Have you ever read an article, column, or even a blog where the author is ranting ... I mean listing the reasons why a particular politian would be a nightmare? And after reading it you think "hey, I wasn't leaning towards this guy/gal but shoot... s/he might just be who I'll vote for after reading this."
BWAH HA HA HA HA HA HA That, my friends, is called a backfire!! HAHAHAHAHAHA
Friday, September 21, 2007
Hairy Balls... go figure
One of my friends, Traveling Goddess, posted an entry on her blog about her hairy balls. Imagine how my ears perked up when I heard Martha Stewart also talk about HER hairy balls.
What Martha said, besides how great they look in a bouquet, was that hairy balls is/are from the milkweed family, they stink, they grow large, and they are poisonous. So... when you come across hairy balls you'd best be careful about how you handle them until you know what you're doing. I'm just saying.
I did a search on 'hairy balls' and didn't come across a site (I searched quickly) that had the info the way I wanted, so I didn't hot link the term. If you are interested, you'll find a lot of sites that mention hairy balls. (and I didn't come across one porn site... but then I didn't look very closely.)
What Martha said, besides how great they look in a bouquet, was that hairy balls is/are from the milkweed family, they stink, they grow large, and they are poisonous. So... when you come across hairy balls you'd best be careful about how you handle them until you know what you're doing. I'm just saying.
I did a search on 'hairy balls' and didn't come across a site (I searched quickly) that had the info the way I wanted, so I didn't hot link the term. If you are interested, you'll find a lot of sites that mention hairy balls. (and I didn't come across one porn site... but then I didn't look very closely.)
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Today
You know what 'they' say.... Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Well, for me today is Thursday and ohmygosh where'd the week go?
Below are a couple of shots of the small mom-and-pop store across the street. They have a bright neon OPEN sign in the windows. (there actually two, but one is behind a screen and doesn't show up very well.) The little sign, turned on its side in order to fit the small window, always attracts my attention. Its so cheery and bright, especially at dusk when everything is getting dark. I'm waiting to be able to see it at dusk in drizzling rain.
Today I must chain myself to the easel. Although a real chain is not used, I do get blocked into it when I'm really to paint. There's a small plastic set of drawers to the left of me, a wooden TV tray to the right of me.... and my chair does not slide easily. So, once I get set up, its not all that easy to get away. I wonder if thats one of the reasons I procrastinate? hmmm... naw. Procrastination is just me.
So... here I go. Well, as soon as The View is over. (Its much better with Whoopi there. She maintains control without yelling SHUT THE F**K UP!! She does it with fitnesse... "Let me finish, gorgeous." Style, huh.) When its over then I will put myself into position until I get some decent progress done! Honest. I will. Sigh.
Below are a couple of shots of the small mom-and-pop store across the street. They have a bright neon OPEN sign in the windows. (there actually two, but one is behind a screen and doesn't show up very well.) The little sign, turned on its side in order to fit the small window, always attracts my attention. Its so cheery and bright, especially at dusk when everything is getting dark. I'm waiting to be able to see it at dusk in drizzling rain.
Today I must chain myself to the easel. Although a real chain is not used, I do get blocked into it when I'm really to paint. There's a small plastic set of drawers to the left of me, a wooden TV tray to the right of me.... and my chair does not slide easily. So, once I get set up, its not all that easy to get away. I wonder if thats one of the reasons I procrastinate? hmmm... naw. Procrastination is just me.
So... here I go. Well, as soon as The View is over. (Its much better with Whoopi there. She maintains control without yelling SHUT THE F**K UP!! She does it with fitnesse... "Let me finish, gorgeous." Style, huh.) When its over then I will put myself into position until I get some decent progress done! Honest. I will. Sigh.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Wanna Guess Who?
I kinda had fun guessing who Cat's Mamma drew when she posted her portraits. Do you wanna take a guess at this little lady? Being of a certain age probably would help but is not completely necessary. After the guessing is over (tomorrow?) I'll see if I can also post the reference picture.
The blurry picture below is to show wip... to show I really did it.
Here's the reference photo:
The drawing was done with pencil on cardstock.
The blurry picture below is to show wip... to show I really did it.
Here's the reference photo:
The drawing was done with pencil on cardstock.
Artist Laurel Burch
I read on someone's blog that artist Laurel Burch has died. I was not familar with the name so I went to check out her web site. If you like a bit of whimsy and lots of brilliant color I encourage you to go check it out. (tabs at the top of the page "art" will bring up menu... art is displayed in automated slide-show format.) Her art is beautiful.
Her "about" page gives you a glimpse of her personality. A free spirit, to be sure.
Whenever someone passes on, it leaves a hole in the lives of those left behind. May it eventually be filled with Peace and loving memories.
Her "about" page gives you a glimpse of her personality. A free spirit, to be sure.
Whenever someone passes on, it leaves a hole in the lives of those left behind. May it eventually be filled with Peace and loving memories.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
My Challenge
My personal challenge... actually I have two. The first one is to get something posted here to push my political rant down the page. (I may not know what I'm talking about because I may not have gotten all the facts. Imagine that!!) I decided art is fairly impartial, so my second challenge was to willingly post some bad art. The second part is/was not difficult. And it isn't that my intent was the 'bad' art, it just turned out that way.
So... create or find some art to post. Perhaps that was really the challenge. Well, I didn't have anything that hasn't already been shared so I decided to WHIP something out real quick. And lets make it something spontaneous... something loose and flowee (Sandy's comments on her blog in mind). I remember 'coloring' some watercolor paper with a background. "I could see what comes to mind, using that!" Well... nothing came to mind. I kept thinking about Sandy's rooster and fish. I didn't want to copy her. You know, follow her around doing what she's doing. But its ended up that way. I couldn't think of anything but a fish. I can make something look like a fish without having one in front of me. Artistic license, doncha know.
I was sitting on the couch and spotted some dried up watercolor paint sitting on the edge of the coffee table. Water-color. If the water dries up, just add more, right? I can do that.
Then I retrieved the paper that already had background color on it. If it looks fuzzy thats because it is....I had moistened the paper and then put color on it. It looks fuzzy in person, too.
And here is my made-up fish. It will go in the pile of other stuff that I will call "my practice pile." Yeah, that works. My practice pile.
So... create or find some art to post. Perhaps that was really the challenge. Well, I didn't have anything that hasn't already been shared so I decided to WHIP something out real quick. And lets make it something spontaneous... something loose and flowee (Sandy's comments on her blog in mind). I remember 'coloring' some watercolor paper with a background. "I could see what comes to mind, using that!" Well... nothing came to mind. I kept thinking about Sandy's rooster and fish. I didn't want to copy her. You know, follow her around doing what she's doing. But its ended up that way. I couldn't think of anything but a fish. I can make something look like a fish without having one in front of me. Artistic license, doncha know.
I was sitting on the couch and spotted some dried up watercolor paint sitting on the edge of the coffee table. Water-color. If the water dries up, just add more, right? I can do that.
Then I retrieved the paper that already had background color on it. If it looks fuzzy thats because it is....I had moistened the paper and then put color on it. It looks fuzzy in person, too.
And here is my made-up fish. It will go in the pile of other stuff that I will call "my practice pile." Yeah, that works. My practice pile.
Monday, September 17, 2007
I'm Just Saying.....
Have you ever looked at something and it didn't seem right, but you couldn't put your finger on it? You know, like the formula for rocket fuel or the answer to the question 'what is the meaning of life'? You may not be able to identify what the hitch is, but you know its there somewhere.
Thats how I'm feeling about Clinton's view of how to solve the health insurance crisis. Her view seems to be let the little guys pay for it. I'm beginning to wonder if she isn't a republican at heart. You know... deep down where the truth can be found. ("eeeeuuuuuuu. I'm not putting my hand down there. Its full of dirty politics!!!")
She wants to pass a law requiring businesses to provide health insurance coverage for their employees. Where does she live? Fantasy Land or something? Thats not where the problem is.... the problem is the high cost of medical care AND the high cost of health insurance. Can you say 'follow the money?'
Making employers provide coverage is like putting another bandaid on a severed limb while you wait for it to grow back. It ain't gonna happen, folks.
Employer provided insurance coverage started as a way for companies to attract the best employees. This was back when insurance premiums costs were realistic. It was a side benefit. You know, something like a signing bonus for basketball players. Then it became too expensive, so how to cut costs? Cut jobs. Outsource them to China or India. And we all know how thats working out, don't we.
Now there are some big companies who may need a law to do the right thing by their employees, but generally speaking, all this is going to do is destroy more jobs. More companies closing because it can't survive under the new law. Its a downward spiral, folks. Bandaids aren't going to help. In order to solve the problem you have to first identify the problem and then solve it, not the symptom. Taking care of the symptom does not cure the disease.
I don't get the logic of her proposal. I don't get it at all.
Oh... and in case you're wondering, I'm not a democrate or a republican. I'm registered as an independent just because I had to chose something. There's so much corruption on both sides, I don't want to take sides. (and don't let me get started about "following the party line." What a bunch of bullshit.)
Thats how I'm feeling about Clinton's view of how to solve the health insurance crisis. Her view seems to be let the little guys pay for it. I'm beginning to wonder if she isn't a republican at heart. You know... deep down where the truth can be found. ("eeeeuuuuuuu. I'm not putting my hand down there. Its full of dirty politics!!!")
She wants to pass a law requiring businesses to provide health insurance coverage for their employees. Where does she live? Fantasy Land or something? Thats not where the problem is.... the problem is the high cost of medical care AND the high cost of health insurance. Can you say 'follow the money?'
Making employers provide coverage is like putting another bandaid on a severed limb while you wait for it to grow back. It ain't gonna happen, folks.
Employer provided insurance coverage started as a way for companies to attract the best employees. This was back when insurance premiums costs were realistic. It was a side benefit. You know, something like a signing bonus for basketball players. Then it became too expensive, so how to cut costs? Cut jobs. Outsource them to China or India. And we all know how thats working out, don't we.
Now there are some big companies who may need a law to do the right thing by their employees, but generally speaking, all this is going to do is destroy more jobs. More companies closing because it can't survive under the new law. Its a downward spiral, folks. Bandaids aren't going to help. In order to solve the problem you have to first identify the problem and then solve it, not the symptom. Taking care of the symptom does not cure the disease.
I don't get the logic of her proposal. I don't get it at all.
Oh... and in case you're wondering, I'm not a democrate or a republican. I'm registered as an independent just because I had to chose something. There's so much corruption on both sides, I don't want to take sides. (and don't let me get started about "following the party line." What a bunch of bullshit.)
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Monday's Show-and-Tell
As I turned sideways and shuffled my way past the extended canvas and stove I had a scathingly brilliant idea to show and tell readers about my art studio. These few pictures are just a few views.
Below, currently the action area for the creation of more formal pieces of art.
Below, one of several storage areas throughout the apartment.... I mean, the studio.
Below, a slightly different form of storage.
I hope you have enjoyed your short tour. Thank you for reading.
Below, currently the action area for the creation of more formal pieces of art.
Below, one of several storage areas throughout the apartment.... I mean, the studio.
Below, a slightly different form of storage.
I hope you have enjoyed your short tour. Thank you for reading.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Simply Painting
At noon each week day our public TV channel broadcasts a how-to paint program. Oils one day, watercolor another... each day is a different artist.
I've come to enjoy Jerry Yarnell's programs, especially after he's gotten more comfortable making the videos. Lots of good information there for oil painters. I'm also currently enjoying Buck Paulson's mixed media knife painting. (He looks and sounds like he should be conducting a Sunday school session. A Mr. Rogers type. Very nice.) Background monotone painting in acrylics with oils as the top 'finish'.
I've begun to skip Wednesdays. Thats Bob Ross' day. He's also a good how-to instructor, but I'm saturated and if I see another tree added (when I think its too much) I may scream at the top of my lungs. You know, to help him hear me in heaven. And his paintings all seem to be the same. This time a few dozen trees on the left, that time a few dozen trees on the right.... and the background is always a majestic mountain range. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, but I need a break right now. Thats all.
What I've come here today to do is tout Frank Clarke's Simply Painting series. I failed to appreciate it before. That is, before I picked up some watercolor and tried to do something with it. ("ohmygawd, what the hell is that suppose to be?!")It hit me today... what a gem Clarke's series is for the beginner. The painting subject is simple, his instructions are simple and entertaining, and following his lead, I, too, would say "anyone can paint." And "paint for the fun of it."
Clarke looks like someone you would find under a four-leaf clover. He'd be sitting on a pot 'o gold drinking a stout. And such colorful shirts he wears! It was his shirt he was wearing today that was the final clincher on making a post about his program series. You see, I went to check out his web site (had never done it before) and there is a tab at the top of the screen labeled "videos." I clicked on it and a short teaser began without me doing anything. He talks about equipment needed to get started. And in this video he is wearing the same colorful shirt that he had on today in his instuctional video. I chose to decide it was an omen that I should make this post.
Anyway.... if you're one of those who say "oh I can't paint" but you'd like to give it a try, you know, just for the fun of it... check out "Simply Painting" if you have a chance. Seriously... for the fun of it. You can do it. You can do it with Frank Clarke helping you out. Honest.
I've come to enjoy Jerry Yarnell's programs, especially after he's gotten more comfortable making the videos. Lots of good information there for oil painters. I'm also currently enjoying Buck Paulson's mixed media knife painting. (He looks and sounds like he should be conducting a Sunday school session. A Mr. Rogers type. Very nice.) Background monotone painting in acrylics with oils as the top 'finish'.
I've begun to skip Wednesdays. Thats Bob Ross' day. He's also a good how-to instructor, but I'm saturated and if I see another tree added (when I think its too much) I may scream at the top of my lungs. You know, to help him hear me in heaven. And his paintings all seem to be the same. This time a few dozen trees on the left, that time a few dozen trees on the right.... and the background is always a majestic mountain range. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, but I need a break right now. Thats all.
What I've come here today to do is tout Frank Clarke's Simply Painting series. I failed to appreciate it before. That is, before I picked up some watercolor and tried to do something with it. ("ohmygawd, what the hell is that suppose to be?!")It hit me today... what a gem Clarke's series is for the beginner. The painting subject is simple, his instructions are simple and entertaining, and following his lead, I, too, would say "anyone can paint." And "paint for the fun of it."
Clarke looks like someone you would find under a four-leaf clover. He'd be sitting on a pot 'o gold drinking a stout. And such colorful shirts he wears! It was his shirt he was wearing today that was the final clincher on making a post about his program series. You see, I went to check out his web site (had never done it before) and there is a tab at the top of the screen labeled "videos." I clicked on it and a short teaser began without me doing anything. He talks about equipment needed to get started. And in this video he is wearing the same colorful shirt that he had on today in his instuctional video. I chose to decide it was an omen that I should make this post.
Anyway.... if you're one of those who say "oh I can't paint" but you'd like to give it a try, you know, just for the fun of it... check out "Simply Painting" if you have a chance. Seriously... for the fun of it. You can do it. You can do it with Frank Clarke helping you out. Honest.
I Thought This was timely....
I was reading The Painters Key newsletter that came today and found myself chuckling over the struggle to get a likeness. It seemed appropriate since 'portraits' seem to be the subject of late. Many of you will have already read it, but I felt like posting a little of it here for any who may not get the newsletter. You know... maybe one of my five readers doesn't get it. (The newsletter is free, by the way.)
"One morning a couple of years ago I got the idea to paint a
self-portrait. I wanted one with my dog Emily and me peering
around the canvas like that Norman Rockwell cover everyone has
seen. Giving the job a bit of forethought, I remembered that if
the likeness isn't there, the whole thing is a loser. A
portrait without a likeness is like an Airedale without a wag.
I wanted my likeness to be fresh and simply done, with as few
strokes as possible. This was going to be the hard part. I also
wanted to get that look of stunned smugness that people notice
about me. I set up the mirror, squeezed out, and started.
The head was number one, and right off the top I got my face
too big. Roughing in the second important thing, my hand, I got
it too close to my big head. Taking down a fresh canvas, I
started over. This one worked better. In my case I often notice
I get a pretty good likeness within a few minutes and then
gradually tighten up until it begins to look like another
person. My second attempt was also better proportioned, even
with its minimal strokes. Applying the enormous self-restraint
for which I'm noted, I stopped working on me right there."
"Taking down a fresh canvas" hahahahahahaha I can so relate!
"One morning a couple of years ago I got the idea to paint a
self-portrait. I wanted one with my dog Emily and me peering
around the canvas like that Norman Rockwell cover everyone has
seen. Giving the job a bit of forethought, I remembered that if
the likeness isn't there, the whole thing is a loser. A
portrait without a likeness is like an Airedale without a wag.
I wanted my likeness to be fresh and simply done, with as few
strokes as possible. This was going to be the hard part. I also
wanted to get that look of stunned smugness that people notice
about me. I set up the mirror, squeezed out, and started.
The head was number one, and right off the top I got my face
too big. Roughing in the second important thing, my hand, I got
it too close to my big head. Taking down a fresh canvas, I
started over. This one worked better. In my case I often notice
I get a pretty good likeness within a few minutes and then
gradually tighten up until it begins to look like another
person. My second attempt was also better proportioned, even
with its minimal strokes. Applying the enormous self-restraint
for which I'm noted, I stopped working on me right there."
"Taking down a fresh canvas" hahahahahahaha I can so relate!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Don't read if death bothers you... or you are feeling down
The subject matter is about how cats (or some cats??) know when someone is going to pass on (remember the cat in the nursing home?); this is what happened to someone else's older cat. I thought it was very sweet and loving, but those not comfortable regarding death... I'd suggest you pass on reading this.
"This morning she dragged herself onto my newspaper, it was her favorite place in the morning, so I let her stay there. About 10am Booger's kittens started gathering around her, they refused to budge as Booger cleaned her and nuzzled her. Booger wandered off but the kittens stayed, and suddenly at 1034 [am] they all got up and walked away from her and it was over. I have never seen anything like this before, they have been laying on her blanket ever since she passed away, clearly there is mourning going on.... she was a very loving, sweet kitty."
Should you be wondering, the pet owner had taken her cat in to be seen (middle of the night)... nothing could be done. The owner opted to let the passing happen naturally. She [the cat] had others who loved her around, both human and of her own cat-family, when she passed on... it sounded very loving.
"This morning she dragged herself onto my newspaper, it was her favorite place in the morning, so I let her stay there. About 10am Booger's kittens started gathering around her, they refused to budge as Booger cleaned her and nuzzled her. Booger wandered off but the kittens stayed, and suddenly at 1034 [am] they all got up and walked away from her and it was over. I have never seen anything like this before, they have been laying on her blanket ever since she passed away, clearly there is mourning going on.... she was a very loving, sweet kitty."
Should you be wondering, the pet owner had taken her cat in to be seen (middle of the night)... nothing could be done. The owner opted to let the passing happen naturally. She [the cat] had others who loved her around, both human and of her own cat-family, when she passed on... it sounded very loving.
I wasn't going to post this...
I wasn't going to post this because it doesn't look like the well-known person. Its an okay sketch, but doing "beautiful women" is something a much younger person might do. (Give me the old and decrepid (sp) any time. They're much more interesting.
I want to feel free to post the crappy stuff without feeling people are obligated to stroke me... know what I mean? I mean the SUPER CRAPPY stuff will not get posted, but the I-missed-the-boat-on-this-one will be... I got my spunk from Cat's Mamma!
I want to feel free to post the crappy stuff without feeling people are obligated to stroke me... know what I mean? I mean the SUPER CRAPPY stuff will not get posted, but the I-missed-the-boat-on-this-one will be... I got my spunk from Cat's Mamma!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Playing with the Sharpies again
I drew the above loosely based on an ad in the October issue of Vanity Fair. Its altered a bit, but the basics match up. And speaking of Vanity Fair... their printer is going to be in trouble this month. The entire magazine is missing about a quarter inche of all the pages and many of them are falling out. Not good for their image, but accidents happen. I couldn't help wonder if they had sent the issue to China for printing? (snort)
I went to their web site and sent a comment in to them just to let them know about the situation. While I was on their site I noticed the October issue is available for reading there, sans all the advertisements. I let my friend (who maintains this subscription for me) know that she didn't need to renew anything. I can read it all online. Kewl.
No Particular Point
Chatting over the fence....
I've decided to cross Indonesia off my list of possible retirement communities.
Just heard a statistic that had my mouth hanging open, but my head nodding as in I KNOW... I KNOW!! I didn't catch the time frame, but the cost of health insurance has risen 78% while during the same time frame wages/income has risen only 19%. Coverage for a family of four costs around $12,000 a year. (00)
I participated in a telephone survey yesterday. Based on the questions, someone (read local government) is trying to determine the best tactics to use for presenting a 5% tax to phone services. Taxes/fees on the most basic phone service for landlines is already a third of the cost. It may be called taxes or fees, but it still adds up all the same. Personally, I don't think any more taxes should be applied to basic services, but I have no problem with an additional tax being added to the luxury features.... caller ID, call waiting, etc.
I like our current mayor who is retiring and is not going to run for a second term. I like him because he does the right thing, even when heavily criticized. He put 'humane' into his decisions, even when it cost money. Most people are not humane when it comes to money.
Too bad Britney doesn't have enough money to take a sabbatical or something. She clearly is not 'in to' performing any more. I heard her outfit for the vma awards program was her own choice. The costume presented to her to wear was "not sexy enough" so she used her own. I also read on a celebrity blog that they saw her partying at a club before the awards ceremony. Her lackluster performance probably helped her stay upright. She seems to have lost her way. Too bad. I wish her well.
Yay weather... going to be a little cooler today. YAY!!
I've decided to cross Indonesia off my list of possible retirement communities.
Just heard a statistic that had my mouth hanging open, but my head nodding as in I KNOW... I KNOW!! I didn't catch the time frame, but the cost of health insurance has risen 78% while during the same time frame wages/income has risen only 19%. Coverage for a family of four costs around $12,000 a year. (00)
I participated in a telephone survey yesterday. Based on the questions, someone (read local government) is trying to determine the best tactics to use for presenting a 5% tax to phone services. Taxes/fees on the most basic phone service for landlines is already a third of the cost. It may be called taxes or fees, but it still adds up all the same. Personally, I don't think any more taxes should be applied to basic services, but I have no problem with an additional tax being added to the luxury features.... caller ID, call waiting, etc.
I like our current mayor who is retiring and is not going to run for a second term. I like him because he does the right thing, even when heavily criticized. He put 'humane' into his decisions, even when it cost money. Most people are not humane when it comes to money.
Too bad Britney doesn't have enough money to take a sabbatical or something. She clearly is not 'in to' performing any more. I heard her outfit for the vma awards program was her own choice. The costume presented to her to wear was "not sexy enough" so she used her own. I also read on a celebrity blog that they saw her partying at a club before the awards ceremony. Her lackluster performance probably helped her stay upright. She seems to have lost her way. Too bad. I wish her well.
Yay weather... going to be a little cooler today. YAY!!
Monday, September 10, 2007
With Time (experience) Comes Wisdom
The title I was going to use on this entry was Time Brings Such Sweet Revenge", but it didn't actually fit, because it isn't about revenge. Its more about I told you so.... only I didn't 'told you so'. I just let it happen and watched it play out over several years.
This is a tale about one of my daughters. The forth child (4 out of 5) who is now a mature mother of two and lives in Texas. I recently received an email from her asking me to send her pictures of her childhood. Pictures I no longer have because she took them back in 2002.
Let me set the background.
In 2002 she and her family stopped by for a few minutes. I don't remember why. While there she spotted a large photo album with some loose photos sitting on top. She "innocently" asked if she could take them. "I want to scrapbook them and keep them from fading." Yeah, right. I knew right then she was taking them because she didn't think I would take good care of them, you know, since I wasn't anal about them. (These are pictures I've been lugging around for decades. Thirty years or more in some cases.) To her credit, she has since admitted that was why she took them. Good for her.
And as far as the anal part goes... I'm not. Oh sure, pictures are nice to look through once in a while, like at funerals or incarcerations, but I'm not a freak about them. Know what I mean? So I said "sure, go ahead if thats what you want to do" but deep inside I knew she would lose them. I had that 'knowing' feeling. And now that 'knowing' feeling has become a fact and its come home to roost... just not on my head.
It took several emails back and forth before she remembered she had custody of the photos. And she no longer has them. It doesn't freak me out any and I'm very glad she's finally remembered who had them last so she isn't going around trying to get someone else to pick up the blame.... however, her poor hubby might have to get it dumped on him. He gets blamed for a lot of things. He's handy, that way.
I would bet money on how and when the photos got dumped, although I'd never say anything to my daughter. She would just jump all over hubby and it wouldn't be fair. He may still get jumped on for losing them, but it won't be because I said anything.
Wanna know what I think happened to them? If so, just keep reading.
I think they got left behind during a move from a house to a townhouse apt. During this move my daughter packed up a few boxes and then spent the rest of the time at the new apartment. That left hubby to pack up everything else and move it. One person. One person with a full time job. One person with a two story house and a full garage to be the only one moving anything.
They had asked several of their friends, their church friends, to come help them move the heavy furniture. There was suppose to be five big strong guys, but I think only one person showed up. (Hubby had to go track him down, too.) After the furniture was moved, it was back to hubby being the only one to get all the crappy stuff thats at the end of a move. I suspect he got to the place where he just said "screw it" (to himself, of course) and started dumping things. And I must say I don't blame him at all, either. In fact, I think he should have found his backbone and told his lazy wife to get up and help him.... but he didn't. My guess is the photos got dumped during that move.
If wifey would have helped with the move, then maybe she would still have the photos. Or if wifey hadn't judged me as being incapable of maintaining them, she might have gotten them now. I'm not sure if she'll get the connection to what her contribution was in all of this.... but I'm sitting here smiling. Not meanly, or nastily, but smiling with a touch of an unspoken 'I told you so'.
I hope I'm able to apply bits of this crusty wisdom to some of my own life lessons, but its harder to see when it involves the self. Know what I mean?
This is a tale about one of my daughters. The forth child (4 out of 5) who is now a mature mother of two and lives in Texas. I recently received an email from her asking me to send her pictures of her childhood. Pictures I no longer have because she took them back in 2002.
Let me set the background.
In 2002 she and her family stopped by for a few minutes. I don't remember why. While there she spotted a large photo album with some loose photos sitting on top. She "innocently" asked if she could take them. "I want to scrapbook them and keep them from fading." Yeah, right. I knew right then she was taking them because she didn't think I would take good care of them, you know, since I wasn't anal about them. (These are pictures I've been lugging around for decades. Thirty years or more in some cases.) To her credit, she has since admitted that was why she took them. Good for her.
And as far as the anal part goes... I'm not. Oh sure, pictures are nice to look through once in a while, like at funerals or incarcerations, but I'm not a freak about them. Know what I mean? So I said "sure, go ahead if thats what you want to do" but deep inside I knew she would lose them. I had that 'knowing' feeling. And now that 'knowing' feeling has become a fact and its come home to roost... just not on my head.
It took several emails back and forth before she remembered she had custody of the photos. And she no longer has them. It doesn't freak me out any and I'm very glad she's finally remembered who had them last so she isn't going around trying to get someone else to pick up the blame.... however, her poor hubby might have to get it dumped on him. He gets blamed for a lot of things. He's handy, that way.
I would bet money on how and when the photos got dumped, although I'd never say anything to my daughter. She would just jump all over hubby and it wouldn't be fair. He may still get jumped on for losing them, but it won't be because I said anything.
Wanna know what I think happened to them? If so, just keep reading.
I think they got left behind during a move from a house to a townhouse apt. During this move my daughter packed up a few boxes and then spent the rest of the time at the new apartment. That left hubby to pack up everything else and move it. One person. One person with a full time job. One person with a two story house and a full garage to be the only one moving anything.
They had asked several of their friends, their church friends, to come help them move the heavy furniture. There was suppose to be five big strong guys, but I think only one person showed up. (Hubby had to go track him down, too.) After the furniture was moved, it was back to hubby being the only one to get all the crappy stuff thats at the end of a move. I suspect he got to the place where he just said "screw it" (to himself, of course) and started dumping things. And I must say I don't blame him at all, either. In fact, I think he should have found his backbone and told his lazy wife to get up and help him.... but he didn't. My guess is the photos got dumped during that move.
If wifey would have helped with the move, then maybe she would still have the photos. Or if wifey hadn't judged me as being incapable of maintaining them, she might have gotten them now. I'm not sure if she'll get the connection to what her contribution was in all of this.... but I'm sitting here smiling. Not meanly, or nastily, but smiling with a touch of an unspoken 'I told you so'.
I hope I'm able to apply bits of this crusty wisdom to some of my own life lessons, but its harder to see when it involves the self. Know what I mean?
My guess was right!
Last week I had guessed that the fifth person on The View was going to be Sherri Shepard (although I couldn't remember her name.) And its official today. YAY!! I like her. And I like Whoopi. Great choices.
Apparently it wasn't a very well kept secret, but I hadn't heard it until this morning.
Apparently it wasn't a very well kept secret, but I hadn't heard it until this morning.
Monday's Show-and-Tell
I wasn't getting any scathingly brilliant ideas for show-and-tell this week so I had to sort of scramble for something....
I was up, showered, and out the door early this morning to go to the store. 'They've' issued a heat advisory for the valley today and I wanted to get this trip done while it was still cool out. I had run out of my coffee 'flavoring' that I enjoy and I also needed something for dinner.
A fresh pot of coffee was brewing as I snapped this picture. (The coffee that is already in the cup is left-over.) I was going to be clever and snap a picture as I poured coffee into the cup, but then the voice of reason was heard. "Damnit Crusty, stop making life difficult!" My camera doesn't do action shots very well. And my coordination is sometimes suspect. For this photo shoot (snort..."photo shoot") I decided to use my Happy Cup... the rainbow cup, you know, for the color and all. My regular cup is just plain white but a little bigger than this one. Isn't it amazing how much one can sometimes talk about nothing? wow.
Just for the fun of it, I decided to also include a photo of dinner. Non-cooking dinner.
I'm going to have a turkey sandwich with provolone cheese, sliced tomato and onion (ooops... Wallowallo sweet onion not pictured), a little lettuce, and some potato salad on the side. The Snapea Crisps are there for the hell of it.
And thats my show-and-tell for today. Thank you for coming and I hope you enjoy the rest of the show.
I was up, showered, and out the door early this morning to go to the store. 'They've' issued a heat advisory for the valley today and I wanted to get this trip done while it was still cool out. I had run out of my coffee 'flavoring' that I enjoy and I also needed something for dinner.
A fresh pot of coffee was brewing as I snapped this picture. (The coffee that is already in the cup is left-over.) I was going to be clever and snap a picture as I poured coffee into the cup, but then the voice of reason was heard. "Damnit Crusty, stop making life difficult!" My camera doesn't do action shots very well. And my coordination is sometimes suspect. For this photo shoot (snort..."photo shoot") I decided to use my Happy Cup... the rainbow cup, you know, for the color and all. My regular cup is just plain white but a little bigger than this one. Isn't it amazing how much one can sometimes talk about nothing? wow.
Just for the fun of it, I decided to also include a photo of dinner. Non-cooking dinner.
I'm going to have a turkey sandwich with provolone cheese, sliced tomato and onion (ooops... Wallowallo sweet onion not pictured), a little lettuce, and some potato salad on the side. The Snapea Crisps are there for the hell of it.
And thats my show-and-tell for today. Thank you for coming and I hope you enjoy the rest of the show.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Playing with my Sharpies
Last week I got three sets of Sharpies for the price of one. I just got around to playing with them. Sharpies and using up the little bit of watercolor that was left. (Based very loosely on photos in a Vanity Fair magazine.)
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