Java Time

1. C O F F E E, 2. you're the cream in my coffee, 3. Iced Chai, 4. ° c o f f e e b e a n s °, 5. thankful, 6. Untitled, 7. Hand painted Coffe Cup & Tray, 8. conversations

Just having a few thoughts, that's all at the moment.

Freedom on Two Wheels

1. my purple-blue world, 2. Lesbian haircuts for anyone (and bike store), 3. Classic Bicycles, 4. The old bicycle and the field of wheat, 5. Lets Biking, 6. Bicycle (yeah) bicycle (eh) bicycle

Riding a Bicycle was a super big scandal for a woman when bikes first became a method of transportation. Not only was a woman daring to place something between her legs, giving her phallic import, but she could truck along as fast and merrily as any man, she could move under her own power and go where she pleased.

Bikes give women a practical excuse to prefer pants over skirts, are a form of exercise, and are just a whole barrel of fun to use. I myself had a discussion with my bike yesterday, out in the yard. As we shared a bucket of Iron-Out and a can of refreshing WD-40, I thought about what my literature professor had been saying about feminism.

I've been walking the 9 blocks to school 2-3 round-trips per day this winter. Sure, it's cold, I thought, but being on a bike has spoiled me. This is better for my body, and a good exercise in time-management.

HA! The instant I set my butt on my bike yesterday, for the first time in months, all my resolutions with regards to walking melted away. I will never walk again so long as I can glide down the pavement, whooping and kicking my legs with glee. I can go anywhere I want, and go there fast.

Now the thing is, I'm sure that in a few weeks, biking will be just as much a chore as walking was. I won't go back to walking, but I won't be quite as happy on my bike. Maybe I'll even start wishing for a car.

There is a sweet lesson in here somewhere about feminism, settling, never being happy with what you've got, and I'm sure many other things.

My mind is thinking about the pain in my bum from the bike seat, which will take some getting used to again. I'm thinking about how quickly I sped to school, how grimy my fingers were after a satisfying half-hour of prodding a rusty chain into place. I'm thinking about how, if I wanted to, I could go home now in those times when I would otherwise sit on campus, waiting for my next class or meeting or appointment.

I love my bike. I love biking. I love the wind and the squeaky brakes and the time I skipped the curb and fell and landed on my lunch in front of some old man. Maybe I'll get a little bell and ring it all the time, "Incoming!"



Elephants Away! (on a speedy machine!)

Home Dreams and Housekeeping

1. Black Goldfish, 2. fancy a spot of tea love?, 3. luck, 4. Shibuya Crossing at Night, 5. Guiness is good for you !, 6. too much chai & biscuit happening....:-)

★ Now that I've been at home for a bit and had the free time to think (Oh no!) I pondered what I want to do with this blog... this blog that has fallen to the side quite a bit, with no real direction or purpose.

I thought about dreams, which have been close in my mind lately. Honestly, I don't really like hearing about people's dreams, because a dream is something very personal, which generally has significance only to the dreamer. So when I hear about dreams, I start to lose concentration around the 5 minute mark, unless it's a particularly interesting story.

Chasing Elephant Dreams is the title of this blog, inspired by the Bloom County book "Penguin Dreams and Stranger Things", always a favorite.

★ But it would be boring and surrealist of me to recant dream after dream here. That sort of thing is better left to a journal by the bed, or a paintbrush.

Rather, I thought, why don't we plot out the dreams we want to have? Capitalize on the daydreams that we use to plan our moves, how we imagine ourselves to be in our waking state?

After all, aren't our dreams usually made by the experiences and worries and joys that we have had in our recent past?

★ I drew a picture of a goldfish in a letter today. I haven't finished the letter, but the fish is there in my tank.

★ There is somehow more tea in this house now than there was 2 months ago. Which is about when I stopped drinking tea, actually.

★ Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, my birthday. I will be 22. I will not do anything particular for this day except for the following: eat Lucky Charms, wear frog earrings and eat dinner out with my family. So there is some anticipation!

★ I might go to Japan. The implications of getting/not getting the job have been troubling me lately.

★ I'm Scottish, not Irish. And I probably won't be drinking any of this nonsense tomorrow either, because a. I will be with the family, and b. It seems a bit trite to do so...

★ Tea. I miss chai tea constantly.

Who will be my dreaming co-star? I really do think that sometimes, when you dream about another person, they are not only dreaming about you too, but you have somehow wandered into a mixed dream between your two sleeping forms.

How wonderful!




Elephants Away!

I love love

1. I can see you!, 2. scenes out of a wedding, 3. Not something you see every day!, 4. Henna Night - Bride, 5. 'push', 6. scenes out of a wedding, 7. Delhi from a rickshaw, 8. Colors of Karva Chauth, 9. IMG_0474, 10. Burkha Shop, 11. bride shop, 12. Catwalk by Construction Workers, 13. A Monk's Life

Happy Valentine's Day, you nutjobs.



Elephants Away!

Show Him The Money

Today at work, I spent my valuable time purchasing the following delight:



For the "Looking Good For Jesus" brand Coin-Purse, the ad reads as follows:

"Even Jesus saves. He'll oogle if you're frugal, my child. $3.99"

I am so very happy that my coins will soon be jingling about in the holiest of holy-cow coin-purses. This is just what I needed to save my soul.

Should you wish to Look Good For Jesus in other areas of your life, please enjoy the following:



Looking Good For Jesus Bubble-Bath: Follow in his footsteps.
Take the plunge with a soak in everlasting Citrus and Juniper suds that make you feel like you're walking on water. $11.99.




Looking Good For Jesus Mirror Compact: Please him - for christ's sake - and look your Sunday best. Remember, he sees all! Even your smudgy mascara. $4.99.




Looking Good For Jesus Lip Balm: Returns lips to near virgin quality. Virtuous vanilla flavor protects and preserves. SPF 18. $5.99.




Looking Good For Jesus Shopper: Look your Sunday best and shop till you drop with this King-sized shopper. $11.99. This is classy as hell! I want one!


And the King Product,



Looking Good For Jesus Mini Kit: Redeems you in his eyes and takes the edge off sinning. Contains mirrored Jesus statuette, vanilla nectar lip balm, Easter-Lily hand & body cream (with sparkle!) and a folding mirror compact. $19.99.





Elephants Away!

I Love Snow

1. spring snow on barberry, 2. Snow, 3. Goodnight Snow!, 4. Nubble Light In Snow

Last night the hugest puffiest snowflakes, snowblobs, fell from the sky. I almost slopped a bowl of noodles on the floor when I saw it happening, I was so excited.

"Look! Look, everybody! It's snowing! Oh, WOW! Look at it! It's so pretty! I want to go dance in it, quick, where are my boots?!"

There was nobody else in the house, but that's ok. I'm sure they would have appreciated it anyways. For my part, I enjoyed it from my window as I read my philosophy homework. It's a funny thing, philosophy. My mind wandered away from it, first watching the way the words looked on the page, then giving up entirely and watching the snow. I was considering my upcoming interview for a job that I really really want, and how my majors will undoubtedly come into question during the interview process (being that this is a job as an educator).

How would you respond if asked to teach again the past four years of your life? I know, in my heart of brains, that I will not graduate knowing much about Kant or Hume or Hobbes. I couldn't tell you the major plot points for Plato, or what, exactly, is the definition of "deontology".

Did I waste years of my life, then? When quizzed on the purpose and end results of my education, will I be left stammering and dropping my words like snowblobs? It's an important question for all of us to ask when we're facing the end of our scholastic careers. Hopefully we're gaining skills, if not knowledge to regurgitate.

As for me, it's the ability to sell myself and my experiences. Sell! Sell! It all must go!


Elephants Away!

I Love Snow

★ Arthur Rackham: Man, Dreamer, Wore Glasses, Rode Siberian Tigers, Illustrator.
Genius-Pants.

When the snow falls softly and piles inch-high on every spindly tree-branch, a simply sludgy walk to school is transformed to a fairy-land prance. You don't just slog along the sidewalk, you mountain-goat on the crunchy drifts left by plows. Everything looks OK when you're living in an Arthur Rackham picture, even if creepy stuff is happening.



Elephants Away!

I'm A Girl

1. v.day sweethearts .., 2. I Found my Summer Dessert, 3. open the pudding, 4. Heaven or what !?, 5. Sadaharu Aoki - Jardin du Luxembourg, 6. Chocolate cakes from Gaulupeau, Versailles, 7. デザート, 8. Baklava, 9. Pudding-Topped Danish from Crown & Fancy Deli, 10. Stack of Molten Chocolate Cakes and Blue, 11. Tarta de fresa, 12. cupcake heaven, 13. Birthday Girl with a Red Charlotte, 14. Strawberry Macaroon Cupcakes, 15. coated with chocolate

★ Look, I'm a girl. We all know it's true. And let me tell you, in this, the week before St. Valentine was brutally tragically accidentally martyred while minding his own business is the prime time to be knowing what it is that girls like.

And let me tell you this. Girls like chocolate. It's true. No lie. We like sweet things, smooth chocolates, juicy berries, rich cakes, and heavenly whipped creme. If you give us a flower, we'll be wondering why it wasn't dipped in sprinkles. If you give us a slice of German Turtle Cake, we'll be showing up at your door wearing nothing but sprinkles. (Unless, of course, we are sensible to the weather. Some of us are!)

★ See that image in the middle? That is baklava. Baklava is the king of sweets. I married the last person to bring me baklava, no lie. He was an explorer named Sven, and he sailed the Arctic Ocean all the way from Italy to bring me baklava... riding a moose across the Yukon once he crashed into an iceberg, he never faltered, no, not Sven!! Even when dangerous Tundra-Rabbits threatened his very life, he did not stop! No! NOT SVEN! He knew that even if he perished in the task, baklava must be eaten by women! And then he was shot on accident in upstate New York by someone who mistook him for a beaver. So the last bit is a lie, I didn't actually marry him.

But I would have!

★ And don't forget about White Day! If you want to celebrate in a fun and extra way, consider doing as those in Japan and Korea do: Celebrating White Day (March 14), when boys who are accepting the affections of those girls who gave them chocolate on February 14 return the gift in kind. Or, if you want to take the summer route, the Chinese Lunar Calendar places a folk-tale based Valentine's Day on July 7. Have a cool sweet in the dead of summer!

★ This Valentine's Day, I will be going to see Paris, je t'aime for free at my local movie house, snacking on homemade chocolates, and perhaps flinging cake at my loved ones. More to follow on the progress of chocolate exploration!



Elephants Away!

I Love Pride & Prejudice

I was turned into a P&P fan by my boyfriend's mother, during one winter I spent in her home. She and I sat and watched the 4 hour mini-series together, and I was hooked! I talk a little bit too much about P&P now, I'm sure most people are sick to death of hearing about it!

★ Pride and Prejudice is one of those Romance stories that makes you feel all romantic and fuzzy down to your toes. And not just because of the oh-so-swoon-worthy Mister Darcy, but because of the gorgeous clothes and hairstyles worn by the actresses. Take a look:





★ The Bennett sisters skip across the screen in beautiful gowns and an ever-changing mix of coats, capes, shawls, and bonnets. The main issue here is the spotless white of their dresses... how hard would that be to keep clean? I suppose they have servants and all, but still... The do look comfortable though. And the coats and little torso-jackets look very smart:



★ Then there are the fancy dresses and the hair:







Jennifer Ehle as Eliza rocks out the cupid-bow lips and dark curls like none else. As has been pointed out to me during my various attempts to dress up Austen-style, "She has a small army of movie stylists to help her!"

Yes, true, but making curls with your fingers can still work out just fine. Plus, we modern girls have lovely hair binders and other 20th century notions to help us put our hair up and fake having the perfect Austen-'do.

★ Last, but certainly not least, is the actual romance!



As I'm writing this, I've just finished disc 1 of the mini-series. For those of you keeping score at home, Elizabeth has just had her big emotional and toe-curling confrontation with Darcy, giving him what-for for being such and meddling jerk, as well as acting ungentlemanly. Tonight I'll be brewing up a big mug of super-rich hot chocolate and burrowing into the last 2 hours.

Let's bring apples for our teachers!


Elephants Away!

I Love Colors

★ Colour Lovers is my new favorite time-sink when I'm at work... even though you could argue that it's not really a time-sink, since half the time I'm there I'm rooting through the colour swatches and patterns to aide me in my graphics work. But the blogs are always having my attention as well!

★ This photo is of a creative day I was having while cleaning.
I found a bucket full of crayons... so many weird crayons, some older than me! And I love crayons, but what am I going to do with a whole bucket? Nothing, that's what. Nothing except a GREAT CRAYON MELTING PROJECT!

Let me tell you, I don't know what exactly is in crayons, but it sure is messy. Attractive and colourful, but very very messy. In the end, after all the peeling and sorting and piling and melting and scraping, I had myself a really nice set of crayon-cakes, which I gave to a friend.

★ Blue is my most usual colour... I would say "favorite", but really, it's the colour in which I feel the most comfortable... I feel all blendy and background and safe when I wear it. Meanwhile, my room and my life is a riot of patterns and colous... This month, I refuse to stay solid~!



Elephants Away!

The Week~End: Cold Walks

♪This week, I'm listening to J't'emmene au vent by Louis Attaque, a nifty french group with violins and voice-popping! Check it out!


This week was very cold~ it went down to -40 windchill, during the day! Life on the prairie, I tell you.

★ Daytime: I braved the walk! My eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair frosted over and stuck.


★ Nighttime: I couldn't leave school that night until late... it was still so cold.



What do you do, college student? Do you beg a ride, stick out your thumb, brave it out, or just stay home? I had two nice people stop and give me a ride off the street, but you can do that in a small town like this. And it seems like no matter how bundled you are, bits of your tender skin will stick out and freeze.

Thusly, I cannot live without the following:

★ Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm



★ Burt's Shea Butter Hand Repair Creme



Burt's products are pricey but worth it, Burt's Bees are fun and cheaper and so delicious.

★ Happy Groundhog's Day!

The whole of February is ahead of us... that means Seasonal Affective Disorder, which means people are SAD and glum under the gray skies. But look ahead to the TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE!!!!

That's right, on February 20th, starting at 7:43 pm, the moon will begin to eclipse! It will be visible in North America and some other parts of the world, check the NASA Eclipse Site for more info.



Elephants Away!