breaking from the squiggles.
After so many hours of staring at squiggly lines trying to see thousands of years of history, the brain needs a break. I've also been intermittently doing origami while waiting patiently for my data to load. Something about folding tiny pieces of paper that is relaxing rather than as infuriating as it sounds. The book of origami flowers that I had been searching for for quite some time has finally been procured. I expected the house to be filled with them quite soon. I really want to experiment with scale, too. I've already played around a bit with using alternative paper (magazines, old homework assignments, graph paper), but I'm curious to see if it's possible to use collaged paper, or even just really large pieces. Magazine has been my favorite so far, particular with modular origami. It's so easy to find a tiny bit of interesting form and then to put 10 or 20 of them together usually turns good results. Is it art if you're using other people's art? Hmm. I've also hauled out the couple blank canvasses I had stashed in the back of my closet to try to see if inspiration strikes. I'm thinking about possibly incorporating the two projects, something 3-d with my 'found' origami and paint. I find that if I let it steep for awhile, something usually comes of it. However, the canvasses have been around for a couple years now, mostly frustrated by my inability to put on canvas what I can see in my head. Perhaps lack of practice or lack of the fine motor control, my own creations never live up to my imagination.
I don't know why, but my posting has tapered off in the last several months. Not for a lack of eventfulness or ideas, mostly just lack of commitment to commit them to paper. Or screen, I suppose. I like the word lack. The poster deadline is looming, though. I'm presenting at a conference in March and still don't feel anywhere near close enough. Thankfully a large part of it is a recap of the work we've been doing over the last few years. And hopefully (!) we will have enough to resubmit to Science at the end of this semester. The reviews last time were good, it just wasn't quite there in terms of results. A lot of it is, or could be in my hands, I think I'm almost afraid to push forward. I can be such a pansy sometimes.
Non-sequitor. Sarah came to visit this past weekend, she had a couple days off from school for some holiday that no one can figure out. Did some early birthday celebrating, had a couple dinner parties with friends, and in general drank a healthy amount of wine. All in all, one of the better weekends I've had lately. The catopotamus and his sister agree, they adore Sarah nearly as much as I do. Plus, it was nice that she finally got to meet a lot of the people I go to school with. To her surprise (and my amusement), no one flinches at the dykes in the room here :-) I think she expected a lot more discomfort south of the mason-dixon line.
At any rate, things are good, but the squiggles are calling (can you hear them? I can...)
I don't know why, but my posting has tapered off in the last several months. Not for a lack of eventfulness or ideas, mostly just lack of commitment to commit them to paper. Or screen, I suppose. I like the word lack. The poster deadline is looming, though. I'm presenting at a conference in March and still don't feel anywhere near close enough. Thankfully a large part of it is a recap of the work we've been doing over the last few years. And hopefully (!) we will have enough to resubmit to Science at the end of this semester. The reviews last time were good, it just wasn't quite there in terms of results. A lot of it is, or could be in my hands, I think I'm almost afraid to push forward. I can be such a pansy sometimes.
Non-sequitor. Sarah came to visit this past weekend, she had a couple days off from school for some holiday that no one can figure out. Did some early birthday celebrating, had a couple dinner parties with friends, and in general drank a healthy amount of wine. All in all, one of the better weekends I've had lately. The catopotamus and his sister agree, they adore Sarah nearly as much as I do. Plus, it was nice that she finally got to meet a lot of the people I go to school with. To her surprise (and my amusement), no one flinches at the dykes in the room here :-) I think she expected a lot more discomfort south of the mason-dixon line.
At any rate, things are good, but the squiggles are calling (can you hear them? I can...)