90s Purina Beggin Strips Commercial

"I can't read!"

smoosh face

smooshed-faced cat, we can has?

answers to your questions

GIRL:
You've mentioned that being away from America has given you some perspective on the country. What have you recognized as

1. things you dislike (ex: people being driven by careers)

STASH:
I dislike the sense of entitlement that drives the wealthier citizens of the world (not exclusively north Americans) to distort desires into needs. I need the space and safety to enjoy the freedom that I am entitled to so I need a house with a lawn and my own car to travel to and from there. The benchmarks of a successful life are skewed towards material wealth and, in North America, the interest in keeping things that way is overwhelming; the well-being of the country relies too heavily on that. Maybe things are starting to change now.

I also dislike acute nationalism, isolationism, religious conservatism, and – more exclusively to the US – the disregard for the basic needs that people should be entitled to: education and health services of a level that citizens of wealthy nation deserve.


GIRL:
... and 2. things you admire (ex: initiative generally being encouraged)? Please elaborate!

STASH:
I admire that, through that sense of entitlement, it's possible to achieve a lot. I think the hurdles are more flexible in the US; you are encouraged to do things. I also feel that the US is, generally speaking, friendly to immigrants and they can more easily thrive despite origin.


GIRL:
We've talked a bit about the concept of "home." How has moving to another continent affected your view of home and belonging?

STASH:
It's made the concept of home more ambiguous. I think it was already on that path before I came to Europe. While the city of New York does feel like home, the feeling is detached from 20 CP for me. It's more attached to you (and 20 CP through you), and the personality and meaning of the city. I think before New York, in San Francisco, the place itself was more of a magnet. Maybe not because of what it had to offer, but because of what I was doing there. Also because of you and not in small part because we left less often. Because of that history, the thought of moving became harder and harder to consider. I think most people never leave because too much of their lives is attached to a place.

I'm glad I got off that track. Home is where we are together.

I've given up on belonging – the thought of it can be warm, but I don't think it's something I need. I think my childhood experiences made it that way. I belong with you. Even that was hard to adjust to when we first started dating. Now it's essential!


GIRL:
Any other thoughts about being in school/being away/being apart/looking foward?

STASH:
Being apart hasn't been easy, but I don't regret my choice of coming to school. The experience has been incredible, and I'll learn more from it that anything academic. I think being focused on school is the only way it could have happened. I'm glad I am where I am today, and I look forward to the rest of the summer here and the experience of being in school having you with me. I'm hopeful you won't resent me for it, and think we will both learn from it. Cheesy, I is!

HowTo: Fold a Shirt the Japanese Way

this blew my mind! Have fun figuring it out -- I did!

spotted in Koreatown: weird arm hold!

humor with charts and venn diagrams

From the people who brought us Icanhascheezburger.com, comes GraphJam. Mostly song-related...


more graph humor and song chart memes


more graph humor and song chart memes


more graph humor and song chart memes

shipping rates for Sweden

note to self: shipping rates for Sweden

Priority Mail International Flat-Rate Envelope $11.95 ($11.35 online)
Priority Mail International (1 pound) $24.00 ($22.80 online)
Priority Mail® International Flat-Rate Box $38.95 ($37.00 online) - dimensions 11" X 8.5" X 5.5"
Priority Mail® International Large Flat-Rate Box $49.95 ($47.45 online) - dimensions 11-7/8" x 3-3/8" x 13-5/8"
*There is a 20 pound weight limit on all flat-rate box shipments to international destinations.*

hmmm... no media mail rate available for international... poo.

'90s in the house!

danger! danger! I unearthed a box of my CDs from the '90s and am now ripping them all into my iTunes library. It's a dance fest down in here!

Does this take you back?

newest news

Hi Girl,

Thanks for getting the AA tickets. I hope you're having a good afternoon at Lotta now.

I had an active day – my team went out to the coast today (a 20min bus ride) to film one of our little stories by a couple of windmills out there. We had to walk quite a bit to get all the way out to the windmills, but it was fun to do.

Here's the latest news on the summer preparations. I called the Peruvian consulate this morning and got some answers. I can get an extension to my passport same-day at the consulate in Stockholm. Technically, they won't let me get a new passport unless it's damaged or has been stolen (and a police report has been filed). I'll try to convince them of my problem, but it sounds like it will be difficult for them to budge. If I do convince them, I get to keep my current passport until I pick up the new one. When I do, the old one gets annulled. This might be a problem if my old one carries visas, but I don't know. I'm leaning towards just another update right now, so I don't risk making a mess with the two new visas that are due (Germany and Sweden).

I booked a ticket to Stockholm to take care of this the day after my final presentation (June 4th), arriving into Arlanda early and leaving around 5 in the afternoon. It cost about $200 rt, which is reasonable (even cheap). I think it's worth it and will give me some comfort. If I do end up asking for a new passport, the July 23rd stop in Stockholm would be perfect to pick it up. If I get really lucky, I'll hear back from the German consulate in the next 4 business days, and would be able to pick up my visa on that same day-trip. If that doesn't happen, I can hope for picking up the visa on the way to Munich, stopping in Stockholm.

I think this Friday I will try to talk to IDEO and see what kind of contingency plan to have. Maybe I will have to travel down there w/o the visa at first, and then pick it up later in Stockholm. I just can't wait too much longer w/o buying tickets and having a plan.

Now about the apartment. I didn't realize this (hard w/o knowing Swedish), but the block where we'll be next year here is one of a few student building blocks that don't get June+July rents off. I'll have to pay for July, which I wasn't expecting. I 'm going to try to talk to the person at the housing office to see if anything can be done about this.

Finally, I think donating through Kiva is a good idea. I don't have time to look too deep into it, so pick whichever one you like if you want to do it soon.

I'll call tonight. I have to be downtown @ 8a to check on the degree catalog at the press, so I'll try to go bed early, but I hope to catch you as you leave Lotta.

I love you!
-stash

Wednesday, 'tis

Hey Stash!

Hope you had a good day. Tuesday was really sticky and humid. It never did pour as expected, the air just felt really heavy. Had a good therapy session; focusing on ways to handle stress when I won't have a therapist on call! :)

Happy to hear the progress on our impending moves. Exciting stuff! I've been feeling really lucky... we have darn good lives!

I was thinking it would be nice to share our good fortune. We don't have tons of cash, but we're not hurting either. You've heard of Kiva, right? Micro-lending to entrepreneurs around the world and such. What do you think about lending $50 or even $25? If you click on "Lend" at the top, it takes you to a page where you can search by various criteria. If you search for Peru, it brings up 2 pages of entrepreneurs. We could help a non-Chino Peruano (at least I didn't see any Chinos) with his Chino-type store! I just think, even when we're not flush with money, it's good to remember that we're rich enough to help others. And good entrepreneur karma and such!

Hmm... maybe I just get all touchy-feely late at night. Anyway, it's a thought! I will be at Lotta's 11am-5pm. If I don't hear from J, I'll probably come straight home. Talk to you by phone or Skype! Have a most excellent Wednesday!

much love,
Girl

p.s. Today I had pollo a la brasa and a chicha morada for lunch at that restaurant with the cute poncho-wearing chicken logo.

more Munich and elsewhere

Thanks for the link to the museums in Munich. I think I've clicked around briefly before. I could see myself visiting it often!

How amazing do these Vitra workshops sound? http://www.design-museum.de/design/workshops/index.php
Follow the link at the bottom and it takes you to the list of workshops.
"Furniture making from packaging material" -- I'd be in heaven!

Munich-Stockholm

Note to self (and Stash):

These discount airlines fly Munich-ARN...
- Air Berlin
- Estonian Air
- German Wings

Best price I found for one-way MUN-ARN on July 23 was on German Wings (98Euro). Both German Wings and Air Berlin (121 Euro) go through Berlin but get you in around 12:30pm.

neglect. i has had it

Hi Girl,

Sorry for my long neglect of this blog. I hope it will be easier to post now that I just need to worry about schoolwork.

It was nice to see you and talk this weekend. It makes me happy to hear about your outings and plans. Thanks for the crazy travel chart too. I'm sure we'll find a way to make things work. I need to fill my phone card today and give SAS a call. I plan to take the morning tomorrow to go talk to someone at the housing authority to figure out how to make the move of apartments work. I also need to call the Peruvian consulate in Stockholm to get some information.

About Munich. I saw a listing for an Alvar Aalto exhibit and then followed the link to find what seems to be a group of Museums. Here's their exhibit listing.

I'm off to school. It looks like another sunny (but cooler) day here.

Lots of love to you,
-stash

travel chart

GIRL'S PLAN:


STASH'S PLAN (yours is more complicated. Size of dashes indicates order; smallest dashes = soonest, largest = latest.)

tickets! I has them!

Hey, Stash!

I has tickets to Munich! I forwarded the email with the details, but it's in PDF form, so here are the basics:

Tuesday, June 24 - Lufthansa #411
departing JFK 5:40pm
arriving Munich 8:10am on Wednesday, June 25

Saturday, July 19 - Lufthansa #410
departing Munich 11:25am
arriving JFK 2:45pm

$978 total. Not cheap, but worth it for the nonstop, I think. I opted to come back to NYC a bit earlier, so I have more time to wrap up loose ends before the move. Also, gives you more flexibility with your flight to NYC; we can do the move early in the week like Monday, July 21 or end of the week like Friday, July 25.

The good news is that we can use our AA miles for the return trip! 60k miles each. I have these dates on hold for us:

Sunday, July 27
departing JFK 6:35pm
arriving London-Heathrow 6:55am
departing London-Heathrow 9:10am
arriving Munich 12:05pm on Monday, July 28

Friday, December 12
departing Stockholm 10:30am
arriving Helsinki 12:25pm
departing Helsinki 2:40pm
arriving JFK 3:55pm

Nice thing is that we can change the dates and times without charge. I propose that you change your June 10 SAS flight to July 23 or so; ideally, you can change it from Munich to NYC; otherwise, take a cheap flight to Stockholm? Please forward me your SAS booking for that flight, and I'll research it.

woohoo! I will make a chart to make this more clear.

love,
Girl

p.s. If you buy plane tix, especially for lower fare purchases, please use the Citi Platinum card we share. We'll at least get Thank You points for the miles flown, which is most likely higher than the miles you'd get with the AA card.

fireworks

I took a nap this evening and was awakened by a rumbling noise that I at first took for thunder. I gradually realized it was fireworks, but they seemed much louder than usual. It's like they were set up just for our view, with one set going up from a ship on the East River between the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges, another set going up closer to South Street Seaport.

when you were here...

wish you were here!

bear x 2

I know you said you wanted to be a polar bear, but you may want to consider being a panda, too. Look how fun and smiley they can be!

back over here

Hey Girl,

Thanks for your posts. I like your squirrel, and congratulations on the nomination! I am so thankful that your classmates are nice! :)

I'm still stuffy, but have to go to school soon to do some work on our project today. My teammates are nice too, but it doesn't seem they've done too much in my absence. My idea has been discarded, but I can't complain because I was away. Their ideas are nice and fun, but the thinking and justification behind some of them lacks depth, so I need to help figure out how we tie what we'll be doing with our earlier work and the goals of the brief. Of course, we have to execute those ideas, build prototypes and shoot some scenario videos, so next week will be very busy.

This weekend I need to work on the degree catalog. I have to design a couple of spreads to present on Monday, and next week actually build a ~96 page catalog by plugging all content in. Funs!

Thanks again for taking time off to be with me. The jet lag and stuffiness are worth it. And I also think things will work out and we'll be in Germany – no, Bavaria – soon.

I took a quick look at the website for the Peruvian Consulate in Stockholm. The procedure to get a new passport doesn't seem difficult (as long as I claim to be single), and I'd have to do some convincing to have it taken care of (since my current one hasn't expired and still has 10 blank pages). The major hurdle is the time to get a new one. They say it takes 5 weeks (the passport has to go to Peru). This is encouraging in one way – it hints at a more modern and secure passport issuing process, rather than having stacks of blank ones sitting in consulates ready to be filled out by hand. I'll have to call the consulate and ask if I have to surrender my current passport for that period or if I get to keep it. If I get to keep my current one while I wait, I should start the process of obtaining a new one soon to take care of the Swedish visa this summer.

I'll be home and on skype tonight. I'll see you there soon.

Love,
-stash

meee!

Hello Stash,

And so it is that you are back in Sweden and I am here in New York. But only for 5 more weeks! It was so good to have you here with me. Best birthday gift evah! And I get to brag that my man took three planes and flew 5,000 miles to spend 4 days with me. (Meeee!)

My classmates are all really nice people. Several texted or emailed on my birthday, Nicola left me a gift of Jacques Torres chocolates in my locker, and Meggy got me a Starbucks card. So sweet! So, you see, though I miss you terribly, I am not totally alone here. I like hearing about your classmates, too. Though they may bug sometimes, they sound like good people, too.

Last night I only got 4 hours of sleep, which I suppose is better than the 3 from the night before, but I was still running on fumes today. Too much to get done, plus just feeling stubborn about going to bed alone. Good thing I didn't have to be too focused today.

A couple of cool things:
- The lady from the trend forecasting website wants to use one of my texture experiment images for one of their upcoming reports. Not sure if anything will come of it, but they will credit me, so it's pretty cool!
- LJ sounds thrilled to have me intern 2 days a week.
- Today I got an "honorable mention" certificate for academic achievement from the textile/surface design department! The ways of the school awards are very mysterious, but it seems like I may have been one of the nominees for the department award that N will be receiving at graduation. Huh. Definitely must be the doing of the one awesome professor we had last semester. It was nice to be recognized, though really, most any of us would have been as if not more worthy.
- Only two more class projects to go! I know I'm getting an A- in textile science and an A- in greeting cards, but no idea about the others. There shouldn't be anything abysmal though!
- N and her boyfriend gave me a ride home in his rented Prius. My first time in a Prius! The interior isn't that pretty, but it was interesting to see the displays and funny ignition. Seems like they'll be in London in July and August.

I am planning to sleep until 11am Friday and then go into to school at 1pm to screenprint. I hope to catch you on Skype, maybe around 6pm your time if you're around?

I miss you so very much and look forward to seeing you in Munich. I have faith it will all work out! (It was funny chatting with my classmates K and L today and realizing we all have green card husbands, each from a different continent.)

so much love for you,
Girl

squirrel!

Sunny Sunday

Hello Stash,

It was good to see you on Skype yesterday, too. I'm glad the class bbq was so tasty. I'm glad we were able to re-connect on Skype on Thursday, too. Skype is good.

I will be working on a multitude of school projects today, including studying for a textile science exam. Studying! It is to laugh. I'm having dinner with my mom at 6pm, so maybe I'll see you on Skype around 10 or 11pm your time? Various bits of info:

- Article on surfing in Peru in the NY Times this weekend

- You got a check from Ivan S. about $230

- Guy who draws people's faces

- Did I tell you how M's boyfriend said my mom was nothing like he'd imagined? Have I told you how she wears me out? I think I may have mentioned it once of twice ...

- Is this lettering not tragic?


Hope you have a good Sunday!

much love,
Girl

i like the sun

Hi Girl,

Nice to see you on skype last night and hear about your field trip. I stayed in school after that to watch a movie on the big screen we have in the studio. The Darjeeling Limited is a enjoyable film, but not as funny as the The Life Aquatic or The Royal Tenenbaums from the same director.

Today I have a lot of things to do. The sun is out, so I need to be outside a little to enjoy it. I also have degree show stuff to do, fill out my part of the forms for the internship, and I'm going to install TurboTax as soon as I'm done writing this post.

I really look forward to the second half of the week ahead. Monday to Wednesday are going to be difficult, since I'm so confused and lost with the project we're doing. Being in that state when working in a group magnifies those feelings. School is supposed to be this way sometimes, I guess, but it often makes me wonder what I'm doing here. Four more weeks and and those worries will be forgotten for a bit.


I hope to catch you online later.
Love,
-stash

back in my room

Hi Girl,

I'm happy to be back after a few tiring days of workshops, changing hostels, and trying to get along with everyone and do things together as a class. It was nice trip even with the hurdles and I think it will bring us closer together as a class (with some exceptions). Also, Stockholm is a much nicer city with sun and mild weather.

I'm sorry I didn't call on Monday night. We had a long workshop day followed by some socializing with the other workshop participants, then went together as a class to get dinner and ended up hanging out a bit together at the hostel. I'm sorry this hurt you so much. Our in-room internet didn't work most of the time, so I'm also sorry I didn't email much.

I'm taking care of things at home now, but will head to school in an hour or two. Tomorrow we'll find out how our current project will continue, while I'll probably spending time on the degree show stuff I've been telling you about.

I'll see you in just a week. I can't wait. I looked at the list of events you sent and would definitely like to go see the Koons piece together on the roof of the Met.

I love you, Girl.
-stash

p.s. I heard back about the internship with an update and a contact person to help me with the paperwork and visa issues. They told me I'd get a contract soon.

weekend: enjoying

Hello Stash,

Hope you're having a good time in Stockholm. I am happily puttering around the apartment after yesterday's fun but long outing to Roosevelt Island/Long Island City/Astoria. I love showing people around the city, as long as they're good sports. A couple of people who were thinking about coming actually spent the gorgeous day at school working on weaving! Priorities, people. But whatevah, I know my priorities are not necessarily the same as others' priorities. At least that's what I tell myself. :)

Various points of information I should convey to you:

- I deposited a check for $2k (#129) from the eTrade money market account. I'm hoping it will last me through June, with possible supplements from b-day gifts. Filing our taxes sooner means getting the refund check sooner, but at this rate, I may not get around to it until after graduation. May is looking busy -- pleasantly busy!

- I received your classmate R's package, as well as your Amazon.com book order.

- Ever heard of Behance? http://www.behance.net
It's a creative network/portfolio site. It looks like a really cool way to showcase work. My friend J is friends with the founders. They are very well-connected! My page I'm going to J's house for dinner Tuesday night after my afternoon with Lotta. I need to return her lightbox and she's making her delicious Moroccan chicken. Mmm...

- Speaking of eats, your classmates probably have lots of ideas for where to eat, but a reminder that the blog on the Kiosk site has a nice list of cheap eats in Stockholm. I emailed the list to you, too.

much love from your,
Girl

enjoy the weekend

Hey Girl,

I had a slow spring day. The sun was out all day, and it feels really nice – probably a bit cooler version of the nice spring days you're having there. People seem happier.

I'm about to leave for the airport to go to Stockholm. I'll call you tonight once I'm there. I love you and I miss you! Think if you need something from there. and let me know when we talk.

Lots of kisses,
-stash

two weeks exactly!

Hello Stash,

It was good to see you on Skype this afternoon. I didn't get much else done during class, but I did write some nice long emails. In two weeks exactly, you will be here! I can't wait to have you physically near me. Two months is too long to go without kisses.

I added a new set to my Flickr. Yesterday, our textile sciences class took a mini field trip down to the basement to see the industrial knitting machines! You would have loved all the old equipment from the '60s.

Check out this amusing sign in the stairwell of our building. Its language is rather, er, forceful. I'm surprised it got approved!


Have a great trip to Stockholm. I hope to report good progress in cleaning up the apartment.

much love,
Your Girl

two weeks

Hey Girl,

I miss you a lot too. I really look forward to being beside you and holding you. Nice weather will be a bonus.

I'm glad you've been productive. The pigeon prints look really awesome. I love your color choices and the pieces work so nice as a series. The chicken feet pattern is brilliant.

Today I presented the invitation card design to the Degree Show committee and it went well. I have to finish it tomorrow morning and then send it out to get printed. Then there's a stack of work more after that. I'll have to figure out how to balance it with my schoolwork.

A contract for the internship should come this week. I sent a confirmation email ratifying my interest, so I hope things keep moving forward. I also want to be 100% sure about the sublet, so that opportunity doesn't disappear. I also sent an email to the contact at school about helping me get housing for next year, but no answer yet. I'll have to corner her at school to remind her of my situation and get some help.

I look forward to hearing about your experience at Lotta tonight.

I love you and I'll be there soon!
-stash

missing you

Hello, my Stash,

I am about to go to bed so I don't use up all the extra sleep I banked this weekend. I've been busy, but productive. Yesterday I went to a talk at Kiteya, the nice Japanese store in Soho, about haura -- the ornate linings of traditional Japanese jackets. Then I took my laptop to a Starbucks to work on my pigeon drawings in Illustrator. You can check out the collection at my portfolio site. (I took your advice about reducing the contrast with the grey pigeon.)

Then J called and said she was available for dinner, as her son and husband were out of town. She must be a witch or something, because suddenly I found myself making *spontaneous* plans to have dinner at a *vegetarian* restaurant in East Village! There was a walnut-lentil paté that was quite tasty, and J treated me, which was nice.

We have to turn in paper copies of our Illustrator designs, so when you called today, I was in the computer lab printing them out on nice textured paper. It's amazing how much nicer a simple inkjet print is when it's on heavy, watercolor-type paper. People were asking if they were painted when I displayed similar printouts at the trade show!

Today was cool, but it's going to warm up again. I miss you a lot. So much it aches sometimes. I think it's the warming weather that's heightening it. It makes me think about how much you'd enjoy it, and it makes me think of those days last summer when we would take long (to me!) walks to Battery Park City and up the west side. Hopefully the weather will be nice when you're here, so we can be outside. (Though holing up with you in a museum or in bed sounds mighty nice, too!) I can't wait to see you.

Tuesday will be busy, too. I'm going to Lotta's in the afternoon, and then it's back to the city for an appointment at 6:30pm. I won't be on Skype but will be available by phone around 11pm-midnight your time. I'll give you a call when I leave Lotta's.

I hope your degree show presentation goes well!

love,
Girl

spring is here

Hey Girl,

Sorry for the pause in posting. This weekend I can slow down a bit. It was nice to walk around yesterday and enjoy the sun, even if it's still a bit cold. The sun makes me happy. Today the sun is bright again, so I think I'll head out soon for a walk in another direction. I have to do the degree show stuff tonight, so I'll be back to do that and catch you online.

My shoes are taking a beating. A tip for next year is to bring different types of footwear. With the snow having mostly melted away, the walking paths are covered in the dirt they use here to absorb/melt snow and reduce slipping. It's really gritty, gets inside your shoes, and when a car or a disabled-person-mover passes by it leaves a cloud of dust.

The party yesterday didn't happen. Or it did, but we didn't make it since it ended at 11. Pretty lame. I just hung out with a few classmates.

Have fun on your SoHo outing! I'll be online a bit later to talk to you and see you.

Missing you,
-stash

Stockholm-Munich on Asia Miles

Hey, Stash! Some good news. We have enough Asia Miles for a roundtrip ticket Stockholm-Munich on British Airways! When we know our dates, let me know, and I can request the tickets.

love,
Girl

views from the city

Hello, my sweet Stash,

I look forward to seeing you on Skype Friday. It's been a busy week for us, with school projects and the trade show and little things like figuring out where we're going to be in the summer! I'm very excited about our upcoming plans -- seeing you in 3 weeks, Munich in the summer, Sweden in the fall. We always talked about living in Europe, and now we're going to do it! Hoorah for us!

I was asleep by 9pm last night, so I woke up at 6am and caught the sunrise. A very rare sight for me, especially when not waking up early to catch a flight! It was very pretty.


And here are shots of that weird morning when it was so foggy it looked like someone had dropped dry ice into the East River:



In 3 short weeks you'll get to see this view for yourself! See you soon on Skype.

love,
your (favorite) girl

p.s. Kinda funny site that covers men's fashion: Magnificent Bastard

quick hello

Hey Stash,

Lots happening on your end! You have been most productive. I am about to go to bed. Yes! I will enjoy that a lot. I have been so sleep-deprived that I've started talking aloud to Nesty. "Nesty, I think I'm going to run out of time. What do you think, Nesty?"

3 weeks! I am so excited and full of anticipation. I look forward to getting the trade show done so I can fully enjoy the anticipation. The show isn't heavily trafficked, but I'm getting good feedback. People are especially enjoying the textured fabric experiments and the dioramas I made out of the Abercrombie&Fitch underwear boxes.

Talk to you soon, with love,
Your (Best) Girl

p.s. Can you confirm your Umea-Stockholm flight on the SAS website? There's a "Find Booking" link and you just need your confirmation code.

swinging by

Hi Girl,

I hope the event is going well. You'll be relieved soon and happy that you took part in it. I look forward to hearing all about it and seeing pictures.

Today I presented the degree show poster to the teachers who are supposedly in charge. It went relatively well. I also attended a meeting with the Head of the school and another high-up administrative lady. There hasn't been much progress in their search for a new Programme Leader for IxD we learned. It's likely we won't have one even next year, even. It's a pity.

Luckily, there's a lot of good stuff happening at our school lately to balance that out. Yesterday, a UK design recruiting firm gave a presentation, and today many of us did quick-fire portfolio reviews (15mins). It was kind of fun. The guy who interviewed me asked me to come in for a second mini interview during an open slot. I told him I'm most likely booked for the summer, but if that fails I think there's a chance he can hook me up somewhere in London. It'll be good to keep in touch – their firm works with places I'd like to find out more about and were in my list of places to approach. I also got a bit of information about getting hired in the UK. It seems a lot less difficult than the US, but still takes 2-3 months to clear. He seemed confident that the companies he works with can make it happen. It's good to hear.

We had a lecture today by a Danish strategic design consultant who has worked in NY, SF and Hong Kong. A really sharp guy. Then tomorrow someone from Sony-Ericsson gives a talk and does portfolio reviews.

Tomorrow will also be a busy workday. My team for the current ethongraphy project is totally slack and we have to catch up for a review on Thursday. I think I will have to stay late.

What's greatest is that I'm coming to New York to see you in 3 weeks! I think the Umeå-Stockholm ticket purchase went through, but I need to make sure.

I'll call you before bed.

I love you!
-stash

run away, run away!

Hello Stash,

Sounds like you had a busy week, indeed. Glad there's some progress on the degree project front. I know what you mean about feeling compelled to step forward because no one else will. There are a few in my class who will speak up, but I'm getting pretty tired of playing advocate for us. It seems like the department really isn't willing to address the flaws in the program or this derelict professor, so I have to decide after the trade show if I have the energy to escalate this.

I'm happy it's the weekend, too! After near panic about prepping for the show, I think we've all concluded that there's only so much we can do for it. I'm going to work on things for it today, of course, but won't stress too much. I'm really pleased with the funny fabric shapes I made for the museum show and want to continue working on those. Maybe I can get a grant to study those techniques in Japan some day, eh? :)

I know you're sick of the snow and cold, but May is coming up, and soon you'll have those endless days of spring/summer. And we'll be together! Try to stay on the positive side; I really think it helps. When class was canceled on Thursday, some classmates went to the park for lunch, but it included the anxiety girl, so I opted to go to Koreatown instead. I just couldn't take anymore negativity.

If you want to get away, why not schedule a trip to larger city after you're done with the current project, or just on a coming weekend? That was the plan for this semester, right, to arrange some trips? Anyway, I'm sure you'll figure it out. I am freshly showered and pondering what to eat. I'll probably step out to get some food. Hope to see you on Skype when I get back.

much love,
Girl

new kinds of weirdness

It's past 8pm, there's light outside and snow covers the ground. Strange when the amount of light makes you feel like it's summer, but it's still freezing outside.

Of course I'll help you with your submission to the gift wrap contest. And other things too. We'll also make our summer fun whatever the circumstances. We just need to think hard about what makes sense once I know my real options.

Today was busy. I spent the morning working on the degree show poster. It feels like it's going somewhere now. This whole degree show thing is going to be tough. I've also been appointed to talk to the head of the school (along with a couple others) about the absence of a leader. It felt like I had to volunteer because no-one else would. To let out one more complaint, I ended up doing most of the work for our team's assignment today. I don't like so much responsibility. Ok, I'm done – thanks for listening. :)

I'm happy that it's the weekend. I know you're going to be busy preparing for the show, but we should find a time to skype, and for you to take a break. Good luck with all that preparation. I'm proud of you for going through with it.

There's a get-together tonight to celebrate M's birthday (the finn). I'll go, but probably won't hang for long – I don't feel like drinking so much. I'll get on skype when I'm back.

Love,
-stash

I'll show those bitches!

Hello Stash,

Again, good job with the interview today. Like I said, we will make any place exciting. Time Out's intro to Munich sounds like it has possibilities. Though of course, NYC is always a good option.

Thanks for letting me know about the giftwrap contest. It does sound right up my alley, though I may need your help for getting the submission together. Did you see the Speachless project they're doing as well -- your school could get involved.

In any case, all this is after the trade show for me. I'm looking forward to the show but also looking forward to getting my life back. Thanks again for talking me down yesterday. It was an upsetting experience, but overall, I'm encouraged by how quickly I bounced back. By the time I met with my therapist, I could articulate why I thought the professor was wrong and why I was rejecting what she said. It's funny that you asked if I was considering not doing the show, because that was never really an option -- perhaps a sign of how far I've come! Kind of amusing in a sad way, that whole situation, like wanting to be an actor and having your guidance counselor recommend that you work at a video store instead.

I love you very much, my Stash! I look forward to seeing you again, on whichever continent it may be!

Your Girl

p.s. Did you see that Flickr now allows video?

you are a secret stasher

Hi Girl,

You have the funny schemes. I like them (except maybe the really evil ones).

Sorry the painting isn't working out how you'd like it to. I think 1st to 3rd grader styles are nice. If you continue moving up, make sure not to get stuck in one of the middle grades where the cuteness is lost.

I had a boring day. I did my laundry this afternoon feeling a bit hungover. The 80's party at school was nice, but required drinking to enjoy. A lot of people showed up, and the swedes of course had their costume game on (they love dressing up). Some others did too.

Tomorrow I will go to school to learn about ethnography. I also have to work on the degree show thing, which I hope to get more excited about.

I hope your craft fair outing was fun. You can tell me about it when we talk. I hope I can catch you tonight.

Love you!
-stash

painting skillz. i don't has them.

Hello, my Stash (m'stache, my stash, get it?),

I finished eating dinner at 1am. I spent *9* hours at school today! 2-11pm. Yikes. I got a fair amount done, though of course, not nearly as much as I'd thought. Amy did say that she usually stays at school until 11pm Monday-Thursday -- wow!

Today's project just reminds me that painting is so not my thing. We were supposed to use various techniques to get "authentic"-looking textures, and I enjoyed figuring that part out. I used wallpaper samples from SCRAP as a stamp, to give the painting an underlying texture. But man, the actual painting. Egregiously bad, I think. Looks like a third grader did it. But that means I'm improving, since I usually think my drawings look like a first grader did them. :)

I think my niche is in finding interesting uses for things, don't you? I had a roll of Glad Press & Seal plastic wrap with me, and got such pleasure in using it to: 1. Create a baggie for a classmate's supplies, 2. Seal off another classmate's tray of leftover paint, and 3. Mask off areas of my design that I needed to paint around. Love it.

I also get great pleasure in stashing away art supplies so I don't have to cart them back and forth from my locker. For instance, in the classroom I'm in for 3 classes, I keep an extra ruler taped under my desk. Tonight I stuck some tracing paper in an unused drawer, and commandeered an empty drawer (usually reserved for teachers) for my own use. My goal is to have hidden supplies everywhere, the way spies in the movies always have a stash of weapons hidden in their homes under the counter, behind photos, etc. (Noticed how I used your name twice in one paragraph.) Perhaps scheming is my niche.

It was good to be able to see you briefly and to show you my freshly scrubbed face. This facial lady isn't as great as Ming from Faces NYC, but who is? She did do a very nice face massage with oils, while tsk tsking about how long it's been since I had a facial. I hope you had a good time getting your '80s on. I think I'm headed into Brooklyn tomorrow to check out the giant craft fair, but I will try to catch you online.

much love,
Your Girl

videoing

Hey Girl,

I was so tired last night, even if it wasn't a particularly tough day. I was at school early for some training on how to use the video cameras. We'll be using them during ethnography in the current project.

Tonight there's a dinner to celebrate a classmate's birthday. R, the Canadian guy, turns 30. Then tomorrow there's a school party with an 80's theme. After all this, and much more importantly, we have a busy school week coming up after the weekend. We're also starting the degree show stuff, which is going to take a chunk of my time. As is to be expected, the budgets are low and the organization non-existent.

I'm missing you. I've decided to stop worrying so much about finalizing summer plans. I think it was becoming too overwhelming (maybe it's why I'm feeling tired). My new approach is to just wait to see if anything happens with my attempts so far. If nothing happens by the end of the month, then ny is not a bad prospect – stressing a bit less, taking care of the move, and more importantly, hanging out with you.

I hope you enjoy your off day. I hope I can catch you on skype tonight.

Love,
-Stash

rested and watching Top Chef

Hello Stash,

I did wind up cutting my afternoon class -- well, at least leaving right after the quiz. I think I only got an 80% on the quiz. Poo. :) Then I came home and napped for 3 hours. Hurrah!

Congratulations again on winning the contest for the degree show! Mad skillz. My husband has them! Eeeee! What's the next step?

Now I'm working on my design for screenprinting tomorrow. It's a coordinate for the first design. If you'll recall (and you will, because Stash has excellent memory), the first was takeout containers, boba drinks and sushi rolls in 3 colors. The example is on the website that shares my name (look at me being all cryptic). The coordinate is only one color and simpler by definition. I'm doing a polka dot using those slightly off circles that you made for the boba balls.

Then I'm working on another layout for wrapping paper. Putting things into repeat is so confusing. It doesn't help that today the Illustrator professor noted that Photoshop and Illustrator aren't the best ways to put things into repeat, that there are specialized software programs for it. Er, great, but that's not what we're learning!

Anyway, I am trying to stay focused and keep my priorities for the next week in mind: getting taxes done, developing conceptual pieces for the show, figuring out how to present myself. Maybe putting together that "turn off the tap" display. And looooving you!

I hope you had a good night's sleep. Have a good Thursday, and I will speak with you on the telephone!

much love,
Girl

p.s. The blog for Kiosk has a post about cheap eats in Stockholm. I doubt I'll make it to the AIGA talk; it's probably sold out and the next few weeks are going to be jampacked for me. I wonder where they're going next (current place is Hong Kong). Perhaps a venue for showing my photos?

p.p.s. And we are both lovely. And not foolers.

the day for the foolers

Hi Girl,

I am not much of a fooler. Truth, I has it.

I hope you had a productive work session at school yesterday evening. I'm getting ready for school, which I am looking forward to today. Luckily, I got an email from one of the Philips people in the email chain asking to postpone my phone conversation with them until next week. Hopefully the person arranging it gets it.

You can check out the Interactive Institute and the project that was presented to us yesterday: Static! The project we'll be working on is Switch!

What they do at the Institute seems quite interesting. The work with textiles they have been doing lately (a separate project) is in collaboration with the Swedish School of Textiles at the University College of Borås, which is near Gothenburg, if I'm not mistaken.

I need to get going soon. It's very foggy so I might take the bus. Have a good day – I will call tonight.

Love you!
-stash

hungover?

Hey Girl,

Funny story. I hope you're not feeling too bad today. We'll have a home one day where we can entertain guests (not often!) with intoxicating combinations of beverages. We can also have nice furniture and other things.

The dinner was nice, but no dumplings. C was feeling ill earlier that day so we all cooked together at school simple dishes and ate late. After that, the concert event on Friday wasn't so bad, but the fun part was to help make the counterfeits and save 580SEK (close to $100) on each ticket. The wristbands weren't that well-made, but they worked because I don't think they expect such sneakiness up here. You can see a photo of it on my flickr.

Today we sprung forward. We're back on a six hour time difference. The sun just made an appearance after a couple of rainy/snowy days above freezing with melting snow. Spring is coming – the forecast puts us above freezing for the next week, getting up to 6 degrees (41F) one day!

No progress on the summer internship effort. I'm getting a bit worried... I'll have to figure out how to carry on next week, so we'll see.

I'm missing you a lot. I look forward to chatting on skype later.

Kisses,
-stash

drunkeness. i has it.

Hello Stash,

Glad you had a good time at the class dinner, even if the sound show was somewhat lame. The bracelet scheme is brilliant -- much awesomeness there. Perhaps your classmate C can teach me to cook in the fall; I'd like to know how to make dumplings!

Speaking of cooking, I was very impressed by the domestic skillz of my friend M. She whipped up a lunch of roasted chicken, sauteed carrots/brussel sprouts, and mashed potatoes with caramelized onions. You would have enjoyed it.

I'm jealous of how nicely they've made their place into a home. M said they took deliberate steps to do that, staying in a lot, buying furniture together, since she really wanted to feel settled after a tumultuous year and he was new to NYC. I really look forward to that -- us having a place that really feels like ours.

Anyway, the lunch was good -- but I got totally *wasted*! I started sneezing like crazy when I got to their place. I think high pollen counts were part of the reason, but there was a lot of dog hair, too. Anyway, M gave me some non-nondrowsy allergy medication, and then I made the mistake of sipping wine with my lunch. Halfway through, I was sooo buzzed and sleepy. I wound up stumbling my way to Jordana's house, tripping over my own shoes, guzzling coffee to try to sober up. I was drunk at 4pm on a Saturday! (At least I know what to take if I ever have trouble falling asleep though.)

I look forward to seeing you Sunday.

much love,
your (boozy) girl

me-llow

Hi Girl,

I'm drinking my coffee before going to school. There I will redo my contest entry for the degree show, attend a talk by some visitor in another department, and then maybe write some emails in my continued quest to find summer work. In the afternoon, Mikko is teaching us some more After Effects (the equivalent of Photoshop for motion graphics), and then we'll have a dinner at school. I should fetch some snacks over lunch so I can bring something.

I'm glad the last project is over, but I will need to find time to do some more work on my receipt before I can post that project on my portfolio. I don't know if you ever saw my portfolio – if you want to see, go here.

This weekend I need to go over my Portugal photos and post them. Luckily, there is no schoolwork, so I think I can also relax.

Oh, remember your co-worker Shifra? You: "of course I remember!" Her boyfriend (or husband?) sent me an email following up on a request to help out on an album cover some years ago. It seems he is doing another, and wants to know if I'd be interested this time around. I think it would be fun, but need to ask about time.

I brush my teeth and go to school now. I'll talk to you tonight. Have a good off-day!

Much love,
-stash

needs kisses

see more crazy cat pics

almost the weekend!

Sweet Stash,

My neck would love a kiss right about now. I miss nuzzling your neck, too, though sometimes your luscious 'stache gets in the way. I must get to bed to try to catch up on some sleep.

Tomorrow morning is screenprinting, but I'll probably be working on stuff for other classes. The afternoon is the class with the professor who missed two classes and then left 45 minutes early from the last class. Needless to say, I have done precious little for her class since she's given us so little direction. We're also planning a bit of mutiny; we're going to ask her to drop the requirement of a 2-page paper for our first project, since it's just busy work. If she doesn't agree, we may just try to get everyone to refuse to write it. Overall, as a class, the mood is mutinous. My personal mood is disgruntled but determined (to get through it). :)

Maybe I'll see you on Skype, if I bring my laptop to school. Otherwise, I will talk to you via my cell phone thingy.

much-o love-o,

Girl

i'm over here just for a bit

Hey Girl,

Don't worry, we'll be together again soon. I enjoyed our time together a lot. It feels strange not to have you so close I can lean over and kiss your neck whenever I want.

I'm about to go back to school and try to get some work done there. I have to print some things out (my receipt experiments, which are getting really dense). I look forward to Friday, when we'll be done with this project and ready to start a new one.

This weekend I'll do the rest of my photos. I only got through the first batch on Sunday. I'll call tonight - 6pm your time.

Loving you,
-stash

where'd you go?

oh, stash! How is it that we're apart again? I'm looking around the apartment, completely bemused. I hope you have a good trip back. I look forward to seeing you on Skype Sunday. I offer you this bit of cheezburger/Photoshop humor:


see more crazy cat pics

Yo' Girl

p.s. The NY Times Style Magazine mentioned Superga, this Italian shoe brand. Heard of it? The styles seem pretty clean.

two more days

Hi Girl,

Thanks for the tip on the Carbon Footprint inclusive receipts. I may consider adding something like that, although the issues behind that pretty complex. The primary bits of information I want to surface are calories and calories from fat; I was really ambitious starting out, but I've discovered I can't add too much. Entering the project into a contest is a really good idea (you has them).

Another good idea is challenging your derailing-train-of-thought teacher. I do something like that sometimes, but I fear going over the top one day. If your classmates catch on and the responsibility is shared, the plan is even better.

I'm home this morning doing laundry so I have clean clothes to carry with me to see you, and might go to school when I'm done (but I don't know yet, there's a lot of melting snow). Only two more days until Portugal days – fun! No word from hotel Belem yet. I'll try again.

On the internship search project, I got a reply from another place in London. I emailed a school alum who works at Samsung Design Europe, and he said they do have a summer internship programme (brit spelling), but that he thinks the application isn't until end of May. That is really odd, so I don't believe it. He said he'd get me some more information. I'll wait. I also have to respond to the other lead I have and mention the need for a visa (I don't think they realize I'll need one). A new batch of emails will be sent today. We'll see what happens. Unfortunately I'll miss a visit to the school from someone at IDEO next Tuesday, but I'll find that person's email to make contact regardless.

About the tax software. It's up to you , but I think since mailing seems fast and reliable, you can save room and just send the papers after. If you decide to bring them, what I'll need is my w2's, 1099's, and a couple more things: A copy I made of an "estimated tax" payment I made in the summer (July or August). It's in the tax folder in the box, and the copy is of the payment stub and check on the same page. The other thing is the set of envelopes (torn open, and with no content), where in the back I write: "Ivan S" (full last name omitted) and a dollar amount. Those are the royalty checks I get a few times a year. There are probably four at most. Thanks for helping with this while I'm away. I know taxes are stressful.

I'll call tonight, or call me whenever you're free and I'll call back.

Love,
-stash

p.s. You signed your last post wih your real name (I've done it before too, but edit it afterwards) :)

ideas. i has them.

Hey Stash,

I just read an article in the latest Business Week that I think you'd find interesting. It's on companies' efforts to put information about the carbon footprint of their products on the labels. It talks specifically about Tesco, the large British retailer and some other brands based in England, because this summer it's expected to become the first country to introduce "legally binding [carbon dioxide] reduction targets." Here's the article.

Anyway, it reminded me of your receipt project, because they're trying to distill some really varied kinds of information (like fertilizer or fuel used) into a small amount of space for consumers to read. If you're thinking of expanding your current project, this could be an interesting challenge. It could, ahem, even get you hired to work on the challenge in London, where many companies may soon be working on this! Or it's such a hot topic, it would be a good candidate for design contests and the like. Anyway, just another one of my ideas!

Thanks for listening to my mini-rant on the phone today. It's amazing how exhausting a boring or poorly run class can be. Like I said, it's kind of like trying to communicate with my mom. Except whereas my mom starts a conversation in the middle, without any context, so you're scrambling to figure out what she's talking about, this professor starts at the beginning, and then abandons the thought, mid-sentence even! Many trains of thought, derailed. In any case, same result: scrambling to figure out what she's talking about.

I think I may start speaking up when she goes off on her tangents. Maybe if I say often enough, "I'm sorry, I'm not following what you're saying," she'll gradually adjust, especially if other students start doing it, too. Eventually I may just start amusing myself by seeing how many times I can say it in a class.

Talk to you soon! Looking forward to *seeing* you soon!

[edited] moi

p.s. I just installed TurboTax -- yeeha! Should I bring your paperwork and the CD, or just mail it to you when I get back?

skipped the weekend

Hi Girl,

Good to see you last night. I realized I've gone the weekend without posting here, so I should now. I'm getting ready for school, drinking my coffee and hoping to answer some emails before I leave.

Thanks for taking the screenprint photos – I know you're busy, so it means a lot to me. I don't think I told you this over skype: if you're feeling too stressed and overburdened I think you should definitely drop a class. There's less than three months of school left, and you want to finish with your sanity and health. It's amazing how fast time has passed. Sprng forward for you already. Ours should come in a couple of weeks.

I'm excited about our travel plans and about seeing you, and about all the things we'll do later once we're done with school (I like hearing your new ideas).

Lots, of love,
-stash

better days indeed

Hey Stash,

I'm sorry to hear about the deal with the Japan internship. How strange! Maybe living/working in Japan would be the ultimate exercise in frustration. For people who are trying to live their lives without conforming, maybe a culture built on conformity isn't the best fit. I do tend to put their culture on a pedestal. It's all fun and games until you're trying to get something done! (Huh, kind of like working at Pearl River, but way more organized.)

Part of me is now wishing I had applied for the job interviews through the school after all, though I'm not really that ultimately interested in working at some of those places. Still, maybe going through the process would have been good practice.

In better news,TurboTax can be installed on multiple computers, so we won't have to do our taxes in Portugal! I'll do my half here and then give you the CD. Hurrah!

It's 3pm ET and I just got up. It feels soooo goood. (So good, it requires extra o's.) I look forward to talking to you soon!

much love,
Girl

better days ahead

Hi Girl,

Sorry to hear about the rough day yesterday. I experienced the same. All the work putting the portfolio together and not getting a chance to present it really sucked. The Japanese delegation (one guy only for Interaction) interviewed only two from our class (the two Mexicans), and had a single internship offer made by the end of the day. I'm happy for P, but I hate being reminded of how little control you have when ask for something and don't even have the chance to make an impression in person. I've started sending out emails, tough, and will continue to do so for the next week. Hopefully I'll get some replies.

I like the new pieces in your portfolio – really nice work. I like the screenprint you show. I also checked out the TONY thing. Congratulations on being selected, again. The illustration is very cool too. I know you'll save a clipping, so I look forward to seeing the print version one day.

Today is slow for me. I'm home after having caught up on sleep and will go to school later for a short presentation someone in our class is giving and fika with the group.

I need to catch up on my project this weekend. I think I'll block out Sunday to work out my receipt multilayering idea to show our teacher on Monday. It's the good teacher, so I feel bad that all in our class have been sidetracked away from the main thing we're supposed to be doing. Then in exactly one week I'll be catching a flight to go meet you. Fun!

Talk to you later and see you either tonight or tomorrow.
Love,
-stash

almost the weekend

vector magic no longer free? Too bad!

My afternoon class was canceled -- again. I am both elated to have some downtime and annoyed because this class was canceled last week, too. I was hoping to get some more guidance with the assignment, since I'm going to miss half of next week's class. Whatevah, bitches. It's sad when your primary assessment of your school is, "Well, you get what you pay for!"

In less whiny news, I got this week's issue of Time Out NY with my sad bear photo! The version online is even tinier than the print version, but I like the style of the illustrator.

I also added more images to my quasi-portfolio.

Talk to you soon!

love,
Girlie Girl

speediness

Hello, Stash!

I'm glad the tickets arrived safely. That was fast! I just mailed it on Wednesday!

I, too, am very excited about our impending trip to Portugal. I am counting down the days until I can nuzzle your bounteous mustache. Today in Textile Fundamentals, the instructor put up a world map to illustrate how global textile production is these days. I was able to locate Umea, Lisbon and Lima on the map. You are very far from home, my boy, regardless of whether "home" is New York or Peru.

I got your wish list and will keep an eye out (open?) for your packages. I will try to find some (daylit) time to take photos of the screenprints you requested. Are you still sending me copies of your passport? I managed to book our train tix, after several tries. Not too bad, 68 Euros for the both of us, roundtrip. I priced rental cars from Lisbon, just in case we wanted to drive down, but they're much more expensive for an automatic than in the Algarve. I like trains, anyway.

I did survive the visit. Thanks for your support! Sunday wasn't as tiring, though still more tiring than I'd like. We had wet (soup) dumplings from Joe Shanghai for dinner.

Today was a long day. I did find happiness in my morning class, stitching paper to paper as one of my texture experiments. The extent of my contentment was such that I was able to find happiness despite the professor's insistence on playing music during class. As no one offered up her iPod, the professor installed hers on the Bose speakers, so we were aurally assaulted by a heinous mix of folk rock, oldies and American Idol contestants. We suspect that she just downloaded some of her daughter's songs into her iPod to keep it hip. It was heinous. Heinous, I tell you! You would have walked out.

I also got a voicemail that there's going to be construction in the school, so we have to move our lockers up a floor. By 5pm *tomorrow*! As if my locker wasn't already far enough away from the classrooms. The level of incompetence and disregard is just amazing. I was livid! And I'm planning on writing a letter saying that it's unacceptable. Unacceptable, I say!

Then I stayed late to get a jumpstart on my screenprinting project, which is due next week. The registration worked out far better than I dared to hope, but I'm still working out the colorways. So much mixing, so few results!

Anyway, I have a short day tomorrow. In the afternoon I will move my lockers, and then head down to Soho to meet up with J. I look forward to speaking with you tomorrow! Not sure if I'll be heading home after Soho or going to Brooklyn, so we'll either Skype or speak via el telefono cellular(o).

tu amorito,

Girl

Got the tickets

Thanks! 10 more days.

I'm up late (for me) still working on the portfolio. Just two more projects need images, then I can do the writeups, do an about page, and update my CV and I'll be done. I need to get started on the new project at school too.

More snow today. Tomorrow I'll stay home.

Kisses to you,
-stash

hang in there

Hi Girl,

Sorry to hear about the mom-stress. Try to relax despite her presence.

It was really good to see you last night on skype. I look forward to seeing you a bit later again.

I'm continuing work on my portfolio and I think it's coming along well enough. If you have a few minutes, I'd like to ask you to take a couple of photos of screenprints I made last year. The ones I'm thinking of are the bear (if you're ok with me showing it). One with the outline and the fishbone inside (I think the bg is light green and the fishbone is yellow). The other is one of the "PARTIAL" prints. Can you pick one that looks nice, printed on newsprint (greyish toned)? Just those two will do, shot from above to show the full print. If you find out it's not working or taking too long or don't feel like doing it, please don't worry about it. If you can, thank you!

I was going through some old 39elle photos and it brought back sweet memories. Remember when we went out with Pina's Camera to take pictures of ourselves? We look young and (I think) happy too.

About the trains. I agree that the 13:00-ish departure time is best. Not too early, not too late.

Love you and see you later!
-stash

my eyes, they be drooping

Hey Stash,

It was good to talk via Skype today. This semester's schedule is so difficult! I wish I could see your lush mustache more than a couple of times a week.

It's not even 9pm ET yet, but I'm about to go to sleep. I am sooo tired! I'm annoyed at myself because I wound up eating dinner with my mom, after she showed up and announced that she was hungry. I'd forgotten that I'd told her earlier in the week that Sunday would be a better day for dinner for me. I'd done that on purpose so I could have Saturday relatively interrupted, and then I forgot! Now I might wind up having to have dinner with her two nights in a row. And I am exhausted and surly. So much unnecessary talking ...

Like I said, I think I'd be annoyed with anyone staying with me for 2 nights. My school weeks are so demanding, especially the last few, that I need that entire 3-day weekend to recharge. And with anyone else, I wouldn't hesitate to say, "That won't work for me," but of course, in this case, I can't. So layer of annoyance there. Add to that another layer of mother-daughter dynamics, and it's like I'm a lasagna of resentment.

:::sigh::: I will see you online before I jet off to the Museum of Arts & Design tomorrow. Because I prefer to get to Midtown by jet, of course.

Ta!

Girlie

p.s. I saw your tractor circus photo. That is ... so very odd!

p.p.s. I confused the train return times. So, here are our options for going back to Lisbon on Thursday the 20th:

Faro 09:05 Lisbon 13:06 Travel time: 04:01
Faro 13:08 Lisbon 17:05 Travel time: 03:57
Faro 14:55 Lisbon 18:04 Travel time: 03:09 (faster train)

Help me decide! I'm leaning toward the middle one.

weekend, hell yes!

Hello Stash-erific,

Your snow fight sounds fun. I'm imagining you laughing helplessly, the way you sometimes do when you're really amused. :)

I enjoyed hanging out with L, though parties so are not my thing. Having to "mingle" and talk to random people is so tiring. Sometimes I barely have the energy to talk to the people I'm actually interested in, you know? There were a lot of magazine people there, kind of like Collin's parties. It was in a sweet apartment in Greenwich Village, huge by New York standards, across the street from a grocery store. I started off the evening badly by trying to open a bottle of tonic water and having it spray all over the place!!

My mom is going to be here this evening, so I am already a little stressed because I really need to clean up and clear off some surfaces. I'm sick of not having a work space to paint on.

I definitely want to Skype though. Give me a call when you're online, so I know to go to the computer.

much love,
yo' Girl

it's the weekend

Hi Girl,

Our blog has been quiet. The weekend is a good time to change that.

I hope you had a good time with Laura last night. Where did you go? My night was fun – it was nice to go somewhere away from the school and dorm area. It has continued to snow here the last few days, so there was plenty of snow to throw at each other on the walk back. It was the part of the evening I enjoyed the most. I didn't get to do that as a child.

Last night after school I went downtown with M (the finn) and happened upon this circus performance that was in town only one night. They are apparently well know and there was a good turnout of Umeåns (if that's what they're called), even with snow falling throughout the performance. It started a bit slow, but became quite fun to watch. There were no animals, just plenty of fit swedes doing pirouettes, funny balancing acts, and a guy shooting fireballs into the sky with a flamethrower at the end. The really peculiar thing (for me) was the use of tractors (brand new shiny ones) as a key component of the performances. People would hang on them, jump off them, and they even played the role of animals tamed by a ringleader. They moved around with precision and even grace (for heavy machinery). It was hard to take photos in the dark while it snowed and standing behind tall swedes, but check on flickr to see one of a truck lineup.

Today I'll resume work on my portfolio, which I hope to be done with by the end of tomorrow. I think I will also watch one of the movies I've downloaded. I'll be on skpye so we can chat too.

I look forward to seeing you – it's been a few days!
Much love,
-stash

fluffy snow

snow covered, originally uploaded by m8roberto.

It snowed all day and I slipped twice (total count for the winter: 6). Once while trying to take this photo, with camera in hand. The snow cushioned my fall and I didn't feel a thing.

It was a nice day today with all the snow covering up the nasty sheets of grey ice. The lady clerk at the student union office was super nice to me too.

Congrats on having your photo picked for the TONY thing.

Love,
-stash

short day

Hey Stash,

Sorry I missed your call last night. I was in Brooklyn, at J's. She's very sad, of course, but it was amazing in a way how well she was doing, and how much of her personality still comes through.

My short day today -- thank goodness! I am so worn out. I have an appt at 6:30, so I'll be hanging around school in the afternoon, maybe even checking out the gym! I hope your day was good and your errands not too taxing, or vexing even. Wouldn't want your 'stache to get all rumpled!

Girl

new things

Hi Girl,

Sorry I couldn't reach you last night. Yesterday was a mellow day at school. We had a kick-off lecture and have our next check-in on Wednesday. I came home early, took a nap and got started on my portfolio. I'm re-doing it, and am just starting on the shell (before I do the content).

Today I have to run an errand at the main school (they're trying to bill me twice for my student union registration), and then will be in my school in the afternoon to think about this new project and attend a 2 hour programming/electronics introduction.

It's sunny again today, but cooler than yesterday (it went above 40!).

Loving you,
-stash

luv for uz

ponte wha?

Check out the ponte that I'd like a view of from our room in Belem.



We're going to be so confused, thinking we're in San Francisco! It's actually Ponte 25 de Abril, spanning the Targus River in Lisbon. Like I said, we'll be staying in Belem March 20-22, after we get back from the coast. But on Sunday, March 16, there's going to be the Lisbon Half-Marathon, which goes over that bridge. If we were the sporty types, we could actually register and run across the bridge. :)

lazy weekend

Hi Girl,

It's the weekend and I'm doing laundry. It snowed a bit earlier so there's fresh fluffy snow on the ground instead of (or over) the perilous sheets of ice that I've had to walk on carefully the last several days. I'm enjoying the sense of calm that comes after finishing a project. I cleaned my studio space yesterday at school and just posted some photos of our project setup on flickr. Once my clothes and sheets come out of the dryer and are put away I'll have a total sense of domestic fulfillment.

On Monday we start a new project that will last five weeks. I read the brief and think the timing for our trip couldn't have been planned better. The Portugal week is the fourth of the five weeks of the project, so I know I'll need to make more effort at the start and then wrap up when I'm back. We'll be working individually, so there's no-one to tick off by being absent. It also seems quite manageable in terms of scope. That means no guilt factor while I'm enjoying my time with you exploring a new place. Funs, we gonna haves it!

I'll talk to you tonight!
Love,
-stash

the sound garden

trees, originally uploaded by m8roberto.

This was the setup for our presentation. The trees are cardboard and have speakers hidden inside. We used regular projectors to add the light shadows on the ceiling.

More on my flickr.

Love,
-stash

girl is sleepy

Hey Stash,

Yes, please do get photos of the trees. I'd love to see them. I'm going to skedaddle off to bed. I still haven't heard about J. :( I love you so much!


moar humorous pics


moar humorous pics (I think this is a rabbit.)

Love for youz. I has it.

(Your) Girl

news

Hi Girl,

Sorry for the silence of late. You get comfortable being quiet when you have a rich mustache like mine draping over your mouth

You'll be proud to hear I slept in today. I didn't get out of bed until 9:06! It was so bright I couldn't stay in bed any longer. After showering I worked on my forest sounds until noon, and then went to school. My product designer teammates didn't show, but I did see the work they did on our two cardboard trees. They are quite beautiful (I need to take photos). In the evening, Chao and I worked on figuring out how we'll activate the sounds during our presentation. We found a simple controller that we may be able to use, so there's hope. All the wiring will be a mess, though. As a plan B, I figured out how to activate individual sounds using Bluetooth through my phone. Too much geeky detail, I know!

Two of the advisors on the project were very impressed with both the trees and the sounds, so it felt good to hear their feedback. The main babbling guy wasn't there to give his typical knee-jerk unraveling stream of consciousness critique. I slipped (total count for the winter: 4) right outside the entrance to my building. I had a decent day, so I didn't curse Umeå when it happened this time.

I need to do some more work prepping the sound setup tonight. I'll call later to see how you are. I miss you!

Love,
-stash

(More exciting news soon, I hope)

I go blah, blah, blah

Chinese taco, wha? It reminds me of when we were trying to come up with the most vile and unfortunate restaurant combinations. Sushi and tacos. Sushi and fried chicken. Sushi plus anything that isn't sushi, really.

It's ok if you're an urban elitist. I still love you. I appreciate your not ruling out other cities in the US entirely, but now that I think of it, if we have to be in the states for the summer, I'd rather be in New York! I love all the summer activities here, and dammit, it is the best city in the USA!

I got a bunch of different pens at Blick/The Art Store today, and I'm looking forward to trying them out. I really wish I'd taken more art classes earlier. There are so many cool mediums out there, and I have virtually no idea about them. I was looking for options for outlining some flowers for this floral print that's due on Wednesday, and besides the usual Micron pens, there were a whole range of other tools. Markers that have brushes for tips, so you can get a smooth but fine line, available in a range of cool and warm grays, for instance. Can't. Resist. New. Pens.

I am trying to curb unnecessary purchases though, with the reminder that I'd be better off saving the money for Portugal. Items bought on vacation are so much fun. Today I got to nonchalantly tell some former coworkers that the sweater they were admiring was from a discount store ... in Paris. I'm still very fond of that toenail clipper you bought on Ko Samui in Thailand. I swear, that was the first time I really remembered getting a good look at your feet!

Hope you have a good, not-too-maddening day. Even if you're not into the project as they present it, try to get something worthwhile to you out of it!

much love,
tu "c"-ita

the other places

Hi C,

I may be an urban elitist (I have become more of one living here, I think), but I don't think I'm unreasonable. I thought about it some more and now think that the summer months in a different place in the US wouldn't be bad – as long as it is a real summer (SF would take a lot of convincing). Chicago, Boston, or even somewhere in Europe but closer to the bigger cities. For both of us. I didn't mean to suggest that we should narrow our options.

I made a list of some possible companies last night, and want to figure out my portfolio plans this week so I can start putting it together and sending out some emails by the end of the month.

The place in Portugal looks nice, and I commend your veto on chinese taco pizzas!

Love,
-stash

more 4-day weekends, please

Hey Boo,

Did I mention that I am soooo excited about our Portugal trip? Like I said, I've reserved our room in the fishing village of Salema for 3 nights (March 17-20). This page from their site has some info on the town. I like that it's so small. I saw a nice-looking cottage in another town, but then I saw that the dining options included Chinese and Italian restaurants, including pizza. No, just no.

I'm curious, would you really refuse to live in Chicago for a few months if you got a great internship with IDEO, or if I got a great internship with, uh, something there? Are you such an urban elitist? :) What are you concerned would happen if we were to live in Chicago?

So much love for you!

la petite c

today

Hi C,

I like the expressions in your photos. Pairings like that would make a good series.

I think you might have called last night, but it came after another call I didn't want to pick up, so I just thought it was the same unknown number calling. I was already in bed and falling asleep.

I'm glad it's the weekend and I can forget the bumpy days past. As you know, it's times like these when you miss the things that you find comfort in the most. I'm thinking of you a lot.

There's a snow sculpture competition happening downtown so I'm heading there in a few minutes. I went and saw some of the teams getting started yesterday with their 3m x 3m blocks of snow.

cutting the snow, originally uploaded by m8roberto.

I'll be home later and will talk to you then.

Love,
-stash

sameness

The expressions are kind of similar?!?

Saturday is for Skyping

Hey Stash,

I'm sorry I missed your call. J's baby shower was really pleasant, and as I'd suspected, her friends are all really friendly and creative -- and many seem to have really nice houses. She loved the class gift, and as I predicted, cried.

I miss you very much. I have a 4-day weekend and am really wishing you were here with me. Maybe we'd go to Philly, or finally do the 4-hour trip to Boston via Chinatown bus. Or head up to my mom's house, since she's out of town (she's in CA). Or we could just have brunch.

I'm really looking forward to Portugal! I think I found a place to stay in the Algarve, specifically in the small fishing town of Salema. It's basic but walkable to the beach:
http://www.algarve.co.uk/Page1.htm

I'll see you on Skype Saturday!!

much love,
your l'il c

9 more years! 9 more years! (actually, a lot more years!)

Hey Stash (Your name explanation reveals your complex nature),

I just sent you an email, not having thought to check here first. I am, once again, playing the starring role in the hit series "I Shouldn't Be Awake." I do have a reason though, since I was working on my screenprinting design. I learned a lot about Illustrator just futzing around. I don't love it, but oh well!

I uploaded my dog show photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/charclam/sets/72157603901641576/

I'll bring my laptop, so hopefully I'll see you online around 1:30pm ET. I only have that 30 minute break before my 6:30pm class, so I'll just have time to say hi.

I miss you and love you. Thank you for my tulips! I am so happy to be with you. I feel very lucky and loved, even though you're far away.

besos,
your little c

p.s. I fixed the time on the blog, so it's for ET. It had been set on PT -- confusing!

Happy Valentines and 9th (First Date) Anniversary

Hi C (aka Girl),

I'm thinking of you and hope you are of me. I'm away but I hope you can still feel my love today. Let's find a time to skype or at least talk. It looks like between 1 and 2 in the afternoon your time, or after midnight. I'll call then. I'm glad you enjoyed your Best in Show experience, and am sorry to hear about your dad's new health issues.

It was windy yesterday and it reminded me of NY. It's cold up here but not often windy. Yesterday it was the opposite way around, so it felt cold the way it does back home and it triggered memories of us fighting our way through the tunnel–entrance to CP. It also snowed briefly from just a couple of clouds disrupting a what was otherwise a clear and bright day.

I'll answer your questions. Stash is what I go by, yes. I prefer that spelling to stache, even though the meaning of my name is of course a reference to my perfectly manicured and neatly contained facial hair. The sun is rising much earlier now. There is light at 7am, although the sun peeks out a bit later than that. In the afternoon we have light until around 4:15, with a prolonged dusk thereafter. The daily changes in light are steep – and welcome. By mid march we'll have light until 6pm. After that, it'll get even nicer and then really strange very quickly with way too much light and behavioral changes I can't predict.

Yesterday in school the kid who I got the Digital Camera for over Christmas gave me a vinyl toy. I'll take a picture of it and show you. I knew he was into vinyl toys, but yesterday he revealed he was getting started on a small business selling them, and the one he handed me was their first model. He had them made in China (and the one I have doesn't look half bad), but is now doing the second run in the US. He's already selling through several retailers in many countries, which sounds impressive. I didn't have much time to talk, but I'll talk to him more about this, since it might be good insight to have.

That's all for this dispatch. I love you C, and I'll be happy (even if a bit sad) just thinking of you. You are the most important thing to me and I feel incredibly lucky to have you even in this time apart. I look forward to Portugal – just four weeks away.

Many kisses and lots of love to you,
-Stash

tired as a dog

Dearest Stash (wait -- your name is spelled "stash"?? As in stashed, hidden Labbit, not mustachioed labbit? You think you know someone ...)

What time is the sun coming up in Umea these days? (I am too tired to do the a with the circle over it.) Here in NYC, it is naasty! After I talked to you, there was a whole bunch of snow that actually stuck to the ground and was pretty for a millisecond before turning to slush. Poo.

I had fun at the Westminster dog show though. Turns out I actually like dogs just fine, as long as they're well-behaved and don't bark or try to touch me. It was amazing to see all those different dogs in the rings and backstage, all mellow, no barking, no fighting! I saw a lot of nice looking dogs, especially the ones I call "noble" -- like the Alaskan Malamute and Saint Bernard. I took a lot of photos -- I'll post them on Flickr.

Spoke with my dad just now. No operation in May. Turns out his thyroid is acting up again (he was losing weight), so he needs to get that checked out first.

Going to take a late-night shower now. Happy 9th Anniversary of our meeting! It's been good knowing ya. :) Do you realize that by the end of this September, we'll have been married for over half the time we've been together?

Have a great Wednesday. Best of luck with the people and ego wrangling. Some days, you're the only human I can tolerate!

much love and besos,
C
aka Girl Labbit

stash checking in

Thanks for setting this up, c! I just tried calling a few times, but you must be going somewhere, so this is a good time to write my first post.

Today is the second sunny day in a row we've had up here, and it feels really nice. Two people ice skating (or skiing perhaps, it was hard to tell) on the frozen river could be spotted from our studio window as the sun was making its way up. It was a really beautiful sight and a nice start to the day.

After that it took a bit of a dive because of the work we're doing now. One of the things I looked forward to coming here was working with designers in other disciplines (and I still do). It's tough, though. People cling on to what they know and have a hard time considering what those outside of their craft may see. Industrial designers are so fixed on form and styling that it's easy for them to ignore the deeper hows and whys behind what they build. With experience that will hopefully fade, but I've been having a hard time with one of the people in the group I'm working with and it's been frustrating. I'm not their teacher, so I'm not the person responsible for those lessons – and that is somewhat of a relief. So will be breaking loose from them in less than two weeks.

Tomorrow I'll be playing with sounds to create a simple loop. I'll let the product designers worry about the product design part.

I'm missing you on this meaningful day for us. I hope I can still talk to you before I go to bed. I've been going to bed early and sleeping really well, which is a really nice change from the first two weeks of being back when I was worried – ocd-style – that I had suddenly developed insomnia.

And now we're talking on the phone. I love you!

disapproving bunny

This bunny totally looks like a disapproving old Chinese man. In fact, I think he might have given me a stern look in the elevator this morning, just before shoving me aside with his cane. [Found on cuteoverload.com, of course!]