Listening to a beautiful record given to me by one of the MFA illustration students. It is an album called Blue Horse by The Be Good Tanyas and it makes me happy. Beautiful quirky harmonies mixed with bluegrass country music, three women from Vancover BC make me want to have a simple country jug band. If canadians can sound this good, then I can too. Plus, maybe then I could learn how to make moonshine.

After making music last weekend, I realize that I like it and I want to make more. I am okay at it, but making more will make me better. I enjoy descending into this other world where I suspend my thinking and just listening trying to build, match and make something new by blending myself with others. Nothing else quite like it. I understand why now so many that I know are addicted to making music.

Now, on to my week.

Monday: Finished up my book about the made up band named Pleather. It turned out well. Had to wander around a bit to find Pleather like paper to make the cover with, but finally found some on 18th. It went over well in class. Everyone seemed to like it. Will get my grade on it tomorrow. We all went to Rolf’s, this german bar around the corner. It is totally covered in Christmas lights so much so that I makes me dizzy. Then I went home and did laundry.

Tuesday: This week is more relaxed. I have most of my assignments figured out for my finals and doing pretty well on them. Worked a bit on my screensaver for my flash class. Doing animation of a graphic that I built from a photograph from hong kong. Our history seminar was over the Russian avant garde book. Interesting and beautiful. Today we had one of the guys who runs nonesuch records come in and speak to us in our box class. Good presentation. Learned about the label, their bands, etc. Also talked much about where the future of music and records are going. Do we download mp3s, etc? thought provoking talk. Also heard some nice stories about wilco. (nonesuch is the label that sighted wilco after warner bros. dropped them.) worked on milton’s project. Had to redo a logo for class. Chose a bike repair store in Chicago called yojimbo’s garage. Did a logo of a first aid cross with a line drawing of the bicycle in the middle. (get it? First aid for your bike!!)

Wednesday: thought about my project for sagmeisters class. I need to do something where my design touches someone’s heart. Hmmm…what do do? Folded my laudry and thought about projects. Went to school and then went to a coffee shop with Natalie and concepted some more. Came up with some okay stuff, but not THE project. Went to milton’s class. He sped through our logos. Lots of advice and suggestions. Told us that logos are the hardest things to do. I agree. Small space to make something say so much. Mine went over pretty okay. Then spent the last hour or so of class going through a slide lecture about milton’s work and how ambiguity works in design and how to use it successfully. Milton’s work was great. So smart and brilliant. It is amazing to learn from him.

Thursday: came in a finally figured out my project for sagmeister’s class. It will be cool and hopefully touch people. I am excited to do it. I am doing video work for it. Went to Trollback’s studio today. It is a top notch motion graphics company. They did the movie titles for monsoon wedding and a beautiful mind. Also did the rebranding for amc and res fest and res magazine. Beautiful type driven work. I want to work there someday. We’ll see. Need to get much better at motion graphics.
Check them out:
http://www.trollback.com/

presented my piece to Stefan. We had individual meetings. He liked my idea. Thumbs up. It is a go. Now I just need to do it. Will do all my work that is due after thanksgiving and do it before I leave. Then I will have four days when I get back to work on it.

Went to see the Detroit cobras after class. We first went to go get fish and chips at a Salt and Battery. So good!! I got a piece of cod that was as big as both my hands put together. Also had a deep fried candy bar. The show was sold out and crowded. The first band was okay. Good drummer. The cobras rocked out as usual. All the boys who went with me fell in love with the lead singer. She was sassy and sexy as usual. Seemed kinda pissed at the band. Wasn’t as smart-ass with the crowd as she usually is.

Friday: finished screensaver. Worked on a in class project. Spent the rest of the night finished my flash homework. Went to bed early because have to get up at 7am to go to connicut. Never been to connicut.

Saturday: got up bright and early. Today we are going to ross macdonald’s to learn how to letter press. Yeehaw!!!! So excited. I have always wanted to letterpress. I went out with david, mark, mark’s girlfriend Emily and Lauren. I drove lauren’s car. It was nice to drive again. Also nice to get out of the city and see trees. We got to ross’s. it is beautiful farm out in the middle of the country. His wife, kids and dogs are the sweetest. Ross has a vandercook 20 inch press. So cool. Tons and tons of wooden type and metal type. We set up the press and then went to see his studio where he draws illustrations. Good stuff. Had lunch outside and talked to ross a bit. Learned tons and tons all day. It was so good. Went back and we all took turns making posters. Added another line of type and did more printing. This day make me realize that I want to letterpress someday. That I want to own a press and make things. Maybe not in the next couple of years, but when I get to be 38 or 40 and get sick of the city. I have always seen myself moving to a smaller town in the country and living and working. Letterpressing might happen then. Maybe I’ll got back to Milwaukee or somewhere in the mid-west and live and print and grow old. Maybe I can talk ana and bob into moving near me and working with me on the press. Hehe. They would love to hear that.

Drove back into the city. Had a glass of wine at lauren’s and had an amazing conversation with her. Talked about women in music and marketing underbelly of trickiness. Then went to moma theater at gramercy to meet jeff and see a silent brazillian film. Mark and eric came too. I liked the film much. The boys weren’t so into it. Had a couple of drinks and went home. Jeff seemed sad. Can’t figure the boy out.

Sunday: went to greenpoint, Brooklyn to mix down my cd for the box class. Had to take the JMZ line to get there. The L was being worked out. Sucked. But I got to see a new area in Brooklyn and see a new train line. Mixed the cd. Sounds pretty good and interesting. Came back to the studio and now I am doing a little work.

Need to find some poetry for milton’s class. Good night.