Woke to 99.8 fever. Not much for most, but I typically run 97.6.
Still "off" but I just COULD NOT stay away from the Macy's after christmas sale.
Oh, and I had a gift certificate (like I kept to THAT amount). :-)
Once back I found "just enough" energy to sort my clothes and reorganize my side of the closet and my dresser.
TA DA. Summer stuff stored away. Things that don't fit, or I don't wear - in a bag for goodwill. Now If I can just get BEN to sort through his stuff! Seems "his" cat peed on this clothes on the floor of the closet. Um. Ben. PICK UP YOUR CLOTHES. :-)
Also got shoot some birds (with a great camera). Ben got a new fancy pants camera with HD video capacity and I inherited his prior fancy pants Canon! He's letting me borrow all his amazing lens (until I prove unworthy). He even taught me a bit about HOW to use the camera. I have not downloaded anything - but I did catch at least one cardinal!
We are waiting for snow. It was SUPPOSED to come today, but no snow. Maybe tomorrow. Should be A LOT of snow.
:- ) I have a new friend with a pair of barely used cross country skis I am likely to buy from her. There should be snow to ski on in the parks and in my yard soon.
Can you tell? I am very very happy here. Even if I AM a tad sick.
What's the hardest, most embarrassing or most inappropriate question you were asked this holiday season? Who asked it?
"Who do you want to kiss under the Mistletoe?" - VOX
JK, I don't know how to answer these things anymore.
There be nasty cold in me lungs and voice box. I be coughin and blowin and there be much layin about. arggggh
Thanks be to the sunny skies and calm winds and me scurvy meds. aggggh
I think I may have finally learned my lesson. No goal list for 2010. I have found that there's a wide gulf between what I plan to do and what I actually do. Mostly this is because of left-field surprises like thyroid cancer because otherwise I am pretty methodical. I have a vague notion of things I'd like to work on for the year: more drawing, more guitar, etc. It's true that creative types need scheduling. And I have that. I plan to start Illustration Saturdays. Basically, I'll take an unillustrated article or listen to a 'This American Life' story and try to capture it visually. I expect no small amount of frustration, but it will be a great learning experience. I also want to re-establish Watercolour Sundays. Obviously, things will have to be flexible because there's another cancer surgery and treatment on the horizon. There's also an idea for a graphic novel kicking around that used to be an idea for a novel. We'll see where that goes. I want to go at it playfully. If it isn't fun, what's the point? In needlework news, I am going to embark on the adventure that is embroidery (this will likely become part of illustrations).
It's really weird how my dreams of illustrating just flew out of my head in October after I heard that there was still a tumour. After my surgery last March, it felt like my right brain went into hyperdrive. Not sure how or why, but drawing and other visual activities took over my brain. I reconnected with a part of myself that I had totally forgotten about. My verbal skills have slowly been catching up. That is weird to say. I mean, I do French to English abstracts and translations full-time. Highly verbal. I've written a novel. Somehow, after the surgery, I lost the concentration for that. Or, rather, needed every ounce for my job and didn't have anything to spare after the work day. Sitting almost entirely still and drawing, however, I have total concentration. Perhaps not surprisingly, the drawing stopped with the ultrasound and biopsy and doctor's visits in October. Being mostly ignored by my cancer team did not do much to boost my confidence or morale. What brought me the most peace left my mind entirely and I was sucked up into doubt and fear and confusion. One day this last week, I went onto my Amazon.co.uk Wish List. I saw illustration and comics books on it and something washed over me. Trust? Faith? Not sure. I had been going in a million directions, but something clicked and I had direction. I am trusting this direction. Where am I going? Not sure. It's like going to a new city, walking around with a bad map and trying to find a landmark. At some point, you see a street and something in you says, 'This will get you to the place you've been looking for.' You turn onto the street with the knowledge that even if it doesn't take you where you need to go, you can always retrace your steps.
In all the planning, I lose the doing. I hope that 2010 will be year of focus, of input, of output, of connection, of discovery, of confidence. Gonna make my own luck this year.
See you in 2010!
Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday. Santa was very generous and got me a Coach Sabrina satchel this year.
Yesterday was Pat's 22nd birthday. It was a lot of fun, and by the end of the night, I was having WAAAAAAY too much fun. All I will say is that a. I will probably never drink Crown ever again and b. I did shit last night that my family will taunt me about for all of eternity.
I'm very glad to be here at home, spending this Christmas with my family and closest friends. I hope that you all are just as blessed wherever you are. <3
If you could kiss anyone under the mistletoe, who would it be?
Your mom.
Just saw Avatar. It's a well-made movie (I don't regret seeing it, and the CGI is 92% of real), just don't go in thinking you won't know who will live and who will die (to be fair, any kind of an Original Statement is a big risk for a filmmaker, especially when he's spending enough money to buy the Republican caucus on the special effects--see also why Broadway musicals are based on movies these days).
Frequently, I will fall madly in love with a piece of furniture that leaves even my closest friends & allies scratching their heads in confusion. Such was the case with my new desk. When I first showed it to my husband, I could tell he was skeptical, but knew better than to say so...When the glimmer is in my eye, just back away.
It was love at first glance on Craigslist for me:
So I contacted the owner to arrange a viewing. We had several conversations over the course of a few days while attempting to fit our schedules together and I learned that the desk had belonged to his mother and he had the pity-able task of sorting out her belongings. I told him that I was a furniture maker and would take really good care of it...that I wasn't sure if I would refinish it, or leave it alone, but either way it would be loved. In a small way, I think these exchanges may have been a bit therapeutic for him, as I sensed he was perhaps a bit choked up on the other line.
I should mention, in addition to being incredibly kind, he was also extremely fair with the price ($45 for desk, chair, & mirror) and generously offered to deliver it to me for free.
So yesterday, when he showed up, it was an easy no brainer. I saw it on the truck, knew it was love, handed him the money, and brought it in the house. It was a little dirty from being in storage, but a little simple green & elbow grease was all it took to clean up nicely:
While pulling out one of the drawers, my husband discovered hidden treasures had fallen into the back of it. I couldn't believe it - a beautiful desk AND hidden treasure! I had hit the jackpot. The best things we found: an antique bottle opener, stolen from a San Francisco hotel called The Raphael; a porcelain lid to a tiny box (this must have made her CRAZY trying to find it); an old silver swiss army knife? or nail cutter?; and best of all - a tiny gold skeleton key with a #2 on it.
Doesn't that just pique your sense of wonder & adventure like crazy???!!!! WHAT on earth does that key open and HOW will I find it?
Well, those questions may have to go unanswered. I plan to call the man today and offer him what I found...but I'm REALLY hoping he doesn't want them back, because I love them so much! I would like to keep them with the desk, either displayed behind my computer or in a shadow box on the wall. Each item has so much history and so many secrets to tell...If I am allowed to keep them, I know they will provide endless inspiration and possibly good luck while spending long hours feverishly writing at this desk.
