light tattoos

short lapse in posts due to moving antics. i am either caught in nostalgia or feeling overwhelmed with things to do. here's one bit of nostalgia to share. i will miss the way the leaded glass window in the bedroom casts beautiful patterns, like tattoos on the walls. the tattoos shift as the light hits them at different angles during the day. it is art, light magic.

she's come undone

it is amazing how easy it is to undo your life. our apartment is slowly coming undone, like a tornado we whirled around this place collecting and packing and making the space devoid of character, a blank palette for the new tenants. meanwhile across town our raise high the roof beams project is in full swing. matrix style, there are wires hanging from the ceiling. the nervous system of the house rebuilt v.2.0. it is a rainy bleak day today, the kind of day that chills you to the bone. the blasts of sun from days this week have slipped into the cracks of the sidewalk. last night i toured the new hood with my good friend, sally. we braved the fierce winds and lisps of rain, the crazies and the drunks and ended up at our local ethiopian haunt where a soulful mellow jazz band made the evening shine. over a glass of house red, we laughed at our troubles and braved the uncertainty of the coming weeks together.

dream life

went to a party in an elaborate mansion filled with odd shaped pools and killer fish, long eels. i didn't notice the fish until i tried to stick my toe in one of the pools and one long silver eel lept, no snapped, 8 ft above the water and then dove back into the tempting pool. the pools were more like bathtubs and there was only one long killer fish per pool. there was an odd cast of characters at the party, set in seattle. my pal Roz had moved there with her parents and i thought to myself "of course, she fits in so perfectly here, it is meant to be." the host of the party was an eccentric millionaire prone to gold scarves and cheshire grins. anyone want to interpret?

the kitchen shuffle

snapshot of this moment: dN is designing our kitchen at our small silver table in the rumble of the living room. he actually jumped, no leapt, out of bed and starting working on it this morning. it was like his mind kicked into the footnote of last night's late night design session. we are on deadline to get the plans to the electrician and also the cabinet guys. the design is minimalist, sublime.

fortune cookie

cracked open my fortune cookie last night after a feast of take out, it read:

smile often and see what happens.

full moon } freak hail storm

maybe the full moon induced the restlessness in me last night. the earth must be unraveling, maybe it's the 8th and 9th signs. one minute it is 21C and outloud SUNNY and the next the sky is crinkling its' forehead, erupting with thunder and hurling marble sized hail at unsuspecting citizens below. all just moments before Good Friday, on the 13th day of the month. freaky voodoo. the universe roars with spring fever, officially.

to sleep, perchance to dream

been up off and on since 1:30am, it's now almost 6 and i am huddled on the kitchen floor to prevent waking the sleepers in the house. the birds are chirping. there is a yoga class down the street in 1 hour. this is a warning sign, this lack of sleep. i think the late night nutella crepe may be the culprit, partly. as well as a lack of steam-blowing activities, not enough food, and a hectic work day, small case of the blues and beiges. note to self: take care of yourself! any advice on taming the mind would be appreciated. i wish there was a perspective pill you could take when your mind starts diving deep into hampster cycles of adminstrivia. conquer this!

everybody wants in...

the bin. first it was the penultimate mumbler. an old, possibly italian, man with a swagger and more than a hint of gin on his breath. he came in search of wood for his garden vines. somewhere in the mumble we caught a story about how the man next door is crazy. there must be some love lost between them, stay tuned -- though we may need a custom made babblefish to decipher it.

second, bin diver -- a stylish 30-something asian guy who gutted a house a few streets over. he was looking for a small bit of ornate trim. you know what they say -- one man's trash is another man's treasure.

pigeon-fancier

wandering the back alley at the new place on a sunny sunday morning, one of the garage doors stretched wide open. screeches and trapped flutters. we poked our heads in and noticed cages upon cages lining the sides of the garage filled with a bevy of pigeons. more than a few ruffled feathers. centre stage sat a dusty 70s muscle car. the inside door in the garage was open to the back yard where more cages and birds appeared. the pigeon fancier remained out of sight.

motorcycle rolls thru town

snapshot: a low rider rolled past me today on Christie. an unexpected dose of rebellion in an otherwise tame neighbourhood. Johnny Cash's "I walk the line" blaring from his bike and a small Canadian flag waving from the handle bars. it was a slow rumble ride, smug even. you could hear Johnny Cash crooning from a few streets away. mothers, lock up your daughters. trouble has rolled into town.

if mac made a vacuum

it is the iPod of vacuum cleaners.

the product design, information design and marketing materials are very Tufte. who knew a vacuum could be so refined?

i am amazed at the power of design to elevate the mundane.