DOC-U-MENTING

CHORES & BORES

       Bills, laundry, dishes, junk mail even, it never ends, continuous cycles we must commit ourselves to over and over again. All the while trying to find ways to be ourselves and shine through the mundane redundancy of daily life. Routines and familiar ways start to become jaded, tainted with the tedious aroma of "here we go again." Sometimes I just don't want to force myself to deal with these things, the boring intricacies of life, but if I don't, who else will? This is what comes with growing up. This is adulthood. (insert dundundun here).

      Lessons learned become the way of direction around here. We deal with these things because we have to. They are our right of passage to our freedom. Though I believe true freedom would entail no attachment to material items and the bills we have to pay to keep them. Freedom from relying on others, our parents? Yes. We become our own through these annoying little responsibilities. Good enough for me. I'll take independence over dependency any day.

        ;Mae Jane

OVERLOAD

It's a strange week so far. Much on my mind. Much to figure out. Much to organize. Much to attempt. Much to complete. Much to start. Much. Much. Much. I have and will have more new artsy things to share and some journal work soon. My mind has been clouded lately with life struggles. I'm trying to land just the right job that will offer a set stable schedule that I can work around going back to school. Kind of feeling stuck, job hunting is the sucky and most discouraging when all i would like to do is receive a nice weekly paycheck so I can go to school and pay my bills. Patience is seeming overrated these days as well. Hanging in there, hanging on.

Mae Jane

EDIT: Holy goodness. I just got a call back from the job that I had been hoping and wishing to get since last month. I have an interview Friday, and to think, I was practically giving up on that company. An interview with them usually means hire, so this is a great big joyous step in the right direction (plus I've got a referral to work there too). Funny thing is, for the past few weeks or so, I've been feeling really down and discouraged about my job hunt, feeling like I'd have to resort to a job I'd hate, like another one in retail or the food industry. I can't believe they finally called me. I squealed with so much joy that I scared Littlebones and she ran under the bed. Eeep! :)

 

WEEKEND RECAP

It was a good weekend, went by fast though.

+ friends on friday
+ denny's run at 2 am
+ doubles tennis match
+ planning the first camping trip
+ early quiet mornings
+ fruit baked to sweetness
+ backyard adventures
+ super duper weather
+ making the best steak sandwich around
+ pizza and cheese sticks!
+ i love food

- missing plans to go into the city at night because
    i fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion.
- leg muscles aching from intense tennis volleying
- falling behind on emails and chores

    Much to do, much to do, and much to share. Creative work has slowly been taking over my life when it can. I have some new pieces to share soon once I get around to scanning.

Hope everyone else had a sunny and happy weekend!

    Much Love,
        Mae Jane

P.S. All daily photos will be listed in the top right sidebar in corresponding sets on Flickr, I may or may not post all of them here on a daily basis, I don't want to overload the interweb with fur! Though, the sets will always be updated. :)

 

I SPY SKY

     Usually my camera is glued to my hand. Yet, I missed Thursday. How I didn't take even a single photo yesterday blows my mind. I kind of think I was abducted for a few hours because I can't recall much of what happened yesterday. I blame the migraines. Or aliens. Or both. Maybe the aliens create the migraines. Stupid aliens. Either way, here are the ones from Wednesday and today.

daily photo 4/16/08


daily bones 4/16/08


daily photo 4/18/08


daily bones 4/18/08    

    I don't like that I missed a whole day for my simple daily photo quest, (I refuse to start and never finish a new project, a bad habit which I'm trying to overcome). So I will take two extra photos today, rather tonight, and even though I missed a day, the numbers will be caught up. :)

MEMORY LANE AND MARGARITAS

    Where have I been since Tuesday? Man oh man. Wednesday was a blast. I met up with my cheesecake Nikki (I love calling her that) and we went out for breakfast at our local Modern Diner (which was recently featured on the Travel Channel, how about that, click the link to read more, it's the first one listed in RI). We both grew up eating there on the weekends as little ones. It was yum. It's better to go during the week rather than weekends, as the wait can be over an hour long, and this place is literally a few streets away from where I grew up as a kid.

photos via image415.com

    In the afternoon it was wedding planning stuff. We gathered up the mama and maid of honor and went to pick out some bridesmaid dresses. I love the fact that she wants us in bright fun colors. That turned out to be a success but the highlight of our day was going to the park, laying on the blanket, sipping pomegranate margaritas and eating margarita pizza. My kind of fun in the park, especially on the sunny beautiful day that it was. I plan on going back there soon to take better photos, there's a really pretty lake at the park as well. This park was my childhood. I have pictures of myself there at two years old and every age from then to now, and I still love this place. There's so much more to it, which is why I should take an array of photos of the place. There's a carousel, tennis courts, grill and picnic areas, huge playground, a little farm area with animals (they used to have a petting zoo with goats and even an elephant named Fanny), an awesome food place, bike trails, and so much more.

Silly faces for a strong mixed "koolaid" and I swear there's only ice in that cooler.

    Other than that I've been sneaking outside when I can to soak up the sun, and working on some projects. It's been a good week, and a fast one. I'm glad it's Friday though, it'll be nice to see some goofy faces tonight.

    Much Love,
        Mae Jane

CREATURES FROM THE ALPHABET

New series in the works:


B is for Buck


L is for Lion

A Creature for Every Letter of the Alphabet series

More to come soon.
Will be adding prints to the shop this week.

    Mae Jane

OH YOU PRETTY THINGS

New series in the works:


Birch Trees


Baby Birds

Oh You Pretty Things

More to come soon.
Will be adding prints to the shop this week.

    Mae Jane

THESE ARE THE DAYS

+ yoga backbends and stretches
+ sunny warm breezes
+ star wars iv a new hope
+ always yoda
+ the universe on the history channel
+ coffee milk
+ pears and bananas
+ homemade pizzas
+ bonding with friends
+ smart looking shirts
+ typography
+ oh you pretty things series
+ a creature for every letter of the alphabet series
+ trying on hot pink bridesmaids dresses this week
+ wine
+ catching up on BSG season 3
+ collecting recycled stickers

    Much Love,
        Mae Jane

SUNDAY INTO MONDAY

    If you haven't become aware recently, I've started a new quest to take daily photos either in the morning or evening of the day. I aim to capture one photo of ordinary objects/life as well as one photo of Littlebones every day. It's my way of visually documenting a year (granted I started this in April) and capturing daily life, as well as, yes, my fluffy kitty cat. What can I say? She's a great photography subject and you know you love her face too. Typical behaviors and things is all it really is, though to comprehend these subjects as a whole over the course of a year is fascinating to me. Being able to portray the growth and progression of style and perspectives in a matter of three hundred and sixty five days is also abstractly artistic. I like it. It challenges me to look at life and daily actions in alternate perspectives, I actually take the time to study the essence of the subject within the camera frame. Truthfully, it causes me to look at almost everything with a sense of "newness" while trying to define it without labels but by it's own nature.

First two are from Monday morning. (Today!)




Last two are from Sunday evening. (Last night)

Clicking on the photos will take you the new
sets I've started for this quest on Flickr.

    Overall, it was a nice weekend. Saturday was incredibly warm and beautiful outside, so naturally that's where we were for part of it. We splurged on Chinese food one night and cooked up some yummy tacos last night. I say we weren't too creative there in the foodums department, though we did run out of our favorites in the house since it was the end of the week. Speaking of, I need to run to the market today and stock up. Let's see if I actually make it there though. I do have plans today to hang out with my cheesecake Nikki and her loverman. Recently they became engaged, and I couldn't be happier for them. They're an incredible couple who've been together for longer than I can imagine. They're like family to me. Last night we were gabbing on the phone about all her ideas and plans for the wedding, and then she asked me to be one of her bridesmaids! Aww, I was thrilled, of course I would accept. She then gave me this big speech about what I mean to her and I just about started to cry. I've realized that the older you get, the more you weed out the crummy "friends" and value the true friends and she's a keeper for sure, even her beau, he's like a brother to me.    
    Speaking of true friends, the gang came over Friday night for some usual silly fun. We often get together at the end of the weeks to relax and catch up, and generally just have a good time after working all week and going to college. We're a tight group. Sometimes we don't even have to plan anything, because we just know they'll be coming over. I love that. Most of them came over this time plus three extra new ones and it was a good time. I didn't get to take too many pictures since I was running around and mingling. Here are two I managed to capture though. I know my Leah took a ton but they are most likely all a bit funny faced and goofy. :)

It was a Super themed party.

There were super cupcakes, superheroes, super villians, just super silly.

    I'll never get tired of nights like that. Can't wait to move them to our new apartment though! Which is still a few months away. :( :) Bittersweet I tell you.  Other than having a relaxing and super weekend, I took some time to create some new art pieces, which I shall be sharing soon soon. I'm starting to explore the idea of series, which I've realized I inadvertently do in some of my work already, I guess I tend to go through phases of themes and mediums. It's all part of the journey and process though.

    Hope everyone had a great weekend!

      Much Love,
           Mae Jane

SATURDAY EVENING

DAILYNESS

A.M. Adventure

    Much Love
        Mae & LB

RISE MY WEARY ONES

    New England is confused. So badly my local earth is craving for sunshine and warmth but all we keep getting is a foggy gray sky and damp grounds. April showers, you don't tease do you? I'm itching for sunshine like you wouldn't believe. I want to run around outside playing tennis and whiffle ball, camping and eating at cookouts. There's so much more to do during nice weather that is free. Sometimes we forget that the outdoors are like our adult playgrounds and jungle gyms. Why don't we go play more often? Who don't I? Oh there's this to do, and that to catch up on, and responsibility on top of obligation on top of expectations and duties and oh just simply growing up. What I do love though, about foggy gray days, is that even the birds won't cease to play. They still sing and converse among themselves, swooping in and out of trees as they chase each other's tail feathers.

    As you can see, I had a bit off fun with that cardstock I found yesterday. New artsy pieces!

We Dream Too Mixed Media Collage on Vintage Paper


Rise Mixed Media Collage on Vintage Paper



Somewhere Over The Mixed Media Collage on Vintage Paper

    All three of these new collage pieces are in the shop available as quality art prints. I'm falling back into my groove, yes I am. Since the weather is so icktastic I'd love to stay all curled up on the couch with my drawing pad and journal but I have homey chores to tend to as well as two doctor appointments (not a fan of the latter).  Laundry doesn't bother me so much, I just don't feel like doing it. :) I will, I will.

   

Much Love,
        Mae Jane

LiTTLE THiNGS

Little things, edible things.




Yum. Garlic and onion.
Yum. Mangonana smoothie.
Yum. Fried artichoke hearts.
Yum. Raspberry sage pork chops.


Yet, no matter how little our pets are, they still manage to get in our ways.


This is my new Kitty-Easel. It's awesome. It has a soft, cushioned surface,
perfect for propping your drawing pad on. The Kitty-Easel also wheezes and
makes a slight motor sound. Sometimes though, an extension of the Kitty-Easel
will extend and flick about. If you expect to get any work done on a big desk,
get one of these. The Kitty-Easel loves to sit right in the middle of your work space.

    Much Love,
        Mae Jane

SECRET DREAMS

     This week I'm focusing on recording my dreams as best I can with the intention to interpret them for meaning. I plan on recording them as soon as I wake, even with sleepy words and half-conscious mumblings. I aim to research the meanings of key elements and emotions in my dreams.  To find out what they mean to me, I'll do some morning journal work to document their significance. Perhaps you'd like to try this too :)

    What I'm realizing is that no matter how we view it, dreams are apart of us. We are more than our exterior selves, more than our conditioned thoughts, and if dreams speak without conditions, then they must speak truth, or at least abstractly. Yet there's got to be something concrete to get out of our dreams. I guess it all depends at how we look at it. Maybe they do carry secret messages, visions of the future, answers to our deepest questions, or maybe it's really just a bunch of unconscious madness. Either way, dreams mean something.

    One of my favorite writers and poets wrote a book completely based on the recording of his dreams, "a parallel autobiography of the soul." Book of Dreams by Jack Kerouac is so raw and magical that it inspires me, even when his writing makes no sense, the words, the vision he sets up is enticing and real. A dream excerpt from his book:

"I had a white bandage on my head from a wound, the police are after me around the dark stairs of wood near the Victory Theater in Lowell, I sneak away---come to the boulevard where a parade of children chanting my name hide me from the searching police as I duck along their endless ranks, keeping low---The parade of children is endless---Chanting and singing we go marching into Mongolia with me with my white bandaged head in front." (Dreamed the day after the publication of ON THE ROAD) - Jack Kerouac

    Kerouac said in his book that Book of Dreams was the easiest to write, that when he woke he would "just lay there looking at the pictures that were fading slowly like in a movie fadeout into the recesses of my subconscious mind...I wrote nonstop so that the subconscious could speak for itself in its own form, that is, uninterruptedly flowing and rippling..." I find that to be such a beautiful way to tell a story. His dreams sound like stories too, and definitely relate to his famous book, On the Road (which is an amazing read). Kerouac was on the right track though. In order to understand our dreams we need to record them as they come, seeking out all the details we can, and piecing it all together.

Dream. Decipher. Discover.

    Much Love,
        Mae Jane

 

WEEKLY RESOLUTIONS

April 7th - 13th, 2008

    Oh, don't we love being focused and organized? I know I do, but even with to-do lists I still manage to fall behind. And I only see myself growing busier and busier as the days and months wear on. I have to admit though, I like staying productive and active, keeping the energy levels up. Makes me appreciate my downtime that much more.

    Last week I was mostly successful with my weekly resolutions. I managed to finish up the rough draft of the poster design I had been working on as well as doing all that résumé and career orientated gunk. However, despite those two little accomplishments, I didn't manage to read any of the books I had wanted to read. Not even a page and yet I only asked myself to read a chapter from each. Oh well. I tend to put things like that off, knowing that it'll always be there and there's no deadline for such tasks. Still, I want to start making time for general reading and mindwandering. This week I'm trying to keep it simple. There are a few methodsofmadness ways I want to add to my daily life. Such things will benefit me in so many ways, and if I can only stick to them for a full week, I may actually notice some results. So a give it a try, I must!

DAILY YOGA

  I find my body often feeling tight, stressed, and basically aching at the end of the day. It doesn't help that I forget about the rules of posture and often slouch from working on the computer or working on art, with drawing, painting, collaging--either way I'm always in an odd position, that to me feels comfortable at the time, yet later on destroys my back. I've been practicing a lot of yoga poses and bends lately, and they exude wonderful relief for me. I just have this problem of inconsistency. I figure that if I implement small yoga sessions throughout the day (everyday) I'll feel much better. (I also need to be aware of my posture more often). With this new understanding of myself, I aim to practice small yoga sessions of three throughout each day. They are generally only 20 minutes at a time, just to realign myself. I'd like to do one in the morning after waking, one in the late afternoon before I settle in @ home after working for the day, and one more before retiring to bed so that I can fall asleep feeling no tightness or kinks at all. This one shouldn't be too hard for me to stick to, because I genuinely love yoga and how it makes me feel.

DAILY DREAM INTERPRETATION
    
    I've always believed that our dreams speak to us, as our subconscious reigns supreme in our minds while we sleep and let our brains rest from forced thinking, problem solving, and anxiety ridden tendencies. I always wake up in the morning with a general left over emotion from any of the dreams I've had during my sleep. Often I remember fuzzy vague symbols and ideas from these dreams, but never being able to truly understand them, and often ignoring it all as a mishmash of mumbled thoughts. Lately though, I've decided that it's important to understand my dreams, what they are saying to me and replaying in my mind. There's a whole process that goes along with trying to train your mind to remember your dreams, to interpreting them, to even attempting to control them as they happen. This is something I plan on thinking about all week long. I'll be making another post about this topic and how I plan on achieving this. Every morning I plan on recording my dreams in my sleepy slowly rising from slumber state as they appeared to me, with the intent to interpret them and find meaning and direction from them. Perhaps I'll find some inner guidance from this experience.

  AN HOUR OR TWO FOR MYSELF

    This is important. It may sound silly, because truthfully, I always have time for myself. But I'm always rushing to complete something, or trying to force myself to create something magnificent or catch up on this and that. This is why I hardly take the time to read the stories I want to read, or study the path to my own enlightenment, or even simply take the time to figure out what I'm truly thinking deep inside, without life throwing itself at me. Everyone needs moments in the day where  they can just be, without doing, thinking, or fearing. Just be. It is my goal to take one to two hours daily for myself to do whatever it is I want to do, not what I feel I need to do or must do. Do I want to go to the park for a walk? Do I want to read my favorite poet? Do I want to practice meditation? Do I want to pig out on something awful and read a favorite magazine? Anything. It's all about living in that moment and seeking out what will give me joy, no chores, no to-do lists.

    I look forward to attempting everything on this list of daily goals. I find it important to ground and center myself, or else when I put myself in my work or relationships, I won't fully be there.

- + <3

    I also love the concept from Carrie & Danielle that Gala brought to attention on her blog. Edit, Add, Appreciate. The idea is so simple, honest, and necessary. The goal is to pick a set of three items from our lives that we can, edit out, add to, and appreciate. First, the goal is to pick one thing we can (and want) to edit from our lives, something we've been meaning to do without, whether it's an object or feeling. Next, to pick one thing to add to our lives, again, it can be an object or a feeling, anything! And to lastly, pick one thing to be appreciative for in our lives. This can be done weekly, or on a basis of starting a new set once the previous one is completed, or in any fashion you simply want. This is brilliant to me because not only does it go hand in hand with my love for list making, but it helps you gain some more control with what's going on in your life and reminds you to find the beauty and gratitude for these things/ elements/ feelings/ experiences/ etc!  I love it. Of course this is something I'll be participating in. Sometimes I'll share my sets, sometimes I won't because privacy is a commodity we often lack these days with the way the world works now with reality television and the internet. It's nice to know that not everything I put in my journals will end up here, though most of it does. Speaking of, I'm making time for some genuine journaling work this week.

Hope everyone has a superb week!
    Much Love,
        Mae Jane

HOORAY FOR LISTS

    Yes, yes, I'm one of those list-making people. I really can't help it, I just need to write everything down, or else I feel overwhelmed and unfocused. It works for me. That is why I love the idea of 101 in 1001, started by Day Zero. I updated my list and created a page for it here on DOC.U that I plan on editing as I'm working on new tasks, etc. I'll post updates here for when I start something and especially when I complete something and create a link to the corresponding posts within the list. It's a pretty well rounded list, I have a lot of interests and things I want to learn and try, not to mention, finally accomplish. I feel positive about the 101 tasks I've laid before me. Take a gander my friends:

clickie


   

    I've also added a thumbnail link on the right side bar for easy access.

Much Love & Lists,  
       Mae Jane

Weekend Vlogs

To the song of "Always A Bridesmaid" by The Good Life

These are from the weekend. Typical behavior on both our parts. :)


To the song of "Tenderloin" by NOFX

 

;Mj

LiTTLE THiNGS

 


   

    Oh, the little things, they're most often my favorite things. Whether it be the cracking paint on an old window, or the hue of an ordinary object, or perhaps a broken antique skeleton key. Whatever we label these things, whatever we have been conditioned to call them takes no precedence when it comes to observing their natural beauty, manmade or not. Sometimes I'll look at an object for so long that I'll find myself wondering why we simply call it the name it's been given and accepted over time. Sometimes I feel that the labels we use don't do the items justice. Everything is so much more than it's outward appearance, it's exterior. Everything has an essence, a purpose more than it's intended function, abstractly put, everyday items are simply beautiful to me.

Little Broken Key

    It's been brought to my attention that I should share my creamy onion soup recipe from my previous post. I did make it from scratch, with a combination of two recipes I found online. I always alter any recipe I come across, and I hardly ever stick to measurements when cooking (unless of course, baking). I'm one of those people who season as they go and season to taste. This works well for me, though it's not necessarily easy to outline into a recipe. However, it's relatively simple so I shall share my method!

Yummy Creamy Onion Soup
[this recipe was created for 2 servings, though alter as you wish]

You Will Need:
1 sweet vidalia onion (thinly sliced)
2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
butter and oil
1 can of chicken broth (15 oz to 19 oz)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup milk
thyme
marjoram
garlic salt
bay leaves
pepper
salt

To Cook:
- Melt a little bit of butter in pan with oil to lightly coat
- sautée onions and garlic till brownish and gooey (about 25-30 mins)
- i also added a wee bit of chicken stock to help coat the pan here too
- once onions are cooked tender and luscious transfer to pot
- add chicken broth mixed with flour (no lumps!)
- add milk and rest of seasonings to taste (add based on your preference)
- slowly simmer for 25-35 minutes depending on desired texture.

    And that in a nutshell is how I made my yummy soup. If you want to serve more people just double the recipe accordingly.  To be honest, I didn't even use all the milk either, just added till it was to my liking. I cook a little chaotically but it always gives me yummy results so I stick with the madness. Hope you guys like it, I made mine a bit on the salty side because that's how I roll, but this recipe is so basic that you can basically take it either way. Enjoy!

;Mj