Christmas 2012

2012

favourite Quote Stories from the year

January
"Just wondering, no reason, but do you have any military in your family?"  Amaan 

I took care of two kids in London while their parents went to India for 10 days, and I had the pleasure of being in London to see their Mum off, and stayed with them and their Dad for a week (who bought us fish & chips at a great open air market and made dinner every night!)... and then it was just the three of us. Their Mum had listed out everything they had to do at school, what the wake-ups time was, when to get them to school, when to pick up from school, the extra activities, what to do for dinners, activities planned, friends to call for help, and playdates and sleepovers.

So, being the schedule follower, I followed a schedule. I was warned by their Mum that she's a little flexible on the times and the schedules, since they're more like guidelines for what they do daily, so the boys might not follow everything the way she set it out for us. But I follow schedules. So that's what we did. At 7am I would give the boys their 10 minute warning to be at the table for breakfast. At 7:05 I would give another warning. And at 7:10 they were at the table, or I was dragging their butts down the hall to the table. We reviewed what was happening for the day, and made sure everyone knew what was going on and when. There wasn't much varying from this schedule, except for optional activities, which they could (of course) opt out of if they so wished - like the zoo. We didn't get there. But I think that was the only thing we didn't do on the list.

So it's not the biggest surprise that one morning, at the table, as I am encouraging them to eat! eat! eat!, Amaan asked "Just wondering, no reason, but do you have any military in your family?"

Yeah, right. No reason, eh, Amaan? What can I say? I'm a rule-follower and a people pleaser, so I followed your Mum's rules to please her. Sorry about making you feel like you were in an army camp. Next time I'll get you to make your bed so well I can bounce a quarter off of it!  ;)

February
"happy…medicine"  me
When I got home from London, I quickly gathered up a bunch of artwork and had a show at Art Central here in Calgary with two ladies (Diane Kinahan and Darlene Beck).  We planned for just the three days surrounding the First Thursday, which is a party-like atmosphere in the building, showcasing demonstrations of different art making techniques, complete with a band playing and sometimes fashion shows.  A day before the opening, I received an email from Shaw TV asking if maybe we could film a wee segment at 10am the next morning.  I said "sure" when I should have said "are you insane?".  Anyway, the host and I both had bad colds and we managed to get through the interview and I actually looked like I knew what I was talking about (yay me!) 

 

The next day was the First Thursday and we spent the afternoon and evening talking with a whole bunch of people and I made a lot of sales (with a lot of people telling me I wasn't pricing my art high enough, but what did I care?  I was selling a lot of inventory and that made me feel good!)  So I talked and talked and sold and sold.  The next morning I got up and went to go into Art Central and ...well... I had laryngitis.  No talky talky for me for quite some time.  I thought whispering was fine, but apparently that made things worse.  Great.  I don't know if any of you've noticed at all, but not talking is not what I would call my strong suite.

 

We did so well on the Thursday we extended our stay in Art Central for another couple weeks.  I bought a whiteboard, and wrote on it "Hi!  I have laryngitis, so I can't talk to you, but if you have any questions, I can write my replies on here."  And it seemed to be working quite well.  I took it to the bank, where the teller took it and wrote notes back to me (very weird, since she could talk), and to lunch where the server bent down low to me and said, loudly and slowly, "Your pizza will be right out."  As I was not deaf and hadn't been recently dropped on my head, I wondering what the hell he was doing.  I considered writing on the white board "Your tip will be very low." but decided against the advanced warning.  Other than those two weird times, it worked pretty well.

 

So, me and my white board went into Cactus Art Supply to buy some paint, since painting in the studio didn't require a lot of talking.  Lisa at Cactus knew some sign language so we both said "thank you" to each other in sign, and then I taught her the other two things I know : happy and medicine.  Then I got out to the car with my paints, and my laryngitis, and just a little bit of depression since I wasn't getting better (a few weeks by this time), despite the antibiotics I was on.  I glanced down at the white board I'd placed on the passenger seat and saw the two words I wrote to Lisa, explaining what I was signing in sign language.  Happy Medicine.  And I thought, yeah, I could use me some Happy Medicine.  And I chuckled until I coughed.

 

(On a side note, the second batch of antibiotics worked, but they were more for pneumonia and icky stuff like that, which kinda begs the question, what the heck did the Dr. give me in the first place?)

March

"..what if we woke up holding hands and then got out of bed and just started dancing?" Evan

Evan says some of the darnedest things.  As do most kids, I suppose. 
This wasn't actually said to me, but to my sister. 

{Reading Calvin and Hobbes to Evan.. not sure if its for him or me... then I gave him a hug goodnight and said I'd snuggle if he lay still. So I held his hand. He said, "What if we woke up holding hands and then got out of bed and just started dancing?!" Yes... what if!?}

 

April

"I'm tired of reading talented." Lauren

I was in Minnesota in April for a visit and had a chance to listen to Lauren read, which for most of the books, I tend to think is just memorization.  But I had just bought the pair of them a new book about a plant, and she was reading it, for real (I should have believed before, but they hear these books over and over and over, so memory has something to do with it!)

 

But that wasn't good enough!  I needed to see the pictures, apparently, so she turned it around so I could see and she kept reading.  Upside down!  I was so impressed, I said to Andrea "That's a real talent!  Comes in handy in reviews, so you can read what your boss has on her desk."  Lauren hears this, of course, and says "I'm tired of reading talented!" and turns the book around to face her and continues reading.  It was all I could do to not break out in giggles.

May

"Thumbs up."  "Thumbs down."  Donna

In May, Scott and I booked a house in Nanaimo to stay in for a week with Maggie, and Tyrone came over, along with Donna, and later Harrison and Sunny.  It was fabulous, right on the water, and a great owner (SeaView) with three bedrooms, a great kitchen, and a big deck (which the otters liked to poop on.  Our main task for the week was to finally find a house we could purchase to rent out, and at some point, rent out on a short term basis so we could take our vacations there. 

 

We really wanted to stay downtown close to the Old City, but we were willing to look in the University District and Townsite as well.  So I compiled a huge list and set out with our realtor, John Lee, with Tyrone and Donna tagging along.  It didn't take long to see there was a level of housing we were not comfortable with, and in some of the places the windows were single pane.  As I was taking photos of everything in sight so we could remember the pros and cons of each place, Donna would stand in front of the windows with her thumbs up for double paned windows, and thumbs down for single panes. 

 

It was funny to review the photos at the end of the day and have Donna in there with her "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" - her approval or disapproval even showed on her face.  There were many places she was not taken with.  Happily, she and I agreed on the horrible places, so they were off the list!  But there were so many houses!  It boggled the mind.  And then a couple places sold while were looking at them (and they were "thumbs up" houses too!) while others are still (yes, still) languishing on the MLS site, waiting for someone to fix them up. 

June

"..and a big CONGRADULATIONS, your on the move." Thanks  John

This quote is from John, the realtor in Nanaimo.  I'm not sure why he insists on spelling things wrong, but this is not an isolated occurrence!  Cases of odd reference and misspelled words were common, and I really don't know why.  Tyrone picked up some of John's other weirdnesses in May, and has mentioned them from time to time since then. 

 

Anyway, this was in reference to our purchase (FINALLY!) of a place in Nanaimo to rent out.  There were a few things to do before we could rent it out, so we set out for Nanaimo on Canada Day.

July

"You might think, just by looking at me, that I'm youthful and strong…" Tyrone

As I said, the house required some help before we could rent it out.  I lined up a whole team of people to come and give us quotes and opinions based on the Inspection Report, and on what I figured needed to be done.  Tyrone and Harrison came over as well, and we all set to work getting the house up and running - we were basically camping in an empty house.  We had to get dishes and groceries and unpack all the tools we brought.  The first day was pretty relaxed, as we only got access at noon.  The next day all the trades came, and I was dealing with them as the brothers got the back stairs stabilized and took care of some small plumbing issues. 

 

When it came to the knob and tube wiring, the electrician thought it wasn't too bad (which turned out to not be true - it was horrible and they ended up having to cut open walls and a ceiling to remove it all!)  The plumber, and the painter, and the roofer were all put on hold so we could deal with the electricity - safety first!  So we didn't get to put the brothers to work ripping things apart, which was a good thing since the money to update was pretty much spent on the electricians.  (sigh)

Anyway, very late on second day there, Catherine and Liam showed up.  They had left Calgary the same time we did, but were a waylaid a bit outside Salmon Arm when her antique MG stopped working.  And after it was fixed, they arrived in Vancouver to a delayed ferry boat.  It took a huge amount of effort for them to get to Nanaimo, and it was pretty late by the time they arrived.  The boys had already had a few drinks, and had been running and sliding down the length of the house (with has waxed wooden floors, so it's pretty slippery). 

 

Sooooo... I'm pretty tired, but Tyrone is just getting warmed up now that he has new audience members.  And he starts to tell a story about how he was playing in the park with his boy, and on the monkey bars his arms just gave out (to be fair, I think this was after a couple times on the monkey bars) and his son's friend just pointed and laughed (very loudly) at Ty, over and over.  (His story still makes me giggle.)  But this was the super funny part - to emphasize his point about assuming he should be able to swing on the monkey bars all day long with no issue he said, and I quote "You might think, just by looking at me, that I'm youthful and strong..."  and he said it in the way a 1950s salesman would say it...like he was trying to sell you that workout book to make you strong so the big meanie at the beach wouldn't kick sand in your face anymore.  It was just too much, I started laughing and the rest of the group looked and me and I'm all like "didn't you just hear what he said?"  And I repeated it for them...and it struck their funny bone as well. 
I believe Catherine and Liam are still cracking up about it every once and a while.

August

"All is well.  We changed the prop and went fishing for 11 hours." Mum

In August, we had found a rental company, who had rented out the place in Nanaimo, but not until the end of August, so after Andrea & the kids left Calgary, I took off to spend some time out there and see what else I could take care of before the renters came.  At the same time, Mum and Dad were heading out to Port Alberni to go fishing with Phil & Jill (their friends from high school).  Mum had recently bought a phone with texting, and she texted us about the flight delay, and then about the fishing, and then about the prop being broken.  I called her about the prop (are they on the ocean, with no means of getting back in to port, or are they okay?) and she said they were working on it, and would call me shortly.

 

And then she didn't call.

 

So, after a while , I called Andrea, who also hadn't heard, so we both were concerned, and started calling her and Dad's cell too (who is crazy because he turns his phone off when he's not at the house - who does that?), and then we started looking for Phil's cell, or maybe Tannis' cell or Cory's cell - anyone to tell us what the hell was going on!  And nothing.  I was already making a trip from Nanaimo to Port Alberni for a shelving unit, and thought maybe I would have to stop at the RCMP office to see if they had heard anything about a boat with no prop, adrift or crashed upon the shore somewhere.  And then I get this text from Mum.  "All is well.  We changed the prop and went fishing for 11 hours.  Love Mum"  So I pull over to the side of the road (by a pretty lake, actually, past Cathedral Grove) and called Andrea to let her know and then called Mum and proceeded to reem her out.  She laughed.  I told her it wasn't funny.  She would have lost her mind if I had done that to her.  But she does that when she flies someplace or even drives home from Calgary.  She expects me to call her but then she doesn't call me.  (Oh, and I guess I should say I'm happy they fixed the prop and everything was fine.)

September

"No, not two spoons.  Two pot du crèmes." Scott

On September 21st, it was our 10th year anniversary.  We were already getting each other the required gift of tin for 10 years (in the form of an airplane trip to Vancouver to spend time with Harrsion, who was turning 30 on the same day, and Sharon (we all pitched in to fly her out too) who turned 60 the day before).  So on the Thursday before the trip, we took ourselves to Alloy - the best restaurant in Calgary, as far as I'm concerned.  And we happily ate our way through the amuse bouche, appetizer, main course, a couple glasses of wine, and finally we ordered dessert.  The server said "two spoons?" when we asked for the chocolate pot du crème.  We looked at each other in horror.  "No, not two spoons." said Scott. "Two pot du crèmes."  Which we thoroughly enjoyed.  Each with our own.  No sharing.

October

"The studio we're going to is just a few blocks from Crescent Moon!!!" Andrea

Yes, I'm a lucky girl who gets to travel a lot.  Every October, I get to go down to Minnesota and see the leaves change, do Hallowe'en with the kids, and generally hang out.  This time around I was lucky enough to be there for the Progressive - appetizers at one house, dinner at another, and dessert at yet another.  A great way to get to know the neighbours better, and to see their fabulous homes too!  Andrea had also graciously planned for a girlfriends photoshoot (sadly, SM couldn't make it and was missed) as well as a couple dinner/lunch/tea dates with the girls as well.  Always a fun time down in Eden Prairie!  Plus World Market had opened up again!

 

But I digress.

 

In April, we missed out on Shawn McNulty's gallery showing, so Andrea made plans to meet him at his studio in October.  We were about to head out, after a morning of a few errands, and Andrea took at look at Google maps to get a sense of where the studio was.  And (praise the Gods of Good Food) it was (and is!) just a few blocks away from Crescent Moon Bakery.  I think we may have squealed in our delight.  For those of you who have not been to Minneapolis and have not been to the Crescent Moon, and shame on you if you live in Minneapolis and you have not been to the Crescent Moon, they have the worst (I mean the worst) decor ever in recorded history of bad decor.  And a bad website design, and a pretty bad menu design too, but with funny little descriptions of the food, which is Afghani - and which is the entire point.  They don't need good decor or good design.  Just go to their site and look at all the awards.  Or better yet, go to the blessed place in person and order a freakin' cheese pie.  With cilantro sauce stuff on the side.  OMG!!!

Andrea's neighbour & friend, Michele (I guess I'll forgive her for having only one "L" in her name - we can't all be perfect) is married to Massoud and his cousin owns Crescent Moon.  The pizza is all the rage, apparently, I've never had it.  Because I always get the cheese pie, and did this time as well.  And then I had some plate of goodness with meat and rice and bread.  And then we wanted a baklava, but they only had brownies (WTH - that's not Afghani?) but they were more like fudgey-cakey goodness.  Andrea ate three quarters of hers standing up waiting for the sheer chai to be done.  And then she went to the freezers and pulled out bags of meat pies, pizzas, and uzbeki bread to take home.  When the sheer chai was done (which is, by the way, the best damn chai EVER) we burped and merrily went down to Shawn's studio, where he graciously gave us 45 minutes of his time to talk about his art, how he does it and how he markets it etc.  It was a lovely, lovely coincidence.  And I think we should make it a tradition.  With cheese pie.

November

"Warm up the Fat Lady." US presidential race statistician

So, being down in the US right before November 4th is a bit of a drag for a Canadian.  Because, while we may be passionate about our distaste for Republicans' ideologies and their theories on how womens' bodies work, we can do nothing about it besides drink and watch and see what happens.  Which was why I was watching on November 4th.  And why I was on the phone with my sister, who also can't vote in the US but (unlike me) lives there.  I watched, in horror as state after state went with Romney.  I was dumbfounded.  I really don't know what goes on in the brain of a Texan.  I don't think I'm meant to.  And then Ohio flopped.  Blessed Ohio.  Of course, we were still looking at Florida, and California wasn't in yet, but the tide had turned.  And then (complete with angels singing) California's results came in, and this statistician, who had been giving us numbers all night long flipping back and forth between this election and previous elections and all the numbers all over the country.... this guy with the smartest Smart Board I have ever seen, says casually to Anderson Cooper or the other grey haired guy in a suit commentating on the whole thing...."Warm up the Fat Lady."  Which was fabulous, and funny, and totally inappropriate in the politically correct TV industry to refer to a lady as 'fat'.  No one even blinked when he said it.  Which made it even funnier to me.  It was almost the best moment of the night.  Almost.

It's June?!

How did it get to be June so soon?  It was just April last time I checked.  What have I been up to?  Let's see....  I was at First Thursday at Art Central in April and managed to sell a few paintings.  Then I was in Minnesota visiting my sister and her family and managed to squeeze in a class for 12 youngsters on abstract painting (that was very fun but very exhausting too!).  Sat through two tornado warnings.  Came back home to find a weird sound in my vehicle's steering wheel - got that fixed.  Then an eye appointment to confirm whether or not the bleed by my optic nerve was worse or healed - (healed!  If you said it in your head like a TV Evangelist, you get two points.)  Had my lawn power raked and some landscaping done - then fought over the cost to haul the debris away (so much fun).  Taught some kids how to make a Mother's Day card.  Went to Nanaimo to look for a place to buy that we can subsequently rent out... looking at a long term solution to our many vacations there.  Got outbid on two places (and got quite pouty about the whole thing).  But stayed at a great place right on the ocean.  Came back to a bevy of appointments and clients and meetings and lunches and drinks with friends.  Got the garden up to snuff and planted my annuals (love love love portulaca).  And finally, just had a Saturday filled with Garage Sale-ing and got 10 easles, 1 brass platter, two sidewalk blocks, and two mid century modern chairs.... all for $3.  I know.  I'm amazing.

And along with all of that I've also managed to paint paint paint and take some photos.  And then add a photo to a painting commission I did.  The client wanted an Alberta storm, so I did that.  But before I put the rest to her painting. I took a good image of it.  And when I wandering around my photos from the summer of 2010, I found this one of the cattle run.  So I added the two together in PhotoShop.  Gotta love PhotoShop.

almost

Almost.  I'm almost done my stay in London.  I think I'm going to visit the British Museum and then maybe Waitrose one last time... or Burough Market one last time.  Monday and Tuesday and then Wednesday I'm flying towards home.  It's amazing how fast time moves.  And how quickly one adapts to ones surroundings.  I thought it would stay all cool and interesting in London for the entire time but this past week it's slowly just become where I am, and not some ancient spot... just the spot where I am right now.  Weird.  Unanticipated.  But telling.

It tells me that it doesn't really matter where I live, it's more what I do when I'm there.  Even a super cool place like London could be small if one chooses to live that way.  And although I am not enamoured with Calgary and all of her tempermental weather patterns, she's not that bad ... especially when my husband and my puppy are around to keep me company.

fabric rainbow

How inspiring!  I wish I had the gumption to do this (but for my paper, as I don't have a fabric rainbow like Jamaica does).  http://www.jamaicamakes.com/jamaica/2011/09/the-great-fabric-transition.html

Actually, if I could actually concentrate on one thing at a time, it would maybe get organized properly and stay that way.  I think maybe I need a week where I lock myself in my studio and don't do anything else. 

Winter is coming.  Perhaps then?  Anyone want to come & help?

I'm famous

or maybe 'infamous' is a better word. 

I'm taking another painting class from Samantha daSilva and my neighbour and I were featured in a photo on her blog about the class, because we did something funny.  Check it out to see what I'm talking about.  http://www.samanthadasilva.com/4/post/2011/07/summer-series-day-two.html

Even though I've taken classes from Sam before, I still really feel like I'm learning a lot.  Not that I don't get stuck and think "oh this is just crap" but because it's a 5 day course, I just keep on truckin', knowing these moments will pop up.  Maybe because I'm tired, maybe because of this damn cold, or maybe because what is on the canvas at the moment is actually crap.  But then I can always scrape it off or paint over it.  And I get these 16 other people to work with and feed off of their energy & experience.

It's a wonderful thing.

forgetful me

 



forgetful me
quote from Ghandi, as seen on bemorewithless.com

 
 As I am trying to do more and more on my own, I have a tendancy to get pretty frustrated and I stop enjoying the process.

Take, for instance, my painting class.  I've quite enjoyed taking Samantha daSilva's class at the Calgary School of Art.  And I've quite enjoyed playing around with canvases here in my studio.  But now comes the time to post the canvases on Etsy and get them ready for sale.

sigh

Maybe other people don't find this so hard, but with all the taking of photos and cropping the photos to the right size, and adding in the copyright declaration in the right spot, ... etc. etc. etc.  It gets to me after a while.

Now don't get me wrong!  I love working for myself and having the luxury of doing it all my own way.  I just lose sight of that from time to time.  And so I hopped on to Twitter this afternoon, and somehow or another found my way to http://www.bemorewithless.com/ and saw the lovely quote she had there.  And I knew I had to do something fun with it.  The font is LD Underwood 5, the birds are brushes 'Birds of a Feather', and the tickets and labels are from Fidget Resources.  The painting is, of course, my own - now digitally altered.

Feels good to do something creative as a break.

I've been working on getting all the paintings I've been working on covered with the varnish, signed, named... and then there's the pricing and the uploading to Etsy.  I'm getting there.  The 'process multiple images' in Photoshop kinda made the copyright a tad bit large, so I think I have to re-do that in short order.

Here is what I've discovered in the process - making the art is really fun.  All the other stuff is not as much fun.  It's satisfying to do all the varnishing, naming, taking the photos, posting on FaceBook and Etsy - but nothing is really as much fun as the painting itself.  Pouring the blue on this canvas, after I'd let a dark orange/red dry, and then adding the white - that was fun.  The way it all moved and formed little waves and peaks and valleys - that was fun.  The alcohol dripped onto the surface to burn through the water in the paint - that was fun.

Dang it!  Now all I want to do is go and paint some more instead of what I 'should' be doing.  (sigh)

Maybe tomorrow.

ah.  That's a better sized copyright note.

something borrowed

So nice to have a camera again!!!!!  My sister has loaned me her old Canon until I can gather up enough cash to get the 60D.  That will be a while.

Caught my sister's kids in action on Easter Sunday (What, you don't associate water guns and Easter?  What's wrong with you?)

My visit down to MN was a little less than fabulous - my sister got thrush and I got a hell of a cold.  So not much got accomplished.  Although we did watch a bit of the Royal Wedding, and I managed to get to Blick Art Supply.  I could drop a lot of cash there if I lived in the area.  Alas, I'm back in the Land of Snow.  Although it seems to be warming up enough to actually rain, which would be great if just a great big downpour happened to clean everything up.

On the art side of things, next week is the last class in Level 1 Abstract Acrylics with Samantha daSilva, which will be kinda sad, but I've signed up for 4 days of her class in Red Deer in July - should be great!
I have a lot to learn, and have a great time trying all the techniques out.  This one is (I think) 24 x 36.  The tough part is naming them after I'm done.

sans camera

Did I mention my camera is toast?  Well, it is.  And it's really hard to capture some things without a camera.  Like the sunset we just saw.  And the paintings I'm in the middle of.  And my wacky dog and her funny antics.  Can't wait until I get the hand-me-down camera from my sister.  Then maybe things can get back to normal! 

Well, as normal as they get around here.

for real

For a while now, I've been making art and making small attempts at selling it.  I've created an Etsy site, I've gone to multiple craft fairs, and I've actually managed to have some commissions come my way.

And there I sit.

I attended an opening of a gallery show last night.  It was at Art Central, and it was one of the First Thursdays the collective hosts.  Samantha daSilva's students who have gone through Level 2 of her classes sum up their experience with a show.  This was one of them.

What I saw, not just at the show of the students but all throughout Art Central, was an incredible variety of what people consider to be art.  There were canvases I really liked, and canvases I really disliked, and others I was more intrigued with how the artists did them rather than the actual end product.

But what I took away from the event was the fact that I already do a lot of the same techniques.  I already produce a certain type of painting.  I already have pieces worth selling, worth collecting, worth putting in a show.  I had, until yesterday, always considered myself a bit of a hack since I lack professional training at a place like ACAD.  And truly, there are things some painters did that I simply can not do - like figure drawing or realistic paintings.  But abstract?  Multi-media?  I think I've got a grasp on those. 

I'm not saying I'm done learning - by no means!  I've just signed up for a Level 1 session of classes for abstract.  And I may look at a drawing class or something more outside my comfort zone. 

But what I am saying is... I don't need to feel 'less than' other artists because of my lack of shows or lack of training.  I'm starting out, so that's to be expected.  I just need to put more work into the business side of art and I think I'll get a good boost of confidence by getting out there and being more involved in my path's trajectory.  And who knows?  Maybe shortly I can post about a show I'm putting on!  :)

The Business of Art

I was just at a class today put on at the Calgary School of Art put on by Samantha daSilva all about the Business of Art. So not just making my art in my studio…but selling it too.

The class was overfull, with 11 women looking to take thier art to the next level and I was very impressed by the information provided by Samantha, and the level of success already acheived by the attendees. Of course each of us has our own way of doing things – one described her highly organized approach to experimentation, and another professed to not keeping track of the shows she’s been in and her desire to be more organized.

As well, we spoke briefly about each going away and doing our ‘homework’ from Samantha and perhaps getting together in a month to touch base and share again. To that end, I’ve included all the websites for those of us who have sites, and for all the other ladies – they can comment to ask me to email the list if I’ve missed them in my email (which will happen after I’m done with this blog update).

Class of February 26, 2011

DarleneBeckFineArt.com
drogar.com/corevitality
PatriciaLangevin.com
LeilaMcDowell.com
VanessaKary.com
Karen-Oliver.blogspot.com
KennedyInk.ca

As for the ladies not on this list, I have their email addresses and will forward everyone in the class this list, along with the email addresses of the ladies sans websites (but not for long, right? we’re all going to set up websites, right?)

So, as for everything I learned? Well, let’s just say I have a heck of a lot of work to do, so I’ll sign off and get on it.

LLAP
Michelle

I don't like Mondays (tell me why)

It's been a rough couple weeks around here, and it's not looking much brighter.  Mum & Dad are of the age where their friends are getting sick and some of them have recently passed away.

Last week my sister came up from Minnesota and we attended JTMM's funeral.  Over a thousand people attended, and my Dad was an honourary pallbearer.  It's all too unreal - Jim has always been there, and now suddenly, he's not.  I painted this large abstract landscape during this last week, and although I've titled it '103 Miles to Chicago' it sorta reminds me of the autumn mornings when Jim & Dad would go out hunting.

This morning brought more news from Mum - another life-long friend is in the hospital, along with a new friend who had a mild heart attack, and my favourite Auntie needs to have an angiogram.  (sigh)

 I'm heading off in two days to Minnesota to spend a week with my sister and her kids, and in the thick of things up here preparing for my trip I've gotten a whopper of a headache and have been kinda grumpy for the past couple days.  The snow on the ground today didn't help either!

But then, just as I was planning on grumbling some more, the lady at Staples re-did my botched print order for free, along with two extra pages!  And then the guy in front of me at Starbucks bought me my Chai - and apparently does this all the time - lucky for me I was behind him in line.  So although there is a lot of clouds lately, there is also a silver lining (every once in a while).

consolidating

In my studio, and in my business, I have a lot.  I find I get attracted to new techniques and new tools, and after I acquire them I forget about the old tools & techniques... so I go back to those and forget about the new... I think you see where this is going.

Time to consolidate.  I have the ability to do anything, I just don't have the time to do everything.  Which is a hard lesson to learn.  But with too much diversity comes too little production, what with all my resources spread so thin.  Now I just have to decide what goes and what stays.  No.  That won't be easy at all.  (sigh)

away

I'm away on yet another holiday.  Mum and I drove down to Glen Ellen California from Calgary Alberta.  It was a long drive (took 3.5 days) and we've not really stopped driving since.  There have been too many things to see and check out!  And then, of course, there was the "let's drive up Highway 1" issue that lead to "let's head back from here" problem, that meant 3 extra hours on the road. hmmmm... Perhaps that wasn't the best way to spend a day.

Regardless, away on holidays and yet still working, so is it really a holiday, or just work in another location?  It would be great if my 'work' could be always just wandering around checking out new things and reporting back (not exactly like Star Trek, but then again, I've always liked the beaming aspect of their travel).

It's been an interesting year so far - trip to Vancouver Island in April, appendix out in May, then another surgery for a myomaectomy days before our driving trip in July.  And when I get back my sister will be popping up for a visit... and then it's fall.  Very busy.  I really feel as if time is slipping by and I'm not using it wisely.  Best laid plans of mice and men and all that. 

But I am taking some great photos along the way!  Well, at least I think so.

spammers

I'm not sure.  Should I find it hilarious or sad - the most comments I get on my collective blogs are from spammers?  "Thank you for publishing this it was used as a source for a paper I am currently writing for my finals."  "I've been around for a while and just wanted to let you know what a great blog you have." "Just wanted to say what a great blog you have here."   All with a person's name and then a link to some site selling Gucci or something else.

I guess I'll opt to find it hilarious.  I'm not sure how or why spammers got a foothold and have been able to maintain and prosper.  Maybe because most of the spam I see is fear-based and nothing gets people to act faster than fear.  Or maybe because they send out feelers for the naive and then hook them in (I guess this is why it's called 'phishing'.  I, for one, don't give them the time of day.  Delete Delete Delete.  I can spot them a mile away and avoid them. 

I also don't forward emails with other people's addresses still attached - this is a great way for a spammer to get all sorts of email addresses to send to.  I'd like to tell my nephew to forward properly, but I'm not so sure his dad would be so receptive to my fussing.  As well, I have an email address that is disposable so I can delete it and start fresh if the spammers get ahold of it and it starts to be an issue.  Poof! it can disappear and a new one in its place, with my secure email address in the background quietly receiving forwards.

But one is always going to come across the aggressive sales person and their minions.  A polite hand up and "I'm sorry, I'm not here to talk to you." type attitude can dissuade a few.  And, unfortunately, a less polite action can stave off the others.  Where did respect and common courtesy ever go?

Ah well, enough of my spammers rant.  I'm supposed to find it hilarious, right?  Well here's something I truly do find hilarious - my dog.  She's camera shy and doesn't like to look at me when I have the camera in her face.  Ah, where did respect and common courtesy ever go in dealing with taking photos of my pet?  (insert evil laughter here)

bye bye appendix

Yes, that is a teddy bear.  My husband brought it to the Rockyview for my overnight stay while I was monitored after my surprise! appendectomy on May 8th.  Thankfully, I'm semi-cleaned up here and have been weaned off the morphine a bit.

It's been a few weeks now and I'm getting there, but I'm still not back in the saddle totally.  Maybe in another couple weeks, if I don't push it too much!  It's been a bit of a bummer not being able to participate in everything I had planned for May, but I guess "better out than in" takes priority over silly little things like plans.

Decluttering

I'm starting up a little article posting spot at www.scribd.com/KennedyInk if you want to come and take a look.  I'm working with Karen Biko with http://www.31daystodeclutter.com/ as well, so you will find the articles will coincide with the decluttering that's going on.  If you feel so inclined, maybe join the challenge and declutter your home.  Feel the call of Spring?  I do.  And that always involved some decluttering.  Karen is taking it to the next level.  Check it out! 

I did my own decluttering of the studio a two years ago.  I hope my renos will be over soon and I can get back to actually doing something enjoyable in my space.

me @ 38

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

RWEmerson

I am not perfect and that's alright.  I try to be too many things all at once, and I lose moments.  But I can see my mistakes and concentrate on what truly matters to me.

Mingle & Jingle, snacks & crafts

In conjunction with a little open house on December 6th, I’m hosting a small craft sale from 10am to 4pm. Scott & Maggie & I will be decorating & playing holiday music & cooking up some yummy snacks. Okay, so Maggie will just be begging for the snacks, but she will be on hand to bark randomly and get snuggles from everyone.

There will be some snickey-snacks and some eggnog (provided Scott hasn’t consumed it all by the time you get there) as well as all of my paintings & cards & crafts on display for sale, at special Holiday prices! I’ll have my wrapping supplies on hand in the wrapping station, so if you’d like your purchase gift wrapped as well, I can do that too.

Come by early for the best selection of crafts (oh, & snacks!).  Let me know if you can come by so I can ensure there are enough snacks for everyone.  :)

thank you and thank you again

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone. ~G.B. Stern

Just got home from the craft sale and had to say a big "Thank You" to the people who purchased from my table - a photograph, 4 paintings, and a couple cards. WooHoo! And the people who I met there were just great too - one lady made comfy pants and another made bathbombs and soap and those bags you heat up and wrap around you - her Mom was fabulous as well. It was a great day. People were very receptive to the collage ideas I added to the paintings, which, I have to say, made me very happy. It's nice when people like what you do. I guess I'm not supposed to be attached to this type of ego boosting, but.... I am! (haven't quite reached that "be unattached to the outcome" zen like state).