extra ordinary 'e'

a seashell-less painting

2012-01-31T13:51:00.003-07:00

Please note the painting is not a REAL naked person. This was my first foray into painting the human body**. Dixie College's policy doesn't allow nude models (thank goodness 'cause I don't think I'm ready for that). But it has nothing against nude statues. Actually, there is a small imitation David mixed in with the statues. Upon seeing that the imitation David my younger sister turned to me with her eyes wide and said, "He doesn't have a seashell!"

In this painting we copied another artist's painting. The original is of a Catholic priest with an eyebrow raised. In class there was an animated debate as to whether the priest was creepy or just mischievous. My version I think looks a lot more like a Colonel Sanders or perhaps a Colonel Mustard. Either way he is more of a Colonel than a priest.

The girl painted below is based off of a live model who came into my oil painting class. She was a lovely girl so please do not judge her too harshly based off of my lack of skill. I'm just such an impressionist and it will take a lot more work for me to be better at the figure. Additionally, I recommend looking at the larger version of this painting as well. The brushstrokes are a little fantastic if I say so myself. (and I just did)

Since the model he so faithfully copies is not going to be hung up next to the picture ... it is of no interest whether it is an accurate copy of the model. Whether it will convince or not, depends entirely on what it is in itself, what is there to be seen. The model should only serve the very private function for the painter of providing the starting point for his excitement. The picture is all he feels about it, all he thinks worth preserving of it, all he invests it with. If all the qualities which a painter took from the model for his picture were really taken, no person could be painted twice.
- Lucien Freud*

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*WARNING: Lucien Freud really likes nude models (of either gender). He also exaggerates some err... "features". If you go google search him....you have been warned and I will not be held accountable.

** on a canvas at least. I was trying to think of a way to qualify that statement without it traveling quickly into kinky territory. Maybe I just have a dirty mind...

confession involving John Wayne

2012-01-23T17:31:00.001-07:00

John Wayne (photo borrowed from here)

I recently discovered a startling fact about myself. In all honesty, I blame John Wayne. After growing up watching the Duke blast his way across the silver screen I should have suspected the childhood conditioning but it still took me by surprise. Here is the truth. A man who can accurately shoot a lever action rifle is shockingly attractive. (dare I say viscerally sexy?)

It doesn't matter if that man has missed and disappointed all previous expectations or hopes. Start that smooth lever action and my inner saloon girl comes out and wants to say, "Howdy there cowboy. Can I get you anything?" and hope for a "How can I help you little lady?" in slow smooth drawl.

phew. glad I could get that one off my conscience.

Kenzie's awesome list

2012-01-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of months I've been collecting reasons why my sister is awesome. Upon compiling this list I have discovered that she gets more awesome when I get forgetful. Today is her birthday. So today here is a short list of why my sister is awesome.

did my dishes when I was getting home late
eats lunch with me
loads and emails pictures I need for my paintings
brings me deodorant when I forget
brings me a grubby shirts to wear for ceramics
has an extra pair of pajamas when I forget
buys crackle nail polish (and lets me use it)
gets us 5 Guys for lunch (hehehe. there's a double meaning in that)
brings Oreos and milk for lunch
knows that I painted the edge of a pond when I'm not even sure
Our standing date for Thursday lunches is a priority for her. She doesn't schedule over it.
will search through my room to bring me the things that I need
celebrated International Day of Chocolate with me.... twice
buys earplugs for the Yellowcard concert (my ears still thank you)
kills zombies with me
team-plays Rummikub
understands my jokes and laughs just as hard as me (or as much as I think the joke deserves)

The list can continue but what it boils down to is my sister is awesome. Happy Birthday sis! b.d :)

a muddy once upon a time

2011-12-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a girl took a ceramics course at a college. She had visions of pots, pans, and cups cleverly crafted out clay. She believed it may be difficult to do but then she had been nurtured with a belief in her artistic ability.

Unknown to this young heroine an evil witch had a different plan. It had been prophesied that if the girl was able to accomplish her goals it would wreck the witch's plans of forest domination. So the witch cursed the girl with fingernails that grew and a disinclination to bite them. Perhaps to some may think that was actually a blessing. Those who would think such a thing have never spent hours smoothing a pot and then accidentally gouge it with a misplaced fingernail. Yet despite her curse, she created these.

So the witches curse was averted. But alas for our poor heroine she still had to deal the effects of the fire wizard.....

ode to the zombie song

2011-11-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

In case you weren't paying attention a couple of posts ago I shared an amazing and clever song. Since I sometimes have real life friends who pay attention to me...one of them sent me this.

I'm the one holding the brains.

For a continuation of the zombie song awesomeness please go to the following youtube link. It has pictures....and words.

possibilities of the Titanic missing iceberg

2011-11-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

If the Tiantic was going to use my painting as guide to navigate Fredrick Edwin Churches "the Icebergs" it would crash...twice. The porportions of every iceberg is wrong. The one in the back is too small. The one in the middle is too far back. The one in the front is too large. And my colors are probably too bright. On a happier note most of my class said that they liked it better than the mini picture I had of the original. I think that counts for something. I can imagine it now with Leonardo gazing up and stuttering through chattering teeth, "Look at those colors Kate. I'll never ..." gurgle gurgle as he sinks to his icebound grave.

sunrise at powell

2011-11-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

remember that one time that I asked everyone to quickly respond and give me ideas for self portrait still life (aka a still life composition that explains me)? Well it happened here. And here is the promised creation.

I will briefly explain each of the objects. The background is sunrise at Lake Powell. I travel to that wonderous location at least once a year and love it. a lot. Plus it incorporates my love of scenery and bright fabulous colors. My reading material ranges from Shakespeare to cheesy vampire novels. The books pages are empty because that allows to stand as a symbol for all books because I read a ridculous amount of novels. The book mark is a turquoise colored ribbon because I adore shades of bright blue to turquoise. Also a ribbon because I really like wearing ribbons in my hair. Anyway, please enjoy the snippet of me.

Halloween-pictures and music

2011-11-07T21:31:00.000-07:00

On a Hallow's Eve a long, long time ago (aka a couple of weeks) I traveled out to dark and dreary canyon (aka Tuachan Amphitheater) with a punk rock-star, a vampire and cowgirl to enjoy some thrilling entertainment named after a famous Micheal Jackson song.

We watched a variety of creatures dance including the following: zombies, Frankenstein and his bride, skeletons, mummies, jasons, scarecrows,cheerleaders and irish river dancers (who were all shot).

Apparently that's what I could look like if I was ever serious about losing weight.

I was a detective working for or possibly against the mafia. It's hard to tell. Until you have some solid proof to either confirm or deny the accusation it will continue to remain a grey area. On a side note, while watching the morbid and macabre show we ate a pizza--specifically the large Papa John's pizza that was hidden under a blanket. It's why we are so happy.

The next day I discovered my new favorite song. You should listen and love it too. It is just that awesome (and conveniently embedded below). You're welcome.

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://stephaniemabey.bandcamp.com/track/the-zombie-song"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;the zombie song by Stephanie Mabey&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

The End

When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes

2011-10-24T16:35:00.000-06:00

Dixie State College actually put on a legit concert. Go ahead and close those slack jaws. I mean, Yellowcard? serious? yup. they came. Four days later I was still wearing the band around my wrist to prove that I was there. The opening bands were somewhat disappointing. I listened to some of their stuff before we went but the onstage presentation I found to be somewhat... lackluster. Anyway, the advertising on campus was rather fun to see. I couldn't help myself when I snapped a picture of this:

Read the signs ladies and gents. Since you were not at the Yellowcard concert on Wednesday you are all now square. sorry but that's what the yellow pail said. Everyone knows that what is written on the yellow pail is undoubtedly true.

The following are the grainy pictures taken at the concert. Sometimes there really is too much time in between sets.

those are our excited faces as we waited.

Please note that my sister has not gone vampire but couldn't figure out where to put the earplugs before we took the picture. She seemed to think that in her mouth was acceptable.

Important Announcement: if you do not like to feel every organ in your body vibrating: do not go to rock concert. (We decided to hold our organs in with hardcore sisterly squeezing)

Can I just say that I love that these bands are told not to curse on stage? It was hard for them actually. To not drop the f-bomb within every sentence as an noun, verb and adjective. On the plus side it made the concert more enjoyable. Plus I think Yellowcard was actually enjoying the linguistic challenge.

Oh and the new Yellowcard CD When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes (that I bought at the concert as well as shirt) is fabulous. Check it out.

channeling Monet

2011-10-11T09:20:00.000-06:00

"En plein air (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ plɛn‿ɛʁ]) is a French expression which means "in the open air", and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors." -definition courtesy of Wikipedia.

I tromped around the following idyllic scene, lugging my easel and various painting supplies looking for that angle that worked for me.

Generally speaking, I like landscapes and I used to think I could do a decent job at them. I'm hoping this was just a bad day because well....it did not create an excellent painting. I probably shouldn't even post it up here because then the few people I've been able to fool into thinking that I have artistic talent may stone me for declaring such an obvious falsehood.

In my defense I was looking at a lot of Monet paintings for the Master Copy painting. I believe that fact may explain why the my painting is so .... blurry and undefined. On the other hand please note how incredibly clever I was with my painting stand. It is all set up on a bush. That's right, a bush. booyeah.

I think I should get extra points for ingenuity.

the sinking of the Titanic

2011-10-03T16:29:00.000-06:00

Have you ever had that moment where you start to think..."I'm pretty good"? It's the whole pride thing where one gets the mistaken impression that they are accomplished at something. It is possible that during my oil painting class a thought similar to that may have crossed my mind. Then the malicious muse who guides my brushstrokes cackled.

The assignment is to create a master copy* of a landscape. I decided to copy Fredrick Edwin Church.** He was one of the Hudson River School painters that popularized the American Landscape. His paintings are HUGE. serious. They are monsters. And if you don't believe me...check out the reaction in this to the original***. You can practically see the man in the picture saying, "this is HUGE."

source

riiight. I should have learned a lesson from the Titanic. WARNING: Iceburgs are much harder than they originally appear.

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*A Master Copy is when a lowly art student+ attempts++ to create an exact copy of another established artist works. It's supposed to be a fabulous learning experience and not just a measure of inadequecy.
+aka me
++attempt is the key word in regards to my efforts

**Don't worry...I had no idea who he was until I started this project. Wikipedia is a wonderful thing (Fredrick Edwin Church)

***yeah...so NOT the easiest choice. See "The Iceburgs" exhibit below.

source

Post Script:
Anyway, this is the work in progress. I will attempt to post pictures once it is completed.

short notes

2011-09-26T11:50:00.000-06:00

Dear weather:

thank for cooling down enough in the morning to allow me to wear my fabulous purple jacket. It makes me a little bit happy and I've missed it.

Dear fabulous purple jacket:

You've been waiting so patiently to be worn again and I really appreciate that. Also finding the warm apple cider lip gloss that you have been keeping in your pocket for the past eight months was a delightful surprise.

Dear warm apple cider lip gloss:

you make my lips so shiny and yummy. I believe you are a perfect embodiment of fall. I'm so glad that we are back together now.

Graveminder by Melissa Marr

2011-09-19T11:50:00.000-06:00

a story about zombies? really? I must say that's not my first inclination when I pick up a novel. I will admit to reading (and liking) the short story compilation Zombies vs. Unicorns* by Holly Black and Justine Larbestier and I am completely Team Unicorn. I like the fluffy, untouchable impression given by horses with horns and rather not be crippled by the fear of the shambiling undead coming to eat my brains out.

That being said (or written) It was with some hesitation I sat down to read Graveminder by Melissa Marr. I read her Wicked Lovely series (see here). It had nothing to do with zombies. It was all about fairies which I'm much more inclined to read.** Yet I found that this was not a novel entirely based upon on the undead clingling to some semblance of life by cosuming the brains of those actually living (even though there is some brain eating that goes on). It is instead about how a family can impact your life and how families are not entirely a matter of blood relation. It's about how people are anchors to life and living. It's about how another world can exist on a slightly sideways step from our own.

"Sleep well, and stay where I put you." ***

It had an interesting take on death. The antagonist (once you found out who it was) seemed slightly shallow but the world building was interesting enough that I am more than willing to overlook it.

________________________________________

*It's fun. I recommend it. Plus there are enough stories that at least one of them you will find enjoyable. Surprisingly one of the unicorn stories was probably the creepiest to me.

**It may be because I read the Grimms Brothers Complete Book of Fairy Tales.^

^Although in retrospect....there are very few stories actually about fairies in there. huh.

***yeah go ahead and pretend like that line doesn't creep you out just a little. You and I both know that you'd jump in the middle of the night.

the purpled pot

2011-09-08T08:21:00.000-06:00

I call it the "purpled pot"
because...well it's a teapot and I painted it purple. So its been "purpled"^.

purpled pot

It is my first oil painting. I'm not going to lie, it's kind of exciting. Oh and if you couldn't tell....it's a monochromatic value painting. Not too shabby for a first timer if I say so myself. And I just did. Now y'all^^+ go ahead cross your fingers and toes and be prepared for an exciting semester. 'Cause I am.

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^I am well aware that purpled is not a word but I'm not going to change it despite the fact that the red squiggly line keeps on showing up underneath. I claim artistic license.

^^I know that a white girl from Utah shouldn't really use y'all+. But sometimes I start speaking in a really bad southern accent and so that sort of thing slips out. Plus, my blog = my diction. ha. I win.

+spelling correction to y'all

ghostly

2011-09-06T13:00:00.002-06:00

so remember this moment in "Ghost"?

When I think of taking a ceramics course the glorious imagery of a Patrick Swayze look-a-like just adds to the potential sensoual nature of pottery. The idea of being that close to an attractive male is nearly too much for this dateless female. After going to Week One of my ceramics course I have decieded that the relationship I plan on developing will be entirely and exclusively with this:

25 lbs of clay

because well the alternative is something similar to these:

creepy middle-aged convict man

yeah...guess who will not be having a Patrick Swayze moment? My little hopeful dream was burned up on first contact with the options presented in ceramics. It' is a little bit scary actually. On the bright side, it is probably better this way. Patrick dies anyway and I'm not so sure I could deal with the whole Whoopi Goldberg scene....even for Patrick.

obsessed stalker man

Now the next step in this ceramic adventure has nothing whatsoever to deal with dating potentials (or the decided lack thereof) but instead on the tricky aspects of creating on a moving object aka the potters wheel.

at least three explains me

2011-09-01T09:45:00.001-06:00

Quick! Three objects that describe me.
GO!

Oh you want more explanation than that? Well that's a little demanding but I'll comply on the assumption that you will leave a detailed comment. I'm taking an oil painting class at the college and our assignment is create a self-portrait still life. Which means I need to compose a still-life (STAT!) with objects that describe me. Last night I was up until one o'clock trying to compose a bunch of objects together in a visually interesting way that still said something about me. It didn't work so I am turning to you, my faithful interweb peeps to assist and get my creative juices flowing. As an added incentive I vow to post a picture of the finished product regardless of successful I believe it is. And if THAT doesn't encourage you to comment I don't know what will.

Ready, Set, RESPOND!

short note

2011-08-31T14:07:00.000-06:00

dear wind:

I must say that the breeze is generally delightful on these 100 degree plus August days. What is not appreciated is the gusts which seem to blow all the creepy and crawly things from the trees on to me. I am referring to the THREE spiders I brushed from my legs. I am now a nervous twitching wreck prone to sudden stifled screams with the smallest of touches. My touch of arachnophobia has been exacerbated. Next time I request a gentle cooling breeze NOT a horror strewn gust of affliction.

thanks.
me

dear carousal

riding with you was a fabulous addition to a lunch hour. In my exuberance I seem to have misplaced my earring though. Please return it as soon as possible.

missing you,
lopsided

dear air chair:

Step one: Get up on air chair COMPLETED.
Step two: Stay up on air chair for 3 minutes. PARTIALLY COMPLETED.

I'll work on step two as soon as possible.

appreciate it,
me

dear Washington county fair judges

Thank you for the ribbons! I really do appreciate the time you took to judge my work. Now could I maybe have some more clarification on your "standards"? Because saying that this "seems too busy" just doesn't really make sense to me. Further clarification is politely requested.

sincerely,
frustrated

dear Roxi*:

I have (finally) made those basic repairs/tuneups you needed. Please do not require tires for at least ten more years. If you can do that....I'll promise not to accidentally back into my father's equipment and have to replace the side view mirror assembly.

with kind regards,
the one with the aching credit card

______________________________________________________________________

*Roxi is the name of my car. cause I'm awesome like that and name my car. booyeah.

....I must go (back)

2011-08-22T17:05:00.001-06:00

Precisely twenty-nine days ago I took my yearly hiatus from all things electronic and/or work related by traveling to Lake Powell. So the only time I used my phone was to snap these pictures which now allows me to brag that was there.

the strangest part is the fact that I was awake at six-ish in the morning, rose from my blanketed comfort, took the pictures and was completely okay with having my eyes open. maybe cause it was gorgeous.

Also while I was there I saw a shirt (the design was not inspiring but the statement was). It said "Lake Powell is calling. I must go."

still there?

2011-08-15T15:21:00.000-06:00

Hey, so, ummm, are you still there? Cause I wouldn't entirely blame you if you weren't. It's been awhile. I know that because I haven't written anything here for awhile you may think that I've just fallen into a black pit of nothingness. If those were your thoughts, don't worry many things have been happening. I kind of got out of the groove. So the following is a tantlizing snippet of what I did last week.

I entered the following paintings into the Washington County Fair.

oh and I entered the following bottles

Then I went and watched the Demolition Derby. Now tell me how cars mercilessly slamming into each can be anything but fantastic? Let's just say that my voice was a little hoarse by the end of the night.

and ... more stuff has happened.
But do not fear. more fabulous-ness (and details) to come later.

knowing smiles continuation (with footnotes)

2011-07-12T16:51:00.001-06:00

Remember that one time that I talked about the uber attractive newspaper boy?* yeah it was set up like the cute meet greet from your favorite chick flick. I personally--though I hoped otherwise--thought "never going to see that guy again" and was moving on.** In this particular case fate, that fickle mistress, had another course set.

It was about a week and a half after the initial meeting. When to my shock and surprise that male specimen*** of chisel-cheeked beauty pulled open the door and strolled into the lobby. My thoughts fell into an immediate swoon worthy of a Victorian era spinster. Then he spoke,

"Hi I was here the other week. I'm not sure if you remember but I also deliever your newspapers. I have another business where I clean windows. I offer competitive rates. Can I leave a card?"

Not remember? Are you kidding me? Ha! I stumbled out a yes.+

The echos of the doorbell had not faded from echoing around the lobby before my fingers were quickly typing out the website address. The design of the page was deplorable but then who expects paragons of grecian beauty to be web designers? Then true cyber stalking came into play in the form of the dreaded, the wondeful, the hated and information rich facebook. My cyber stalking fingers adroitly found my paragon within a few keystrokes. Most of the information was locked down but the adage, "A picture is worth a thousand words" was proved true.++

He stood showing his subperb profile, his arms were outstretched showing forearm defination. He was holding a smiling baby while a beeming mother behind her hand supporting the child's head. As my mental wedding doves burst into flame and their gentle coos replaced with the crackle of disgenertating affections, further cyber stalking research was conducted. The precious tableau was confirmed as Mother, Child and Father.

"yet, a barful strife! Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife."

Twelfth Night - Act 1, Scene 5

or

Painting politely borrowed from here

"Think of me as you please. I leave my duty a little unthought of and speak out of my injury.

THE MADLY-USED MALVOLIO."

Twelfth Night - Act 5, Scene 1

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*you don't? oh come on! it was funny and only like a couple weeks ago! fine go here. (then come back)
**"moving on" (NOTE TO READER: please use air quotes) may or may not constitute reducing my longing sighs to a mere three times a day.
***speciMEN. sniggler.
+Other thoughts and remarks to this statement have been edited from this section.
++Even though I would have been content with just one word. It would have saved a lot of angst (but then you, dear reader, would not be able to enjoy this delightful and humorous description of my pain)

some glass, some paint and a lot of wonderful

2011-07-08T11:43:00.000-06:00

I've been lax about posting any of my latest and greatest painting projects here since I started my Embers of Art blog. I apologize on the behalf of anyone who hasn't immediately started blog stalking my other blog one as well. (Even though in reality it is your fault) Thus without much ado and very little introduction I am pleased to post pictures for your viewing pleasure of some of the things I've painted lately. Please enjoy (and leave effulgent comments).

'fireworks'

'phoenix flames'

'butterfly and flowers'

'cogs and bubbles'

'red grapes on green glass'

yellow hibiscus

more are posted at www.EmbersOfArt.blogspot.com for your viewing pleasure.

(yeah now this is the part where you go and leave comments and say how amazing I am. kay thanks!)

you smiled because you knew

2011-06-21T13:12:00.000-06:00

When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.

Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2.

Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?

As You Like It - Act 3, Scene 5

I've felt it before. When I walk into a room and scope it out the male possibilities. Suddenly, in a moment, I catch in my eye one who made my mind pause for just a minute and maybe my jaw drop for a millisecond into a soft, breathy "oh". First glance affection: is there anything else so unspoiled?

Yesterday, I fell in love with the newspaper boy. He'd forgotten to deliver the weekend papers in the morning so he came back. He pushed open the glass doors with papers in hand and a ready, quick smile for an introduction. His sandy hair, scruffy face, chiseled cheek bones and average height left me no other option than to stumble quickly and hopelessly into adoration.

Now the question is how early is the newspaper delivered? Is there any way for me engineer a second meeting without casting myself in the role of desperate stalker girl?

the adventure begins

2011-06-18T16:17:00.000-06:00

ahem. ahem! fine. ACHOO!!^ Do I have your attention now? excellent.
Embers of Art has now been launched at the unsuspecting art patrons visiting the St. George farmers market in St. George Utah.
*raucous audience appluase erupts*
Please, please stop your clapping. The catcalls are unnesessary but much appreciated. Oh and adoring farmer boy with the excellent musculature? I love you too and please leave your phone number in the comments.

Now I know that several persons(mostly through facebook) requested photos of me/the booth^^ at the actual market. I, foolish child that I am, neglected to procure photos last weekend. Never doubt loyal friends, family and other miscellanious readers, as of this post week two is now photographically proven.

the full set up

the prints

me sitting (yeah I know it is very exciting)

the bottle set up

bottles on the table

the bottles hanging

pictured above: one fearless helper and one semi-exhausted artist

please note: BUSINESS CARDS!+

(I just think it's cool.)

pictured: official (self) picture taker

and then I will take over the world one piece of art at a time.

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^I have noticed that a fake sneeze works better than a polite throat clearing everytime. I don't know why: I just use it. Believe me it works
^^not the dishy Special Agent Seeley Booth aka David Boreanaz.
+Business Logo designed by Stephanie Poff. She has a website here and is very talented with food as well as other things. yup, she's awesome.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

2011-06-15T13:53:00.011-06:00

Rebecca. Rebecca. the name, the title has been haunting me*. The niggling guilt that I should pick a novel up that could possibly enrich my mind or my thoughts instead of feeding into my overindulgence for fantasies.
In all honesty it has been on my to-read list for awhile. First off though I picked up the Large Print version at the Library. Since I do not wear glasses nor do I feel that my eyesight is failing entirely, I couldn't read the large print just on principle. It feels too much like some hard of hearing doddering grandmother speaking** or maybe that I AM a hard of hearing doddering spinster.+ urgh.

It's a simple premise actually. The story of the second wife.Within descriptions of the banal a creeping fear is concealed. An uncomfortable quiet permeates the novel and is echos in a the thought and utterance of Rebecca. Her presence taints every encounter. It shades the cove, the house even the sea.

Alfred Hitchcock actually based Birds off of another one of her novels. I'm pretty sure everybody acknowledges Alfred as a King of Creepy Cinema and he got his idea from Daphne du Maurier. If you looking for book to read in front of relatives unashamedly this summer then pick this one up. Be prepared to jump like someone pored ice water down your back when a spoon clatters. I did.++

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*which is particularly fitting considering the novel.
**IT'S KIND OF THE SAME FEELING AS WRITING ENTIRELY IN CAPITALS.....see? :)
+but not with cats. Unless they are tigers. Because even if I was doddering and reading large print novels I would still have some element of awesome.
++okay actually it was when my half-eaten apple fell over. But I didn't think that was a very recognizable sound so I took slight artistic license. The startled ice water down the back feeling is entirely true.

but small

2011-06-13T00:45:00.000-06:00

JULIA:

His little speaking shows his love but small.

LUCETTA:

Fire that's closest kept burns most of all.

JULIA:

They do not love that do not show their love.

LUCETTA:

O, they love least that let men know their love.

Alas, that love, so gentle in his view,

Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof

The Two Gentlemen of Verona - Act 5, Scene 2

It's for the a secret love that buckles under the harsh light of day. Now friends what are your reactions to the thought that "They do not love that do not show their love." Is a hidden or ostentatious love more genuine? A love nursed in quiet moments or a love proclaimed loudly? Do you side with Julia or Lucetta in this argument?

Thoughts?

short notes

2011-06-10T11:42:00.001-06:00

dear skin-that-seldom-sees-the-light-of-day:

I understand that I should have been wearing sunscreen even if I was only out there for a half hour. I just didn't expect the pain of the transistion from white to red to continue....a week later. I'm sorry. I will never intentionally allow my pasty whiteness to be seen without protection. EVER AGAIN.

painfully,

blistered peppermint skin

dear farmer's market patrons:

I'm nervous, kay? Be nice. buy things! Lots of things! validate me. pretty please? I can see the beginning of a beautiful relationship here. I'm begging. Don't disappoint.

seeking affirmation,

possible painter

dear new capris:

I know that my rump is all sorts of bootylicious but that really is no reason to be showing everythin' off. Or even a "plumber's" amount.

pleasantly plump,
kester

dear farmer's market patrons*:

I am amazing. Govern yourselves accordingly.

not starving,
artist
www.EmbersOfArt.blogspot.com

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*ahem. that notes was written to inspire some more self-confidence. please enjoy more whichever you find more amusing.

a knavish lad

2011-06-09T17:19:00.000-06:00

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,

And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Act 1, Scene 1

“To be wise, and love,

Exceeds man's might.”

Troilus & Cressida , Act 3 , Scene 2

Oh foolish temptations of affection! Love is not wise....and is almost always blind.

Cupid is a knavish lad, thus to make females mad

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Act 3, Scene 3

Ah, Cupid. Who's indiscriminate arrows drive us all into distraction. From now on my silly heart's desires are blamed on Cupid--the knave.

embers of art

2011-06-06T14:37:00.002-06:00

Dear Ladies and Gents:

It is time.

Time for what? well time for the awesome, amazing release of my new blog. Are you ready? You might want to sit firmly in your chair, make that browser full screen and brace yourself.

Pretty sweet, right? The plan is to begin offering for purchase prints of the paintings as well as the one of a kind painted melted glass bottles. I will be setting up a booth in the St. George Farmer's Market in Ancestor Square. Wish me luck and come visit if possible!

Oh and please give me feedback here in the comments or email me. I would really like your opinions.**

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*psst. click on the picture. if that doesn't work type in EmbersOfArt.blogspot.com
**effulgent compliments are always appreciated (and sometimes necessary to my shaky sanity)

run before the clock

2011-06-06T12:43:00.001-06:00

Come what sorrow can,

It cannot countervail the exchange of joy ,

That one short minute gives me in her sight

Romeo & Juliet - Act 2, Scene 6

Yeah ... well Romeo is a sap and mostly just afflicted with a momentary concupiscence*. But that is the line for the smile that has been treasured as armor against a dark day, the touch retained in physical memory to stave off loneliness. Perhaps the world rails and disappoints but for one moment. Make that moment worth it.

Lovers ever run before the clock

The Merchant of Venice - Act 2, Scene 6

The only constant is the inviability of time, thus must "likers"^ and lovers dash ahead to whatever end comes.

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* this word is brought to you by Wayne State University's Word Warriors.

^ for those people who grow weary of the overused and ambiguity in the word 'love'.

doubt but never doubt

2011-06-03T17:03:00.002-06:00

Doubt that the stars are fire,

Doubt that the sun doth move his aides,

Doubt truth to be a liar,

But never doubt I love

Hamlet - Act 2, Scene 2

Oh Hamlet....after words such as that, how is a woman supposed to recover? *shakes head* Alas. alas.

Excellent wretch! Perditon catch my soul,

but I do love thee, and when I love thee not,

chaos is come again

Othello - Act 3, Scene 3

Truer words were never spoken. For nearly immediately after Othello is deceived by a trusted friend, Iago and then chaos follows^. Don't you think that Othello and Hamlet get on well together? Doubt is the destruction of love. Yet in those moments--before the doubt overwhelms--those sweet words are a very powerful thing.

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^please note that I did not go off on tirade against words from fickle men. I could have. and that's all I'm typin'. :)

speak low if you speak of love

2011-06-01T16:58:00.000-06:00

"Speak low if you speak love"

Much Ado About Nothing - Act 2, Scene 1

I melt for Shakespeare. I really do. The delightful and glorious ways that his words twist around and trip along the tongue gives me shivers. It transports me. In all honesty I'd turn into a messy puddle for the man who could whisper the Bard's words to me. He just has that way with words that gets into my gut and pulls. In honor of spring flings and summer loves, I will be doing a short series of posts based off the glories of William Shakespeare quotes.

Ay me! for aught that I could ever read,

Could ever hear by tale or history,

The course of true love never did run smooth;

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Act 1, Scene 2

Would anyone even write about a love that didn't have bumps or obstacles? Humans are fickle creatures drawn towards tragedy to make ourselves feel better about our sad lots. Why else would anyone watch reality television?

deceptive sparkles

2011-05-17T11:01:00.039-06:00

sometimes...I buy cheap* jewelry. Now when I say "cheap jewelry" I'm not talking about plastic glitter may be appropriate for 6-year-olds**. No, this jewelry are the designs that whisper convincingly from their various displays "I'm inexpensive AND adorable" "I was waiting for you" "I match" "I was made for you" and other such sweet nothings that weaken my resolve and open up my wallet. Then the moment of truth comes as I delight in my newest sparkly. The moment is not the organization of my wardrobe around a new piece or generally even the lack of allure once said objects are removed from their displays. The moment of truth is the removal of the ornament. The proof of my folly is the darkened stain left around my finger or my neck. It leaves me smeared and dirty. My glorious frippery deteriorates from a glistening silver or sparkling gold to spotted brassy bronze or copper. If I am even more unlucky the metal sprouts murky shades of green. I've tried coating the rings with a layer of clear nail polish to keep it from reacting with my skin. It does work--for a little while. Then the eventual decline resumes. My mental tug-of-war between delightful regalia and unsightly skin blemishes is vicious. The battle is on-going with sporadic reinforcements enlisting on both sides.

The latest casualty is pictured below***

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* I prefer saying inexpensive.+
+at least that's what I say when I'm not bragging about some amazing sort of deal or another.

**at this current moment and to the best of my knowledge I do not have any jewelry that fits that description

***the ring not my truly amazing fingernail painting design.

the spirit and the dust

2011-05-13T12:11:00.001-06:00

Death is a Dialogue between

The Spirit and the Dust.

"Dissolve" says Death—The Spirit "Sir

I have another Trust"—

Death doubts it—Argues from the Ground—

The Spirit turns away

Just laying off for evidence

An Overcoat of Clay.

-Emily Dickinson

About a two months ago my Grandmother passed away. I haven't been around to really watch the decline of my grandmother in the past years. To me she was still that woman that I brought flowers to after walking up to her home Sunday after church. The one who I could call and she remembered. The woman who I always said if I was half as cool as that I felt like I had lived a complete life. I do not know how to encapsulate what she meant to me. I remember my childhood fear of disappointing that vivacious woman in a card game. The way her eyes sparkled from simple joy in flowers. Her endless support and love of every single one of her grandchildren. I never felt like just another grandchild to her. To her I was always Elsie. She is and was the kind of woman I always wanted to be. She listened. She cared.

I remember at a bridal shower when we were talking about kissing she said she was "friendly" and gave the impression that kissing a boy was similar to a handshake. Just a way to say hello.

She told a story about how about eating a neighbors cherry pie. When my grandmother made a cherry pie she pitted the cherries. Her neighbor had invited her over and put a slice of pie in front of her. I don't have the words to describe her face as it twinkled with remembered delight and anticipation. She then pantomimed taking that initial bite and the painful crunch of that first cherry pit. With an exaggerated grimace she swallowed the first pitted bite, then the second and third until she had eaten the entire piece. With grace and tact she complimented her friend on her pie. Her friend turned to her with surprise and wonder stated, “I’ve never seen anyone eat a whole piece without spitting out the pits.” She would laugh just as much the first time she told that story as the last.

She once stole an umbrella from Niagara Falls by stuffing it down her pant leg. In my mind I can still see her stiff legged gait and infectious grin as she limped away with the goods.

She would always wait at the windows and watch when we drove away from her house.

She lived with such incredible passion. How can I not be sad that I won’t get the opportunity to introduce her to anyone else?

Miss you Grandma.

shards of honor

2011-05-09T10:30:00.000-06:00

Read this book. Ignore the sometimes unfortunate book covers, crack open the spine and dig in. Actually I have this niggling desire almost pick it up and see if it would be just as wonderful on a second read. I believe that it might be. “Shards of Honor” is somewhat meandering science fiction story that encompasses completely human issues. It's about how two people relate to each other. It's about facing adversity.

“I've always thought tests are a gift. And great tests are a great gift. To fail the test is a misfortune. But to refuse the test is to refuse the gift, and something worse, more irrevocable, than misfortune.”

It’s about dealing with bureaucracy, with people and with the harsh yet wonderful inanities of life.

“….Concealing an espionage ring under the cover of a love affair. I might even have bought it, if the principals had been more likely.”
“Yes.” Cordelia agreed cordially, writhing within. “One doesn't expect a thirty-four-year-old to fall in love like an adolescent. Quite an unexpected—gift, at my age. Even more unexpected at forty-four, I gather.”
“Exactly ... A middle-aged career officer is hardly the stuff of romance.”

If I could draft my love life into something real…I could only hope it in some way reflected the love story in this book. Perhaps I over-emphasize the love story because I really am hopeless, pessimistic romantic. Many other things that happen in this novel. It encompasses a gauntlet of events including, but not limited to the following: exploring the flora and fauna of an alien planet, insubordination, gun battles, politics, war crimes, insane people, death, heroism, honor and more.

“...I didn't know then if I'd ever see you again. He wanted to know what I saw in you. I told him...” he paused again, and then continued almost shyly, “that you poured out honor like a fountain, all around you.”
“That's weird. I don't feel full of honor, or anything else, except maybe confusion.”
“Naturally not. Fountains keep nothing for themselves.”

Now if you can’t fall into a relationship like that or enjoy the sort of love portrayed….well you have no reason to read this review or book. I may think you’re crazy but as long as you are content I suppose it doesn’t matter (but it really does).

society of dreams

2011-05-04T14:59:00.000-06:00

Gateway by Sharon Shinn
www.sharonshin.net

I have noticed in my dreams a nebulous sense of unreality: even though within the dream and to the dreamer a dissonance does not exist between logic and reality. In “Gateway” by Sharon Shinn this phenomena is partially explained by the idea that our world is merely just one “iteration” created by contentious gods who wanted different versions of the world. Some people can travel through the different iterations—which is what happens to the heroine in the story, of course. Unfortunately, when one travels through it is difficult to remember what happened in the other iterations. Thus your past becomes shrouded in a shifting dream while you muddle through your new reality. It seems for one to disregard and misplace hopes and aspirations while bogged down in immediacy is a common occurrence. The idea of dreams echoing a separate reality is not really the prevailing theme in the book though. In the book the misplaced heroine is called to task she doesn’t understand nor entirely believe. Illogically she seems to trust just one thing absolutely—a boy. I found the novel to be interesting and fun but not my favorite Sharon Shinn to read.

I have been mulling over the concept that perhaps my dreams could be my memories resurfacing. Appling this idea to my dreams some things begin (finally!) to make sense. Flying on dragons? Well obviously in the other reality dragons are real and I am not crippled by my squeamishness around reptiles. My sweet ninja/assassin skills? I was sucked into that world and trained as an assassin to right a horrible wrong. Overwhelmingly attractive men madly in love with me? Why not?

borrowed from Sam Wells

Anyway, the next time a dream plot shatters once impacted by the hard reality of this world maybe—just maybe—the reason it doesn't make sense is because it can't make sense in here. Sometimes logic is defined by our society. The society in my dreams quite simply may not be the society of my reality.

goodreads

2011-04-29T12:16:00.000-06:00

okay peeps. It's official. I'm on Goodreads now. So I haven't finished listing books that I've read but I've started. so go find me or something (still not quite sure how it works). I think you can use my e l s b o y @ cc.usu.edu. come find me.

Flecks of Gold

2011-04-21T13:51:00.000-06:00

Nearly my entire family are avid readers. Battles have been fought in the my household regarding the reading of this novel. Never fear though....I got it. :)

This is Alicia Buck's first novel. A great YA read. I've also heard that she is local too so that's pretty cool.

Alicia Buck

Flecks of Gold

Mary Margaret has always wondered why her mother named her such a Catholic name when they are decidedly not Catholic. Although her name is not the only odd thing about her. She has odd eyes, an odd self-reliance and has always been able to glimpse out of the corner of her eye delicate gold lattice overlaying objects. Nor is she even close to the typical teenage girl that would fall easily in love. Yet, after stumbling into a new school and straight into a new guy she finds herself unnaturally attracted to Kelson, a jock at her school. In a series of escalating events Mary's world is torn upside down and she will discover what it really means to have gold flecks in her eyes.

Ill from the exposure to ... boys

2011-04-15T14:55:00.001-06:00

WARNING: What follows is rambling rant stemming from too many dateless nights and the dropped potential in conversations with the opposite gender. It is written from a point of extreme frustration. You, reader, have been warned. GOVERN YOURSELF ACCORDINGLY

I will admit in my dating life there has been one or two golden ones that just weren't right for me. Everything seemed right on paper but when it boiled down to it...I was happier without them then I was with them. Since I am a girl who stick to her guns,^ I have walked away a few+ somethings with someones that could have turned out differently. But this cleansing, clever, metaphor-filled++ spew on how I am sick of dating does not spawn from these rare occurrences. Instead it was created due to those scum#-bugs who made me feel hopeful and then cruelly dashed me against unforgiving rocks.
When will I stop being a hopeful fool? I've been reinforcing that don't-let-them-in-wall for years. What happens is I get into something begin to wonder and then with each errant wandering star-struck thought the wall crumbles just a little. Once I am getting a little bit comfortable in pulling down the bricks and chipping through the mortar it happens. I've referred to it in the past as "the switch"^^ It's when for some inexplicable reason it's different. They're distant. I'm not so "cute" anymore.* Anyway, what this comes down to is that once I start relaxing into something and think hey-maybe-this-could-work-more than what-the-crap-am-I doing it ends.

I'm done with trying to share the awesomeness of my life.##

________________________________________________________________________

^but then I am also seldom challenged. It's like an undefeated gunslinger who's won through lack of opposition.

+ I continue to maintain that they are few. The problem isn't me....it's everybody else.
++I know. I flatter myself. (Somebody has to do it! [snicker])

# insert any other applicable profanity or cursing at this footnote.

^^I discussed "the switch" in this post. yeah...not much has changed. lame.

*Even though I really do feel like a puppy or a small child when I'm told I'm cute. I'm short, kay? Being of short stature does not automatically make my foibles miniature.+ Come up with a new flippin' description!
+that's almost a double rant which makes this a ++two for one special.
++actually, a one and half for one special. Which doesn't have nearly the same ring to it although it is more accurate. 'Cause I could say a lot more on THAT subject too.

##So Prince Charming or Mr. Right (or whatever name you are going by these days) you are TOTALLY missing out.

haaaappy....haaaapy....

2011-04-09T00:58:00.000-06:00

A little bit cheesy....but the pictures should make you smile.

beligio

2011-04-06T20:52:00.000-06:00

Last year, around this same time, I was watching the following:

I know this because I was trying to clean out my blog drafts.

maybe I'll go watch the Ocean's 11 tonight
(mostly so I can view the following bites of deliciousness)

image borrowed from here

Now I pose a question. How is possible to look at those men and not drool a little? sigh.

contradictory validation

2011-04-05T13:13:00.000-06:00

seeking the words that affirm your attention

looking for the phrases that confirm heartsick aspirations

fearing actual affection

slyly begging for amounts of validation

just a book list

2011-03-23T02:52:00.002-06:00

so remember those times when I wrote out all the books that I liked, gave a short summary of each, etc, etc? Well I haven't done that for awhile. Why? Because I've stopped reading novels? Not likely. They are my tried and true escape from mundaneity* aka my life. No, I still read a ridiculous number of novels. I've just gotten lazy**. Wipe those pretend shocked faces off. It's not a surprising fact to any of you. But since I know that some of you depend on me^ recommend new novels to read here is a short list of books that I've enjoyed over the past couple of months.^^

Posse of Princesses by Sherwood Smith
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Ice by Sarah Beth Durst
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Restoring Harmony by Joëlle Anthony
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Sorcery and Cecelia, or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: being the correspondence of two young ladies of quality regarding various magical scandals in London and the country by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer.
Zombies vs. Unicorns compiled by Justine Larbalestier, Holly Black.
Tir Alainn series by Anne Bishop
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Wow++. I read too much. And I've had to resist writing little blurbs about each because they were each awesome in different ways but then if I write the blurbs I will not finish this post for at least another three months which in turn would leave people without books to read for three more months! Unacceptable. Someday when I locate my misplaced time and dedication I'll type about several of these novels.

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*of course I made that word up. silly people. I thought you knew me.

**not JUST lazy though. life exploded like a punch to my face+.
+and a roundhouse to the chest. and other violent movements that are applicable.

^and if you don't, please do not inform me. I have some illusions of grandeur still.

^^and if you want more details...call me, text me, email me or even leave a comment! There are endless forms of communication by which I can be reached.

++because that is not even HALF# of the books I've read in the past couple of months. I'm ridiculous.
#correction. after a more in depth review that piddling list is only a third or possibly a sixth of the books I've read since my last book post on here.

silence kills

2011-03-17T10:50:00.000-06:00

living makes sound

clattering life

cacaphony of noise

heartbeats thump

lips suck

bodies grunt

sounds of two

creates an ecosystem

of resonance

death lies

in quiet moments

unpunctuated by breathing

careless pitches

are muzzles that

wound the soul

silence kills

crushes with

the heavy weight of nothing

feelin' the Vibe

2011-03-13T03:20:00.000-06:00

The day did not dawn. Dawning implies sun rays creeping over mountains and gently highlighting grass, trees and rocks. Instead it started with the insistent beep of a self-set early morning reminder of spoken obligations. Tash would run the race. I would paint the early morning glories that she would dash through. It was a brilliant and only slightly insane plan. She hadn't been training. I do not generally get up early if it is at all avoidable. But then the day did not dawn, it drizzled. It dripped. It dropped. It plopped. It poured. The sky sweated like a crazed marathon runner.

Here is an unfortunate truth: It is difficult to paint in the rain. The problem with rain is just that it is so ... wet. When painting one must maintain a fine balance between wet and dry. Soaking and sopping canvases with colors bleeding indistinguishably may work if you are making an artistic statement about the sogginess of life. I was not.

I was surrounded by southern Utah rain slicked beauty. Brushes, easel, paints and canvas had all been carefully packed in. I sat in the car and stared out of dappled windows. Not a single protected covering, a sheltering overhang or dry cave presented itself to my view. I sat. I stared. I sat inside my vehicle. A machine that kept me moisture-less. An automobile that completely shielded me from the watery torrent.

In the picture below please note the steering wheel on the left, the seatbeat on the right and the rain splattered windshield.

yup. I crawled into the backseat of my Vibe and painted. carefully. It wouldn't really be the thing to splatter paint over the seats.

Now how's that for innovation?

a great Hope fell

2011-03-06T17:07:00.001-07:00

A great Hope fell

You heard no noise

The Ruin was within

Oh cunning wreck that told no tale

And let no Witness in

The mind was built for mighty Freight

For dread occasion planned

How often foundering at Sea

Ostensibly, on Land

A not admitting of the wound

Until it grew so wide

That all my Life had entered it

And there were troughs beside

A closing of the simple lid

That opened to the sun

Until the tender Carpenter

Perpetual nail it down --

-Emily Dickinson

Sometimes Emily just nails it, ya know? (and I wasn't trying to be punny there...it just happens naturally). Anyway I was going to try to embellish and expound on my thoughts and how I feel it fits so concisely with my life. But I'm not. Instead just read what she wrote. think about it. read it again. get back to me.

on glass

2011-03-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

more painted glass! crazy, right? well crazy AWESOME at least.

notice the initials in the tree? I thought that was a clever cute detail to add in. Yes I am congratulating myself on my own blog.

'Autumn Lover's Tree'
Acrylic with fixative on melted glass bottle

This one I did per request for my older sister. I believe it's even hanging in her house. She wanted butterflies and flowers. Surprisingly I was able to manage both...per request.

'Butterflies and Flowers'
Acrylic with fixative on melted glass bottle

and this one happened after I was frustrated with another one (that currently will not be shown here...maybe ever. it was being lame) It was given to our "driver" (my cousin) in San Fransisco for his services.

'Ocean-ish'
Acrylic with fixative on melted glass bottle

Anyway, I'm going to be working on like a GAZILLION (I believe that is the official number) more. So folks any ideas of things you would like to see painted on melted glass bottles?

Full Moon Evening

2011-03-01T12:41:00.002-07:00

So last month I was driving home and I saw the following:

'Full Moon Evening'
9x12 acrylic on canvas

Well perhaps it wasn't that exactly...
(cause let's be honest my art is seldom to err...never exact. But know what I say? If you want EXACT take a picture. Otherwise, I'm painting)
but you get the general idea.

Sunset colored clouds.

Full moon.

Bright blue sky.

Mountain-ish.

and done.

office poetry

2011-02-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

three o'clock on a day rushing to five

my ankles hurt from sitting in this dive

cross-legged in an office chair

I stare.

the time plods and dreams of beating

my fingers cramp from typing about a meeting

writing the poetry of the criminally bored

I snored.

four o'clock on a day limping to five

blood travels as my legs achingly revive

the phone nestles between shoulder and ear

I adhere.

five o'clock rolls around
I no longer can be found
in that place where I am expected to achieve
I leave.

short notes

2011-02-15T15:20:00.003-07:00

dear nose:

I regret to inform you that you did not conform to the department of better body management codes when you signed your contract with Mucus, Incorporated. Please immediately desist in the production of all mucus.

sincerely,
better body management

dear throat:

I understand that your airways have been overly clogged due to the contract with Mucus, Incorporated. We are hoping that the production of the mucus will desist soon. Please continue your best efforts to keep the airways open.

thank you,
better body management

sometimes....

2011-02-08T17:13:00.001-07:00

sometimes....I wish that I could do an 18th Century-esqe swoon into a dashingly attractive man's arms.

sometimes....I plan my clothing so I can match my socks.

sometimes....I wish I could relive moments in my past knowing what I know now.

sometimes....I like fictional characters much, much more than I like actual people

short notes

2011-02-03T16:57:00.001-07:00

dear electrical conductors:

I have been shocked fifteen times. FIFTEEN. Go ahead and get out the electric personality and static jokes now. I'm walking around and light switches crackle, doorknobs snap all because I'm moving sphere of static energy. This has got to stop.

shocked,
frazzled

dear timing deities:

things have been ... off lately. Double-booking friend time juxtaposed with overwhelming boredrum. If I wear a watch at least once a week would you please consider some adjustments?

scheduling,
tick-tock

dear ex-BFs or past wanna-be BFs:

Just because it's January does not make it the "remember her" month (her is me in that sentence if you didn't know). Promise. I don't know what has been been pumped into the atmosphere when that ball drops but the trend is starting to freak me out a little. Next year consider another month or at least spread it out a bit more, kay?

looking forward,
past-blasted

borrowed from here

dear wind:

The Marilyn moment, as I call it, (when Marilyn Monroe is wearing the white dress and the vents flair her dress up? Yes? No? please reference the inserted photo) while it is great if you are a classic beauty icon isn't really working for me. My hair isn't gently wind tossed: it's a flaying projectile of knots. And please stop trying for a Marilyn moment when I'm wearing slacks. please.

from a windy city,
wishing for just a breeze

New Year's Res- What?

2011-01-12T23:46:00.004-07:00

okay folks. the obligatory *"new year's post"

Mormon Messages**

"you can’t go back…so you might as well live forward"

Change is possible and arguably necessary for life. Which means I need to live forward changing continually into someone better. I've been promised that it is worth it. I just need to remember that fact. Additionally, as a key to living forward you can follow the advise from this CES Fireside in which Elder Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the 12 talks about living well daily.

It is asking yourself, can I do this today? Still set goals, still plan for the future but to only worry about today. Once plans are limited to a single day or an single hour something horribly complicated becomes simple. Can you do it today? Can I exercise today? Can I be just a little bit nicer for the next hour?
He said “as you ask in prayer for your daily bread, consider thoughtfully your needs, both what you may lack and what you must protect against. As you retire to bed, think about the successes and failures of the day and what will make the next day a little better.” After that he then promised daily reflections “will increase your faith in Him as you see His hand helping you to endure some things and to change others. You will be able to rejoice in one more day, one more step toward eternal life.”

Do not focus or be discouraged by tomorrow; but look forward and face today.++

It's a heady thought...but a little bit great, right?

___________________________________________________________________

*only two weeks late. If you think that is bad well have you noticed that I haven't put anything up from Christmas? Thanksgiving? Halloween?^

** I was blog stalking her, kay? It all started off with me reading her adorable post about her new boy....^^

^or perhaps the long awaited extended post about Hawaii? HA!

^^does anyone else struggle with jealousy when they encounter cute boy stories? It's a problem for me sometimes.+

+who am I kidding? I'm a selfish, self-centered creature. It bothers me most of the time unless I can combat it with some sort of "my life is great too" statement. I am that horrible person Brain Regan talks about.

++and that's usually more than enough!

going to prison

2011-01-11T12:08:00.001-07:00

BREAKING NEWS

In three days I am going to prison.

specifically this one

borrowed from here

maybe that wasn't breaking news....

Anyway, I like the black and white grained look to the photo of *The Rock. We bought our tickets last night though and I must say I never thought I would be this excited to go to prison. I did just look at the **weather report and even though it is not proclaiming the clear sunny skies I had hoped for....this is going to be a fantastic trip. Because I have decided that it will be so.

_________________________________________________________________

*Sadly I am not referring to the devilishly handsome Dwayne Johnson. I admit that outrageously attractive Samoan mix of man has a smile that makes me go slightly weak in the knees every time. I know his smile is cheesy; it is still effective.

**more like some rain, some rain and super rain^

^should I buy rain boots before I go? It's a tempting thought if I could find something bright maybe with polka dots.

almost hearts

2011-01-07T11:11:00.001-07:00

so I have this song humming through my thoughts

I need to memorize this song

because I am going be to be at this place

picture borrowed from here

in 7 days

wanted - just one

2010-12-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

As of today I have decided.

I need a hero.

and I would gladly take this one.

(please excuse the poor music quality and general lack of clarity in the photos. You can't really expect too much of youtube after all)

all I ask for is something similar in my real life. that's not too much is it?

painted glass

2010-12-27T16:59:00.001-07:00

It isn't Christmas unless I have a project. Last year I painted boxes for my neices. I'm still waiting for my sister to send me the pictures so I can blog about it. At this point she claims that she has actually taken the pictures but didn't like how they turned out. Maybe someday you the interested blogging world will be able see them. I'm doubting it but haven't given up hope completely yet.

My project for this year has been painting melted glass bottles. My mother's co-worker is an artist and he works with glass. We bring him bottles and then he melts them in his giant kiln. I (foolish child that I am) noted to my mother "oh those might be pretty cool if you painted them". The "you" in that statement quickly became "I". Thus was my newest Christmas project born.

These pictures are the snapshots taken with my phone because I have yet to go invest in a new camera. If the glass doesn't look amazing then it is only because of the camera. Not my lack of skill. And I will maintain that stance until I am forced to do otherwise.

This set was given to my Aunt

reactions peeps? should I continue this odd sideline of painting melted glass?

visionary

2010-12-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

So I was just browsing through another amazing talented author's website (Kristin Cashore who's books I read last year and loved) when I found her post about being in a trapeze class and how that relates to writing. Let me repeat that part because I was austounded by it as well. A trapeze class. I had no idea that it was possible to take a trapeze class. I need to move to a bigger city. Anyone have a job they want to offer me? Anyway she was describing a specific trick she was learning and the just of it was that until you just do it, you aren't going to know what you are doing. So I personally have started stressing about some painting projects I'm working on for Christmas (only one of which I've actually started) I've been waiting around to completely and absolutely invision them in the my head. The point where in my brain I realize, yes that is what I want. You would think at this point that I would realize that the vision in my head seldom to never translates exactly onto the canvas and so it is senseless to attempt to force it to do so but still, I'm waiting for the vision.

old man snoring

2010-12-21T15:01:00.002-07:00

In honor of all the snow that everybody else across Utah seems to be receiving, I adapted this common rhyme to reflect my feelings. Please enjoy.

it's raining

it's pouring

the old man in snoring

he bonked his head

went to bed

and couldn't get up in the morning

it's raining

it's pouring

the old man is snoring

I wish instead

he'd dreamt in bed

of it snowing through the morning

it's raining

it's pouring

the old man is snoring

I slipped on road

and hydroplaned home

then did it again in the morning

borrowed from here

post a snowflake

2010-12-10T11:02:00.002-07:00

the genius woman at this blog came up with this brilliant template to fold your square bits of paper to make snowflakes. Five-pointed snowflakes not the four or eight pointed ones that every other poor third grader is forced to snip out. Snowflake making...it's not just for kids anymore.

My clever and crafty friend, Amelia, is the actual finder of the previously mentioned website. Anyway, once I was given the lovely folding pattern I quickly bent and creased a *post-it note or **two. It has been a minor challenge of pleating the small squares and sneakily trim away bits and pieces of paper all while working in a office that does not ^encourage "holiday spirit"

Please enjoy the fruits of my labors. Oh and if you had to choose one to like above and beyond the rest, which one would it be?

No. 1

No 2

No. 3

No. 4

No. 5 &, 5.5

No. 6

Now interweb peeps go forth and create your very ^^own post-it snowflake and then....well +post it.

________________________________________________________________________

*again at the suggestion of Amelia.
**they are just so wonderfully square! and conveniently located on my desk
^ sometimes I feel like I am working with Scrooge. You know that part in the Muppet's Christmas Carol where the rats are shivering and he won't let them have another piece of coal? It is more true than I ever thought possible.
^^or six because who can honestly stop at just one?
+snicker

six or more

2010-12-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

I have seen this post floating around various facebook pages for at least the past month. I've browsed and skipped over it until at last I have decided to go ahead and add it to here. Enjoy

Have you read more than 6 of these books? The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here.

I have bolded the books I've read in their entirety and italicized the ones I started but didn't finish. Leave me a comment if you decide to do this on your blog and we can compare!

I've read 39 of these in their entirety (Take that BBC!) and I haven't finished approximately ten. woah. That's a little bit crazy, isn't it?

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Bible (Old Testament, New Testament)
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
Complete Works of Shakespeare
Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Middlemarch - George Eliot
Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
Bleak House - Charles Dickens
War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
Emma -Jane Austen
Persuasion - Jane Austen
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis (isn't this the same as 33?)
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
One Hundred Years of Solitude- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Atonement - Ian McEwan
Life of Pi - Yann Martel
Dune - Frank Herbert
Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
On The Road - Jack Kerouac
Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
Moby Dick - Herman Melville
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
Dracula - Bram Stoker
The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
Ulysses - James Joyce
The Inferno - Dante
Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
Germinal - Emile Zola
Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
Possession - AS Byatt
A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
The Color Purple - Alice Walker
The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White
The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
Watership Down - Richard Adams
A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
Hamlet - William Shakespeare
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

short notes

2010-12-02T11:30:00.001-07:00

dear sinuses,
not cool. seriously. just because of the weather you think you can make me all stuffy headachey? really? why would you think that was okay? not cool.
aching,
noggin

dear fuzzy winter boots,
we've been together for about a year now and I still adore you. the only real problem is that .... you don't really look fantastic with slacks. Skirts, yes (but then my knees get cold). could you please help me find a solution here?
seeking fashionable warmth,
freezing legs

dear halls breezers,
you = awesome.
thank you!
my throat

Dear Carol of the Bells,
You are my favorite. Don't tell the other songs because I don't want them to get jealous but it's true. You know the part in a mixed chorus where the bass's go "bom"? I love it. for real.
holiday listening,
elf ears

holiday sketch

2010-12-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

Guess what days I am most excited for?

the ones where I'm not working.

interview with an aussie

2010-11-30T17:42:00.001-07:00

have you ever wondered what it would be like to interview a mormon music producer in Australia?
I hadn't. (but since when has a little thing like that stopped me from doing an interview?)

alex o'loughlin photo borrowed from this fan site

Before anyone gets too excited, I didn't actually fly to Australia. It was a email interview (no one is more disappointed than me. promise). Even though I wasn't able to bask in the lyrical accent of an aussie and maybe the picture I had in mind of a Australian music producer was something similar to Alex O'Loughlin in a sound booth with monster headphones, it was fun. My research consisted of uselessly browsing the web for anything associated with his name, asking my musician friend what a music producer was and then typing in "music producer" into wikapedia.

Anyway, the proof is in the pudding. Go read the interview here.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation

2010-11-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

Since its inception in a printed novelization the Scarlet Pimpernel has been splashed across the silver screen as well as the stage. Lauren Willig adds to the mystery and joy of that classic novel by adroitly weaving together a novel that follows the dramatic unmasking of the Scarlet Pimpernel.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
(photo borrowed from author's website)

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
by Lauren Willig

Eloise Kelly is a desperate graduate student. She is seeking the holy grail of dissertations....the footnote. In a last ditch attempt to finish her dissertation--the elusive history of the Scarlet Pimpernel, the Purple Gentian and perhaps even the Pink Carnation, she travels to England. Once there she stumbles into a struggling student's treasure trove--the descendants of the Purple Gentian's letters. Unfortunately this trove is guarded by its very own dragon in the form of Colin--the handsome, dashing descendant of the Purple Gentian.

I was going to just put the first line....but decided it wasn't quite enough and have instead included the first paragraph.

"The Tube had broken down. Again.
I clutched the overhead rail by dint of standing on the tippiest bit of my tippy toes. My nose banged into the arm of the man next to me. A Frenchman, judging from the black turtleneck and the fact that his armpit was a deodorant-free zone. Murmuring apologies in my best faux English accent, I tried to squirm out from under his arm, tripped over a protruding umbrella, and stumbled into the denim-covered lap of the man sitting in front of me."

p.s. a purple gentian [jen-shuhn] would be something similar to the photo below. I promise after reading this novel you will greatly appreciate this particular piece of information.

purple gentian

peaches

2010-11-14T17:05:00.001-07:00

timing is ... everything

borrowed from this talented person on flickr

When picking fruit there is always a right time and wrong time to do things. For example if you take a peach from a tree before it is ripe and ready to come off your peach will be hard and tough. If you actually manage to swallow the thing down it possibly just give you the 'runs' (which also works in this analogy). Consuming a peach that was picked early can give you horrible digestal diffuculties and cause you to run from peaches there after. If you wait too long to pick the peach then it becomes a rotting mess on the ground filled with worms and bugs. If on the off chance that it is not filled with creepy little issues then it is at least bruised and slightly broken and really only good for jam. Which I'm a girl who loves my jam, making that not an entirely bad thing. But the point is you didn't get to partake in the particular delishousness that was the peach. Now the ideal situation for peach eating is picking a fully ripened globe from the tree. When it has taken its time to grow and develop and, pretty much, be the best peach it could possibly be. It wasn't too early when the peach was unable to spend enough time the tree feed by the sitation it was in and basking in the sun. It hasn't sat around so long that it leapt from the tree in a desperate attempt to be eaten but instead was plucked at just the right time making the whole experience ideal.

I think that relationships and dating can be like picking and eating peaches. The timing is everything.

not the sugar mama kind

2010-11-13T11:51:00.004-07:00

I absolutely and totally heart this band. for realz yo.

not the sugar mama kind
by bitter:sweet

Could you open up your wallet
So I can peek inside?
Do you have a car to drive and a job that pays you right?

Cuz baby, I'm not the sugar mama kind.

Now I've had my share of actors

an example of a classic film's "Sugar Mama"
borrowed from here

And writers are a chore.
Musicians never pay the rent, I've seen it all before

So baby, I'm not the sugar mama kind

Now shower me with flowers
And buy me naughty things
The amazon could be so so hot or Paris in the spring...

It's on you babe, I'm not the sugar mama kind

Now the moral to the story is
Play your cards just right
And you won't be fooled by the playboy who'll just take you on a ride

Oh baby, I'm not the sugar mama kind

not my favorite color

2010-11-11T17:09:00.004-07:00

Grown Men do not need to ask your age.

What? but I need to know if this fresh little gum popping catholic school girl is jail bait or not.

First, if you have a thing for catholic school girls that's your personal secret and good luck at Halloween.

To take the random color quiz from which I respectfully
borrowed this picture from go here

Second, if a woman is obviously above the legal drinking age there is no reason for you need to ask her age. Why? Because if she is legal then she is legal. period. The words that should never pass through your mouth are "How old are you?". It's blunt. It's abrasive. It's ageist. It's rude. it is completely okay for you to ask someone out and engage in fun social activities without knowing how many years they have walked the earth. Now if you are in an actual relationship then you should have reached a point where age has slipped into the conversation naturally. The key word being naturally. "How old are you?" is not a filler question. Plus if we are talking being PC here it is legally unacceptable! the age question is not, I REPEAT NOT, the same as a favorite color question. It is more along the lines of asking a woman her weight. And boys, you shouldn't be asking that either! It's like pointing out zits on strangers. They can't do anything about their acne (obviously or they wouldn't be red oozing sores) and it's rude.

Now I will admit that I can get creepy spiders-crawling-down-your-back feeling when there are dramatic age differences between couples. I, personally, have a hard time dating outside of the five year age range circling around my own. Regardless though....I don't cross them off until AFTER I find something else that bothers me besides a count-down till expiration date.

So the moral of my soap box rant? Please just don't ask.

this particular post's style is in imitation of the following Grown Man blog

life exchange

2010-11-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

"The true cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run."

-Henry Thoreau

I wonder, what I am I exchanging my life for? Is it worth it?

in 1492....

2010-11-02T13:11:00.000-06:00

A bonus to working in a law office? Random national holiday's that nobody else celebrates (or more importantly gets off) but you.

Columbus Day

October 11, 2010

I climbed this:

crouched by these:

splashed through this:

looked something like this:

started painting this:

sat by this:

and finished painting this:

what did you do?

short notes

2010-10-22T09:31:00.002-06:00

dear life,

Remember how I was a little bit excited? Just for the tiniest amount of time? Thanks for the punch in the face.

properly chastised,

:,(

dear canyon,

I cannot express how much I enjoy the clouds that have been creeping through your ravines in the morning. Could you possibly try to be picturesque sometime when I'm not driving to work and could possibly stop and paint?

Aspiring,

country commuter

dear conversational skills,

I apologize for neglecting you for so long. really. I took you for granted. I assumed you would stick around. I thought you, once learned, would never leave. I'm sorry. Please come back. I miss you.

laconically yours,

tongue-tied

dear Bath and Body,

the gold shimmer lip gloss? fantastic. I am expecting great things.

lubriciously,

luscious lips

Faerie Wars

2010-10-13T16:31:00.001-06:00

The Faerie Wars Chronicles by Herbie Brennan

This book took me forever to get through. I'm not sure why either. It adroitly weaves together a story with magic, demons, fairies, science and realism. I think that the author very cleverly set a fairy world firmly within the real world. A great "coming of age" novel for teens.

Faerie Wars. bk. 1 :

A boy's world is rocked to his core when he finds that his parents are experience marital difficulties. The only assures he has is doing odd jobs for the old crazy man who lives down the street. Yet, the fallacy of parents and the inherent despair in teenage life are problems that pale when a cat catches something beyond comprehension. A fairy.

Need Pixies

2010-10-03T16:30:00.002-06:00

Need Pixies series by Carrie Jones

Okay so with this particular novel I will admit that I totally judged the book by the cover. The startling juxtaposition of the bright shimmery gold lips on a black and white cover was eye-catching and note worthy. Then I saw....another pixie/fairy story? Really? Is that all that teenagers read anymore? Not that I haven't been consuming the genre myself but still....

A stylistic point I enjoyed in these books are the unique chapter headings. In the first novel she lists crazy phobias that few people actually know (unless maybe they have them...). In the second novel she lists tips for dealing with pixies. Basically short chapters or notes on how to save yourself from pixies.

Need. bk. 1

Zara is traumatized. The self-sacrificing non-violent letter writing activist has not been able to recover from her father's sudden and unexpected death from a heart attack. Also as a calming technique, she chants phobias. Her mother in desperation decides to send her to live with her grandmother in Maine. When Zara arrives the ice cold weather, her EMT grandmother, new friends and a hot new boy may finally be enough to set her on the path to recovery from her grief. But in case that isn't enough maybe the pixies hunting her will be.

Captivate bk. 2

Just so I don't spoil the novel, I am merely going to just put here the following list from the book. (I'm pretty sure they put on the back of the books too.)

Top Ten Things To Remember When Dealing With Pixies

Pixies do not hang out with Peter Pan.
Pixies do not sleep in glass jars.
Similarly, they do not carry magic wands.
They hate iron and steel.
They will call your name and try to get you lost in the woods.
They are great fighters, using claws and teeth.
They can look like humans. They are not human.
Some may go to your school or work with you. We have no idea.
They have needs.
Never let one kiss you. Ever.

Want a hint about what happens? I'll just say...some rules are created to be broken.

The Darkest Powers by Kelly Armstrong

2010-09-28T09:30:00.003-06:00

The Darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong

Okay so I really, really do like Kelley Armstrong. This is her teen series. It has the same general settings as the her adult series, the Otherworld (which I will be reviewing as well) but the main protagonists are, of course, teens. The two storylines do not cross but they do relate. For example they talk about the Pack and mention the counsel, etc (things that happen in the Otherworld novels).

The Summoning. bk. 1

Chloe is not normal. She used to think she was normal or at least close enough to it that most people can't tell the difference. She was a film student at an art school. She had a caring but absentee father and an aunt who tried to make up for it.

Then she saw her first ghost.

The Awakening bk. 2

*SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER* (do not read beyond this point if you haven't already read the first book)

After escaping the Lyle House (and finding out she is NOT schizophrenic) and then being caught by the Edison Group, Chloe feels like she is running out of options. If she doesn't get away soon then she will be "transferred" or as listed on the Edison Group lists, terminated permanently.

When those she trusted betray her, Chloe has to turn to those who will help. The kind of help they have to give whether they want to or not. Help from the dead.

But will it be enough?

The Reckoning bk. 3

*SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER* (do not read beyond this point if you haven't already read the first and second book in this series)

You know what the problem is when you can see and raise the dead? It's not just that it is very difficult to tell the difference between a ghost and living person and can so you look like a schizophrenic. Or that you might accidentally force a soul back into its rotting body while your sleeping. It is that the dead seem to pile around you...whether you want them to or not.

Chloe, Derek, Simon and Tori are on the run again. But this time they have a little bit of help from Andrew. Unfortunately when you are dealing with genetically enhanced supernaturals nothing goes smoothly and you can't even trust your friends.

Bitten

2010-09-27T10:38:00.002-06:00

The Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong

This author is another fine addition to the Paranormal/urban fantasy genre.

Since I know that some of you actually using this as a basis to for books you want to read I will warn you. This novel is violent, has S.E.X. and even nudity. Although since it is a novel I'm not to blame for the images in your head. You can imagine whatever you want. As far as my personal opinion goes I greatly enjoy this author. She offers some fantastical excapist novels that, basically, I cannot resist.

This particular novel is told from the view point of Elena Michaels, the only female werewolf. When events (please see short story, Truth and Consequences recounted at Kelley Armstrong's collection of free online fiction) force her to face who she is and what she has become, she runs from the Pack.

Bitten. bk. 1

She is living in Toronto where she’s trying to pass as a merely human. She changes late at night in alleyways always hiding her nature from neighbors, friends and even her boyfriend. When urgent calls from the Pack leader shakes the house of cards balance of her life, she returns. But she's not staying. really....

Mockingjay

2010-09-24T14:21:00.005-06:00

the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

Okay so I already reviewed the first two books in this series (Hunger Games and Catching Fire). They are fantastic addicting books that entraps a reader into a fast paced plot that will mostly likely keep you up past your bedtime.

Mockingjay bk 3

At the end of Catching Fire, Katniss Everdeen discovered that the revolt against the Capitol was real and she's become the figurehead for it. District 12 was destroyed in retaliation of Katniss taking down the barrier while in the Hunger Games arena. Devastated by leaving Petr behind with the Capitol, Katniss tries to survive the politics of a civil war. But, the Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. The Mockingjay will pay. Her family, friends, her whole district is held responsible for events beyond their keen. In war, human cruelty is not limited to an arena and a world will catch fire listening to the Mockingjay sing.

Book Review-Poll

2010-09-21T09:50:00.000-06:00

Okay for those of you who use my posts about the books I've read I have a poll/questions for you. I'm trying to decide on the format I have for reviewing these books. Do you like the huge monthly conglomerate list? Would you prefer I do it more on a book by book basis? Only list the books that I greatly enjoyed? Have some sort of rating system? I'm looking for some feed back here. Please let me know!
(Yes that implies that you need to put something in the comments)

Chalice

2010-09-15T10:59:00.003-06:00

Robin McKinley

Chalice

So I was rhapsodizing about this book to my father and I had him terribly confused. I started talking about the social structure set up in the novel. You have the Chalice and Master and all sorts of other things that, quite frankly, are just not going to be understood unless you read the book. If you haven't realized it, Robin McKinley makes me gush. My sad attempt at a summary for this book is as follows:

A beekeeper is Chalice and a third level priest is made Master. As the earth trembles and the domain hovers on the brink of disaster, the Chalice is called to seal everything together. An unprepared Mirasol as Chalice hopes to hold a fragile world together but doesn't know if she can.

(okay don't let my pitiful description stop you from reading this novel. it's fantastic.)

electronic age is making us miserable.

2010-09-14T11:14:00.000-06:00

http://www.cracked.com/article_15231_7-reasons-21st-century-making-you-miserable.html

we have lost the ability to cherish those around us. I have some great friends who don't and haven't dated. these girls are awesome. seriously. funny. smart. talented. clever. but their beauty isn't the "norm" they don't fit the classic look and so they have been overlooked. perhaps I have been guilty of the same thing in reverse but for part of that I blame the media. Why should we seek qualities that are under the surface when we are assaulted constantly by shallow eye candy? When in a vain world beauty equals worth? Beauty is and always has been in the eye of the beholder so when did it become so streamlined?

short notes

2010-09-08T11:48:00.003-06:00

Dear Washington County Fair Judges,

I appreciate the blue ribbon. The free left over shirts when I picked up my paintings was an impressive touch as well! I have been sleeping very well in them thank you.

gratuitously,
validated amateur artist

Dear Washington County Fair Judges,

I realize that I already wrote you one note....yet, I wonder about experience or even perhaps the validation of your judges when they tell me in a drawing that is clearly a study in lines and using of pen and ink to create to "use more shading"? really? .... really? wow. I find that to be a less then impressive feedback.

grudgingly,
not-as-validated amateur artist

Dear Disney,

Why do you perpetuate the idea of instant love and marriage? You are not doing the innocent little children watching those shows any sort of favor. Princes do not come charging in on valiant steeds to rescue damsels after they have only spoken once. Yet, because of my childhood Disney infatuation I am disappointed by the lack of the dramatic Prince Charming in my life.

Disillusioned,
pauper

Dear Park,

Thank you for being across the street and a perfect escape from the monotony of the office. Except when you are full of screaming children. Then it is less enjoyable.

seeking some peaceful green,
one-hour for peace

censored drafts

2010-09-05T21:02:00.001-06:00

so I started looking over drafts I have of posts....and within the last couple of months I have had more drafts than I have had posts. I'm not going to recount exact numbers because then it becomes a little pitiful to list my half formed thoughts that have failed on coming to fruition. The truth that I am attempting to reveal here is that quite simply I've been censoring myself. Holding back what I didn't want people to see. Words that wanted to spill out of me have been trapped into a simple stage marked in orange and italicized draft. I have stitched my fingers together to stop my words from spilling through them.

Anyway, you should look forward to a new list of the books I've read (several months ago) and perhaps a collection random words strung together in such as manner as I find poignant or even possibly poetic. And some past words of mine that have been uncensored and now retroactively released.

learning experience

2010-09-01T14:14:00.002-06:00

Have you noticed that whenever you refer to a "learning experience" it is usually something that caused pain on emotional, physical, mental or spiritual matters? Usually it is the polite euphemism employed to say (and here I will quote a friend whom I discussed this subject with) "It was hell." And it usually is. An event that takes the soaked shirt of your life and twists, wrings and heats it into dry submission. The point here is that learning experiences are miserable and commonly painful. So the next time that someone tells me that something will be a learning experience I may punch them in the face. Should they then ask, "why would you do that?" as blood streams from their nose I shall simply reply, "well that was your learning experience."

short graph

2010-08-06T21:23:00.000-06:00

a graph of love in black and white is mostly gray
the hint at red
leaves me with nothing to say

some words are not meant to be read

2010-08-03T17:39:00.003-06:00

I'm going back over old pictures
visiting old pages
wondering were I made the mistakes
trying to find the moment
that made it so I don't love you

it's nothing definitive
there's nothing wrong
but my heart's empty corner
isn't filled by you

I see where the pieces should fit together
where you bump up next to me
a visual fit
doesn't cut it

so as I rip out another heart
does this crumpled paper trail
lead to anything but my own self-created despair?

lock up the words.
pretend it hasn't happening.

some words are not meant to be read

honesty

2010-07-29T17:20:00.003-06:00

I will look you in the eye

as I choose not lie

I'm not going to hide behind

simple untruths that my mind can bend

to my avoiding whim

Short notes

2010-07-26T18:14:00.001-06:00

dear world
stop swaying.
sincerely,
working land lubber

dear stars,
it's been cloudy recently. I've missed you. Please keep shining.
later,
midnight gazer

dear skin,
Please tan...not peel. Stay brownish. I'd really like it.
seeking sunshine,
a white girl

dear hair,
I appreciate the attempt to cover my legs with a forest of warming hair in the Antarctica that I work in but could you please stay a nice smooth shave for longer than 20 minutes when I walk into the building? Just maybe? Think about it. Get back to me.
freezing in 100 degree weather,
legs

dear Lake Powell,
It was a week of freedom and joy. It doesn't happen nearly enough. I miss you already and do not like the return to real world responsibility.
Hope I'll see you soon,
the now swimsuit-less

face of truth

2010-07-13T17:54:00.000-06:00

a mirror does not lie

although it tells the truth from only one side

its only decepition is in lack of dimensionality

as it reflects me to me

reminder

2010-07-11T00:13:00.001-06:00

hang onto the little bits of wonderful that happen

they have the power to combat everything else if you will let them.

trailer park movements

2010-06-23T12:56:00.000-06:00

Recently I was able to delight in all the glory that is a sunny day at the pool. As I splashed around the sunlight jumped from the pool water like a disco ball under a spotlight. As I people watched from the slight security of my sunglasses I saw a tattooed male with the following words inscribed across the top of his back:

White Trash

I thought, is it really necessary to ink that into your skin? Can't people just...tell? Is this some sort of trailer park movement that I am unaware of? Or is it that this man despises the idea of being mistaken for, I don't know, middle class? I'm not sure what his mentality was except it may have just been, well, white trash.

Fire & Ice

2010-06-17T14:27:00.004-06:00

Today a man walked into the office carrying a dozen long-stemmed fire and ice roses in a vase with a giant red ribbon.

My inital thought? Oh fun somebody's getting roses.

He asks,"Is there an Elsie here?"

After a half-second pause of surprise a delighted grin splits my face and I say, "That's me!"

He smiled, "well then would you please sign here?"

While not very subtly sneaking glances at the floral beauty that would be gracing my desk, I scrawled my name across the line. The sneaking grin still hovering around my lips. (Wouldn't delivering flowers be the best job ever? You would just hand people a little joy...everyday. All day. awesome.)

Nestled among the dozen beauties was a card. And it was cute. Even if they used the wrong form of your (yes they wrote 'your' instead of the correct 'you're')....but I'm blaming that on the florist. They probably are so distracted by all the lovely flowers around them they forget basic grammatical rules. I probably have too, so who am I to judge?

Not only are they gorgeous they have an awesome name. (Fire & Ice. admit it. that is just cool...and hot). I do heart roses...even if they are cliché. Also I think hearts are cliché too and I just used them in a sentence. Today is my day for temporarily reveling in clichés. I'm okay with it.

I also got a sugar cone with strawberry ice cream and wandered around gushing about the roses to my younger sister at lunch. Today has become officially awesome.

(well done boy....well done)

perception

2010-06-13T06:17:00.001-06:00

so I was browsing through some of my old facebook notes when I stumbled across this poem I wrote back in September of 2007. (So facebook friends that have already read this please ignore) I thought it was pretty great at the time....and I still like it. I think I need to remember to write things out. I haven't been doing it as much lately....trying to paint more. Anyway, please enjoy a sample of my past rhetorical musings.

Perception

Chasing the scent of something never smelled.
Memories trapped in olfactory haven't happened.
Lost in the folds created to contain.
Particles of the unknown.

Seeing the joy and damage left by those who have.
How does one find something that has never been?
A path illuminated by mediocrity.

Skimming across the fabrics of life.
Endlessly seeking the perfect texture.
Touch it all to recognize.
It's muffled.

The mixing of the many allows for discrimination.
Words taste like ashes and fresh rain.
Too late.

reminder

2010-06-12T22:10:00.000-06:00

don't be crazy

live the moments you are in

brought to you by the inconsistent musings of a person who spends too much time thinking

words in the head

2010-06-09T17:09:00.002-06:00

so the other day I got a line stuck in my head. It reflected a recent conversation I'd had with different friends. So I wrote the following:

Hey there little heart box keep it under control

you don’t know where you’re going or why you want to go

just keep on beating. keep up the good work

someday you’ll find one that isn’t such a jerk

Hey there little heart box keep it under control

you don’t know where you’re going or why you want to go

you’ve been a bruised perhaps even battered

again and again you’ve screamed, does it even matter?

just keep on beating. keep up the good work

someday you’ll find that it didn’t really hurt

so while you’ve been wandering around, wishing and dreaming

other parts have been working too, hoping and scheming.

Hey there little heart box keep it under control

you don’t know where you’re going or why you want to go

Hey there little heart box keep it under control.

someday, somehow, you’ll be glad I’ve been told.

Some days I have too many words stuck in my head. So interweb peeps what do you think? horrible? Possibly a new pop sensation?

FWD one through twenty-one

2010-06-09T17:06:00.000-06:00

Okay so this was a forward (because I'm a little bit lazy and didn't want to come up with my own words for a post) Which ones do you agree with? Or disagree?

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO .... Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR . When you say, 'I love you ,' mean it.

FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.

SIX ... Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN.. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE . Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN. . In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson !

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN... Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship..

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone.. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

the guy that says goodbye to you is out of his mind

2010-05-31T22:20:00.002-06:00

okay so the lyrics to this song are fantastic. Basically just too fantastic to pass up on posting about. The genre isn't my usual but the sentiments in this song are lines to love.

Griffin House

Flying Upside Down

The Guy That Says Goodbye To You Is Out Of His Mind

You don’t need to change a thing about you babe

I’m telling you

From where I sit, you’re one of a kind

Relationships, I don’t know why, they never work you and they make you cry

But the guy that says goodbye to you is out of his mind

Well I been down and I need your help I’ve been feeling sorry for myself

Don’t hesitate to boost my confidence

I been lost and I need direction, I could use a little love-protection

What do you say, honey, come to my defense?

I’ll stand up for you if it’s what you need and I can take a punch, I don’t mind to bleed

As long as afterwards you feel bad for me

And you give me all of your attention I got deep desire and it needs quenchin’

I think that’s pretty plain for you to see

Hell, enough about me and more about you cause that’d be the gentlemanly thing to do

I hope you like your men sweet and polite

I thought I was done with telling you but I ain’t nearly halfway through

I got a few more things I’d like to say to you tonight

You don’t need to change a thing about you babe

I’m telling you

From where I sit you’re one of a kind

Relationships, I don’t know why, they never work out and they make you cry

But the guy that says goodbye to you is out of his mind

You always did kind of drive me crazy and pissed me off ‘cause I let it phase me

But I never wanted my time with you to end

Now I’m back in town for a day or two and mostly I came back just to see you

I’m leaving now but I don’t want to go

You don’t need to change a thing about you babe

I’m telling you

From where I sit you’re one of a kind

Relationships, I don’t know why, they never work out and they make you cry

But the guy that says goodbye to you is out of his mind

Sometimes ....

2010-05-26T17:30:00.002-06:00

A good friend of mine will do these fun posts filled with statements beginning with "sometimes..." (you can read her blog here). I've enjoyed her posts so I've decided to make my own post of sometimes statements. So.....
Sometimes

..... I don't wear jewelry. I wear artistic toys.

.... I break out into song and dance like I am the star of my own musical.

..... I spend way too much time in my head.

.... I reward myself for surviving the seemingly unbearable inanities of life with food, usually candy occasionally cupcakes.

.....I am distracted by shiny things like, "oh sparkles!"

.... colors can make me happy.

three point five

2010-05-25T09:00:00.022-06:00

three point five days 3.5

75 seventy-five hours

three and a half days 3 1/2

4,500 approximately four-thousand five-hundred minutes

I am counting down until I am on the road to LA. It will be a weekend punctured with a lot of driving, ridiculous pictures, famous white letters on a hill, sandy beaches, the sound of the ocean, modern and ancient art, good food and late hours. Scheduled on my calendar is a multi-day event permeated with a sneaky possibility of romance. So Los Angeles... I'm coming.

monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday

2010-05-23T10:25:00.002-06:00

Okay so a friend had this up on his Facebook and since I thought it was a little bit hilarious...I decided to share. Without looking at the text...how long did it take you?

I don't care if Monday’s blue

Tuesday’s grey and Wednesday too

Thursday I don't care about you

It’s Friday I'm in love

Monday you can fall apart

Tuesday Wednesday break my heart

Thursday doesn't even start

It’s Friday I'm in love

Saturday wait

and Sunday always comes too late

but Friday never hesitate...

I don't care if Monday’s black

Tuesday Wednesday heart attack

Thursday never looking back

It’s Friday I'm in love

Monday you can hold your head

Tuesday Wednesday stay in bed

Or Thursday watch the walls instead

It’s Friday I'm in love

Saturday wait

And Sunday always comes too late

But Friday never hesitate...

Dressed up to the eyes

It’s a wonderful surprise

To see your shoes and your spirits rise

Throwing out your frown

And just smiling at the sound

And as sleek as a shriek

Spinning round and round

Always take a big bite

It’s such a gorgeous sight

To see you in the middle of the night

You can never get enough

Enough of this stuff

It’s Friday

I'm in love

And I don't care if Monday’s blue

Tuesday’s grey and Wednesday too

Thursday I don't care about you

It’s Friday I'm in love

Monday you can fall apart

Tuesday Wednesday break my heart

Thursday doesn't even start

It’s Friday I'm in love

It's Friday, I'm in love by the Cure

working with a metaphor

2010-05-17T15:11:00.000-06:00

A bundle of hope (and a touch of dreams) wrapped into a tightly compacted bundle and thrown with a desperate wish that it will continue to conglomerate and, perhaps, be caught. The much abused bundle has crashed, collapsed, even dissolved more than once. It has been whipped off course by unseen winds. It has broken in pieces with sections pulverized by the crushing weight of reality. Yet, this small compact bundle reforms. It is an eternal mismatched taped-up ball craving a gentle reception. Ethereally woven together by words, ideals and sticky thoughts it will brave tempestuous weather in a mad desire to be secured for, at least, a moment.

FHE

2010-05-12T09:17:00.000-06:00

Okay so back at Utah State we had an FHE where it was required that our group come up with a video. So we did a slight spin off with The Office. Enjoy

Part One
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7Ar59gv9YA

Part Two
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pc_xlk3QRY&feature=watch_response

The best part was that it really was true. That FHE was one of the two times the FHE dad showed up. Hope you enjoy!

short notes

2010-04-27T12:03:00.003-06:00

dear muscles:
stop being so melodramatic and painful. you're acting like I never walk. I do. just not often. stop whining!
aching,
ankles

dear closet:
you pretend like you are full of clothing and shoes and yet I woke up this morning, looked in you and found nothing to wear. I'm not asking for a fortune on couture but at least some things that I'd actually like to put on.
your wanna-be fashionista,
the empress

dear job:
I need more paid vacation time. Because, mostly, there are many, many places I'd rather be.
sincerely,
traveler

dear boy:
you are confusing and inconsistent. I have no idea what is going on in your head and it bothers me. a lot. my brain is hurting from my roller coaster thoughts and I'm over-analyzing. again.
with consternation,
flummoxed girl

dear weather:
I appreciate the rain but the overcast? come on now. I have come up with some equations to illustrate what I would like to happen. lots of rain = full reservoirs. sun = warm water. full reservoirs + warm water + windless day = boating. Let me know if you need any help with the math.
needing water,
wakeboarder