Nudity is Only Skin-Deep

Today I experimented with applying colour to clear plastic film in order to create a Josef Albers-style interaction of colour. I first tried applying ink to the plastic, but it did not dry properly and anything that touched it took away the colour. Then I decided to attempt applying nail polish. It went on too streaky, so I thought this would be a good time to incorporate decalcomania. After putting on a good layer of nail polish, I took a piece of crumpled cling wrap and pressed down on the wet polish. I did this several times, and the end result was textured and transparent.

Here it is placed over white paper.



I then took another piece of the clear film and did a media test on it to figure out the best way to affix it to paper. White glue did not work, but rubber cement created a good bond.

The next tests I did were with photography. I am studying two photographs. One is a self-portrait by Claude Cahun.



I don't have access to a photo studio or studio lighting, so I used my bathroom mirror and natural lighting. This is what I came up with.



The other photo I'm studying is Stapled Flesh by Kansuke Yamamoto.



I did a basic lighting test in my bedroom. Bright lights cast too much of a shadow. Without studio lighting, I'll need to work with natural light.



My next test shot worked much better. I set it up in my drawing studio with a navy backdrop and increased the brightness to make the skin glow.



I will do this shot with different models, print the photos, augment the printouts, and photograph the results.

It was what? Two weeks ago? Maybe three? Not that long ago, anyhow, that I first climbed a rope.

Yesterday, I climbed a 20' rope four times. Last night, I decided to look up rope climbing online, and I found this link: Rope Climbing, how to climb a rope efficiently (if you can find a rope...).

Today, on my very first attempt, I managed to climb halfway up the rope using just my arms.

I didn't even clue in until I was 10' up that I'd done it.

Holy shit.

I shimmied back down, and then repeated the climb four more times.

It wasn't easy. Oh no. But it also wasn't impossibly hard. If I practice this every other day, I think that within a month, I'll be able to arm-over-arm myself all the way to the top.

I've got this.

My weekend wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.

There were good things. I went to my company picnic and had tasty food and did a bit of Zumba. It was pretty fun. I successfully jumped over my own foot for the first time in eleven years, and I attempted a handstand pushup. I'm not ready for it yet, but I was able to bend and straighten my arms in that position, so I take this as an excellent sign.

I also got to go to see the new Conan movie with knightky, and I enjoyed it a lot. It's in the spirit of the original books, and the opening scene is hysterically over the top. Young Conan is a total psychopath, too, which I found entertaining.

But what sucked was this: when Kyle showed up to hang out, he had a bee sting on his elbow. This was no big deal. It was sore, but looked normal enough. But on Saturday morning, it showed signs of being infected. And so we set off to emergency just to be on the safe side, and it went tits-up from there. On the walk, the red spot on his elbow began to grow. And when we got to the hospital, he was put on a course of IV antibiotics. The verdict? Something nasty called cellulitis, which as far as I can tell is a subdermal staph skin infection. He's taking heaps and heaps of antibiotics (intravenous and oral) to keep it at bay, because it ended up being a severe case.

What rotten luck.

We'd intended on going roller-blading and swimming, but that just didn't happen, of course. We did, however, watch lots of Game of Thrones. Here's hoping he's all better by the weekend!

Here we are at the company picnic. The bandage on his arm is hiding his borg implants (ie. IV gear).



Before heading off to the gym today, I was leafing through Oxygen magazine and found an article on "skinny-fat." Lord, I hate that term. It's terrible on several levels. First of all, they don't mean someone is skinny with fat, per se. They mean someone is skinny and unfit. Secondly, with their definition, they are conflating fat with unfit, and these things are not the same at all. As I've mentioned again and again, it is very possible for someone to be both fat and fit. But I digress. I read this horrid little article and lost a lot of respect for the magazine. According to the test in the article, I am skinny-fat, and should exercise more and stop eating junk food. I am willing to bet that pretty much every fitness model in the magazine would fail this skinny-fat test during their off season. And they are all in phenomenal shape. Fuck you, Oxygen. There is a significant difference between the fat on a bodybuilding competition-weight person and the fat on a fit, healthy, non-bodybuilder. Fuck you very much. You are going to give people not in the know a complex.

In other news, after reading up on it for ages and talking to a few people who use it, I began taking creatine supplements today. Today's workout was surprising. If it's related to the creatine, damn, that shit works fast. I had more energy and more strength during my workout than usual. I increased the weights on every one of my exercises, and went from holding a standard plank to holding an extended one. I also threw in a couple of power jumping jacks between sets. My forearms were burning from all the extra weight I was holding during my split squats off a step, but my hip flexors weren't screaming at me as usual. I guess they've decided split squats are ok, after all.

Just because, I attempted a modified dragon flag today. I brought my body up while my knees were bent, then slowly unbent them and tried lowering myself with legs out straight. I didn't get far, but again, I think this insane move may eventually be possible for me.

Not bad for a skinny-fat chick.

( And now for some photos I took yesterday while on a walk.... )

I went for a nice long walk last night. I wanted to take some photos, but saw little that inspired me until I saw this teasel on the Iron Horse Trail.

I've been working on a lot of things, lately. Mostly, I'm trying to improve myself in a general sense.

I'm trying to improve my cooking. That's going well. Maybe too well. The stuff I make is so delicious I might make myself fat eating it! I try to limit my baking to about once a week, although I did bake two things this week: crackberry pie and ginger banana muffins. They are both really damned good. I'll also be baking more things as Christmas presents. The curry peanut soup is delicious, and I feel less guilty about eating lots of it, because it's crammed with good-for-me: protein (chickpeas, natural peanut butter, and shrimp), and vitamin-rich veggies (sweet potatoes, bell peppers, onions, etc.). And it tastes even better after a day or two in the fridge. It's even better that it's f00dave-friendly.

My knitting skills continue to progress. I'm actually pleased with the stuff I've been making. It no longer looks like something a kid might make. It looks good.

My workouts at the gym have been irregular this month because of a pull in my SI joint, but the massage therapy and stretching I've been getting has been helping a lot. I'm starting to feel like my strength is getting back to where it should be. I need to work on my cardio, but my asthma makes it difficult, sometimes. Still, yesterday I was able to do a bunch of skipping (including crossovers which are nice for working the coordination), 320 jumping jacks, 120 dragons, and the rest of my regular isometrics and weight-training. It took me a lot longer than it should have, but I finished it all, so for that, I'm grateful.

I've continued my quest of doing at least one creative thing a day, whether it be cooking, writing, dancing, photography, or crafting. And I share it with others. I think it keeps my brain limber. It certainly fills the time more productively than watching television, and it leaves me with a feeling of satisfaction that I've done something to make the world a nicer place for at least one other person, too.

What I need to work on:

• Cardio endurance. Skipping is great for this. I should really start running the stairs in my apartment building again, too, now that outdoor running isn't a good option, anymore. It will do my legs and butt a hell of a lot of good, and will also burn off more fat, giving me more muscle definition.
  
• Reading. I just haven't been reading many books, lately, and it's pissing me off. The last couple of books I read and enjoyed were Robin Hobbs' newest dragon books. I devoured them pretty fast. I stopped reading Colleen McCullough's Marc Antony and Cleopatra, though. It was getting too silly. I also want to continue to read more of the literary greats. I've been reading Machiavelli and Plato, lately. I need to do more of that, to wake up my lazy brains.
  
• Latin. I miss studying it.
  
• General crafting. I did a bit of papercraft today, with the skullflake, but really, that's pretty simple stuff. I should be doing much more complex work than that, considering my craft background. It would help if I had some better supplies. The scalpel I was using is pretty dull.
  
• Sewing and costume design. I have rather a lot of ideas which I need to make. Everything from dance costumes to historical Viking costuming.
  
• Painting. It's been too long, and I'm itching to break out my acrylics again.
  
• Crochet. I suck at it. I need to not suck at it.
  
• Building more muscle in my arms and chest. I'm pretty pleased with my back, abs, and legs. But they are a lot stronger and more defined than my arms and chest. My shoulders aren't too bad, but they could be better, too. I just need to rack on more weights.
  
• Dance technique. I especially want to work on my armwork again. I've let it fall a bit by the wayside in favour of floorwork.
  
• Photography. Now that the camera has been repaired, I'm looking forward to doing lots more photography. I have willing human and critter models, and I don't need consent from the inanimate objects I want to do macro-photography of. Mwahahah!
  

Edit: Look at all the high-impact stuff I've been doing, like skipping and jumping jacks. And note that my bad foot hasn't bothered me since the summer. Is it possible it's finally healed? Oh, I do hope so! Once upon a time, I couldn't do any sort of impact movement with my feet without them swelling up. This hasn't been the case for a long time. I am filled with hope.

This morning, I saw a vulture eating carrion, went out for a delicious breakfast at Cora's, and went to the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory and snapped an assload of butterfly photos. Check 'em out! They're gorgeous....



Tonight, I'm off to a Satanic Lagomorphic ritual, done in a neo-pagan Laveyan tradition. Or something like that. Yes, it's Rabbit Sabbath time. Woo!

Link time? Ok.

How Disney Makes Money: Don't fuck with the formula (thanks, Terre).

Owen Davies's top 10 grimoires: "Grimoires - books of magic spells - have exerted a huge influence on religion and science." That reminds me. I really need to finish writing that story I started years ago about the grimoire....

Turtle Eating Pigeon: Predators on the half shell!

Bonding With Their Downward-Facing Humans: Doga. The silliest trend I think I've seen in a while. The first picture is great for the expression on the dog's face.

Indian in record chilli attempt: It seems to me that this woman devoured 51 Scotch Bonnet peppers in 2 minutes. She also rubbed some in her eyes. AIE!!!

Everything You Wanted to Know About Canada: Rick Mercer explains the very fucked up government of Canada (thanks, gha5t).

Billy Bob Thornton Gives Bizarre Interview On Canadian Radio: What a space cadet (thanks, Terre).

Kink In Motion did an excellent set of photos of our opening night. Go take a look!

I spent my day looking like this.

Just taken, moments ago....