Schedules

Found out Friday that my husband's work schedule is going to change in June. June marks the end of school for the summer. It also marks the leaving of 2 employees and 2 prego ladies. He'll be working swing shift - 2pm till 10pm tues - sat. I am not pleased. There is not anything that can be done to change it until school starts again in the fall. Basically this means he'll be getting home when i'm going to sleep. Unless i throw off my sleep schedule, which i'm not completely rejecting the idea of adjusting it a night or two, we won't really see each other tues - fri.

The only silver lining is he'll be available to go on Saturday mornings art adventures. I have a group of friends that do summer field trips on Saturday for artsy stuff. We'll be going to lots of gardens this summer for photography, painting, drawing and the like.

On happier news I went to The Dancer exhibit at the Portland Art Museum. They are show casing works by Degas, Forian, and Toulouse-Lautrec. It really made me want to buy color paper and pastels for sketching. They showed a number of sketches by all the artiest - i have to say i liked this best. While the paintings were great and to see a real poster from the time of Toulouse-Lautrec was great - there is something about seeing how they worked quickly in a sketch, or how with ink and water color wash they gave such strong impressions of placement. I almost wouldn't mind going back before the show closes on May 11th but i doubt i'll get there.

I went with 4 other people and I liked it when we were all going at about the same pace. We could wander from one piece to the next and bump into each other to give a though. But when one of the guys and i started talking about art and longevity and making a living out of it half way through the exhibit - the other people moved on and finished up before we did. I have to say i felt a pressure to hurry along on the second half of the exhibit because they were waiting. So, i'm not really sure museums are the best for group socializing. Or maybe we are all to socially polite and we should have said our goodbyes so the faster group wouldn't feel they had to stick around.

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Oh, yeah!! I have to share the new books i got:

Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith

Figured out pretty fast that I'm afraid to get this book wet. Now, I like the idea of dribbling my coffee on a page but to take it into the shower?! The pages will get all warped! So we'll see if i get over the fear of that. I've already added a piece of lent to one of the pages, it's from the drier the towels were in, it's this cool teal color - don't worry that's the color of our towels. Those that love texture will also love that the tape on the front of the books is embossed and glossy *drool*. I'm pretty excited about toting this thing around and beating it up, as long as it doesn't get too wet, lol.

Doodle Stitching: Fun and Fresh Embroidery for Beginners by Aimee Ray

That's right i'm going to learn how to embroider! I use to cross stitch when i was younger, so i at least know that one. The book has great pictures and clear instructions, now if only i'd start. I have an idea to incorporate embroidery into my art. I'm very excited that she also includes directions on how to incorporate beading. It'll be exciting to see what happens.

A cool thing is you can buy more patterns from Aimee's Etsy shop "Little Dears" as pdfs.

Tuesday Night Thoughts

I just finished watching Juno for the first time. It's a great movie. The writing is excellent, the actors perfect - I even cried at the end. It is a movie more apt to interest female viewers because the main topic is pregnancy and the awkwardness that is teen pregnancy but it's also about family and relationships. It's just very very good.

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Today is earth day, whoo-flippin'-do. The big thing in the media (radio, tv news) is what're you doing to be greener? Green, hybrid, recycle, reuse, renew, biodegradable, global warming, one thing, renewable resources, mother earth, save the planet... Alright, yes, we should not trash the planet we have but do i believe that it's absolutely has horrible as the media makes you think? Not quiet.

Here is the thing, as an example of the "one thing you can do" is take your coffee cup to work and or local coffee shop to save on using paper cups that can't biodegrade (or at least not quickly). What is the problem with paper not degrading? Eventually we're going to run out of room. But how can we affect one area w/o affecting another? Because that coffee cup that i'm toting around has to be washed which requires electric energy and hot water and soap. So, by keeping a paper cup out of the waist i have now burned energy that is linked back to a power plant that is probably emitting something bad. I've used water which again linked back to a power cleaning plant which i'm sure is emitting something bad. So, is the carbon foot print more or less by me using a normal mug? Which may or may not be made of plastic or metal which is a whole other thing about what kind of carbon foot print happened while making this reusable cup.

Here is the other twist of irony, i'm required by law to pick up my dog's poo and dump it in a plastic bag (the plastic bag is not specified in law as far as i know but that is what's available to me). Why, when plastic is not biodegradable should i put something that is completely biodegradable in it?

***
I'm tired of pretending that everything is ok in my life. Marriage is extremely hard! My husband and I last night came to the conclusion that we both feel a pressure to do everything in the marriage. Yet oddly enough nothing gets done (like budgeting or real grocery shopping) because i think we're waiting on the other person to do it. I know i've been waiting to see some initiative. After I made the statement about the pressure and he agreed - we didn't say a word. Probably 3-5 min. later i told him I didn't know what to say and he agreed to that. Another 3 min. and he leaves the bedroom to go finish a movie he had started prior. I put in a call about 2 weeks ago to a counselor on my insurance list about making the first appointment, i haven't heard back. I'm thinking i'll need to call someone else.

It was probably about a year before i got married I was having a conversation with my step-mom and it lead to her commenting that people in a relationship can feel lonely. I told her that didn't make sense to me, how could people being part of something be lonely? Sadly, i totally get it now.

What?

I fell off the face of the earth but i'm back now!

The most important thing to remember when you take that kind of trip is to pack your good shampoo and conditioner. I picked up Herbal Essence as a back up because i ran out of the good stuff. I no longer like Herbal Essence, I even purchased the one labeled "conditioning" and my head has never been so dry and itchy!

While i was gone I also got my Oregon drivers license. I know, very exciting after 9ab4djf8 year(s). Now I only have to spend the next month converting my name every where I go. I hate dealing with the state or federal government on anything. They make me so nervous! Even though i know logically they can't do anything to me except require more paper work or more payment but still I never feel they are on my side wanting to help me and this causes high levels of anxiety. Except my experience at the dmv was really good, everyone was friendly and i got in and out (including a computer test) in an hour. So, maybe i can go through even more paper work to get my tags and license plates with less fear.

As shocking as this is the other thing that i did - i made art! I made one block print and two pages of digital collage. The collage is for a colaberative project that i get the results back in a couple of weeks. I'll upload some photos soon!

In other news: i'm a little addicted to Flixster.com - it's a social network of sorts having to do with movies! For the number of movies I watch(ed) this is awesome. You can rate movies, give reviews, make lists, make lists of favorite actors and more. So there is my pro-mo for that. Also, because of this account and because i'm obviously not posting to my movie blog, i'll be deleting my movie blog or renaming it for something else for like photos. I found yet another blog All Things Littleput, that started a group that shoots photos weekly based on a theme (honestly, i know of two but the first one is a little convoluted to participate in) and this group requires you have a sepearte photo only blog. We'll see if I actually get into it but i'm thinking about it.

OH, to also update you go check out Those Little Big Things - there is a new challenge up. I'm excited about it. I also really want to go back and do challenege 3 "collections" - I have SO MANY collections.

Nine (9) days till I leave for Texas!

Ee

Fith letter of the Latin alphabet.

Excuse me for not posting yesterday! I'm quickly using up my free-be days and completley missing the point of posting everyday of the month, lol. I just got really descracted with actually going to the gym and taking care of a few household chores.

Words Related to E:
Excited - 21 days till Texas!
Exclimation - I use exclimation marks all the time in writing!

Topics Related to E:
Exercise - I'm becoming a little bit more conscious of calories. I love watching the little calorie counter on the treadmill go up up up. I think "ok, I know i ate X amount of calories because i read the packaging, i just burned off that one item." I don't recommend looking over at the girl's treadmill next to you to see her intensity and how many she's burned. One girl burned about 100 calories just running for 12 minutes with the treadmill flat. I was jealous but I don't enjoy running - I enjoy speed walking up hill but it takes me about 20 minutes to burn around 100 calories. I just have to remind my self it's ok to take a little longer to get to the same end. Plus, last night The Biggest Looser was on and i'm completely hooked on that show. It's very inspirational to be plotting along at the gym while watching other people dramatically change their life. Tonight is Pilates.

Link Related to E:
Engrave Your Book - This site will engrave your Moleskin journal/sketchpad/lifeline lazer engraved wtih a design of your choosing or you can pick one premade. What's really cool is you can also have the spine engraved with a title. What a great idea! I've never used a Moleskin but i might have to order one just for this reason. For those of you that love Moleskin do you find that they'll lay relatively flat w/o breaking the spine? Also, is it easy to scan any sketches you might put in there?

Dd

The fourth letter of the Latin alphabet.

Words Related to D:
Deliberate - Done with or marked by full consciousness of the nature and effects; intentional
Diligent:

1.	constant in effort to accomplish something; attentive and persistent in doing anything: a diligent student.

2.	done or pursued with persevering attention; painstaking: a diligent search of the files.

Topics Related to D:
Death - The grieving processes is an odd one. Trying to remember that I do not have to absorb M.'s moods, that i can be calm and understanding. I'm having a bit of a hard time as well. It is more dealing with the realization that my grandparents wont be around for forever either. I really miss my family.

Dogs - Nitro was so bad yesterday, he kept going in the house! I don't think he's over his bladder infection even if he did finish his medication. He and Z kept getting into it as well. It's so annoying to try to break up their dog fights. I'm not really afraid of them anymore but still don't want to get bit. Not really sure what causes them to go off on each other either.

Dance - this will get its own post.

Pictures Related to D:

A rare moment to catch both of them asleep together.




Peek-a-boo I see your Skittle's


Time for bed

Amazing!

Go go go - if you ever see that Brenda Angiel Aerial Dance Company is coming to your town you must buy tickets.

The performance was remarkable and a little mind blowing. I'll have more to say about it later. Explore the website for now. Pay attention to the music on the website it's part of what they use in their performances.

Starting Over - again

Here is the great thing about starting over, you can do it when ever you want. It seems I completely forgot to blog yesterday. So that will just have to count as one of my four days to post about whatever (or nothing).

This week I've started that all important healthy eating part of the weight loss goal. It hasn't been radical but small steps. One specifically, eating breakfast at home! I love eating at home and not in the car!

I have a theory that my life is a lot like one of those sliding tile puzzles have to move one tile to move another and some times the picture looks weird just to get one tile in the proper place. The one piece of the puzzle that has to be in place for me to eat at home is waking up and getting out of bed at 6am. This has been a challenge by it self. The alarm clock now lives in on my floor and away from me so i either have to fall partially out of bed to reach it and by that point I may as well get out of bed.

With two of the pieces in place, up and eating at table, i'm able to slide a third piece of the puzzle into place; writing my three pages of whatever-strikes-me morning pages. While nothing revolutionary has happened or been revealed it is nice to be back in the habit of journaling.

I have felt a great since of accomplishment this week with those 3 pieces in place.

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Tonight i'm going with my husband and some friends to the PSU Aerial Dance. I've been looking forward to this for about a month. I'll let you know how it was tomorrow.

Cc

The third letter of the Latin alphabet and a consonant.

Words Related to C:
Cravings - I've been craving chocolate pudding and string cheese
Cold - It's cold in the office today

Topics Related to C:
Collaboration - Some how I have now involved my self with 3 collaborative projects.

• Book illustration - hardly started
• Zine book - only have to design 1 page but print 45 pgs.
• Vision Illustration - one thing led to another and i got contacted by a woman who has a number of written visions from God that she would like illustrated. Normally i would feel really intimidated to try something like this but I just have the impression i should work on it. Also, i have the delusion it will go quickly.

Car - For a long time i have been wanting to put some kind of decal design on my car. I think i finally found the place to buy it from: Blik. They say they're removable which is what i like to hear. I like the circles and the lines. The custom is an interesting idea as well....
I would also like to purchase some decals for my living room wall - maybe a geometric pattern. I'm pretty sure something cool could be done with the Undersea.

Links Related to C:
Blink Prose - Type in a word, a poem, a quote, a phrase and they'll quote you on how much it would cost for you to have a decal for your wall.

Bb

The second letter of the Latin alphabet also a consonant.

Words related to B:
Blues - I have the blues today (unrelated to the weather or work)
Blue - The sky is blue today but i'm stuck inside
Boo - for work

Topics related to B:
Baby - My sister sent me the funniest email yesterday about being all freaked over having to recover from delivery* and how to take care of a new born. They'd gone to a birthing class talking about postpartum depression and how much time the baby spends eating, sleeping & pooping. I think she was more freaked out about having to ask for help, which she'll ask and receive in abundance! I told her all this scary news made me just want to rush home and get pregnant. She emailed back "After the class i wanted to take back mine but I don't think God takes returns or exchanges, LOL" - lol indeed! *a little over two months away

Bolthouse Farms - They make this really yummy protein drink that i can only seem to find in the cold drink section of Albertson's. It's called Perfectly Protein: Mocha Cappuccino with Whey Protein but here's the thing, i shouldn't drink it. Sure it has 19g of Protein per bottle but it also has milk and whey which is a by-product of milk. I shouldn't be drinking milk it does bad things to my stomach and skin. So, alas I'll have to give up this tasty drink. Good news, they have several fruits and veggies that are not milk based. The Green Goodness really is goodness in a bottle.

Bark - I have a good friend in Texas that sends me postcards about once a week, maybe every other week depending on her life and all. I have been meaning to make it a regular thing to post her postcards but just now getting around to it. Turns out that she sent me one recently with bark as the picture. On the back she writes a quote sometimes two.

"Even if money did grow on trees it would never get a change to ripen." Anonymous
"The social ideal is rooted in than quality, not enthusiasm." - Mario Vargas Llosa

Link related to the alphabet:
San Serriffe - started as an April Fools joke about a whole island all based on fonts, fun readin'.

***
To follow up a topic under A - the art group that was disbanded met last night and the only conclusive thing that came out of it was the group of people still want to meet as a group.

The general thoughts:
- The possibilities for the group are endless
- There will a collaboration of a few people as "leaders" but who those people are it has yet to be determined.
- Small groups will split off from the large one to do various classes, project, outing etc.
- The church that the group started in is very willing to work along side us. For example if the church would like to have an artist during a service then he'd contact our group about who wanted to do that. If the church wanted to host a gallery on a particular theme the group would be contacted to help organize and contribute art. This all seems very good.
- Communication is HUGE HUGE important and clear concise communication needs to start now.
My general feeling is, a lot of people have huge dreams for the group but in general we don't really know what our very next step is. I feel a little overwhelmed by the options. I think our next meeting will be about what did God show you this past month. I'm willing to stick through the transitions to see what God does.

April Letters - A

National Blog Posting Month has gone monthly, no longer a November only group. It has also started themes for you to post about if you so desire. I desire to post about April's theme which is letters. I'm following the theme loosely. Sure, I might post literal "dear so&so" letter but I'll be focused more on each individual letter of the alphabet. There are 26 letters which leaves me 4 days to talk about misc. things. Of course, i'm positive i'll throw in random tid bits of life.

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A - the first letter of the Latin alphabet. It is subcatagorized as a vowel.

Words for the day:

• April - Can you believe we're already to April?!


• Alphabet - What i'll be focusing on this month


• Airport - 30 days till i leave for Texas on American Airlines

Topics related to A:

• Art - the art group that i'm part of us is going through a sudden change. The leader of the group suddenly resigned stating she had too much going on to lead the group successfully. Which is understandable given some things but it could have been handled so much better than a group email. There was an emergency meeting of sorts called 2 weeks ago to further discuss her choice and what the group was going to do. The complication was aroused when the church we were associated with chose to disband the group instead of see about appointing a new leader. Tonight is a meeting about where we'd like the group to go and who do we want to lead us there. I'm sure it will be interesting but intense time tonight.


• Artist Way - I've been reading through the book chapters at a time and marking anything that strikes my fancy. My plan is to finish the last chapter this week. Then officially go through the exercises and do my daily pages.

Links related to the Alphabet:
- Visual Dictionary
- Dictionary Of Image Flickr Group