Stocking Stuffer

A pleasant Christmas this year. I worked Christmas Eve at Paper Source in Boston, and I watched all of the last minute shoppers gather their goods. Plastic christmas trees. pooping penguin candies. cheesy christmas cards. beautiful christmas cards. paper wreath making kits. Chartreuse placecards for holiday dinners. And as I observed these shoppers behavior intently and critically, like I often find myself doing, I imaged what types of celebrations they would be going home to, and the characters they would be dining with. But many times I dont even have to imagine them. They show up in my store.
I watched a family of what seemed like only children- come sprinting into the store like a gang of hyenas. A boy- atleast I think it was a boy.with long red hair .and his hoard of troublemaker friends literally ran in skidding circles through the store. Why does everyone at that age think they are so cool? He came running up to the counter, panting and out of breath. "wrapping paper" he wrestled to say through weezes of short, exhausted breath. I started at his little face and told him he had passed it three times. He turned without a "thank you" and ran due north to the paper. Jeez. As he left my sight, I turned to my co-worker "these little shits are so out of control". I looked to my left and his mother was right beside the counter testing pens from he display table, slowly looking up at me.

Insert Stocking In Mouth.

Brooklyn

I just met the most precious little girl. Her name is Brooklyn and she is 1 month old. I am at Starbucks in Central square, grabbing a small coffee. I was headed to the cream counter to lighten my drink...when a bright beam of light shone through the window. It was as if my heart was pulled in that direction and I looked through the light to see this little head peep out from a huge crib-like stroller . Pink blankets were piled high and a tiny head shifted around. so so tiny. But her eyes were those of someone much older. Faded and glassy blue. Her head was the size of my coffee cup. She looked solemnly and but peacefully down at her haven of pink blankets. No smile. Just completely concentrated. Her blinks were slow and they corresponded to the slow groove of her passifier that moved in and out. "Her name is Brooklyn" her father said to me. I bent down, trying to catch her eyes with mine. But she kept looking down at her father's hand which touched the blankets around her. "Welcome" I said.

This is General Eggplant...and his wonkin shnoz. He sits in our window and stares at the passerby. Poor guy.

Goodbye Charlie

I have left Charlie's Kitchen- my workplace for three years. I waitressed and tended bar in this establishment, which has been around since the 50's. Its strange, as this joint became kind of like another home for me. I LOVE the people I worked with. They were all genuinely great people and it is sad to be leaving such a family. Not only were my co-workers great, but customers too. Charlies has quite unique bunch of Regulars. Hilarious and quirky men and women who I would see every day. I came to appreciate their habits, their quirks, and I have sealed all of these things into my mental diary of fond(led) memories:

I tended bar with Evan; together we giggled and impersonated customers, conversed with them in English, Spanish, drunken English, and drunken spanish. We overserved them, and then had to throw many of them out. I took away fake id's from scared boys that looked like they were 10. I served tables with Josh and when it was slow, he practiced his new rap songs for me and I beat boxed...tried to beat box. the words "burger" and "frappe",became a permanent set of vocab, Ive never had to wear so much black. Ive never seen bathrooms get so nasty. I have seen first dates, marriage proposals, fights, famous people, men trying to pick up women, women trying to pick up women, men trying to pick up bartenders, bartenders trying to pick up broken wine glasses. Ive formed friendships with two twin brothers that I like to refer to as the Kings of Charlies. Greg and George. Tall and with a sense of importance, they put me at ease when I saw them at the end of the bar in the same seats. I once gave a credit card receipt to a man to sign and instead of a pen, I accidentally gave him my eyeliner pencil. His girlfriend looked at me with such disgust as I fumbled to find a real pen. Another time, a customer found a shirt tag in his burger. Ive made music and business connections with people, tested beers with construction workers on their lunch breaks, talked about love with English professors, come up with theories about outer space with stubborn hispanic men, and given advice to troubled loners at my bar. So many people to even begin explaining, but that created such a memorable experience. I am so happy to have been there for them and I'm so glad they were there for me too.

I am happy to be moving on..It was time. I look forward to getting my design career underway.

So goodbye to Charlies and hello to a future of many more special experiences. I will surely miss the Charlies comeradere, the bizarre encounters and all of the people, sounds, food and many things that makes this place so special.

My FIrst Crush by Julia Pott

Julia Pott illustrates a wonderfull and hilarious mini film about first crushes...Enjoy!

My Travel journal. Even when I am not abroad I am traveling. Everyday a new experience, everyday- a new set of characters- a new piece of life to have. Welcome Ben to 177 Erie Street, my new roommate! The drawings are some of my new illustrations

Indian Home-cooking

Words cannot explain how excited I am about the meal I just made. Indian!
Today was a gross day and besides working at my desk all day- I decided to brave the disgusting weather and venture into the dark unknown of central square. I've been craving Indian food for the past week, so I went to Shalimar Spice store down the street and got some items to cook up. I called mom to let her know I was cooking Indian...thinking I would ask a few questions and be on my way, she got really stressed out that I was cooking something so complicated and I could hear it in her voice--she wanted to jump through the phone and do everything for me. That would have been nice- but I told her that no, I refuse to use a recipe, and that things are just fine( I can be stubborn when it comes to recipes. I think I can do everything on my own). (Is lamb really that hard to cook? Ive never done it before)I just sat down and ate my feast. IT WAS SOOO GOOD! Lamb, peas, tomato, coriander and cumin, mustard seed with a nice broth and some potatoes...partnered perfectly with dipable garlic nan which I crisped in the oven a bit beforehand. A glass of red wine completed the meal and now I feel so fufilled. Back to do work-senior invite, conference brochure etc etc--wonderfully satisfied by my own home-cooking.
-El

Spring semester news

Hello!
This semester I will complete my graphic design internship. It seems surreal to be experiencing this already, and also nerveracking showing up alone at a professional firm, where I will test my abilities in the field. This will be such a change! Graphic Design to me has meant NESAD for four years. I have spent my life in the same classrooms and computer labs with the same group of students and professors. I have friends whose advice and support I trust and love. I have professors that challenge my thinking, and who stand by my every decision- shaping and directing me to be a virtuous designer and artist. I have a community at NESAD, in which I have been raised; The first place I studied design and the first taste of my professional future. And in less than a year I will graduate and be a professional Graphic Designer--not a student. Leaving NESAD, more specifically, not being a student in a classroom anymore, will force me to look at myself in a brand new way- as a talented professional, and confident designer. Recently I have started to trust my ideas and my work more and believe in my sollutions. This is so important because in the real world, I will be EXPECTED to trust my visions and work. And I guess when it comes down to it, I am ready to be expected to great things. I am ready to be defined by my title as a Graphic Designer and Artist.
And now that I am in my last semester, I am doing an internship- which will give me a big bite of that real world.

Today I started my internship at Hamilton Hughes Design firm in Dorchester, MA! Robert and Kristen are the art directors and owners and they will be overseeing me. They are so nice and comfortable to be with. Today was a short day because of the impending blizzard. Monday will be my next day with them, and I look forward to it. I will be working on projects, observing their work, gaining practice doing a lot of the business related work, and learning about all of those details that simply cannot be taught in school. Yay. I will continue to post my progress.
Check Hamilton Hughes Design on the right!
Cheers,
Eleanor