Learning To Love You More

Assignment #41

2010-02-22T08:57:00.000-08:00

Document Your Bald Spot
"Carly's Bald Spot"

Assignment #44: Part XVI

2010-02-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

Take A Picture Of Someone Sleeping

But is he really?

Assignment #44: Part XV

2010-02-03T14:51:00.000-08:00

"Write The Perfect Job Ad You Wish You Could Find In The Paper"

HELP WANTED!

Seeking: A trustworthy and dedicated person to take care of our farm. We own a ten acre farm about 30 minutes outside of town, but we are moving and we're unable to take care of it. It's a family farm that we own and don't want to let go of. We're looking for a individual that can come live on our farm while we're out of the states and make sure that everything runs smoothly and happily.

No specific experience needed, just the capacity of love for our farm and our animals. We have two horses, ten chickens, a kinder goat, a couple cows, three pigs, a ton of kittens, and one of the cutest dogs you'll ever meet. Your duties would include taking care of the animals and general upkeep of the farm, garden, and house. We would take care of all expenses (i.e. animal food, your food, pay for your craft supplies, etc).

The house on the property is a five bedroom house with an inside pool and a roof jaccuzzi. There's also a lot of upper deck porches and a darkroom in the basement and lots of hammocks. I know this job requires a lot of attention and you may need some extra hands. Feel free to have whoever you want occupy the rest of the bedrooms.

It's been hard to find somebody for this position since we're not sure how long we'll be gone for. As of now, we're obligated to move for at least ten years. After that, we're not quite sure if we want to come back. If you're willing to make the commitment, there may even be a chance to buy the farm off of us in the end (for very, very cheap).

Please respond with your experience, a couple references, and what you would re-name all of our animals.

Assignment #44: Part XIV

2009-03-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

Put An Old Piece Of Furniture Outside

Assignment #44: Part XIII

2009-03-09T23:38:00.000-07:00

Read Your Parent's Favorite Book
My mother's favorite book at this time and my father's favorite book at this time.

Assignment #69

2009-03-09T23:34:00.000-07:00

Climb To The Top Of A Tree And Take A Picture Of The View

The Skidmore Bluffs
Portland, OR

Assignment #42

2009-02-09T09:44:00.000-08:00

List 5 Events From 1984

1. The first Macintosh was released for sale.
2. Michael Jackson's head was seriously burned by pyrotechnics while filming a Pepsi commercial.
3. I was hospitalized for approaching perfection.
4. The longest game in Major League Baseball was played. Lasting 25 innings and played over the course of 2 days.
5. Svetlana Savitskaya becomes the first woman to the space walk.

Assignment #26

2009-02-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

Design An Article Of Clothing For Mona To Crochet

A jumper, in anticipation for Spring.

Assignment #44: Part XII

2009-02-05T00:38:00.000-08:00

Write A Letter From Everyone Discovering Your Deepest Darkest Secrets

Dear Carly,

We've figured you out, there's no need to hide it anymore. All of your secrets are divulged and frankly, we wish we didn't know what we do. Here's a list of everything you've been trying to keep to yourself:

1. When you say you're doing homework, you're actually just taking a nap.
2. Your feet turn a really funny purple and red color when you get out of the bath or when you're cold.
3. You obsessively organize your room but tell us that you're just "tidying up."
4. You constantly misuse your knowledge of everyone's passwords.
5. Even when you're not taking a nap when you say that you're doing homework, you're reading things for pleasure rather than for school work.
6. You wish you had a better Spanish accent.
7. We know that you dislike the cold, but you say that the Portland winter makes you productive. We really know that you are always just waiting for anything above 50 degrees and until then, you're miserable.
8. You start projects and don't finish them because you say that you just wanted to start something new, but really, you just don't know how to finish them.
9. You think about being somewhere else more often than you think about how good here is.
10. You stopped being vegan a couple months ago and feel guilty about it, mostly when the right company's around.
11. You'd rather be doing something else but are too afraid to drop your current commitments.
12. You sing as loud as you can when you wash the dishes and when you think you're alone. We can hear you.
13. You watch a lot of internet T.V.
14. We know what you daydream about.
15. You know it'll never turn out like that, but you still think about it.
16. You're not tough, but you wish you were.
17. Yes, you were a cheerleader.

There's more, but we'd like to spare you the embarrassment. Just know that we know.

Sincerely,
Everyone.

Assignment #44: Part XI

2009-02-05T00:31:00.000-08:00

Document Something That Made You Smile Today

1.
Biking across this at 10 in the morning and not being cold at all.

2.
My T.A. being extraordinarily nice and breaking the Biology Rules so that i wouldn't have to dissect these cute guys.

Assignment #44: Part X

2009-01-15T19:01:00.000-08:00

Create A CD Of Your Favorite Songs

1. New Order- "Ceremony"
2. The Robot Ate Me- "This Love is Waiting"
3. Anna Hale- "Whiskers"
4. Jesus & Mary Chain- "Just Like Honey"
5. Benji Cossa- "April"
6. Yo La Tengo- "You Can Have it All"
7. Carly Toyer- "Together Again"
8. Jason Anderson- "July 4th, 2004"
9. Castanets- "Sway"
10. Herman Dune- "Pure Hearts"
11. Elliott Smith- "Happiness"
12. Mariah Carey- "Dreamlover"
13. Viking Moses- "One Arm Around the Sinner"
14. Silver Jews- "Random Rules"
15. No Age- "Everybody's Down"
16. Thanksgiving- "Days"
17. The Weakerthans- "My Favourite Chords"
18. The Windswept Stars- "Goodnight Summertime"

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?uwxzmzwygwa

Assignment #50

2009-01-06T16:35:00.001-08:00

Take A Flash Photo Under Your Bed

Assignment #44: Part IX

2009-01-02T15:55:00.001-08:00

Make A List Of All The Things You Love About A Particular Person

Also,

Assignment #44: Part VIII

2009-01-02T15:24:00.000-08:00

Describe A Cherished, Lost Possession

My right Beverly Feldman shoe that i wore to Winter Formal with Alex Lowell in 2004. It's been missing since about 2005, and i have no idea where it went. The last place i saw it was in the backseat of my car and i think somebody must've accidentally dropped it outside the door when i was giving them a ride. The worst part is is that i've still got the right one to remind me. Also, i've still got my mom to remind me.

Assignment #43

2008-12-29T10:21:00.000-08:00

Make An Exhibition Of The Art In Your Parent's House

1.

Album covers, signed posters, and newspaper clippings all having to do with the Beach Boys. The picture on the bottom left is one my dad took in the 70's, one's more recent, and a couple are from when he was a teenager. I think they're cute.

2.

My dad's Hard Day's Night movie poster.

3.

A self-portrait my sister Bethany painted when she was in high school. I always really liked it, especially the lights.

4.

What my mom painted above our stove.

5.

What's above our fireplace. I think this was the first thing that was hanging in our house when we first moved to Carlsbad. All the plants in it are numbered and you can read what they are at the bottom.

6.

Same.

7.

A print i made last year of my great aunt Gladys. I gave it to my parents over the summer in a letter i sent them.

8.

When i was 9 years old and bored my mom got sick of me and started buying canvases for me to paint. She didn't like the clouds and i didn't like the rug and i'm surprised it's still hanging in our house.

9.

Pointillism cat that Bethany drew for my dad for one of his birthdays. I think. I really like pointillism.

10.

I moved to Oregon and my mom turned my room into her craft room. This is above the desk she works at.

11.

One of my mom's first projects that i can remember.

12.

In Bethany's room.

13.

Same.

14.

Same.

15.

Skateboards she designed. A bunch of things stacked and arranged. She gave me one for my birthday. I chose the one with the cactus and i think it's super cool. It was hard to decide which one to take.

16.

Apparently this is from her work. It's better in real life.

Assignment #56

2008-12-22T15:49:00.000-08:00

Make A Portrait Of Your Friend's Desires

Kelly Kay, age 20

Assignment #44: Part VII

2008-12-21T00:52:00.000-08:00

Write Yourself A Letter

Dear Carly,

Something really strange has been happening. A week ago Izaak was here and he wanted it to snow so i told him i would manifest that for him. We woke up to snow and Miguel, Alan, and Julia were here too and we all went sledding and built a snowman and everything was real nice but the problem is is that now there's 1/2 a foot of snow on the ground. I'm not sure if it's my fault and i'm definitely not sure how to stop it. I wouldn't be too upset, except i'm trying to fly home for Christmas in a day and all of the flights out of town are being canceled. It's okay, i heard something about Christmas miracles earlier and i'm sure that if Southwest doesn't get me home, the magic of Christmas will.

You'd be happy to hear that i'm getting tougher. No, no, really. REALLY. Today was 20 degrees (with wind chill!) and i went out in a pair of tights, a mini-skirt and a coat. Also, i was about ready to bum out for the next week or so, because everybody left real suddenly, but instead i've been keeping productive. Mostly. Kelly and i started writing an album composed of songs that you would expect to hear at a Bar Mitzvah. We call ourselves The Shixa Bar Mitzvahs, and so far we've got our R&B jam and we're working on our dance jam. We started tagging and today we bought all of our Christmas presents. Keeping busy has been okay, pretty okay, but maybe i'm still bummed a little. All of my friends are really good at leaving and i'm really good at missing people. That's fine, according to my tag, posi-lock non-stop 4 ever. Or at least something similar.

I can't get Biz Markie's "Just a Friend" out of my head.

Hey, i hear that San Diego is 70 degrees right now. That doesn't sound too bad, even though San Diego as a whole might. Chin up though, right? Plus, i've got some really good plans in the making. Maybe i won't say them, in case they don't work out. But maybe in case i forget, i'll say that they have to do with the 101 and summertime. Man, summertime. Gimme some of that.

Keep warm, keep happy, keep going,
Love,
143,
Carly

P.s. NOW IS ALL YOU HAVE.

Assignment #70

2008-12-19T12:45:00.000-08:00

Say Goodbye

1. Goodbye Izaak!
2. Goodbye Julia, Miguel, and Alan!
3. Goodbye feeling too cold to get out of bed.
4. Goodbye worrying about next year.
5. Goodbye cutting my hair.
6. Goodbye passive-aggressiveness.
7. Goodbye showering more than once a day.
8. Goodbye showering once a day!
9. Goodbye thinking about people that aren't here more than people that are.
10. Goodbye to buying things that i could easily make.
11. Goodbye feeling that i can't do things.
12. Goodbye running late.
13. Goodbye forgetting that i know how to have fun.
14. Goodbye thinking too much about my next tattoo.
15. Goodbye marathons of online t.v.
16 . Goodbye smoking more than a couple cigarettes in a day.
17. Goodbye unproductive nostalgia.
18. Goodbye thinking of what life would've been like if i stayed in Santa Cruz.
19. Goodbye being closed off!
20. Goodbye San Diego!
21. Goodbye being unsatisfied.
22. Goodbye horrible cough that i've had for two weeks!!

Assignment #19

2008-12-10T22:05:00.000-08:00

Illustrate A Scene Or Make An Object From Paul Arensmeyer's Life Story

"I continued picking mushrooms on the 3rd and 5th fairways of the campus golf course as no one had mentioned that being a problem"

Assignment #64

2008-10-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

Teach Us An Exercise

On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, i ride my bike to and from school. On Wednesday i ride to school, home, back to school, and back home again
Here is the route i take:

*Click picture to see whole map

Take this exercise slowly. The first three times you ride to and back are going to be the toughest. Make sure to set a pace and stick with it. It helps to look at the houses going by instead of the street signs. The way home is a steady incline spread out over 30 blocks. You're in luck though, there's a 7-11 on 20th and Hawthorne. If you can't make it all the way yet, take a Slurpee break. Also, you're probably going to run into some sickie bike jocks. They might pass you going east on the bridge, but that's fine. You'll just meet up with them when you get the the other side.

After your first week, the exercise will just become routine. Now you can work on your speed and dodging cars. You can work on yelling at drivers when they almost run you over. You can work on your conversation skills when the Hawthorne Bridge is raised and you get to sit with fellow bikers for a good ten minutes.

This exercise is sure to sculpt your calves, thighs, and arm muscles. If you're lucky, it might even work your butt. It will build up your endurance and wake you up in the morning. It will make you feel good and accomplished, it'll give you rosy cheeks.

Assignment #54

2008-10-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

Draw The News

Assignment #21

2008-07-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

Sculpt A Bust Of Steve

Real life Steve.

Cake Steve.

Assignment #45

2008-05-11T02:14:00.000-07:00

Reread Your Favorite Book From Fifth Grade

"Just as I suspected," he continued, opening a large dusty book and thumbing through the pages. "You're suffering from a severe lack of noise."

Assignment #57

2008-04-15T22:07:00.001-07:00

Lipsync To Shy Neighbor's Garth Brooks Cover

Assignment #65

2008-04-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

Perform The Phone Call Someone Else Wished They Could Have

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?w3nnzmxmdlt

Assignment #44: Part VI

2008-03-29T00:44:00.001-07:00

Write Your Life Story As If It Took Place In One Day

I was born at about 1 P.M. which i guess could be considered a late start for a day, but i guess that's typical. I took 3758 showers and 1400 baths in between 1:15 P.M. and 2:00 P.M. It seems like a lot, but between 1 P.M. and 1:15 P.M. i was building forts and climbing trees and i learned how to ride a bike and i scrapped my knees 15 times so i was about due for some washing up. It was perfect timing too, because at 2:10 P.M. i had to book it to my elementary school graduation. Between the hours of 3:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. i drank 15 gallons of orange juice and ate about seven boxes of Morning Star Farm chicken nuggets, 200 salads, 13 dozens of cookies, and about 25 pounds of apples. By then i was wiped out so i took an hour nap which brings me to 5:00 P.M. At this point i went to New Orleans and Florida a couple times and won a couple national titles for competitive cheerleading. When i got home i realized that my parents had moved from Alpine to Encinitas and this was about half-past 6:00 P.M. and i was a little sad that i didn't get to say goodbye to my friends but i knew i had about 15 essays to finish for my AP Lit class and not even to mention all the books i had to read for my college classes and either way, my parents made it up to me by taking me to Hawaii (twice!) and Yosemite, all between 6:00 P.M. and 7:15 P.M. Between 7:20 P.M. and 8:00 P.M. i dated and broke up with about 12 boys and decided that i was done with relationships, at least until the next day. I don't really remember the time from 8:00 P.M. till 8:45 P.M. I drank 700 beers and had 47 shots and i was totally wasted. Needless to say, i spent the next two minutes being so hungover. At about 8:47 P.M. i played guitar, sewed 5 dresses and 30 skirts, wrote about 100 letters to close friends and was finished with all that at 9:00 P.M. From that time until 10:00 P.M., i walked 1440 miles around my neighborhood and met 340 strangers. I accidentally made one fall off of a bike. I spent 4 minutes being self-conscious and i spent 10 more being totally stoked and i guess the next 2 minutes were kind of ambiguous but by then it was 10:16 P.M. and i figured i should do something else. So i went to 65 parties and saw a couple meteor showers and at about 11:00 i ate 15 pounds of candy. Between 11:05 and 11:30, i saw 23 Japandi shows. At that point, goddamn i was tired but i knew it wasn't quite time to go to sleep. I went night swimming at 11:30 and i sneaked onto a couple roofs and i graduated from high school. By 12:00 A.M. i finished my freshman year of college. I gave one person a sponge bath and i read 40 books and i went on 25 hikes. From 12:05 A.M. until 12:30 A.M. i got lost and wandered around for a while. When i found my way back, i packed up my stuff and moved to Oregon. The drive took a while. I wasn't even fully settled in until 1:00 A.M. Either way, from 1:00 A.M. until 1:23 A.M. i baked 60 batches of cupcakes. After that i had 19 serious, serious conversations but i was done with that by 1:30 A.M. From 1:30 A.M. until 1:43 A.M. i searched around for a skateboarding boyfriend but when i couldn't find one i just went to Fred Meyer for about 50 minutes. When i got home, Kelly had moved to Costa Rica and Lana had taken her spot and we had 15 visitors staying in our living room. It was all a lot to take in, so i went outside and took 24 roles of film. I spent the next 2 minutes at The Bins and i think it snowed and i decided that it was time to go to sleep.

Assignment #44: Part V

2008-03-29T00:36:00.000-07:00

Make A List Of Your Top Ten Favorite Smells From Childhood

1. The flowers that smelled like honey that grew in front of my yard
2. Campfire
3. My mom's perfume
4. Playdough
5. Fresh laundry
6. The smell of kittens
7. Elevators
8. The foam pit at my gymnastics gym
9. Vacuums
10. Jack-O-Lanterns

Assignment #44: Part IV

2008-03-19T01:23:00.000-07:00

Create The Soundtrack Of Your Life

Carly Ng . Spring 2008 .

1. Adrian Orange- "Bitches is Lord"
2. Charles Manson- "Home is Where You're Happy"
3. The Weakerthans- "My Favourite Chords"
4. Elvis Costello- "Miracle Man"
5. Greg Davis- "Arbor"
6. The Windswept Stars- "I'm at Your Side, Friend of Mine"
7. Mariah Carey- "Always be My Baby"
8. Shakey Bones- "No More Trouble"
9. Pas/Cal- "Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up"
10. Melanie- "Brand New Key"
11. Mirah- "Apples in the Trees"
12. Erin Tobey- "Follow the Trail"
13. Karl Blau- "Into the Nada"
14. Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers- "Important in Your Life"
15. The Extraordinaires- "The Warehouse Song"

Assignment #44: Part III

2008-03-19T01:16:00.000-07:00

Choose A Word And Translate It

Truly

Dutch: Echt
French: Vraiment
Spanish: Verdad
Portuguese: Verdadeiramente
Italian: Allineare
Greek: αληθινά

Assignment #44: Part II

2008-03-19T00:48:00.000-07:00

Describe What Happens Outside Your Window

1. What i guessed

There's a big tree that's just beginning to get leaves again. A white Honda across the street. A white house that's hidden by a huge Doug Fir and a couple bushes and a red spikey plant. There's red Christmas lights in the living room. A purple house that has orange and green accents and a staircase to their porch and a garden. Daffodils. A stop sign and a street sign that reads "SE 30th" and the other reads "SE Main St." Some telephone lines and a streetlight. Maybe a stray cat or a biker going down 30th. Maybe a squirrel. An off-white house covered in vines. A car with a University of Arizona sticker across the back windshield.

2. After looking through my window

I forgot the Cartridge World Scion and the big white Van. The tree in front of Ross and Tina's that has moss all over it and kind of smells like fish. It's nighttime and i can see the moon. The house across the way that has a blue tarp covered Camper in their lawn. Our recycling bins.

Assignment #44: Part I

2008-03-18T02:24:00.000-07:00

List 100 Of Your Favorite Things

1. Lavender honey steamers
2. Bike rides
3. Raspberries
4. Bee pollen
5. Kittens
6. Red Pandas
7. Spring
8. Having sock choices
9. Tom Kha
10. Embroidering
11. The bros
12. Roller coasters
13. Trinkets
14. A good day at The Bins
15. Warmth
16. Trampolines
17. Receiving packages and letters
18. Sending packages and letters
19. Singing
20. Baking
21. Sewing
22. Foreign currency
23. Forts
24. Gardens
25. Joey Moran
26. Anna Wolfe-Pauly
27. The Main House
28. The idea of riding a horse
29. Hikes
30. Staying up too late
31. New things made out of old or broken things
32. Free things
33. Nanette Lepore
34. Cute, new underwear
36. Meteor showers
37. The music my friends make
38. Bro puns
39. 90s pop culture
40. Coffee
41. Cupcakes
42. Long walks
43. Miguel's and Mose's messages i have saved on my phone
44. Old pictures of my family
45. Pastels
46. Nice pencils and pens
47. Maps
48. Redwoods
49. Fresh laundry
50. High-fives
51. Black currant tea
52. Eating grapefruits like oranges
53. Ladybugs
54. Swimming in the ocean at night
55. The Oregon coast
56. Clean teeth
57. Mountains
58. My dad's old guitar
59. My mom's pasta
60. Missed connections
61. Class crushes
62. Having every possible color of thread
63. Softball in the summer
64. Constellations
65. Pumpkin patches
66. Laughing so much it hurts
67. Learning
68. Spooning
69. Napping
70. Skeleton keys
71. Wikipedia
72. Skateboarders
73. The Golden Time
74. Feeding the ducks at Laurelhurst park
75. Dreams
76. Murray Baumgarten
77. Sleeping in
78. Having neighbor friends
79. Pink Lady apples
80. Raw corn on the cob
81. Riding the bus
82. Daffodils
83. Italo Calvino
84. Joan Didion
85. Mason jars
86. To-do lists
87. Being inside on a rainy day
88. Being outside on a sunny day
89. Dr. Finger
90. Greg Davis for when it's time to sleep
91. Kitchen appliances
92. Seasonal fruits and veggies
93. Deep sea animals
94. Back scratches
95. Homemade ice cream
96. Being too excited to go to sleep
97. Secret spots
98. My idea of Norway
99. Sharing
100. Dresses

Assignment #35

2008-03-13T19:32:00.000-07:00

Ask Your Family To Describe What You Do

From Aubree (age 22), my sister:

Currenty, I believe you are taking three classes that probably fill about 10 hours in your week in actual class time+traveling to school+homework+time in between class. So I figure you spend about 15-20 hours of your week doing school related things.
I think you probably sleep in and go to bed sort of late, maybe you go to bed around midnight and wake up at around 9-10.
You also have to spend some time per week running errands...groceries, laundry, etc. I'll give that about 5 hours of your time.
Other than that I think you spend a lot of time reading, drawing, painting, and creating. You probably do some of these activities in coffee shops and a lot of them at home, particularly baking. Also, you probably do some shopping...clothing, antiques, and thrift.
Besides that I would say you spend a substantial amount of your time with friends. Maybe rolling in the grass, driving to the coast, going on hikes, etc.

From Bethany (age 24), my sister:

i think that you sleep in every day, then get up and have some coffee or tea or something and probably sit around for a while. then go to school or whatever for like a couple of hours or just sit around in your room and play guitar, go on the internet, or make art or something. or hang out with friends and do random stuff. then you probably make some sort of food for dinner. have something to eat, hang out with friends some more and then go to bed really late and do the same thing over again. except not the school thing, since you probably only go twice a week. i think you live in a general state of relaxation, creativity and lack of urgency, possibly with the influence of alcohol, and/or drugs. sounds pretty ideal to me.

i hope this helps and doesnt sound negative, because its not. i wish i could do what i just described every day. bye for now. ps i got to pet a penguin again. you missed out.

From Jamie (age 50), my mom:

Presently, Carly is usually doing something creative. You can find her
sewing, cooking, print making, designing a business plan or playing the
guitar.

Carly's motto could easily be, "Do something creative everyday". She will
get right to her creativity once she has had a much relished good night's
sleep. Of course, her "good night's sleep" often includes a greater portion
of the morning!

Once up, or perhaps before bed the night before, she will have made a list
of her goals for the day. She will aspire to achieve these goals, but will
not be entirely disappointed with herself if she falls a little short.

Her day will start with a healthy vegan breakfast, that she will gladly
share with the others in her household. Next. a long, leisurely shower will
follow filled with plenty of singing. Depending on the day, she will
prepare for her classes, go hiking, sew or haunt an establishment known for
it's tea and atmosphere. Carly's day will end by creating a great dinner
with friends, some singing and dancing (especially while she cooks), and, if
a venue for great music can be found, she'll be there!

Assignment #34

2008-03-11T23:06:00.000-07:00

Make A Protest Sign And Protest

"C'mon Spring!"

Assignment #9

2008-03-11T23:04:00.000-07:00

Draw A Constellation In Someone's Freckles

The Cat Constellation, recently found on the arm of Grant McGavin.

Assignment #8

2008-03-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

Curate An Artist's Retrospective In A Public Place

Laminated and nailed on four different telephone poles around the Hawthorne area.

Assignment #11

2008-03-11T01:21:00.000-07:00

Photograph A Scar And Write About It

Under the right knee, the closest to my foot

Closer up & a little blurry

There was one day when only Lana and i were home and we both decided to take naps. You know when you take a nap at around 4 or 5 and it's confusing because you wake up and it's dark but when you went to sleep it was light? That happened. When i woke up i walked down the stairs and because it was pitch black i thought there were three fewer stairs than there actually were. I had a pretty clean fall, three feet down and three feet across, right onto my knee. Lana was napping on the couch so she laughed at me a little.

Assignment #18

2008-03-10T00:21:00.000-07:00

Recreate A Poster You Had As A Teenager

From Mount Eerie's "No Flashlight" album. It used to be Chris's and it has a decent sized rip in the bottom left corner.

http://www.mediafire.com/?2lcm5ynimex
And a nice compliment of Mount Eerie's "It's Not the Hunting"

Assignment #37

2008-03-09T22:48:00.000-07:00

Write Down A Recent Argument

Me: Yeah, a group of four bros moved in across the street but they're so rad

Ben: Seriously? Four bros? (raises eyebrow)

Me: Yeah! But they're the kindest bros and they're going to let us garden in their yard and we're going to have summer barbeques and they get drunk and Razor scooter and they let us borrow movies and DUDE, we're starting a garden in their backyard! (motions excitedly)

Ben: Oh yeah, i wonder why they're so nice. Four attractive girls live across the street and want to hang out. Be careful with that.

Me: No! Seriously! They mean so well! They would never do that! The bros would do anything for us! (leaning in, really trying to be convincing)

Ben: Uh huh, they just want to see you all bending over, sweaty, digging in the dirt.

Lately

2008-03-06T03:09:00.001-08:00

I've been loving everyone and everything and me without assignments.
But there are still lots left and some half-finished. Someday soon. Soon, soon.

Assignment #40

2008-02-22T23:04:00.000-08:00

Heal Yourself

When i'm feeling especially sad or lonely, the following usually helps:

1. I first try to keep myself busy with some of the following:
A. Sewing or embroidering
B. Baking
C. Playing guitar. For the best results, i'll play a sad song and sing as loud as possible
D. Reading
2. The activities in step 1 are best accompanied by a cup of tea or hot chocolate.
3. I'll call an old friend and catch up. Hearing about their life reminds me that there are other things existing besides my temporary sadness. It's also nice to hear a friendly voice.
4. I'll make something nice for a friend. Making other people happy tends to make me happy.
5. A good dose of Mariah Carey never hurts. Especially if there's dancing involved.
6. I'll think about exciting things that are going to happen or that have happened. Because, if those are going to happen or have already happened, then it's totally possible that other exciting things could be happening right now.
7. It's also important to try to pinpoint what's making me feel this way. Usually, everything that's making me sad is being made up in my head.
8. I'll take a walk, long or short. But it's important that i stay warm.

In the end, i usually end up remembering that life's so rad.

Assignment #33

2008-02-16T01:07:00.000-08:00

Braid Someone's Hair

Assignment #25

2008-02-15T22:38:00.000-08:00

Make A Video Of Somebody Dancing

Assignment #67

2008-02-14T01:01:00.000-08:00

Repair Something

Before:

A broken window i found a couple streets down

After:

Something to hang on our bare walls!

This one creates lots of cool shadows.

I painted this based off a picture of my Great Aunt Gladys. She passed away a couple years ago and there are a bunch of terribly cute pictures of her from when she was young.

I spy Italy.

I made the top left pane into a chalkboard.

Assignment #66

2008-02-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

Make A Field Guide To Your Yard

Assignment #55

2008-02-11T02:50:00.000-08:00

Photograph A Significant Outfit

What i was wearing when all of my closest friends celebrated Thanksgiving at our house and it's true, i was really really thankful.

Assignment #27

2008-02-11T02:48:00.000-08:00

Take A Picture Of The Sun

The most sun in a while now.

Assignment #48

2008-02-10T02:32:00.001-08:00

Make The Saddest Song

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?7n34jdmi9im
The saddest song i'm capable of.

Assignment #6

2008-02-09T18:13:00.000-08:00

Make A Poster Of Shadows

Assignment #24

2008-02-08T19:09:00.000-08:00

Cover The Song "Don't Dream It's Over"

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?3dg3fbd1zdn

Assignment #68

2008-02-08T18:05:00.000-08:00

Feel The News

After declaring his decision to suspend his presidential campaign, Governor Mitt Romney sits down to hem a pair of previously ill-fitting pants.

Assignment #15

2008-02-08T16:45:00.000-08:00

Hang A Windchime On A Tree In A Parking Lot

Big Daddy's Parking lot, SE 30th and Hawthorne

Not quite tall enough to reach a tree branch

Dear wind

Assignment #12

2008-02-08T06:04:00.000-08:00

Get A Temporary Tattoo Of Morgan Rozacky's Neighbors

Assignment #60

2008-02-08T04:05:00.000-08:00

Write A Press Release About An Everyday Event

Released to The New York Times, Willamette Weekly, and The Union Tribune
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Four Bros Move to a SE Neighborhood

Friday, February 8th, 2008
Portland, OR

A neighborhood in SE Portland has recently been infiltrated by four bros. Approximately one month ago, the bros pulled together and began renting the house, located at 30th and Main Street. Their first appearance out of the house was recorded on January 20th, 2008, by two young women who live across the street from said bros. The bros introduced themselves in a line and our sources have confirmed that one of the bros is named Kit and another is named Bryce. At this time it is believe that Kit is the leader of the bros, a title known amongst their culture as "the brofficer." For documenting purposes, it has been decided that the two remaining roommates will be referred to as "Bro #3" and "Bro #4."

Kit, Bryce, Bro #3, and Bro #4 explained that they chose to move to Portland because they heard from a friend that it was "a chill place to live." Eager to meet their new neighbors, the bros invited the young women over for a game of Beer Pong, a drinking game popular amongst college fraternities. While the women declined, the bros insisted that they were invited over anytime the blue Christmas lights they adorned their porch with are turned on. Bro #3 explains, "we turn the lights on when we're drinking."

On February 6th at approximately 3:30 A.M., a neighbor reports that she witnessed Kit "stumbling in his front yard and shouting, 'i just took 20 shots, bros.'"

Bro #4 says that they "will definitely be drinking on this Friday," however, this information cannot be guaranteed until sources confirm that the party lights are on.

While the bros' political stances and religious views have not been discussed, it is assumed that they follow the philosophies implied under the DGAF Nation.

The New York Times and The Union Tribune were reached by email.

Assignment #51

2008-02-08T03:29:00.000-08:00

Describe What To Do With Your Body When You Die

A couple days ago i was listening to an episode of This American Life. It had to do with people's last words upon dying. In one of the segments, Sarah Vowell told a story about a husband a wife that died a day apart from each other. The husband, who died on the second day, decided that he wanted their bodies cremated together. If this highly unlikely case happens to me, i would like the same to happen. Sounds nice, don't it?

But i guess most likely i'll die on a day separate from those close. So i'd like to be cremated and thrown into the wind. A nice kind of lightness.

Assignment #63

2008-02-07T16:07:00.000-08:00

Make An Encouraging Banner

YOU

ARE

BEAUTIFUL

Assignment #16

2008-02-07T16:02:00.000-08:00

Make A Paper Replica Of Your Bed

My real bed:

My replica bed:

Assignment #14

2008-02-07T06:46:00.000-08:00

Write Your Life Story In Less Than A Day

I came out Carly Allyse Ng. I was supposed to be named Hannah but my mom’s friend had her baby first and named it Hannah. Instead, I’m now named after a pop star from the 70s or 80s or somethings. 60s? We ended up naming our dog Hannah.

I spent the first nine years of my life in Alpine, California. We lived in a small neighborhood in between some hills. 8942 Hunter Pass, Alpine, CA 91901, exactly. It was the kind of street where you actually have neighbors. The Mormon neighbors with a family of 8, the neighbor who’s sleeping with the other neighbor although they’re both clearly married, the neighbor who’s 40 and secretly smokes pot with an old college friend who’s actually just your best friend’s dad. The kids in the neighborhood grew up together, though I was always the youngest. I got tricked into doing some pretty dumb things because of that. One time I pet a wild rooster to prove to the older boys that I was tough. It almost bit off my hand (i think i was about 4-- i had tiny hands at the time) and it turns out that the boys were lying in the first place and they were too scared to go near it themselves. My neighbor to the right was boy a couple years older than me and the whole neighborhood picked on him. His house was toilet-papered every weekend but that also meant that every weekend there was a tournament: whoever could reach the highest bit of toilet paper in the tallest tree could pick any piece of candy from his candy drawer. I won and I picked gummy sharks.

I went to some Christian Preschool and I remember we used to sing a song every morning that went “this is the day/this is the day/ this is the day that the lord has made/ I will rejoice” and also that one that everyone knows that goes “this little light of mine/ I’m gonna let it shine.” There was a boy who lived down the street who I carpooled to preschool with. Brett Allen. One day my mom and I picked him up to go to school and half way down the block, with the car moving, he opened his door and ran back home. He was my first kiss and his mother has the proof hanging above her mantel. I think sometime in high school he started selling pot, but i guess i only knew him until he was about 11.

I was set up with a pretty good family, too. Bethany is my oldest sister and we’re five years apart. I think she resented me until about a year ago. I'm fine with that though, we get along just fine now. Last time i saw her, she tried to teach me how to skateboard. The time before that we made cupcakes together and the time before that she snuck me beer at our family Christmas dinner. Aubree’s in the middle and we’re three years apart. We’ve got plans to open a small boutique that sells clothes and cupcakes. Right now she has some science job that i don't understand and i think we're both pretty excited about the future. My mom paints and cares. She finds old pieces of furniture that are going to be thrown away and tries to make them look new again. I told her that she's totally dumpster diving and that she's so DIY but i don't think she knows what i mean. And my dad’s in the telecommunications business. He’s also Chinese, making me half Chinese and half Caucasian. Sometimes he's all business but in the time that he's not, he writes surf rock.

After preschool I attended Shadow Hills Elementary School. The parents always come for half of your first day of school and then they leave you so that you can get situated. I didn’t know that they left half way in between. I thought they were going to go to kindergarten with me. When they left I couldn’t stop crying and my teacher told me to count as high as I could count. I got close to 100 before I started making up numbers. My best friend Carrie was in that class with me. She didn’t cry but that’s probably because she was happy to get away from her terrible mother. I remember my friend from class named Amber died in a fire. The school tried to avoid explaining death to us and instead we planted a tree. I never really got what happened until recently.

At about this age, I took tap dance classes. Every year we’d put on a recital for our parents to show them what we’ve been learning. My parents have some home videos of our recitals so there’s proof to what I’m about to say: I was by far the best in the class. I had two instructors, Dorothy and Christina. I remember liking Dorothy significantly more.

First grade was super boring but I remember I had a wart right above my left knee that I always tried to hide. That’s basically all that happened in first grade.

Second and third grade didn’t really matter all that much either. I took up gymnastic, that’s what happened here. I made it to level 4 and I could do a round-off back-handspring and I could do a back-walkover on the balance beam but I could never to a kip.

When I was in fourth grade I had Ms. Chism. After class she would play basketball with the other basketball playing teachers. One time, her boyfriend came to class dressed like Elvis and proposed to her. This inspired a boy in my class named Casey to get down on one knee and propose to me. I said no. I think it was in fourth grade that everyone got really mean.

And then there was that one night that my parents came into my room (shared by my sister) and they told us that we were moving. It was like, the worst news ever at the time. I had lots of goodbye parties and there were flowers and balloons and everyone gave me their address and we all promised to be best friends forever. That never really panned out.

We moved to Carlsbad, California and we spent our first three months in a tiny apartment while our house was being built. This time it was all three sisters in a tiny room. My dad would read to us each night to make us feel less sad and it almost worked. Things were tough at first, but probably only because I was 11 or something and because the kids at my new school were huge jerks. But I soon made two friends and fifth grade became pretty alright.

Since we moved away from our old gym, I quit gymnastics and started competitive cheerleading. My coach was named Jen and she winked a lot and for the first couple years I had fun. But then Tannaz came to help coach and everything turned too serious for only being 11. And then for some reason I continued until junior year in high school. Something ridiculous like 5 times National Champions or something. Who knows, it doesn’t seem like any of that actually happened.

Junior high was super weird. I won the science fair in 8^th grade. I dated a boy named Robert. I performed in the 7^th grade talent show—we danced to “Whoop There It Is.”

Then I went to La Costa Canyon High School. The first year was filled with pool parties and learning how to play guitar and falling out with a couple good friends. The second year was just a continuation and the third year was constant ditching or eating lunch in my car. I dated a boy named Alex and we were both really into kittens but after couple months we weren’t really into each other. I cut his hair for the first time in sophmore year and he told me I had to sing the “Haircutting Song” which just turned out to be me humming “So What?” A couple years later i cut his hair after taking four shots of whiskey. Every time his hair turned out fine, i think. A boy named Andy told me he was seriously crushin’ but now we’re just “B.F.F. & E.” In Physics I had a funny lab partner named Bailen. He was almost a bro but his father was a physicist and so as a trade, he did our labs and I gave him cigarettes.

Between my junior and senior year I made a handful of good friends. We dumpster dived and we went to shows and everyone smoked cigarettes and went to Food Not Bombs and there was Kelly Kay and Shivaun and Jacob etc. At one point I worked at a taco shop with two babes and we started a band called Cake Maps. I think we all look back at that time and think of it as our “Glory Days.” I’m stuck between these things: 1. we thought we were way cooler than we actually were and 2. maybe we were actually just really cool.

For my senior year I transferred to San Dieguito Academy and everything was magically 183287542389 times better. Blaze Newman let me know that I can secretly write a killer essay. Except I still don’t separate paragraphs properly and who really knows how to use commas? I dated, fell in love with, and broke up with a boy named Kevin. That was the first time that dating was a serious thing and that was the first time a heart break was ever so sad. I listened to lots of “The Good Life” by Weezer and kissed a lot of boys and stayed out late and hung out with a girl named Anna and a boy named Riley. At the end of the summer we went to Big Sur, along with Andy, and we stayed in tents and went on hikes. One night we drank an outrageous amount and Riley enjoyed it because it looked like there were twice as many stars.

Either way, I graduated in 06 and I told my peers that “all in all, we cannot stop singing. We cannot start sinking, we’ll swim until it ends. They may kill and we may be parted but we will never be broken hearted.” Thanks, Ted Leo.

After a summer wilder than any other moment in my life, I left San Diego to attend UC Santa Cruz. I technically lived in Stevenson College but I actually lived in Kelly and Ariel’s apartment in Kresge. They lived next to a cute boy named Chris and one time we all ate dinner together and Chris’s friend Izaak came. Izaak was wearing a K Records pin and I was immediately crushin’. He wrote my number on his arm and I learned how to spell his name. I learned how to take 10 shots of whiskey in 10 minutes and I learned that college is so easy. I went on a couple scavenger hunts, one I don’t remember too well. I spent too much time thinking about San Diego. I dated an old friend named Matt and it was nice but in retrospective, very very strange. I kissed the aforementioned boy named Chris and then he told me he was dropping out of college and moving to Philadelphia. He came back in the late spring and there was a welcome that kind of warms your whole stomach and there was this day where all of my closest friends laid in a meadow with honeybees and birds and a stream and the sun. Miguel was naked and the dandelions popped and there were poppies and grasshoppers.

There was this one time that Izaak and I sponge bathed Miguel for his 19^th birthday.

After school ended, Izaak, Miguel, and I took a road trip to Portland to visit Joey and Chris. We spent a day on the coast and my heart exploded a couple times and then we drove back down to California. Now both Izaak and Chris are in Philadelphia and Joey and Miguel are in Santa Cruz. I think that at some point we were all supposed to be in Portland, but that fell through somehow.

I spent a restless summer in San Diego. There was the beach and there were old friends and there was too much time spent missing people. In August, I drove my car up to Portland with my friend Natalie. After a week or so of being homeless, we got a house on SE Main St with our two other friends, Kelly and Lauren. I saw a boy named Matt for a couple seconds and it involved lots of scary movies and some metal. Every once and a while Joey’s here and all the time that he’s here it’s the best. We try to have family dinners every night and sometimes Nick will show up on his bike.

I now spend more time on my own and it gets hard sometimes but I’m learning to do it. In a couple months I’ll leave again to go back to Santa Cruz. It’s going to be hard to leave.

Assignment #53

2008-02-07T04:18:00.000-08:00

Give Advice To Yourself In The Past

Advice to Carly Ng at age 18:

1. You just turned 18 and man, how have you made this many mistakes already? Lots of weird things are happening right now, but that's okay. It's good that you feel so sad right now. In a couple months you'll be more assertive and happier than ever.
2. Seriously, don't choose to live at Stevenson College. You'll think it's a good idea, but you'll be wrong.
3. Call your parents more often. I know you're totally stoked about not living at home anymore, but they're pretty good people and i'm sure they're worrying about you.
4. Actually go to your classes.
5. Stop living off of nostalgia and realize that there are amazing things happening in the present.
6. You'll meet three boys and you'll fall in love with all of them. One of them doesn't make sense at all. One of them makes a whole bunch of sense and you should try to figure that out a lot earlier. One of them is something great and refreshing, but comes with a whole lot of bad timing and sadness. I'd go with the middle one.
7. If you meet somebody and they ask you if you want to "dock," steer clear. Well, of the docking. The person is pretty amazing.
8. Yes, Portland is a good idea.
9. You're pretty okay at some things, stop thinking that you're not.
10. Avoid all hot tubs.
11. Spend more time with Grandpa Brean.
12. You'll have a day incomparable to all days that came before. Enjoy it, but remember that nothing is permanent.
13. Replacing beer with hard alcohol in a drinking game is NOT a good idea.
14. Spend more time outside.
15. Don't speed on the 45.
16. You're going to have a final for your Self & Society class. Don't take a nap on that day. You'll sleep right through it if you do.
17. San Diego really isn't that great, i promise.

Assignment #61

2008-02-07T04:07:00.000-08:00

Describe Your Ideal Government

If we could all start doing things by ourselves but together at the same time, that would be ideal.

Assignment #52

2008-02-07T02:56:00.000-08:00

Write a Phone Call You Wish You Could Have

Me: Hello?
You: Hi, it's
Me: Hi! I haven't heard from you in a while
You: Well, you know, i've been busy. Taking care of business.
Me: I know what you mean. Or at least i've been making myself keep busy.
You: Huh. How're you doing?
Me: I've been trying to keep it real, but it's getting pretty hard
You: You'll find a way. It won't be much longer.

Documenting

2008-02-07T02:13:00.000-08:00

"The best art and writing is almost like an assignment; it is so vibrant that you feel compelled to make something in response. Suddenly it is clear what you have to do. For a brief moment it seems wonderfully easy to live and love and create breathtaking things. In this section we have archived some of the work that has commanded us in this way. In a sense, these are assignments -- in the same way that the ocean gives the assignment of breathing deeply, and kissing instructs us to stop thinking."

http://www.learningtoloveyoumore.com/index.php