I’ve worked hard to give my current one-bedroom a clear style. It’s hard when you don’t have control over things like wall color and floor coverings, but I do what I can. However, I do have a mental list of elements I want to incorporate in my future beautiful and perfect house when I have creative control over everything and the dough to make it happen. One of those elements is a round dining room table. A big one. One that seats 8-10 people. When I think of a dining room, it’s hard not to think of a formal, long rectangular table, where people can only talk to 2 or 3 people at once, so there are 8 different conversations going during dinner. How limiting is that? If you stage the same dinner party at a big round table, everyone can share in the same conversation equally.

I think a round dining room table says, “Have a seat, let me pour you a glass’a Cab. What’s going on with you?” It’s homey, homie. It’s welcoming and warm. It encourages people to gather for a big, piled up plate of pasta and good conversation. And I want it.

(I’ve been searching for a gorgeous round table online, but I haven’t found a good example. If I see one, I’ll definitely update this post with a picture!)

*Don’t use my personal photography without permission, please.

In that interest, and in the interest of ignoring my future job-related stresses for the moment, let’s talk about something else, k? K. The local farmers’ market starts for the season tomorrow! I’ve really been looking forward to this day, not only because the Farmers’ Market means spring, warm weather, fresh foodstuffs, seeing cute little families all wearing Keens, etc. Does the word locavore mean anything to you? The whole concept has to do with just being aware of where the food on your table comes from, and making an effort to keep it as local as possible. Seems like every catchy movement has to have equally catchy nomenclature. Either way, it’s important to pay attention to what we shove down our gullets. I’ve been watching the ABC show Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, and doing some other related research, and I’m intrigued. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think it’s more difficult to be totally strict about this lifestyle on a low budget. I’ll do my best though. In addition, my dad and his wife have a kick-ass produce garden and they’re super great about supplying me with goodies. Lucky me, for real.

Anyway, that’s just something I’ve been thinking about. Click here for more info, and download Locavore from the iTunes App store. It’s totally worth the $2.99; it finds your location and tells you the produce that’s in season now, coming in season soon (and approximately when), and recipes for in season produce.

***PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT***

Don’t watch the documentary Food, Inc. if you ever plan on eating a chicken nugget again. I’m serious on this one. I mean, watch it, but be prepared to eschew the likes of many processed foods from now on.

My photo blog, Adelity Exposure, can be found at mawittyphotog.wordpress.com.

The overall objective of my new project is for me to get better at photography. I mean, I know I can take a pretty picture, but I really want to know the ins and outs of my Nikon, especially what all the jargon means. After that, I want to master Adobe Photoshop. While swimming the English Channel and saving the rainforest. HA. What I’m saying is, if you have any photo know-how, or even just a good eye for these things, please head over to the photo page once in a while and give me some feedback. I welcome constructive criticism, I promise.

A teaser:

My dad’s wife Julie’s birthday was last week, and I forgot, like an idiot. So I took a blank note card I already had, made a paper cut, sprayed the back with spray adhesive and slapped it on. Instant sorry-I-forgot-your-birthday card.

I memorized the poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost when I was about eight, and it’s been one of my favorites ever since.

From the song “Samson” by Regina Spektor:

Anyway, I’m getting better. It’s a ton easier, at least, with an X-Acto knife instead of scissors! Pardon the photos, I was losing the light.

I honestly can’t tell you why District 9 is nominated. I’ve heard the Academy is trying to branch out from the usual Best Picture prototype, so I’m assuming District 9 is evidence of that. I suppose it could be some sort of comment on humanity, but to say it’s a contender for the Best Picture of 2009 seems like a stretch.

Up and An Education were great in their own ways, but I’d never predict an animated film to win in this category, and An Education really didn’t stand out in many ways, in my opinion. I felt like I’d seen it before, countless times.

On the other hand, if an inspirational sports drama is ever going to win in the Best Picture category, The Blind Side has to be it. Probably the most remarkable thing about this film is that it’s a true story, and that it only happened a few years ago. Sandra Bullock is a joy to watch, she’s brilliant in her role. Conversely, the best part about watching Tim McGraw is that you can’t tell it’s him initially…

Precious was powerful and difficult to watch, and as potent as the message of the film was, I’m not sure I could watch it again. It was pretty intense and groundbreaking subject matter, although that might just be its ticket to a statuette. The acting (not that I’m an expert) is fantastic, especially Mo’Nique. Daaamn gra, she played one messed up SOB. Convincingly. She’s absolutely my prediction to win the Best Supporting Actress category, without a doubt.

A Serious Man is a dark comedy, said to be based on the story of Job from the Bible. It’s a Cohen brothers film, and that’s obvious from the get-go. I was excited to see it, because two of my favorite movies of all time are The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and I generally like anything the Cohen brothers come up with. To be honest, I still don’t know what I think of A Serious Man. I’m not going to whole-heartedly endorse it for Best Picture, but I wouldn’t rule it out either. I think I need to see it again to absorb everything.

Avatar. What can you say about Avatar? We all know it’s epic, innovative, has never-before-seen technology, etc., etc., etc. Saw it, liked it, was amazed by it, like everyone else. The rest is up to the Academy, right? Avatar is like the show-off basketball star in high school. Everyone likes it, expects it to win, but most of us are sick of talking about it. End of story.

What a jarring, gory, violent, and thoroughly enjoyable film Inglourious Basterds is! It’s clever and irreverently comical in typical Tarantino style, and I could unquestionably see it as a Best Picture winner. QT topped his own self with this one, his most successful movie yet. It’s set up as a kind of elaborate “what if?” scenario of the end of WWII. Very worth the 2.5 hours!

The Hurt Locker is the one Best Picture nom I don’t plan to see. I like many different types of movies, but war thrillers…? Nope. I have heard good things about the director of The Hurt Locker,  Kathryn Bigelow, who is James Cameron’s ex-wife, but that’s about it. If you’ve seen it, let me know your thoughts.

Obviously, there is a laundry list of wonderful films nominated in other categories than Best Picture that are worth mentioning. Crazy Heart, Invictus, Nine, Julie & Julia, The Lovely Bones, A Single Man, and many more. Some I’ve seen and loved, some I haven’t seen yet. So I’m just going to say the following: Jeff Bridges. Matt Damon. Anna Kendrick. Meryl Streep. Mo’Nique and Sandra Bullock (again). Lee Daniels. The Weary Kind. And that is all.

The one that says, “I carry your heart…” Is the one I love best. That’s from my secret favorite poem by e.e. cummings…don’t tell anyone, because it’s a little sappy. The detail in this work is incredible, and incredibly hard to achieve, take it from me. You see, my dears, I was inspired to attempt the feat of making one of these, how you say, paper cuts as a Valentine for my momsie. Now let me state for the record that I am aware I’m nowhere near her skill-level. Let me also state that I was without my X-acto knife, and I only realized it after spending about an hour painstakingly drawing the Valentine. So. I took my scissors, turned them inside out, and (painfully and awkwardly) went at it. The result might have been something like a valve replacement performed with a fillet knife, but I’m pretty proud of it, for a first (and last-minute) attempt. There’s something intriguing about the challenge of making sure not to cut in the wrong spot, and that the lines are as smooth as possible, etc. This I know: It was totally fun. My right arm and shoulder muscles are a bit sore today. I will purchase an X-acto knife. I will do this again, with time and proper equipment. I will knock your socks off.

How’s that for the courage of my convictions?

I was accepted at the Savannah College of Art and Design for an Interior Design program. Had I gone through with it, I would be neck-deep in a (to me) freaking amazing day-to-day life right now. Picture me sitting in Color Theory class, or Drafting, or Survey of Western Art II…le sigh. I’m so not a risk-taker, especially when it comes to putting myself under a mountain of debt without a really great prospect of a relevant job after graduation. I just wonder how much brighter my outlook would be if I had chosen to ignore financial practicality in favor of a life full of doing what I ultimately want to do. And then I think it might be wasteful of me to spend the necessary time and money to prepare me for an entire career that I’m not sure will be my end-all be-all career.

That being said, I think I’m really excited to be a teacher. It seems like there are a lot of things I’ll love about it, and if all else fails I can always use my summers to get work done toward something else. All-in-all, I feel optimistic. I guess the best I can do is make a decision and have the courage of my convictions.

Now I know that not just any girl with a dream could accomplish what I did here; I have to give it up to my pops who let me use his wood shop and all the necessary tools, space, and even lent his skills and know-how. But all-in-all it was a fairly easy, straightforward project, and anyone could do it given time and tools. I spent probably $60 total, however my fajah did provide the boards, plywood, and bolts. I’d estimate it could be done from scratch for around $100 total, except the tuftier (read: fluffier) you want it the more you’ll have to pay for batting or foam padding.

I’m not going to give a step-by-step here, just trot on over to AT and get it there, but there are a couple things I’d have done differently if I’d known better. First of all, I really didn’t take time to visualize an appropriate height for my headboard, and I kind of just figured the taller it was the more elegant it would look.Who knows why I thought that; I had no basis in reality for that assumption. I’m silly. In the end I settled on three feet from the top of the mattress, and that’s actually a little too tall for me. I still really love the way it looks, but duh, the taller something is, the wobblier it will be if you don’t change the support, and it does tend to wobble when I sit on the bed. Not too bad, but enough to remind me I made it myself. If I re-did the project, I’d go for 2-2 1/2 feet above the mattress and call it a day.

Also, I settled for layered batting instead of a thick foam pad because of cost, but in the end I could have done with a bit more fluff. I don’t think going with the cost-effective batting was a bad idea, but maybe a few more layers would have tickled my fancy. The point is this: the more padding you have, the more luxurious it’s going to look (up to a certain point, let’s not get crazy) and feel, so plan accordingly.

I love the neutral, expensive-looking fabric I used. It was exactly the color I was going for. I wanted something that would go with many different color schemes, but wouldn’t be too light, and would act as an anchor for the room. My other bedroom furniture is white, so I felt like I needed a balance. The only thing is, having done the project, I think it might be good to use a thicker fabric than I did. I think the one I picked was meant for curtains or throw pillows or something. It looks heavy but it’s actually pretty delicate, and if it had been any lighter it might have torn at the staples in the back.

All that said, I love my headboard. I have a full-size bed, but if I ever upgrade to a queen, all it would take is to drill some new holes for the bolts to fit in the frame (um, Dad?). This is a fantastic project, and one that actually will save money over buying the real thing. And, if done right, it’ll look as expensive and well-done as its store-bought counterpart. A great way to be fancy without having to pay for fancy.