Proof.

Not that any of you ever doubted, but here's solid proof that not only were Sarah and I extras in "Whip It" (which came out on DVD on Tuesday), but that was my torso in my previous post. (You can compare the jeans and the boney elbows.) We're stars!!

The First of Many Treasure Hunts

Last Saturday promised to be a rather sad day, as I was leaving the fam and the comforts of home to head back to Grand Rapids and school. (Not that G.R. and school are bad, I'd just had a LOT of fun over the break!) I got back to my apartment, unloaded, then decided to go get some groceries before settling in to unpack. When I was leaving the Family Fare, I heard booms in the distance. I had an internal dialogue that went something like this:

"Yikes! I hope no one just got shot. Actually, it sounds like fireworks. Nah, it's January, and not a holiday. Why would there be fireworks? Probably a car backfiring. Or more like a lot of cars backfiring at once. Boy, I hope those bananas ripen up quick. Maybe I'll stop by Taco Bell after all."

When I got in my car and pulled out onto the road, off in the distance I saw them: it was fireworks! I immediately set off to search for the source. I figured that the most logical place for fireworks to go off would be right downtown over the river, so I headed in that direction. I tried to keep the fireworks in sight, and would lose them occasionally behind trees or buildings. I knew I was getting close when I saw people running in the direction of the river.

After a few minutes, I ended up on Pearl Street, stopped in a line of cars on one of the bridges over the Grand River. We were parked very illegally, but no one seemed to care. The fireworks were being set off on a parallel bridge (Michigan Street), so I had a perfect view! I opened up my sun roof, pulled out my camera, and got a few cool videos. It was fun to hear the cheering and see all of the people lined up on the bridge and along the cold river.

I had a silly grin on my face for quite some time after I drove away after the big finale (see video below). I must say, my resolution to find treasure certainly was met in spades! I think my next resolution is going to be to win a million dollars...

(A couple of things about the video: It gets cooler about half-way through; I love that the No Parking sign is clearly visible throughout; about 2/3 of the way through, it gets REALLY loud - my car was shaking quite a bit at that point!; I also love to hear the cheering at the end. Enjoy! And Happy January!)

More Wonders of the Ocean

A few weeks ago I was wandering around the Grand Rapids Public Museum (which I highly recommend - a very interesting museum with really informative and well done displays) and I came across a display about ivory. It was focused on the ways that ivory has been exploited and talked about where ivory comes from. One part showed a narwhal tusk, and I will admit that I was a little baffled that narwhals are actually real! I hate to show my ignorance that I didn't realize the reality of this fantastic creature - I'd seen the one in Elf, but didn't realize it was an actual animal! Once I saw the display at the museum, however, I realized that maybe narwhals weren't just a claymation fantasy.

This discovery led to some serious research (mostly involving the always accurate Wikipedia) about narwhals. They are amazing! (And slightly terrifying - I don't really need yet one more reason to stay out of the ocean...) Apparently male narwhals are the ones with the tusks - the

left of their two front teeth grows out into a spiral and can reach a length of 7-10 feet!! (Their bodies are 13-16 feet long.) The tusk isn't used for fighting or eating, but serves a similar purpose as peacock feathers or a lion's mane (for mating rituals/showing off).

Elizabeth and I were looking at photos of them last night, and I can't get over how insane these guys look! (They are thought to have lead to the legend of the unicorn, too.) I'm amazed at the incredible animals out there as well as how terrible my earth science teacher in high school was. How did I not know about the ocean sunfish or the narwhal? Now I know...and knowing's half the battle. ;)

There's Treasure Everywhere!

I know you've all been on tenterhooks waiting to find out what my new year's resolution is going to be, so I shan't keep you waiting any (well, much) longer! I've thought about it quite a bit, and mulled a few options over:

- Read more Murder, She Wrote books

- Seriously (like, really seriously, this time) learn how to play the guitar

- Blog every day...or at least every week!

- Solve world hunger

- Join Farmville addicts anonymous

I threw those out (though I'll continue to work towards those goals) and looked at this resolution a different way. My main criterion for this resolution is that it not be mundane - no exercise/diet resolutions or anything like that. When I looked at the definition of a resolution (a firm decision to do or not to do something) vs. goal (the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result), I felt like a resolution was more, well...more resolute. A little more determined than a goal would be. Of course, exercising and eating well are good things to do, but I plan on doing those things (well, should be doing those things) anyway, so why resolve to do them if I already am (will be)?

Last night I was reading a collection of Calvin and Hobbes comics called There's Treasure Everywhere. The very first comic (as seen above) shows Calvin digging for treasure and so excited about the things he's found - worms, a rock, a root, etc. To us, those things might seem insignificant or even gross. But for Calvin, it's real treasure! Calvin's attitude has inspired me and influenced my resolution this year.

Last year my resolution, to have more adventures, took me all over the country. This year, I'm going to continue to be adventurous, but I'm going to look for local "treasures" and work to find treasures in small things every day. This resolution encompasses a few things besides treasure hunts and adventures, specifically being more positive and grateful. I think that all of these things are tied together: if I have a more positive attitude, every day can be an adventure, treasures will be found much more easily, and I'll be more aware and more grateful for all that I have and do. (Awareness is really key here: we can have amazing things going around us but be completely self-absorbed and unaware - I am often guilty of this.)

I know that goals are supposed to be measurable and trackable, which might not seem to apply to my resolution this year (I certainly was able to track my adventures last year; not just my travels, but more local adventures, like watching karaoke semifinals in Hell, going to Frankenmuth twice, being a movie star, etc), but I think there are ways. At the very least, there are ways to break down and achieve this goal.

When I was in high school, I put up a sign by my bed that said: "You have a choice today: you can choose to be happy or you can choose to be grouchy." Most people would probably laugh at that, but I can assure you that, while our moods are often affected by things outside our control we still can control how we react to those things. I remember one morning in particular I awoke and was laying in bed feeling particularly grumpy. When I sat up and read that sign I instantly felt the grouchiness wash away and a peaceful contentedness take its place. I had the choice and I chose to be happy. (If you come by my apartment and find similar signs all over, you are now forewarned that this is merely a way for me to achieve my 2010 resolution.)

So this year, I'm seeking treasure. The treasure will be in the form of further (probably local) adventures, happiness, and gratitude, as well as anything else that comes my way. If you have ideas or suggestions, I'd be happy to hear what you have to say! And if you have any good experiences (either now or things that happen to you this year), please share! I'll try my best to use my blog as a way of tracking this, too, so I can share my treasures with you!

Also, you should probably be expecting me to have a treasure hunt-style birthday party this year - it's a big one for me, so I've gotta do it up right!

The Best Resolution Ever.

Some of you may remember that I set a goal at the beginning of this year to take more risks. Really, it was to be more adventurous in general. I thought having more of a broad goal would make it a little easier to achieve but would still give me a chance to do something new. I was hanging out with two of my friends on Monday and Camilla told me that I'm one of the only people she knows who actually achieved her New Year's resolution! I thought I'd share with you some of the successes that I had in achieving this goal.

To start, I was thinking about how many museums and historical places I visited this year. I came up with a list which is pretty darned lengthy! (An asterisk [*] indicates a place I've never been to before this year; if there is a number next to it in parentheses that indicates the number of times I went there this year only.)

The Museum of Modern Art, NYC*

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC*

The Frick Collection, NYC*

The Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit

The University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History

Arab American National Museum, Dearborn, MI

The Public Museum of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, MI*

Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, G.R., MI (3 times)*

The Grand Rapids Art Museum, G.R., MI*

The Salem Witch Museum, Salem, Mass. (twice)*

The Salem Pirate Museum, Salem, Mass.*

The House of the Seven Gables, Salem, Mass. (twice)

Hershey Museum, Hershey, PA*

Plimouth Plantation, Plymouth, Mass.*

Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA*

Meyer May House (a Frank Lloyd Wright house), G.R., MI*

Nauvoo, Illinois (Joseph Smith house, Red Brick Store, Skovill Bakery, etc.)*

Empire State Building, NYC*

Quincy Market, Boston, Mass.

Fanueil Hall, Boston, Mass.

Some other places I went/saw:

Artprize (a pretty big deal in Grand Rapids this fall)*

Liberty Bell, Philadelphia, PA*

Lincoln Center, Juilliard, The Strand, Times Square, Central Park, Rockefeller Plaza, NYC*

I think you can tell from some of the locations of the museums and other places that I travelled quite a bit this year! New York City; Boston (twice); Salem, Massachusetts (twice); Maine (Bar Harbor, Freeport, Boothbay Harbor, Portland); Philadelphia; Hershey, PA; and Ludington, MI (4 times).

I also embarked on a very big new adventure: I quit my job, moved to Grand Rapids, and started a graduate program in painting at Kendall College of Art & Design of Ferris State University. It's been a bit of an adjustment living someplace new, going to a new school, etc, but it's been a great adventure!

So now I need a new resolution for next year that out-does this year's. I'm open to suggestions! Now that I'm a student again it has to be a low-budget resolution, but I think I'd like to stay in the area of doing things that are adventurous. I've got one more day to work it out...I'll let you know what I decide it should be. There may be more on this decision tomorrow...

My Newest Painting

I finished this painting on Wednesday - it is based on a trip I took to New York City earlier this year (in case you couldn't tell from looking at it...). The photo's a little dark, but you get the idea!

(Painting copyright Katherine Downie 2014)

What I Do

I was talking to my friend Brian the other day about how hard it is to blog sometimes with a sister as hilarious and witty as mine. Now I don't mean to sound (too) bitter about this, it's just that, well, she's funnier than me! (And I have proof.) And I'm OK with that. While I feel fairly confident with my writing skills, I think my strengths lay in writing fiction or thoroughly researched (and thus slightly boring) papers and critical analyses. (Don't feel bad, I just fell asleep writing about writing them, so your snores don't upset me.) ;)

So here's my plan: I was thinking that, while I still plan on blogging about the usual boring stuff (the foundation upon which my blog was built), I might occasionally share with you something that I'm just slightly more comfortable with: my (and sometimes others') art! As a grad student at Kendall College of Art and Design, I eat, sleep, and breathe art (a little uncomfortable at first, but I've adjusted), so why not blog about it (a little), too? If you don't like art, I hope you'll still give this a chance. Like my 20th Century Art History professor told us, I don't have to make you like it, but I'd love to help you understand it.

To start off on this path, I thought I'd share with you a few paintings that I've done. I work mostly (~96% of the time) in watercolor, which is what these are. These three paintings are on 23" x 30" Arches watercolor paper.

This is a painting I did in 2007 of some of the knights at the Renaissance Festival in Holly, Michigan.

A more recent painting (done in September/October 2009), this one is from a new series I'm working on called "What's On Your Table?" This is a collection of items that reflect my recent move to Grand Rapids from Saline.

This is the second painting in the "...Table" series, and is really just things that were, at that time, on my coffee table. Through this series I'm working on photo realism and am continuing to paint larger and larger (the most recent that I'm still working on is 3' x 4'). They are also becoming more personal in their content (I'll post those when they are complete).

(Please note that the paintings I post here are copyright 2014 Katherine Downie, so please don't reproduce them anywhere without permission. Thank you!)