BEN + ILLUSTRATOR

Every so often I persuade Ben to just come surf the 'net while I work on projects. I don't know why I love it so much more - even if we don't talk, but I just like it when Ben is next to me...

Except this last time, he got his fix of ESPN.com, and opened up Adobe Illustrator - one of my 'best friends'. He remembered some basics, and decided to have some fun for our upcoming turn to host the Knudsen siblings. He made this all by himself, with a few questions every now & then of "how do i do this" and "why is it doing this". I felt knowledgeable, but Ben is an awesome student. As you can see from his fancy invitation above. I think he was proud, but so was I.

BY THE WAY

I've been OUT of the blogosphere, because I've been IN the following:

• Letterpressing 600 wedding announcements for dear Maglebys.
• Designing the deans' Christmas card/DVD packaging
• Designing posters for visiting artists.
• Trying to re-design the magazine Frankie.
• Re-designing (over & over) the identity for the online company Blade HQ.
• Designing 3-book-set of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories.
• Trying to design & code a personal portfolio website.
• Making puppets.
• Cleaning.
• Laundering.
• Not cooking (thanks Ben, for taking over that one).
• Sleeping.
• Watching Lost - one episode at a time, just before bed, or while 'designing'.

So I'll see you when all this is over. This post made me waste enough time, so I think that should cover me until Christmastime--when I'll be posting everything under the "would've posted" label, I'm sure.

GRANDPA'S AWESOME SEATS

On November 8 - the last home game, Ben & I got to go with Josie & Ashton to sit in Grandpa Ord's prized seats - 2nd row on the 40-yard line - at the Lavell Edwards Stadium.
Ben's pretty big-into Cougar Football. We're glad Grandpa is too.
Thank you Grandpa!

FULL, LONG DAYS...

and

the

weeks

are

just

flying

!

NEW: "I WOULD'VE POSTED..."

As I've mentioned before, I'm good at blogging in my head. I do it all the time. I record posts in my mind of things note-worthy, funny, interesting, telling-of-Provo or of myself... and I post pictures, too. But about 10% of it actually makes it to the blog-o-net.

In an effort to save some of these would-be posts, I've created a new label for them. Then, if ever I am able to find the time/the photos, or even just basically remember them when I'm actually in front of the "New Post" screen, I will post things that I would've posted when they actually happened.

If they pertain to certain dates, I'm going to post them where I would've posted them, and maybe even write as if I were writing that very day. So they will appear back with the archives under their corresponding month.

This is all basically for me & perhaps my prosperity... I just don't want to leave anything out... I want to get this little online history as accurate as possible. It's kind of all I've got going right now. (I lost my current journal last week and have not been able to find it anywhere.) :(

YEAH, WE'RE WATCHIN' IT

I wouldn't say we're hooked... but I do admit I've had "LOST" dreams.

My favorite is Hurley. Ben doesn't have a favorite.

Special thanks to Meg & Jake for lending us Season 2.

NOVEMBER'S GALLERY STROLL

We like Greg Caldwell, so we went to see his show that went up on Friday with the Gallery Stroll. We'd never really seen his work and we were very pleasantly surprised.Ben picked out his favorite, which I adored as well, and we bought it.
Here it sits on our coffee table.

Good job, Greg.

I'M SISTER KNUDSEN

Last Friday, on Halloween, I marched up to the name tag room at the MTC and picked up my shiny new placa, this time with a different name! I now officially volunteer at the MTC Referral Center taking and following up on Spanish calls. I love it. I've already spoken with someone that moved to Pennsylvania right from the DR--very very close to my first area. (Which was Las Caobas, she lived in Herrera.) I LOVE walking around & being in the MTC. Though they're about to set me up with a system to do the calls from my own cell phone and my own computer. Cool. This is the Lord's church.

{ I find it ironic, however, because the referral center was my least-favorite thing while in the MTC 2 years ago. I could understand what people were saying, but wasn't good at being eloquent or professional with my broken Spanish. It's a little better now, though it's still a challenge. But challenge is good, I suppose. }

C & P 12X18 CLAMSHELL LETTERPRESS: OURS

At a high school art workshop, I saw my first letterpress at the University of Utah, where I also learned to bind my first book.

In Spring 2006, I took a Letterpress Class. I made olive oil bottle labels, thank you cards, and an artist's broadside of Leslie Norris' poem, "Hippopotamus".

During my mission, Meredith Jones Hendricks, my good pal from graphic design classes (including letterpress) told me about a new addition to their family: A Vandercook flatbed letterpress. She & her husband fixed it up to working condition.

Over the Fourth of July Weekend, Meredith & James stepped us through the process of ordering paper & photo-polymer plates, mixing inks, registering & printing & cutting, which produced a little treasure called "Our Wedding Announcement".

Then just weeks ago, James & Meredith might have just been joking when they told us we should buy a press that had just gone up for sale as close as Salt Lake. But I think it surprised everyone when we got serious about it. Mom & Papá, Kurt & Becky - all highly in favor of the investment. (It was quite a deal.)

So now its ours. But getting it from one place to another is a CRAZY job. It involved A LOT: A lot of thought, a lot of strength, a lot of straps, a lot of time, a lot of pounds of letterpress (about 1500lbs). I'll let you extract what you can from the pictures below:

























A few of the perks thrown into the deal:

A guillotine- for cutting a bunch of paper at a time - and evenly.

A trash can for the rags with the cleaning chemicals.

MID-DAY REPORT

So my class got out a little early just now & I wanted to write some stuff up here on the internet before I hurry to finishing the next assignment...

Today I wore Ben's socks, and my long-lost kelly green leather gloves.

I got a parking ticket because I was carrying a bazillion bags--including 2 puppets & a bunch of props for the show. I was running pretty late. I should have just been 10 more minutes late & parked up above. I'm sad about it.

I ate a grapefruit at 3pm that Ben got at the new Sunflower Market for like 15 cents each. (Right, Ben?) We got an ad in the mail last night that was bragging a much higher grapefruit price (60 cents, was it?).

I finished all my assignments by the skin of my teeth & I was pretty pleased.

Gloria brought a delicious, nutty Korean tea for our class to share. It was more like a white hot chocolate than a tea. The best part was it's English name: Job's Tears.

I get to eat some good black beans & rice leftovers for dinner during my next class, and I'm excited. Oh, but I'm not excited that I have a cold sore. Ick.

DAY AFTER ELECTION DAY

(photo courtesy of thedailydiscussion)

My family is all about Obama. Papá, Mom, Calvin, & perhaps most especially Maya. I'm happy Mr. Barack is our president. I'm pretty sad I didn't get to vote for him. I didn't because I thought I'd missed the deadline to register. And I did. I found out that it was too late on the day after the deadline. But what I didn't know was that I was already registered! My mom went in at 7pm (with no lines, mind you) and saw my name next to hers as it pulled up her ballot!

:( Oh well.

My mom said his acceptance speech brought her to tears a few times. I watched it on CNN this morning, and though it didn't move me to tears, I was very impressed at his humility and promotion of UNITY. That's what the UNITED States are all about.

Anyway, maybe someday I'll get to vote...

Oh, and happy 3 months of marriage today. To me & to Ben.

DONE & DONE

Sorry it took so long... this happened on Thursday evening: