go dawgs

don't be scared

of how cute I am

tiny me

bigger me with snappy coat and pants ensemble

bride of christ me

High in Fiber

This is a small accordian book based on the books Ahab's Wife and Moby Dick that I made for a recent fibers-based class gallery show titled 'High in Fiber'. We wanted to be more casual about our approach, so we chose a silly title. We did, however, go all out with posters and announcements and a closing reception with lots of wine and treats. It was a weird experience, to be honest. We had two weeks to design and execute our pieces. Mine is appoximately 4"x6" (one of the smallest in the show), and is comprised of tea-stained 100% cotton linter paper, cotton fabric, pigments, & inks, and is titled 'The Locket".

Hello. My name is Melissa and I am addicted to pain killers

Two weeks ago, I was trying to be helpful at work by putting away some boxes. Long story short - I zigged and the boxes zagged. I felt ok until I was getting in my car to leave and my lower back starting throbbing. I hung in there through the weekend with ibuprofen and laying flat on my back, but ended up calling in hurt and having to go to the doctor for a workers comp exam. After the drug pee test AND alcohol blow, the doctor finally saw me. He poked around and then handed me a prescription for a painkiller and a muscle relaxer. Sweet. The next few days were hazy and blissful - not so much pain in the back, and not so much of anything else either. I was perfectly content to lay there, watch tv, and get better. Towards the end of last week I realized that the painkillers weren't working as well. They weren't putting me out like they had been, and the creeping pain in my butt and leg wasn't disappearing like before. No biggy though, cause I think overall I'm getting better. Move ahead to this past monday. I woke up in the morning feeling pretty crappy, like I had been drinking all weekend long. I was dizzy, dehydrated, and shakey. Weird. My back was also still twinging, shooting pains down my butt and leg. Gotta take my owie pills. But first I have to shower, brush the choppers, iron my clothes, lube up with the appropriate lotions and products, put make-up, clothes, and shoes on, wander around aimlessly, and finally eat my breakfast. By the time breakfast comes around I'm in the car riding shot gun trying to eat with a shakey hand and keep the milk from dribbling down my chin. What the hell is going on?? I get to work, get settled, get a drink, and finally take my pills around 9:30 am. Within a half-hour all the shakes, aches, pains - everything - is gone. I feel great. Today I wake up shakey and dehydrated again. Around 11:00 I take a painkiller, cause my back is twinging sitting in that damn chair all morning and I'm terrified of hurting myself again or undoing any healing I've done. Soon after I notice how normal I feel. Ok kids, let's think this over. The pills aren't fun anymore, and I feel like crap when I skip taking them - can we say my body is accustomed to these drugs? Is this what addiction is? How scary is this? Very. VERY very. So obviously, I'm not taking the pills anymore. I'm gonna tough it out with ibuprofen and walking and stretching. What is most distressing to me is how fast it happened. It took about 7 days total to get to a point that I could have started taking MORE since it felt like they weren't doing anything anymore. Jesus. I've never been more glad that I'm paranoid about taking medicine. After my physical therapy appointment this coming Monday I'm getting back to the gym and back to normal. I'm sick of being sick.

Project Runway Rant: what the hell??

Can anyone tell me why this jackass and his frickin basket hat didn't get tossed in the first episode? Anyone?? I happened to like Stacey's floaty little see-thru number, and she sewed it by HAND, for christ's sake. Granted, she did that because the machines confused her, but so what. Her dress was league's above that goddamned basket and ugly-ass granny shift.

nya nya nyanyanya

we're going to see Tom Waits

are you?

go shawty

Go, go, go, go
Go, go, go shawty
It's your birthday
We gon' party like it's yo birthday
We gon' sip Bacardi like it's your birthday
And you know we don't give a fuck
It's not your birthday!

Except that it is.
It is my motherfucking birthday.
And I shall party as such.

Go, go, go, go
Go, go, go sushi boat
It's my birthday
I'm gon' eat you up on my birthday
Everybody eat some cake too on my birthday
Cuz' that's what I want fo' my birthday!

cutey patooty

well, hello there

I know, I know. There are a million things I should be posting about - mostly what I've been up to for the last 4 months, but this trumps it all.
You all know the bottom of the dog pile - Ms. Greta If You're Nasty - but the top of said pile is a new addition just added this week. Everyone, this is Frank. Frank, this is the interbot. Frank is an 8-ish week old chihuahua that was found on the side of the highway in his little doggie carrier. He was with my mom for a couple weeks, but has now moved in with us.

ass clown

I just heard the words "ass clown" on NPR.
I love public radio.


SPRING BREAK!!!

32 Things for Sarah, because she asked

Four jobs I’ve had:
- soccer ball inflator and packager
- RGIS inventory specialist
- research coordinator for a mortgage company
- administrative assistant for various places

Four movies I can watch over and over:
- Anchorman
- the Alien series
- Lawrence of Arabia
- the entire Doris Day catalog

Four places I have lived:
- Seekonk, MA
- Uxbridge, MA
- Athens, GA
- Portland, OR

Four television shows I love to watch:
- Lost
- Seinfeld
- Family Guy
- CSI

Four places I have been on holiday:
- St. George Island, FL
- St. Simon's Island, GA
- Hattaras, NC
- Las Vegas, NV

Four of my favorite dishes:
- Carne Asada
- big salad with lot's of fixin's
- vietnamese bbq pork
- pizza

Four websites I visit daily:
- funcupcake.com
- tonysimon.org (and many of his linked pages)
- robbyrattail
- knitty.com (not daily, bit often)

Four places I would rather be right now:
-home in bed
-in NY at Sarah's house
-in the bahamas doing stuff they advertise on tv, like climbing waterfalls and sunning on a desert island
-in the past, reliving some choice moments

Yippee Ki Ay, kids

This is the first assignment I had to do for my surface design class - we had to make a multi-layered postcard that is a self-portrait (hence the goofy polaroid). I figured this was an obvious choice, being that I have some cowboy pillows in my living room. This is deep, people. Art is complicated - don't you forget it.

I think this term is going to kick my ass. I haven't taken 4 classes since I was a full-time, lazy ass, no job-havin' student. And now I'm taking 3 studio classes and one history class with a studio project. It's going to be fun, and totally worth it, but I'm going to be tired this summer.

I'll try to keep posting pictures of my work over the course of the term. Between the embellishment class and surface design, which covers fabric dyeing and painting, I hope to make some cool stuff. The pattern weaving and Japanese fabrics may prove interesting as well.