New audio features

Through this blog, I hope that readers have been able to grasp a sense of who I am in the world, what I do and what my life is generally like. It initially started as a way of informing my family, who live so far away, what life was like in graduate school. It was easier to post things once, than to have to repeat all my stories each time I had a conversation over the phone. Obviously things have evolved, and there are far more reading this everyday than I could have imagined. I receive comments from people I've never met, living in places I've never been. As an artist who values conversation, reciprocity and connection above all else, this has made it a priceless project and experience. And inevitably, it means I will likely continue to do this for a long time to come.

I was an avid diary/journal keeper when I was younger. There were these ridiculous scrap books I kept as a child, with embarrassing spelling errors and comments like 'Big Tits' next to glued in pictures of Dolly Parton. Anal notations on back pages, stating: This book was completed on 10/25/87. I was such a NERD! In high school, the books were far more elaborate, including very detailed recountings of dreams, retelling of weekend adventures and lots of pining for my boyfriend Dave.

That process has evolved into my sketchbook, which is now far more honed in to the art-making process. I tend to leave all fun an factual information for this blog, and focus my time in the book on problem solving with art projects.

I will read a few blogs on a regular basis, but sometimes I wander around on the internet and look at new ones. Most often they are not that interesting if you don't know the person, but I am excited by the idea that people are basically putting their diaries online. And little nosey me can peruse these at will. It's all very voyeuristic when you think about it.

And so, I have been devising ways I could bring the readers closer to what it is that brings me joy. It is clear through past posts that food is a driving force. Not just edible things that keep me alive, but rather the exquisite gourmet experiments that Max tests out on me and some other fortunate souls. Another important factor are my friends. Two friends in particular (Ben and Katie) have always left me funny messages on my voicemail. Often there is singing involved, sometimes there is alcohol to blame. Either way, they are hilarious, and I attempt to save them on my voicemail for as long as possible.

Katie once called during the Olympics and recited the entire Greek alphabet while drunk. I kept it for months, but somehow the phone deleted it anyway. Ben and I went through a phase of signing to eachother and eventually started recording our voicemail answering messages for both phones simultaneously: renditions of Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart and Guns 'N Roses' Sweet Child O Mine. We could never get through the process without laughing hysterically. Unfortunately for Max, we did one during the year he was on the job market. Some important academic contact called, and left a message once, commenting on the funny message our children recorded.

So, I have made a decision. I want to share the magic that is Ben and Katie's messages with all of you. They will be doing monthly audio installments for the blog. You will need iTunes or some other audio player on your computer to hear them.

The first one is from Katie. She explains: i've posted very bad poetry set to greek music. enjoy!

To listen, click here.