the sketchbook project

so i love the design*sponge web site. i check it multiple times every day. it makes me happy.

but today i did something i never do on the d*s (or, really, any other) site. i clicked on an ad. i just don't do that. i find most ads to be unappealing and in my way. but this one was different. in fact, i clicked on it before i realized it was an ad. it appeared to be a d*s post. what was it for?

the sketchbook project.

you'll have to check out their site for the full scoop, but here's the general gist. you sign up for the project & pick a sketchbook theme. you receive a blank sketchbook in the mail, fill it up & send it back. then the returned sketchbooks tour the country in a series of exhibits before being permanently archived at the brooklyn art library. doesn't it sound great?

it's not juried - every one who sends back a sketchbook is included in the tour. plus the sketchbooks are barcoded, so the artist knows when & where their book is being looked at. and for an extra fee, they'll digitize the finished sketchbook & upload the pages to their online library.

i think it sounds awesome.

and i have until the middle of january to fill the book. i can do that! there are about two dozen themes to choose from, and i can use the theme as literally & stringently as i want. i can rip the pages out & add different ones. i can fill it with photos or paintings or autumn leaves. i can turn it into a miniature shadow box if i wanted. it's mine. and when i'm done, it's going to tour the country.

again, i think it sounds awesome.

now i just need to choose my category. :)

and you should check it out here and think about signing up, too. why? because it's awesome.

just love coffee

my friends jody & boz are in the process of adopting a child (or two) from ethiopia. i got to see them after their orientation with the adoption agency, and they are so excited to begin their family! you can follow their journey to Baby Boz by following their blog. and you can help support their soon-to-be growing family in some fun & unique ways - like buying coffee!

Just Love Roasters takes the two passions of its founder, ORPHANS and FAIR TRADE COFFEE, and incorporates them into one symbiotic relationship. Their mission is to offer quality Fair Trade coffees and to use these coffees to help orphans and their forever families.

What does that mean for Jody & Boz? They’ve created a fundraising program where they are able to set up their own online store! They have their own Just Love Baby Boz Page and each month Just Love Coffee will send them a check. For each bag sold $5 will go directly towards Baby Boz's adoption!

It really is that simple. By buying coffee you help Jody & Boz on our Journey to Baby Boz. Your coffee is delivered right to your door and you get to play an active role in bringing home the newest member of the Bosman home.

And it's more than just coffee. Proceeds from the following all support Baby Boz's adoption:

• Coffee: $5 will go towards Baby Boz's adoption
• T-Shirt: $5 will go towards Baby Boz's adoption
• Travel Mug: $3 will go towards Baby Boz's adoption
• Tote Bag: $3 will go towards Baby Boz's adoption
• Hat: $3 will go towards Baby Boz's adoption
• Coffee Scoop: $1 will go towards Baby Boz's adoption

Please consider purchasing a bag or two. And if you can, it would be amazing if you could blog about it, let your friends know, post it on your facebook - HELP US GET THE WORD OUT!

national anthem

my friend fred (whose long-dormant blog is linked to the right) sang the national anthem at the RailCats game friday night. i recorded it so you could all be impressed with her mad skills. :)

i went home this weekend and had a fabulous time. besides the RailCats game (which they lost), i got to see a lot of family at a 50th anniversary party and celebrate my mom's birthday. all good stuff.

last night i watched the movie Julie & Julia. in the movie, Julie blogs about her year cooking through Julia Child's cookbook. i don't see myself cooking my way through Julia Child's cookbook ... but i like the basic concept. i'm obviously a fan of having odd goals, and i like that it gave her blog some really good purpose and theme. i think my blog needs more purpose and theme.

lin: day 6

today i dug through my plastic bins in the garage three times before finding what i was looking for. i'm glad i found it, but seriously i should have found it the first time!

yesterday's trip to target ended up being less than successful. the over-the-door hooks for the bathroom won't work. they're made to go over a deeper door, so they don't sit flat & therefore scrape the trim above the door. unacceptable. and the not-really-a-bike-pump pump doesn't work, either. so i'll be making a trip to target soon. luckily, i do like target. :)

perhaps i'll pick up one of those hooks that has the adhesive on the back for the bathroom door. the kind that's supposed to hold a million pounds, but come right off when you want it to? yeah, one of those.

lin: day 5

i spent this afternoon hanging out with greg. as it turns out, this move doesn't put us any closer to each other - but it doesn't put us any further away either. meeting in kokomo gave us both the exact same drive time as meeting in valpo used to.

i got a pump that i'm thinking will work on my bike tires. it is not a pump designed for bike tires; that would be too easy. this one was much less expensive, and it seemed to work on the bikes in the store. the only catch is that the bikes in the store already had properly inflated tires, so it was hard to determine if it was actually doing anything. fortunately i can try it without taking it out of the packaging, so returning it will be quite simple if it doesn't work. :)

tonight marked my first time using the new kitchen. is it possible to miss my gas stove already?

lin: day 4

my boxes are unpacked! not too shabby, right?

plus i made it to the restaurant and back tonight without getting lost.

all in all, a very good day. :)