Finishing Up

So, International Fake Journaling Month is officially over. I think I'm going to continue my book, to fill it up....I've really gotten into it.

Here is the remainder of April~

 

I had forgotten to include this page (above). Pretty simple...I left the copyright info about the book, which happens to be a First Edition (Lordy, I hope it wasn't valuable) and added a bit of magazine text.

 

 

People went crazy today for the discounted Easter candy! We couldn't get it re-priced fast enough for them. Best part of today though was finding out that the Jane has a small kitchen/break room for the staff that residents can use for a small extra fee added to rent. I don't trust anyone enough to use the fridge, but will use the microwave for sure. I can also use a locker to store my stuff in. They are small square lockers, but large enough for a plate, bowl, and silverware. I was worried about the cost and overall waste of disposables, when I found out we can't use the bathroom to wash dishes (too many problems in the past with rice gooping up the sink pipes). I can also store my ramen, soup mixes etc in there. not like I'm going to buy much at once anyway - too hard to carry it. 4-21-14 (6:50pm)

 

Add cream cheese, parm chs, and broccoli --->

Add veggies, coconut milk, and curry powder (skip the chopped peanuts, yuck) --->

 

This page (above) has an inclusion, which was a piece of envelope with a card torn from Real Simple magazine glued to the back of it. The remainder of the layout is made up of magazine bits, a pic printed from the Chelsea Market site, some scraps of notepaper, and a couple of blank address labels.

 

(10:30pm) 4-22-2014

These are so good! If only the jars weren't so dang heavy. But worth it.

 

Real Simple: Random Act of Kindness
'A friend (from out of town) and I were walking through New York City in the pouring rain. We didn't have an umbrella. A stranger walked up and gave us his umbrella. All he asked was that my friend go home and tell people that New Yorkers are nice.'

 

Groceries are going to kill me. Buying small packages is more expensive, but it's a nightmare to carry large packages. I need to make a plan and get this figured out before I starve or go broke. Eating off the carts might be smartest way to go. (A carton of Breyer's ice cream is $8.49! I won't be getting any of that anytime soon.)

Chelsea Market is amazing but isn't realistic for everyday grocery shopping.

 

This entire layout including text was from Real Simple magazine...I felt it added a little glimpse into her possible history.

 

4-23-2014

what makes my life real simple "This is a photograph of farmland that's about nine miles from my house. I live out here because there's something about wide, open space that really speaks to me. The intersection of light, land, and sky returns me to a natural state of ease and calm, allowing me to gain a greater perspective. But just seeing a space like this isn't enough. Living in it and working in it is what feeds my soul and makes me feel alive." -photographer Darrel Lecorre



 

This layout consists of layered magazine bits, journaling, and a couple small blank labels.

 

4-24-14 (6pm)

Pizza by the slice is a good deal, & the slices are huge! met an interesting lady at Vanetti's today. She'd lived in the city since a small child. She was smuggled out of the country, which saved her from the fate of the rest of her family. They all died at a concentration camp. Not Auschwitz, but a lesser-known one (can't spell it). I could listen to her for hours & I told her I hope we are at lunch again at the same time in the future. She just looked at me & said to never take a day for granted, they are all a gift. Then hugged me & left.

 

(use for those Vlasic jars!)

 

 

Another layout with an inclusion, this time a paint chip glued in upside down.

 

4-25-14   6:30pm

Walking home from work today, I passed a group of little girls sitting on their stoop. They were doing a "paddy cure saylon'"for $2 per foot (like who's only going to do one foot?). they had their colors (of polish) all lined up on the concrete hand rail, and it was a beautiful warm day. What the heck...decided to let them go for it. After much discussion, they decided to alternate my toes with orange and the brightest green I'd ever seen. They were so funny! It was nice sitting in the sun, letting them play "saylon," listening to their giggles. Their grandma came out about the time my nails were dry, and told them to let --->

 

...that "poor little white gal go home to her husband." Yeah, whatever. Joke's on her!

 

Background is notebook paper. Added magazine bits and journaling.

4-26-14 (midnight)
Great party!

Selena (new checker at work) invited a bunch of people to her place for a cookout. I can't believe she pulled it off in such a tiny apartment! she had burgers & brats on a George Foreman grill in the kitchen, a bar set up in the hallway, a huge bowl of salad in the middle of the tiny kitchen table, & her brother was grilling corn on the fire escape. She'd borrowed dishes etc from her neighbors. It was mostly standing room only but it didn't feel too crowded, somehow. The best part was just getting to hang out with people in a no-pressure or working situation. I hope she invites me again if she hosts another party.

 

 

4-27-14 (6:30pm)

Took a cab home last night...that cost plenty but was worth it. Not too bad of a headache today. Stayed late to help clean up, & spent time talking to her brother. Very sweet guy.

 

Had to work today. Nothing special happened except getting to learn how to close. Not sure I'll have to do that too often. Worst part will be having the expense of a cab on the nights I do close. I'm not nearly New Yorker-enough to walk to the Jane that late at night, alone.

 

Ran into Ruby in the hall earlier. she's been sick & hadn't been out much lately. I told her I'd bring her some soup tomorrow (apparently only Jewish chicken soup from the deli will work). Talk her into having a 1/2 bowl of ramen with me tonite.

 

(9:45pm)
New bellhop downstairs. Yikes, she's a real treat. She already has an attitude towards the residents. None of the other clerks or bellhops seem to, so hopefully she'll get over it quickly. Overheard her griping about the smell of ramen. Unfortunately, a lot of us here (staff & residents) eat it. Sure can't afford Café Gitane every day, even though I would love to have supper there!

 

 

Another inclusion, this time a postcard that I purchased in NY last December. Other items: pics of the Jane from their fb page, magazine bits, and a piece of paint chip (colors: Cobbled Stonewalk and New York Café Noir).

 

4-28-2014 (6pm)

 

The other side of the inclusion (above).

 

This layout (above) has a painted background with magazine pics and stuff printed from the internets.

 

4-29-14 (8pm)

 

This outfit confuses me...short sleeves & bulky socks with strappy shoes? Whatever. At least she's not afraid to have her own style! I need to learn a lesson here.

 

See more...-people

-architecture

-nature (may just have to look harder for it)

-opportunities ---> and, hopefully, more kindness in the world

 

The last official page for this project. Painted background, magazine bits, journaling, and a wrapper from chopsticks.

 

4-30-14 (midnight)

What a wonderful yet also somewhat awkward day! Selena's brother, Max, walked her to work today. Since her shift began when mine ended, he asked if he could walk me home. Of course, I choked & stuttered like a fool. Way out of my comfort zone (& practice). Selena suggested he take me to their favorite Chinese restaurant first, since it was sort of on the way to the Jane. So we went, me feeling like a mess in my work clothes. It had to be a stock day for shampoo! (Always at least one goopy bottle.) Anyway, turns out his favorite dish is Lo Mein too. At least that's what he said when I ordered. We had such a nice time, he asked if I would like to see a movie also, at the "Classic" movie house (just a few blocks away).

 

[Go slowly]

 

The magazine bits on the right-hand page say:

 

Take a journey.

Take a chance.

See possibilities.

Give hugs.

 

Run the gamut.

Pause.

Breathe.

Live fully.

Love completely.

Live your dreams.

 

 

Fake-Journal

http://officialinternationalfakejournalblog.blogspot.com/ This blog is written by the woman, Roz Stendahl, who came up with the whole crazy idea to create International Fake Journal Month. I think she's pretty flippin' cool.

It took me longer to prepare my book, than I'd expected. I didn't end up actually making an entry as my character, until April 14th. I've consistently made entries daily since then, though, so feel I've somewhat redeemed myself on that account. I've also added random bits here and there, which is something I apparently can't help but do, even in character. It's my book so I see no reason not to continue, though I am curbing it more than in my normal art journals.
 
This year's theme is 'No Explanations,' so I won't bore anyone with a detailed background about my character or what she's talking about in her entries. Heck, I may not know yet anyway...she's evolving. She doesn't even have a name yet. 

Slight background story...for the sake of not having to do a ton of research, my character lives at the Jane Hotel in New York, where I stayed for an extended weekend last December. (They do have full-time residents there, although I can't seem to find the cost of rent online.) Much of what my character refers to is based on things I experienced while in NY, though, let me tell ya, I'm taking a LOT of liberties. Sometimes I'm just flat out making sh*t up. 

So here we go!

I chose to alter a discarded library book. The title is Start Where You Are, which seemed appropriate. Notice the awesome scarf? Bought it from a Central Park street vendor...thought it would make the perfect background!

I started the journal by cutting out some pages, painting some white, and adding notebook paper to some. I added an envelope to the inside front cover, for a write-up of the project when I've finished. The man's face sketched at the bottom right corner is the logo from the International Fake Journal blog. (The artist gets full credit...I just glued it into my book.)

My character was inspired to leave home (wherever that was, who knows) after reading this article.

She has very limited resources, so primarily uses stuff cut from magazines and other bits of ephemera. Which is totally like me, but, she doesn't cut things out very neatly and uses tape sometimes instead of gluing every last bit of surface down.

How embarrassing. I just realized that I'm missing the first 'real' page. Gah. Will have to add that pic later...

==> Here is the later added photo....

The journal entry on the first page is as follows:

(4-15-2014) Now what. Journal all of my hopes & dreams? I think I should just document what's going on. Maybe then the other stuff will just happen. Maybe not. Feeling cynical. And tired.         So far: Left everything & everyone. Needed a new start. Moved into the Jane Hotel on April Fool's Day as a resident, not a guest. The bellhop & I joked about the date. But maybe it was a sign. Too many signs...

Found this book on a curb, which seemed like another sign. Decided to use it as a journal then realized I have few (none) supplies so will have to be extra resourceful. I can do this.

(4-16-2014) This layout has an inclusion, which means that she inserted the large postcard between two pages that have been cut down, forming a hinge. Then, did some poetry thing (there's a name for this technique but I can't remember what it is) and covered the remainder of the page with a security envelope.

This is the other side of the layout with the large postcard inclusion. It shows pics of the bathroom and a room at the Jane (snagged from their site), along with some journaling (below).

1-My spacious (7x10) new room/home. I need a chair & tv tray so I don't have to live in the bed. 2-Communal bathroom sinks (toilets to the right). 3-Showers in the communal bathroom. Very Clean!

(4-17-2014) Mostly journaling over glued-on notebook paper, plus some magazine pics.

Interesting workday today. The horrid mom who bought a paint set for her equally horrid daughter came in, on a rant, because the white paint was gone. Of course it was, because I took, but Maggie didn't know that and told the woman she couldn't issue refund because it had been too many days and there was no receipt to prove it was purchased there. I knew, of course, but kept my mouth shut while I continued to refill the pocket kleenex display. I remembered the day they came in and the little brat threw a fit about the paint set so I made sure she got that one. Served her right for behaving so badly. Today she just stood there, holding her nanny's hand, watching her mom come unglued. Learning. That's a sad state of affairs~

According to Maggie, the best bagels in the neighborhood are from Katzman's Deli on Bethune Street.

Boots for next winter. They look warm.

 

 

Just as a reminder, the writing is done quickly, kind of free-form, and with no editing. Please pardon the run-on sentences etc!

(4-18-2014) When I painted some of the pages (white craft paint), some of them stuck together when I thought they were dry. I used the bits of torn-off paper to add to the background of other pages. This layout has journaling, magazine bits, doodling, and the wrapper from a sugar cube from Cafe Gitane (located in the Jane).

I know I shouldn't spend the money on it, but at least for now I'm allowing myself the luxury of one coffee & an almond croissant every morning at Cafe Gitane. (I'll save 1/2 the croissant for later so it's not as bad.)

Had today off, so explored the area a little bit more. Found out also that even thought the Jane has free bikes to use, I can't take one to work. i can for trips to the grocery, but am still responsible if it's stolen, Kind of a hassle so we'll see. Had a delicious hand-held pie (chicken & mushroom) from a British grocery/deli a few blocks away. Not super expensive so that will be a good place to keep in mind. Another hassle is no fridge in my room but I think I can handle that. On payday I'll get a hotpot for water & instant soup etc. Maggie said that anything I buy there is at a discount. Working at a drugstore has the advantage of having a wide variety of items available, like food/toiletries/meds.

(4-19-2014) This layout has another inclusion, which is a grocery list of sorts on an index card. Part of the concept of this project is for people to step outside of their normal creative habits. For me, this meant to be much less picky about how the magazine bits were cut/torn and also not always writing right on the lines. I also made myself write on top of images, which felt really wrong to me.

Busy morning! Ruby (from down the hall) invited me to go with her to the big church sale. Thank God she has a shopping basket cart thing...I'm not used to walking that far yet & bought too many things. Found a great folding chair, now I just need a tv tray, for my room. She also insisted that I should grab as many sweaters as I could, from the free table. Said that I'd thank her this winter. It seemed silly, given my lack of storage, but did get three decent ones,. Also bought a coffee mug that would fit inside of a hotpot, for heating soup. Ruby has been a wealth of info about "small" living. I think she feels sorry for me...that I'm an ignorant girl with no clue. (Yeah..."girl". Ruby is nearly 80 so at 30 I'm still a girl to her.) She also warned me about the guy in the corner room, down our hall. He hasn't said anything to me but she said he swears a lot,. I think she's just distrustful of old white men.

The other side of the layout with the index card inclusion.
Ruby & I had hotdogs for lunch from her friend Joe the Hot Dog Man. (Seriously, could I make this up?) After we unloaded at the Jane, I got cleaned up and went to work. Started making a list of no-fridge meal ideas, on break. It will be nice once the Farmer's Market is open on the waterfront but winter could be sketchy for veg/fruit. Oh well, cross that bridge when I get to it.

(4-20-2014) More magazine bits and journaling on top of a painted background.

(Easter) I miss Ernie more than anything, but he left before I did so there's not even that to return to. And I don't know why I packed that stupid frame. One of the shell pieces broke off during transit. Oh well. Anyway, didn't work today so used the time to hand-wash my laundry, per Ruby's instructions. Thank goodness she told me to snatch up that big plastic bowl at the church sale, otherwise I'd be washing in a sink that strangers brush their teeth at. Ew. So, washed a few things then hung them on hangers on the brass rail in my room. It's an oven in here so they should dry easily. Spent the rest of the day reading magazines outside. Really nice little park across the street at the waterfront (Hudson River). I hope I always work the days that the magazine guy comes to swap out the issues. He gave me a handful (my choice!) for free. He said that he just tells his boss how many he collected then takes them to a couple of donation places. Overall, a pretty good day, and I'm thankful for the weather and the people I've met thus far.

So, that's it so far, other than the page I missed and the one I did last night and forgot to photograph. I hope if you made it this far, that you are awake!

Please leave comments (or not, whatever) and let me know if the font size is even readable. I'm new to Blogger and it's doing some weird layout things that I can't figure out how to fix. 

Thanks!

Ok. I just read about this freakishly interesting 'thing' called International Fake Journal, where people create fake art journals and then share them. Or not. But they do it. Now I wanna do it. So I'm going to~