Learn to Fly

I have another ear infection, this time in the left, same dealio though (inner and outer).  :/
More meds, different meds, and the hopes that it will heal fast and let me sleep tonight!

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Today was super busy, but good!

We got to celebrate my Pawpaw's birthday this morning.
Then we went to the CVS Minute Clinic.  Next time I'm sticking to Wellstar Urgent Care.  We were there for almost 2 hours total, had to fight over the medicines the RN prescribed - she prescribed $230 antibiotics... I assured her there was no way I was taking them, and made her change.  Then we came back to the house, and watched a movie. highlighted Laura's hair, stopped by Home Depot and Moes, and then drove Laura back home.  I was so drowsy that I slept the majority of the way ::slash:: 'slept-sang' to 90s.  It was amusing I'm sure.  lol.

And in honor of the wonderful 90s music playing on the airwaves every weekend on Star 94, here is a music video from Foo Fighters - a goodie!  And so is the video, yo!  :)

We drove by the airport on the way back.  I love seeing the runways, and the lights, and the planes coming and going.  Makes we want to go somewhere via aeroplane...

Thrifting

The great thing about a thrift store is that if you go into one with an idea of what you're looking for, you can always find a way to make that idea happen. A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a blog where a young woman had found an old, long, out-of-style skirt. She bought the skirt with an idea... And with a few resources and an imagination, she came away with a shorter, vintage looking, attractive skirt. (See the blog here.) Ever since, I have wanted a project that I could peruse a thrift store for. And now that I do, my wheels are turning!

I never really ventured into thrift stores up until about a year ago. I remember going to Goodwill when I was younger, but thrift stores? They always had this stigma about them and I just didn't go there. But I've grown since then and I can appreciate character and spice ms everything nice like that.

I can appreciate a good challenge and so I go into the store ready to peruse, scavenge, and create. And so far, I have been productive!

And as a result, thrift stores are a valuable resource full of goodies and treasures untold.

(random fact: blogging from hubby's iPhone on the way home from the movie is not conducive to uploading pictures from one's camera...)

Arrivederci!

Wheel... Of...

FORTUNE!!

Wheel of Fortune was on our TV tonight.  The winner, an exaggeratedly excited man, who has apparently been waiting for this for 30 years, won every toss-up, a few of the puzzles, AND the final puzzle.  And after every win, he would be so sooo excited, that he would spin and dance around and smile and freak-out to the point that Pat even asked him if he needed a paper bag, and more seriously, if he was "okay".  No seriously... (serious face :])  The man assured Pat, and everyone watching, that he was okay, and we all moved on.  Much to our glee!  We must have subconsciously known that we were going to see his pronounced excitement in just a few more moments.  And that made the show exciting!

At any rate, I have never laughed or smiled so hard at that show.  lol.  Pure joy, I dare say, is a rarity these days in terms of "screened" TV and so foreign in fact, that it was even mistaken as something being wrong.

"Are you okay?"

No, Pat.  I'm just happy, and really excited.

(crowd gasps...)

I smile, and Gary laughs.

It was cute!  It's inspiring even.  It makes you want to go outside and scream, or get in front of a camera, and smile uncontrollably, or burst into laughter... because you're happy!

It could and would happen.
And it would catch on.
And people at home would watch, and start smiling.
And there'd be an epidemic of happy people all over the world.
We wouldn't mistake joy for pain.
And we wouldn't scoff at the overwhelming joy.
We would join in.
We would dance around the room.
We would laugh until we cried.
And we would share a sort of universal charm.
::sigh::

And we would watch TV and wonder about "drama".
What is this "drama" you speak of?
Can you even imagine TV without it?

I don't know... I think things would be so different, that a new drama would inevitably arise.
It'd probably deal with something along the lines of a weird laugh, or a crooked smile...
Or would the universal charm and happiness be enough to overcome all drama?

Hmm... deep thoughts from such a random show...

What I really came here to talk about tonight was the fact that Pat and Vanna have not changed a wink in the entire time I've been watching them... in years I mean.  They haven't changed or aged at all...
It's a bit awkward.

Other points of interests:
Clouds (aren't they always?  Interesting, that is?)
Cuties (the orange), and yes they are by the way.
Buttons - as in "cute as a button"
Q-tips and lent, and the connection between the two...
Cotton balls, and how they are superior!

Avon Skin-So-Soft

The "Alphabetically Last" category on Jeopardy - and how I would be awful at that category...



Gasp... a picture of the sky, and a random piece of fruit, on myyyy blog?

Making waves, indeed!

Left: This afternoon's cloudy skies.

Right: A "cutie"!  They're fabulous by the way! 



Yo Mamma!

A few years back, there was this reality show on MTV called "Yo Mamma".  Neighbor'hood' peoples from different parts of a large city would come together, usually in a back alleyway and fight it out - with words.  Using sharp zingers and the oh-so-popular "Yo Mamma" jokes (?), the two "hoods" or Crews would see if they could one-up the other and thereby win bragging rights of the city... basically, you tell the best zing, you win.  And then it escalates to a park or basketball court, and there's even a freestyle round.  It's great, and educational, and funny!  And apparently, it is coming back, just in a different fashion.

At work, while I wouldn't say that we are "hood" experts, we get around, we are pretty street savvy, and we have access to google - pretty much all of the time, thanks to cell phones.  And it's not like we're segregated into "neighborhoods" either, BUT we do have tables.  And those tables are taking on our personalities.  It's humorous.  And I could totally go into how each table is seriously representative of each person there, but I think I'll save that for another day.  ;)  Anywho, lately at work, and maybe it's all of the kinetic energy running loose around because of the storms, people have been zing-y.  Particularly the middle table and the corner table (since "front" or "back" table could not be officially decided, I will use "corner table" as it's current identifier).  Well, the middle table is always particularly zingy, but when the corner table is full, a whole new dimension is added!  (And yes, that is a bold exclamation point, in case you were wondering)!  One member of the "Corner Table 'Hood'" (as we will now refer to it) has always been zingy as well, but the new kid on the block, or out of the closet, in terms of zingyness, is causing the rest of the 'Hoods to be like "Oh-no-she-did-didn't.." We, and by we, I mean the other tables, represent the neighborhood folk who cheer on, "OOOoooohhhh", and cringe when a zinger is particularly sharp.  lol.  And it has been ab-solutely hilarious to watch/listen to!

At any rate, today was rainy, stormy, and oh so cloudy.  There were sporatic flashes of bright lightning, and long rumbles of thunder.  The windows would shake, and the steady rain provided a constant patter upon the roof that made the room buzz.  And then there was all of the energy in the air.  It felt tingly.  And I think it added to the fun in the room.  Everyone was feisty, and not in a harsh way at all, but in a funny/sarcastic/kidding sort of way.  Insults and zings were flying, people were practically standing with their hands on their hips, snapping in z-formation, and responding to the "ohhhs" and gasps from the crowd.  And the crowd... we really could do nothing but just watch and listen.  There was little room for us to intrude, and who would want to quite frankly?  Entertainment at it's finest!  hehe

And this verbal competition is in no way close to being over, and it's hard to tell which "Crew" is going to win - in that manner of speaking.  But I think that these verbal jousts are all in a day's work!  And for us, it leaves us all with smiles, snickering with joy, and good fellowship!

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Yes, it was a good day!  Despite the rain, our spirits were high and we spent a large portion of the day smiling.  :)  Even all the way home, and now, a smile is still upon my face.  I love days like today!

I made oven-roasted Mojo Chicken and a squash casserole for dinner.  Both turned out perfectly!  I blame it on the weather... and that random kinetic energy stuff...  ;)



Squash is favorite!



Music Randoms

There are very few Cd's that I sit sit and listen to the whole thing through...  But the ones that I will, I love, and are my "go to" Cd's when I need to vent, or escape, or just sing (often, in the car, alone, so that I can belt it).  One of my favorites is "Kerosene" by Miranda Lambert.  Love, love, love this album.  Love the emotion, love the lyrics, and I love singing it.  Especially if I'm stressed, singing along to this album almost always turns my mood around. 

Other favorite albums include:
- Panic At the Disco- "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out".  I like that this album is like a story.  Each song leads to the next, and the lyrics are great!  Lots of fun and randomness - which is my kind of thing.  And the titles are realllly long, which is just quirky.  Another thing I like.

- Straylight Run- "Straylight Run".  I've had this cd for a long time, but have recently fallen in love with it over the 6 months.  A lot of the songs speak truth to what I've gone through, and the melodies are lovely!

- Maroon 5- "Songs About Jane".  What can I say, I'm a sucker for an easy, jazzy sound, with a good beat!

Other favorites that have gotten me through the years include Matchbox 20, Anna Nalick, and Hootie & The Blowfish.

And I'm currently looking to invest some time with Adele and Mumford & Sons.

I'm also developing my musical palette (as it were) by listening to more "Rock".  Surprisingly, I am finding favor with many songs.  I'm actually not that surprised.  A great singer with intriguing lyrics doesn't have to go far to win my respect.  Recent likes and loves: My Darkest Days, Seether, Shinedown, Rise Against.  I still haven't gone "Metal" yet, but that just seems too much like screaming to me... I guess we'll see.  I ::enjoy:: Country, Pop, Jazz, Foreign, Christian, Swing, Oldies, and etc. 

I love the 90s, and will always save a place in my heart for Matchbox 20, Wonderwall, and Counting Crows!  I've had some very close friends that have made their music extremely special to me, and that I can never change. 

That's what I like about music...  It creates such a personal connection, and it can be different for every person.

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I got started on this late tonight...

It's a bit random and jumbly, I know.  :)

Sweet dreams!

"Momento Mori"

Last Friday, while I was doing laundry, I had the joy of looking though a magazine.  I had the spare time, so I sat myself in a quiet place and began reading.  The magazine of choice was "Where Women Create", and I picked it up a few weeks ago from Borders.  Well, it's safe to say I was almost automatically entranced.  It's very interesting to me to see where people "create" in general, and this magazine in particular led me to some interesting people.

Magda Trzaski stood out to me.  She is a twenty-something from Toronto, by way of Canada, Denmark, and Poland.  Her studio is stark black and white theme with dashes of red, and even less dashes of other colors, scattered about.  There are soft, white curtains covering the windows, and a bevy of white Japanese lanterns hanging from the ceiling.  Her work-space tables are covered with cups of pens and markers, a sewing machine, spools of thread, current projects, and pieces of her world.  It's enchanting and whimsical, but it also has a dark element that can't be denied.  A few black paper lanterns hide in the corner, and as you look at it, you realize that it's covered with skulls and cross-bones.  On the table, the one white lamp has a straight black shade, and it's covered with (what looks like) dried miniature vine, and out of the top, a small skeleton is poking out.

One of the shadow-boxes.

And then we get to her art, her sculptures, while not of a particularly scary subject, are crafted in such a manner that it feels a little "off".  It's definitely not happy or cheerful, but the animal represented is smiling.  It's awkward and haunting, and I can't stop thinking about it.  The shadow-boxes she creates are even more dramatic.  A simple black frame outlines a white backdrop with the subject in the middle.  The one I'm looking at now has a single rabbit figure holding a red balloon (which plays a large role in her storytelling).  "I adore placing cats, rabbits, birds, and skeleton-like snow folk under glass like curiously forestalled activity.  I like to float balloons mid-air and hover mid-juggle as my creatures balance in a limbo of thought and activity.  It's the celebration of luxury and the allure of beauty, despite the thought-provoking notion that death is part of any life", Magda says.

A few of her sculptures.

Ultimately, it is this intermingling that makes her art so interesting.  Her "Momento Mori" (Latin translation: "remember your mortality") creations "urges the view to neither forestall joy, nor deny the inevitability of death".

It makes you stop and think about all of the elements you encounter on a daily basis.  I think, as humans, we encounter an amazing amount of emotion on a daily basis, and that it all needs an outlet.  How you handle something, says a lot about you.  And I think right now, for me, not only is it "handling" things, but also observing people around me... I have the opportunity to learn from everyone around me, and use their experiences as potential life examples for me.  It's up to me to use those, and be there for other people as well.

I'd say that when I was in college, specially during my Freshmen year, I was acutely aware of death-like elements...  not that I was into the Goth movement or anything, but I was in College, exploring religion, studying new things, and creating.  My spirituality was thriving and evolving, and I was discovering that these "elements" were around me.  In my Drawing and Painting I class, many of my assignments seemed to lean towards the "weird" and spiritual.  One assignment we had was to take a picture and then make it bigger using the grid system.  Well, I chose a close-up picture of me from when I was about 2, and I am in the middle of the shot, looking away from the camera.  I chose it because I thought it would be relatively simple to re-draw larger, and there was a lot of negative space.  So, we began the project and I had the basic-outline completed fairly quickly.  The problem was the negative space.  It seemed really empty.  My professor suggested that I develop it, and so I started drawing.  I would draw, erase, add some lines here, using my shading stick to create some texture, and before I knew it, I had these spirits beings showing up in my art...  I believe there was 5 at the end, after all was said and done.  I loved the way it looked, but couldn't describe where they came from... they just appeared.  And at roughly 6'W x 4'H, the piece was large and ominous.  And a bit eerie, if I do say so myself.

To this day, that is one of my favorite pieces.

And I think that it speaks to a connection.

A connection to something else out there, that although not always completely recognizable, is still there.

And I think that is what draws me to Magda's work.
It's stark and dramatic, yet speaks to symbols and a personal connection that can't be denied.
I find that completely enthralling and want to explore it further.

A blog featuring the article.
Magda's Blog

Today, another dream story.  :)

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Me, and a whole bunch of friends and random people, were traveling in an double-wide RV (or at least that’s what it feels like now). The ride was bumpy, but no one really seemed to care much. All of the rooms were packed, and we were all heading “home”. And it seemed like we were all in school together. I recognize one guy from high school, a few from my college years, and even some extended family. One guy was trying to dress me, designer style, and was trying his hardest to come up with the next big outfit. He was getting frustrated with me because I didn’t think his designs looked good. It included something along the lines of tucking in this really baggy shirt… And it’s like he was dressing me on the porch (overlooking a forest) and he would pull the curtain back when he was ready to display his masterpiece. I wasn’t buying it. And there was this other guy who was talking about how he had a date, but he didn’t really call it a date, it was more of just a “catching-up” but everyone around him was trying to reassure him that it was a date, especially since they were going out again that night. He seemed relieved. I remember hangers, empty hangers hanging up, from some sort of string going across the room. The rooms were so packed with people. And in the kitchen, there were a lot of potted flowers and plants around the sink. I turned the water on, to try and water one, but watched the water pour into the plant, and then flow back out and on to the floor, there was some sort of gap between the sink and the counter, that the water flowed through. I remember wondering if anyone was going to get a paper towel and clean it up…

We arrived at the “event”. Picture a very large drive-in (the one on Moreland Ave kinda comes to my mind now) that is covered in grass and old, dilapidated walls and run-down buildings. There are people everywhere! There is going to be a screening of a movie, and this is apparently the event of the season, because everyone is getting ready for it. I check my phone and see that my sister had called, so I called her back, and my great aunt’s husband answers. I can’t really understand him, but there was something about she came to spend time with us, she missed us, and how I was supposed to know that another person in the family was going to be dying soon. I think I was supposed to feel bad for not being there, and I kind of did. So everyone is running around getting ready. There’s a superhero theme, so the costumes abound and are pretty random, and before I know it, everyone is making the trek towards the entrance of the event… seemingly just around the bend of the hill over there. Let me explain this landscape further. I mentioned the grassy knolls surrounded by a forest, and these hills are huge. Like construction site hills that have been covered in grass. And in the valley, and then kinda up another little hills is where the main event takes place, but it is surrounded by the run down building and rusting structures. So you can’t see inside. But I imagine you could hear what was going on if you were on the outside. And as everyone is walking towards the gate, they are having to walk on the top of where two of the hills come together. So if you happen to walk too far to the right or left, you would go sliding down, but not in a scary way, just a you-are-going-to-roll-down-the-hill sort of way.

Like I said, everyone is getting ready and heading that way. I am not ready. I’m not sure if I’m not dressed, or if I don’t have the correct change (there’s some glimmer of a memory about $7 and it being borrowed from me), and I think as I am about half-way there, I realize this, and decide that I need to look for my car. I feel like I walk around for a very long time, and not just around, but up and down these hills I was talking about. And you know sometimes when you are walking up a steep hill, it’s very hard to move? Almost impossible to go forward? That’s how I felt like I was walking the whole time. Well, I eventually found my car. It was down towards the end of the parking lot, almost where it ends, and you could begin to see some residential houses. It’s like the very end of the Renaissance Festival parking lot, down in the corner (literally). I decided that since I was so late, I would drive to the main gate and hopefully find a parking spot. (This was after finding one ticket booth that had closed at 8:03 (the event started at 8:00) and apparently I had just missed it). As I was beginning to get started, there were still all of the costumed persons walking around, and one group, dressed like the Power Rangers, or some sort of crime-fighting group, decided they wanted to challenge me. And they all posed. Well, I didn’t have time, so I just drove around them, and kept going.

I drove to the main gate, and amazingly found a parking spot right in front. Talk about Rock Star. It was even so right, that it felt wrong, and I was hoping that there wouldn’t be a ticket on my windshield when I got back. I went inside the ticket booth (an old dilapidated building with chicken wire for windows, and old rotting wood) and saw that they were closed to, but were serving food. The way that they were making the burgers was interesting. There was a conveyor belt of sorts and the hamburgers were lined up in twos going down the belt, and the guy at the end would grab both of them, slap on the toppings, put a bun on, and then pack them up. It was weird. But not too weird. And then there was this other guy; Short-ish and maybe in his 30s, bald, but in good spirits. I was talking to him about getting into the event and he seemed pretty hesitant to help me. He was trying to “deal” with me. He told me he could get me in if I bought a drink and gave an extra $25 dollars, he added with a sketchy smile. I think the charge to get into this event was like $3. I scoffed, told him no, and begin backing away. Then he told me that I could go ahead and eat at least. I figured that was an okay suggestion, so I ordered a burger and fries (no, the fries weren’t ready yet, so I got the tater tots, and a soda). I was sitting at a high-top table, close to the edge of the building, but in front of the counter, when he brought me my food. He asked if I thought I could eat it all in 10 minutes. I shrugged, acknowledged the challenge, and began eating at normal pace – I think another deal was made.

And then I woke up.

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Today, we've done nothing but watched Indiana Jones...
On the couch, in the living room, with sleepy kitties about.
The rain has stopped, but it's still cloudy.
And very still.  Everything is very still.

Pear stained glass made with vintage kit.