Space

-reserved for a few words on the tattoo 2010 has inked into my life, and of 2011 beginnings.

Go

Unfold

"Look ma, no tweezers!"

miniature crane

Had explored and then out-grown origami when younger.  Recently folded a few objects for hospital patients and was reminded of how imagination and simple scraps of paper can inspire and uplift.

A Sentence, a Tunnel; a Nightmare, a Dream

A Sentence, a Tunnel; a Nightmare, a Dream from VitalSignsArt on Vimeo.

Sparkler

Am on Fire and that's not just the coffee speaking.

Have had packed schedules before, but this time is different.  

The losses, the gains - everything is deeper, carries more weight.  

On top of the responsibilities, been having an amazing overflow of inspiration, ideas, and creative energy.  

Am taking advantage of this sudden wildfire while it lasts; if only there were more hours in a day.

Sleep has become a figment of the imagination.

It's going to be a steep dive for a while, and I'm making every minute count.  Bring it.

Nneka, Soul Crush

Let Me Take Your Vital Signs

Summer thus far -

Adventures with best friends.  Soul-filling conversation, 

beaching, kayaking, rollercoastering.  Reading,
& random conversation on public transportation (favorite!).

New acquaintances & inspiring people,

and (so far) owning the latest bombardment of challenges - 

the Anything-worth-having-is-worth-fighting-for kind.

And in the midst of all this, there is a shifting of the universe.

---

A few links:

-->  A fairytale no longer: Cloth spun from spider's silk.  Neat, but, *shudder*.

-->  Found in Mom's Basement (+1 for creepy title!).  It's got a plethora of vintage advertisements, enough for cultural anthropological discussion, if you're into that sort of thing.  Regardless, get your fill of humor + design here.  So nerdy.  So cool.

-->  On August 9, 2010, Ed Stafford reached the Atlantic Ocean, completing his journey & becoming the first man to walk the entire length of the Amazon River.  HOLY SWEETNESS.  (Heart of Darkness, much?)

• The journey took 2.5 years.  The challenges, aside from malnutrition and injury, include: illness (dengue, typhoid, malaria, leishmaniasis, rabies from vampire bats), wasp nests + killer bees, snake bites, 20 foot Anacondas, Piranhas, Amazonian crocodiles, jaguars, and aggressive local tribes. 
• Fellow expeditionist Luke Collier began and walked with Ed for 3 months.  Afterward, hundreds of local people walked bits of the trek with Ed; one of them, Gadiel (”Cho”) Sanchez Rivera, completed the journey with him.
• Ed hopes to "draw attention to the complexities of the Amazon rainforest" with his adventure.  Oh yeah, and he supports 5 charities.

Overachievers everywhere are crying their eyes out.  Account of the trek here.

Heartbeat #3: Strawberry Fields Forever

EDIT: Taken off for use in another project


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* Posts entitled “Heartbeat” are works of fiction; resemblance to real people, events, or places are purely unintentional & coincidental.