. GTA4

It's here.
See you in 6 months.

. GTA4

> Time passes...

> Gandalf enters.

>Thorin sings a song.

. GTA4

When oh when will the UPS man arrive with my copy of Grand Theft Auto 4?

. Guess How Much

Guess how much it costs to renew a British passport. Did you guess? Never mind, I'll tell you. It's $265. Now I can't afford to leave the country.

. OoohLaLa

Oh how I've missed having a pair of German felted clogs. My feet are warm, my arches supported, & the design is pleasingly groovy. What more could an aging artist want?

. Necessary

When i was 9 years old the word 'necessary' appeared on a spelling test at school. The girl at the desk next to me had read a book or something and decided she would share with us a terrific way of remembering how to spell 'necessary' by means of acrostics.

Acrostics is a mnemonic device for remembering difficult to remember stuff by associating it with a simple phrase, where the first letter of each word in the phrase gives you the information you are too dumb to remember without it. For example, “Every Good Boy Deserves Favours” can be used to recall the E, G, B, D, and F lines of the treble music staff. Acrostics was also Lewis Carroll's preferred technique for impressing pre-pubescent girls.

My classmate's acrostic phrase for remembering how to spell "necessary" was "Never Eat Chocolate Eat Salad Sandwiches And Remain Young". To this day I cannot spell the word necessary without reciting that stupid bloody phrase to myself. It has become necessary.

I believe this could be an example of "situational irony", which is viewed by some as the lowest form of irony, and by some as not even irony at all.

. Fin

'Fin' (french for 'the end') is a Semordnilap of 'nif,' which is funny to me because I never really finish things. So, in suit, 5 books, 3 boxes, & 2 slip cases are glued, bound, & flat, making this project done enough for now.

The construction zone on our dining room table is cleared & can now be used for food; heavy art books used for weights have been re-alphabetized; glue rubbings are now sucked & stuck in the vacuum; and one artist book set has been turned in to the gallery. It's time to start something new.

Yes, Tina, you know what this means...

. My friend Sean Sent This...

...it reminded him of me.

. Banana Attack Theory

The difference between Americans and the British is that Americans love to pronounce the R's in words, and the British really can't be bothered. Try it with me now. Say the word "Doctor ". Did you make a nice "R" sound at the end of the word with big fat pursed lips? Like "Doctrrrrr" Then you're probably American. Did you say "Doctuh"? Then you're British.

The exception to this rule is known as Banana Attack theory.

Banana Attack theory (also known as Vodka and Tonic theory) suggests that if one word in a phrase or sentence ends with a vowel, and the following word begins with a vowel, then the British will stick an R sound between the two words, just for the hell of it.

Try it with me now. Say the phrase "Banana attack". Did you actually say something like "Bananarattack?" Then you will probably find that you are English. Possibly Welsh. Maybe drunk. If however you said "banana attack" with nothing but a small and uncomfortable silence between the two words, then you will probably find that you are American.

If you find that you are Spanish, you probably say everything with a lisp, because King Pedro of Castile did in the 14th century and you want to be just like him. Shame on you.

. Curious Spring Growths

. A Turnip For The Books...

... is what Nif thought I said when I actually said "A turn up for the books" which is an olde English idiom used to describe an unusual event, generally regarding a change for the better, and which probably originated in the area of horse-racing where the "bookmakers" would have to re-write their "books" taking into account the surprising result of a horse race. Anyway, what a funny miscommunication. Turnip for the books. How we laughed. Later, Nif said "A radish for the books" which was less funny, although Nif claimed it was even more funny.

. Watched Anthony Watch Things

. Crossed a Bridge

. Went Up a Mountain

No sign of Jesus.

. Some podcasts we listen to in the car

Jonathan Ross
Adam and Joe
Russell Howard & John Richardson
Stephen Fry
Radio Lab
This American Life

. Eggplant Casserole

Were you playing Halo3 online with me on Sunday night? I was the one who had to go and check on his casserole. Here it is. It has eggplant, mushroom, chard, onion, tomatoes, basil, cider vinegar, breadcrumbs, walnuts and soy cheese in it. Nif made the special pesto sauce. It was fantastic. If you'd like to try it, come over - there's loads left. I even froze some. Or if you can't make it, you can find the recipe on page 48 of the 1989 Australian Women's Weekly Home Library Vegetarian Cook Book. I also recommend the Spicy Garbanzo and Vegetable Hot Pot. And Carlos, I'm sorry I shot you even though you were on my team. I got confused.

. Cutting Corners

Looking at my book binding paper scraps makes me wonder what the recycling bins in the Battlestar Galactica prop room look like. If you don't know what I'm talking about, well, Colin, you're the only one.

. Some Days by Billy Collins

Billy Collins was the American poet laureate a few years ago. I like his poems because my small brain can make sense of them. And he has a great droning voice. I like a good droner.

. Mount Tamalpais

1800 elevation-foot hike up to Mt. Tam.

First training hike with Diane to prepare for this year's Grand Canyon expedition & to avoid embarrassing her with another Death Valley incident (see below).

(Lofty photo & shaming video, courtesy of Diane)

. Weighting

There is a little book under there & it better be flat.

. Three Guys In A Car

. Binding

. Art & Impermanence

One of the three pieces in the Art & Impermanence exhibition.

. Kala Open Studio

Setting up at the Kala Open Studio.
(Photo by Steven of the Halloway's)

. Selenography

Cheesey...
(Photo by sharp-shooting Zow)