Sylvie says...

flat lined

2012-02-15T23:24:00.000-05:00

.... my laptop died in my arms today. He hadn't been well of late. Just yesterday - I was mad at him for moving so slow - little did I know how short our remaining time together would be.

In the middle of a Very Important Assignment (VIA) his backspace key just gave out. I, being very dense, and very concerned about the VIA, simply compensated with the space bar and delete button. When the W key decided to just type willy nilly...popping into just any word at any time it pleased, I figured something might be seriously wrong.

So what did I do? Jumped over to my desk top of course, the VIA and all.

But then, feeling a tinge of concern - I sorta really, REALLY, like my laptop...I searched possible solutions and came up with the brillant idea to take the battery out. Done. Then, put it back in. Check. Now the screen comes up - but the keyboard is gone.... ugh. Try again. uh oh, now nothing happens.

Call time of death. It is over.

Tried some other little tricks, but I think it is just time to say goodbye. The poor thing was in rough shape, keys missing the letters from use, just a shiny silver spot where the touchpad used to be black, and we cannot forget the missing F9 and { key where the cat got her paw stuck and ripped the darn things right off....broke em in half she did.

Loved the stuffing right out of it.... like the Velveteen Rabbit.

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby.

But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

~sigh~

that's how I feel :(

in completely other news -
I suddenly want a dog named Bruce

Cootie Catcher Fun

2012-02-13T23:05:00.002-05:00

Remember these?

Cootie Catchers, Fortune Tellers...whatever you called them, they were an addictive playground or bus trip activity...um, for my generation.... but

- only two of my kids - out of two full classes -

had any idea what we were doing, or what to do with these things.

After finally showing all the kids how to fold the paper squares correctly...

(that took a little longer than expected) we moved on to the fun.

Happy Valentine's Day!

First we filled the four outside flaps with a color, (a color heart was suggested)

Kept it simple and had the inside labeled with numbers 1-8

All the way inside they could write a challenge or a wish...suggested Valentine themed,

but mainly we had a lot of jumping jacks, chalkboard kissing, songs sung, and push-ups-

those were probably better for all involved.

The rest of the class time was spent trying out everyone's creations.

-and taking mug shots for an upcoming project, that I am VERY excited about...

what can I say, last two classes of the day - after sugary Valentine's Parties, crazy intense gym class and before a much anticipated basketball game- attention spans were shorter than mine!
Seriously.
I said, "Fold each corner to the center"
(one corner folded)
Kid says, "Now what."
repeat this sequence X 50 holy bananarama. I need a cup of coffee.

- I'll get back to real posts soon....and real art projects

..right now all my big important coherent words are tied up in generating income.

~Later gator~

Georges Seurat + Valentine's Day = happy pigs

2012-02-11T14:55:00.000-05:00

My first period Friday art class is designed to teach painting techniques.

Between the limited time - the early morning - their "perceived" lack of skills.... and my over-developed need to be liked, I try to present projects that are fun, while at the same time giving them a little art history lesson and possibly even a new skill. (we can only hope)

So, as an intro to pointillism, and the art of Georges Seurat, we did not jump into recreating his beautiful Eiffel Tower - nope, not even close. Friday also happened to be the day of the Valentine's parties so....I showed them how to draw a happy pig.

huh? yeah, well it made sense in my head - they can be pink, their spots could be heart shaped.... and, the kids probably think they cannot draw a pig. yes they can and they are adorable. see

yes, the pig above has an "I love Bacon" tattoo...

~shrug~ he drew a cute pig and painted with dots,

we accomplished something

pigs this week, Paris next

is there anything you don't know?

2012-02-09T16:34:00.003-05:00

The fabulous Word Nerd, Beth, bestowed upon me another Sweet Award.... and so did Jo from her Wandering Mind blog, so sweet - but - awards in the blogging community come with strings ...and links attached.... For this award, my job is to tell you seven things you might not already know about me and then pass the love along.

the frog will make sense later

Okay, honestly, are there seven things you don’t already know about me? If so, you must not be paying attention : ) - and that's okay, really, just fine and dandy.

Read and forget, that would be best for all involved.

Quicky quick here are 7 new things...possibly.. depending on who you are, how you know me, and where you jumped into this silly blog.

1. I am registered as Skaty Cakes in the Flat Track Derby Association Registry....my "number" is a wink, ;)
ha- such a toughy tough roller girl
2. I know how to weld....worked in a art studio with a sculptor who made insanely large steel creations.
3. Parking garages scare me almost as much as mice
4. Spiders don't scare me....neither do snakes.... (there is no accounting for a person's fears)
5. I read so much I sometimes have trouble, um, distinguishing .... ~should I even finish this sentence?~... oh why not, fiction sometimes seeps into my "memories"
6. I can play the clarinet - can read music - love a wide variety of music...cannot sing - AT ALL, trust me.
7. I love hot peppers and make a mean pizza - seriously, my crust is better than your crust.

~ 7 more ~ for sweet award number 2

..... now for something a little different, in the theme of flaws

"We are flawed creatures, all of us. Some of us think that means we should fix our flaws. But get rid of my flaws and there would be no one left.” Sarah Vowell, Take the Cannoli

1. I cannot watch a baseball game from beginning to end, not little league, high school, professional - attention span of a gnat at times.

2. I cannot do origami  - well, except for the time I showed a group of 20 -some teenagers how to make origami jumping frogs (my only talent) - that was not a wise move. We were all waiting for a conference to start and suddenly the room was overtaken by a plague of frogs.

3. I cannot build anything with Legos - but was given the responsibility of being a teacher helper in a year long Lego enrichment class - most of the class made very impressive -working- structures....I retreived bricks from the floor and helped an equally Lego-challenged little girl pass the time.

4. I was hopelessly lost in the sand dunes once with two other women - we were "chaperoning" a group of teens (there is a theme growing here) and wanted to check out the sand dunes - but no one wanted to come, so we left them. Yes, that is right, we took off. Anyways, not only did we not know which direction would get us out of the neverending sand....a storm was coming. ....after "fighting" over which way to go for far too long... my friend spotted a utility pole off in the distance

- where there is electicity, there is civilation right?

yeah, well after a few more ridiculous obstacles, we made it back to the abandoned children.. Did they miss us? They didn't even know we were gone. Nice.

5. I cannot make jello. This flaw disturbs me....not because I LIKE jello, but because it beat me.

6. I am horrible with names - really, truly horrible - it does not mean I do not remember you, or like you....really, it doesn't. I am sorry.

(- hint, write it down and hold the name to your face for a while- visuals help-)

7. I started a paper airplane tossing contest in a hotel - again, as a chaperone. The hotel had one of those nifty atrium lobbys and several balconies. The kids were bored, so I walked around, made an airplane and tossed it at one of the kids on the opposite side.  Imagine what happened next....yep, lots and lots of airplanes - but I should also mention there were a ton of HAPPY, not bored, children....
*bonus flaw - when one of the security guards came off the elevator, most likely to stop the little hoodlums, one girl screamed and ran down the hall. Later, I told her to just "act cool."   As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I realized that advice was probably very flawed.

I will go through and pop an award on unsuspecting bloggers - later...right now I have a championship basketball game to go to! :) Go Team!

~*~*~* Two lists of 7 facts, for my two Irresistibly Sweet Blogging Awards ~*~*~*~

Upset

2012-02-07T10:20:00.001-05:00

The word of the week is Upset.

Yesterday, I interviewed for a position....and was turned down. Today, I could be upset, agitated, perturbed, unsettled ....but I am not. No one would blame me if I was. After a series of unfortunate events, I could be fretting, upset at my lot...

but in fact

I am the exact opposite. I am calm. Settled, soothed by the fact that what was behind door number one was not for me.

~~~~now, please forgive the cheesy poem~~~~

Upset, who me? Nope, not this brunette.
I spun the barrel
played russian roulette

nothing happened,
the die is set.

today I also sold a painting of a tree
so how could I focus on regret.

I'll stop there, before I include .. tearing off pieces of a baguette...listening to an old cassette....seriously, I'll stop, you don't need to hear about a vignette or anyone sing a duet. I'll just go put my hair in a barette - and no I am not wearing fishnet or a corset, although I wouldn't be opposed to driving a Corvette - while wearing georgette....oh my, this is out of control

push Reset....

Just the facts ma'am, (a line from Dragnet) ha!

~~~~~~

~*~*for the GBE2 prompt - upset~*~*~

set myself up again

2012-02-05T11:52:00.000-05:00

In my art classes Friday, the kids were finishing up a variety of projects....the cityscapes are all nearly complete, the pop art - done....drawing lessons completed - which means we can start moving on, setting up for new messes.
~muahahaha~

love cityscapes....

each one was different - the "rule" was to add collage elements

pop art was fun - a lot of high schoolers miss playing with crayons and glue :) apparently

pop art cupcakes - cute!

~she was so proud ~

Those classes were all fine and dandy....cartooning on the other hand....hmmm, we had some downtime, so we practiced drawing babies.....with interesting results. I did not take as many pictures as I should have ( it is a crazy couple of classes ) but just take a look at the "man baby" for an idea of how it went.... there was a baby on a bbq, bizarre floating baby heads and

cute baby

won't flip for some reason - but you get the idea

then

in order to change it up (- time was moving slow -) I had them draw jars. Mason jars....
the project was to then draw something in the Mason jar
- be creative -
it could be anything

storm in a jar

tree in a jar - jar in a tree
clever

elephant in a jar

but of course, I really set myself up for questioning when the boys started putting BABIES in JARS

ahhh well.....
if there are any parents reading this,

-it was honestly not my intention to have babies on bbq's or stuffed into mason jars....
my apologies

Happy Groundhog Day - I lied

2012-02-02T10:14:00.001-05:00

.....okay campers rise and shine

Happy Groundhog Day

Gotta love a "holiday" with no pressure. No cards to mail, no presents to purchase, no special meals to prepare...you do not even have to wear a particular color - and - NO one will be offended if you do - or do not- wish them a happy groundhog day.

Talk about p.c., it is so p.c. you might think it has no value....but that's the beauty of it, Groundhog Day - highlights some very important truths. Sure the whole 6 more weeks until spring, or 6 more weeks of winter is redundant...useless information....but the truth is, in 6 weeks you will either be 6 weeks closer to your goals, or just 6 weeks older. hmmmm....

In the movie Groundhog Day, it makes it clear that change has to start with you -beautifully highlighting, the insanity of doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.

(okay- yesterday I wrote that I hate watching movies over- I lied. That is just a general rule....Groundhog Day is a must for Feb.2 or thereabouts, and of course there are a select few others that slip through that intolerant brick wall)

In the movie - (as it is in my life) - it is impossible for Phil to have any control over the external world. Every morning he wakes up and it’s the same day again. He is compelled to find how best to survive and prosper, and decide if this is a curse or maybe a blessing.

The following is a repost from last year - how very appropriate.

What Works

Through the brilliance of this plot we can observe Phil as he deals with his unique predicament. We can see how he struggles to find meaning and purpose in his life. Each day he experiments with new thoughts and behaviors and he learns what works and what does not work. Any change that occurs must be inside of him because only he can change – all the other characters repeat exactly what they did the day before.

Change
This shines an intense light on Phil’s ability to change himself. As he struggles through all his flawed strategies based on selfishness, manipulation and instant gratification we learn how empty they really are. Over countless days he learns that what pleasures he thought would make him happy have failed to, and he has to accept that his old self has completely run out of steam.

Interpretation
He is forced to place all his attention on changing the way he interprets the world, because everything around him is fixed. Once he accepts he is truly stuck, possibly forever, he has nowhere else to go and begins to rebuild his personal reality by changing his attitudes, values, thoughts and feelings. He literally recreates himself by focusing all his attention on inner change.

Transform
He changes his thoughts and this transforms every part of his life. In a silly comedy, Phil’s journey proves that inner change is the key to our personal growth and happiness. Phil literally transforms the worst day of his life into his best day, and the only thing that changes is his thinking and his actions.

It’s All You
The genius of the time loop means that there are no other variables that could be responsible for the change – the only changes in the town occur because he has changed. What a profound lesson in personal transformation.

It’s up to you.

*In the spirit of groundhog day, I am reprinting this book/holiday review

for the GBE2 prompt, "review" ; ) *

sweet, an award

2012-02-01T10:22:00.004-05:00

Nearly everyday, Gill, Mojo Writin', gives me an interesting - often twisty - but always intriguing, short story to read .....I look forward to meeting her new characters, seeing what they're up to, and what crazy bomb Gill is going to drop at the end.

Today...instead of finding a cool new short, I found an award!

Fun. Okay, now I am supposed to share seven factoids about myself and then spread the love to seven unsuspecting bloggers.

First, my 7

1. I don't know what to do with my arms when having a picture taken. Awkward to the core

like this funky frog from the zoo last year...

2. My calico cat matches my decor - she is my inspiration - calico camo
-in fact, she could invite all her calico buddies over and I would probably not even notice-

3. I used to make fun of chai tea....I am sorry. Now, I buy the spices from a student's mom...and make it on the stove as a yummy treat. Again, sorry for making fun of you, Chai. I was nothing but a caffeinated bully.

4. I want a flying squirrel suit....I want to leap off tall buildings - cliffs - random houses...and SOAR
(saw it on a commercial - have to try this!)

and look it comes in PINK!

check it out... wingsuits

5. I read books multiple times....but hate watching movies twice - or blech, reruns

6. I do not like blue walls, blue furniture, light blue cars or most anything pastel - navy gets a pass, it is trying

7. February is my second favorite month....Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day - Day AFTER Valentine's Day clearance sales of the pink and red pretties...camping......
&

since March is my favorite, I am in for two full months of happiness :)

Now, to pass it on....

1.Wine-n-Chat
2.My Wandering Mind
3.View through Kat Eyes
4.Dish 6
5.MichaelsFishBowl
6.Faith in Ambiguity
7.The Heart-Shaped Muffin

I live by Murphy's law

2012-01-30T10:31:00.001-05:00

"Murphy's"
not a soap, a two part reality show

Part one, clean up

Saturday was a mad cleaning day....

wait, back up a sec....my dryer broke early last week, meaning I had nearly 7 days of dirty clothes to tackle - basketball and soccer uniforms, soccer socks, volleyball, running and workout clothes in the mix of TOWELS, and all the assorted regular work and school clothes. (and note- no basement, or "extra room" to hide it all)

While waiting, for my fabulous new dryer to spit out fluffy, warm clean clothes so I could put them all away...like it was a treat. (because it was), I put other things in their place, cleaned out cupboards, closets, the kitchen, bathroom...general house stuff.

then... I dusted. The tables, shelves, wooden blinds....it all looked and smelled so lovely - why not use the same stuff on my floors? I have a big fluffy flat dust mop thing (not a swifter, bigger and flatter..) anyways, I sprayed a bit of the furniture polish on the dust mop and shined up the floors.

They shined. Really shined. I loved it.

~End of Scene One~

Scene Two, enter the children

Whack! youngest slipped as she turned the corner, fell hard.

For a little while it was fun. Yeah sure, "ice skating" through the house is all fun and games until someone gets an eye poked out...or an arm possibly broken.

....not broken, but definitely a very deep bruise, instantly swollen, black and blue....painful. yikes.

after posting on Facebook my "mistake" many came back with the advice to use Murphy's Oil Soap....sure, a thinking person would know this.

I, on the other hand, live by Murphy's LAW ....
If you can screw something up by trying to clean it, I will.

Within the past year alone, I have broken, shrunk and stained more items attempting to clean them than I care to admit, but will list a few for examples. Among that embarrassing list sits my spotty oven - deep cleaning gone wrong....who knew oven cleaner was not for the stove top? The berber carpet in my one and only room with carpeting has very nice light tracks from a steam cleaner with "too strong" cleaner... hmpf, it worked in the other room...er, no it didn't....that's why that room now has wood floors. Favorite sweaters shrunk into child-size and most embarrassing - one day, in an attempt to quickly clean the kitchen floor, I accidentally grabbed the dishwasher soap bottle, instead of the floor cleaner....squirted it directly on the floor....and forever lightened sections of the dark wood. ahhh well. live and learn....or in my case, just live.

maybe I should have thought that through...

2012-01-28T11:08:00.001-05:00

"Okay, take off your shoes." I announced to my fourth period art class.

hmmmm, did not think that through.....more than half the class just finished gym class.....

oh well. The project was simple enough. I had them do a crayon rubbing of the bottom of their shoe, cut it out and then glue it on another sheet of paper. From there, it could be anything....and I was really impressed with what they came up with. The girl who always draws horses, turned her shoe rubbing into a very nice horse...

and the girl who turns every project into a reason to draw a princess...completely transformed her shoe print into well, just look, it is kind of amazing for a ten year old.

I posted more pics on the ...art rocks tab, proving this project was worth a slightly odorous classroom. : )

Those who finished early did some life drawing. I suggested they made "trophy" sketches of their friends.... (the princess-artist added a trophy full of roses as I was talking...not quite what I meant, but, if anything, that girl is consistent)

Two boys really got into it - check it out.... (and I should point out, that is a duct tape tie he is wearing, so cute)

Cleveland

2012-01-25T18:10:00.000-05:00

~Cleveland~

My son finally received the official news -he will be stationed in Cleveland.
-my daughter could only laugh- "yeah, people must be fighting over that port all right"
okay, so it is not Hawaii, but it is a great start and,

bonus...

- he will be paroling the waters where all his family and friends boat - ha, watch out.
~~~~~~~~~~

~*~*~*~a rebellious wordless wednesday post~*~*~*~

the deer in the headlights found a fork

2012-01-21T20:00:00.002-05:00

~Stage Fright~

This blog has been interrupted by an extreme episode of stage fright.

Thanks for reading, thanks for commenting, thanks for tweeting and sharing

- really, I do appreciate the love.

but

there are times, usually in the midst of a creative process, when shyness takes over
- mentioned to explain my lack of posts -

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That and.....early this week I was thrown a curve ball. Just when all is calm, nothing to be seen but miles and miles of the same, a situation popped out of no where.

(keeping it vague, because I don't want to jinx anything, and well - you know, that pesky shy thing)

I've come to a fork in the road

no, not that kind

When you can't see past your nose either way, making a decision is hard. I have a tendency to visualize to the point of making things seem real - but that does not mean that is the way they will turn out.

I can paint glorious rosy swatches all over each possibility,
spin it until it seemingly twirls pirouettes on it's own.
create an exciting emotional tsunami

which leaves me that much more confused.

Something I read in Psychology today this month is strangely relevant.....even if I don't want to acknowledge it. Entitled, "Why do Daydreamers Fail?" the study cited suggests that the more clearly you visualize, the less motivated, and in turn, less likely you are to succeed.

~hmpf~

The published paper mentioned, "Positive fantasies about idealized futures sap energy" flies right in the face of those who follow "The Secret." Even if it is a little depressing for this dreamer, I guess they have a point. I can practically transport to an idealized future, to the point that it feels like it already happened....which leads to the whole, been there, done that emotion.

so, i am giving logic and reality a shot with this big decision....trying to weigh out the options, consider how my decision will affect others, taking practicalities under consideration...and on and on. Where am I going, why?

do I use the wisdom of the Cheshire Cat

"If you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t much matter which way you go."

or Yogi Berra
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

or both?

Either way will work, somehow, someway.... i imagine.

peeved

2012-01-16T00:07:00.003-05:00

What is your pet peeve?

When this topic was announced, I pinpointed my pet peeve instantly.

- people who are mean to the wait staff -

This annoys me from all angles.

When I waitressed at a comedy club, I found it pretty ironic that the worst behaved customers, the ones that complained and made huge fusses over the smallest things....were there on business, mainly staff parties of some sort. People, people, don't you realize waitresses shop, bank, and buy cars too....and more importantly - we talk. If the impression your business leaves is rude, immature or flat out hard to please...then do not expect our business....or the business of our friends, family....sure, you "business men" may think that a lowly cocktail waitress is inconsequential to your "big, important business" - but then you may be surprised at who we know.

Other than those big parties, one of the biggest pitfalls of working in a comedy club was that when the lights came on, everyone got up to leave at once...meaning, MANY people slip out without paying.... which is immediately deducted from the waitresses tips. ouch. Okay, maybe that's more than a pet peeve...

On the other side of the table, I've been out with people who treat restaurant staff with such a condescending manner that I've wanted to hide under the table. Last year at an event, a man fussed and complained the entire meal. The food wasn't cooked just right, the drink tasted "off" whatever that means and then, the final straw was when he pushed dessert away, disgusted that the New York cheesecake, that he ordered....was too dense, not light and fluffy like he prefers. (um, that is the definition of a New York style cheesecake sir, you must be thinking of Philadelphia style, which is not on the menu and so, you did not order it...)
He single-handedly destroyed the atmosphere of the entire table...no, the entire room. The owner of the restaurant even came over to apologize, and the rude putz put his hand up and turned away. seriously man?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

... I thought I'd quickly write this up and be done with it, but then a few others came to mind...

*people who put all their focus on physical perfection. Now I am all for beauty and taking care of yourself, but come on, there is more to life honey. (on the flip side - Toddlers and Tiaras - this is a big pet peeve of mine....ugh. those moms need to be focusing more on themselves - hit the gym, take yourself to the beauty parlor ...and focus less on your toddlers beauty, take your toddler to the playground,)

*saying you are getting so old - yes, of course you are aging, but stop acting old before your time....and by that I mean stop throwing the, "I'm too old for that card" - what a cop-out. (sometimes it may be true...but most of the time it is just ridiculous, a thirty-something saying they are too old to do anything, or a forty year old who is "too old" for *insert anything fun here*

*condescending tones....The, "I-know-more-than-you-about-everything" - attitude, followed up with the "If-I-don't-know-something,- it-must-not-be-important" - attitude.

When it comes to pet peeves, you really can't have just one.

~*~*~*~*~written for the GBE2 topic, pet peeve~*~*~*~*~*~

repeat

2012-01-14T00:18:00.003-05:00

Today in art class we made tessellations.

Cut, trace, repeat.

I posted a few pictures on the "art rocks" tab of this blog, but it feels appropriate to repeat myself here.

some kids got right to work - like the girl who quickly scribbled out a page of owls
another carefully cut, taped and traced a page full of chickens

we had cute cats, batman images, fox, rockets, dogs, houses, faces and....

Dragons.

But one kid stood out - er, actually he just sat...

After explaining the project, this boy just sat there. Not completely unusual, but he wasn't talking to friends, or being disruptive.... 5...10 minutes into class and he was doing nothing more than looking at his cardstock

then, all of a sudden, snip, snip, snip

(snip-snip-snip-snip...it was a dragon after all, with spikes and teeth)

then
Ta Da! dragons

really cool to watch his mind at work
and reminded me of my morning...when I decided all my classes had to go to Plan B

~~~~~~~~~~~
When I woke up and realized school was not cancelled due to the snow storm...
I sat
and stared

Had to come up with something other than my planned projects (too much to carry down the street in the snow...) We ended up doing pop art, tessellations, lizards, and cityscapes. Turned out to be a good plan since so many kids were absent. Try again next week.

(and I'll try again tomorrow on my blog - this is alls i gots today :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~*~*~nablopomo~*~*~

what IS that?

2012-01-12T14:58:00.002-05:00

Ever have those moments when imagination kicks in a split second before logic? Just enough time to potentially say or do something ridiculous....you know, in light of reality.

Today, my daughter thought there was a cat hanging off the back of a fellows truck hitch.

After further investigation, we saw it was nothing more than a monkey...a stuffed monkey. The wet dangling stuffed animal "could" have been a cat hanging on for dear life...right? Oh my.

Not the best example, (just weird) but that got us talking. How many other times have I "seen" something that wasn't exactly there.

{disclaimer - not schizophrenic, creative is my default mode}

A few years ago, I was certain a giant bat was hanging from a telephone wire... I could feel the rush of adreneline- pure shot of fear.... so certain I even called a friend. Nope, just a trash bag.

My grandma was apparently certain she saw the biggest bee in the world...it was a hummingbird. now that is an honest mistake, see...

Then there was the strange incidence when my daughter and I both thought an exotic animal had escaped the mall into the parking lot....maybe a baby potbelly pig, or a chinchilla ....we slowly approached....talking about what we should do.....until,

"oh, um okay"

It was a discarded diaper.

Once, I scared a guy sleeping in his car at a soccer tournament...because I thought he was dead. (come on, his head was at a weird angle...) *just keep walking, just keep walking...

Now I could tell you about the time I thought I witnessed a murder...but honestly, it wouldn't make sense...I don't know what actually happened - or how to explain what I "thought" I saw. holy memory zapper thingee ( Men in Black )

Some say excess consumption of coffee makes you see things, hear things....maybe

(*awesome illusion from visual fun house)

...................or maybe it's all a conspiracy, man.

... thirsty?

2012-01-11T16:25:00.000-05:00

~Wordless Wednesday~

thirsty?

once upon a time there were castles

2012-01-10T23:26:00.002-05:00

As much as I love exploring in the woods -and- love spending time by the water.... I have a real "thing" for old buildings. Not just any old house though, I am talking about commercial properties- churches, schools, stores, factories.... stop. stare. imagine the history.... go ahead soak it all in.....dream of the possibilities...

The GBE2 prompt for this week is History... I may not know a pile of facts, could not recite all the names, dates and exact locations of historical events, but history resonates with me. History is nothing more than what happened -to people- and that is always interesting. My favorites; art history, architectural history, fashion history - all revolve around the people who made it so.

When I stand in the midst of a great old space, my mind goes to the workers, the time period....but mostly, when I see an old abandoned building, my mind starts churning, "how could I fix this up?" "what could this space be...?" "could I live here...?"

(((- now even though this history post is taking a turn, it still relates -
if you squint and turn your head slightly to the right...)))

I sometimes stalk real estate sites for old buildings - it's an odd hobby - I am not going anywhere anytime soon, but when the time is here - I will be ready (and know exactly where the best buildings are!)
This great space is somewhere in England - yeah, England ~shrug~ why not?

here's the write up;

Traditional brick construction with stone and brick facade fronting onto Market Street with further entrance on Queen Street.

Six good sized rooms off main reception area. Staircase leading to two rooms under the main stage area. Two staircases leading to first floor which is a spacious hall with high ceiling and a stage to the rear.

Total ground floor extends to 1918 sq ft. First floor 272 sq ft. Second floor 2294 sq ft.
Inside picture..... a little paint, a new floor, a few ceiling tiles (or something altogether new) -look at those windows.... aaaahhhh

This next one is flatout gorgeous..... I don't need a place like this - but goodness, it is for sale £289,000 (popping that into a currency convertor it comes out at $368,359)
I'd add, ONLY, to that number...not because I have an extra 365 grand lying about, but I do know people who live in everyday, ordinary big homes for approximately that amount of money. Heck, my son's appendicitis nightmare cost nearly that much. (month in hospitals including the two ambulance rides - transporting to different hospitals ) anyways, this is...

St. Georges Church in Central Manchester

now, you may be thinking - that would take a lot of work to fix up, heat-cool....well, it looks as though someone already did the basics.

wow, just wow.

For approximately the same amount of money - this old high school ( can I even say "old" after showing that actually old church....?) anyways, it was built in 1910 in North Carolina - cool - huge... how much fun that would be to fix up and transform...

....ideally though, I would love to take over a small old firehouse. Not only are set up cool, they are most likely located in town so the whole "art studio - workshop - home thing would work.

I don't know how to end this post. I keep staring at the screen....looking back at the pretty buildings...typing, deleting... time's up. Good bye, thanks for reading.

tick tock

2012-01-09T10:19:00.005-05:00

Here I am, start of a new day (technically, not the start, I've been up for hours...) but anyways, here it is, second week of January and you know what?

The clock is ticking. Only 51 more weeks to go. When I put it that way, a year seems so short. Only 365 days...if I had 365 pennies in my pocket, that would not be a lot...(well, it would be a lot, but would be gone in an instant...probably from dropping them on the floor and then eventually sucking them up with a vacuum) Even 365 dollars is not all that much when I take bills into consideration...

So, how can I possibly waste a day? Tomorrow I have to take off for my daughters birthday....( so glad I have the sort of job that affords that option )- but in order for me to AFFORD that option, I have to type...

.....and design my proposal for the public art program - yet again. yep every year for the past 4 years, maybe 5, I've submitted my best work....get accepted into round one....celebrate!....round two......celebrate! .....and then....no go. : ( BUT, I do it anyways. Persistence counts for something right?

.....get 30-some heads mounted on wood plaques. Yes, seriously. I have a large box of papier mache heads in my garage. At the end of the last class, I asked my son to grab the last box of heads from my classroom. - he just shook his head and said, "Only my mother." They will be very cool whimsical mounted animals...hopefully. I told the class to use their imaginations...in other words, I do not want to recognize bambi on the wall...but apparently reverse psychology works, they are turning out a bit too realistic. Have to break out the neon paints I guess, and glitter. lots of glitter

....work on a painting....not just any ol' painting, a COMMISSION piece. Can anyone say, synchronicity? A couple came over to pick up a tool, saw my new big painting, started asking questions....ended up asking me to paint one for their house. A harvest scene of some sort with lots of texture and color. Me, the girl who hung up her paint brushes a couple years ago, the one who stopped short of joining a wickedly fun group of girls for an art show two months ago, (details spilled here) the one who fought her way through the painting that now hangs on the wall...the very one that inspired a couple to buy one of their own.... proving the theory (in my head) ...if you give a mouse a cookie...(meaning, for those who aren't children's lit scholars, one thing leads to another)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
feeling gauge
right now I am feeling...
flat out overwhelmed....mixed with determination....and wait for it.....contentment.

That is a delicious combo for an adrenaline junkie.

Yes, I am still a little sad - but all the comments and messages after yesterday's pathetic post were really amazing, and regardless of the past, or the naysayers (both actual naysayers and those in my head) the clock is still tick tocking. Get to work!

*~*for nablopomo, which stands for National Blog Posting Month, in case you were wondering~*~*

...I don't want to talk about it

2012-01-08T20:04:00.002-05:00

Today, I do not really want to blog....but I will because, well, that is what I do.

Let me throw out this disclaimer first; I am a girl. I fully embrace this fact, which means, I sometimes feel a little too intensely, and "hear" things that are not actually said.. Not to say I hear voices, but I do have the fabulous ability to know what someone, particularly those of the male persuasion, is actually thinking. Yes, I can read minds. anyways...

It's been a rough day

1. I made plans to see a group of friends...a group that used to center around my friend who recently passed away. My eyes were leaky faucets the entire friggin time. Memories flooded in and I just couldn't stop the flow. Don't get me wrong (especially Michelle if you are reading this) I had a great time, it was great seeing everyone...just, well you know.

2. I had a facebook conversation go wrong. As I wrote in an earlier post, I've drastically changed my diet to hopefully reverse a health issue....playing the role of a guinea pig because I have to DO something. After replying it didn't matter what "facts" were shared about why a person needs meat, and that I am sticking with the vegan experiment...they replied in no uncertain terms that I will fail. Um, what? I will fail, thanks, just what I needed to hear.
You will fail = You will stay sick...or worse. thanks, sure hope you are wrong, but if you are not, guess you will be able to say, I told you so - geez, some people never lose.

3. Do you ever want to just shout from the rooftop, (or your front door if you are afraid of heights,)

"I am not okay!"
Well, I am not okay today. Nope. Not Okay. That is the truth. Feeling sad and sorry for myself.

Dang, leaking again.

.....in between writing this, and finding some sort of image to post, I received a phone call and an invite for coffee. Wow, I needed that.

Maybe life isn't so bad after all.

maybe

~this sad sack of a post was written for nablopomo.~
my apologies, dear reader

call me crazy....

2012-01-07T21:20:00.002-05:00

Between my sisters, my friends and my children, the hair dye companies are undoubtedly financially stable. My dark hair doesn't allow for much change, but I did try black once and have yet to give in to gray...... on the other hand, my naturally blond sisters have been red heads, brunettes and once there was an interesting black and bleach blond duo.

~~~~~~~~~~~

My sons undefeated varsity soccer team decided to all bleach their hair for the state tournament which created an interesting almost scary look. Then, after the bright blond look, my son (#7) thought why not go blue... that only latest a week or so before he wanted to take the color out. Funny thing is, for a while there, his head resembled a yummy pile of cotton candy. The blue didn't quite come all the way out, instead it left light purple and pink sections....pretty look for a tough 18 year old I have to say.

(the coaches didn't dye their hair- spoil sports)
I did mine...sort of

anyways, all his experimenting hardly matters, since he has very little hair to speak of now

In the meantime my oldest daughter was experimenting with hair dye herself. As a swimmer her hair color was constantly in flux anyways so she just helped it along with sun-in type products and occassionally added little streaks of color. She's done with all that now. Completely content with her dirty blond hair.

My other son only tried highlights once, but after being compared to Justin Bieber vowed to never mess with his hair again...we'll see about that....

........... all this brings me to the fact that I dyed my youngest daughters hair tonight.

She asked for red hair for her birthday....

and I figured, why not.

This inexpensive gift made her super happy and there is nothing wrong with happy.

I know, I know...hair dye is not intended for kids, the chemicals, the habit...blah, blah, blah...... not to mention the mess -yikes!

To that I say, I have been through this before. Unless hair dye actually caused my oldest's high hairline, I'd say letting kids try on different looks is okee dokee.

- she may even outgrow it by the time she hits high school -
or not, either way, it's a harmless "statement" in my eyes.

pictures say a thousand words

2012-01-06T16:21:00.001-05:00

Revisiting the "work" prompt today for the GBE2.

While I have talked on and on about my work, I figured today I'd share what my kids do. My love for working, ~doing what you love~, has certainly been passed down.
They all have jobs, and actually all enjoy working....guess I did something right afterall.

This is going to be a picture-heavy post because the saying is true, pictures say a thousand words.

This is a photo of my daughter at work. She is a teacher in an inner city daycare....it's a tough job, but she adores it. She started as a volunteer, went to part-time teacher's helper, and recently became a teacher there herself. It can be hard sometimes for me, since the area isn't exactly nice, but she really loves those kids and actually -often threatens to bring a few of the kids home (I wouldn't mind)

Aside from the daycare, she also works as a photographer, taking senior class photos, covering events and honing her skills so she can travel the world - as she declared when she was barely 10.

My son is a gym teacher right now- he has joined the Coast Guard and is waiting in limbo...but in the meantime, loves teaching his classes. He has all ages, 5 year olds to senior high, and does a fabulous job with all of them.

This stretching picture has a funny story....I swung by his gym to take a quick picture of him "at work" and one of the parents happened to be visiting. She smiled and sweetly asked, "Oh, which one is yours?" I had to say, "The big bald one." yep, the teacher is my "little one" ha! He also works at a tool and die shop part time....no pictures of that place... and he works with his little brother ..... or for his little brother depending on who you are talking to...

They cut lawns, landscape, build gardens, collect leaves, snowplow, shovel, clean gutters...whatever is needed. The picture above shows them racing to get my backyard done..so they can move on to paying jobs :) ....it hardly needs two walk behinds...but oh well, it got done fast!

they built this walkway and all the gardens for a neighbor.....

and they have fun doing it all, that's Joe pushing a wheelbarrow on his ripstick (an inline skateboard sorta thing)

Joe also has a knack for anything mechanical - thankfully since his brother was not blessed with the same skills...

my youngest is a mother's helper ...she has been watching twin boys since they were only a month old...basically she is a babysitter in training for my slightly overwhelmed friend.

Working is not a horrible burden, the picture below is of my daughter working at Cedar Point, yeah, she is kinda sassy. Her class did a fairly lucrative fundraiser and had a blast doing it...

and finally, they all work around the house...my happy little minions, gotta love em!

working out the kinks

2012-01-05T22:44:00.001-05:00

Today was set up to be a Very Productive Day. I had all the tools to move forward on several projects. Not only did I have the means and the time, I had the need. Honestly, between deadlines and money, there should have been nothing stopping me. I can be very focused, work until I can not keep my eyes open, skip meals, sleep and well, everything- unfortunately today was not a focusing day. I worked and putzed and started one thing only to think about the loose strings on the other....

The prompt for today was, "what is the hardest part about a beginning?"
well that's easy, the hardest part is what to do at that first stumble.
You begin something new, exciting, ambitious even and then something happens

- a bad day, an emergency, bad news, or maybe laziness just sneaks up from behind and overtakes you.

At that point lots of people quit.

I'll bet a lot of those resolutions made around the world a few days ago are already abandoned,

or maybe they weren't even made in the first place because of past failures.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back to my day of missed opportunities...
after I shake myself off and start over again, it is time to work out the kinks, meaning I need to straighten out a few issues with my big plans, namely - I need to factor in sleep, planning things from 5 am to 12 am and later is simply not going to fly. I ran out of steam around 3, took a cat nap, (so I wouldn't be a hazard on the road) ... went to watch my son's basketball game .... stopped at the bank at the last second, forgot to mail an important letter....and on and on... oh, and I was starving by the time we finally got home, (should make time to eat lunch...) need to take another look at my resolutions.

Not abandoning them, no, just have to hone them in.

whoa baby, slow down

~night, night~

*written for nablopomo*
(....and sort of squeezed in the BFF, resolutions prompt, and the GBE2 work prompt)
sometimes ya just gotta cut corners
~

one foot in front of the other

2012-01-04T14:24:00.002-05:00

In the whirlwind of the holidays, kids off school, long weekend, indoor soccer starting up, first real snow...I forgot about my commitment to the January nablopomo (translation- daily blogging) but, here I am, so I will just jump in from here. Very appropriate choice too, since looking at their prompt for the day, I had to laugh...

"Are you superstitious about beginnings? Anything you do to start out on the right foot?" Ha, no. Not superstitious at all, beginnings are wonderful, jump in - right foot, wrong foot, backwards, headfirst, belly flop...hardly matters, just get out there and do something.

...metaphorically speaking of course. there is one activity that I can think of that I have to have all my ducks in a line, have to take a deep breath and focus before stepping forward. I'm warning you it is a little ridiculous...

....escalators make me unnecessarily nervous. I have to HOLD on to the rail, focus intently, catch the step and do not let go. Taking the kids out when they were younger was normally fine. They are well-behaved kids, they didn't run off, yell or throw tantrums...but faced with the dilemma of holding my child's hand, and a diaper bag, stroller or purchases, I was the one freaking out. (quietly, inside of course)

I am not a mall person as it is, so I do not have to confront escalators very often...and when I do, no longer do I have to hold my kids hands on those contraptions. In fact, they would actually prefer I did not give them my death grip.

So, while I am all "go for it" "make a leap into the unknown" and ever ready to go on an insane roller coaster, zip line or other adreneline bursting activity....escalators make me freeze.

what is wrong with real stairs people?

use it or lose it.
one foot in front of the other, you can do it

Tower City at Christmas is beautiful

...or any other day of the year

and for the record- please note the real stairs.

ten today

2012-01-03T09:47:00.001-05:00

Ten on Tuesday which feels like Monday from Roots and Rings

1. What did you get for Christmas? Well, I wrote about the Chanel purse below.... other than that, a really pretty candle holder and a metal leaf bowl -full of fancy cookies from my sister, a popcorn maker, fluffy makeup brushes and paint. - plus while Christmas shopping I bought new pjs for Christmas morning and a pair of tall boots - Merry Christmas to me.

2. Have you taken down your Christmas decorations? YES, up, up and away!

3. What did you do for New Years Eve? not a whole lot, but ...at the strike of midnight I pulled out kazoos

4. Do you like accents? Very much, I even go a little out of my way to bank because of accents...for some reason my bank of choice has several tellers with Eastern European accents, job fair maybe? Reminds me of Rocky and Bullwinkle- like I am banking with Boris and Natasha :)

and I could listen to this little fella all day

5. What kind of television do you have?
Had to go look, it's a Sharp, small flat screen hanging on the wall. I like it up there, looks like a black painting when not on...although, it may be set a little too high....oh well, it's sort of like sitting in the front row of a movie theater.

6. Did you make any changes at the beginning of 2012? I got a head start on some major diet changes in December - but added a few more, work related changes starting today. All's good, love resolutions.

7. What’s the last book you read and do you recommend it? I'm on a non-fiction, tips and tricks sort of reading binge....I do not recommend this, far too much advice for one person.

8. Do you stay current on celebrity gossip? just enough to know who is who

9. Do you know the words to Bohemian Rhapsody? Gangstas Paradise? Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? Ha, yes....strange how lyrics stick in your brain fo-eva. My kids are scared by this. I. hear. every. word. which is why I cannot listen to the radio to fall asleep.

10. What is your favorite education television show? Aside from Sesame Street, I guess Myth Busters would have to be it - ooo and Bear Grylls, Man vs. Wild - lovely accent :)

"Roots on Fire"

2012-01-03T07:55:00.004-05:00

"Roots on Fire" Done. Hung. On to the next one.

"Roots on Fire" is hanging in my living room - did not turn out quite as expected, but it's done and I had fun, so all's good.

The older post, Wait for it.... , shows some of the transformation and laid down the plan of where I was headed, I said back then about the unfolding painting "...... is the idea of the unseen. It is unfolding an image of a life...showing that what is "under the surface" is far more than what is seen - more than what even you can feel....the intertwining and far-reaching qualities of a single life are extraordinary. A single right step, or stray word can have a massive effect on the very root system of another..."

This took much longer than usual, but it had been
SO long since I "really painted" - not just "art teacher painted" I had to ~~figure out,~~ play with paints and tools again.

next canvas is set up and ready

(promise, no tree this time...pinky swear)