mr. hyde again

something inexplicable is taking foot in my life. or maybe just reclaiming it. i can feel myself begin to breathe optimism again. i am so grateful.

last sunday i signed up for a life group at my church, and i will be meeting with them on monday nights. i can't wait to build some (overdue) quality friendships outside of work. in the description, the group said that they like to watch movies, play games, and laugh A LOT. at that point, i knew we were destined, even if it means trekking up to the UES.

got my absentee ballot in the mail. it is sitting on my desk, staring at me, waiting for me to decide. with ohio as such a key state, and i know that my vote has some pull to it, i need to do a bit more research. i am only one but still one.

valentine's day meant a lot of food. there was a charity bake sale at work, and everyone and their mom made some cinnamon rolls or brownies, or went to la maisson du chocolat, in attempt drown out valentine's day woes. I wore magenta, a CMYK graphic designer take on the day. It also meant a lot of MAIL, obviously one of the highlights of the week. i got a giant box from my parents' church filled with candy and well-wishes from the congregation. there were construction paper hearts with excited marker doodles, large glued-on puff balls, and large crooked signatures... of the kindergarten variety. you can't hide a smile with those things. i went to a free bookmaking workshop in soho with one of my co-workers, which turned out to be pretty lame, but it was amazing bonding time. ate indian, exchanged life stories, and life dreams to soon become stories. i have purpose.

and last night i went to the cooper-hewitt with another co-worker for an Evening with the Campanas Brothers, industrial designers from Brazil that create funiture with recycled materials. you may recognize their name (or maybe not) from their "favela" chair, comprised of slivers of wood found on the streets of brazil. also on the panel was roberto stern, CEO of H. Stern jewelry, and a woman from Edra, an Italian furniture design and production company. it was amazing how pretentious the crowd was, and how humble the Campanas were, instead of the reverse. their weaving techniques, combining plastics and wicker, or rope and piping, could create something new out of the used.

off to the moma to do a little painting, and to get some shoes for tonight. i am going to the carnegie club to hear "sounds of sinatra" !!! i read about this last summer, and now i am going! stories are sure to follow...