Friday, November 25, 2011

There was another day of silk screen printing, and we are almost done! We just have to go one more time tomorrow to finish the hoodies. I can tell I am becoming more professional! ))) The shirts look great too, and we cannot wait to give them to the team. This is all nice, but I am so behind my schedule on doing homework, that I get stressed out. Usually, this late in the semester, I feel stress, but I know it will take me probably another one or two weeks to get it over with everything, and then life is beautiful again! I just do not like the rush that does not let me do things the best way I can. But I know I can do it and more, so I could later have a great time during winter holidays in Los Angeles and in Russia!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Well, I can only say that I do not like to spend family holidays away from my family. I know that it is strange for a twenty-five-year-old to say that, but I just cannot help but think about them and miss them, which makes me very sad. I embarrassed myself in front of strangers today, as I started crying after one of them started talking about not having family with him, and had to spend the rest of dinner in my room. It feels bad to spoil others' holiday, and I feel terrible. Well, at least the stuffing that I made, turned out to be very delicious! )))

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Hi! I spent all day today at a wonderful place! My hubby and I had hands-on experience doing silk screen printing in a professional company that has been doing it for many years. It turned out that my husband's distant relatives have business screen printing for huge corporations, and we could make our T-shirts on their equipment. It was very hard and long, but the T-shirt come out very nice. We will probably have to come back there during the next week in order to finish our batch. It is so helpful that my husband's relatives are there to advise us how to do things properly. It was just one day, but it was worth many I could have spent searching for informations online.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Yesterday, when we were coming back home, we stopped at the light, and from the underneath the car in front of ours a little kitten ran and stopped on the road. Then, he just flew to the building across the street and stayed there. We were concerned that he might be lost and get injured, so we came back there and tried to catch him. Unfortunately, he was too frightened and too fast, and we did not succeed. Later, after my English class, we came back there again, because my husband said he saw him after he dropped me off at school. But we did not find him there. I feel so helpless. Hopefully he will be able to find a shelter somewhere or even a way home. He did not look like a home cat, but I do feel that he was living with his mom-cat.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Yesterday I read my horoscope for a week. It said it is going to be a hard week with lots of little problems. Today I really started feeling that! I am still trying to finish my T-shirt design project for an art contest at our college. But things are getting complicated and to long to do. I hope tonight, after class, I will be finally able to finish it and keep doing my homework that I have not touched in days...
It feels a little sad that this semester is coming to an end, I like studying. At the same time, there are still so many tasks to complete that I am getting panic attacks when I think about it.
Here is my design I was working on for several days. It is not exactly how my T-shirt is going to look, but I wish it looked this way. There is, however, a little fault, that I forgot to fix, so it is closer to what I am expecting as a final product! )))

Friday, November 18, 2011

Painting the portrait the whole day. I really cannot find the reason why it is taking so long for me to paint two cute girls and their amazing dog! It is looking better though, so I want to be able to finish by Tuesday. But who know how it will really go.
Another thing is that my hubby got 180 shirt to print on. Now we have to burn the silk screens, find paint and build a silk screen machine, that I engineered. Oh! Exciting! But if I can only make my other design and print it by Tuesday as well, it would be very nice!!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

It's Thursday and our fourth Wedding Anniversary today! Happy Birthday my little baby family!!!
It was a nice day that we spent together. We went to a nice Thai restaurant and now are watching movies together. When you love everything seems better and you feel healthy and happy!
Four years ago, on this day my father and I walked together on our backyard, where the ceremony took place. He gave me to my husband, and my hubby's father directed the ceremony, as he used to be a pastor. It was as nice, warm and sunny, as today, and I was so happy that my parents and my brother were there with me.
Now time passed, a lot changed in our family, but that feeling of excitement and care that I had four years ago, stays with me today. I love you, Victor! Everything will be all right!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The winter is coming, the house is getting colder, and I am getting sick. I spent all day today dealing with stress, my unexpected homework and my headache that all of it caused. I just wish the time would go faster so I could go away from here for a while. I do not know what my plans are yet, but I feel that I need some major change in my life to feel happy again. I am spending too much time on something that does not give me anything in return. I guess that speech of Steve Jobs really affected me, ha?! Yeah, maybe I just do not feel very well today. I hope.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Nothing really special today. I woke up very mad at my political science professor, because last night before I went to sleep, I read his response to my message. I wrote him because he was supposed to either put out the new chapter to read or to let us go this week without it as we already have another assignment sue the end of the week, but he he just put out the quiz for the chapter that was supposed to be opened only in a week. He responded me as if I was a bad student or someone who wants not to have a homework and pretty much avoided saying that it was his fault or that he forgot. Now I have to put reading of a new chapter in my plans somewhere between tomorrow and celebrating my wedding anniversary for real this time. Ugh!
On the other hand, the day was not too bad, because my art professor told me she wants to try to put my Russia inspired artwork up for a Student show.

Monday, November 14, 2011

I finally had some free time today after working on my homework all weekend last week, so my hubby and I went to buy me a portfolio in Blick Art store. My professor asked me to bring all my portfolios from the classes I took with her in previous semesters, so she could take it to some "meeting." Sounds really nice, and I was, of course, very flattered, so I got another portfolio to put all my artwork there.
After, we decided to go to our traditional shopping trip: I go to a clothing store or something like that, and my husband goes to Barnes&Nobles. I went to a Kmart, which has completely discouraged my not only from Christmas shopping there, but from shopping there at any other time. I noticed that the stores that I visited when I just moved to the U.S. are becoming too expensive to shop. Before, I went to such stores as Payless Shoes, Target, and Kmart a lot because they were cheap, and although the quality was matching the price, I was satisfied. But now that the prices there are going up so shamelessly with the quality staying bad, I just do not see the reason to come back. Instead, like a crazy coupon freak, I browse the Internet in search of the coupons on the products I like to make their price not so offensive to my wallet. It does actually help a lot, and I am hoping to be able to save during Thanksgiving sales, because I still have a very long shopping list of things I need to buy for my Russian relatives and friends. Thanks God, I love shopping!

Friday, November 11, 2011

It is getting really cold, and my biggest concern now is to keep warm and healthy at least until I go to Russia. The house in which we live now is very cold, and pretty much nothing can keep it warm. That is why I have a plan of insulating it by taping the windows and closing the holes. I am just tired of walking at home wearing my boots and the winter jacket that I wear in Russia only outside. I am having a hard time accepting this way of life, because it neither compares to my way of life in Russia, nor it suits to the description of bohemian artistic way of life. I guess I also do not really want to accept this way of life because it would be degrading. So I have to find out how to make it all better now.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

At the class on Tuesday we were painting the nude model with watercolors. I was very excited to do it because I love to draw and paint people and I did not have a good opportunity to paint a live model for a while. It was actually pretty easy for me, maybe because I have taken a figure drawing class before. Although it was my first experience painting a live model with watercolor, it turned out to be actually very pleasant and comfortable than I expected. The model was very talkative and encouraging, so it helped as well. This one class made me want to take some live drawing again!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Hello! I spent my day shopping at my favorite TJ Max and then watching a play-off game in the Eagle Rock High School with my husband and the girl from his team, Sandra. It was really pleasant finally to get out of the house and enjoy doing things for myself. I think everybody needs to do it for themselves once in a while, but as often as possible. Otherwise, life does not have meaning.
I keep thinking on the idea for the T-shirts that I have already promised to a bunch of people. Now I have got a new reason to make it. In the Art club in LAVC they make an art contest, and the theme is "Day and Night: Contradictions." I remember being in this theme for a while when I was a teen, so I feel I need to submit something this time again! I always participate in college art contests, but I never win; it is my fate. Anyway, I am thinking to submit an artwork on a T-shirt with my new design instead of drawing it on paper, canvas or making a sculpture. First of all, it is a new thing for me, and it seems pretty interesting to work on the T-shirt design. Second, I can make a great beautiful picture and print it on my friends' shirt as well. The only stuff I have to do now is to think of a great design and make a screen for it.  It has to be something great and strong, so I could have a real opportunity to win the contest and so  my friends would want to wear it too! Good luck to me!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Hello! My husband's volleyball girl team season is finally almost finished, and it means that we are going to spend more time together, which is really nice. Also, I cannot wait to go shopping for his anniversary present and something for me too! )))
I realized that if I try to do as much homework this week, next week I will be able to go somewhere with my man and my dog finally. That is why I am working hard on my Electoral College assignment for the Political Science class, which I do not enjoy very much, but at least I gained a lot of knowledge about the U.S. political system and got rid of some stereotypes that Americans created for the world to accept. Not so much positiveness in this, but at least I know more truth about the country where I am living now.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Hi! Well, basically I am tired of studying a little. Oh, I just dream of the Spring semester when all my classes are going to be in the art department! It is difficult to meet deadlines, but it gives me the sense of accomplishment! I also really miss doing art everyday and I hope to get back to my previous schedule that I had last spring.
I also want to take a French class because I just adore it and all French culture. I have been to France two times and fell in love with the country. That is why French is on my list. I just hope I can do it all!
See you soon!

Friday, November 4, 2011

I love cold weather because it reminds me of my mother country. Today it was so nice to stay at home and enjoy spending a day in a quiet and empty house by myself. It reminds me of the pleasure that one of the main characters in the "Big Bang Theory", Sheldon, gets when he is alone at home. I just love this show, and there is no other that makes me laugh so hard. If you have not watched it yet, you definitely should. Here is some bloopers from them, they are hilarious and cute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULHHQiFfK9o.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

I just looked through the schedule for Spring 2012 at LAVC... Well, I really do not know what to do about my education. The classes I want to take are all over the place with their weird times and amount of units. Also, I do not really know who to ask about a very very important question: I have an undergraduate incomplete education diploma from Russia and I do not know if it will make me have no financial aid if I turn it in to LAVC for transferring the units. I had been studying there full time for four years majoring computer science, but I have never completed the final year and the final project of the course, which is a requirement for the graduation in Russia. I just do not know if I will ruin everything bringing it to the school, but now I have to retake all these silly boring general education classes that I have already taken back in Russia in a much better university. I am trying to avoid them by taking something new for me like English, Argumentation and Anthropology classes, but I am running out of my options here! I do not know if I should talk about it with a counselor because then the college will be aware of my previous education and might refuse helping me financially. I just do not know...
As for an Art show I was watching last evening, as I expected they kicked out the artist with a broad imagination instead of an idiot whose artwork sucks. In fact, he even calls himself "sucklord", and proves it every time, but one of the organizers of the show likes him for some reason, and they always give him a chance. Art is very subjective, but there should be some limits to the weirdness of logic of people's judgment when the artist's destiny is being decided.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

I am in the cooking mode and mood today! Inspired by the pesto sauce pasta that we consumed in huge amounts in Italy, I made my own pesto sauce with basil, dill and garlic, which turned out perfect. I am also baking the cookies that are called "Kurabiye" in Russian, although I suppose this sugar cookie recipe comes from some southern country. I was always too lazy to look it up, but now that I did (this blog is amazing, it makes me lazier each day!) I guess the recipes of this cookie come from such countries as Turkey, Greece and Southern Russia. In the end, it is just a plain sugar cookie that in my city in Russia is always decorated with a bit of jam in the middle, so it looks like a lovely flower. Mine do not look as good, but I bet they will taste amazing tonight!
I messed up on my homework for my Cultural Anthropology class, and I do not think I did the test very well, but it made me read what I guess I was supposed to be reading for a few weeks now. The book is about an African tribe called !Kung. I guess the exclamation mark is the symbol the author used for a special throat sound that people of this tribe use in their communication. The book seems so amazing so far. It is written by a female anthropologist about the women's lives in the tribe with all the details of their sexual development, marriage patterns and norms and rearing children. It is so interesting how opened and personal the women of the tribe are, how situations when they think about killing a new-born to be able to nurse their youngest daughter or when they talk about the sexual games that they children perform are coming alive due to their colorful and sincere stories.
Some days I do not really have anything to say and some days I have my thoughts just appearing here with ease. I am going to watch this reality show they have on Bravo channel, the Work of Art. I have a lot to say about it, so I will save it till tomorrow, when my point of view is going to be refreshened by a new episode. Good night!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Great day today in general! I went to the watercolor class and got very good reviews on my artwork. That made me very happy and satisfied. Unfortunately, something is going on with my back: it hurts even if I just sit on the chair for an hour. I am trying to find out why it hurts and what I can do about it.
My husband's team is going to the playoffs next week, which is another reason why both he and I are so excited and nervous about next Monday. Good luck Marshall High School Volleyball Team!!!