{108} i'll be there for you

so, no one told you life was gonna be this way. your job's a joke; you're broke. your love life's DOA. it's like you're always stuck in second gear. when it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year but i'll be there for you, when the rain starts to fall. i'll be there for you, like i've been there before. i'll be there for you, 'cuz you're there for me too. - (c) the rembrandts

ah, i love friends. it will likely go down in history as my favourite show of all time just based on the sheer number of times i have seen each episode. i used to tape the episodes on VHS and then i eventually switched over to DVDs (and, i bought them as they came out so my collection cost me over $500 even though you can buy a season for $15 now! enough griping...). and, now i'm switching to digital for my iPod. it's so great. i can always connect with these six characters and i always laugh during every episode. i could go on and on about how great the show is (if i wasn't running behind this morning i totally would--maybe i'll come back and add more commentary!).

i did a lot of sketching (see picture #2--you can see my sketches shining through) trying to figure out which character's name would work best for creating "lauren". it was cool.

"chears", george!

just had to share this post-haircut pic of george. look at those ears! that's all that's left of him. :)

{107} wingdings

i promise to not do a digital post tomorrow! i've just got completely caught up in going digital the last few entries.

while creating yesterday's name in excel, i decided i wanted to see my name in wingdings. at first i wrote it in all lowercase but that read as blocks and circles. totally visually unappealing. so, i tried all caps and liked the result. i wonder if it means something: the L means i can get sad sometimes. the A means that i totally am at peace and love there is no conflict. the U is a cross because i have faith. the R is because i love the sunshine and being outside in the sun with george. the E is because the R is so awesome that it needs to be pointed out twice. and the N is...hmm, i'm not a fan of the poison symbol, so i'm not sure what that one means. lol

{106} line graph

see, excel isn't just for creating spreadsheets and charts and documenting data (or creating list after list like i do). it has many creative purposes such as charting the correct pattern of numbers in order to write your name.

it wasn't even that hard to do! i thought i'd have to set aside a half hour with the computer figuring out the correct combination but it came pretty naturally to me. :) it's a good thing i spend all day on a computer!

(and, just to prove that i didn't just draw this or make it up, i have screenprinted the data i used below in order to create the name above. plot it yourself. it works!)

{105} eye chart

i just got my new perscription sunglasses and so i've been thinking about my eyes. i'm finally used to the new perscription in them and i'm not getting headaches anymore which is awesome. now, i have only one month left to decide whether i want to get a new pair of regular glasses as well. if i do, i get $130 off the frames. that would be awesome and i do want new glasses eventually anyway. i just have to figure out how much they'll still cost me! some say that i should think about switching to contacts but a) i'm not putting my finger in my eye. b) i'm not putting a foreign object into my eye. and 3) glasses are my safety blanket. i only feel comfortable if i have them on my face. i've had them for 16 years and i can't imagine not wearing them every day! i love my glasses (but i'd love them more if they were new!).

{104} new plants

i picked up my plants last friday and got all my planting done over the weekend! i always like to save the tags from all the plants because a) i always think i'll do something creative with them and b) because i want to remember which plants i used in case i want to use them again next year.

fortunately, i will get to do with this time around! using an x-acto knife, i carefully cut out the letters to my name in six different flower tags and then placed them next to their blooms for the picture. it's always tough at the beginning of summer when you see your plants so small. i get so impatient for them to be full and colourful! even though i only planted them two days ago, i'm already wandering around the yard checking on their progress and hoping to see some new blooms. a few more weeks, and i'm sure they'll look spectacular.

{103} mother's day

instead of creating a name today that would be inspired by my amazing mother, i decided to let her create my name! i told her that she could do whatever she wanted and had no limitations.

so, she chose to use chewed gum.

when she and i play games together we always keep a pack of juicy fruit at our side so that we can munch on the delicious gum together. so, she would chew a piece and then spread it out on wax paper. i think it's pretty cool. i hadn't thought of this idea yet so i'm really glad that she did! and, i just love that she is now a part of this project.

she's the most incredible woman and an amazing mother. i love her more than words can express. every time i'm with her, i'm happier and feel more alive. she is beyond the funniest person i have ever met in my whole entire life. she is also one of the smartest people i have ever known. she loves to watch the bachelor/bachelorette shows and i love that she loves them. my mom makes the most delicious food ever. my mom is greatest grandmother i could have imagined the Es having. my mom gives everything of herself to her husband and her family. my mom would rather go without the comforts of her life than see her family in any sort of trouble. she has the most giving and generous of hearts of anyone ever. she is the kindest, gentlest and sweetest woman. she has the most incredible talents with singing and playing the piano. she's an hysterical actress and brings down the house every time she performs. she is a true example of what a loving christian mother is. she leads her life by faith and is a blessing on everyone she touches. i love that i am like my mother in so many ways. i love that i am compared to my mother in many ways. i can only hope to some day have half of the strength, class, humour and poise as she.

{102} hieroglyphs

after i saw this post from a fellow 365-er, i knew i had to do something with hieroglyphs too! so, i didn't have a book at my disposal so i just googled "write like an egyptian" (which was also one of the coolest things i've ever googled) and this site popped up and it was as simple as typing my name in and then the hieroglyphic version of my name appeared! then i hand drew out all the symbols, coloured it in and voila! i wish that i had the descriptions of what each symbol means because for all i know, i've drawn some horrible term but i still think it looks pretty neat.

{101} gummies

seriously. this was one of my bad moments. i bought each of the Es a cup full of gummy candies and intended to give them to them tonight. yeah, i ate them all. at first it was just going to be one small candy and then i devoured a gazilion of them. i feel sick. i have learned my lesson. at least, hopefully, they'll never know! ;)

{100} spiralaurens

another new word for the vocab: spiralaurens. i knew today, though it was momentous to reach 100 posts, wouldn't be my most spectacular of names but it was fun to do another video to go along with today's project. after a few failed attempts at other ideas (save for another day), i just simply decided to write my own name in my own printing 100 times in a spiral. i imagined to run out of paper but it turns out that 100 names does not take as much room as you'd think. so, here it is: the picture of 100 spiralaurens and the video of it being made. :)

triple-digits! no backing off now!

{99} burger

last week i'd drawn a sketch of what the "lauren burger" consists of. the ultimate indulgence for me (which is why i don't keep any of these ingredients in the house) is this concoction (listed from the bottom up):

- homemade bun bottom
- thick slice of cold ham
- 3 bread and butter pickles
- thick slice of cheddar cheese
- raspberry jam
- 3 dill pickle chips
- a little more jam
- homemade bun top

ah-mazing. it sounds horrendous but, trust me. it's ah-mazing. the combination of the jam and the chips is really something incredible. hey, don't knock it till you've tried it. :)

anyway, so my little sketch inspired me to draw my name as layers inside of a burger. it's the lauren burger!

(ps. please. no high hopes for #100 tomorrow. i have zero ideas...)

{98} flipbook

took several attempts to film this one where you could actual see the letters move. finally, i was okay with the final one (not happy with it, but just okay with it). meh. after i filmed the last one, i ripped the pages apart (for another purpose, not because i was mad!) and then regretted it because i came up with a better way to film it. oh, well. i like the idea of using video to record some of the names...

{97} flashcards

i bought a set of flashcards in grand forks, nd two months ago strictly for this project's purpose. a very very simple project today. i'm still thinking that perhaps i should've spruced them up and cut them out, etc. but i was running low on time (aren't we all??). tomorrow shall be more labour-intensive. :)

{96} grasping for straws

didn't a 3-D model of my name out of straws sound like a great idea? yup, sure did. well, after the "la", i was sure sick of these straws but i wasn't going to give up! i wanted each letter to be free-standing as well but i had to resort to using tape to help prop them up. oh, well, it took me a LONG time to do this one. mostly because straws don't easily bend in the direction you want them to. in the end, it looked pretty neat. i think...

{95} time lapse

i had been playing around with the "youcam" on my computer and, specifically, the security camera settings on it. i had set it up to record george for a few hours while i was not at home because i was curious to see what curious george would be up to while i was gone. he ended up not even appearing on the video so who knew where he was! lol

but, the idea did inspire me to try doing my name using the time lapse feature. it took FOUR tries but i finally got a video that i was happy with. the first two videos, i moved through my papers way too quickly so you couldn't even see what they said. the third video the lighting was so horrible that you couldn't read the letter! finally, on this fourth attempt, i held each letter for 70 seconds each and then did whatever while i was recording. i didn't want to just hold it perfectly still--i wanted some movement.

so, here it is! even george participated in a few shots. :)

{94} backsidewards

new word of the day: "backsidewards". i didn't want to just do my name backwards. or just do it upside-down. i wanted to do both. so, here it is written backwards, flipped backwards and then flipped upside-down. it is backsidewards, if  you will.

i feel the need to pick up my pencil and start drawing again instead of relying on the computer. two digital posts in a row seems like my limit.

{93} numbers

this post is titled "numbers" but it could also be called "grasping for something that's not really there". lol once again, i started off quite well but then got stumped on a letter. this time it was the "r". i couldn't figure out how to make a number look like an "r" without manipulating it in some way and i wasn't willing to compromise and do that. so, i went with a "6". it's got the little tail on the end so it's sort of close. i think the other five numbers worked out quite well, though, so i'm happy with this one overall. :)

{92} grill

holy flashback, batman. ugh. i had to wear braces from grade six through grade nine. misery. and they put them on in stages too. like, i just had the front six (as similarly illustrated below) at first and then they did the whole top and then added in the bottom. blech. but, i did get wonderfully straight teeth out of it and that i am grateful for.

now these are just photoshopped braces (spelling out my name, of course) but can you imagine if i was so hard core that i actually got a grill spelling out my name? dude. :)

{365 Names} feature

Pretty exciting stuff. This project and blog is featured on the "Make Something 365" blog today! Thanks to Noah Scalin for the feature and for his inspiring book!!

{91} little rock

i have rocks everywhere. my driveway is rocks. there are rocks in my front flower bed. there are rocks around the back of my house. there are rocks surrounding my rock garden (how approp.). there are rocks around my playhouse. i chose to play with the rocks around the playhouse--mostly because it is the one private area of my whole yard where no one can see me. simply lined them up quickly before g would run through them. as you can see by the blue spray paint, this is the corner where i bring my crafts to paint them because you can't see it from the rest of the yard. that back corner is littered in dried-on paint!

(some perspective)