hello, good-bye.

i have one day left at the job i don't like. and then. . . . who knows?
there was a time in my life when i would have cried at that thought. but today, all i can do is beam. i'm not even kidding! since giving my two weeks' notice, i thought there might be a moment of nostalgia, an "i can't believe i'm not going to be here anymore!", a twinge of regret over the impending lack of funds. but let me tell you something:
the company does not make any acknowledgment of peoples' exits. the official position is that if co-workers want to do something nice, they are allowed, but the gesture cannot originate from anyone in a management position. the exact words of the boss are, "people who quit are dead to me."
nice, huh? it makes it unbelievably easy to walk away from a job where they don't even say, "thanks for all your hard work, laura." (although i will say, i have gotten nothing but supportive, encouraging, and slightly envious words from co-workers--not to mention the cake! the lack of a formal company-approved farewell make thoughtful actions like that even more meaningful.)
not only have i not felt anything but happy confidence about my decision all week long, but i am realizing that there could not be a better time for me to get out of there.
i could go on and on about how excited i am to live my dreams, but honestly, i am tired of thinking about it and analyzing the preaching "why should i wait until the recession goes away before i do what i love?!" business (which i firmly believe). i am tired of anticipating, i am tired of planning. i'm ready to dive in.
i have no idea what will happen. and that thought is thrilling! everything will work out. i really do believe that. i am excited to make things happen and to go after what i want.

speaking of what i want, and the life i am going after, i had a really great time last night at the launch party for local food blog simple, good, and tasty. it was at the birchwood cafe, which was perfect, and i enjoyed some great local food and wine with my friend mc (i met mc and lee, the founder of simple, good, and tasty, at my letterpress class!). i wish i had photos, but yesterday was the one day i left my camera at home. it felt great to be outside, eat wonderful tiny pulled pork sandwiches, meet new people, and talk with a friend about life and art and community. i think we are going back on saturday for some tour de france brunch (brioche french toast, anyone?).
i am looking forward to the weekend, knowing i can freely make plans for socializing since i know i will have time to be in the studio during the week!
did i mention how great i feel about my decision? i am looking forward to the weekend, and even to monday!
i hope your weekend is wonderful!

what should i wear today?

kim and i were chatting yesterday about clothes and living cheaply and creatively, and she sent me a link to the uniform project, which i love. inspired by her teen years spent in school uniforms, sheena matheiken has taken a versatile dress, designed by her friend, and made seven identical pieces. she has pledged to wear them every day for a year in an effort to raise money for the akanksha foundation, which works with children in india to give them important education opportunities (you know, like going to school). three months in, she has already raised over $5,000!
i like this project for a couple of reasons. one, i always like anything that helps other people, especially the indian babies. they have a special place in my heart. two, i like the idea of a uniform! i am not the world's most creative dresser, by any means, and my closet is TINY. for some reason, 80% of the time, deciding what to wear is just not that fun for me. last season on project runway, someone asked michael kors about why he always wears a black t-shirt, blazer, and jeans. his answer was basically, "i have a lot of other creative decisions to make, i travel a lot. this is just easier." and i was shouting, "yes, yes!" at the tv screen. i really like the idea of having a basic element or two, and then changing it up with great accessories. as i move into a waaay more frugal phase of life, i am excited to make more of my own clothes, or modify thrifted clothes.
on a totally unrelated note, i am in the process of changing blogging platforms. as soon as i can get all my sidebar information transferred and a learn a few more things about wordpress, i will let you know about my blog's new home. i think i can still direct my laurabrownart.com domain to it, so there shouldn't be too many problems. i will let you know, though, so you can update any links you might have.

blah blah blah.

i am still sick. i have spent most of the last week coughing. seriously. and i am still exhausted and foggy. i'm not exaggerating when i say it's a struggle to get the minimum done these days. i can't wait to feel better and have my brain back and functioning. getting to work on time is even harder than usual. what are they going to do, fire me?
speaking of which, the boss-man is taking my resignation with all the maturity of a twelve-year-old girl, and hasn't given me so much as a glance since i gave my two weeks'. i'm actually not surprised by this behavior, and i can't say that it makes my workplace any more enticing of a place to be.
the robot boss keeps pushing cough drops on me, since she can hear me hacking away at my desk (this is the woman who didn't really believe that i was sick last wednesday when i called, sans voice, to tell her i was not coming to work that day). i don't want any more cough drops!
on a happy note, a co-worker made me good-bye cake yesterday! two cakes, actually. from scratch, with yummy pineapple frosting.
on an even happier note, look at this unbelievably adorable piglet in a pair of wellies!

(from what possessed me, a blog that has become one of my favorite-favorites with her combination of hilarious writing, appropriately dramatic commentary, and plenty of baby animals. this particular little thing is "a british piglet named cinderella, who won't go in the mud without her boots. " tee hee.)

in good company.

so, as always, i have been listening to the current at my desk this morning, and felt particularly encouraged to know that on this day in 1977, elvis costello officially quit his day job (at elizabeth arden cosmetics--what?) to make music full-time.
now, i am not comparing myself to elvis costello in any way, really. but i will say that i have been a fan for a long time (ever since my sister introduced me to him in high school), and that mostly my criteria for admiration of artists/musicians/writers is essentially a lifetime of interesting and growing work (i have been thoroughly enjoying his new album, secret, profane, and sugarcane, by the way).
what i am trying to say is: everyone has to take the leap sometime. and while there are probably a lot of people who have leapt and not landed so well as mr. costello, i don't know about them, so i can't really dwell on being discouraged by their stories! (nice how that works out, huh?)
does this post make any sense? i have been sick all week and spent what felt like an entire year in bed yesterday. i returned to work today--because to my company, sick is not an option--but still don't feel like my brain is forming coherent anything. . . .

july to do's.

(two totally unrelated photos from my weekend at the lake: fireworks and baby-cousin graham, 4, who allowed me to photograph him and his glow sticks until he informed me: "i have the hiccups, i can't take anymore pictures" and then ran away.)

how is it that june was another "what just happened to me?" month??? for reference, my june goals are here, although i didn't really do them. i was pretty productive, though. here's one for all my monthly meet-up friends, and what happened in june:
1. i finally got a file cabinet! i also got some clipboards like the one in my june to do list post and i am excited to hang them up.
2. came up with a pricing structure for screenprinted wedding invites (EDIT: i am so not offering screen printed invitations at this point. but i think the pricing structure will apply to what i do want to offer, so that is good).
3. made a set of wedding invitations, for my cousin's wedding, which will be great examples to add to my inventory/example of custom work. this is the reason i am not offering the screen printed invitations. they did NOT go as planned and took way longer to make that i thought, and the whole big long story ended in me buying a laser printer (and loving it!), which sends my work offerings in another direction, one i feel more confident about it. all that to say, the vision has changed slightly once again, and with this change, i feel more confident about offering products i feel good about. anyway, the invitations are done, and ready to go to the bride.
4. look for part-time jobs: i did this! i sent out a bunch of resumes to different places, and have a few more to send out in july. i had an interview just this morning that went as well as i could possibly have hoped, although that doesn't mean i will get the job. and just this afternoon: i put in my two weeks' notice at my job!!!!! i seriously could not be happier (although i am getting sick from all the stress lately). i feel so great about this decision, and confident that everything will work out, one way or another.
5. write lesson plans for community ed classes. hmmm. didn't do this one, but it's going on the list for july.

here is what is on the list for july (as a side note, erin had a really great post about to do lists over on the bakery blog, for anyone interested. she shares some good tips i am going to start using):
1. develop product line, make, photograph and post online (hmmmm, is that too big of an item? i'll break it down). i am excited about this one.
2. decide on an opening date for my shop (which i like to refer to as "the business").
3. take some photos with my new diana! (i did get the film.)
4. nail down a part-time job.
5. contact bloggers/set up some advertising/sponsorship stuff.
6. write lesson plans/proposals for community ed classes.
7. oh, and this should maybe have been #1, but i now need to organize all the stuff in the file cabinet. somehow, my room is still overflowing with paperwork from the move, and it needs to have a home.

good luck to all of you with a to do list!

i am feeling really quiet tonight. it's late, and our beautiful new house is mostly dark, and very clean after hosting a party. and quiet. i think i feel quiet because i have to talk about something i have had a feeling was coming for a few days now: i am not ready to open my shop yet. as in, really not ready. yes, i could list a few things, but i did that before and it really didn't feel great. i want it to be coherent and real and substantial.
having said that, i feel i need explain myself. this is not some sort of subconscious "i'm afraid of actually doing this, so i'm looking for an excuse to put it off". that is not it. i am not a perfectionist, and i am anticipating this to be a slow-growing, organic sort of project, so it really is not my need for perfection that is stopping me. i am so emotionally and mentally ready to do this, to take this risk, i can hardly stand it. i have felt lately so much positive momentum moving me forward, i get giddy just thinking about it. this just, apparently, is not exactly the right moment.
and i am okay with that.
which, at this point, is all that matters, i think. i am usually very hard on myself, but really, there is no reason to flog myself over this. i have had a lot of most-nighters lately, and i am running very low on energy. i am working on a big project that needs to finish up this week and is giving me no end of technical difficulties. the transition of moving has been long and kind of hard, but it has been good. the transition of quitting my job is another really big change that is not without its difficulties. to be honest, the only thing that really disappoints me is that i said something that i couldn't follow through on. not following through is one of my biggest pet peeves (the phrase 'pet peeve' is high on the list, too). but even to that, i have nothing to say. perhaps i am just too tired right now (i do not, let's face it, have the energy to put together the selection of wolf-themed pictures to go with this post, as i feel like the girl who cried wolf. i had lots of material for that, but. . . .)
anyway, i am going to take a few days to get my wits about me, maybe get some sleep. i'm going to finish the aforementioned project, and go from there. i haven't quite figured out when a good revised opening date would be, but the news will be here when i figure it out.
that's all. i might be a little quiet on here for a bit. i'm not sure yet, but a break might be a good thing.

wish i was here.

(from the haystack needle: woolly pocket gardens! they have an adorable blog also.)

and by here, i mean this amazing room! i can't get it out of my mind this week. one of my work survival tactics is to put something amazing and beautiful on my computer's desktop as a reminder that i am working on the life i want. which, really, involves working for myself from home/my studio. more on that later.
i'm escaping to wisconsin this weekend (my sister is there!) and it will feel so great to have a couple of days off, too.
i do want to share a couple of new blog friends i made this week (and by made, i mean found them and said "hi!" because hey, every friendship starts somewhere):
geraniums and potatoes: posts about LOVELY things (and lives in minneapolis!)
the design alphabet: this is a great concept! she posts beautiful art and design things based on letters of the alphabet, one for every day.
and that's me, signing off for the week. i hope you all have a lovely weekend!

(look at these lovely little letter ladders!--inadvertent alliteration, i promise. i don't know who made them, but they were on the drying rack in the letterpress studio and i found them irresistible.)

letterpress class is over. i have thoroughly enjoyed it, being at the book arts center each week, working with others, and having an assignment again! we are having one very last extra class tomorrow night, since not everyone was able to finish up printing last week. i made a print of some barns (shock!), but am trying to think of some appropriate text that would be fairly easy to set and print. so far, i have nothing and am open to suggestions. i'm also open to no text, although to me, this print does not look finished (i do love multiples, though! another thing i love about printmaking). this is a combination of a linoleum block and a polymer plate made from a scratch negative--a process i am totally in love with now.
what i do have, however, is a name for my business! i have been looking for something appropriate for a long time, and i feel satisfied with what i have finally come up with. as soon as i have my branding done, i will tell you all about it. i think it is also going to involve a change in blogging platforms--i feel a little like i am getting carried away in the momentum i spoke of yesterday--there is so much to do! so much i want to have ready in the next few weeks. so i need to take a deep breath and do one thing at a time. but i think i can say that the shop/new blog will launch by the beginning of july. so there. here we go!

momentum.

it has been rainy and gray in minneapolis the last few days. i have been enjoying it, honestly (i prefer it to ninety-five degrees and 100% humidity). the sea of chairs sitting on nicollet mall outside the local are gorgeous, and i enjoy passing them each day on my way home from the gym. today they were totally empty.
i have barely been keeping up these days, there is a lot going on here! the house really is magical (i took some pictures tonight and will post them as soon as i can gather the energy), with enough space in my second-floor bedroom to work and sleep. i am sleeping better, i am working more productively (already! it's only been a week!), and in the midst of my low-grade exhaustion, i am energized. i have a lot on my plate, and that's exactly how i like it.
there are some really exciting things in the works, and hopefully i will be able to share some news in the next week or so.
also, i would just like to say that i have really been enjoying decor8 lately. sometimes the layout is a little too busy for me, and i get overwhelmed by all the visual doo-dahs going on. but the content? the writing? delightful! the images? gorgeous! i'm a fan, especially after reading her post on bedside table options.

june to do list (this is kind of a long one, folks).

(photo found at sfgirlbybay. i want to organize my to do list and other workspace information on clipboards like this!)

yay! i love monthly goal meetup!
i had four goals in may. i sort of bombed on all of them. and i am not even kidding. i want to talk about may, though, because a LOT happened in may, just not what i had intended. and i need to start not exaggerating my failure with statements like that second one (i.e. i need to not be so hard on myself). one thing i need to work on in general is giving myself more credit. instead of looking back on my month and say, "i didn't get my four things done, i'm so lame", i need to say, "this is what i did, that i didn't anticipate coming up, but turned out to be really great!" and give myself credit for the things i do, whether they are directly related to work or not (i was inspired about this way by amanda at daily worth, who included personal time as something to prioritize in one of her posts this week). after all, if i am my business, i need to take care of me, and that means all of me.
so, i did some things that i always do, like blogging a lot, and commenting on blogs, which led to more blog friends! i blogged about how much i love daily worth, and that led to some great correspondence and new friends, and to me learning a little more about twitter! also, i made some baby party invitations and sent them out, i finished up letterpress class and made friends with my teacher, i got a cute little haircut. i also got to meet sally and jena.
also, i moved, which turned everything upside-down. it was kind of a long, drawn-out, exhausting process, and only now seems to be drawing to a close. but it will be good! we have a lovely new house, and once we are totally settled and i have a good nap, all will be good. it's a magical house, i can feel it.

okay, so to recap, my may goals were:
1. make things. i made a few things, but not as many as i wanted to.
2. photograph the things i have made. this didn't happen, since it was dependent on #1.
3. really, seriously, get a file box (the paperwork is overflowing, folks). i looked at file cabinets, but they were kind of expensive! i think i can find one cheaper than $50, so i am going to keep my eyes out for one. also, considering my new living situation, my filing needs may have changed. so i will figure that one out. HOLD ON!! as of 7:30pm tonight, friday, june 5, i am the proud owner of a great little beige file cabinet, which i snagged for $10. amy and i went to look at a couch from craigslist and the file cabinet was just there. talk about synchronicity!
4. write up my application for the eileen fisher grant. this was the biggest bomb. i wrote it, i edited it, i had it all ready. and then i moved to a house with no internet and couldn't access the website until the evening of june 1, the due date. and i was too late! they were due at noon. so i just plain old didn't plan ahead. and it's okay. i'm pretty sure it would have been a loooong shot anyway. but i am going to keep looking for grants and other opportunities.
5. look for a new, part time job. i did this! i got my resume all spiffed up and sent it off, but now i am just waiting to hear. and looking for new jobs to apply for.

and looking forward. . . june goals:
1. finish making things! i have some specific inventory goals on my list: thank yous, camping cards, sample stationery sets. i also have an order for wedding invitations, and a set of baby announcements that need to get finished.
1.5 take photos and get etsy site ready to launch (i am aiming for july 1! eeek!)
2. order paper and envelopes!
3. buy screenprinting supplies!
4. apply for more jobs.
5. write class proposals for community ed classes.
6. start contacting bloggers and websites about advertising and possible give-away items (things i want to give away).
7. get some 120 film for my diana f and start taking photos!

i'm sure there are more, but that is a good list to start with. i like loose guidelines and jumping off points (mmmm, docks! summer! vacation! will i ever get one?)

my favorite part of the creative process is that feeling i get when something i imagined has not only materialized, but turns out to be better than i even imagined. that was how i knew, with the help of a wise professor, that i should choose printmaking over pottery as my medium of choice in college. i loved my pottery classes and working with clay, none of my pottery ever turned out like i wanted--and not in a good way. my prints, on the other hand, never turned out the way i wanted, either--they turned out better (well, usually). anyway, i was reminded of that feeling this week as i painted these little flags.
my friends an i are getting together to meet two new little folks in a couple of weeks and i put the invitations in the mail a couple of days ago. i think the design might just make an appearance as a part of my inventory when my shop reopens (with better photos--please forgive the shadowy lighting. these were taken in the middle of the night). and yes, i guess i am obsessed with garlands lately. they will probably appear in other forms at the party, as well.

eep!

i wish i had something pretty for you to look at this morning! but after a three-day weekend moving extravaganza, and a new house with no internet, i am a little behind on my blogging. i will be back as soon as i can, i hope you have a lovely day today. i have a good feeling that once i can catch up on my sleep, june is going to be a good month.

how i ended up liking mornings, or: my favorite part of my house.

shhhh!! i am playing hooky from work today! mostly because i have about a million things to do, and no time to do them. today i just want to talk about coffee (!) and about the sun in the mornings, especially in the summertime--if there is anything that makes up for the forty below in minnesota, it's these looooong summer days. i wake up in the morning and, for a few seconds, think i have been transported somewhere exotic, with all-night sunshine. anyway, about the coffee:
my programmable coffeemaker has changed my life. seriously. every weekday since i received it, i have programmed it to brew my coffee at six a.m. and you know what? it has made all the difference in the world. admittedly, sometimes the coffee sits in the coffeemaker until six-thirty, but for the most part, the gurgling sound and coffee smell are a great alarm clock (i still need my normal one, don't get me wrong). and in the warm months? ah, i love to sit on my back porch and just be in the sun. or write my morning pages, now that i do that.
the mug is one of my favorite possessions, the first piece of pottery i bought in college, and carried all over the world with me (or, at least to norway). and when i say 'possession', i mean, i'm weirdly possessive about it. i can't really handle seeing anyone else drink out of it. i'm not like that about anything else i own.
i will really miss this back porch. but somehow, i think my new back porch, with the private backyard and garden, will not be too difficult to get used to.
i hope you all have a wonderful, wonderful weekend!

hot off the press.

i am slowly but surely building up a little inventory. let me emphasize slowly. so slowly it's driving me crazy, every day finds me wanting a new, part-time job more and more. anyway, i was pretty excited about the color that ended up on the inking disc the other night.

and, since i am totally cheap, i often proof my new ideas over top of my old ones, which led me to this lovely color overlap/combo. i don't know if anyone else gets this excited about layers of transparent color, but let me tell you, this is one of my favorite things in the whole world. i think i jumped up and down when this came off the press. soon, i hope to show you an example of this that is more. . . on purpose, shall we say? i really wanted to have my shop re-opened by the end of may, but obviously some other things have gotten in the way. moving has taken a log out of me, and has thrown me off a little. i think will still be shooting for a summer re-opening of the ol' etsy (i just realized i haven't really talked about it that much at all on here. i think it's because i don't like to talk about things, i like to just do them. and since i am not quite ready for the doing, i hesitate to do the talking). i will keep you posted!

iris. that's me.

one of the benefits of living with an herbalist is that you learn a lot of interesting things. for example, i am an iris. which is nice, since i have always liked irises, particularly the wild ones that grow in the ditches along the roads near my parents' old house in northern wisconsin. in greek mythology, iris is the messanger, the connection between the gods and humanity, using the rainbow as her vocabulary (iris = rainbow in greek). sort of like an artist.
as plants, irises are the ones that grow wild in boggy, swampy, mucky areas. they send their rhizomes out under the earth, through the muck and, just when you think they are not going to come up, they shoot out through the muck and raise their flags as little bright signs of persistence and beauty. irises are fighters, they metabolize the muck and bloom in the midst of it.
the iris is a gorgeous flower, and i identify with her in so many ways, especially the more julia reads to me.

(images found at the lovely small stump + studio choo. they always have gorgeous photos of their arrangements.)

sleep deprived, week three (and i don't even have a baby).

you know what people don't usually photograph and upload to their flickr photostreams? moving. it makes sense. it's not that exciting. in fact, it's kind of stressful. i can't even describe how tired i am. there are some boxes sitting in my living room. i haven't managed to make time to pack any of them, but they are here, waiting. tomorrow night maybe? oh, and i mentioned flickr, because when i searched for pictures of 'moving', this was the best option i got (which i happen to love, because it reminds me of the mountains and ghost towns and cowboys):

(photo found here.)

is this post even making any sense? as i write this, it's almost friday (only nine more minutes!) and my mind is not exactly cooperating with me. work has totally fried me this month. i realized this week that the major project i am finishing up at work is the first one of its size, possibly ever, that hasn't made me cry. i kind of can't believe that 'not crying' is a positive assessment of my current job.
but where was i? oh, yes. moving. this weekend. fortunately, my parents are coming to help, and the heat wave seems to be over, so hopefully the weekend will include a little rest (and maybe even a hamburger?!) along with the heavy physical labor.
what are you up to on this lovely three day weekend? i hope that whatever it is involves some sunshine, rest, and being with the ones you love.

i love my daily worth.

a few months back, jena posted some encouraging words she had received in her daily worth email and i was so inspired, i went right over to the website to sign up to get my own money-related love notes! since then, i really do look forward to them every day. i thought i would share a couple with you, the ones that have been most encouraging and challenging to me. but don't take my word for it, sign up to receive your own! here is a good one to start with:

Waiting Out the Darkness
You've decided that you want something – a new job or career, a particular client, a new house, a move across the country – and you go after it. Here's the catch: It could take days, months, even years. You just have to be determined enough to wait out the darkness in between the “wanting” and the “getting.”

i breathed a huge sigh of relief when i read this. there was some more information at the bottom of the email, with a link to an article, and the words "getting rich slowly". which was exactly the reminder i needed. i will not save all the money i need overnight, it takes time. it takes time to build up a savings account for emergencies or overhead for a tiny business start-up. it takes time to save up for the things i want. and that is okay. it's really all about my attitude, my perseverance, and my patience.

my mom is the coolest.

(that's my mom on the left. with her sisters last summer.)

earlier this week i had a conversation with my mom wherein she tried to get me confess that i had plans for a surprise visit to her house this weekend. i had to say "no, i wish i did" about five times. because i really wish i had been able to visit her this weekend.
so since i can't be at home with my mother this mother's day, how about i tell you about her, and great i think she is?
my mom is amazing. she teaches fifth grade in wisconsin's best medium-sized school (i did not make that up. her school really was named the best last year).
my mom raised to really great daughters and has been married to my dad for thirty-six years--and i kid you not when i say that my parents just keep getting happier.
when i was a kid, my mom made our ballet class's costumes for our performance as spanish dancers in the nutcracker.
when i moved to san francisco and found myself unemployed and not knowing a soul, my mom listened on the phone every night--despite the two-hour time difference, and sent me money.
when i signed up for 4-h sewing (yeah, i'm not a nerd at all), my mom was sooo patient and helpful and saw me through pretty much every project, even helping me with hours of seam-ripping when i messed something up.
she was always up for letting me experiment in the kitchen, and was always encouraging about the result (i actually can't remember any horrible disasters).
my mom was the one who kept saying, "don't major in something practical, be an artist" when i was deciding on what to study in college.
she has been my biggest cheerleader and supporter all the way, believing in me when i am not sure i even believe in myself--this still happens.
my mom beat cancer, has broken more bones than the rest of the family combined, and less than a year ago, had a heart valve replaced--she really is a survivor.
i hope that i someday get the opportunity to be a mom, and that i create as creative, positive, imaginative, and loving home for my own children as my mom did for me.

get it done in may.

(these are some pictures i took yesterday as i was STILL trying to diagnose what is wrong with my press. since i couldn't get my head into the tiny spot behind the platen, i stuck my camera in there to take a picture of the offending part to see what the screw thingy looks like. i was so pleasantly surprised to find these compositions on the screen of my camera! i forget how much i love bright, saturated colors until i see them and they just make me giddy! they seem like the perfect driving force for my new line of designs, and i am excited to start working with them).

i didn't quite get everything done from my april to do list. april was not a good month for me, i was sick and out of town (that was good, but not for my productivity) and just off, in general. however, i feel pretty good about what i did get done (considering), and i am ready to go with my goals for may:
1. make things. i have been kind of creatively blocked--or intimidated is maybe a better word--and i need to get making things.
2. photograph the things i have made.
3. really, seriously, get a file box (the paperwork is overflowing, folks).
4. write up my application for the eileen fisher grant.
5. look for a new, part time job.

i think i am going to keep it at five for may, since those are five pretty big ones, and i really want to have them done by the end of may. also, i am going with the theory (it's a new one) that if i can remember the goals in my head, maybe they will actually get done. the bigger end goal is to get my etsy shop re-opened by the end of may/beginning of june. i have been fighting with google analytics lately, as i cannot seem to troubleshoot why they are not tracking my blog--which i am really curious about. if anyone has any tips, i would be so grateful. i still can't manage to get my press fixed, and my frustration is growing.
and in general? i feel a little discouraged. i am having trouble keeping good perspective lately. but may is going to be better!
so there. here we go!

hear hear, keith ellison!

julia just read to me an article from the star tribune about some politicians who were arrested the other day for protesting the removal of aid workers from darfur. our representative, keith ellison, was one of them. here are some highlights:

Ellison said he and the other members of Congress who were arrested succeeded in bringing national attention to the Darfur crisis that they wouldn't have received otherwise. "I could have sent out a press release, but it would be, 'Yeah, so what?'"

With Ellison representing a Minneapolis-based congressional district that many analysts consider one of the safest Democratic seats in the nation, his arrest is unlikely to affect his standing at home.

"I think that the people of the Fifth Congressional District of Minnesota believe passionately in human rights," Ellison said. "They want me to lead from the front. They want me to set a moral tone."

"How many news outlets had Darfur in any of their story lines this morning?" he said. "There are 1.3 million lives that hang in the balance here, and nobody was doing a story on that until this happened."