carbon

we have a puppy! 

his name is carbon. he's tiny and prances on grass like a little deer. (happy early birthday to me -- thanks, tybot best husband ever.) for the record, ty still says he loves the succulents more than the birds AND the puppy, but i think carbon is slowly winning him over. 

this is really how he sleeps. i melted. 

and since tybot will probably bring it up if i don't, yes, i did buy him in a grocery store parking lot while returning a RedBox dvd, with no prior intention of coming home with a puppy. most impulsive purchase i've ever made, hands down.

if you didn't already have an excuse to come visit us (even you chicago friends) now you do: we have a guest bedroom *and* a baby canine.

Pommes Frites

this post is purely an exclamation of excitement at the latest to-do on tybot's and my new york city "must" list. (for context, we're flying out there in july for our dear friend allison's wedding to lucky-as-all-getout paul and we cannot wait.)

the newest addition: Pommes Frites in the east village.

the e-mail that sold me on it (copyright allison 2009):

I just put Pommes Frites down on your list of places to go.  It just sells french fries.  Because of this, I didn't think you'd give it due weight if it were just listed on the list.  So I'm just e-mailing to underscore the importance of going:

 

1)  It has the best french fries you'll ever eat.  They're unlike any other french fries you'll ever eat.  It also has something like 50 delicious, one-of-a-kind ketchups, mayonnaises, and other sauces.  In sum, though they may just sell french fries, they sell french fries.

 

2)  It's in the east village, which is a very fun, hip, lively neighborhood, one that I highly recommend just wandering around in.  (I'll also give you the address of a basement used-book and records store and a bar with skee-ball, just in case you feel like you need destinations as you wander to pull you in different areas of the village).

 

3)  The east village is grimy, which I've only begun to appreciate.  I used to think that the city needed a good washing, but now I revel in its grime.  Pommes Frites is also appropriately grimy.  They've been frying french fries in that place for a very, very long time. 

 

4)  The french fries come in paper cones.  The old wooden (grimy, see above) tables and skinny, skinny bar against the wall have holes drilled into them, perfect for cone of french fries.

 

5)  It's a tiny place.  It's a wonder that they can do much much good (and sell enough french fries to stay open) in such a small space.

 

6)  My officemate used to go there with Keith Richard's son.  It's near an old, famous concert hall that's now a bank.  Thus, it's very rich in musical history.

 

7)  At something like less than $5, it's a steal for a meal (if you don't mind eating just fries) or a good snack when you're tired from wandering.

 

Also, can I get your address?

*****

let the countdown begin!

l'amore.

valentine's day at la caille. tres magnifique.

p.s. more updates to come. 

(we're overdue.)

Barack-O-Rama

Adromischus cristatus

Here's one of the ones I couldn't find earlier this morning:

Adromischus cristatus

i really like succulents

It seems like only a short while ago Babetron and I bought our very first succulent plants.
We now have at least thirteen varieties in the house. They are so small and weird looking, I can't help but want to collect and grow all the new varieties as we find them. So today I am going to dig around online and find photos of each of the plants I have been able to procure so far.

Crassula ovata
We have two varieties of this species:
Jade Plant













and Hobgoblin Fingers (also called Gollum Fingers)


















Anacampseros telephiastrum
















Two varieties of the Haworthia family:
Haworthia Cooper














And Haworthia Reinwardtii also known as "Zebra Pillar"


















Pachyphytum Bracteosum














We have a couple of Sempervivum plants as well.
Sempervivum arachnoideum














And also Sempervivum montanum Although it's hard to say for sure. There are so many Sempervivum plants out there. We have the generic kind purchased at Home Depot and Ikea. These are usually referred to as "Chicks and Hens"












Sedum dasyphyllum
Maybe. I know it looks like something from the Sedum family. To be honest, it is pretty hard to pin point something exactly. There are so many varieties of plants...













Crassula arborescens














There are at least three more. I know one is commonly referred to as a "Pie Plant" and I have no idea what the other two are called. But I have spent way too long on this post as it is. Also, if I made any mistakes or labeled anything incorrectly please feel free to correct me. Most of my information was just pulled from the internet doing image searches, and digging around various sites for clues.

new process

I just started building a new set of stretcher bars for my next painting last night. I've never used this process before. Actually lately I've grown pretty complacent, and have just been using 2x2" beams. they are often a little warped, or twisted so it makes the whole process less than ideal and even downright mediocre. So I've decided to buy 1x3" poplar planks and then glue a strip of 1" molding to edges. this will provide a nice lift for the canvas, and any warping in the beams themselves is almost nonexistent. My only fear at this point is the see how the frame holds up, or possibly warps once I wrap the canvas taught around the stretcher bars. Hopefully I can nullify this as much as possible using cross beams and metal joint supports.
Anyway, here is a photo of me gluing the molding to one of the poplar beams.