Thursday, January 19, 2012

foxes in boxes


you do realize that a wireless scanner can scan wirelessly, right. said my roommate, as I short circuited the fuse again trying to plug in an array of devices and lights (naked bulbs hanging on a wire). so I moved the damn thing to the other side of the room, wiped the layer of dust off the lid, and started it working it harder than my push-up bra.


I really like this paper. it's thicker than most of the watercolor paper i use. I got it as part of my loot for helping a wonderful and talented ex-teacher of mine move to HK. actually, I didn't help much. I just ate chicken wings and watched H pack. Now, H is just an ordinary artist, but an extraordinary packer.

This morning I had a soothing cup of tea, listening to the downstairs girl get her crazy on as water slid past the window in a parody of rain, only to freeze again when the heat suddenly turns off. But before I could even fully shrug on my sweater, the radiator blares back on. I've finally fulfilled my dream of living in a loft, but it's not the most stable place. There are many what one may consider an essential part of living missing. Like a stove, a bathroom sink, some pink insulation between the walls maybe.

So a building caught on a fire nearby and they're tearing it down because they can't put it out properly and I'm thinking of going there to salvage some building supplies. What is the consensus on the disrespectful level of just running in there and grabbing a slightly charred two by four? Like, stealing-from-a-dead-person disrespectful or fare-jumping-the-ttc-when-the-collector-is-distracted-disrespectful?

in other news, megaupload got killed by the feds. that's like, a major chunk of my future life gone.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

a new plant



happy holidays! it's 11 days into the new year, and my new year's resolution is getting shit done. See, I'm kind of a connoisseur at not getting shit done. I would clean my room, rearrange my pens, polish jars, (that sounded kind of sexual, but i'm really actually just polishing my plastic jar collection), peel the label off boxes, lay in bed trying to think what other sort of productive-sounding thing I could do instead of doing the shit that actually need to be done. something that needs to be rectified asap so I won't look back at 2012 as another year of wasted youth.

ok, we all know new year resolutions amount to nothing (like the time I got a gym membership? yeah, it sure got a lot of use...as a bookmark), but this time with the suggestions of a friend, I constructed a plan of action.

I made a reasonable, realistic list of goals that need to be done before the week is over. I taped this list somewhere highly visible. (I choose to tape it on my computer screen, so every time I play words with friends this list stares back at me like an angry accusation). If I don't finish the goals, I impose a self-penalty until the shit gets done. penalties like... can't eat out for lunch, have to pack a salad instead. this way, even the penalties are kinda like positive contributions.

It doesn't sound very persuasive, but it's working so far. For example, I mailed a tax form that I have been putting off for 6 months. I don't even know why I was putting it off. It's not like it was very hard. I just had to fill my name and write down like, 3 numbers.

I am so excited to become a new, better version of myself that mails tax forms and replies emails on time. (hey, aim low so you don't end up disappointed) Speaking of which, I updated morico's etsy recently. (was also on the list) I never know what to put on there and what to save for events or something. But I can update more easily now since I bought myself a camera for christmas. I didn't deserve it, but hey, you need to treat yourself nicely in order to set a standard for how others should treat you. which should be better than what you deserve.