i went a bit nuts over there ....

"there" being tumblr. and switched things up and moved over a bit ago. i would feed everything over to Facebook, but I have too many posts of topless chicks for such a wide audience of acquaintances:

carrythewhat.tumblr.com

linksforkym.tumblr.com

drankingbooze.tumblr.com

[and you already knew about]: faceandmirror.tumblr.com

i'll end things with some goth girls doing backbends, cause a) why not? and b) this would have been me if I had found ashtanga in highschool. 

Breathe into your chests, ladies.

[creations]

Some recent creations hot of the 3D printing presses. Unlike many other talented folks I know, I am horrendous when it comes to photo documentation of - well, basically everything. Thus, tis only a small sampling and some fairly shitty pics:

PINEAPPLES! The print resolution has improved (a lot) since these guys were made. NomNom.

ST Comm Badges - FUCK YES. I boldly went and painted one with nail polish.

'Nother gear heart - we've made about 7-8 now. Better print resolution and zillions of color trials.

Commissioned Job! Hooray! Jinja Triangles - made for some purpose that I can never quite remember...

Jinja Detail.

Lastly, here is Miles the Cat staring at the internet. I love them both so very much.

Ok, sure - why not?

Well my sis busted this out on her wonderous blog a bit ago. She used Bowie; I was inspired to try it out using the Talking Heads (my favorite). I already have a few alternative names*, but Moon Rocks would probably win the weird contest.

1. Are you male or female? Girls Want to be With the Girls

2. Describe yourself: The Facts of Life

3. How do you feel about yourself? The Lady Don't Mind

4. Describe your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend: A Clean Break

5. Describe your current boy/girl situation: Once in a Lifetieme

6. Describe your current location: Tentative Decisions

7. Describe where you want to be: First Week/Last Week...Carefree

8. Your best friend is: Sax and Violins

9. Your favorite color is: Ruby Dear

10. You know that: Love --> Building on Fire

11. What’s the weather like: Cool Water

12. If your life was a television show what would it be called? House in Motion

13. What is life to you? (Nothing But) Flowers

14. What is the best advice you have to give? Memories Can't Wait

15. If you could change your name what would you change it to? Moon Rocks

*Chandrika is the most widely used of the nicknames, I'm not sure if some people realize that my 'real' name is Cyndi. Whatever Works.

Also, here is a picture of Daria - but more real. Inspired by another nickname I had during the first run of the show. Yeah, I was in 6th grade - but I was born sarcastic. 

 

Daria

Dad's in Town

beer in the fridge
steaks for dinner
afternoon poker
how did the Phillies do?
damn cigarettes are expensive here
science documentaries
alfred hitchcock presents
colorful metaphors
2pm shots
internet lessons
political rants
dad jokes:
(hey, how do you make a hormone? YOU DON'T PAY HER!)
dad wisdom:
(laughter and humor are things that should make you think about a higher power, not some numbers in a book)

breathing fully again

ah, finally out of my two-week funk. what i lovely feeling. these past few weeks, I have felt like i was standing in molasses any time i needed to go or do anything. the alarm at 4:30am was like the voice of satan, practice felt like torture and commuting seemed to take YEARS (not minutes).

it was.... a challenge.

This was basically me for all of May so far (i.e., Gloppy of Molasses Swamp in Candy Land.)

...actually no, far more like this.

but this morning, the alarm seemed only its usual level of annoying, practice felt vibrant and fluid, and all of my travels have felt far less...epic.

i think a day spent truly resting very much hit the spot. also, chatting and thrifting with wonderful folks doesn't hurt either. nor does trying on a shiny blue body suit and thinking, "hey, this kind of works." huzzah for pleasant surprises.

slowly, slowly i am coming into myself again. body, mind, and whatever else there might be to it. it always takes longer than you think it should. but then, don't most things.

p.s. i promise to post pics of said body suit. and all of the other wonderful things i have allowed myself to procure lately. it is just not worth it to feel like you are presenting a stranger to the world each time you leave the house.

LAST WEEK: No Compassion
THIS WEEK: New Feeling

i want this hair

and one day I will not be too lazy to make it happen.

the face and the mirror

oh tumblr. it was only a matter of time.

what can i say, i really do have a thing for faces....maybe i find them fascinating because i have always had to share mine. or perhaps, it is just because human beings are so incredibly geared to notice a Face. 

whatever it is... here are some i find interesting. found and posted here:

faceandmirror.tumblr.com

for as interesting as they are, however, it is surprisingly hard to find images where the Face is the main subject. much attention on bodies and accessories and Who and Where.

 

and, lastly, some fair warning - i am becoming a bit obsessed with Charlotte Free, so she may show up a higher than average amount. damnit, will i ever stop wanting pink hair?

(no)

Embrace the Spin.

Seeing Things Greater Than Myself

My most recent bought of traveling was a quick jaunt to NYC and back. It was a lovely, lovely trip. A couple other crazy yogis and myself piled into a car after  Monday practice to basically go and do more practice on Tuesday. Only difference...we were going to practice with this guy:

Okay everyone, now come to a comfortable seat... or...oh, uh..or okay...that. 

That's R. Sharath Jois - the grandson of Patthabi Jois (the late, great, man of action in the Ashtanga world). It was a gorgeous experience: beautiful studio, strong, steady sequence, and breathing in unison with a room full of dedicated people....(well, and that one dude that kept grunting loudly). Ya really couldn't beat it.

Nyaw, we're cute. But I have to say, Sharath definitely wins the adorable contest.

But the trip was more than just a yoga adventure. It was a little taste of travel, which, it seems, I need fairly often in my life. Within my day to day, I appreciate a schedule. Mostly, I need a schedule because of the hours my passions force me to keep. In the general scheme of things though ... I love to just BE in new places. (Or old places in a new way).

There are so many places I want to go and see and and smell and taste and hear. And, while I certainly love NYC (especially in the Springtime when the variety of Things and People seem to multiply with the warming air), I more often find my interests drawing me towards seeing the things Nature creates.

So here, in no particular order, are some of the things on my list of Need to Do Nature Travels:

These inviting looking tuffets are rocky fossils called Stromatolites. They only exist a few places on the planet, the ones above being in Shark Bay, Western Australia (which is where I want to go to see them).  These fossils encode FOUR BILLION years of geological history - including how ancient microorganisms were involved in the evolution of life on earth and helped to shape the earth's environments. Come on, things that offer a portal into "deep time".......okay well, I think it's cool anyway. 

 This site is a bit more well known. It's the Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona. Fifty thousand years old and 4,000ft in diameter. Fucking incredible. What could better illustrate the scope and size of the Universe we live in? Some people find the relative size and importance of human existence disheartening - I find the magnitudes of diversity among the scales of our many worlds absolutely magnificent and incredibly beautiful.

Okay, so I have a thing for EPIC scales. What can I say - it helps keep life in perspective. I'm sure very few things feel as unreal as the Giant Sequoias found in Western California. Yep, I'd be that tourist at the base of the tree like every other tourist. I'm okay with it. 

And finally, good ol' Tonopah, Nevada. The best thing about Tonopah is that there is nothing good in Tonopah. It is one of the highest ranked areas in the world for dark skies at night. Thus, on a clear night you can see the Milky Way, not to mention a huge abundance of stars, with nothing but your eyes. The first time I saw a star-filled sky was last summer in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I have never seen anything more astounding in my entire life. 

Geez, these are just the tip of the iceberg! Of course, I want to go back to India, I definitely want to visit Iceland again (in the winter... hell yes Northern Lights) and about a zillion other places. It might be easier to assemble a list of places I don't want to go (coughcoughFt.Lauderdale). Alas, my travel plans will have to wait... a bit longer.

Man, it's a good thing I'm such a cheap date - cause at the end of the day, traveling is some of the most expensive taste you can have. [And it is worth every.single.cent.]

Blind Photography

These photos are the work of Pete Eckert.

 He is completely blind. 

He has not always been blind, and his life was very much visually involved before he began to slowly lose his sight. At the time he made these works, however, he was completely without vision. That is to say, vision in a physical sense. He obviously has no shortage of creative perspective. I don't know all of the details of his process, but I do know that more than one person probably told him that he was crazy for continuing to pursue photography after being diagnosed with a disease which robs one of their sight quickly and completely.

Personally, I find the work beautiful and extremely unique. It is also inspiring that someone was willing to put in so much effort just to continue to do what they love.

Seriously - just remember: Anything's possible, kids.

My life is SO GLAM!

You know all those jobs I was talking about -- got home from the one where I clean as a trade for Free, Unlimited Yoga this morning, and was inspired to whip this up:

 

Yeah, there is no contact info on it. Clean your own damn toilet! 

Also, I didn't have time to draw such a lovely commode... that is from kevin.tumblr.com or so the Google says. Okay, off to the job with the lawyers now.

Nyquil & NoSleep & Isolations in Tokyo

 

Being sick used to mean staying home and watching a lot of Sailor Moon...these days, it's just kind of a pain in the ass...

I've been up since 4am blowing my nose and unsuccessfully trying to neti pot my way to clear sinuses. However, all attempts at comfort or rest were utter failures, so after a shower and some woefully uncomfortable Sun Salutations, I decided to switch gears and just focus on being distracted.

Cue the Internet!

Since I have recently been getting back into the hoops hardcore, I decided to scour the videos on hoopcity.ca for something that Wowed and Inspired me. The video above does both - nothing like a good bout of person-produced optical illusions when you are high on Nyquil and No Sleep. 

But seriously, it's awesome. Check it out.

Going Gray and Surrounded by Ideas.

I work for how many different people or organizations now?

One, Two, Three, Four, Five..... five?!? Work week is now seven days...and then Chris and my plans are in the works. Life has been insane, but in a gloriously wonderful way.

So much is happening - one of the most satisfying being talking to an old* friend last night ... we spent about 10 minutes catching up (after more than a year and half of silence), and then an hour discussing the awe-inspiring nature of physics and the comforting scope of the Universe. Mmm, lovely. There is really nothing which really inspires that good, full-body-happy feeling quite like connecting with someone; Feeling understood; Being Challenged. Learning. Laughing.

Of course, I can't forget that getting that happy feeling has also involved a LOT of surrender on my part... 

Sadly, I have not been able to work on as many projects with the new schedule(s) lately... but I do have a work in progress of the face full of Blue-Eyed Optimism which first taught me to just let go a bit:

Going gray and surrounded by ideas.

Hopefully I get a bit more time in the coming weeks to work with Faces, but in the meantime, there's more than enough to do.

And tonight? Well, we'll see.

*by "old" I mean, he's known me since I was 19**, and also.... he must be 40 now, I'm pretty sure.
**holy shit, 19 was a long time ago. (thinks of self at 19): nyaw. (advice for self at 19): breathe more, and crack a smile - i promise it will be okay.

Apartment: 0; Weekend: 1

It was a wonderful, wonderful weekend surrounded by fucking awesome people...

...but now I am facing a long day of cleaning ahead. Time to plug in the speakers and let music motivate me into picking up the paint and plastic explosion surrounding me.

Chris' 3D printer arrived Thursday night....he was awake until 9pm Saturday tinkering around with it. Of course.

That there heart is one of the designs we printed up in standard ol' ABS plastic.  Yes, it IS a heart made out of 8 working gears. Gotta give credit over to some folks at Thingiverse for being amazing enough to have originally designed it, but we have lots of (mostly insane) ideas of our own. More to come on that....

In the meantime, check out what happens when 3D printing goes terribly wrong:

(and then you run to the hardware store in the rain to buy paint to cover it with)

Digital Italian Dinner

Another Ruined Plate

face with a View...

Is that your natural color?

So, okay, I have a type...

Big, Smokey Eyes? Slightly Surreal? Sign me up! 

Brian M.Viveros

Evil Last

Dirtyland

Unholy Sin-Her

Zoetica Ebb

Snake Charmer

Delerideath

Mommy Four-Legs

I promise I like other styles of art, too, but these eerie, feminine forms always resonate the most. We'll skip right over finding the meaning behind that, and just enjoy the work.

As I have started to explore creating again, it is becoming clear that I have a real desire to manipulate faces; play with what is beautiful or what is disturbing - maybe find a middle ground, but probably end up landing somewhere past disturbing for most people. Meh, I'm okay with that. 

Just Shut Up, already.

Meet Fred.

Creation/ Destruction/Cats

Creations:

Hand sewn/Felt/Buttons = Princess

I <3 technology

Yeah, an apron. A rainbow apron with hot pink straps. I could have never completed this task alone. MANY thanks to Miss CB for her expertise!!!

Destruction:

Weekend wonderfulness, now with Pinatas.

pinata filled with lollipops and legos

A first attempt...

Original stick doesn't work, bust out an empty gin bottle...

....and then pliers....

...add a hammer, a magic wand and a broom...

...and REAP your REWARDS.

Enjoying the spoils.

Cats:

Well, really only one cat.

"I'm loving this guys."

"Yes?"