Canvas to the Imagination

It’s hard to reflect on a whole year now that it’s come to an end because the beginning isn’t as clear in my mind as more recent events. Here goes:

1. Getting to know Boris in many ways I never expected and building a good relationship with him. I’ve known him for a couple of years, but not very well. He only came into sharp focus for me at Travis’ birthday at the end of 2007. I’m glad my crush has turned into something more.

2. Setting a weekly goal to create a collage in my moleskin sketchbook and learning much about composition, techniques, materials, etc, in the process.

3. Leaving behind a job where I felt like I was wasting my time and spinning my wheels.

4. Taking baby steps forward in showing my work, with one more solo show under my belt and participation in five different group shows.

5. Going on an awesome roadtrip with Boris back in March. We drove from Vancouver to Seattle via Whidbey Island and Bainbridge Island, and had many lovely adventures along the way. It was my favorite trip of the whole year and definitely a highlight.

6. Starting a weekly self portrait series called “52 weeks” which has led me to producing photographic work I am very pleased with. This week is number thirty-seven in the series and it will continue until April 2009.

7. Many weekend trips to Bowen Island over the course of the year, and having a comfortable, cozy place to stay with the Mann Family.

8. A brief visit to Toronto back in May to see my family and meet with a old friends. I was glad to also have the opportunity to catch a few Contact Festival shows and see the awesomeness that is the newly renovated ROM.

9. This may sound strange if you’re not a cat person, or have never met Travis and Susie’s cat Maggie, but she has definitely been a highlight of my year. She’s a kitten-sized pack of trouble full of the stinkiest farts known to man, but she’s damn cute, full of personality, and fun to have around at work. I adore Maggie.

10. Realizing (yet again) that no matter how old I get there will always be more lessons to learn about myself and more growing to do. I hoping to put this knowledge to good use this year and move forward instead of just running in place like I feel I have been.

What are your good things from 2008?

From Free Will Astrology

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Here’s an update on the world’s tigers: Fewer than 5,000 are living in their natural habitats, while the U.S. alone has more than that number in zoos. Let’s use that fact as a starting point for your meditations, Leo. How much of your animal essence is in captivity, and how much is running free? Is your inner lion able to wander at will through places where it feels at home, or is it trapped in a confined space it would never stay in if allowed to choose? Keep coming back to these questions during 2009. It will be an excellent time to spring the great cat in you from conditions that make it pace in neurotic circles.

Oh, yes please! Especially to that last part. I love Free Will Astrology.

Once upon a time there was a small family of Germans, who lived on a small island called Bowen in the beautiful land of British Columbia. The family was made up of an entertaining German father who made funny jokes, a lovely German mother who looked after everyone, and a Big Cute Fuzzy Strapping Geeky German son (who was also the King of Drupal, but that’s another story…) This small family of Germans really loved to eat meat, as Germans have a tendency to do. They also loved to eat bread as well as cheese, but this particular story REALLY focuses on the meat.

As the Yuletide Season approached, the son who was always full of big ideas, came up with a meat-focused way to celebrate the Christmas season. He decided to call it the Twelve Meats of Christmas, and it would involve preparing and eating a variety of meats twelve different ways. The First Meat of Christmas was Chorizo with kale and chard in a pasta dish. (He was starting light you see.) The Second Meat of Christmas was delicious crispy bacon cooked for breakfast. The Third Meat of Christmas was roasted lamb with parsnips, garlic and lemons. The Fourth Meat of Christmas was Duck Soup with cabbage. The Fifth Meat of Christmas was Creton a spicy pork pate. The Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth meats of Christmas were prepared by his friend Zak and came in the form of Pork Tenderloin Wrapped in Prosciutto, Chicken Forcemeat and Puff Pastry. The Ninth Meat of Christmas was pulled pork cooked for six hours and marinated in delicious North Carolina style BBQ sauce. The Tenth Meat of Christmas was Montreal smoked meat cold cuts for breakfast. The eleventh meat of Christmas was braised beef cooked into a broth in Czechoslovakian cabbage soup.

It was as the eleventh meaty meal was achieved the son suddenly realized he needed something different, something out of the ordinary to be the crowning glory, as it were, of the twelve meats. But as the wintery weather was at its worst outside and the purveyors of further meats were inaccessible from the small island, he wasn’t sure how he could achieve this. Then low and behold, as his lovely German mother was clearing the paths around their home of snow, she stumbled across a poor young deer that had perished from the cold. The son was thrilled, ecstatic, excited beyond words, because now all his meaty dreams could come true! What a prize to find a fresh and tender young deer, and to have it die peacefully in the night.

In a flash, a band of merry revelers came together to help butcher the deer and prepare a magnificent banquet feast. People came from far and wide to taste the wonderful venison and to share in the miraculous meat. There were rare venison steaks, sauteed venison heart flavoured with garlic, beer and mustard, haunch of venison braised in cabbage soup, roasted venison with dried fruit sauce, and jerky marinated in raspberry wine vinegar with soya sauce. It was a happy meal and every reveler left with bellies full from the feasting.

The German son was content having achieved his dream of the twelve meats of Christmas, and in the process to have made so many others happy and well fed.

The End.

(This story is based upon true events from my Christmas on Bowen, and is dedicated to the Mann Family.)