I have a great friend, Cindy. She is hilarious! She treats us every Friday with a "happy dance" and no one tells a story with better delivery than Cinderella! One of the best qualities she has is really appreciating you for your special qualities; that, and her incredible sense of humor. AND she's a fantastic baker! If you're in her presence for more than 2 minutes, you can't help but start laughing. Whenever she starts a story, she begins by saying, "O.K." .... All she has to utter are those two letters, and I'm already cracking up, because I know I'm in for a treat. Anyway, here's a little exchange we had recently. I bet you have a Cindy in your life, too!
Look below--This little phone is magnetized--isn't that so cute? Now I've got it to my ear--you know, those "old-fashioned" type of phones. Poor little phone, I miss you.
Here are some pics of Cindy, with an updo, visiting my art booth last August. And her little, tiny feet. (-:
Cool room, soft sheets, dark skies outside creeping into my abode and weighting my eyelids down. It was so hard to get up this morning. My husband leaves a lot earlier than I do for work so it's just me and our animals lounging around in the a.m. Strangely, even my dog never once arose from his bed. In the bathroom, I could hear the soft and steady, click, click, click of the second hand. Quiet. A few cats wandered in, but they too immediately curled up on the floor. Did we all take a Tylenol P.M.? Is there a gas leak taking us gently down into never, neverland? I know what my problem was. I stayed up far too late watching one of my favorite actors on a late night Irish talk show. What? Who? I know you're asking. (-; And I'm telling...but on February 1st--at the beginning of the month of love when you will understand why I caused myself to look like a gangrene zombie in the morning. Because he is soooooooooo worth it. (-;
And a little additional treat--one of my favorite Beatle's songs from "The White Album."
It felt like we were plucked out of the middle of "frigidville" and dropped into April today. Sunday we were coated with ice and today we had rainy, 60 degree weather. Welcome to the Midwest. In two days we'll be close to 0 degrees again, but for now we had raindrops, short-sleeve shirts, muddy paws, and little shoots coming out of dark, wet soil. I wanted to whisper to them, go back to sleep little ones, it's a false alarm.
A friend tells me today that two Georgia men stole $65,000 worth of chicken wings in broad daylight from their place of employment. There's a big chicken wing shortage going on, which could spell certain havoc at Superbowl parties across the nation. Seeing a money-making opportunity, they allegedly used a forklift to load 10 pallets worth of Tyson frozen chicken wings into a rental truck. The men were arrested and released upon posting bail, but the whereabouts of the chicken wings remain a mystery.
I think this is an easily solvable case. My Columbo-like mind reasons that if the police just track grocery store sales of Buffalo Bleu Cheese Dipping sauce ingredients, they'll be able to find out where this SUPER, SUPERBOWL party is taking place!
"We got ya'. No one eats that many vegetables on Superbowl Sunday unless you're making dipping sauce for $65,000 (worth) of chicken wings."
Or as our friend Yulandist says:
"I just get enough to season it,
freeze it,
and cook it up when I need it."
That philosophy sure would have kept those dudes outta trouble! (-;
My brain has been invaded by six words and an idea. I went to bed last night thinking about it and then again all day today. It's like a little honeycomb is being built inside my cerebral cortex! I don't know whether or not I'll be able to condense it onto a small canvas...I might want to spread this one over a bigger swag of cotton duck. More to come on the musician and a Portland (OR) gal who triggered and then reawakened, respectively, this idea.
Don't you love having time to sit in a coffee shop on the weekend? After remaining there for a couple of hours, the smoky bean aroma permeates into your hair, your coat, your skin. It's a good smell. Hours later, I'm hanging with the man.
Ah, Friday! You've made it through another work week...freedom awaits! Off to the bank and off to the grocery store. At home, I unload everything and see that Alfred Hitchcock's, "The Birds" will soon be on t.v. I really have never seen that show in its entirety. Plus, I keep catching pieces of HBO's "The Girl" with Sienna Miller, about Hitchcock's obsession with Tippi Hedren while filming "The Birds" and "Marnie." So, my husband is working late, I'm intrigued, and this is a good way to huddle into the comfort of the weekend. It only took the first bird attack to decide what the painting for the day will be!
Afterwards, I have a stomachache. Wow, that movie really affected me...except then I realize it's because I went grocery shopping. I had eaten some organic blueberries; a Green and Black's organic Almond Chocolate Bar; 3 pieces of Delusso's roasted turkey lunchmeat with mustard; some Hubert's Limeade; and an entire package (2 servings, 60 calories) of roasted Korean seaweed in sesame oil. That Hitchcock was a genius! (-;
Finally, I can't tell you the number of times I've thought, I don't need to write that down. I'll never forget that idea or those words or what this sketch means.
Not long ago I went to sleep thinking about some brilliant idea. Well, it really didn't seem brilliant, but it was a good idea for a painting. I briefly thought about getting up and writing it down, but I was sooooooo tired. I went to sleep and fleshed the idea out more fully in my dreams. About 2 a.m., I woke up, and I had a nudging, this one more insistent than the first that said, "get up and write it down." But the idea was so easy to remember--I tested myself, do I still remember it? Yes, I totally do! It's so easy, so simple, no way I could forget it. I slept fitfully, because I kept waking up, assuring myself of my sufficient memory recall, and falling back to sleep.
Well, you can see where this is going more clearly than the fate of two frisky teenagers in an abandoned woods in a "Friday 13th" sequel. I woke up in the morning, and I thought, what was it? I couldn't remember AT ALL. Nothing. Later, while taking a bath, often the place where warm water and mindless thinking bring forth a light bulb moment, I almost, almost grasped a detail. It was right within my reach....what....was....it? And then, it was gone. Floating off into a sadly beautiful, amorphous, shimmery cloud with all the other inspirational thoughts I had let slip away with passing time and lack of a notepad.
Sometimes inspiration comes from hearing and seeing it whizzing by me. Why, sometimes so many ideas are flying around, it's like a heavy blinking of lightning bugs on a summer night.
My friends no longer even bat an eye when during conversations, some idea hits me from what we are discussing, and I furious grab any nearby piece of paper to write it down. I've filled up hundreds of post-it notes and numerous little notebooks with quirky sayings and quick sketches. My biggest problem is finding them later--or worse yet--having them, but having no clue what they mean! Finally, peeps, I work at a college. You'd be amazed at what I overhear. It's all good for artistic inspiration, though!
Sometimes inspiration comes bubbling out like when you used to get a black cow or a purple cow (root beer or grape soda, respectively, combined with ice cream). You'd get to the very bottom and start blowing into your straw and create an avalanche of beautiful bubbles that would always get you in trouble if your mom was around. Sometimes (I want to say in Spanish, "A veces") there's so many ideas inside of me, I can't get them down fast enough.
I first heard of artist, author, and photographer, Sabrina Ward Harrison,* when she was mentioned in one of SARK's** (Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy) wonderful books. I've since read all of Sabrina's publications beginning with her debut books, "Spilling Open: The Art of Becoming Yourself" (2000) and "Brave on the Rocks" (2001). Give yourself a huge gift, and check them out. It's amazing the number of people who have copied her style, but people, she was the originator of that collage and running India ink technique!
Anyway, Sabrina was kind enough to become my Facebook friend. A couple of weeks ago she posted that she had mixed up two little bottles and squirted white paint into her eyes instead of her allergy eyedrops! It reminded me of when I did a similar thing some years back. My husband and I were on our way to a concert, and well, here was my comment back to Sabrina:
"You have all my sympathy! About 16 years ago, I had done the same thing--but with Clinique acne spot solution (instead of contact eyedrops)! I put that into my eye in the car as my husband and I were on our way to a concert. We had to take some exit to a hospital in the middle of nowhere and I had to have an "eye flush" for 45 minutes to flush out the salicylic acid. Sometimes all those little tubes look the same. I went to the concert with an eye patch, so at least I really looked "rock n' roll-like."
Uh-huh. Here's a couple shots of my painting of that memory, along with me and my pirate ship:
Geez, even with an eyepatch, I still look pretty wholesome. Maybe if they had used black bandages...
In Spanish, there are 2 ways to express the concept "to know."
Loosely, you use the verb "conocer" (koh-noh-SAIR) to indicate that you have met/been introduced to someone or that you are familiar with something--that you know "of it." For instance, you could be aware of say, New York City--that it exists, but you really know nothing about it nor have you ever been there. On the other hand, you have the verb "saber" (sah-BAIR). You use this verb to indicate that you know facts; you have deep knowledge of something. Let's go back to the New York City example. We have one person who has heard of it, but has no knowledge of it/nor has been there (conocer) vs. Woody Allen, someone who has lived there his entire life and knows the city's every nook and cranny--someone who has even made a film, Manhattan, about his deep love/knowledge/tribute to the city. He's a "saber." (-;
Now, my mind, it be a ramblin', and I'm letting it. Somehow I think of William Carlos Williams' poem, "The Red Wheelbarrow."
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
Ah, beautiful. You can see the image, can't you? Simple. But that phrase, "so much depends upon." Why, those 4 words change everything! You stare at the scene before you, nothing that hasn't been there perhaps hundreds of times before. But somehow, the image triggers something in your brain--some feeling of complete happiness in the beauty of an ordinary item or somehow this time, something elicits a completely different feeling. What the h-e-double-toothpick am I talking about? Read on, brave souls!
I have a good friend who was going through a crisis in her marriage. On a weekend getaway with her children in tow, a platonic, male friend accompanied her. Over the two-day trip, he opened doors for her, carried her suitcase, spoke to her kindly and easily. In essence, he acted the way a man should courteously and respectfully treat a woman. She was unaccustomed to such natural, generous treatment. She decided to try a test when she got home. She left her suitcase at the front door upon her arrival. What would be her husband's reaction to this? The suitcase sat there all evening. It remained in its stationary position by the door throughout the next day and into evening. Her husband walked past it continually, but never did he think to pick up his wife's luggage and carry it upstairs for her, just...because. The dichotomy of actions she received from a friend versus her mate in regards to that suitcase... It sat by that doorway, throbbing more and more loudly with meaning, until it took her through a different door and a new life.
so much depends
upon
a wheel
barrow...
*******
so much depends
upon
a suit
case...
When does the meaning of a representational "something" (marriage, weight loss, job, anything) change from a "conocer" to a "saber?" When do you look at something and really understand--know--it's meaning?
I remember as a kid & teenager, grabbing the paper to read the comics, my horoscope, and Dear Abby. She had a witty humor and a "cut to the chase 'tude" that offered insight and a sparkling sly wink. You were great at telling it like it was, Pauline Phillips. Goodbye, Dear Abby. Thank you for all your advice.
At times all you want from life are some hash browns--the cubed kind--with a little shredded cheese and a few drops of sriracha sauce in a little Anthropologie bowl. When you're tired and cold...the comfort of carbs, dear ones, are what you need.
I'm a little crooked here. I could say, the picture is askew, because potatoes will skew your weight, but omg, that's a little much!
Now for some fingerling potatoes, Irish butter, and crème fraîche. So good!
Here's a little savory pie rampage I went on: Bacon, cheddar, Broccoli--the entire pie and a slice
Here's a roasted acorn squash, red onion, and sage galette:
Today I was walking out of work with my fabulous friends, Janna and Ashlee. I kept seeing this bright, white, something, on the back of Janna's coat.
As I plucked at it, I said to her, "I'm trying to pull out this feather."
"Ugh, she replies in disgust. "This damn coat is shitting feathers."
Ah, sweet Janna--your angelic utterances reveal the "Black Swan" living within you! (-; She's a spicy one (with the most wonderful short little haircuts!)!
And it continues on the bottom of this canvas.
I used some molding paste and Cloud Clay on this one...fun stuff. (-: Check out that diamond! Congrats, Janna and Todd!
Experts are often quoted as saying it takes 21 days to make a habit stick. On the other hand, I just read that when you're halfway through a project, your chances of completing it increase 10-fold. I think I'll feel safer when I'm at day 185! In the meantime, here's the 21-day, supposed habit-making point for me.
Today a co-worker told us she was eating gummy bears and had dropped one. She said she could just imagine herself finding it somewhere the next day...so could I. (-;
