Bull Market Bull Shit

This hanky was quite enjoyable.  I kinda fell in love with the bull while I was working on him.  I couldn't resist the urge to give him red eyes!

The Wisdom of Simon and Garfunkel

Stitching and more stitching.  This morning's soundtrack: Simon and Garfunkel- Greatest Hits.  I haven't listened to this album in a while.  I wish I had put this album on yesterday as it would have been perfect background music while working on the handkerchief.  One line, in particular, screams out to me.  From Mrs. Robinson:

"Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?  Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you."

Who are our heroes?  Who will become our heroes?  Big questions, indeed, especially during a time where vision beyond base concerns seems to be sorely lacking.  

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme........

Wicked Headache

I woke up late with a terrible headache.  Also feeling a little slow.  There is a bug going around and I'm trying hard not to catch it.  

The stock market plunged yesterday after the House failed to pass the bail out bill, so the news feeds are inundated with articles about financial woes.  

Strong, virile, aggressive? 

Busy Day

The bulk of my day was spent in the silkscreen shop at school preparing for next month.  I can't believe it is almost October.

I wasn't able to sit down and really stitch until this evening, but I was able to multi-task at a lecture at Gasp Gallery by a Swedish curator.  Overall, it was a very productive day.  

Confessions

1st confession:  I've been keeping a separate journal/sketchbook for this project in conjunction with the blog.  Every morning I write down the top 5 news stories of the day from the google news feed.  I confess I ignored any sports related articles.  I've never been a rabid sports fan, but I do have a few friends that are uber-passionate about sports.  So passionate, in fact, that to be around them when they talk about the virtues of baseball or the quirky architecture of baseball stadiums across the nation, I wholeheartedly wish I possessed the same love of sport.  So this morning, when 2 out of 5 articles on the newsfeed were about baseball, I couldn't ignore them.  Though I do not choose to spend my energy following games, players stats, ect., it is an integral part of life for some people.  

2nd confession: I confess I made a mistake on yesterday's handkerchief.  In my haste to finalize a design, I added an extra "r" to the monogram element.  So, instead of embroidering "MV Faina" in reference to this:

I instead stitched into posterity, "MV Farina" in reverence to this very popular breakfast cereal:

Can you tell I was hungry when I was planning out the design?  I don't really like farina, but one of my roommates makes it all the time.  At least she will find this amusing.

I noticed my mistake last night when I posted but couldn't confess until this morning.  When can I get on Jerry Springer?

First Week Finished

My first week is complete.  Overall I am enjoying how things are progressing and my momentum is still strong.  I am averaging about 8 hours clocked on each handkerchief.  Pads of my fingers, especially my index and thumb on my right hand are getting rougher and mobility of the fingers suffers a bit after long stretches of stitching due to slight tightness in the joints.  It will be interesting to see if I develop cramping or tendinitis from the repetitive motion.  Neck and shoulders are stiff because of the way I have to position my neck but I am trying to keep consistently conscious of good posture to avoid any major problems in the future.  

I'm ready for another week. 

Present Day Pirates

I read this story and thought to myself, life has become a movie unfolding through a constant barrage of images.  Makes me wonder if what happens in the "real" world is very far off from cinema.  

Sleepy Sunday

What is it about sleeping in that is so satisfying?  

Rainy Day #2

Fall is definitely coming.  The second day of rain.  I took down my winter comforter this week because the temperature is dropping significantly.  Born and raised in California, I never really experienced the changes in seasons.  After 2 years of living in Boston, it still takes me by surprise.  I can't wait for the first snow.  It is always such a magical moment to see the first flurries fall and almost makes the brutal cold worth every shiver. 

On a project related note..... I noticed the skin on my finger tips are hardening a bit.  At the beginning of the week, I pricked my fingers two times and drew some blood.  When I pricked my finger today, nothing but a slight pain.  

Lost in Space

The country of my ancestors is now officially a space invader/contender.  How it must feel to be weightlessly drifting in the outer atmosphere!

Space travel always brings me back to a time in third grade when our teacher sat us all down and told us the fate of space shuttle Challenger.  It was definitely one of those moments I will always remember.   

Morning Routine

I slept in a little today.  My mind told me to get up, but my body cunningly and persuasively lured me into an extra half hour of beautiful slumber.  I think I've already have the makings of a daily morning routine: turn computer on, google news, water on the stove, big orange mug, 2 tea bags(green).  Seated at my desk, I begin my preparation of the day's handkerchief.  

Rainy Day

Nouveau Rouge

I read this article earlier this morning and it reminded me of a classic movie from my childhood:

excerpt from article:

"We have trade missions back and forth," Palin told Couric. "We, we do, it's very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the United States of America, where, where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border. It is from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to, to our state."

Unfathomable

I knew from the inception of this project that the upcoming presidential election was going to be a big influence on the motifs and imagery I chose to put on the handkerchiefs.  The first presidential debate is slated for today but is possibly being postponed due to a delay in finalizing the $ 700 billion (!!!!!!!) financial bail out package.  

A big part of me feels like the inevitable collapse should just be sped up.  Let's just get it over with and start afresh, let the universe claim back what we have so irreparably damaged.  The other part of me thinks there is still hope.  I believe this hope is tied to everything I do in my daily activities.  It is connected to every little gesture I make in the living of my life.  I hope this project isn't just an act of futility.  I guess all I can do is continue with awareness and diligence and see what happens.  

With time to spare!

I finished today's handkerchief early.  It is very nice to have some breathing space.  I cooked a nice meal and plan to do some prep work for the rest of the month.  

Nuclear

I came across this image this morning.  It's such an abstract shape in itself.  So simple, so static, almost helpless.  This could be a minimalist sculptural object.  But, that it is not.  

Seeing the above image reminded me of something I used to pass by on my drive to San Diego back in my undergraduate years.  For the longest time, I had no idea what they were.  These objects are almost comical in comparison, but pack the same punch in terms of their purpose.  

Experiencing the Real

The line between art and life can be non-existent at times.  With this project I am quickly beginning to realize how intensely my work can infiltrate my daily activities.  Even when I'm not working on a handkerchief, I am thinking about the next time I can pick up a needle and continue where I left off.  The problem arises when this activity sequesters me away from the real world and real people.  How much have I missed out on while working on these objects?  How much of life will pass me by in the next year?  

Super Physics

Lots of things going on in the world today. Sometimes I feel like I just can't wrap my head around everything. Maybe most things just aren't made to make sense.  

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/09/24/finland.school.shooting/

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/24/lhc_downed_until_after_xmas/

I found this beautiful image of the LHC....

and this one about CERN members and CERN observers...

Racing Against the Clock

I constantly feel like time is running out.  When I pick up the needle, I become a machine.  I try to execute each stitch with efficiency and precision.   I finished today's handkerchief at 11:45 pm.  15 minutes of free time (which I spent sewing the lace on 2 more handkerchiefs in preparation for tomorrow and the next day).  It feels good to finish, but I also feel like I should be able to complete one in less time.  Yesterday I clocked in 10 hours, 30 minutes.  Today, 9 hours. 

Banking on My Mind

I came across the images for today's handkerchief here: 

http://seekingalpha.com/article/96620-the-three-ways-of-dealing-with-financial-crises

Completely nonsensical graphs (at least for the lay person) that, in my opinion, function as absolutely beautiful line drawings. I love how even something as grave as a financial crisis can be distilled into nothing but two or three simple lines and, maybe, a few arrows. 

Creating a Morning Routine

Yesterday I was so anxious/excited to start the project that I skipped breakfast.  Today I awoke at 6:15 am and turned on my computer to search the current news.  After 15 min. of surfing, food seemed to be in order to get me though the rest of the day.  I usually only skip meals when I feel I have too much to do and just end up pushing through my task.  I pay for it later when I grab the first thing (usually very unhealthy) I can find and gobble it down out of sheer necessity.  Anyone who knows me knows my love of food and food preparation.  It kinda kills me that I won't be able to cook as much as I used to.  But, I guess one could say that I'm just substituting something I equally  love in its place. 

First Day Done

My back, shoulders, and neck are tight from the repetitive motion.  After a few hours of embroidery, I reminded myself that good light is imperative and that I should rest my eyes after long stretches.  There is an ancient Chinese myth of  an embroidery stitch so fine and delicate women would go blind from long term execution of this particular stitch.  Because of the detriment to the eyes, the stitch was outlawed and coined, "The Forbidden Stitch".  I have to say I am very thankful that I don't have to rely on candlelight for any of my projects.  With that said, I'm ready for another day.

Life getting in the way

I just want to be able to concentrate on making my handkerchief today.  Already, running errands and thinking about everything else I have to do to prepare for class tomorrow has cut into embroidery time.  Also, I discovered the bus is a very difficult place to perform a delicate hand craft.  

Sleep Precious Sleep

I've known from the inception of the project that my goal of getting up at 6 am, every morning, would be the hardest physical feat for me- especially given my night owl tendencies.  I went to bed at around 1:30 am last night and awoke at 6:30 am.  First day and I'm already late!  At least I didn't have the same dread I felt when I was working an office job.  Precious sleep will have to wait for another day.  I want my commitment to be total which will require me to overcome the physical and mental limitations of my body..... either that or embracing them.

Beginings......

Handmaid- One Year Project

RULES:

1. I will make one handkerchief, everyday, for one year.
2. I will begin on the Autumn Equinox, September 22, 2008 and end on September 21, 2009.
3. I will embroider two motifs on each handkerchief: a) A "monogram" mined from news sources, advertisements, internet, or other daily encounters  b) Text or image relevant to each particular day.
4. Midnight will be the deadline to complete my daily task- unfinished handkerchiefs will remain unfinished.
5. Each handkerchief will be sewn to the previous day's handkerchief.

Melinda Go

September 22, 2008