is under my bed, but I would love to show. His stuff is pretty rad; I was flattered. Thanks Kaleb. The biggest hurdle is framing 8 or 10 pieces. Shit ain't cheap! But it is a personal and realistic goal. There are a million coffee shops here. Many are aching for some original Chez Moni artwork...