Archive for November, 2006

vacation and shopping

Published
by
robayre
on November 27, 2006
in General Updates and Shop Updates
. 0 Comments

I need a vacation after that vacation weekend. I was not prepared for going back to work today. You think 4 days off should be enough, but I was home only one of those days.

Sadly, I no longer dream of using my vacation days towards explorations, but rather to spend a week at home, alone, doing what I want. Does anyone else relate? I mean, I still would love to have time to take that road trip across the country, but given the option between the two right now, I would definitely chose staying home, sleeping in, cleaning and organizing my living space, and hopefully working on artwork. If I could have a week off for a trip and then a week off home to unwind from the trip, that would be ideal. Hmmm, I think when I do schedule vacation days, 90% of the time it is for staying home and getting myself to some sort of organized state, and to catch up on all the things I’ve been putting off. I wonder if I were an organized individual with tidy living space, would I be drawn to staying home so much? Because, I feel guilty a lot of the time when I don’t get these things done, if things were taken care of I might feel the freedom to jump on a plane for a real vacation.
In other news, according to Tina, today is the biggest shopping day of the year, online. With that said, hmmmm, stop by my shop and take a gander at some gifties you could give to someone who means the world to you. I did add a few new items last week.

Calendars

Published
by
robayre
on November 23, 2006
in General Updates
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Hello everyone, may I ask a favor? If you’re not like me, (sentimentally sappy and a packrat to the max) then no need to go Christmas shopping for me, you probably already have exactly what I want. Your old calendars. They usually have great artwork and papers that I love to use in my collage artwork, so please feel free to send them my way. I would be pleased as punch to take them off your hands.

Volunteer Africa, benefit show

Published
by
robayre
on November 21, 2006
in General Updates
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Okay, one of my tops-of the pops, greatest friends Jenny Geurrettaz is going to Africa at the beginning of the new year. She is doing volunteer work and is going to be traveling around, working with and teaching children there. Jenny is a truly amazing individual that I am so proud to know and who fully grabs life by the horns.
We all know Martyrs in chicago as a great place to go see live acts. Jenny has worked there for several years and they have been so kind to put on a benefit show to raise funds for her trip. She has sent out invitations to her friends and contacts about this event but I would like to help her further, and spread word myself. You would be doing her and the world a great service by going to the event and possibly making a donation to be auctioned and/or raffled off at the show. If you would like to go, there will be instructions below on how to obtain the tickets.  Also if there is something you would like to donate, original artwork, gift certificates, anything that you think people would be interested in winning through auction or raffle please contact me or her or martyrs.
Below is the letter she sent out about her trip and the event, please read:

volunteer-africa benefit concert

Hosted By: Martyrs’
When: Wednesday Dec 20, 2006
at 8:00 PM
Where: MARTYRS’
3855 N LINCOLN
CHICAGO, IL 60613
US
Description:
benefit concert

just one thing before i go
please mark your calanders, all. wednesday dec 20 @ 8 pm there will be a fundraiser at martyrs’ featuring 4 awesome bands, stuff to win, and art to buy. the bands will be:

voice of addiction
death by design
wabash cannonballs
wandering sons

it will be a very eclectic mix, but i assure you none of them will let you down. they are all great bands and i am very thankful for their help! love you guys.

also, if there is anything you would like to donate such as a gift certificate to be raffled or some of your very own artwork to be auctioned off please do. yeah, i am talking to you, inpiration junky.

this is all in an effort to raise $ for my upcoming 6 month volunteer project in africa. the proceeds go towards teaching/art supplies, program fees, vaccines, and so on.

$7 a head. you can buy tickets in advaced at martyrslive.com

please let me know if you have any questions.

see everyone next month, right?

-jennifer lynn

storycorps

Published
by
robayre
on November 20, 2006
in General Updates and cool links
. 0 Comments

Here is another great link I got, inspired by a post here. Storycorps is a program I have heard about for years, a program that started in new york that allows people to come into their studio and record personal stories to preserve American oral history for future generations. I have heard some of the stories before but until this morning I didn’t know that you can go to THEIR website and listen for yourself to some of the recordings. Between listening to storycorps and This American Life episodes I alternate crying and laughing all day at work, enough to probably make my coworkers wonder about my stability.
I remember hearing about a board game when I was a kid that has a similar concept to this, where the players are asked to recall memories about certain things, and I think the game came equipped with a recording device so that you can keep tapes of the stories told. I love that idea. I wish I could have done it with my grandparents, but never did. Maybe that is something to look into for Thanksgiving family activities later this week, hmmmmm, we will see. I don’t know if I could really do that because I am such a sentimental person, I get teary about everything, it would just end up being a tape of me trying to talk awkwardly through the tears. I was inspired though and thought it would make for a great lesson plan for my moms language arts classes. At the end of the school year her students make “memory books” and I thought an audio element would be a great addition to their eighth grade memories.

Etsy and Improv Everywhere

Published
by
robayre
on November 13, 2006
in General Updates and cool links
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Today Etsy v.2 is launched, yipee, I am excited, and I’ve got a brand spankin’ new banner for it. Go check it out!

This weekend I discovered Improv Everywhere through an episode of This American Life. It’s a group started by a couple friends interested in making more of life than just sitting around in front of the tv. They create “missions” that will give innocent bystanders a story to tell later on. The episode shared one story of a woman who was on a bus and at a stop a guy got on with no pants, next stop, a guy no pants, next stop- no pants and on and on until… a vender got on the bus carrying a bunch of stuff shouting “I got pants, anyone need pants”. So funny. Please check out their site, they share a bunch of their missions. I wish all my friends were more inspired like this group of people.

A Question for You

Published
by
robayre
on November 11, 2006
in General Updates and cool links
. 0 Comments

Did you know you can now download the current episode of This American Life for free? I think I’ve been able to download the last four episodes. You have to get each episode while it’s current, because then they go back into the archives and you have to pay to download them. BUT, I just discovered that you can listen to the archives for free and so I have been doing just that. At work yesterday I was listening to episode #298 called Getting and Spending, and act two called “That Guy” was so funny. It was talking about trying to avoid being “that guy” that you hate. Whether it be loud talkers on cell phones, or your own parent, who is “that guy” you never want to become, OR “that guy” you realized you have become against your own wishes?

I Voted… Did You?

Published
by
robayre
on November 7, 2006
in General Updates
. 0 Comments

I got up this morning and headed over to the DMV to get a new license plate sticker for my car. Apparently they are closed on election day. Did you know that? I went yesterday too, forgetting that they are closed on Mondays as well. Two days in a row. Do these people ever work?

I went to my normal polling place and I was mortified, as all my neighbors stood gaping, I was not on their list of registered voters. They broke out a map and showed me where I might be listed. I went home looking for the postcard, I swear it said the same place I have always gone. I couldn’t find it. I walked a couple blocks over to the new place and yippeee! I was on their list, and they were all super friendly. Phew, I was relieved. How was I going to cancel out matts vote, if I couldn’t cast my ballot? Oh wait, he said he voted green, I guess his vote didn’t count anyway, lol, JK, seriously, that was mean, I’m a bad-bad person.

P.S. The real important news of the day….Britney filed for divorce, who knew?

Esther’s Place Fiber shop

Published
by
robayre
on November 6, 2006
in General Updates
. 0 Comments

 

This weekend my sister and I went to Big Rock to check out this newish fiber store Esther’s Place. It was great, the people were very enthusiastic and friendly. They are involved in the Illinois Green Pastures Fiber Cooperative (which just received a USDA grant) and also have a farm with their own sheep. I highly recommend it to any fiber enthusiasts in the Chicagoland area.

I bought 3 different roving wools. The picture above is a corriedale and mohair blend. Often, when I get wool, I spin it, make yarns and then stop right there. But with these wools I just bought, I’ve been spinning continuously, and I plan on taking it from the roving to a finished knit product. A hat, scarf, mittens, who knows.