the studio momo blog

more boxes

2006-03-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

the boxes we bought on Sunday at Home Depot are good, but they're big. pack one of those full of CDs and neither of us could lift it...

so Hiro went to get more boxes yesterday.

meanwhile, I found out that the principal on our original mortgage is lower than we thought. which means we will make more when we sell. I love when that happens...

I heard back from our new contacts in Vancouver. and also got some numbers from the real estate agent. looks good.

in fact, we might decide to scale back our redecorating efforts and just paint. which would be cool, because the agent is offering to pay for that. I figure if we go away for a weekend, put the cat in a kennel, the paint could be dry when we get home...

and so we keep packing...

what a weekend!

2006-03-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

first off, I had never had anyone not recognize me before. but it happened Saturday night! and it was very cool!

Hiro and I ran into someone who hadn't seen me since before surgery... so... roughly 175 pounds ago. And he talked to Hiro, occassionally giving me the odd glance, and then you could see the light bulb go off... oh! you're Brian!

that was amazing!

on Sunday we took possession of our new storage unit, 10x10, and cleaned up the art storage unit, too. all of my art work is out of the van. I figure that when I do shows again in 2007, it will be good to have a base of work down here too. and we'll move the rest with us to Vancouver.

after that we drove to the local DIY place to get lighting for the upstairs hall and our first set of moving boxes. much cheaper at Home Depot than at Public Storage, but that wasn't a surprise. they didn't have the boxes out but they had 'em in store... atop the third shelf, at the ceiling! so we waited while they got out the forklift for us.

good news in that my Home Depot account is active. but... new carpet at Home Depot will run us just over $2,000. and we're still not sure what to do with the cat after the carpet is installed... and the appliance we need to replace will be about $1,000... and then there's the cabinet resurfacing... the prices for which are hard to figure out... but I don't think they'll be cheap...

I wonder if my Sears account is still account...

and somehow during the day yesterday, I managed to lose my house key. Hiro hadn't come out with his either, so we had to call a locksmith at 9 at night... not fun... but he came, and let us know how well made our locks are... good to know. and glad that is over!

this week? deciding what to do with the realtor in terms of refurb. and crunching numbers... and job hunting... wheee!

the anxiety mounts

2006-03-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

it's a little crazy now.
spoke with the real estate agent yesterday, and there are so many things to think about...
he recommended we list ASAP. and replace the carpet, some of the appliances in the kitchen, and reface the cabinets. he's also offering to get the place painted for us. all white.
wondering where the money will come from.
found out yesterday I still have an active account at Home Depot, so that might be an answer...
but if we're going to list in April, need to do a lot of work this month... packing and storage. Hiro's in for a fun time!
and of course, I need to find a job in Vancouver.
so yeah, a little crazy!

a little more sleep

2006-02-28T06:47:00.000-08:00

yesterday was a busy day. work was not very hectic and I had some of the usual hassles with freelance clients, but I did end up doing a lot of the things I thought I would.
my cv went out. I sent out letters to friends in BC. talked to the real estate agent and arranged for him to come by later this week to give us the once-over.
and after finishing a freelance project last night, I decided I did not want to wake up again in the middle of night, so I had some wine with dinner (which Hiro made, hurray!).
what's next... blog as mental reorganization...
I have several more freelance jobs this week, and a bunch of bills to pay, but today is Mardi Gras, so I think I have to go out tonight.
(I realize this isn't much about studio momo of late, but we're getting there...)

O Canada!

2006-02-27T05:21:00.000-08:00

the long silence is ended.
the long panic begins!
my partner ended his academic career here in the States in December, and with that came the need for him to begin commuting to the US on tourist visas. this is a risky venture at best, as anyone in immigration can turn you away at the airport.
and although this option was cheaper than school, and although we've already come a good way toward collecting all the paperwork we need for Canadian landed immigrant status, after talking to a few people, we decided to shift gears.
a work visa is what I want now. my partner gets to come with me, and we get to be in Vancouver sooner. much sooner.
the plan? sell the condo in May or June and move in July.
the panic? well, figuring it all out. how to sell, what to rent, what to pack, what to sell...
why blog it?
well, it explains why studiomomo.com has been so stagnant of late.
but more than that, blogging helps me keep track of what to do and what's been done.
last week, I found the right contact for an employment agency for a Vancouver consulting position.
we also finally tackled a horrific home repair job.
this week, plan a meeting with our real estate agent, and get an introduction to one in Vancouver. hopefully my partner will start figuring out what to do with our microwave, too, which is on the fritz and either needs to be replaced or just removed.
la. how jolly. (thank you, Fantasticks fans.)

writing

2005-09-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

two angels sit on my shoulders, and lest you imagine one angelic and one satanic, it's not quite like that...
on one shoulder is a friend who exhorts me to post more often.
on the other, my partner, who exhorts me to post happier things. no one, he thinks, wants to read about a depressed artist.
how do I satisfy both angels?
I can admit that few people want to read episodes of excessive navel-gazing. especially when I talk about bad things.
it's a chronic challenge for me: how to portray what I think of as a badness in the positive light that it may actually exist in...
for the time being, I thought I should just note that I'm thinking about that.
I've got a lot of recent pictures to add, but I will be away for a week, so I won't be making those updates until later this month. meanwhile, I'm thinking happy thoughts.

making a decision

2005-08-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

there can be few greater proofs of my delayed adulthood than the agony I expend to make decisions.
I had been very much looking forward to doing Bumbershoot again this year. I finally have a great booth setup, and last year Bumbershoot was my most profitable show. I also did fairly well at Bellevue last week.
but...
we're again in a money hole. between tuition and the whoppingly huge bill I finally got for returning my leased Saab in March (the majority of the charges were for overmileage, lest my gentle readers think I destroyed that wonderful car, my VRKLMPT-mobile).
add to that the Mill Valley show in September, and possible changes in my 9-5 life, and I don't think that Bumbershoot is such a good idea. it's an expensive show to do (although I should have completely paid my booth fees by now I am still owing).
so...
sigh...
I don't think I'm going to Bumbershoot this year.
no, I know I can't do Bumbershoot this year, even if they let me get away with no payments until after the show. I'll call today and cancel.
drat.
I did manage to get some shots in on Saturday.
I'm glad I went because Flower World had some amazing canna lilies.
I've been doing some square crops lately because they seem to suit some of the flowers better. particularly the hibiscus. I'm also loving the saturation levels I'm getting now. the velvia effect. yum.
I'm going to drive up to Vancouver this weekend to shoot some more. staying with friends, so no expense except for gas. whew!
btw, if anyone from Highline Botanical Garden is reading this, you might want to update your website, because the contact e-mail address doesn't work!

long absence... forgive me!

2005-08-06T07:10:00.000-07:00

lots of different things to talk about... where to start...
I stopped blogging for a while because things have been busy with our Canada emigration paperwork and with preparations for the Bellevue Arts & Crafts Festival, which happened last weekend.
For emigration, we've completed the application forms and are now in the process of collecting all the supplemental information we need. This includes:

copies of our birth certificates
copies of our passports
my transcript from Williams, and all of Hiro's transcripts
a copy of my diploma
notarized employment contracts(!) for every job we've ever held and/or letters of reference from individuals who worked with us
a letter attesting to my proficiency in English
proof of funds (we are required to have at least $12K Canadian)
police records from every place we've lived since age 18 (the fingerprint forms from the FBI arrived yesterday and we also have to go to the Japanese consulate in Seattle for the process in Japan

so much fun! sigh...

Bellevue was a good show. Sales were not superlative, but they weren't bad either. Didn't sell many framed pieces, which was a change from my two earlier shows this year. Here's a list of the prints that sold from my current portfolio:

lying low (3 of these, including one framed piece)
exultant (3 of these)
lemony (2 of these)
wizened (2 of these)
inner sanctum (2 of these)
ingenue
riffle
floodlit
pink
grip
nova
inner light
inner light
maelstrom
forbearance
thaw
fantastic
gorgeous
aback
a rose's tear

and then these pieces sold from an older portfolio (which is why I don't have links for them), but I'm guessing they'll be back in next year's portfolio!

gentility

swirl

sunburst (2 of these)

pinpoint

I also finally got my copy of Photoshop CS2, which I needed to process raw files from my new Canon. I started working on some recent photo shoots:

and since some of you have been asking, here's a recent picture of me:

and Hiro:

thanks for reading!

initial shots with the new camera

2005-06-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

I've been shooting like crazy with the new Canon, learning more and more each time.
some consistent problems:
the lens I used has a limited aperture range, so in bright situations I can blow-out the whites very easily. I thought I could fix that with a circular polarizer but it's not so easy. I can't tell what effect that filter is having when I adjust it through the viewfinder. maybe ND filters are the answer....
also, the 10x macro I got on eBay is great, but it works like the Canon 65mm macro I borrowed a few weeks ago works. you need to be right on top of the subject to use, which makes it hard to focus with when your hands are as shaky as mine are. that said, for studio work, with a rail on my tripod, it'll be excellent.
other impressions: the new camera is fast, but I am glad I can use manual focus to get exactly what I want (which I could never do with the Nikon). I'll be very happy when the viewfinder extender comes because not only is it hard to shoot at low angles (which I do a lot of) but it's hard to get up on the viewfinder with my glasses on. never mind a baseball cap!
also, Photoshop's Raw Capture cannot read files from my new camera, so I have to upgrade to CS 2.0. as a result, the photos in the diary are not processed (cropped, lighting adjustments, anything), so they're not of the same finish as my other shots, yet.
I've taken a lot of photos in the past week and a half. and there are a lot of photos on my diary now, so beware: it may take some time to download them all onto the page:

Vancouver photo diaries now up

2005-06-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

it's been a busy week.
I'm heading back up to Vancouver this morning to deliver a print to a customer from last week's show. which reminds me, I still need to post a list of prints that sold.
I've been experimenting with the new camera. it's great, but I need to get the new Photoshop CS2 in able to get the new raw format files, which is a pain.
I did get my photo diary entries from last week entered, though.
I went to the UBC Botanical Gardens on Wednesday, in the rain, but got some good iris and lily shots, along with a few rarities like kiwi flowers, an Australian iris (diarrhaena, I think) and this flowering shrub called a Chinese wax shrub.
I collected the shots I took while at the Vancouver Garden Show into one entry. great passionflowers and I also threw in some pictures of my booth there.
lastly, I also collected all the shots I took at the Van Dusen into another single entry. lots of love-in-a-mist! yeah! and beautiful japanese iris.
here are the pics I sold last week:

alien (4 prints)

arms outreached (4 prints)

perch (3 prints)

inner light (2 prints)

flora (2 prints)

floodlit (2 prints)

meditation (2 prints)

heady wishes (2 prints)

earliest light

opportune

wizened

lying low

perfect visage

awake (from an older portfolio)

grumpy

pop (from an older portfolio)

riffle

forbearance

spiral (from an older portfolio)

all told, nearly 30 prints. not bad. I know what to prepare for Bellevue!

not all was lost...

2005-06-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

I must apologize to my readers... my last posting was somewhat grim, and it detracts from an overall positive experience at the Vancouver Garden Show.
some recent good news:

the show was good. although the weather and crowds could have been better (as everyone agreed), I did cover my expenses and got to meet a great new customer base. I look forward to next year's event. my hat is off to some of the staff who organized things, especially Ana and Bree and Tabitha, who kept things so organized.

and while our hats are off, thanks also to Rob at Mendelssohn who was able to save me some money on my bond for commercial entry into Canada. he won't know how much I appreciate it.

thanks also go to the border guard who checked my passport and paperwork on my way back into the US this morning. it was nice to be welcomed home (and to have my paperwork accepted without freaking out at my passport photo--which is admittedly scary and thankfully will need to be replaced this year)

my new camera and lens have arrived from Japan (because if we ordered it in Japan we could break down the payments over two years, which is the only way I could afford this badly needed upgrade).

by the time he saw the doctor, Hiro's kidney stone appeared to have already passed out of the kidney and into his bladder. it subsequently passed out of his system. needless to say, it was very small (although painful on the way out). Hiro, under doctor's orders, saved the stone in a specimen jar and showed it to me on my return.

I took a lot of pictures in Vancouver. I started reviewing the shots and will post several entries in my photo diary soon. I'm especially glad that the shots I took at the UBC Botanical Gardens in the rain came out. of course, these may be the last shots I take with my trusty Nikon, if my new Canon is as good as I think it will be.
it's not all sunshine and seedcake, though. Hiro still needs to revisit his visa re-issue application because the US government has changed the process to an online system, and we're told that he has a strike against him because he can't/won't get a recommendation from CWU. why? perhaps because they'd need to admit on paper that they were incompetent. anyway, the re-issue route is still safer than the return to Japan route.
meanwhile, I've got to do some soul-searching myself.
my day job is at Microsoft, and I'm finding it difficult to stay motivated in my current position (the duties of which are hard to explain succinctly). there are times when that job is great, and I don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water, but there are times when I think I should just make a leap of faith now and try to support myself on my own. if only it wasn't just my life and happiness hanging in the balance... I'm very glad my manager there has been so helpful and patient until now. if anything wants to make me stay, it is the desire to show him that I can find my place at Microsoft; that his faith in me is not misplaced.
anyway, enough sermonizing. I've got work to do. I'm glad to be home to my own mattress too.

a Vancouver curse

2005-06-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

I drove up to Vancouver for the Garden Show on Tuesday.
first problem: the border.
to smooth my way I had all my Canadian paper work prepared and was hoping to breeze through. I also called US customs to make sure I knew what to do beforehand.
on the advice of the person I spoke with in Blaine, who said that any crossing would be able to help me, I drove to the Lynden crossing and stopped to speak with US customs. they were polite but clueless. insinuated that they couldn't help unless all my photos had serial numbers. what?! they asked my to drive around to the commercial crossing at Blaine as they would be better able to help.
Office Leung in Blaine was indeed helpful. I had to fill out a form 4455, listing everything I was bringing up. I also found out that if I came back with materials worth less than $2,000, I wouldn't be charged a duty on my own things. given the expenses for this show, I need to sell about $800 to break even and bring me to that level, but I hope I do better than break even.
anyway, the next hurdle was my entry into Canada. given how un-lovely my passport photo is, I think the officer took one look and sent me to get a manifest. sigh...
when I bring stuff into the country to sell, I could have been able to cross with just an invoice form, but sometimes they make you get a manifest, which indicates that my stock has been bonded. fortunately a bonding agent knew I was coming so that only took about an hour. if only it hadn't been raining when I had to walk back and forth between customs and the agent office...
needless to say after all the delays there was no way I was going to make it to Van Dusen before it got dark, so I went straight on to the place where I was staying, the home of my friends Klaus and Mikie.
I got up early and began load-in for the show at 7:00. finished setup early (we had to be ready before noon for the judging) and went to the UBCBG for a shoot, in the rain...
I went back to the Van Dusen for the dinner party for us exhibitors. it turns out that the judges found nothing of merit in the area in which my work is displayed, so no prizes were given to us artists. kind of a slap in the face.
and then I sat in the cold until 9:30 in case anyone at the preview party wanted to buy some work. but there were no buyers last night. very slow. the sculptor next to me said he normally does a lot of business during the preview party, but this year, nada.
sales today were also slow, but not non-existent. I'll post a list of works that were sold once the show is over. now I have to figure out how to enter charges for amounts in Canadian dollars... :)

stop the insanity, said the drama queen

2005-06-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm due to leave for the Vancouver Garden Show today and have been working like mad to get ready, and of course it seems like very little is.
as of this posting, I'm still printing prints on my trusty Epson 2200, light magenta ink being consumed by the bucketful. I guess that says something about the colors in my work. :)
I still need to print my print inserts (the sheet of paper that goes with every photo I sell that says how to care for your print and certifies its authenticity) and more business cards. my Epson R200 is not working right now (I think I put the k'bosh on it with a generic ink), so I have to wait for the photo prints to finish printing.
meanwhile, an order of mats and bags from my favorite reseller, MatShop, is due to arrive today, so I need to wait around for that (or at least as long as humanly possible (because I need to be at the garden by 6:30 tonight--and I've never crossed the border as a commercial entity before!).
found my passport, which is a good thing, and have packed up my iPod, laptop, etc. still need to pay some bills before I leave. sigh.
and, as promised, here is the full list of prints sold at Juan de Fuca:

riffle

lying low

on display

arms outreached

inner sanctum (I sold two of these, both framed!)

perch

I also sold a piece from an older portfolio, a shot of a tick among dew drops on a plant up on Mount Rainer, called 'trapped'. I don't have that shot up anymore, but I may add it to the blog later.
wish me luck!

final day of Juan de Fuca

2005-05-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

I have been pleasantly surprised by how nice this festival is. yes, it is sort of like a Folklife redux, but only in terms of crowd size. the music groups are pretty good. I heard bands performing music from Hawai'i, Ireland, Madagascar.... very relaxing, although every now and then the technicians monkey with the sound system, and since there are speakers right next to my booth, sometimes I get a blast.
yesterday I sold four framed pieces. I'll list the prints once I get home and can look at my receipt book while I type. I'm going to try a shoot this morning at a bed-and-breakfast outside of town known for their gardens. fingers crossed!
I'll leave this post short. gotta get going....

day three and finally some cool weather

2005-05-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

it was a little panicky last evening because the wind picked up in the afternoon. I asked Larry and Laureen to bring over some extra concrete blocks to help weight down the booth, but the wind died down over night, and this morning dawned gray and still.
I drove up to the top of Hurricane Ridge again this morning, and as soon as I passed the tunnels at about 3,000 feet the clouds melted away and the sunshine burst out.
the trail up to Hurricane Hill was lined with flowers: avalanche lilies, lupine, douglasiana, spreading phlox, rockcress and violets. beautiful shots of the scenery as well, mountains floating on beds of clouds. amazing.
pet peeve, literally: a couple on the trail had clearly decided to ignore the park signs and brought their dog and their cigarettes with them. ick.
no bears this morning up on the mountain roads, but lots of deer again. I can't wait to get home and update my photo diary.
sold two prints yesterday, including a framed 11x14. looking forward to the last two days.

day two of Juan de Fuca

2005-05-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

yesterday was a hot one! we got some serious heat: 85 degrees. the booth is in an excellent position, right next to the ticket booth near the Vern Burton center, on grass, which is really comfortable, but the afternoon sun really comes into the booth. I have to figure out how to block off the sun a little more to protect the photos.
it wasn't a bad day in sales, considering it was still a weekday. sold a framed 8x10 of riffle and sold another matted print of lying low.
need to do some wiring of the framed pieces today and mark more prices. looking forward to more excellent weather!

hear the Brady kids sing!

2005-05-27T07:26:00.000-07:00

the sun is shining so brightly it hurts. I got into Port Angeles much later than I thought so I'm doing all the setup this morning. it's going to be hot, though!
and I am staying at such a great place: my friend Laureen has taken me in to her home and it's wonderful. had a great sleep and ready for fun today.
come on out to Port Angeles, everyone. it's going to be a wonderful day.
oh, and the title: there was one episode of the Brady Bunch where the kids formed a singing group and one of the songs was "Bright Sunshine-y Day".

departing today

2005-05-26T05:57:00.000-07:00

well, I had my endoscopy yesterday, and my nasty surprise turned out to be a gastric ulcer. luckily it was in the new stomach, so she didn't have to run the camera up and around.
for some reason, an ulcer isn't as bad as I thought, considering I was flashing on the idea that I might have had cancer.
so now it's medication, which luckily dissolves in the mouth so I don't have to worry about swallowing horse pills which might get stuck down there.
today, I'm off to Port Angeles, for the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts, which starts tomorrow. the weather calls for some wind, so I hope my sandbags are enough!
still have lots of preparing to do before I can leave, though, so it'll be interesting to note what time I actually make it to the ferry. as always...

a nasty surprise

2005-05-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

first, the non-nasty news.

I really like using my new photo diary. I've made three entries for shoots in the past week:

WSU demo garden in Bellevue

the Bellevue Botanical Gardens

the Dunn Gardens in Seattle

I actually was out on several shoots yesterday, but I'm using an analog camera, Hiro's old Canon, to try and decide which lenses I might want to get when I might be able to get a new camera. it's been fun shooting analog, and I am liking the Canon 100mm macro lens I rented from Glazers. The 65mm lens I rented is also great (and it offers 5X magnification, which is incredible!), but it would require a studio environment, really, to take advantage of it, because the depth of field for it is fractional.

so what was the nasty surprise?

so nasty that I can't really go into details. suffice it to say that I believe I am having some minor internal bleeding going on. I talked to an on-call physician last night and will be talking to my surgeon today. probably going to need a few tests. joy. my working assumption is that the problem can be fixed.

so, panicking optimistically would describe the current mindset...

long time no blog

2005-05-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

I've been away from my blog for a while, working on adding another blog.

I decided to separate out a lot of the photos I would put here into a blog that could just be about the photos. that way, I wouldn't care so much about limiting the number of photos I put here, and could really indulge the shots that I like (at least on the day I pick them!).

so, after a few weeks of reviewing my shoots since late February of this year (material from prior shoots has already been incorporated into my floragraphy portfolio), cropping and re-sizing for the web, I can now announce my new photo diary blog:

the floragraphy photo diary

clearly, from that blog, you can tell I've been shooting a lot (although it's pretty damp this morning and I wanted to shoot today too). I've been to places I've never been to before, like Aitken's Salmon Creek Garden down in Vancouver, Washington (the Aitkens are really amazing iris gardeners, and they have a great collection of orchids too), and, since I have wanted to visit since the first time I saw the sign on the side of I-5 in Woodland, the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens.

I've also had word on more shows. got into the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival, which is way cool (and my first show in California!) as well as Bumbershoot in Seattle, so I'm looking forward to that. I was also invited to jury for two other shows which I've since added to my schedule.

strangely (at least, to me), I also managed to have two of my photographs accepted into the juried competition that runs together with the Edmonds Arts Festival. I say strangely, because my work was not accepted for vendor status at that same festival. so I'm good enough for the fine arts jury, but not good enough for the vendor jury. ok.

the personal dramas that plagued Hiro and I in April seem to be calming down somewhat. it looks like Hiro will be back in classes come July, although we don't have a final word yet whether the new university will push his reinstatement paperwork or not. the Saab has been returned, although I don't yet know if Saab will charge me anything beyond my overmileage charges. the Previa had a flat a week or so ago, and then I found out that the alignment was way off on both axles. and to make our use of the Previa much more enjoyable, the lock on the driver's door has stopped working, so I now climb in and out through the passenger side. hopefully this will all get fixed soon enough.

other than that, I'm in the run-up to the show in Port Angeles in two weeks (thanks again to my gracious hostess Laureen). so prints and mats and frames are my life once more. :)

time to get back to it!

tuckered out

2005-04-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

it's been a while since the last time I posted photos; I'm posting a bunch from my last three shoots: UBC Botanical Gardens a few weeks ago, the Elizabeth Miller Garden (in Seattle) a few days ago, and Flower World this morning. I went through the photos and it was hard to just pick a few, so I'll just post thumbnails on this page, and then, if you want, you can click on a thumbnail to see a larger image in a new window...

so where was I... ah yes, the run of bad luck...

most importantly, Hiro was able to convince City University in Bellevue to help him with his reinstatement process.

although reinstatement carries some risk, I think it's inherently less risky than making Hiro go back to Japan, where he's at the mercy of the US Embassy for another F1 visa. his age, his academic record... it doesn't look good from a bureacratic standpoint...

so that's where we are with that. hopefully all the paperwork will be done this week.

meanwhile, the Saab was finally turned in. I get the distinct impression that Barrier didn't fax my paperwork back right away, because I got a call on Friday asking if the car had been turned in yet or not...

now I just have to wait for the final bill, and my begging to do installment payments.

of course, I did love that Saab, and it brought me to many an art show (which is probably why my overmileage bill will be so high). I will definitely miss the leather seats and the smooth ride, but I won't miss those lease payments!

we also got the refrigerator fixed, after Hiro asked me to call a repairperson. it was kind of sad, actually, as the fan inside the fridge, we found out, had stopped working because it had frozen solid in a lake of ice. somehow, the drain stopped draining, and all the water for our ice maker pooled and froze solid.

what other news?

I didn't get into the Sausalito shows, but I was expecting that. it's the top show on the West Coast, and I'd be surprised if anyone got in on the first try.

I also didn't get into the shows in Wyoming and Colorado, but again, I don't yet have the kind of booth setup those organizers want. we're talking carpeted floors!

I did get back into the Bellevue Arts & Crafts Show for my second year in a row, so I'm jazzed about that.

now I just need to decide when to go to the farmers markets in Redmond and Issaquah.

I also still haven't heard from Bumbershoot, and the shows in Mill Valley and Corvallis.

this coming weekend, though, I think I'm going to get to drive down to the Portland/Vancouver area to shoot irises, orchids, and roses (if they're out).

one the art front, I've been working on a piece based on a Chinese poetry classic. used as a calligraphy trainer, the poem is composed of 1,000 characters, and not a single one is used twice. since there are 40,000 characters in traditional Chinese, you'd think that would be easy to do, but it's not. only 2,000 characters are really commonly used, and there are only so many characters for common concepts. anyway, maybe I'll have some progress to show off next week. here's my last flower:

upcoming show ad

2005-04-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

Opinions on an ad I am planning to run for the Vancouver Garden Show in June?

Yes, it's that small.

the after photo

2005-04-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

Hiro took an after photo for me.

it's hard to get both eyes to open as widely, especially when Hiro was making funny faces to make me laugh...

up and down

2005-04-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

so, I went to Vancouver on Monday for the meeting at the Van Dusen.
here's some hints for all you artists out there:
regardless of the fact that the law doesn't require a passport for entry into Canada, bring a passport (or birth certificate) anyway. border guards are lords of their tiny fiefdoms, and if you luck out and get the surly one (like I did)...
next tip, don't drive up in a van filled with your stock. I only have the one car now, and it's my van, which I use for art shows. I had to convince the border guard, the customs and the commercial customs people I wasn't selling anything in Canada (yet).
anyway, finally did get in, and on my way. made it to Vancouver early, so I went to the UBC Botanical Gardens to shoot. the weather was cooperating for an hour or so, and I did shoot some nice apple blossoms, cherry blossoms, pear blossoms, and maybe even a nice primrose (not one of my favorite flowers, but it was a good shot).
then the phone rang.
Hiro, driving back from Ellensburg with a load of luggage, hit a slick spot on I-90, east of Issaquah. he hydroplaned into the median, thankfully with seatbelt on. he was fine, but our 88 Honda Accord... totalled. man.
because the car is so old, I don't have collision coverage. total loss. thankfully, there's a company in Kent that salvages old cars. the good news: they don't charge to take your car away. the bad news: they don't give you money for salvage, either.
(I drove out to the lot to drop off the title this morning and see first hand the damage... poor little car... I thanked it for sparing Hiro's life, too.)
the meeting at the Van Dusen, by the way, was a waste of time, for me. the organizers of the show wanted the chance to show exhibitors how much things have changed since last year, but this is my first year... sigh...
they had a great packet of information available, which also went online the next day, so...
I stayed with my friends Klaus and Mikie in Vancouver. they have two wonderful children: Shoma and Maya, 4 and 2 years old. the kids were excited to have a visitor. my ear drums are still ringing! :)
Shoma's big thing is either pretending he's a Japanese superhero or else Dash, of the Incredibles. lots of jumps and action poses. Maya likes to dance and exercise her lungs. they have a dog, Buddy, and they play a lot with him as well.
Klaus and Mikie helped me to stay calm when I was worried sick about Hiro. I left early on Tuesday to try and deal with insurance issues before going to work. here's another hint:
the US border guards are as friendly as the Canadians. bring that passport. and even if the stuff in your car wasn't for sale in Canada, if it is commercial, use the commercial lane.
oh, and by the way, use the Abbotsford/Lynden crossing. between the construction on 15 (the route that leads away from the Blaine truck crossing) and the construction on I-5, using Abbotsford, and then driving up to Route 1 is much better.
stress levels have been on high since then, though, and I had to take some time off work today to deal.
I did get some good news, though. I'll be back at the Bellevue Arts & Crafts Fair in July. hurray!
some people asked if I had any pictures of me to do a before and after comparison, now that I'm almost at the 100 pounds lost mark. here's a before picture.

I'll do an after picture next week.

accursed

2005-04-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

it's sad that I don't have any new art or photos to post; it's been a hellacious week.
the money situation is still very tight: I was able to pay for repairs to the Saab, but now I need to spend some money on body work before I turn in the Saab at lease's end and end the saga once and for all.
and, wouldn't you know it, our refrigerator has died (although the freezer is still working). brave Hiro is trying to fix the fan unit (because the condenser still seems to be working), but we've had to clean the refrigerator out. that's a good thing, I suppose, but relying on bottled water and microwave popcorn and soup (not in the same meal) is not such a good thing.
speaking of Hiro, the school situation is not yet resolved. hopefully, before the coming week is out, we'll know one way or another whether he'll have to go back to Japan. his odds at the Embassy in Tokyo are slim at best. the current plan is to convince the new university to guide him through a reinstatement procedure, which would keep him here in the States. fingers are crossed.
I haven't heard on any new shows, although I've decided to put off the Saturday market appearances until July, if only because I probably will be lucky if I have all the material I need for the show in Port Angeles by Memorial Day weekend. thanks again to my friend Laureen for putting me up while I'm out there.
I am heading to Vancouver in the morning to attend a meeting for vendors at the Garden Show in June. should be fun, and I hope it clears enough to let me get some photos taken at the UBCBG. it'll also be great to see my friends Klaus and Mikie and their two kids, Shoma and Maya. the word on the street is that little Maya is turning out to be as rambunctious as her big brother. two against one is the scenario I envision! =)