Julia's in Sacramento

Moderately Employed

Hey there blog friends, I'm still Sacramento, land of plenty, but I thought I'd update about KC. The problem with my analogue life/digital blog means that by the time I get my film developed, the holiday/graduation/exciting bug is over and long gone. Anyhow, so it means that you might get news of my exciting KC lifestyle in the same time frame as Kansas City gets up to date environmental policies : a little late. So when I start getting recycling at my apartment, you'll get timely blog updates, but until then, sit tight greedy readers! (Don't be fooled though, this post has in fact only digital photos, and no has ever voiced ANY concern for this issue, this is just a warning for the future)


Back to business! I got a job, mostly. I'm a second lens of sorts for a woman who shoots weddings in rural Kansas. Her family has a wedding venue with her family called the Grand Loft and I shoot the less essential shots. Whats not to love?!


The venue is in Osawatomie , Kansas.


Osawatomie has many modern conveniences. For instance they have the oldest psychiatric hospital in Kansas! It also has an "unusually high crime rate" Needless to say, I enjoy it thoroughly! Way better than pets, there's a dance floor!


On a Sacramento note, Rach and I have been out on the town for Thanksgiving eve. I'm not usually "out on the town", but when you're on a tropical California vacation, you're apt to live a little!
We went to Rachel's least favorite bar Club 2 Me. We got facebook invites and couldn't resist, infact she says on the facebook event page "Club 2me? Can't wait to see a bunch of people who forgot I existed, then quickly re-enter their consciousness by wailing along to a Journey song with them and spilling the remnants of a mojito on their fake italian loafers/forever 21 halter!...looking forward to this, seriously! Thanksgiving 2k8!" This turned out to be pretty much true and we had a great time I think. While we were there I only got two glasses related "fun nicknames". I guess thats what you get for confusing people with eyewear - name calling. Club 2 Me!

Belated Post! and Big News! Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? Its me, in Sacramento!

Last weekend or whenever Veterans Day was, my folks came for a visit! They came to revel in our lifestyle of young twentysomethings! exotic! late nights! (I think readers of this blog know just how untrue this is (especially readers of julia fredenblog!))
What we really did was explore the sights and sounds of Kansas City's (and surrounding areas) past! Truman Library, Battle of Westport plaques, mysterious exotic Mormonism church in Independence, MO, the history lessen never ends! Oh and most importantly, we all watched a lot of Hercule Poirot, my favorite Belgian detective.Jamie claims that this church's (The Community of Christ Temple) spire is really a slide and is there for Jesus to slide down in the second coming, but I am skeptical. This church was, until 2001 was called the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and is in Indepence, MO (birthplace of President Harry S Truman) and is not so far from Kansas City. Please explore this, and tell me if you think there is a slide! It has been a conversation piece at several dinners!
There they are at a historic house in Lexington, MO, site of Civil War battle something or other!

Also, big news! My parents and I did a swap, and I'm in Sacramento right now with them until December 1st! Lets communicate!

Software!

I got the computer up and running...


And made a little program that makes you sound like Cher. This could be thought of as my response to Julia's remarkable and awe inspiring crafts. GingerSnap is my computer Kraftwerk.

- GingerSnap -
by Jamie Burkart (Feb ‘08)

This program SNAPS! the pitch of your voice to notes you choose. You know, like Cher! Do you believe in how easy this program is to use?!

What makes GingerSnap cool is the way you perform the pitch of your live voice in real time. Intuitive gestures make it easy to dynamically retune any sound. So, Cher could use this program in live performance to follow the key changes in her song.

More fun GingerSnap projects...
1) Tune your radio and make Ira Glass and Terry Gross part of your band's performances of new music works by Philip Glass and Terry Riley!
2) Let your microphone pick up the sound of your speaker to generate a crystal feedback atmosphere!
3) Advertise a "Duet Performance of 'The Rose'" but when everyone shows up, it's just you and this program. Your real voice and your GingerSnapped voice can do two-part harmony! Just remember, in the winter, far beneath the winter snow, lies a seed, that with the sun's love, in the spring becomes a landscape of crystal feedback atmosphere! Then as everyone is leaving, give them holiday cookies you've cut-up into cute shapes with a pixilated cookie quantizer. GingerSnap!

Jamie

[2nd Version]
Fixed recording so files are saved to the Desktop. Made a floating window that lets you use you computer keyboard's home row as a MIDI Controller.

Veteran's Day

So I think that being in Kansas City is about connecting what I want to do with what I'm doing. This Kansas City adventure is about building a lifestyle of connections between people, places and ideas that I care about. It's a nice feeling, becoming who I am.

It's like last week. Julia's parents were visiting from Sacramento for Veterans Day. We've never had so many people for dinner! The regular Sunday night crowd were there. My Mom, her boyfriend Mister Ed, sister Megan, brother Dominic, Julia and I were joined by the Fredenburgs of the West. It was a ruckus night of squash soup, lasagna and apple pie!

It's dangerous to move somewhere away from people you love. Because everywhere there are people worth caring for. And after moving once, you'll always miss someone from where you were.

So it was the most amazing feeling, not last Sunday - but the Sunday before, to be surrounded by so many people from all over who I love so well.

And the more recent Sunday night's dinner was good too.

Jamie

New Etsy Update

Great news! New Etsy update! I'm sure its a relief to all you in blog-land that I've updated my Etsy shop once again. Now all of you that have been clamoring to get your grubby little mits on some homemade wares have your chance to finally live big!

Don't worry though, my friends with custom orders, your items are being diligently worked on my me and all of Midwestern elves. They are adorable and all wearing their puffy Chiefs jackets, carefully crafting your custom orders and gearing up for winter.


Things have been getting a little chillier here, well only yesterday, but still! It snowed just a little bit, you really had to look hard to even notice, but it was there alright! I'm just gearing up for winter weather!

Great Idea

Things are going pretty well, craft wise. So well that I'm constantly crafting. (well to be honest, I've been sick and my parents were visiting us here in KC, where the playas play, so I've taken a break until today.) Here is another custom dress that I made for a lovely someone on Etsy.

All this crafting makes me think I should put an ad on Craigslist for an intern or something. I could even offer course credit to a fortunate textile design student! The art institute is right around the corner from me, an easy commute for any student! They might be a little disappointed though when they get to our apartment and find out that I actually should have put "sweatshop work in my sunroom" instead of "perfect fashion design internship, great experience!" in my Craiglist ad.

Art students! Just think about it!

Halloween Fun

Jamie and I really enjoyed reliving the dream that is high school prom photos! In these type of photos, it's very important (a 17 year old Mathew Debarry, who was the photographer at the prom, told me) to show off your fingernails that you carefully manicured for the occasion.


I'm a ghost, Jamie's mom (Anne) is Tinkerbell, and Dominic (Jamie's brother) is an alien. Sometimes on just the right Halloween night, a totally unscripted, candid photo of a few friends having a good time without any coaxing, can be captured, with out poses.

Jamie was a cube. We went trick or treating with Dominic around the neighborhood, and there were hoards of kids! MANY people were visibly angry at Jamie's costume because it wasn't super clear. "What the heck are you?!" Some people reacted well, but a lot of kids just stared blankly at him with a little bit spit coming out of their mouths.

Things ended a little differently at our favorite annual Halloween riot! Things get a little scary sometimes, but what's Halloween without a little mob danger?!