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One more month. Insha’allah. Thirty more days and I’ll be on an airplane, plowing through atmosphere so that I can land back in my sweet sweet United States of America.
In celebration of this, I made a mix for all my teacher friends called “orna? or NOT.” I designed a full-color cover, complete with a photo of an orna, and the burn marks beneath it, because we’ve all confessed to daydreams where we set these bosom-covering scarves on fire.
The theme of the mix are songs to go home to, I imagine that this ought to be your playlist as you’re sailing through time zones and between clouds to get to where ever it is that you find the most comfort. Usually, when I make mixes, I tend to tire of them and not like them halfway through, but complete them anyway hoping that the recipient will enjoy it. But I ended up liking this mix, so much so that I actually listen to it often. This is a first!
Mixes are tricky. You must consider so much: theme, mood, flow, track order, artwork, etc. A good mix is hard to mix.
For a limited time, or until my friend who generously bestowed web space to me finds out, these songs will be available for download. Put ‘em together and listen carefully. It’ll take you home.
1. Get Me Away From Here, I’m Dying - Belle & Sebastian
2. Come Home - Good Luck
3. Keep On Livin’ – Le Tigre
4. Ain’t You Had Enough – Cococoma
5. For No One - The Beatles
6. You Can Have It All - Yo La Tengo
7. Stronger – Kanye
8. Banana Skit - M.I.A.
9. Sunshowers – M.I.A.
10. Crazy – Gnarls Barkley
11. Shove It – Santogold
12. Shut Up and Let Me Go – The Ting TIngs
13. Standing In The Way of Control – The Gossip
14. Borne On The FM Waves – Against Me!
15. The Middle – Jimmy Eat World
16. With Arms Outstretched – Rilo Kiley
17. Sounds Familiar - The Weakerthans
18. The New Year – Death Cab for Cutie
I knew I needed a half-naked lady in the insert! Venus is the classiest half-naked woman ever. Then came the fun of putting the Asian University for Women logo in strategic areas.
I used this blank space to write personalized messages for all me fellow teachers who took this journey (struggle) with me.
Chatting with Jeff:
Jeff: how does one get a lum jum?
Amy: do you know someone who is seeking a lum jum?
Jeff: the lum jums are funky
if i send you a case of local PBR
will you send me one?
Amy: awe
actually, i’m seriously not into drinking in bangladesh
its really depressing
Jeff: my guess is the supply is …. not optimal
Amy: yeah
i hate that i have no social life
so drinking just reminds me of how depressing this all is
hrmm… im trying to think of what you can send me in exchange for your very own super awesome lum jum
by the way, you’d have to wait until i get home to the US to get one
because i dont trust pillow stuffing from these parts
Jeff: hmmm…whatchoo need from hk?
is this what our life has come to?
living overseas?
not trusting pillow stuffing?
Summary: 1) Don’t trust stuffing from these parts. Once you see burlap sacks full of stuff that looks to be vaguely animal hair/re-used mattress innards spill onto sidewalks, you’ll share this sentiment.
2) I don’t drink anymore. I say to my Muslim friends: Job well done. We’ll see if this will remain once I return to the land of heathens.
The fourth installment of the Lum Jum showcase! I slammed out all of these right before I left for Bangladesh. The first is one for Gus and Marah, as it is Gus (Goat) and Marah (Monkey). This very drawing (by Gus) was tattooed on them when they got married four and a half years ago!
Finally, the batch I made for all of the fine folks in The Underground Railroad to Candyland, who were nice enough to let China Loca tag along with them on tour up the west coast. And Todd’s uber-talented Reccess Records approved photographer of choice, Cheryl!
More at: http://flickr.com/photos/amyadoyzie/sets/72057594107200878/
http://amyadoyzie.wordpress.com/category/diy-mania/
Abby criss-crossed the country a couple times in pursuit of images for her gorgeous book, Punk House, and she brought her lum jum along. Then in the fall of 2007 I received this message:
my friend LOST the pillow you made me! serious! it was my very favorite pillow and i brought it across the country on a wild ride in a car, and SOMEBODY left it on TOP on the car at a rest stop in TEXAS. TEXAS! i was bummed por vida, chicka!
And as a responsible friend, I felt that I needed to replace the pillow that’s rolling along some dusty highway in Texas. Abby was about to depart on another cross-country tour to promote her book and I wanted her to do in the utmost comfort. This is Abby’s second lum jum.
Before Gus and I went departed for our west coast tour in Jan 2008, I made up this beaut for me! Lum jums are perfect tour/travel pillows due to their compact size and infinite awesomeness.
More at: http://flickr.com/photos/amyadoyzie/sets/72057594107200878/
http://amyadoyzie.wordpress.com/category/diy-mania/
To think that I neglected updating all’s me friends on the vast collection of lum jums that I’ve made is almost a crime to craftmanity! These are from summer 2006, right before I left for China. It seems that I tend to crank them out in full-force right before I move abroad because in winter of 2007-08, I churned out a new batch too!
More at: http://flickr.com/photos/amyadoyzie/sets/72057594107200878/
The third installment of my real-life journals!
Here’s the present state of the free joy/free heat journal. It’s a wee bit bloated. I’m about done with all the pages, here’s a peek at some of them.
I’m already starting on writing in my new journal. It’s the epiphany/bloom book! It’s a new year, with a new journal for new ideas of awesomeness. I was inspired to make this one because I was struck with an epiphany about what I want to do with my young adult life and this is where I’ll be drawing up the plans.
The front cover is made up of one of my first kameezes with some block printing. The back features some of my favorite wood cut designs that I print often and some fancy lil’ stitching.
I’m really happy with the way this turned out! Unfortunately, I didn’t have the foresight to photograph the steps in putting this together! Boo! However, the next time I put a journal cover together I’ll be sure to document this craftacular feat. (This may be sooner than later as I’m contemplating making a journal for a student who is my writing mentoree!)
*Super thanks to G&M for sending me this journal for me to tweak!
More at: http://flickr.com/photos/amyadoyzie/sets/72057594107200878/
http://amyadoyzie.wordpress.com/category/diy-mania/
Recently, I received a message asking for a tutorial about how I made all the various crafty things that I do and then it made me realized that I had not shared these magical objects of my time and affection with my devoted blogfan! (I know you’re [singular] our there!)
Keep an eye out, there will be various crafty postings to come. The first of which where we shall visit my real-life journals (not this binary ranty stuff).
These first two are from my time in Hunan, People’s Republic of China.
“Under Where?” is a reference to my lack of hooking up-age. That’s a pair of me underpants! Yes! The other journal features a piece of embroidery from a Miao minority village which I stitched onto a typical Chinese terrycloth towel. Beautiful colors!
Here’s the journal I made right before my stupid band, China Loca, went on tour and my departure for Bangladesh. “free Joy” on the cover and “free Heat” on the back.
It’s pretty self-explanatory. The free joy/free heat journal has become a bloated book of mementos. More photographs to come!
Dear almighty, what I wouldn’t do for a steamy never-ending bowl of perfectly seasoned pho right about now. I crave a lot of things, some edible – some not, and pho is at the top of that list. According to Dr. Me, a good bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup can end malaise, overall feelings of anxiety and it’s a mean cure for a hangover (not that I am ever afflicted with hangovers in Bangladesh).
I love pho so much that I cut a stencil of it when I was home (gold sprayed onto black fabric):
