Fun in ottawa

Here is some knitted sweaters at the craft festival

Here is a Persian rug in ottawa at my grandmother house.

Here is my grandmother and my cousin Astrid.

Christmas Time

Here is our Christmas dinner at the Wasteneys residence.

Above is Vinaterta, a icelandic cake that my grandmother made and now I have taken over the duty. Thus the title of my blog.

Home for the Holidays

Overall, this year has been really demonstrative of the feeling I get from living my life in a successful way.

I have a accomplished a fair bit in these 3 months.

I have learned a good way to write!, welded a metal shelf, made many drawings, a few very successful painting and a wooden box which I intend to give to my grandmother for christmas. Finally, managing to cook simple meals- at least most of the time. 

I have changed my attitude as well, not just towards friendships and family. (I generally appreciate them so much more and see these kind of connections as very valuable)

Probably most importantly, I recently realised that my problem with depression was not a imbalance, some kind of unhealthy food, or (my most embarassing admission) that there was something wrong with my life.

I have been reading a book called "The Van Gogh Blues" which the basic premise is that artists- creative people, suffer from virtually 100% depression. They wrestle with meaning and in the process are affected by some of the darker sides of life. Also, its just plain truthful that creating... is hard. The fact that I have spent the last 3 years, not satisfying this intense creativity... is the reason.

I also have engaged in the process of being negative about my self. Any time I'd make a work, i would feel elated... happy even, but then my critical side would kick in and say how it didn't measure up to the other 'successful' works that I did.  No wonder I have felt the way I did!

Its basically like discovering your life purpose in highschool then going to art school, identifying with the problems with that dream and then ignoring the important part of that dream because of its failings; the desire to create. Just because art generally has a negative affect on the environment doesn't mean I can't either find ways to make it less harmful, or appreciate the importance of making work that helps others. I think the overlying meaning behind this is that I have identified with the overwhelming diaspora and frantic nature of global warming, but ignored my very nature. 

I am an artist, I want to create and will do so in the way that best satisfies my ethical concerns and the realistic nature of contemporary art materials and methods.

Perhaps, slowly but gradually I can develop methods that are more idealistic- foot powered wood turning for designed kitchen tools, more natural paint for engaging images that are part of their environment (ie. a wall) and livable 'sculptures' -turf houses, straw bale and stone. 

Thanks for all your patience.

A thought derived from my writing.

An exploration of primordial passions,

“We are all akin to the physical phenomenon know as lava- our metaphorical selves brighten and alight from our base, the rest of our lives we find running in the tracks of paths and depressions already left before us. The struggle is in directing ones flow in a new direction"

Long Lake

This is a trip Karolina and I went on. We rode out bikes out along the highway and about 45-60 minutes later we got here! It was quite nice.... as you can see :)

Life in Halifax

These are some photographs of my life, since september.

My kitchen

The metal shop at NSCAD, where I have made a steel shelf. Painted it black!

Here is a really cool tallship in the harbour. This is looking out the window in the port campus.

Here are some herbs, parsley and bay tree.

Life attending Nscad university

I live in an apartment that is north of the picture of building in the far left. That brownish coloured place is the Granville Campus where I will be spending most of my degree.

The red brick building is the alliance atlantic film building.

The black building one on the right is called the port campus. On the waterfront of halifax, near the seaport where cruiseships arrive, but is also close to farmers market, and the boardwalk.

Soon the farmers market should be moving next to it! I hope this happens, i will go there often.


View Larger Map


I live on maynard st, which you can see is in the top left corner. In the bottom right is the port, and on duke st is the granville campus.

Most of my time is spent...


making meals/bread! ( a great pleasure of mine)
-sausage
-fish with vegetables
-squash soup
-goat cheese on spelt bread
-homemade oatmeal granola
-chicken, apples and onions sauteed with rice

Working at the school
-Do homework!! (this is lots of time)
-computer lab
-library, finding books
-working in the metal shop ( i made a steel shelf!)
-going to writing for the arts, paint print, wood shop or computer class

On my Spare time
- I read books in my apartment while sipping tea such as authors like michael pollen, thoughtful journalistic narratives/memoirs. I also have some other self sufficiency, cookbooks and a few good novels like Knut Hamsen's "Growth of the Soil"
-i buy books (i have too many!!)
-I go shopping for groceries (I digress: also do too much ^_^)
- I go skateboarding
-I attend dance parties once in a while- this i enjoy very much.
-ride my bicycle everywhere! (such as the night i attended critical mass, a bike parade)


I hope this gives you an idea of my living life.

-takk fyrir, for reading.

Motivation: transfering to NSCAD university in the fall

job: finding one, or installing a patio for my mum

Environment: warmish, with lots of mosquitoes

gifts/purchases: I bought an icelandic book called 'the fish can sing', a moleskine sketchbook

accomplishments: overcoming fears, maturing- that kind of thing

More bread

Here is some spelt bread I made with 100 percent whole grain flour and a sourdough starter, it was pretty exciting that it rose because of some wild yeast caught in the air. Or so I hope... :)





Here is potato caraway bread, yes this is a big loaf. Its a easter european recipe. About 7 cups of white wheat flour with a bit of spelt. You could use this as a pillow. "_"




Sliced, bread. Yummy. Sweet, and different... carraway tastes interesting.

A nice Quality

This Flowers is so tall and top-heavy that we have had to support it with sticks that have a been tied so the 'neck' of the flower is able to handle these giant blossoms.


Here is a stew I made:

"Warming Spinach Pepper Beef Stew"



1 pound stewing beef (all of the ingredients could be less or more, these are estimates as I just added what i had)

Fry this over medium heat with a table spoon of olive oil and a splash of water. When brown and cooked inside, turn up to medium high and add 1/4 cup of red wine. Reduce for a minute or so. Taste the brown liquid for a sweet flavour, with no alcoholic taste.

A this point boil 1 cup of rice. So it is ready.

1. Chop 3/4 of a cup white cabbage
cube 1/4 of a acorn squash
make largish cubes of 1/2 a red pepper
cut a red onion in half and slice 1 half into half rings.
chop 2 cups of spinach. (a big pile on the cutting board)

Peel and finely chop 2 cloves of garlic, grate 1/4 inch piece of ginger, 3 table spoons of parsley
into a bowl.

Add 1/4 teaspoon sambal oelek or fresh finely chopped chili
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme

Mix these around and set aside.

2. Put cabbage and squash in 1 bowl, put peppers and onions in another.
Put cooked beef with spinach on top in a bowl.

3. Fry on Medium the cabbage/squash in the pot with 1 tablespoon oil, and enough water to keep things moving (couple of tablespoons every 5 minutes?).

This could go on for 11-15 minutes, testing the squash when you think it is soft enough to eat.

4. Add the peppers and onions. Cook until peppers are sweet tasting, 5-10 minutes.

5. Add spice mixture and mix around for 1 minute on medium, then bring it down to low or turn off the burner and put a lid on it. Serve when rice/people are ready.



Here, karolina is smiling nicely for a photograph. We assume she must be looking at bread :) so happy.

City of snow

These were taken along a railroad track just outside my neighbourhood.

Bakings

Here are some of my creations I did earlier in february.

These are prune bars. They were pretty good




This is french bread. It became dry quickly, but it was exciting to make.

Buns

Buns, originally uploaded by johnwasteneys.

These are buns I baked on sunday. I think they turned out great!

Spoon

Spoon, originally uploaded by johnwasteneys.

I carved this spoon out in british columbia. I bought some gouges and a knife and sandpaper and have recently used a beeswax finish on it.

The wood is from the property surrounding strathcona park lodge. I worked there as a cook, its actually where I learned to make naan. Oh that naan, blissful wheat bread. Muah.

The wood is maple, I am not sure specifically. Its quite hard though. If you scratch it, its hard to sand off.


Its pretty sweet, i'm glad I can make spoons.

Karolina

Karolina, originally uploaded by johnwasteneys.

Here is karolina, my beloved girlfriend brushing her teeth. ... In my new room, er coloured newly.