journal
25 October 2024
Florence + The Machine recorded a live performance of her Lungs album, musically revamped with the grand adddition of an orchestra! It was released on Spotify today, I really enjoyed it. Some of the first songs on the album feel fairly similiar to their original forms, but from about 'Howl' they become expansive and beautiful :)
My favourite was 'Blinding', with its whispered backing and wonderful heart-wrenching musical rise at the end. I also really liked 'Hardest of Hearts': it feels like a more distilled, aching, powerful version of the original.
Here's the Spotify link if you're interested... or youtube link
22 August 2024
Had a lovely weekend celebrating my nuncle's birthday and selling at a craft market with a friend! For the birthday, we had dinner out and then went to a community bushdance at a small hall in the city. For those who don't know, my nuncle described bushdancing as the kind of ballroom dancing you see in Pride and Prejudice except faster and you often swap partners or end up in large circles. At the event, the callers briefly walked everyone through a dance, then started up the band and we'd all joyfully but confusedly try to keep pace with the music while doing the correct steps. It was super fun!
I also went to a local uni club's market day with my friend and we sold some of the crafts we make: linoprinted patches, crochet keychains and flowers, and embroidered brooches. We ended up selling a lot of our goods! The atmosphere of the market was really lovely, I saw someone with a WONDERFUL Nimona cosplay, and enjoyed chatting to the other artists there.
13 June 2024
Went searching for bioluminescence in the river last night, after I saw a video saying it's shown up in my city! Apparently it happened last winter too?! Naturally, I was very hopeful and surprised by this information so I took a ferry upriver in the evening to where it was sighted. I sat at the back and watched the churning water from the ferry wake, which apparently can activate the phosphorescence. Was I basing my investigation on second-hand vague knowledge (a single local instagram video)? Yes.
Sadly, I did not find any but the evening adventure was still beautiful. I saw falling sparks as we passed under a bridge that's being constructed, which were really pretty. Also I saw a hotel with two different rooms with the light changing colour and intensity at the same time; they must have been watching the same tv channel. And I did end up finding blue light in the water, although it was from reflected bridge lights rather than bioluminiscent algae. Still pretty though! Also saw the bird to the right, not sure what it is. Overall, I have many questions about this phenomenon:
- what actually is it? like what organism?
- is it better to search at high or low tide?
- is this a new occurence over the last few years?
- is there even that much of it in the river?
- what does it mean ecologically?
- should I search closer to the sea?
- why is it only here in winter?
26 May 2024
I've been playing this new game called Animal Well and really enjoying it! It bills itself as 'a dense, atmospheric, puzzle box world with multiple layers of secrets' and I am LOVING unravelling all of the secrets... Highly recommend if you like platformers, puzzles and ARGs. It's really beautiful too.
22 February 2024
I haven't updated this website in ages! I've watched SO MUCH Dimension 20 since my last entry - Fantasy High all 3 seasons (the most recent season is coming out weekly right now!) and Starstruck Odyssey. For those who don't know, D20 is a DnD show - I'm thinking of making a fan page here so I won't go into too much detail in this journal but you should look it up if you like dnd.
Also it's summer here and I keep seeing butterflies around! It's lovely. I saw a common crow chrysalis yesterday and they are beautiful - shiny silver metallic with pretty patterns on them. I'm going to keep checking on it to see when it emerges.
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20 October 2023
I'm learning about the RPG called Wanderhome and it is so intriguing and sweet and I'm really looking forward to playing it with some friends. I'm used to dnd, but this is more collaboratively making up a story together, like kid's makeup games. The playbook reads so beautifully, with so many story hooks and references to folklore and small gods and seasonal rituals, and the emotional bonds of personal growth, and trusting others, and finding where you belong! Beyond the lovely worldbuilding possibilities, the mechanics are fascinating because they're so simple - as someone used to DnD, its very different and also very compelling (and a little intimidating). I'm very excited to play it.
9 October 2023
I'm having so much fun making a book for a friend's birthday - I'm designing the cover inspired by the circle of the moon druid they play in our dnd campaign and embroidering it onto some fabric i coloured in using pencils. I'm going to add some bookbinding resources to my crafts section when I have time. It's really rewarding and surprisingly simple!
18 August 2023
now my room stinks of beetroot, and I'm considering what to print - I was planning to print some images on transparencies and develop them but the printing will take a week and the anthotypes take a week or more to expose so I don't have time. I'm thinking I could draw onto plastic with sharpies, and also use some necklaces, feathers, weeds.
17 August 2023
the 17th again! coincidence. they should make a perfume that smells like night rain. I've been researching anthotypes and I'm gonna make some for my art final - they're cheap and ephemeral and interesting... you can make them with spinach or raspberries or tumeric or beetroot or any pigment if you are willing to experiment. also, i want to rework this site a bit but i simply have no time right now! hopefully in a few weeks. wow this was scattered
17 July 2023
I love are.na. If you're looking for more inspiration I recommend that you look up "websites" on are.na and then simply explore!