sample RTW budget.

Well, here we go. I've crunched some numbers, and came up with a very general, preliminary budget for the trip. I wanted to get an idea of how much this trip is actually going to cost, including the upfront expenses (flights, eurail pass, shots, gear). Now, some of the things I already have or purchased recently. My backpack and camera is already taken care of, as well as some of the clothing. I'm hoping that my mom and I can figure out how to sew zippers so I can make a few organizers for my bag, as well as converting some pants into more travel-friendly/thief-proof bottoms.


So what's the rough estimate for 4 months of traveling around the world...? Take a look at the link below to find out.


https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0An2g0Dx-YwpGdExmOFJxcnByTEhxMHRtSkxHQjdnenc&output=html


And just because, here's one of many pictures that I've seen that make the money I plan to spend worthwhile...

Tulip Season in The Netherlands

india itinerary: jaisalmer

So its probably about time to start planning for the trip. Or at least stop daydreaming about it and actually do some research.

Based on some of the RTW blogs that I've read so far, India is hard. Really hard. But I can't help but feel an urge to see for myself. How amazing would it be to see the Taj Mahal, or to buy a saris in the Sadar Bazaar? Or take a camel safari through the Thar Desert and camp in the sand dunes? Seriously...

So here we go.

Gadi Sagar Temple. Link here.

Jaisalmer. Known as the Golden City, its located near the Western India/Pakistan border in the state of Rajasthan. What I've gathered so far, its basically a giant sandcastle with a town on the side. Located in the heart of the Thar Desert, one of the main tourist attractions is camel safaris. Heck yes!! Picture this - limitless golden crests and troughs stretching thoughout an amid desert. Scarce life, no vegetation, and sand as far as the eye can see... And then a camel spits on your foot. But really, how incredible would it be to star gaze in the Thar Desert? My goal is to do a three day, two night tour. From what I've read, the average price is only $15 per day. $15!!!

Link here.

The city itself holds many Havelis, or mansions, that were carved from yellow sandstone. A few of the most famous :

Salim Singh Ki Haveli -

Built in the first half of the 18th century and famous for the extensive carvings, a continuous canopy and beautiful frescos.

Patwon Ki Haveli -

One of the largets and most elaborate Haveli in Jaisalmer. This "apartment complex" is five stories high and still has remnants of original paintings on the walls inside.

Nathmaliji Ki Haveli -

This mansion was constructed by two brothers, Hathi and Lulu, and stands today as a testimony to the unique architectural grandeur of ancient times. Inside the main entrance you will find two giant elephant structures carved from sandstone as well as walls that are richly adorned with frescos and paintings.

A few other attractions that are worth a mention: Jaisalmer Fort, Gadsisar Lake, Desert National Park, Tazia Tower.

There you have it, Jaisalmer in a nutshell.

budgeting.

You wouldn't think that saving money would be enjoyable. Or fun. But recently, I've picked up on a new hobby... budgeting! Earlier this year I started filling out an excel spreadsheet that broke down all of my purchases into different categories. A sneak peak at what I fill out on a daily basis...

After everything is entered, I then create a fancy little pie graph for a more visual depiction of where my money is actually going. I’ve been keeping track of my spending in this way since January of this year, so I can confidently decide how much I can actually save before my trip next year.

One of the biggest things that I’ve learned from keeping track of my spending in this way is that I used to be a bit too liberal with my spending. Granted, I made a lot of big purchases in the last six months – a fancy new bike, a point-and-shoot camera, a backpack for my trip. But I actually get excited to see the breakdown of my spending, and where I can cut back to make up for one of those large purchases. Seriously, I never thought I would geek out about budgeting and saving money. That’s what my brother does with his babies’ poop. No, really, you can see what I mean here… No offence Adam.

This past weekend I was discussing travel plans with my uncle and he came up with an amazing idea for tracking how much I have saved – filling in the countries I plan on visiting according the money that I have saved. I still need to figure out where exactly I’m going, but I confidently fill in all of India! As soon as I figure out a more accurate way of tracking this, I’ll get it posted so you can follow along.

and i'm back.

New design! New design!

And why, oh why change it all up? Well, my hope is that by this time next year, I'll be somewhere half way across the globe. Germany perhaps? Or maybe Nepal...? That's what I'm going to try and figure out between now and then.

This blog is going to be used less as a tracker of studio progress (I have been making some flower pots, but otherwise my hands have been clay-free), and more of a trip planner. Or maybe a wishlist would be more practical.

Below, the picture that started this pipedream of a trip :

Isn't it straight from a dream?!? The picture is of a town called Manarola, which is one of the five villages that make up Cinque Terre. Rugged trails, no cars, fresh pesto and foccacia, and a hostel located in an olive orchard? Count me in.

chrochet.

I've been crocheting a lot lately, so when I saw this, I was reeeaaally excited.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/12/27/news/economy/crocheted_bull/index.htm?hpt=C2

tv at the cabin.

I wonder who likes to watch TV more, Sylvia or Grandma??

our handsome man.

He's getting a little bigger, but better behaved as well. We're still working on not jumping on humans, and how to "drop it" when we play catch, but overall he's great!

Isn't he so handsome??

cosmo in the big city.

A few pictures of Cosmo for your enjoyment...

and he's finally here.

Well, the time has come. We finally adopted a puppy! Mr. Bogart, a 7 month black lab/whippet mix is a fine young gentleman. It was a bit troublesome at first - he was pretty scared at my mom and dad's house, but as soon as we got to St. Paul his ridiculously long tail was wagging all over the place. He's doing great on walks, and hasn't had any accidents in the house yet. And sitting? Well that was easy, he sat on command after about 5 minutes of training.

We're going to work on going in the crate, and not jumping as much - he's still a little wild.

Oh, hi guys!

More pictures soon.

time lapse.

I've been preparing for a show that I've got coming up and decided to take a time lapse video of my process. The video is roughly 8 minutes of work. Enjoy!

lucy.

She's pretty cute.

puppies.

I've been spending a lot of time looking at a dog to adopt. A LOT of time.

Main problem that has prevented me from adopting a dozen dogs already: two roommates with allergies. But! I'm trying out a few things to make our house more "dog-friendly." First, we're trying a product called Allerpet-D on a tester dog (ie my brother's dog). Hopefully that'll reduce the amount of dander on the pup, making any dog an acceptable fit. Also, I've been doing some research on dander-free dogs. A few breeds that I'd love to have in our house --

Portugese Water Dog, adorable, but only available from breeders.

Wheaton Terrier -- haven't found one available for adoption yet, but still looking.

And more recently, I've been looking at the Northern Lights Greyhound adoption. Since they shed very little and rarely bark, they'd be ideal for our current situation.

Isn't she cute?? Sort of ??

We'll see how the Allerpet experiment goes, then hopefully I'll be able to get a pup of my own!

changes.

So, I've realized that updating a blog is number 2345213 on my giant list of things to do, hence the sparseness of the summer.

A few changes have occurred in the month of non-blogging:

1. New job - working at 3M in the renewable energy division testing the backsheet of solar panels. I actually love it. I've enjoyed everyday I've been there so far, even though it gets overwhelming at times. Hopefully this will lead to something bigger and better...

2. New house - we're moving to a beautiful victorian home in St. Paul that has a gigantic backyard (perfect for an energetic puppy) and a beautiful view of downtown and the river. Moving in September 1st!

3. New business - I'm working on an etsy site to sell some of my old ceramic stuff, plus all my hair pins! More details as soon as they're available.

And finally, I leave you with some pictures of the final installation I did at school. I hung the tiny pinch pots from the ceiling using an invisible thread. The room had a gentle breeze blowing through when the doors opened, which caused them to swing and spin in tiny circles. I wish I had taken a video of the shadows that were created on the floor below, the slip trailing caused a unexpected yet brilliant form -- as if each little group of dots were swing dancing. I'm looking forward to the next time I get to install it!

recently. long overdue.

Who would have thought it would be so easy to become a lazy blogger? Recently my life has been so full of activities that I haven't taken the proper time to sit back and reflect, so here we go. Highlights include:

• finally getting a job!
• working on grant writing at The Soap Factory.
• walking that large dog I posted a picture of earlier.
• figuring out how to have a life beyond a full-time job.
• learning to live without a TV.
• reading books about GMO's, Warren Mackenzie, and how monks in the Eastern US train their dogs.
• getting a new studio!!!
• catching up with friends I haven't seen in a bit.

Well. There you have it. I'm working at a production pottery business in St. Paul currently, and have been enjoying getting my hands dirty on a day to day basis. But man, 8 hours of being hunched over on a wheel can be quite demanding. So hopefully I'll figure out a more sustainable way to work, otherwise I'll be in desperate need of a massage at the end of every week.

Hope everyone enjoys the Fourth!

tara donovan.

An artist I've been looking at lately... Tara Donovan.

Nebulous, 2002
Scotch Tape
15' 9"(H) x 29' 9 1/2"(W) x 3 1/2"(D)

Nebulous, detail

Untitled, 2003
Styrofoam Cups, Hot Glue
6'(H) x 20'(W) x 19' 2"(D)

Untitled, detail
Lure, 2004
Fishing Line
2 1/2"(H) x 10'6"(W) x 26'(D)

Check out more of her work here.

aplateaday.

Yesssss. I made it onto "a plate a day"!!! #404 seems just perfect to me now.

summer so far.

Activities so far this summer have included:

• cleaning out the studio
• accidentally breaking some pieces while cleaning out the studio
• constantly looking for jobs
• job interviews
• internship at the soap factory
• gardening
• laying in the sun
• finding a subleaser
• crocheting
• reading
• taking care of this guy

I moving out this week from Keeler, my home for the last three years. I'll be taking care of Hobie, the pup in the picture for the summer in the Seward neighborhood only half a block from the co-op! And its about three blocks from Northern Clay Center, perfection.

Today is going to be a day filled with my girlfriends, a pool, and hopefully some good gossip.

sale ad.

I took a stab at design tonight for the upcoming Ceramics Collective Sale. I'm pretty happy with the outcome, and hopefully it'll lead to a successful sale! Oh, I'm really excited about the logo too. I found the "C's" on a free template website and tweaked it a bit.

If you're in the area next week, stop by and say hi!

tots.

I almost forgot, in honor of Mrs. Virginia Brodd, I made tater tot hotdish last night, but with vegetarian meat substitute. It was delicious. Thanks for the recipe, Mom.

new project.

As a part of my directed research, I had to somehow link my chemistry education with my work in the art department. Though its still a little heavy on the artistic side, I think I came up with a pretty decent project. Using software in the chemistry department, I made the oxides that together form kaolinite (clay). Then using a lino-cut method, I made a 15"x13" rectangle to print from. A dry underglaze recipe and some linseed oil were used to create a printable ink, and then printed directly onto a slab of clay. Finally, a hump mold was used to create the bowls and plates. A few more things had to happen to complete the pieces, but that's the general idea. Here's a few pictures...

A close up of the underglaze on the clay slab.

Underside of the pieces.

The mold that I use.

Leatherhard pieces.

And I decided to have a make-a-thon by myself, so I started making closed forms and vases. My studiomate Maggie taught me how to make closed forms, and that's all I want to make now. They're so much fun! I think I'm going to turn the spheres into some sort of molecule-related jar. We'll see what happens.