Cartier-Bresson Exhibit

The SF MoMA is currently hosting an exhibit of the photography of Henri Cartier-Bresson.  If 

I had two working legs I would definitely find a way to go to this by January 11 - the day it ends.

Instead, I made do with this lovely internet exhibit.  A nice spot of inspiration in an otherwise 

frustrating day. On the bright side - it;s the last day of this year and this decade.

From the SFMOMA site:

“An innovative artist, trailblazing photojournalist, and quintessential world 

traveler, Henri Cartier-Bresson ranks among the most accomplished and 

original figures in the history of photography. His inventive images of the 

early 1930s helped define the creative potential of the medium, and his 

uncanny ability to capture life on the run made his work synonymous with 

"the decisive moment." 

Ankle Anniversary

Today is the one month anniversary of breaking my ankle.  My ankle was both dislocated and broken 

in three places, making it a trimalleolar fracture.

To clarify:

The big bone on the left ankle on the left side of the foot is the lateral malleolus. The big bone on the 

inside of the left ankle is the medial malleolus. Malleolus is singular (one); malleoli is plural (two or 

more); malleolar means pertaining to the malleolus/malleoli.

 -unimalleolar pertains to one malleolus;

 -bimalleolar pertains to the two malleoli, the lateral and medial;

 -trimalleolar pertains to three malleoli. Technically, there are two 

  malleoli, and the big bone at the tip of the tibia counts as the third.

So I go back to my OP (Orthopedic Surgeon) next week and hope to hear more about how my 

recovery will progress at that time.  My OP says that it is hard to predict: my injury is complex and 

everyone heals differently.  My internet research however has me thinking that this is a long slow 

process taking anywhere from 6 - 24 months with some people never getting 100% back to normal.

I have no insurance, but I spoke with a physical therapist when I was in the hospital and he said I 

could come in for one visit and he could teach me things to do at home on my own.  Physical therapy 

seems to be critical to a full recovery.  Here are a few sites I looked at today which I found to be helpful 

regarding therapy/exercise and a broken ankle:

Chair yoga

Suggestions for ankle exercise

More exercise ideas

Yoga poses with broken foot

It's been very hard having this injury at Christmas time.  No Christmas tree this year.  No lights

up anywhere.  I greatly miss walking.  And taking my dogs to the park.  Even things like

grocery shopping and cleaning house sound good to me now.  My sympathies go out to

anyone experiencing a similar injury.  

Etsy Taste Test

I haven’t been on Etsy for a long time. Low budget for one thing, but the main problem 

was the vast collection of items and artists that were just plain overwhelming.

Etsy must have realized the problem because they have come up with a new tool that 

allows you to browse items that fit your taste.

Etsy Taste Test!  You select from a few rows of items and it narrows down your particular 

sensibilities quite well.  You can take it a few times to hone things even more sharply.

So many pretty things make for nice daydreams.

Broken Ankle Update

So I haven’t been doing much writing OR photography lately.  Having a broken ankle

really affects so many areas of one’s life.  In addition to being painful, limiting my mobility,  

affecting my emotions and putting a huge obstacle in my job hunting path, it has also 

seemed to dampen my creativity.

Here’s a short overview of my broken ankle so far:

Nov 22 - Fall on the street near my house due to snow and icy conditions. 6 PM

My daughter, Delaney, gets our neighbor to drive me to the hospital.  I am told I have 

dislocated my ankle and broken it in three places.  The orthopedic surgeon (who looks 

like Dr. Oz’s cuter, younger brother) tells me I need surgery which has been scheduled 

for the next day.  I’m worried about money (no insurance), my job interview next week, 

Delaney (18 and a bit shaken) and how the heck I will be able to function for the 

next few weeks.

Nov 23 - Surgery (see photo  here).  I love morphine.

Nov 25 - I get to leave the hospital.  I have a walker rather than crutches due to the huge 

amount of snow.  Very nervous about getting home but I make it ok.

Nov 26 - Delaney cooks her first Thanksgiving dinner and it turns out amazing!!  I am 

spending most of my time in bed with occasional trips to the bathroom.  

Dec 6 - Appointment with Doc goes well.  He says I am healing faster than anticipated given

 the complexity of my injury.  Cast removed, boot added.  It’s all still a little scary.  I have my 

next appointment in three weeks.  Doc asked me if I was able to work something out with 

the job interview and I am amazed that he remembered that.  What a nice guy.  (The job

 stared Dec 15th so I remain on the eligibility list but missed out this time).  

Today I did a bit of searching on the internet to see what others have experienced and 

found this site  and this one and here's one more .

They have different recovery experiences but all have one thing in common: it takes a long 

time.  I have been unemployed for almost six months now.  I really need to be able to

walk NOW.  

Musical memories

Catching up on some of my favorite blogs today and found some stunning music 

courtesy of Dangerous Minds.  The post is on the Georgian singer Hamlet 

Gonashvili and DM includes three songs in this post, all beautiful but the first 

one - transcendant.

At first it reminded me of an old album I had in college of the USSR soldier’s 

Chorus - an album of rousting spirited impassioned singing which led me to take 

two years of Russian in college.

But the more I listened the more it taunted me with another musical memory - a 

band from Norway that I used to play many years ago when I did a lot of radio.  

Pulled out my old cd case and found them again - Bukkene Bruse.  Here’s a sample.  

This clip contains three different pieces.  My favorite begins around 6:50.  

Perhaps their singer, Arve Moen Bergset, was influenced by Hamlet.


NOTE: I wasn't able to find Hamlet's CD anywhere but he is available on iTunes,
as is Bukkene Bruse.

broken x 3

On the 22, I slipped on the snowy cement and 1. dislocated, 2, broke,
3. broke again and 4. broke again - yes three breaks, my ankle.
It hurt.  It really, really was shockingly painful.  And then I tried to
stand up on it. omg.omg.omg.


I was in the hospital for three days and had a bunch of titanium pieces 
put inside my ankle.  I cannot walk on it for at least five weeks.


I was really unprepared for something like this.  I'm a bit sad about
the whole thing.


I see the surgeon next Monday for follow up.  Right now I have to
use a frigging walker to go to the bathroom.  

Mandalas

I use to draw or color mandalas as a form of meditation.  I’m not much of an artist, 

but the process was calming and soothing.  I’ve now taken mandalas one step 

further and begun embroidering them.  I draw the basic portions, i.e. a circle or two, 

then do the rest free hand.  here’s what I have so far:

You can find out more about mandalas here.  There’s also some nice photos at 

the flickr mandala group.

first snow

first snow
Been in a bit of a slump the past two weeks. Was told I was hired
for a job in Astoria, OR. Started packing, found a place, bookmarked
a bunch of nice places to go (Cape Disappointment!), but then they
decided not to fill the job due to new budget cuts. Oregon is
suffering financially (as is Washington, Idaho, California ...and me!).
Unemployment is a drag.

But this morning was the first snow and that has me feeling better.
I love the snow. It has magical qualities and provides comfort. Just a
bit of snow so far, but more expected.

More from St. Gertrude's

Here are a couple more photos from my trip to St. Gertrude's

Monastery in Cottonwood, ID.  One of the best things about my
trip was seeing the statuary and icons, especially the female angels.
As a child in Sunday School, our teacher once asked us to tell the
class what we wanted to be when we grew up.  I was pretty sure
about what I wanted to be when I grew up - a Guardian Angel.
When I announced my career objective my teacher told me
that I could not be an angel because only boys could be angels.

I realized a long time ago that she was wrong, of course.  And
was very pleased to see female angel statues at St. Gertrude's.
Vindicated!!

St. Gertrude's Monastery

St. G - Front grounds
A couple of weeks ago I went to St. Gertrude's Monastery for a lecture on
historical researching. The monastery has a retreat center, a museum and a
brand new B & B called the Inn. The whole place is simply gorgeous:
peaceful, quiet, beautiful building, beautiful grounds, nice people.

I didn't bring my computer, wrongly assuming that the place would not have
wireless but the Inn is completely modern and each room has wifi and a flat
screen tv. The large picture window kept me completely occupied the whole
time I was in my room/

St. Gertrude's is located in Cottonwood Idaho.

Hunter Thompson: Job Hunter

Came across this post on DangerousMinds about a cover letter Hunter Thompson 

wrote applying for a job at the Vancouver Sun.  I can see now that my cover letters 

have been way off.  No wonder I don’t have a job yet.

" . . . And don’t think that my arrogance is unintentional: it’s just that 

I’d rather offend you now than after I started working for you.

I didn’t make myself clear to the last man I worked for until after 

I took the job. It was as if the Marquis de Sade had suddenly found 

himself working for Billy Graham. The man despised me, of course, 

and I had nothing but contempt for him and everything he stood for. 

If you asked him, he’d tell you that I’m “not very likable, (that I) 

hate people, (that I) just want to be left alone, and (that I) feel too 

superior to mingle with the average person.” (That’s a direct quote

 from a memo he sent to the publisher.)  Nothing beats having good 

references."

Finished!

I finished the scarf ! It was very easy and didn't take
long at all.

Hylebos Wetlands Park

I visited the Hylebos Wetlands Park (south of seattle) on Monday.  

It’s really a beautiful place with miles of trails but even just 100 feet in 

you get the sense that you are miles away from any city life.  The only 

negative - no dogs allowed on the trails with you.

Knitting Time

I found a scarf pattern here that I want to try.  Very simple, but
done on circular needles - the only way to get vertical stripes
I suppose.  It has a nice loose, boho look.

Aveda ELixir, Replacement Found

If anyone out there is still looking for a replacement for Aveda’s Elixir

(the demise of which was written about here, here andhere) I finally 

found something very close - Aveda’s Hang Straight.  Originally purchased 

for my daughter months ago because she often straightens her hair and I 

thought this would help - I used it in a moment of experimentation and found 

that it was quite a bit like elixer.  My hair was still wavy but calmer.  I used 

a dime amount with good results.

The trip continues

After my time in Portland and Astoria, I headed up to Seattle.  Today 

I went to the Fremont Market and had Abelskivers for breakfast.  Then 

I drove over to Issaquah to look at a few places to live.  There were two that 

would work well for me and one that I really loved This creek (below) 

runs right by   

my backyard.

I have a job interview on Tuesday (my second round) so if I am hired soon 

enough, I’ll take one of the two places I found today.

Issaquah is a cute town with a mellow feel and a nice Main Street.  I hear 

that at certain times of day the traffic is bad but I’ll try to avoid that.

more travel

I am going to Astoria Oregon for a job interview this week.  I
searched for Astoria on flickr to look at local photos and was
surprised to find out what a happening place it is until I
realized I was looking at Astoria, NY.  The one in Oregon
is smaller, but prettier.  Here, see:

 .



.



.


 The job is without benefits - no medical, no sick days, no
holidays . . . where is Chris Cooper when you need him?
(Chris Cooper in Matewan that is.)

Then I also have an interview a few days later in Seattle.

This job hunting business is getting expensive.

Trip to Coleman

In a few days I’m headed up to Coleman in Alberta to meet two good friends.  It should be a 

beautiful time of year for the drive.  I’ve only been in Canada once before - two years ago 

when I went to Vancouver BC to pick up Seamus.  Looking forward to having a few days 

there this time.

Leaving

Nosey and Delaney
Originally uploaded by knowlan
Nothing settled yet but I have two strong job possibilities - one
 in Seattle, one near Portland. So I shop around on Craig's list to
check out cost-of-living and am thinking I may not be able to
take my dogs with me. Both places are pricey, Seattle ridiculously
so. I might be able to take at least one of the dogs if I end up in
Portland, but Seattle - forget it.

This photo is Delaney with Nosey Flynn, taken last October.

I Dreamt of Joining the Circus

I Dreamt of Joining the Circus
Originally uploaded by knowlan

In olden days, if one couldn't find a job, there was always the
possibility of joining the circus. I must be holding on to that option
in my subconscious because I had a dream about it, though I'm not
sure what talent I could use there.

I do know how to read tarot cards. I might be willing to tattoo my
entire body. And I'm good with animals of all kinds. Though these
skills are not listed on my current resume.

Never Been

Every time I tell anyone that I have been to Spain numerous
times, but never to Ireland (where people seem to expect me
to have been) my ancestors turn over in their graves at
Hollywood Cemetery.

When I do manage to go, I will be taking these tips from
Ms. Flanagan of Ill Seen, Ill Said, with me.

Sherman

Sherman
Originally uploaded by knowlan


Sherman -He and his partner-in-crime, Lucy, have been working
(with his owner) across the street from my house for the past
four months. He literally loves the camera - sitting still as long
as I had the camera in hand, pushing my arm with his nose when
I would try to photograph something beside himself.

A sweet, mellow dog.

BFF

BFF
Originally uploaded by knowlan

Here she is - my new camera - a Canon Rebel T1i. I have a lot
to learn but am having a great time learning it. Hope to post
some good photos soon.

I spend most of my time now either taking photos or job hunting.

Bodega Bay

Bodega Bay
Originally uploaded by knowlan
I went to Sonoma County this weekend to visit Ry and Katie and also to take an
exam for a job. The weather was unbelievable - cool with a light breeze. Visited
a great vintage/consignment store in Sebastopol - right next to Aubergine's. Then
headed over to Bodega Bay. It made me realize that I never again want to live as
far from the ocean as I do now.

How are Things With You, Anyway?

My friend Fi asked me "how are things with you" a couple of days ago.

Fi, whose Indian name is Pollyanna Lay Down Gently, would not accept

a one-word answer, and she's the type of friend who knows when you are

bullshitting her, so I was forced to really think about how things are, and

how I feel about them and how to put it into words.  Which I did:

It is strange not working. I'm in limbo - ready to move but nowhere 

to move to. I have an "exam" for a job in California and I spoke to a 

lady there who said over 200 people are testing for this job. I feel 

like I should wear an old, wrinkled trench coat and carry a rolled up 

newspaper want ads section in one pocket and a paperbag with a 

pint of rye whiskey in the other and walk around dragging my feet in 

black and white on my way to the soup kitchen. In other words, it's

starting to seem like the Depression . . . . . 

 . . . . Life seems strange now.  Not bad, just strange.  Have you ever 

been to the movies in the old days where the movie is on two reels and 
one reel flickers to the end and the low budget theater only has one 
projector so the light come on for just a minute or so while they change 
reels - not enough time to buy popcorn or anything useful. And you sit 
there mentally suspended in the last frame of the movie, waiting, and then 
the beginning of the second tape sputters and starts and the movie continues. 
I feel like I am at that part - the break in reels - and it is taking a really long 
time for the projectionist to get his shit together.

But I'm ok with that. As long as I get to see the end of the movie and it has 

a relatively happy ending.

Image is from a fascinating article
from the Griffiths Cue-Dot Observatory.

Site Mash for Jobs

I know I blogged about Site mash before.  It was how I found my
itsy-bitsy Shasta trailer.

Now that I am unemployed, I am using it daily for job hunting.
I look for investigator positions, but you can type in nurse, baker
tinker, tailor . . . you get my drift.  Put in whatever your job interest is,
and site mash will look through all the craigslist jobs posted in the us
and pull out the ones with oh, say, candlestick maker, for you.

Very handy.

ANd while using it . . you might want to send your good wishes out
into the universe for all those who are unemployed.  Every little bit
helps!

Jewelry Display

I saw an entry on jewelry display on Jane Flanagan’s blog, Ill seen, Ill Said.  

The jewelry looks so neat and orderly.  I use a coat rack that I painted white for my 

necklaces and lace to display my earrings.  Bit I think my collection looks a little 

cluttered.

Happy Birthday Delaney

Shasta Progress...

So I haven’t done much to my Shasta yet.  Most of my time has been spent on daydreaming 

about future trips, to be honest, and making a to do list of all the things I hope to improve on 

my little trailer.

1.  New Paint Job

2.  Buy an Awning

3.  Get a water container

4. New floor or bamboo rug

5.  Look into solar.

I got the solar idea here, see number 6.  This guy has an adorable trailer!  He also

suggests Baja as a good place to take a vintage trailer.  I see more daydreaming in my future.

                    

Boise Guest House - Downtown Boise, Idaho

This (below) is the room I've stayed in the last four times at the Boise Guest House. Better than the first time because it is dark when I turn off the lights instead of bright from the front porch light. (Don't stay in the two front rooms unless you have a blindfold or can sleep in bright light). This room was cozy and had a clawfoot bathtub. But the place needs a better cleaning service. 

The Boise Guesthouse is a cute place but has some financial drawbacks.  
1. You have to pay in advance with a credit or debit card, not when you arrive.  
2. If your plans change and you have to cancel you do not get your money back. LIkewise if you cut your stay short, you do not get a refund or credit for the nights you don't stay there. I had booked for five days and had to leave early for a family emergency (very sick kid) and I asked for a CREDIT - not a refund for 2 of the three nights I missed. No go. No refunds or credits, regardless of the reason. This was especially bothersome because I was a pretty regular customer for the past six months.  
I won't stay there again. There is another cool place, also downtown, called Leku Ona, by the Basque Restaurant. Also cute, reasonably priced and they function like a regular hotel, i.e. you are allowed to make changes to your reservation. A much better option.

Lucinda!!

I made this for my friend Lucinda's birthday today.  I
call this technique "Caveman Animation" because
I know what I am doing about as much as a caveman would.
I learned a lot though,

Wearing Pants

Found this post on Boing Boing about the freedom to dress how one chooses 
and the centenary of "Explicit Legalization of Pants in Kansas! (Otherwise 
known  as ELPK Day.)"

I was in 7th grade in La Mirada, California when it became legal 

for girls to wear pants to school . Doesn’t that make me sound like 

I was in 7th grade in 1907?  It was actually about 1972.

Finding a Place to Stay

Del and I are going back to California in May for a few days for my son's graduation
from college. We found a great place to stay through a cool new site:  AirBNB.  Here's
where we are staying:

It's a cabana behind a lovely house and pool in Santa Rosa.

I found it through AirBNB.  This site has interesting places to stay all over the world and
even if you aren't taking a trip - you can go to their home page and just watch the amazing
array of lodgings that transition through their front page.

French Photo Booth

Here's a site for photobooth strips with a twist.

La Photo Cabine

It's modeled after a vintage french photo booth
(or Cabine) and looks and sounds like your're
stepping into a booth in Paris.

This would be great fun at a slumber party for
my daughter - or anytime.

Site Mash

WHen I was searching for my vintage Shasta Trailer the
Shasta Site Mash was where I found it. It combined all
the craigslist and ebay postings with Shasta trailers in them.
That way I could see Shastas on sale all over the US without
having to go to different Craigslist sites for different cities.

Lucky me! There is also a site mash for jobs, vehicles
and all sorts of things.  Very, very handy!

Hoover Dam

I had to drive past Hoover Dam on my way to Kingman, 
Arizona this week. I had no idea it is such a tourist attraction.  
It took me an hour to drive the five miles before and at the 
Dam. I should have planned better and stayed there longer 
but it was soooo crowded I don't know that I would have been 
able to deal with it . It is an awesome sight though.

From top left, 
semi - clockwise:  








1. Just past the 
SECURITY POINT - Trucks are no longer 
allowed to drive this route due to terrorist concerns - blowing 
up the dam would result in massive flooding;  
2. VISITOr CENTER - a huge crowded building with art deco 
overtones;  
3. STATUES - These were stunning! If you look carefully you 
can see that people's heads are about the size of the feet of 
these winged creatures;  
4. PALM TREES at the dam. I have never had such a treeless 
week in my life (actually it was just three days but they seemed 
twice as long since there were no trees anywhere!) Palm trees 
are very pretty - but they don't give one the same comfort that 
other trees do;  
5. MORE STATUES - A closer look at one of the statues, by 
Norwegian born artist Oskar Hansen;  
6. ME - The required ME shot for my 365 - pure luck that the 
curvy road sign was in the side view mirror;  
7. KINGMAN -Arriving in Kingman Arizona, 
8. ROUTE 66 - For Americans, well, for me at least, there is a 
little thrill in seeing the Route 66 sign. Here's a video montage 
set to the song "Get your Kicks on ROute 66" or see Mr Nat King COOL himself sing it here..  
He mentions Kingman, where I was, in the chorus.

Daisy Belle Blog

I recently purchased a 1956 Shasta Trailer and
have started a blog to record my progress with it.

Daisy Belle: My 1956 Shasta Trailer

Another gift

OK, so I haven't been as regular as I ought to on
the 29 days of giving. I suppose I will have to start
over.

Today (last night) I gave a gift that really had much
more of an impact than I anticipated: The stop motion
video mentioned previously. Many of my friends from
around the world welcomed my idea and trusted me
enough to participate in this birthday video for Susannah
Conway, our Unravelling teacher. You can see it here:

Susannah's Birthday Video.

Birthday stop motion

I am working on a Stop motion video for a friend's birthday ,
coordinating with about 20 people who are also going to
contribute. It is going to be a lot of work so I am counting
it as one day of giving. Today I think I found the perfect music.

getting behind on 29 days of giving

Let's see:

Day 7 - I gave a flickr pro account to a stranger.

Day 8 -I gave three buddha bracelets but it was all on the same day.

An atc book.

Day 9 -I gave Delaney and her boyfriend a ride.

Day 10 - I gave d an evening out listening to jazz (i never go out like that).

Day 11 - Today . . . . I gave someone a phone call two days early.

Day 6

Gave Del a ride to a place I usually make her walk to . . .

Wed should be day 7

Day 4 & 5

For Day 4 I gave of my time. I made a call to a friend
that I wasn't really comfortable with but I wanted to
reassure him so I did it.

Later my daughter asked me to french braid her hair
and I said no because I was in the middle of photo
stuff but then I stopped what I was doing and braided
her hair anyway.

For Day 5, I gave a Flickr proaccount to someone who had
left a comment on one of my photos because she seemed
a little vulnerable in her profile. I have to be careful with
money but I think / hope this was a good gift.

Day 3.29

Today I gave a donation to the Red Cross Haiti
effort. I've sort of been trying not to think about
Haiti due to my distaste for "popular" causes. I
always prefer underdog, under publicized causes.
But today I heard a recording of some Haitian
women singing . . .

Giving Days 2 and 3

Yesterday, I gave my copy of the book Fairy Houses
to Clara, a very adorable little girl in Omaha NE.

Today I am giving a magazine subscription to one
of my clients on death row.

Day 1 - Helping Marandah

Today is my first day of the 29 day giving challenge. Today
I gave Marandah some assistance with her fund raiser by
sending an email to some of my enlightened friends,
posting a photo on flickr, writing a little about her cause,
Baking for Bali and linking to her blog.

Then I posted the photo (below) to a bunch of different groups.