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Drooling yet?

I hate this

"Don't eat what you can't pronounce."

Apparently health food advocates/marketers think you're a dumbass.

By that same logic, I would never eat Vietnamese food, and hell if I ain't eating Vietnamese food.

Descriptive, Comparative, Superlative

Butt

Butter

Buttest

Whatchoo do today?

I helped dismantle a 30+ year old maple tree.

I didn't chop it down. No, that was done by a crazy old man with a chain saw (aka my dad). I hack-sawed it into pieces and made sure all of the pieces were in our yard. Now looks like our yard has a bunch of maple bushes that will soon turn into big brown crunchy leaf piles.

Once the tree is cleared, we can build a new fence on that side of the yard. Then the dog can run wild and free once more. Well, you know, as free as one can be inside of a fenced-in yard.

Next week: wood chipper fun.

Art

This Sunday, Grace, Danyel, and I will be going to see "Gee's Bend: Architecture of the Quilt" at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. I am excited about going to a museum I have never been to; I don't go to Baltimore much, despite it being only about an hour north.

I have already seen the exhibit in Houston, but I liked it so much I want to see it again.

Pictures really don't do them any justice at all.

If you're registered at the Washington Post, you can read a review here. The first time I had heard of them was on PBS's "The Quiltmakers of Gee's Bend" and if you're lucky enough to catch it, I definitely recommend it. Art is always way more interesting if you know the stories behind it (even if it is modern art that you're supposed to appreciate without any background knowledge of the subject matter).

Some people look at stuff like that and say, "I don't get it." The nice thing about these quilts, I think, is there is nothing to "get". These quilts were not made by some moody modern artist living in some dingy loft in NYC trying to make a point about god knows what. They were made by poor black women in the deeeeeep south who made the quilts because they had to, out of stuff they had, basing the patterns on what was passed down from women before them and adding their own personal touches. I think you can appreciate them as craft, or art, or pieces of history.

I've started watching Ovation TV. I hope you all have it. It's a really cool cable channel devoted to art and it satisfies my nerdy need for documentaries. It forces you to ask yourself over and over, is this art? I saw a doc on Ray Johnson and he was beating a cardboard box with a belt and called it a reading. Is that art? Is it supposed to be deep? Absurd? I wonder if you're allowed to laugh? What is art??? Makes my head want to explode. But I love asking it! Head explosions be damned!

en masse

I kind of hate things en masse. Massive numbers of anything gross me out a little. Like a stadium filled with sweaty, near naked music festival goers. Or barrels of mice. Or this.

Good times

Goo went back to the land of Cleve this week. While he was home we did fun things like make freezer paper stencil t-shirts. I learned it from Grace and you can find the instructions at Make.

That is a chalupa. It is placed low on the shirt because the tummy is where chalupas go.

I can't help but laugh every time I look at that shirt. And then I crave a chalupa. However, it makes Goo feel full. Which is good, because when Goo is at home he loses the ability to feel full. It doesn't help that Ma makes 5 kinds of dinners in one day supposedly so that she doesn't have to cook for the rest of the week. But in the end, some of us just end up eating many dinners in one day.

Anyways, this is my t-shirt.

It turned out to be a fish that jumps over my left boob.

Here is a close up of the design:
I think if I ever get a tattoo, it might be a fish. Probably not on my boob. I don't want it ending up looking like an eel or a whale or a sea monster later in life. Gross.

Speaking of tattoos, Goo also started on a t-shirt that will have his tattoos on it so that he won't have to lift his shirt to show them off. Apparently, he has already ripped one shirt in the process.

Tedious, but satisfying. And a completely unique product at the end!

I wore my fish shirt to yoga and I got to admire it in the big mirror. I'm vain.

Speaking of yoga, Goo came with me to yoga at the YMCA on two of the three Saturday mornings he was here. Actually, first, I showed him how to do a Sun Salutation A the week prior to the first class. He did really well and even the teacher was impressed by his ability. He's really good at standing pigeon, which involves standing on one foot. I wonder if it has something to do with having pontoon feet, lol.

The second week was challenging for both of us, mostly because of the headstand and shoulderstand that the teacher had us try. Goo managed a headstand but I was too afraid. These aren't headstands while standing on your hands. Your entire body weight is supported by your forearms and the crown of your head. I have only one neck and know too much on how I could break it. Frankly, I think it's a little irresponsible to have inexperienced people do headstands, but it's yoga at a gym taught by a former aerobics teacher who was trained in yoga through a totally westernized method. I don't expect too much. But it's fun and there is variety and that's why I go, but I know what my limits are. And just because yoga is old doesn't mean it's right. I don't think my head was meant to support my butt for any length of time. It was a pretty crappy class for me because I ended up giving myself a crick in my neck and the fact that I didn't do a headstand bothered me all day long. Though, the experience reminded me that I still do need to find a good serious Ashtanga yoga studio. One day I will do a headstand, but my head will not carry any of my weight.

On a better note, after the first class, the teacher and I were chatting about how Goo liked the class. She was surprised to find out that he had never taken a class before. I told her that I showed him a few positions and she was impressed (though I think my family has been blessed with great proprioception). She asked if I was interested in teaching, especially since I would be a great example of someone who is not skinny, but still strong and flexible. She recommended I check out the method she was trained in because it would only take a weekend or so to be able to teach a beginner yoga class. (Sounds a little sketchy, no? But the training program gives you step by step instructions on what to teach.) I was realllly excited about the prospect, because in an ideal world I'd just like to make jewelry and do yoga. But trust me, if I do end up teaching yoga, I'll save headstands for the truly advanced student.

Do I count?

One of Goo's favorite movies is Super Troopers. He told me that he doesn't know a single female that likes that movie. Some of his female friends can't even sit through it. So, of course I take that as a challenge.

But I watched it and I liked it. It is a great stupid movie.

Now he knows 1 girl who likes it.

But then again, I was a HUGE Adam Sandler fan. And we're talking Billy Madison Adam Sandler, not Punch Drunk Love Adam Sandler.

So...I might not count.

Speaking of man-centric movies, Goo and I also watched 300 and the Bourne Ultimatum. While we both finished watching those movies and felt like we could go out and kill, I must admit, 300 ridiculously ripped Spartans and dreamy Matt Damon aren't too hard for a girl to watch.