I have a serious problem. I get ecstatically, blissfully happy when I see squirrels. Baby squirrels, grey squirrels, hopping squirrels, squirrels hiding nuts. My heart skips a little when I see one. I often excitedly proclaim “Squirrel!!” when one crosses my path. My friends think it’s ridiculous, my parents shake their heads and wonder how they ever brought up a child who is fascinated by rodents. But I can’t help it. They are sneaky and mischievous, unpredictable and delightful.
When I was photographing at Riverview I saw this little guy digging through a dumpster. I admired his tenacity, particularly when I saw he found a proverbial jackpot of popcorn (which you can see has adhered itself to his little nose). It’s stupid how happy it makes me. But I can’t help loving them.
Today I’m hanging out around the house… I had a little bit too much Strongbow last night, I think. My old roommate is moving in with another good friend we went to art school with tomorrow. I had intended to be helpful and help her pack her apartment last night, but instead ended up drinking tall cans on her floor and reminiscing about old times… oh, and directing her to mislabel boxes. Oops, I guess when she’s desperately wondering where her iron is and ends up discovering a rice cooker it will be a fun surprise – like Christmas! I sort of envy her for the moving process – the chance to access and pack up everything – get rid of all the stuff that’s keeping you down and start fresh. I love the chance to find new homes for things, rearrange the furniture so everything feels brand new. I often do this in my own apartment… again, the joys of living alone! If I want to move the couch so it faces the picture window I can. Or an easy chair in the kitchen.
I’ve decided to start a new font in my Letter Project. I know it’s incredibly geeky to be so fascinated by fonts and typography, but going to school taught me to look at them in a new way… they can absolutely convey feeling and tell a story (literally, I guess!). I’ve been working on a photographic version of this – capturing hundreds of random letters from everywhere… stop signs, restaurants, graffiti, packaging. I have absolutely no idea what I will eventually do with them. Compile them into a book maybe. A mosaic of letters and numbers in every possible colour, texture, size and shape. Currently I’m going to sew another typeface (Aharoni, I think it’s called?). The other one I worked on was Cooper Bold – not my favorite, but unfortunately I have to stick to letters that are fat… otherwise I don’t have much option for creative stitching.
So there it is – the most random of Saturdays, relaxing and keeping my hands busy. Drinking far too much coffee and eating raspberries for breakfast, lunch, and potentially dinner. Looking out my window at squirrels looking far too productive for a weekend, and making me feel lazy. I hope you all (read: the one person who actually reads this blog) enjoy your weekend!