ragtags studio central: sarah's random this & that

random means "having no definite aim or purpose," (1655), taken from "at random" (1565), "at great speed" (thus, "carelessly, haphazardly"). In 1980s college student slang, it somehow, and sadly, acquired a distinct sense of "inferior, undesirable." (Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper) Well, okay, fine, Mr. Online Etymology Dictionary person, but THIS is the 21st Century. It's a whole new ball of wax.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Missive From the Garret (okay, fine, but first a word from our eye candy)

I was going to post a few pics of what I've been doing in my garret, but then I thought maybe you'd like to see a few selected corners of the so-called garret itself. All shelf scenes, they're mostly close-ups.

So with no further ado:

Go! Eat Some Candy! It's Halloween!


When I was a kid, my mum would often recite this poem to me. I found it exceedingly creepy and would beg her to stop (it was not the only poem or song that I found disturbing, but she always just laughed and declared I needed a thicker skin).
I realize Longfellow fully intended it as a loving tribute, but I wonder at my darling mum's intent. . .

Judge for yourself:

The Children's Hour

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupations,
That is known as the Children's Hour.

I hear in the chamber above me
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet.

From my study I see in the lamplight,
Descending the broad hall stair,
Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,
And Edith with golden hair.

A whisper, and then a silence:
Yet I know by their merry eyes
They are plotting and planning together
To take me by surprise.

A sudden rush from the stairway,
A sudden raid from the hall!
By three doors left unguarded
They enter my castle wall!

They climb up into my turret
O'er the arms and back of my chair;
If I try to escape, they surround me;
They seem to be everywhere.

They almost devour me with kisses,
Their arms about me entwine,
'Til I think of the Bishop of Bingen
In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!

Do you think, o you blue-eyed banditti,
Because you have scaled the wall,
Such an old mustache as I am
Is not a match for you all?

I have you fast in my fortress,
And will not let you depart,
But put you down into the dungeon
In the round-tower of my heart.

And there will I keep you forever,
Yes, forever and a day,
'Til the walls shall crumble to ruin,
And moulder in dust away!

The Gold Digger & The Angel
September & Corina
October 31, 2007

Thursday, October 11, 2007

"I know what you're tryin' to say."

Monday, October 08, 2007

Scottish for Ellen

tagged by denise

"You have to post these rules before you give the facts. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. When you are tagged you need to write your own blogpost containing your own middle name game facts. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and to read your blog."

E - is for Entertaining. Well, I CAN be quite funny.
L - ove may not be all you need but it's quite alot!
Y - es. Said too often, it creates quite a few conflicts of committment. I should know.
N - quite totally Noblesse Oblige. 'Nough said.
N - if NOW is all I have, please God, make me be a quite a bit NICER girl.

(Yes, I did have a little bet going to see if I could use QUITE for every letter.)

If you haven't already participated in this tag, what are YOUR middle names?
erika t.
kelly k.
marie o.
pat c.
pilar p.


Kelly! Above is the cover of a book I got at Kinokuniya Books in Little Tokyo in downtown LA. The artist is Kohime Ohse. And below is a lovely little household piece I got at the market you told us to go to (directly below the bookstore) - Marukai Market. This was in the especially cool section over toward the right, where nothing is more than $1.50! Angela got some retro fab lipsticks at that same market; the way they smell is just like my mum's smelled, way back in the 60's. OMG, it looks like they have a 98 cent store - you are so LUCKY!Well, that's todays entry. Time for your faithful Susie Homemaker to go wash up and maybe she will even have a little time to practice the pretty pose seen above.
sarah

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Life, always less ordinary

First, let me just say, "Happy October". Though not a summer month, it's still a good one.
Lots of Household Decor and Design opportunities, not to mention fallen leaves for creating stencil masks, and we can, after waiting nine entire months, finally wear anything we prefer.
Oh wait, I usually do that anyway! Here, thanks to the Sunday Style section of the New York Times, I have at least one AlternaAntoinette possibility:
Paris Fashion Discoball Headdress Girl bears a startling similarity to the Buddha image on this cool little door hanger art I bought from Suki at Zinnia, the day of Angela's and my Two Story House class:
Speaking of inspiration taken from all the news that's fit to print, here is the
notice from last weeks edition of the newish Fort Collins paper The Chronicle
announcing The Gorey Detales Exhibit:
And a photo of Tiffini (Twila), Lisa (Rachel), and moi (Safronie) at the exhibit last Friday night. Lisa deserved a fab prize for following directions! By the time my week was over, I was just "glad to be there":
This is an October flavored detail of my piece. The 11 x 14 canvases are oh so SPECTACULAR in their full Gorey. Get over to the Artist's Nook before November 17th to see for yourself.

Next, we have two feline fotos. My neighbors Ed & Niamh Bergeron have two dear kitties, a kind of special needs longhair, Salmon, otherwise known as Sammie, and a preening prince Peyton. Janie, my murderous black bombshell, has decided to join them for a meal or two every day:
And Salmon, PLEASE come down from my roof, your mummy & datty are worried about you!
Peyton, that little ringtailed prince of a cat who comes to visit me and my full-length mirror daily, wanted these End of Summer Yard Sale finds (50 cents each), but I had to tell him no.
Maybe I will let him borrow them if he purrs nicely:
More (and maybe even better, Dear Diary) tomorrow, I PROMISE.
sarah