DOC-U-MENTING

Hello Job, Hello Summer

Oh where oh where have I been?

I've been stepping in ponds and chasing dogs.
I've been to the beach in crummy weather.
I've been to the beach in nice weather.
I've eaten chowder, clam cakes, and hamburgers.
I visited an abandoned military fort and climbed rocks.
I had a picnic with pickles and carrots and seagulls.
I've been upside down on roller coasters and spinny-rides.
I've gotten a sunburn three times.
I've had drinks by a late night fire.
I've attended a friend's college graduation party.
I sang my heart out to oldies on a road trip.
I planned my first camping trip with friends.
I cut my hair.
I watched the finale of LOST and still remain in denial that he is really dead.

   
    Among other things, I've mostly been working, working, and working. The new job is going well. The training was a bit overwhelming, what with being everyday and all day. But it was necessary. This week I finally start working my normal schedule which should feel nice to be able to get settled in a new routine, though I'm trying to avoid routines now. Dilemma dilemma..
   
    I've been so busy with trying to learn and remember things and not mess up at work that I haven't created any art at all in about a month. That makes me feel very empty. Tis why I've dedicated tonight and tomorrow to creating and brainstorming. And then shaking my bum to eighties music at night with the girls. Speaking of art though, some of my work is currently showing in a wonderful new gallery that opened in Brooklyn! Fact & Fancy at 75B Hoyt Street is having their very first show featuring over 25 undiscovered artists running from May 29th until July 11th. It's such an awesome gallery owned and operated by Christine and Danielle. Thanks again to them for asking me to be apart of it!

(My work is on the very bottom! :)

    And continuing on with my plans of getting back on track, some journaling shall be happening tonight as well. I gots myself a rather sleek and soft new Moleskine. It's perfect for writing stories from the core and brain. I also discovered a new book today. Feeding Your Demons by Tsultrim Allione. I wasn't looking for it, didn't know of it, yet it spoke to me from the shelves. And so tonight I read as well.

    Today was enjoyable, even if it was focused on errands and cleaning. Aside from the duties, I listened to classic rock (which is my all time favorite). I purchased fresh strawberries, Pink Lady apples, bananas, and key lime pie. I discovered the new book I mentioned. I helped a woman with her groceries at the market. I carried a 20lb bag of cat food effortlessly on my shoulder. I roamed Target and only bought what I actually went in for. I gathered up mushrooms, onions, and lemonade at the store. All because I woke up oddly early on my first real day off in a month. I am so glad to have some days off again. I've missed reading your blogs and twittering away on the interweb with you guys. I'm slowly finding my way again. I promise, I will have delights to share soon. Thanks for the sweet emails and comments during the past month. Hope you all are well!

Love, love,
Mae Jane

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

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

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

YUMYUM IN MY TUMTUM

    I've been on a serious food kick lately. Or perhaps just taking photos of the things I eat. But the truth is I cannot help but notice the beauty in the colors and textures of these edible items.

    Yum yum in my tum tum! Sweet, salty, spicy, I'll eat it all. It's important to me that what I eat tastes incredible, is aesthetically appealing, and mostly good for me. :) Last night I cooked up the yummiest stir fry. The sauce was perfectly sweet and had just the right teriyaki tang. Tonight though my friends, tonight is taco night! I heart tacos. I need to make a big time food run within the next week and stock up on some of our old favorites. For now though some cheese and triscuits sound ace.

Simple Snack Joy!


         

AIR & SPACE

The other night I was playing with some bubbles (the kittynip kind for cats though). Nonetheless, fun. They would always land like this on the floor and stay like that for quite some time. They looked so pretty with the light reflecting off. Bubbles are little blurbs of magic captured in the air we breathe, encapsulated breaths of hopes and sighs of fear.



;MJ

EMBRACING THIS LIFE

Dusty Days

"Accept everything that arises. Accept your feelings, even the ones
you wish you did not have. Accept your experiences, even the ones
you hate. Don't condemn yourself for having human flaws and failings.
Learn to see all the phenomena in the mind as being perfectly natural
and understandable. Try to exercise a disinterested acceptance at all
times with respect to everything you experience."

-Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, Mindfulness in Plain English

It is what it is.
This has been on my mind lately.

When I find myself over analyzing things or worrying or
wasting any time on something not worth it, I hear those
words in my head. It is what it is. And it is.
So why fight or force any of it?

I've been inspired by a slew of elements lately that have
sort of, reawakened my soul and quest for life.
I want to start living now, instead of agonizing over the future,
or worse, the past. It's time to embrace my environment
and true nature, not cover it up with what I think I'm supposed
to be doing or how I think I'm supposed to be feeling.
It's time to just let it be.

It is what it is.

Mae Jane

I'm going to reflect on this a bit more...

PAW PUFFS

My mind is muddled.
With too many thoughts.

I would like to take a catnap
that lasts for days.
In and out dreaming of
easier times and sweet living.

The kitty has such a zen life.
My life is so chaotic.
I need to gain more control.
I need to gain more understanding.

I constantly feel like I have to start over.
How lame is that?

Thank goodness for tomorrow.
I always reassemble myself
on Wednesdays.
Maybe it's because the day is mine.
Completely mine.
For just one more week, at least.

Oh, Fall Semester I don't know if I'm ready for you yet.

Balance. Balance. It's all about balance.

BURN AND DESTROY

"The way to create art is to burn and destroy
ordinary concepts and to substitute them
with new truths that run down from the top of the head
and out from the heart."

- Charles Bukowski

from, Sifting Through The Madness For The Word, The Line, The Way

Go ahead. Destroy something,
and substitute it with the truth that
burns from within your heart.
That's creating.

Mae Jane

BE A STAR

Be a STAR! Only you have the keys.I found this star at an antique store a few years ago. I was immediately attracted to it. Sometimes I put a small candle holder in the rings. But I always leave those keys dangling from it. It's a reminder to myself.Only I hold the keys to my happiness and success.Not anyone else, not even my loved ones.Just me.If I want to be great, someone better than who I am today,then I need to do something about it.I need to take the necessary actions and steps to make it a reality.Remember that.It's only ever up to you and you alone.Everyone else can either believe in you or doubt you.No matter what they choose though, let it motivate you ten fold. Mae Jane

WATERSTAINS

Waterstains: The Earth Within

Take 1 part blue food coloring
Take 1 part yellow food coloring
Drip into large bowl of h2o
Swirl rapidly with a knife
Step back, watch what happens.
How the colors dance and
blend together to form something
different.

and some other versions:



However, it was the first picture that inspired the metaphor of The Earth Within.

I got to thinking about how in order for something to exist, it is essentially a combination, or a blending if you will, of various aspects, elements, characteristics, etc. Something cannot exist without something else aiding it. For instance, plant life needs water and sunshine for it to grow and ultimately be alive. The same with rain, it needs moisture from the oceans and a sky to fall from. Even human beings. We are a combination of chromosomes, blood cells, organs, tissue, bones, cognitive thinking, etc. Love? It's a blend of two people, emotions, desire, respect. Friendship? Same thing, it's people, connection, loyalty. The earth? Nature, weather, animals, human beings, so on and so forth. Do you see what I'm saying? Even anger cannot exist without a combination of factors. You need the emotion, the trigger, the breaking point, the action which causes the result.
A final result, one result.

In order to understand anything, respect anything, and appreciate anything we have to be able to separate these combinations and fusions of elements, feelings, and matter. The earth is a thing, one thing, yet exists partly because of the sun. What is the sun then? It is one thing, yet again though, a blending of various elements, in this case, hydrogen, helium, and other components. I'm not trying to spat out a science lesson here. It's just that, when we dissect something, anything, whether its a feeling, desire, connection, something tangible, etc, we are understanding how something becomes what it is, how it works, and becomes whole, and one.

Think of it this way. You can't have the good without the bad because if not for the bad, you would never know what good really was, without something opposite to compare it to. The earth is what it is because it is not the Sun, or the Moon. And ultimately, the same can be said for the personalities of people. Personalities are again, a combination of varying components. In order to understand a person, we seek to understand what makes them up, what they like, and dislike. When we do that, we are separating these things from the one personality itself.

If we were to do this with ourselves and own lives, perhaps we'd be able to better understand ourselves. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to embrace everything that comes our way, the beautiful and ugly. Life might not be so overwhelming if we can just stop and disentangle everything going on once in a while. Enforce some order to the chaos, gain some control over it. After all, if we are ever to have control over our own lives, we first have to understand what the heck is going on. Ignorance is bliss, but it doesn't solve anything.

Mae Jane   

PRECIPITATION

I'm starting to love the rain more and more.
Maybe because it's been scaring away the heat.

I think having a cute umbrella would also ward off
any rainy day blues. Plus, Buddha reminds me to
embrace everything that comes my way, even if it's
as dreary and as gloomy as the rain is.



XXO: Mae Jane

P.S. I've been extra busy as of late, but I am working on journal stuff, journal recipes, new artwork, writing, and some other little projects. Expect some decent posts in the near future :}

Happy Weekend!

BOTHERSOME BUTTONS

Bothersome Buttons

When I look at a keyboard, it reminds me of "pushing buttons."
But a keyboard is not clothing & is essentially made up of, well, keys.
So, buttons they are not, yet we push them. But you follow still, right?


bothersome buttons

uninvited and indirect
aggravating annoyances,
these daily disasters
manifest miraculously
out of otherness;
people peck and pick,
opinions oppressed,
conflicting a calloused
demeanor, demanding
pushing, probing
back and
attack!

So I guess you could say I had a rather, long day today.
Sometimes things get to me in ways I wish they wouldn't.
Meaning, I wish I had more control over the way I felt.
Meaning, I wish I could decide to not let such and such bother me.
Meaning, I wish I could refuse his or her bad mood to attack mine.
Meaning, I wish I could embrace the negative so much that it isn't negative.

Sometimes I literally feel like a brat.
That perhaps I just feel too much or think too much.
And when things go icky, I get picky [or b*tchy!]
Or maybe that means I just have damn good standards for myself.
Whatever it is, it's me, and I've got learn to work with it.

It's interesting, albeit a bit challenging, learning as I age,
that I in fact cannot control everything about myself.

Oh well.
We win some.
We lose some.
And our buttons
will be pushed
in between some.

Mae Jane

PEEKABOOPAWS

Pausing Paws.

Often we are too busy, too consumed, and preoccupied to notice the little things.
Like specks of color in concrete. There's magic and beauty in everything around is,
we just need to be receptive to it. We need to be willing to notice these wonders,
and mostly be aware of appreciating them.

Every now and then it is ideal to take just a moment, a breather, a step back, a pause in time.
We could all use these interludes throughout our days. It reminds us that peace still exists,
even if sometimes it just needs to be cultivated.  We can't be afraid to pause, always
consumed with being on the go, and in constant motion. 

Yes, it is important to make the most of your time, soaking up everything you can,
accomplishing responsibilities, goals, and then some. But if we subject ourselves to
being a broken record on repeat then we will surely miss so so much. 
Stop. Look. Listen. Absorb. Admire.

XXO: Mae Jane

P.S. Sorry about missing the Daily Discovery for Fri & Sat.
Unfortunately sometimes I can't control all of my time, and before I know it,
I run out before I've tackled everything I wanted to. Which is exactly
what inspired this post. Busy, busy, busy, sometimes really isn't for me.



Sunday somethings from the backyard.

A HEARTY HINT

A HEARTY HINT.

I made cinnamon buns with icing this morning for breakfast while the boy was sleeping. The first one I pulled out was shaped like this. So naturally I added a blanket of icing to match. I love it when little heart-shaped wonders show up randomly. It's a little reminder that love still exists in the world; we just have to be receptive to it.

Mae Jane

SUCCUMB

succumb.

v]. fail to resist (pressure, temptation, or some other negative force).

This picture was taken in our garage, it is a very, very old window and lamp. I quite like it :) I'm not sure how the crack got there, looks like a bullet hole to me though. Even though it's pretty much useless as a window in the sense that it has a hole in it and is cracked, it's still held it's life for over 20 years. I like that quality. I'd like to think I can still hold my life even after I am beaten and cracked and worn after so many years.

Mae Jane

PLIABLE PATIENCE

pliable patience

her wings pinned back,
black ribbon cloaked;
gathering wisdom
gaining strength.
feet stuck to the earth,
bound by naivety and innocence.

a malleable mind
deliciously molded by
fleeting magic and energies.
swooning for the sublime
sobbing for serenity
from the noise;
oh the noise!
constant and ceaseless;
it's haunting and daunting.
yet, conveniently comforting.

and only time will save her
as she falls from this grace,
evolving and blossoming into
something whole,
illuminating and infinite,

a star.

Mae Jane

   

CONVENIENT CHANGE

Nature's Nudge

I have this book called, Daily Wisdom 365 Buddhist Inspirations.  It has daily wisdom for every day of the year.
Today's wisdom read:

The essence of our experience is change.  Change is incessant. Moment by moment life flows by and it is never the same.  Perpetual alternation is the essence of the perceptual universe.  A thought springs up in your head and half a second later, it is gone.  In comes another one, and that is gone too.  A sound strikes your ears, and then silence.  Open your eyes and the world pours in, blink and it is gone too.  People come into your life and they leave again.  Friends go, relatives die.  Your fortunes go up, and they go down.  Sometimes you win and just as often you lose.  It is incessant (continual): change, change, change.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In my experience, change can be both good and bad, which is something we often learn the hard way.  From change comes failure, triumph, knowledge, and growth.  I often fear change, and become overly stressed and anxious when change is occuring in my life. I'm trying to turn those feelings into positive ones, to gain control of the change and make it work in my favor. Change is good. When one thing changes, another changes, and then that changes again, and so on. Change is living. If everything stayed the same we would be pretty miserable, all collectively caught in redundant ruts of the same old.  If we don't accept change, we aren't allowing room for the transformation within ourselves to form. 

Embrace change. Flow with it. Accept it. Manipulate it.
Let it benefit you in any way it can, even if it may just be minuscule.

mae jane 

COOKIE COMFORT

long day comforts.

a sore back
aching limbs
blood is slowing
energy fading
stomach growling
cookies inviting
sweet smelling
tempting aroma

so what, then?

i had cookies for dinner
fresh, warm gooey sweet comfort

the perfect way to end a long day;
and it beats slaving over a hot stove
in this humid heat.

----------------------------------------------------------

I've decided to start living my life in a better way.  Why? Because I need to. Because I want to learn, grow, appreciate, discover, and bond with the world. I want to make the most of the little time I have on this planet, especially the little time I have with loved ones and even time with myself. Tomorrow is an unexpected day off from work, after being scheduled for a full shift to not having a shift at all (they had to "cut hours" this week or some bologna). I've been realizing how much of my time working at that crummy job takes from me. I don't want to be a robot. I want to seize every second of my day and live it as adventurously and as magically as possible.  You may be wondering, "How?"

Well, all I know is that tomorrow morning I plan on having my morning tea outside. I also plan on doing some yoga outside as well as writing and perhaps picture-taking.  I think that's a rather nice way to begin a day off.  From there, I plan on taking it one step at a time, allowing myself to be completely mindful and to live in the moment as the minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years pass on by. And this too I plan on documenting.

I also have many more plans in the works for doc.u.menting, so please keep checking back. I really appreciate all the visits the site has been getting in the past few days. To know that my work and dedication to the (new) site/project inspires you guys, inspires me that much more to keep at it. So thanks for all the positive feedback in emails and on livejournal, vox, etc. Oh and that new journal recipe... it's coming tomorrow! It's completed, I just have to type it up now. I will also get back to all your previous comments tomorrow as well.

Mae Jane