Blibber Blabber

No rhyme, no reason

 

Here are my two Tomato Art pictures:

Trio of To-Mah-Toes

This is an approximation.  On the actual canvas, the tomatoes are aligned.

Arabella and the Tomato Baby

This also isn't quite like the finished canvas.  In reality it's black, with an ornate 'foresty' background. It's the background that I'm not very happy with.  I'm extremely happy with the drawings, though.

 

posted by: athenawj at 07:35 | link | comments (2) |
art

I splurged a little yesterday and bought 700 bottle caps.  Yes, 700.  Why, you ask? 

Because I got an idea.

Whoa, Lordy, stop artists who have ideas.

***

We went to the Glow show last night, Untitled's annual fundraiser.  Everything's made with materials that glow under black lights.  Not much there- I did like a jellyfish picture but not enough to buy.  If Crazy Art Lady was there, I didn't see her.  Thank God for small favors.  We got a cool glow in the dark bracelet with our admission.

Since I'm on prescription-strength painkillers, I couldn't have a drink.  Pllbbttt.  Not that I drink much, but a free drink is nice sometimes.

I ran into a fellow Plowhaus artist and chatted with her for awhile.  We're both in the Tomato Art Fest.  I'm taking my stuff in today.  I'm as done as I'm going to be, even if I'm not completely happy with it.

Another ppplllbbbttt.

posted by: athenawj at 08:07 | link | comments (2) |
art

Fluffy Fangirly

Two of my favorite movies from the 1970s are The Candidate and Brubaker.  I just love those movies.   Yesterday OD was watching some crap on MTV, so I started looking around* on the channel guide for something, anything better than that shite (*parental prerogative).  Brubaker was on, about halfway through, so I flipped to that.

YD comes into the room and asks what I'm watching.  I tell her, and also mention how good-looking Robert Redford was back then (and no, that's NOT why I like the movie so much!). 

YD: (taking a closer look) "Eeewww!"

Me: "What?  You're crazy, girl."

YD: "He looks like he has a mop on his head."

***

And... there's not much prettier than Ralph Fiennes in Strange Days. :)  Wow.

posted by: athenawj at 07:37 | link | comments (3) |
movies

The root canal was surprisingly unpainful.  Why are they so horrible?  Is it the back teeth?

I do have prescription-strength Motrin.  I'm sure that helps. ;)

I had a major, serious freak-out moment when I read the risks/release form; so much so that I told the receptionist I couldn't sign it until I talked to the doctor some more.  I had NO idea there are so many risks associated with root canals.  Since I've already said I had it done, no need to mention he was very reassuring.

A little bit of info: I don't like doctors or dentists.  Sorry to all of you out there, but I don't.  When I was pregnant with OD, my pregnancy and labor was horribly mismanaged.  There was one point where someone messed up so bad (with no repercussions or reprimand)  that it left me 90% paralyzed for close to an hour.  It left me with a deep fear and mistrust of those at the top of the line- I like PAs, dental assistants, nurses and CNMs, but whenever the doctor or dentist walks into the room, I clam up.  My smile disappears.  I ain't the friendliest of the bunch anymore.  They could be the nicest person on the planet and it wouldn't matter.  YOU SUCK.

Also, a recurring nightmare from my childhood is one in which, in different scenarios, I lose a tooth.  Fucking crazy-- I even remember some of them from decades ago.  To lose it for REAL freaks my shit out.

There was something about this endodontist, though... he has a sing-song way of speaking; a lilt at the end of each sentence.  When he would call out the number of the tooth to work on, when he would ask the assistant for instruments... I was highly entertained during the root canal (I wonder if that sentence is a first!).  It's weird how little things will suddenly put someone in your favor, but listening to the doctor speak was quite enjoyable.  Very unique. Of course I haven't reversed my feelings on doctors/dentists, and it'd be nice if I never have to see him again past my six-month checkup.

Heh.

Anyway, I guess I'm headed for a permanent filling instead of a crown, because there's no way they can get a crown on my tooth with the braces on (insert small victory "YAY!" in here).  Oh, that'll be fun. Gotta talk to yet ANOTHER doctor.  Bleh.

***

I get my check today from the Value Menu Show.  Yay, money! Whoo-hoo!

But I gotta save it.  Wish me luck!  Hee.

***

And I'm almost done with my Tomato Art.  I'm very happy with the drawings... not so much with the background I painted onto one of the canvases (the other is pure white, simple enough).  It's very intricate, but... it just leaves me with a "meh, ugh!" feeling.

Sigh.

posted by: athenawj at 07:52 | link | comments (2) |
art , metalmouth

No spoilers ahead... Spoilers in the comments section, though!  Don't read if you don't want to know what happens!

With the exception of showering, minor chores, and eating, I took yesterday 'off' and read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  I teared up at parts, and when I closed the book, I let out a few sobs.  Felt a little embarassed about that, heh, but it really struck me that this is the end.  This is it.  After all these years and words, the Harry Potter 'saga' is over.

Funny how book series become our friends.  The imagination is so powerful- in addition to the writer's words, our own thoughts, images and feelings accompany the experience and make it so much more.  When I finished The Dark Tower books, I was so angry- I don't think I'll ever be able to read that last book again.  What happened hurt too much.

I'm happy that I don't feel that way with Hallows.  There are a few questions I have that will probably be answered on a re-read, and a couple of things bugged, but mostly the ending of this series was heartily satisfying.  Thank goodness.

Growing up poor, I have a bit of a bias against 'rich' people- a 'poo on them' attitude.  But I don't begrudge JK Rowling one single bit.  Stephen King once wrote that her imagination needed to be insured, and I agree 100%.  She's worth every penny.

posted by: athenawj at 06:24 | link | comments (8) |
books

Well, of *course*...

Things were going good- I had three sales in one day in my shop, some crafts I was attempting were finally coming together, and then...

One possible, remote, um, problem a person can get from wearing braces is nerve damage.  I was eating breakfast in the car yesterday when I pulled up to the post office.  Looked in the mirror to check my teeth, and saw that the top half of one of my top front teeth had turned a little grey.

Went to the ortho later and he thinks I may need a root canal.  The tooth's been hurting since my last adjustment, but I thought it was because of the adjustment- it's moved a lot, too.  I haven't eaten anything today yet because now it throbs.

I'm going to a periodontist tomorrow morning.

And even better- now we may not even get to go on our big vacation in November.  You know, the vacation that was going to take us away from all the shit of the real world.

I mean, my tooth vs. a vacation: I'll keep my tooth, thank you.  But of course this would happen.  Of fucking course!  I got all the necessary, painful work done to keep my teeth and gums in good condition, take great care of them, no cavities, in April all my x-rays came in looking great... and now I have to get a root canal because I got braces.

@#%@%$*&(*&)(*)_(*_))&& %%$$^$#%$#!!!!!!!!!

posted by: athenawj at 13:52 | link | comments (5) |
bullshit, metalmouth

Ms. InMyLife was nice enough to award me and four others the Rockin' Girl Blogger Award:

 

 

 

Very cool beans.  Thank you so much!

And now I pass it on to these two great ladies:

Funny Shoes
merserene

You ladies have always been rockin' girls. :)

posted by: athenawj at 07:07 | link | comments (2) |
memories

Well, I suppose I'll start with the good news first.

I got accepted into the Tomato Art Fest. I'll be doing three pieces, all inspired by the tomato ("a uniter, not a divider - bringing together fruits and vegetables").  I already have my ideas; I was waiting to see if I'd made it in before starting them.  It'll be my first juried show, and since I love this festival, it's all the more exciting.

Secondly, I made this little doodad the other day:

It's a decorated matchbox; I made it to contain a pendant I made for OD.  My first one- it's a cutie.

***

Lastly... and I don't know why I'm burying this in the post... my Papa passed away yesterday.  My uncle found him, and I guess he passed in his sleep.  I know this happens to a lot of married couples... one passes away and the other follows shortly after... but no one expected it this soon, even if he had been sick.

Right now I can barely manage to think that all my grandparents are gone.

posted by: athenawj at 06:45 | link | comments (7) |
art , family, memories

Holy Hell

Mr. Calm and I went to the Saturday Downtown Art Crawl.  All the galleries in the area have artist receptions, show openings, and it's a good way to get snacks and free drinks if you want, heh.  We started in the arcade, walking up the stairs behind a woman with blonde hair and long, shapeless dress.  She moved aside for us when she got to the landing.  I smiled at her as I passed.  She didn't return my smile, and while that does bug me, I put it out of my mind until later, when I saw her further down the balcony.  Really recognizing her that time, I said to Mr. Calm, "I think that's the bitch from the Untitled show!"

Remember?  The bitch who suddenly turned nasty and threw her wine on the floor after I served her? Yeah, that one.

Mr. Calm said she gave me a really nasty look on the landing after I passed her, and when we passed her again, she gave me another of those looks through the gallery window.

Un-friggin'-believable.  I was nothing but polite, but she didn't like me preventing her from playing with the ice cubes in the ice bowl, so now I've incurred the everlasting hate of the Crazy Art Lady.

Anyway, yeah, it bugged me, and we ran into her a few minutes later in another gallery.  While most of me wanted to lay into her- because, really, do I deserve to be thought of in a way that's not true?- but all I did was refuse to move out of her way.  Let her deal with that, heh.  I did notice that the women she was speaking with before she left seemed to be talking about her, and I wanted to ask, "Is she some kind of... eccentric art patron?", but I didn't do that, either.  Wow.  I'm so isolated, and yet there's someone out there that can't stand me.

All right, onto the art: we found some wonderful art by two brothers, and we got a 6x6 canvas of an elephant for Mr. Calm's mom's birthday (it's covered with resin, which gives it a high-gloss, incredibly smooth finish), but everything else was out of our price range.  Nothing I fell in love with... although if I had $3000, I would have gotten a huge canvas.

After, Mr. Calm and I tried out a new place for dinner, and decided to eat in the bar (where you can still SMOKE).  The food was faboo-- one of the best places in town.  I kept looking at a woman diagonally from us.  Maybe it was my two glasses of wine, but I thought she looked like an actress I've seen in a few things (this morning, I'm not so sure).  She was gorgeous- one of those people you see and wish you looked like.  Simple and elegant.

Except for the Kuh-RAZY Art Lady, it was a good night.

***

I looked around my workroom and found that I have enough small blank canvases to do a triptych.  I'm going to do Alice after she either drinks or eats- it's been so long since I've read Alice in Wonderland that I can't remember which made her grow.

But first I have to clean.  Ugh.

posted by: athenawj at 07:07 | link | comments (4) |
art

When I was a baby, I apparently used to stare at my hands all the time: turn them over this way and that, spend my time contemplating them.  My mom saw this and said, "You're either going to be an artist or a surgeon."

:)

I still look at my hands a lot.

There is a little baby boy at the Kiwanis day care center where my mother works who does this, too.  My mom told him that I used to do that, too, and a teacher said, "Well, we'll just have to keep an eye on him and see if that comes true!"

;)

Another new thing about me, to this blog: I can do a chipmunk voice.  Really high-pitched, folks, and I can pass for a guy on the phone with my real voice.  Actually, I probably sound more like the mice in the "Babe" movies (I like to say, "Pigs are SO stupid!" sometimes).  I learned when I was ten, from a kid in class who used to go around at snacktime asking for Cheetos in that voice.  He taught me and a couple of other kids how to do it, though I can't rightly tell you how now.  Something about putting the back of my tongue against my palate.

***

When I was seven, I used to ride my bike around the neighborhood in Huntington with a couple of other neighbor kids.  We found an abandoned house at the end of the block one day, and like many other kids would, went in to explore.  There were Elvis trading cards scattered all over the living room floor.

I think of that sometimes and wish I'd had the presence of mind to scoop up those cards, save them for decades, then sell them on ebay.  Just like the Six Million Dollar Man doll I had around that time, complete with bionic eye that you could look through.  And my Jaws game...

Damn. ;)

posted by: athenawj at 07:25 | link | comments (2) |
memories, silly stuff

Bits and bubbles

I think my get up and go has gotten up and left.

I'm still not relaxing the way I should be.  I need some 85% dark chocolate.

Still keeping the lists, and man, are they working. 

I'm totally addicted to Krispy Kreme's chocolate chocolate chillers.  My hips love them, too.

I think my knee has finally healed.

I stood outside smoking yesterday and watched a swallowtail flitter frenetically from petunia to petunia, zinnia to zinnia.  I'm happy to see the butterflies finally stopping. 

Another time, I asked my sweetie Ollie why he was lying behind the recycling bin when it was much cooler inside.  He answered me with a plaintive meow and followed me back into the house.  If anything, our very vocal Ollie is always good for pretending that cats really do understand what the hell you're saying to them.

Watched "Black Snake Moan" Sunday night with Mr. Calm.  A highly entertaining movie- just loved it. 

Went to see "Transformers" with the whole family Tuesday evening.  Michael Bay continues his love affair with long, drawn-out action sequences that tend to ruin the movie-going experience, but the Transformers themselves were lovely pieces of CGI.

This week was a high one for me in that I created two pieces that were extremely close to how I envisioned them.  You have no idea how wonderful that is.  These two pieces are based on literature: "The Raven" and "Snow White".  The raven marks the first time I've ever drawn a raven, and he turned out SO nicely.  He has little Lenore dangling from his beak, and he's decoupaged onto paper with the poem that is in turn decoupaged onto a 12"x12" piece of balsa wood.  I haven't decided what I'm going to do with him.

The Snow White one's going in the Seattle show.  I tried VERY hard to stay away from Disney's version of the witch:

I feel odd looking at her, though I think I'm more pleased with how she turned out than most anything else I've ever drawn.  Mr. Calm disagrees, but I see my granny when I look at her (God, I know that sounds horrible, but I'm not being mean!!!).  The big eyes, the short little body, the, uh, bigger nose... I don't know, I see Granny when I look at her.  Although my Granny, of course, never tried to poison anyone, and she wasn't into witchcraft or anything.

Anyway.  Thank goodness for Dover's copyright free borders, because I've always sucked at thinking up ornate-- or plain-- borders.  The 16"x16" canvas is black with a purple leafy border, and it depicts Snow White contemplating the apple while the witch waits.

I'm still waiting to see if I've been accepted into the Tomato Art Festival here in town.  I stopped by the gallery making the determinations on Saturday, and the curator said she'd be contacting everyone on Monday... it's Friday now, duh.  Maybe next Monday...

Lastly, my teeth are back to hurting.  They're also bright red- probably not the best choice for me to go with red bands this time.  I also have a red chain connecting three teeth so my most crooked tooth can move (and that's why it hurts like a bitch- it's already turned some).  I'm back to popping Advil and not biting into anything.  Bleh.

Mr. Calm says, "No pain, no gain."  Ah, whatever. ;)

posted by: athenawj at 07:04 | link | comments (3) |
art , animals, gardening, family, crazy kitties, metalmouth