July 2007 Archives
Seeing the bald eagle sitting on top of a lamp post on the Pacific Coast Highway bridge between Dover Shores and Corona del Mar in Newport Beach.
Really. A real live bald eagle. Watching the water.
Yeah.
Looks like scaffolding.
Sat 07.28.07 - Finishing touches to the Japanese style bound book of my mobile photos from last summer's Arnund Ireland project.
Fri. 07.27.07 - Dinner with Lauren, Dave, and Luke & Marlo Dorny at the Village Idiot in WeHo.
Hi all, I have many blog post ideas for your reading pleasure, but I promised myself that I would finish (at least iteration #1) my Ruby on Rails app before I blogged several of the big posts living in my head. In the meantime, I present TidBits:
1) Yes, I am working on my first real live Ruby on Rails app. It is an art / image management system that will blog and manage both images and text. I am doing it specifically for artists Dan Callis and Ryan Callis, but we will see if it will be useful for other artists and photographers. I also finally made the decision about what hosting company to deploy my rails app on, the aptly named: Railsplayground.com.
2) NY Times has an excellent article on Gluten-Free dining: For the Gluten-Averse, a Menu That Works
3) Struggling... Since January, I have been struggling with the return of migraine headaches. I have had them in cyclical bursts in the past, but changes in allergy diet or environmental factors have chased them away. But instead of going away with the elimination of chocolate, caffeine, fluorescent lights, and other triggers, the migraines have stepped up frequency to every week or two. I have brought my art table and chair out of storage, as both are very adjustable, for the best ergonomic set up while working. All efforts to no avail. The headaches keep showing up.
I went to my primary care physician at Kaiser and she just put me on Maxalt but did not have the time nor interest to help me figure out what the new triggers could be. Maxalt works great and will clear the pain away in less than 30 minutes, but I can't drive or really work on my computer for a day or two upon taking it, as it makes me dreamy and unfocused. Being dreamy and unfocused when trying to code does not really work.
In the past my headaches go away and stay away for years, if I eliminate allergen foods out of my diet. To that end, I have an appointment with Dr. Lena Kian N.D. tomorrow.
4) If you are out and about and need to calculate a tip, Aaron Gustafson has created a great little mobile app: Tipr
Miracle! Rain in July in SoCal...
Sun 07.22.07 - While walking Scruffy, I wanted to see how well the N95 would take close-ups in the hard shade. The local cactus obliged.
Sat 07.21.07 - Today in bookarts class we glued the book linen & paper to the board of our Japanese Binding project (in red). We also a made Piano Binding book (in blue to left), of which I used paint brushes for my sticks & handmade watercolor paper for the pages.
On the way home.
Thurs. 07.19.07 - This afternoon Mom, Margaret & Billy Gubbins, Scruffy and I went on a small hike up the Rock Creek trail. The wildflowers were out, Rock Creek was full of water (unlike the streams and creeks at Yosemite and Sequoia National parks), the day was warm, and we went to lunch at Tom's Place afterwards.
Wed 07.18.07 - At Yosemite with Margaret & Billy Gubbins. First real road trip / vacation with Scruffy, who is a true trooper and thoroughly enjoying himself.
Tues 07.17.07 - At the Giant Forest Grove in the Sequoia National Park, plus various other photos from today.
From very early Tues 7/17/07 in the morning (attempt to drive north without driving through LA traffic) to very late Thurs 7/19/07 in the evening, I will be on a Road Trip / Hotel Camping / Mini-Summer Vacation with some friends from Ireland.
Billy & Margaret want to see a National Park, so we shall see two. I want to show them the Eastern Sierra, as it is the best part. They only want to be gone for 2 nights, thus the Whirlwind!
Somehow, we, including Scruffy McDoglet, will drive from OC/LA to Sequoia National park to visit General Sherman, Yosemite, drive over the Pacific Crest via Tuolumne Meadows, go to Bishop, go to Mammoth, go to the Mt. Whitney Portal and make it back to LA/OC again by Thursday evening.
Whew! I am already tired... Moblogged photos below.
This evening I went to theWiener Nationals qualifiers or the Dash of the Dachshunds at the Los Alamitos Race Track with Eoin and his Mom and Dad.
Family Gubbins is visiting Eoin from Ireland and are big dachshund fans, so I thought the Wiener Nationals would be a perfect introduction to California.
Today at my book arts class, we learned how to do the Japanese style book binding. For my book arts project, I printed out mobile camera phone photos from last summer's Around Ireland project and will be making a book of the photos.
For some time now, I have been stumped on how to best display / frame the ephemeral photos from my Nokia camera phones outside of this blog and Flickr. I am very glad that Tammy Callis convinced me to join her in taking this book making class at the Angel's Gate Cultural Center, as I think I have found an authentic way to display / frame my mobile photos in a physical manifestation by making a unique book to contain each set of mobile phone photos.
I first searched through most of my original downloaded photos from my Nokia N80 from last summer in Ireland, used Fireworks to crop and set them in the page, and then printed a set of four to Kodak matte ink jet paper. Print and then cut to fit the size of the pages for the book. The Kodak matte ink jet photo paper had the look and feel of good drawing or book paper. Now I just need to get a better printer.
Little jewels of books to display little jewels of photos.
View from the patio of the Terrace Cafe at the Getty Center.
Thur. 07.12.07 - Walking Scruffy McDoglet.
Sun. 07.08.07 - View of downtown Long Beach from the Seal Beach pier. I walked down to the pier this evening at sunset with my Nikon FM3a & its 35-135mm zoom lens to take sunset photos of the container ships and oil rigs just parked outside of the Port of Long Beach break waters. While on the pier, I was able to shoot a few photos of a pod of dolphins leaping through the waves. When I get the film developed, I will post the dolphin photos.
Book making as an art form, not as gambling... Front door neighbor, Tammy Verricchio Callis, encouraged me to join her in taking a Bookarts / Book Making with printmaker and book artist Eva Vacca class at Angel's Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro. Today was our first class and we made an accordian book in class, of which I will add a photo of it when it is finished drying.
After Eoin's swearing in, his mom, dad, my sister Allison, Eoin, and I went to Cafe Pinot for lunch. View from the outside Cafe Pinot on Fifth Street.
U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. swore Eoin Gubbins into the California State Bar today. Eoin did his law externship at Judge Hatter's office/chambers, so it was a delight to have Judge Hatter swear Eoin in as an attorney.
Tonight, I heard Ryan telling Earl about the Painting's Edge and I joined in on the conversation. After Earl returned to his apartment, Ryan and I continued talking about painting, mediated visual thinking, and painter's block.
As our conversation progressed, I encouraged him to stop the over thinking and to get fast and furious. To that end, I remembered my Wacom tablet, I invited Ryan in, set up the pen & tablet and showed him how to make digital drawings with Flash and the tablet.
This evolved into Ryan getting his sketch book, me scanning one if his sketches, importing it into Flash, and showing him how to layer and color. Published the "mediated" drawing as a .jpg, uploaded it to Ryan's flickr account, and here we are.
We will now be having the Electric Arms summer of art. Collaboration, mediation, and iteration.
The above drawing by Ryan Callis and Jenifer Hanen.
Earl Buck & George Kelly @ Ms. Jen's Fourth of July BBQ.
@ Ms. Jen's Fourth of July BBQ.
