a.) we need more artwork. Our bedroom is so plain. I forgot all of my paints/brushes/canvas at home! I do not see it economical to purchase the replacements in an art town.

b.) we have a tea problem when we sit at the desk(s). count them, 2 cups of hot tea, and a can of arizona tea. I was told the other day that tea keeps the body from absorbing iron. I am borderline anemic. BUT I LOVE TEA. Oh, and this is my desk (end-table-turned-chair.)

c.) I like things in threes, so here is just a little somethin’somethin’ more.

It was especially lovely yesterday, because in between the Savannah downpours, a fellow graduate student and I were able to grace the beaches of Tybee Island. It was the coolest breeze, with the most terrifying waves (that Kara was actually excited about) and the perfect end to the weekend. I, of course, took my camera and below are a couple pictures. I hope Kara doesn’t mind me posting her beautiful face on here

The Long Hair Stage: He commits to growing out his hair. It is shaggy. The most beautiful, soft hair any woman would be jealous of. He secretly hates it because it adds weight and is sometimes unruly. It must go.

And……………. The Compromise: This is a very short lived time during which a trusted friend is given the power to shave his head, while leaving a mohawk. Which as you’ll see below, is badass.

The final stage: Kris then realizes he can not maintain the badass nature while putting customer service first in his pharmaceutical workspace. He then is transformed into a professional, (yet, fierce is the adjective I come to first,) and handsome fellow that is sometimes mistaken for a cop.

Repeat.

To wrap it up, I experienced/witnessed my first Savannah downpour. The streets would rapidly flood and then clear out within minutes. Very Exciting. As well as cool in comparison to the normal savannah heat.

Our kitchen. Does it look like a closet? I think it used to be.

Our living room and free couch. (I would say it wasn’t normally this messy, but it pretty much is. )

Now the beach crowd today via my new lens

To start off my week, I enjoyed an outdated documentary on McLuran’s Wake (outdated, but also Canadian in production, I thought it was utterly fantastic ). The professor responsible for the showing of the said documentary is also giving a lecture at Mansfield college in Oxford next week! So, I caught him after class and became acquainted with him on the subject of Oxfordshire.

I, then, had a Pre-Raphaelite class that was less eventful but extremely interesting. Followed by a graduate orientation the next day, which involved meeting my fellow medievalist advisor and a brisk walk to a local vegan cafe in the Starland district (?). The asparagus sandwich and good company of the 7 other art history graduates left me feeling very good about my self and where I am at the moment (in Savannah at SCAD attempting a masters.)

Today, our discussion in class brought up a point which I thought I would share with anyone reading this. The course is about McLuran’s “New Media” and how technology has become the mediator of images and texts in the modern era. One of the things that started it all was the printing press. Our class discussion brought us to the topic of the “ripple effects” of this invention on society. The printing press not only allowed churches to mass produce the bible, and modern languages to become standardized, and the public voice to be heard (Luther’s 95 Thesis’s), it also gave women the ability to communicate with each other via post! Before then, as I understand it, women were always under the watchful eye of the man/men of the house. When printing became so prevalent, this somehow progressed the communication between women. One other factor that benefited the rights of women and their ability to get together and chat/gossip/conspire, was the introduction of Tea and Coffee Rooms.

Now, I love tea. And, I love conspiring. I also love the idea of women conspiring against the oppressive laws on the woman, over tea.

Notice the soft blanket of tree tops

Kris and I took a bike ride the other day and rode through Forsyth Park. We witnessed a wedding in front of the fountain. Just the minister, bride and groom. I loved everything about my wedding day, but if I ever do it over, it’ll be that beautifully simple, I hope.  It was a really beautiful day, and I pondered whether they asked passerby’s for a witness signature (there’s that word again, passerby’s?) Below is a picture of the fountain, I took on another day. (Facebook friends have seen this photo before)

Today, I had my graduate student orientation. I walked around the booths, collecting the free stuff that I could.

• 2 neon drinking cups
• art supplies (this is an art school) including a teenie easel and canvas
• a SCAD “messenger bag”
• frisbie (we’ve been meaning to buy one for the beach)

And! When I collected my student ID card, I was complimented on my picture that I submitted online. It was a picture from a field that Rachel took!

I guess it’s a nice photo. It’s too bad I sent a picture of my orange hair and now I have “brown black” hair. Pictures to come soon

(only really, I talked to me my mom and she’s sending me my battery charger on Monday. Along with my new lens

and the plunging of my soul is heard over the traffic and trains outside.

Well, the upside is, my charger can easily be mailed to me. And! My parents are visiting soon. Unfortunately, I am left to only describe the place for you. Seeing as I am not an eloquent speaker, there will still be some surprise for when I am able to post pictures. Let’s make a game of it? I will describe the place, and we shall see if my words give you a mental image anywhere near reality.

(If you’re wondering why I would go to such lengths as describe the place vs just waiting for the camera battery charger in the mail, it is because I am very excited to “show-off” my humble abode. AND I like the idea of a challenge. )

First. The windows are much larger than I anticipated, considering Kris and I had to fund their covering. Because of the heat in Savannah, it is easier to keep the cool in if you keep the sun rays out. If you are like me, then you probably hate the idea of blocking out the sun. If it stayed cool, I’d have glass walls but to no avail, 80 degrees is not fun indoors. ( I feel like I missed used “avail”.) Atleast, the curtains have left the place feeling very cozy.

Second. It is old. The wood floors are scratched, beaten, and of mismatched wood stains. The walls are not smooth. In fact, I believe the regular practice in historic savannah rental properties is to build up coats of paint. Cracks, blobs of paint, and chipped away sections are strikingly visible. Even the extensive amount of molding in the rooms has atleast 60 years worth of layers of paint. Additionaly, when you stand in a certain spot in the second bedroom, the floor seems to adjust under your feet. I call it fun.

Third. The previous tenant left us a tall black dining table, a large sectional couch, modern-styled tv stand, small desk, and chunky dark wood dresser. Considering we only packed about 60% of our belongings, we left most of the large furniture and these things left behind by the previous tenant were warmly received. If only he had left some chairs… I am currently using an end table with a seat cushion as a chair for my tall-table-turned desk. Goodluck envisioning that….

I can’t wait to just post pictures.

This plan would have worked out wonderfully if, when I left the apartment, I had remembered to take the things in which I had planned to mail. Sigh, just another day in the good intentioned but failed plans of Christine.

My mission was to look at old books and vanities (like desk and mirror set-ups.) Old books, because I am planning to make Christmas presents from old antique books this year (hope that doesn’t give anything away.) This also would have been a success, IF I had taken cash. But seeing as I did not, no one would accept plastic for 3 and 4 dollar purchases of old books.

Many shops were either ridiculously priced antiques or places like Blessingdales in which my many finds would fill up my car (if I had only brought cash…)

Therefore, the trip ended up being more informative, than productive. But that’s ok, because I found a goodwill (they are not as good as back home, might I add.) I also found a small dainty vanity made of white wicker, for which the shop owner bartered with me with out me saying anything…

The scene:

I walk inside, shopowner asks if he can help me with anything. I confess my interest in a vanity, and he names a price on a white wicker vanity. $30!

He then directs me to a larger one, of which is a sister to Chasity’s back home, and says $50! I’m already thinking these prices are just fine, but I admit to him, I am in a honda and am therefore only browsing.

He then responds with, “alright, I’ll give you the small white one for $20, the top comes off, it’ll fit.”

I smile and assure him, he would have had me sold if only I had brought cash.

We didn’t quite make it for the fireworks towards the end of the event, but we thoroughly enjoyed the walk along the beach. Last night, great billowing clouds stretched across the southern portion of the sky: the kind of clouds that would have warned you of a storm, back home. And of course the islanders were playing, swimming, throwing frisbie, n’such as if the coast was their back yard. Here are a few pictures of the beach galavantings shot by  both Kris and I:

Oh to be about 7 years old again.

Notice the cup holders. This picture originally had this oddly positioned women in the far left. If you can imagine a chainsaw massacre stance, in a bikini….

And finally, I ran up on something that was a blast from the past. Remember “B.F.F.’s?” Alright, I’m sure you do. But! Do you remember when your best friend wasn’t just your BFF? She was your BFFE! That shit was legit.

And just a note, I tried to make half of these pictures smaller, so as not to overload you with meaningless pictures, but alas, the final post does not look like my draft no matter what I do.

My newb-ness is shining brilliantly.

Seeing as this is my first post, I will introduce myself for anyone out there who made it past the description of my breakfast.

I absolutely love to travel.

I haven’t done a lot of traveling ( I’d be doing it constantly if it weren’t for…I can’t think of anything that is worth keeping me from traveling because i’ve traveled poor…). Well anyways, shit happens and we can’t always be on a train to a place where everything is new and exciting.

Alas, I have found myself in a new and exciting place: Savannah Georgia, where the small town city welcomes the gringos with creepy trees, extremely friendly passerby’s (a word?) and not a single Walmart within any distance I am willing to drive. My favorite part of Savannah? The fact that when I bike to downtown, I have no hills or sharp turns to dread. (Little fact that I think everyone knows, but I am still excited to share:) Savannah was a planned city. As in, streets are straight and flat. Except for river street, which as neat as it is, is not bike friendly. Have you rode a bike downhill on cobblestones lately? Complete humiliation, as every part of your body jiggles uncomfortably.

But the views here, would make it worth the hills and sharp turns. The views would make it worth the cobblestone biking.

A week ago, my parents helped us move in/vacationed downhere. We all drove up to hilton head during hurricane Irene. (My crazy husband and father swam in the ocean during a hurricane. ) I was really disappointed with hilton head. I’m pretty sure the name should be capitalized but that’s how much I hated it there! Anyways, my family and I spent most of our time on Tybee Island, and I realized it has to be the coolest american beach I’ve ever been to. There aren’t any high-rise Marriotts, and Outback Steakhouse’s or blocked off private beaches and stuck up gated communities. You know? the island belongs to the Islanders. The beach serves alcohol and blasts the local radio station.

Tonight we are going to Tybee Island for a “Beach Bash.” I am so excited to see how the locals celebrate Labor Day weekend on the coast.