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I failed cutting in Kindgerarten. My teacher was very concerned and alerted my parents to the problem right away. Whatever would I do?

Cut the shit out of everything (paper) that I saw, that's what. I had the fortune of meeting author and illustrator, David Wisniewski, when I was younger. His illustrations truly allowed me to see art created from shredding paper into tiny pieces. His illustrations of layered paper create more light and shadows, depth, and animus than some pencil drawings I've seen. 

I should note here that this image is not from one of Wisniewski's profound books like Golem, but instead from a personal favorite: The Secrete Knowledge of Grown-Ups.

I'd love to say that I tried to sharpen my exact knife and really attempt such intricate works- but I didn't. I went for the commercial version of the medium. I scrapbooked. 

Never underestimate the meditation involved in mindlessly cutting paper. Do not question the childish joy that the smell of Elmer's glue retrieves. Even as an adult, it is still difficult to get the right amount of glue on the paper. 

Instead learn to layer frames around your pictures, and edit pages to only include odd numbers of pictures. Be sure to journal on various pages to give context and narrative to what you are seeing. Pick themes for different pages in order to create cohesion and ease in your editing process. Color themes have a similar effect. 

I recently created three scrapbooks for the first time. The first was for my Omi to remember our trip to Vegas (she has since lost it in a move), the second was for my lovely mother-in-law as a wedding thank you gift, and the third was for the artist who taught me this new craft: my mom. 

Art Art Art Art Art Art

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No poo. What sounds like an anti-diarrheal is in fact a movement toward less frequent shampooing in favor of "water only" (WO) washes or apple-cider vinegar and baking soda washes. I have been advised by many a hairstylist to begin shampooing every other day, and instead scrub with water only on the in-between days (an unsurprising suggestion considering that scrubbing more than once a week only came in vogue in the 1970s). I've tried it, and I'm in favor of any beauty regiment that is in fact lazier than my prior one.

Does anyone else's mind jump right to science fair volcanos when they hear those two ingredients?

However, the No poo movement leaves me with one burning question: what about conditioner? What is the purpose of conditioner? Until now it hadn't struck me that I didn't actually know. Maybe I should be seriously concerned that I was scrubbing cream into my hair without actually knowing the purpose of it. All I know is that it makes my hair stiff and gluey like a hair helmet. 

According to the internet, conditioner  is used to change the texture and appearance of the hair. Some sources have cited it's need to change the pH of the hair, others to detangle, others to moisturize after the stripping caused by shampoo.

However, multiple sources also noted that "fine, untreated, and oily hair can also benefit from hair conditioner, but with LESS frequent applications."(1)

If you have not "treated" your hair with lots of products then conditioner might be for you. If you have not "treated" your hair, then your texture and appearance may be just right as is. It sounds like Occam's Razor doesn't it? The solution is the simplest and possibly falsifiable one.

The purpose of conditioner is to fix the problems caused by other hair products! 

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Let's learn: computer programming! When I was in school I didn't take this course, so this is a new one for me. I found a beginner course (for kids) at the whimsical and accessible CODE.org. I manipulated Zombies, directed Angry birds through mazes, and even got to create pictures using Elsa's ice skates. They have an extra component that allows you to rig the rules of Flappy bird, causing the bird to gain points by running into objects.

I promise that I was able to get Elsa to draw more than just a small line.

Coding appealed to me because it is described as a "computer language." If there is anything that I adore, it's learning languages. The coding that I learned functions exactly like a language in that it has strict rules, the rules can be applied together, and when the rules are applied together they need to be applied in a certain order to get the desired outcome.

I would recommend this site to anyone with a little free time on their hands. This means that I would recommend it to everyone. This is a perfect challenge for a snow day! While it is designed for children, critical thinking is key to solving the puzzles. As an adult I finished the puzzles very quickly, but still found the work that went into them entertaining. I wasn't turned off by an uninteresting course design, and I was given opportunities to apply what I learned immediately. This is a well made beginner course!

If you want to try something new I highly recommend coding! 

(for the curious: the language that we use on blogger is HTML and I am also obsessed with Frozen during the warmer months)

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Cue thunder, lightning and general creation! 7 days await to progress and impress. Here lies a space to day by day write more and more. Here lies a space to expound my travels, triumphs, and trivialities. Welcome to the lair of a renaissance woman.

The word renaissance comes from the latin roots- re + nāscī.  The prefix re occurs whenever something happens "again", and nasci tells us that something "is being born." Therefore the renaissance was a time when the spirit of the world was "born again." This occurred in art, literature, architecture, and learning. 

While the Renaissance occurred years ago for Leondardo DaVinci, and other great thinkers- the term "renaissance man" has come to refer to anyone who's learning, thinking, and experiences are varied and widespread. 

I would argue that this describes a large portion of us in the 21st century. No longer are we streamlined into a permanent career, myopic studies, or even one manner of solving math problems. We are "reborn" constantly as we perform varying portrayals of ourselves, elicit different stores of knowledge, and create with a fervor Neil Gaiman could tout. 

With this culture in mind I welcome you to my primary space of creation. Through narrative, interviews, and fiction I hope to create something beautiful and varied. Who knows, maybe this blog too will find itself in a museum one day.