Until Tomorrow, The Whole World is My Home.

I've moved. I can't afford this blog no more. Would have loved to stay, but the rent is too high.

You can find me here. Just a traveling gypsy.

Second Floor Living Without a Yard

Is it really the 18th?

New apartment. New school. New alarm settings... 5:59 am to be exact. Sounds so much more dedicated than 6 am.

It's impossible to sum up the past month in the ten minutes I am giving myself to do this post. The gist of it is that my life revolves around homework (averaging three or four hours a day), work (four shifts a week), school (12 hrs a week plus 12 hours commuting there and back every week... no joke) and a couple early-morning wake boarding sessions on Saturday.

I'm loving school. Six weeks instead of the regular thirteen has meant an insanely steep learning curve for our freehand drawing class. The majority of my homework revolves around drawing. So. Much Drawing. My professors are super approachable, and actually appear to enjoy teaching. I've already made some school friends. And I have been very pleasantly surprised at my grades.

The apartment is looking adorable. I love my work commute (it's about 60 steps from here to work), and I swear that our neighbours sleep all day. I rarely hear or see anyone!

Anyways, my time is up. I have to go draw a cube and cylinder. Exciting stuff.

NO SATURDAY MORNING SLEEP IN'S

MALIBU DREAM BOAT- I FORGET HOW TIRED I AM WHEN I SEE THIS SET-UP

FIRST TIME WAKE BOARDING. IT'S PRETTY SWELL.

SCOTTY'S A FREAK. HE'S GOOD AT EVERYTHING.

BAR CART. $10 AT THE LOCAL THRIFT SHOP. BOOM.

FIRST NIGHT IN THE APARTMENT. THE CATS WEREN'T ALL SLINKY AND SCARED LIKE I THOUGH THEY'D BE. WE LET THEM OUT OF THE KENNEL AND THEY JUST OWNED THE PLACE.

SOMEONE'S GOT A CRAFT CLOSET!

SCOTTY'S GREAT AUNT'S CEDAR CHEST. FILLED WITH BLANKETS AND DREAMS.

DID I MENTION HOW MUCH I LOVE THE LOCAL THRIFT SHOP?

BORN TO BE AN APARTMENT CAT

NEW SCHOOL SHOES. THE LAST NEW CLOTHING ITEM I WILL GET FOR A VERY.VERY. VERY LONG TIME.

THE PROFESSOR IS AN ARCHITECT. HE'S BEEN WORKING IN THE FIELD FOR 30+ YEARS. BRILLIANT AND BRUTAL.

CLASS NOTES. SIMPLE.

DRAWN FROM MEMORY. NO RULERS ALLOWED. KIND OF GREAT.

My Fruits of Labour, I Want Them Ripe.

This weekend/week feels a bit like drowning.

Work. Pack. Move. Unpack. Work. Repeat over and over and over again.

We've got about 3/4's of our stuff in our new place, but we're still waiting on new countertops to be installed, so the kitchen and bathroom can't be set up until that happens which means that we're still sleeping at the in-law's.

The glass half full is that we avoid living amongst the wreckage- once we do move in, it'll be into the most serene dreamland. Fingers-crossed.

Last night some lovely creativity was flowing and I stayed at the apartment unpacking until midnight.

Here's just a sneak peek.

POOR GUY HAD A RAGING MIGRAINE ALL WEEKEND, BUT HE STILL MOVED STUFF LIKE A CHAMP. IT'S THOSE KINDS OF THINGS THAT MAKE ME FALL JUST A LITTLE MORE IN LOVE WITH HIM.

THEY TAKE AWAY THE GUESSWORK (WHAT KIND OF DAY I'M HAVING).

UNPACKING AND BUBBLY- THEY GO SO WELL TOGETHER.

I ADORE MY BEAT-UP PAINT SPLATTERED LADDER

JUST YOU WAIT.

The storms are raging on the rolling sea, and on the highway of regret: the winds of change are blowing wild and free.

Yesterday morning a baby humpback whale (roughly a year old) beached itself on White Rock beach.

It took it's last breath around 6:15 am.

My sister-in-law owns a salon on that beach, and she was there throughout the day, observing this heartbreaking spectacle. She said that a group First Nations formed a drum circle around the whale around 9:30. People laid flowers on it's head, and there were many tears shed for this poor creature.

A giant tangle of nylon fishing line laid next to it's body. People, desperate to help, removed the lines from it's body and mouth. The vet from the Vancouver Aquarium estimated that the baby whale had been tangled in the line 2-3 months ago, and had been starving ever since.

“I think it’s the worst humpback I’ve ever seen”  Barrett-Lennard, Head of Vancouver Aquarium's Dolphin and Whale Research Program. [full article here]

TANGLE OF FISHING LINE THAT HAD THIS BABY HUMPBACK WHALE IMPRISONED FOR THE PAST 3 MONTHS. (PHOTO TAKEN BY STEPHANIE MARTENS-WRIGHT)

I came home from work last night and collapsed into a bucket of tears as I took in the photos. It was one of those nights where I could feel that God had been leading up to this stirring I can't shake.

One of my last tables of the night was an elderly couple who reflected on that morning's sad story with me. We came to the topic of man's part in all of this, and how we must be accountable for the things we do/buy/support. The lady shared her mother's central belief,

"We've gotta pay rent for our time here"- meaning that we all need to find some way of helping. This world isn't ours to exploit. We each need to find some way to contribute (be it social justice, animal rights, environmentalism etc.). She also shared her favourite quote:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
-Margaret Mead [here]

FLOWERS LAID ON HEAD DURING THE DRUM CIRCLE CEREMONY (PHOTO CREDIT: STEPHANIE MARTENS-WRIGHT)

I came home, after that conversation, and looked through the messages on my phone. My sister-in-law sent me a video of the Hovercraft taking the baby whale out to be with it's pod. What followed was a text message conversation between Scotty and her about how the whale's pod was still out in the bay yesterday evening- looking for the calf, and experts were worried that they might beach themselves.

My eyes filled with tears at the thought, and then I came across the photo below- taken by a a friend- and I completely lost it.

ALONE. (PHOTO CREDIT: JENNA-RAE WARNE)

The silence of the image. It speaks so loudly and completely breaks my heart. For me, personally, it feels like a calling- that my rent be fighting for creatures such as this who succumb to such painful and senseless deaths due to man's carelessness.

Enbridge intends to build a pipeline running from Alberta through northern BC where oil (dirty tar sands) will be shipped to BC's currently wild Northern coast to be loaded onto giant tankers and transported to China. While people are quick to point out the financial gains for such a project, I can't help but think of the costs to the beings who inhabit our oceans, our forests, our rivers. Money is not the only factor. We can't afford to discount the environmental impacts.

(PHOTO CREDIT: JENNA-RAE WARNE)

The whale could have washed up on some remote beach along our coast, but it beached itself on one of the lower mainland's busiest beaches. Scotty pointed it out that is almost seems that the whale went towards a beach where there were people- so that it's death would lay heavy on the hearts of us city dwellers who can be so far removed from our natural environment and the costs of our everyday actions.

We all could be more intentional, more accountable. I hope that I don't lose sight of this.

LAYING THE BABY TO REST (PHOTO CREDIT: STEPHANIE MARTENS-WRIGHT)

Photoshoot Fresh

I have become a person obsessed. My sister in law asked me to help with the wardrobe for a photo shoot for her salon. The stylists are entering a hair dressing competition (5 models total), but they're also planning on using the models for some promotional shots. The hair styles are very edgy, very high fashion. My friend, Ashley, volunteered to be a model and her hair is mental (bright red at the roots and fades to a deep burgundy at the ends with the most perfect blunt bangs you have ever laid eyes on). It doesn't even look real. It looks like a wig. 

I've come to realize that her hair is going to steal the show every.livelong.day. We went to the pub I used to work at for dinner and the bartender was talking to me but staring at her. Clearly.

Styling the shoot has proven to be a difficult task considering that we are moving in less than a week and much of our stuff remains in storage. I can't get to my fabric, so I have resigned myself to buying a $2 slip from a thrift shop for the fabric and am stuffing it with tissue paper in hopes to crate a bussle for a black dress.

I'm also working on some feathered shoulder pads (top right photo)- I'm working on a Tim Burtonesque Black Swan look for one of the models.

Maybe I'll become an Interior Designer with a Costume Design side business. Or, maybe I really should try to bust into the film industry so I can build sets and do some costume stuff.

In any case, this girl is happiest when she's creating.

Breadboards on My Mind

This past weekend my mom and I headed to the states for a little shopping. I don't have money to burn, so I didn't buy much- needs more than wants. My most exciting purchase was a $3.99 bread board... watch yo'self.

I've got a growing obsession with breadboards. I spotted the picture below on tumblr a few months ago and totally fell in love.

                                                                   Source: philo-sofia.tumblr.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

Not only a cutting surface, but a seriously cool serving platter.

And they look so great hanging on the wall.

                                                                         Source: style-files.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

                                                                     Source: blackcreekmt.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

                                                                                 Source: toast.co.uk via Fleur on Pinterest

                                                                     Source: ferm-living.com via Charlotte on Pinterest

These boards were inspired by the rooftops of Copenhagen, and create a city scape when leaned up against the wall. Cute.

                                                                                Source: toast.co.uk via Claire on Pinterest

                                                                                  Source: abchome.com via Sera on Pinterest

                                                                               Source: r.ebay.com via Sara on Pinterest

                                                                                Source: etsy.com via Donna on Pinterest

The idea of buying wooden cutting boards from thrift shops can be kinda yucky, but I am sure that there are tons of great vintage boards (all worn and pretty) out there for a dime. Karen from The Art of Doing Stuff has a tutorial for disinfecting wood cutting boards here- I know I am going to keep my eyes peeled at our local shops for a couple more boards. Sometimes it's those simple things that excite. For me, right now, it's breadboards.

                                                                               Source: mrket.ca via Heather on Pinterest

                                                                            Source: shop.herriottgrace.com via Lauren on Pinterest

                                                             Source: thedovecotebrocante.blogspot.com via Aspen on Pinterest

                                                                                       Source: houzz.com via Yolanda on Pinterest

                                                                       Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com via Debra on Pinterest

                                                                           Source: mrharristweed.tumblr.com via Whitney on Pinterest

                                                                   Source: s-p-r-i-n-g.tumblr.com via Katie on Pinterest

                                                                     Source: Uploaded by user via Daria on Pinterest

In other news, we got the apartment. We move in 10 days.

Perhaps Please

Yesterday I was jogging down to the beach and I passed by the apartment building we are considering... My maybe turned to "please"- when I considered that it'd put us 2 blocks from the dyke. I have a meeting after work tomorrow with the manager- perhaps the doily bath mat (my mom and I bought matching bath mats today- gangster) might come on handy very very soon!