Blibber Blabber

No rhyme, no reason

 

An end to a crappy week, an end to what has at times been an extremely crappy year.  Hrm, "crappy" doesn't seem to cut it.  It's certainly been a year of extreme highs and lows.  I still miss my grandparents, though I'm not brought to sudden tears anymore when they're mentioned.  I've put myself "out there" as an artist, and it's gone better than I could have ever expected.  This coming year isn't going to be easy, what with OD graduating and moving on to college, but I hope to be able to cope with that well.

Resolutions:

1. Let go of the cynicism.  It won't be easy.  I'm a little too cynical these days- we got burned badly this year- but I don't like thinking negatively about every person I run into or see.  I've become a bit too much of a Negative Nancy, and while I don't want to fall back into complete naivete (I doubt that could happen, anyway), I want to be nice about people again.  Not everyone's a potential asshole.
2. Take pictures when I want to.  I'm shy by nature- I write in this blog a helluva lot more than I speak- and I see pictures all the time that I rarely stop to take.  It's not akin to stopping and smelling the roses- I  just don't like people staring.  I want to keep a camera on me and take advantage of the fun opportunities.
3. Integrate myself back into society.  Since moving here, and quitting my job five years ago, I've become a bit of a recluse.  I've become better this year by joining the artists' coop and going to the art crawls and various shows, but it's nothing like me in my twenties, when I was a regular social butterfly.  It's very hard to go back to that when you've shut yourself off for so long, but I want to speak to more people, have a friend or two.  I've forced myself to go to a Christmas bruncheon this past month, and tonight Mr. Calm and I are going to a New Year's Eve party.  I'm considering going back to church, though not a UU one... you can't force a connection if there's not one there.
4. Stop saying "It's okay" when it isn't.  That's pretty self-explanatory.  If I can do it with the people I live with, then I should be able to do it with everyone else.  Such as, don't say it's okay to show up either right before or right after OD's graduation; show up on the day, or don't show up at all.  The visit's supposed to be all about her, not whether you get to see everyone else or not.  See also: Stop saying "yes" when you really want to say "No!"
5. Write stuff down in that funny day planner I got, and adhere to the schedule I write down.  I don't think this'll be hard, because if I write notes for myself, 99% of the time everything gets done.  I want to finish art in a timely manner this year, and all years after, because I hate rushing around at the last minute.  I also find myself so distracted at times that I can't remember a damn thing, so I want to remember to even write it down in the first place.
6. Cut down on the ciggies, and lose some weight.  Both extremely hard goals, but better for my overall health.  I can't even take the glucosamine (I don't know if I mentioned it here, but after three weeks, my hands started swelling and itching quite a bit, so I had to take myself off it.  I'm allergic to shellfish, which normally only means tummy problems, but I guess the buildup wasn't good for my system) for my joints, but I don't want to be hobbling around when I'm forty.  I've GOT to do this.
7. Learn to tap.  Ever since I was little, I've wanted to learn to tap dance.  I don't have the shoes yet, but I just ordered a DVD called "I Hate to Exercise, I Love to Tap!" that got excellent reviews on Amazon.  I'll use my sneakers in the meantime to learn something I've always wanted to.
8. Do something else with Mr. Calm besides go out to eat.  We really need to find more productive things to do together.  We already have the art stuff, but we need more.

I think that's all my goals.  Happy New Year!

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

Let's start it off with something fun, shall we?  I headed out yesterday afternoon with my Box O'Stuff, set up my little scenes behind the shed, and took pictures of the Barbie I dressed up (with part of me enjoying it, part of me thinking, "Woman, you are too old to be playing with this thing") with three different cameras: my Diana, my TTV contraption, and then just the digital.  Most didn't turn out (and of course I won't know about the film til I get it processed; and I seem to have more trouble with closeups using the Duaflex), but I managed to snag two that I was able to play with.

"Time Out Between Trips Around the World"

"Dreaming of Bubbles"

I personally like the Bubble picture better, but YD votes for the first pic.

I think I have four pictures picked so far for my show. 

posted by: athenawj at 07:41 | link | comments (2) |

I seem to have a lot to say lately.

Finished the commissioned piece yesterday (not the canvas; the digital print), and sent a small preview.  She screamed her happiness with it in the reply email.  That's always nice. :)

My car died last night.  Instead of the engine turning on, it issues a loud screeing noise and doesn't turn over.  Couple that with how I'm probably going to need a crown (ha, and I wish it was of the queenly kind), I don't think I'm going to be able to see my parents til they visit for OD's graduation.

Oh, no.  I thought about graduation.  Time for another subject!

Back to art.  Once I start drawing, I'm more inclined to keep on drawing, and I've got a ton of ideas for my solo show.  Definitely some 3-D stuff; hair out of ribbons, dresses out of patterned paper.  And then a few Alice in Wonderland pieces.  I need to keep John Tenniel's illustrations out of my head; as much as I admire him, I can't and don't want to copy him.

Stay tuned for some fun with nekkid Barbies!

posted by: athenawj at 08:01 | link | comments (1) |
art , car

The Aftermath...

Christmas was a very nice day, save for one hour.  Got heartburn, did the home remedy of drinking baking soda and water, and spent fifteen minutes on the verge of puking, followed by forty-five minutes filled with bouts of huge, house-rattling belches.

Fun, fun!

OD got her Rock Band game.  That was amusing, especially watching her and YD play drums and guitar.  What was even funnier was how YD played the wrong part and died pretty quickly the first time.

I didn't do a traditional dinner, save for the baked ham, and made potato bake, broccoli casserole, butter sour cream biscuits (which were fall-apart flaky, but not so tasty), and two pies: strawberry cream, and butterscotch.  Now, I'm not much of a pie baker: I still think I got lucky winning the Pillsbury contest, and I suck at dough from scratch.  But man oh man, that strawberry cream pie turned out GOOD.  Like, bakery GOOD.  So YUMMY.

The butterscotch pie was okay.  However, as I was cutting out a piece for YD, I happened to inspect the piece a little closer, and noticed... a hair.  As I began to pull it out, YD dissolved into screaming laughter, swearing that she wasn't going to have that piece.

I took the piece.  Oh, come ON.  It was MY hair, and I didn't EAT IT.  Plus, it's not like it still had germs.

Not that my hair is full of cooties.

***

I've read two books over the past couple of weeks, breaking an unfortunate record I've had over the past few  years (meaning, I've now read more books this year than... wow, probably 2003).  The antho I'm in, and "The Distance Travelled" by Brett Savory.  I found it on pdf through his site, and I've been wanting to read it since it came out.  Wow, what a good book!  Absolutely loved it.  I got a B&N gift card for Xmas, so I think I'm going to order his latest book, which sounds just as good.

***

I also got some lights for my room.  I strung them up in the corner.  I love different glows surrounding me.

posted by: athenawj at 19:41 | link | comments (4) |
books, holidays

I'm almost done.  I'm going to the farmer's market today for the crafts fair and to accept a New Year's Eve party invitation, and over to a retro store in town, and I'm pretty sure that's it.  Dammit, it better be! 

I got a call from A&I last night.  Someone owns a small copy of my "To Hibernation, Music" mixed media piece.  I brought in the bigger one last week or so, and although it was also purchased, the owner of the small piece wants me to recreate the big one.  I said yes, but that's the last time I'm going to reproduce difficult pieces.  "The Raven and Lenore" is hard to duplicate because the Raven and Lenore are damn hard to cut out.  "TH, M" has a ton of steps and different materials... I think I'm going to head over there today just to examine it up close.

Oh, woe is me!  Someone wants to buy more artwork!  :P  I need to just shut up.

What's the protocol for graduation trips?  How far do you let your kids go, even if they are eighteen?  OD wants to go to Japan.  We've made it clear to her that the trip needs to be planned out, with accomodations and such, but more importantly than that, she can't go alone.  She has a friend that's thinking about going with her now (with the stipulation that they visit Hiroshima while they're there), but no one's really committed.

A couple of weeks ago, she was talking about the trip again, and when I reminded her that she needed to find someone to go with, she said, "Well, I'll be eighteen.  I can go anywhere I want by myself."

To which I responded, "Well, we don't have to give you the money."

That shut her up, heh.  And we all know that's quite an accomplishment when you're haggling with a teenager.

posted by: athenawj at 07:17 | link | comments (1) |

Well, I joined the Squidoo club.  I need to make a list and tack it up of all the promoting I need to do every day for my shop.

Here's the links to my lenses:

My basic lens: Groovin' Etsy Art!

And my how-to for Dimensional Magic.  That one was pretty easy.

You can rate me, too. :)

***

I had to close up my shops until the new year.  Apparently, the person at HP that I spoke to on December 12 was talking out their ass, because the printer I need replaced has a backlog, and I won't get it until "on or before" December 31.  Yes, it made me upset, though I took care not to get upset with the operators I talked to, because they weren't at fault.  I don't know how much business I'm going to lose.  At least they waived the two-day delivery charge.  Especially since it turned out to be bullshit.  At least.

So, in the meantime, I'm going to do some resin jewelry, and get started on the commission I was hired for, and the artwork I need to do for my solo show.  At least my hands, my paper, pencil, eraser and ink, and Paint Shop Pro aren't backlogged.

posted by: athenawj at 08:02 | link | comments (1) |
art

I had no idea I could get a bigger penis for the new year!  That's quite an incredible feat!  Whatever shall I do with it if I choose to get it?  Slap people silly who look at me cross-eyed?  Wave it at passersby as I drive down the street?  Hang it from my car antenna?

***

The great thing about finally getting paid-- and hell, let's face it, having any money at all-- is that I can get Mr. Calm presents, pay for them out of my own account, and he'll never see the charges.  He has NO idea where I got them or how much I paid.  A little bit of financial freedom goes a looooong way.

I've been wanting to get him a nice chess set for years now.  I was finally able to get an onyx and marble one for him.  It's heavy and beautiful.  He has no idea what's wrapped up in there.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but presents around here are never from "Mom and Dad".  Mr. Calm started the tradition four or five years ago, when he put "From Jesus" and "God" on a couple.  Now we come up with the craziest stuff we can, although mine are generally very vague clues.

So far, we've got:

"Ron Weasley"
"The Toilet"
"Your Belly"
"Outer Mongolia, by way of Siberia"
"The Underworld... and we're waiting for you..." (that one didn't induce the terror I'd hoped)
"A Room in the Winnie the Pooh Ride"
"November 25-December 1"
"The Jingle Fairy"

Hee.  Sometimes we manage to have fun.

posted by: athenawj at 16:37 | link | comments (2) |

Ergh...

Of course, my printer decides to go belly-up when I need to print a photograph for a customer.  Out of paper Reload and press OK over and over again, although there's paper in there.  After twenty-five minutes on the line with an HP rep (and they put me on the line with a MAC rep.  Stupid recording, no comprende English), it seems my paper sensor has died.  So, they're shipping me a replacement that won't get here til the 19th.

This is the PERFECT time of year for it to happen, right?  Nobody's gonna get any Christmas presents from my shop!!  Dammit.  Some stores might feel it's okay to wait a week to ship, but I'm not like that.  I already refunded the customer's shipping charges, but I haven't heard back if she wants to just cancel the order.  Doesn't bode well for future sales to her.

Ugh.

 

posted by: athenawj at 06:21 | link | comments (1) |
art , bullshit

Pay no mind.  Wondering if this works.

posted by: athenawj at 09:01 | link | comments |

I'm NOT putting batteries in my Holga anymore, so no more flash photography.  What was at first amusing is now irritating.  When I dropped my film off from our Disney trip for processing, I asked for just that and uploads.  The black and white turned out great.  The color uploads were up yesterday.  I took a look and was appalled.  The batteries had been rattling around the whole time, so, guess what?  The batteries are in every picture!!

No more batteries.  Uh-uh.

We went to YD's Repertory concert last night.  Her boyfriend brought her a bouquet of flowers.  His father was non-verbal.  There was a little Japanese boy behind me who kept kicking my chair.  I nipped that in the bud before the concert started by telling his mom, and she was quite accomodating in getting him to quit it.  The music was wonderful.  Selections from Carmen, and Jupiter were my favorites.  When it was over, the little boy said, "I LIKED that music!"  YD's boyfriend's father was gone even before I'd picked up my purse.

I'm so proud of those kids and YD.  What talent.

I got my ego checked by having a possible photography portfolio rejected.  Also, I applied at an art gallery weeks ago, but haven't heard anything at all.

The ideas for my solo show are starting to trickle in.  Last evening I'd been talking about how the teacher of the one school art class I took didn't like me (the feeling was mutual-- don't tell me I'm cheating when I'm not!!!  Some people CAN draw without looking, it's called counting, O Know-It-All!), and then I thought back to a color booklet I did- hey, the one time the teacher actually complimented me (actually, it was more like, "You are strange", but she gave me a 100+++), and then the ideas started coming.  It's going to be good stuff.

Wow, the resentments we still harbor, even two decades later.

I got the invitation to my 20th high school reunion recently.  I replied "No" the same day.  You wouldn't catch me there if someone lit my ass on fire.  I had a close friend on the 10th reunion committee, and heard about all the drama; how the "popular" kids (class officers, etc.) waltzed in at the last minute, took over planning, and demanded a head table for themselves. I don't want to be part of that.  Plus, there's only one person I'm still in touch with.  High school was fine, but I did graduate.

Mr. Calm has been sick since the first full day of our Disney trip: dizziness, nausea, light-headedness that kept getting worse.  He finally got in to the doctor yesterday.  Inner ear infection.  What a surprise that you can have one without pain sometimes.  I shed a few tears of relief when  he called me to tell me.  I was really worried.

I made some resin jewelry that surprisingly turned out.  Now let's hope that I can drill a hole in them.

posted by: athenawj at 06:28 | link | comments (2) |
music, art , photography, kids, bullshit, sicky

It's Mah Cat, Maw!

I got a picture of one of my babies yesterday.  He managed not to fidget for a few seconds.

Isn't he gorgeous?  And look at those freckles!

(by the way, I tried to also take macro pictures of Salem.  But the entire screen was black.  No cat in sight.)

posted by: athenawj at 20:35 | link | comments (1) |
crazy kitties, photography

On the sixth day of Christmas, I found hanging on my tree...

A glass Mickey Christmas ornament!

Well, I'm not sure that works melodically, but you get it.

posted by: athenawj at 11:15 | link | comments (1) |

I've decided to do a mix of photography and art for my solo show in June.  It's just what I do; I'm not a pro by any means at photography, but I think I come up with some good stuff.

Nice to come up with solutions, because I like my hair where it is.

posted by: athenawj at 08:19 | link | comments (2) |
art

I should pissily rant or be scared that my cat's not coming home more often.  Seems to have cosmic results.

posted by: athenawj at 09:07 | link | comments (4) |
art , bullshit

I found out over vacation that A&I sold all but one of my pieces.  I just wrote to find out which one was left.  Unfortunately, I missed the opening of her Christmas season, but after I finish decorating for Xmas I hope to make a few pieces.   Yay for sold artwork! 

Now if I could just get paid...

An hour ago, I heard the new Billy Joel-penned song, "Christmas in Fallujah".  It's sung by newcomer Cass Dillon.  I'd heard that Joel had written a Christmas song, but wasn't sure how it would come across.  My God, that's a good song.  A great song!  I usually don't really like songs on the first listen, but this one is one of the few that I really like.  It's available through I-Tunes starting tomorrow, and all proceeds go to Homes for Our Troops, which provide "specially adapted homes for wounded soldiers".  If you can get it, you ought to.  I wish it was available today.

Salem comes home from the vet/boarder's today.  YD thinks it's cruel to put him there during our vacations, but she really doesn't get it.  Cruelty is leaving Ollie home with him for a week to have his hair torn out every day by his alpha male big brother.  Plus, despite getting Salem fixed at five months old, he still sprays, and he does it when we leave him for too long (or when he gets pissed at us).

Speaking of Ollie, I've never seen a cat happier to see us when we came home.  As soon as he figured out his family was home, he came out of OD's room talking up a storm.  And besides his jaunt out first thing yesterday morning, he pretty much didn't leave our sides.  Such a sweet kitty. :)

posted by: athenawj at 07:22 | link | comments (3) |

Amen, Praise Jesus, All That, we're home.  My swollen ankles and feet dragged me into the house at around six yesterday evening.  I ask myself every time, "Why are trips to Disney so exhausting?  Why do I love to kill myself like this?"  I have no answer.  I like the place, but the more I go, the less inclined I am to want to put the strain on my old body like this.  My knee was at its absolute worst this time, and I did a lot of limping.  Tomorrow I'm starting myself on a lot of icing and a week or two of naproxen, which isn't the best for my tummy, but has worked wonders in the past for anti-inflammation.

Anyway... aside from a few family arguments, brought on by attitudes and words from a certain teenager, it was a pretty good trip.  Monday was EPCOT, and I got to ride Soarin', which I absolutely love, despite my fear of heights (I get the third row, only ten feet off the ground).  Oh, yes, Mr. Calm was sick most of that day, and the last half of the day before.  The girls went to Magic Kingdom after we checked in, and we went to meet them.  Stopped at the Main Street Bakery for a bite to eat; I'm working on my croissant when I turn to Mr. Calm and see the familiar signs: red face, bulging eyes.  He freaks me out when he gets that way- it's happened several times before.  A combination of upset stomach and overheating.

Monday evening OD and I returned to EPCOT and snacked in Mexico while sitting by the lagoon, watching the sunset.  Very pretty.  We met YD and Mr. Calm there, and made our way around the world.  I got some fun stuff in Japan, as did everyone else, and in France I got that oh so yummy Grand Marnier Orange Slush.  YD spent awhile trying to get it from me; OD wasn't too impressed.

I think I ended up going four times to Magic Kingdom, my absolute favorite park.  Tuesday and Thursday nights we went to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.  Tuesday we got rained on- quite lovely, but I didn't melt.  Haunted Mansion ride count: 4.  It's been totally refurbed, and isn't as busy as before.  The completely new room, what I call the Bride Room, is creepy.  I totally love Casey's Corner's corn dog nuggets.  Not the healthiest of treats, but tasty.  And the fireworks, lights, and atmosphere is terrific.  I loved sitting in Fantasyland and watching the fireworks right above my head.

Thursday we went to Disney MGM, and I allowed myself to be talked into going on the RockNRoller Coaster.  Now, I'm NOT a roller coaster person.  Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is enough for me.  I got on because now I can say to the girls, "Okay, I rode it with you.  Never ask me again."  And rest assured, they never will.  How UTTERLY HORRIBLE.  I had to do deep breathing through the ride because I truly felt like I was going to pass out, and my whole body was Jell-O when I got off.  YD was a kind child and held my arm through the ride, but it was a small assurance.  I HATE that ride. HATEHATEHATE.

NEVER AGAIN!!

We took the girls to the animation station to learn to draw characters.  We all LOVED that, and went back again.  First time was Goofy, second time was Stitch (bleh).  Me and OD were the best, nyah nyah.  The teacher was very impressed with my Stitch, nyah nyah. ;)

OD and I walked right onto Star Tours, another of my favorites, and then took the girls to the Sci-Fi Dine -In Theater for lunch, a first for them.  You sit in little cars and watch old B-horror movie trailers and cartoons, newsreels.  They had a great time.

Friday was Animal Kingdom, but I begged off because my ankles were so swollen and my legs so tired.  I ended up napping and taking some resort pictures, but they had a grand time, what with the cooler weather and light sprinkles.  I do wish I'd had the reserves to go, because on the Safari the animals were out and very active because of the weather.

The resort was nice.  I don't know if I'd go back, though. 

The Pros:
Close proximity to Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, and every night we could sit on the beach and watch the Electrical Water Parade and see the fireworks- very close.
Our room was two minutes from the pool and Great Ceremonial House, which housed the gift shops, check in, restaurants and food court, and monorail.
Being able to take the monorail to MK and EPCOT, and a boat to MK (which we did quite a few times).
The lush flora, and all the duckies, including lots of babies.
A nice, big room with big beds.

The Cons:
It was VERY busy.  We've stayed at three of the four moderate resorts, and they were all much quieter.  Maybe I noticed more because I was up on the second floor smoking area a lot, but there were always people in and out.  Also, every day til about four, the housekeeping carts lined our hall on the first floor, with housekeepers walking around constantly.  Hell, the whole resort seemed busy.  It didn't feel too relaxing.
The food court had limited offerings, much less than the mods, and half of what I tasted was not very good.

Oh, well, you can't win 'em all.  The smoking area was interesting.  I met a couple from Wisconsin, a woman from Virginia, and a guy from Philadelphia.  We all had fun conversations.

During the trip, Mr. Calm and I wore our Anniversary buttons, and got a lot of "Happy Anniversary!"s and some special treats.  They gave us signed placemats at Chef Mickey's (buffet breakfast), and played an anniversary song for us, bringing me to tears.  I know, corny.  We got a certificate and a free sundae at Sci-Fi.  We got balloons and a signed card and picture from Mickey and Minnie in our room.  And at the Rose and Crown in the UK, we had a lovely server named Emma.  She presented us with a certificate, and two limited edition Tinkerbell pins.  On the cards, it said, "One for You" and "One to Give".  They were part of the Million Dreams celebration, and the other pin was to give to someone else- whoever you wanted to.

My plan was to look around and give it to a kid who was wearing a lot of Tinkerbell pins; add to their collection.  But Thursday night, we were sitting in the smoking area next to the Tomorrowland Speedway.  We were on the bench, and next to the fence, watching the cars was an elderly woman in a wheelchair.  I hadn't paid her much mind before-- I did watch her get up from the chair once (she was very tall once she stood up), walk slowly to the ashtray, and tap her ashes, and make her way back to her chair-- but then I looked at her again and thought, "I'm going to give her the pin."  I should say, YD thought the woman might think that I was patronizing her, but that's not what I was doing.  Maybe I did feel a little bad that she was sitting there by herself, but I later found that she'd asked her son and daughter-in-law to leave her there so she could smoke while they were eating.

Anyway, she turned out to be the best person for the pin.  After I told her about the pins, and asked her if she'd like it (and she looked delighted), she told me that it was her first trip to Disney World, and her son had started a pin collection for her.  On her lanyard were two pins: a Caribbean Beach Resort pin, and one with the characters that read "My First Trip".  I asked her if she was having a good time, and she gave a sort of happy-but-exhausted "Oh, yes."  So, that's my pin story, my feel-good moment. 

Overall, besides the inevitable arguing, and the pain, we all had a good time.  I once again came home with a bunch of pins, too many souvenir mugs, and all my little tins of coffee.  I'm off to catalog my new pins at pinpics.com, but I leave you with this lovely Cinderella's Castle picture:

posted by: athenawj at 06:37 | link | comments (4) |
disney, vacation