Mostly Other Things

Well, crap.

2011-09-26T15:09:00.002-05:00

Maybe I should attempt to quit smoking, lose weight, begin meditating, start an affair, or perhaps get some sort of life so I have something to write in this blog.

Because my fans are waiting, dying for me to update this.

My fans. heh

I wonder if blog writing has dropped dramatically since Facebook, Twitter & Google+ have made such whopping strides in social networking.

New Adventure!

2010-05-10T10:52:00.000-05:00

My daughter, Carly (18) and I have begun a new, exciting hobby. It's called geocaching! Heard of it? In short, people all over the world hide/seek little "treasures" by GPS coordinates. Check out the site here to learn all about it: Geocaching.
I was amazed to find that there are literally oodles in my area, some as close as 0.3 miles away from my house and others in areas I have been to numerous times. There are way over 200 caches in a 30 mile radius from my home location.

For Mother's Day, my 3 daughters and I went on a all-afternoon geocaching excursion up the North Shore (of Lake Superior). While my two younger daughters enjoyed the rocky beach at Kitchi Gammi Park, Carly and I went traipsing through the wooded areas to find a couple caches - and also found another pair of geocachers who were quite nice, hope to run into them again. This may just be a social outlet for me, as friendless locally as I am (Duluth noob).

We drove up a ways and parked on the side of Scenic 61 to get at some "difficult terrain" caches, where I felt I had to prove to my sweet spawn that I can STILL contend with mega-steep grades and intensely rocky shorelines. She acts as if I might break, keel over, or probably more worrisome - faint and she'll have to haul my not-light body up back to civilization. Ha! I was a Marine! I was exploring deep woods when I was old enough to walk, dammit. I'm no spring chicken, but I still know my way around a couple of dense brambles and slippy inclines. Needless to say - she was impressed and now is more interested in geocaching with her not-so-brittle mum.

To sweeten the deal for the non-exploring other girls (one not interested in woods but along for the ride and some possible photographic captures, and the other just happy to be out and about, but not ready for major hiking) I took them to DQ in Two Harbors, where we went and found another cache in the gazebo by the tug, Edna G. I didn't have any ice cream, but I'm on this new healthy eating/exercise kick and okay with that - ice cream isn't one of my temptations anyhow. (Did you know DQ does not sell frozen yogurt? I didn't, but I didn't care much either. I was FULL on family quality time! Yes, that's not only possible, but is sweeter and doesn't go straight to your hips.

To keep this from getting overly lengthy - we had a blast! Seven caches under my belt in one afternoon, quality time with my wonderful girls and, yes, dinner at Duluth Grill.

If you'd like to hear more about my geocaching (fledgling) experiences, let me know! I'd be happy to oblige in some posts.

Beaver's First Day of School

2010-04-22T12:53:00.000-05:00

Guest Blogger:

Story and illustrations

by Maggie MacFarlane

5 yrs old, Preschool

Turtle's New Friends

2010-04-22T12:48:00.000-05:00

Guest Blogger:

Story and illustrations

by Maggie MacFarlane

5 yrs old, Preschool

How We Roll

2010-04-15T14:05:00.001-05:00

We don't roll, unless walking can count as a roll. Semantics.
My husband left after 2 weeks home for another job in Nevada, much to the chagrin of Maggie. I'm okay with it, but he rolled out of here with our vehicle.
For 5-8 weeks.
Yea.

It's not too terrible, just inconvenient. On the bright side, all this walking may help me look more like the Venus de Milo (re-armed) again, rather than the Venus of Willendorf, which is where I seem to be heading ...

Groomer for Hire

2010-04-12T15:32:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, Kiko was put on the patio table and held in various humiliating positions by two unwilling children while I sheared off his winter coat. It took two hours, lots of complaining in various languages (Canine, Teen, Determined Owner/Unprofessional Groomer) - but mission accomplished.
And now? He's sitting outside shivering and lookin' Good.

Reunion

2010-03-31T10:01:00.000-05:00

After six months, half of those working - half of those waiting on work, my husband is returning from Hawaii tonight. We're both a little anxious. Anxious about resuming dual parenting, packing an often long-distance relationship into a sardine can-sized house again, work prospects, family dynamics and a long list of other greater and lesser worries.

Our only child together, Maggie, is a Daddy's girl. She worships him and his sun rises and sets over her little face. I'm all for it, as a father-deprived Daddy's girl myself, I love watching them together. The way her starfish hand disappears in his powerful and calloused grip, the way his eyes soften when she buries her face in his shoulder, his overwhelmed chuckle when she's talking a mile-a-minute about her newest interests, the way he tries to be tough to get her to listen and all she has to do is crack a grin and say something silly for him to lose the toughguy act in milliseconds and switch to gentle cajoling. I live vicariously through these moments. I become the sentimental observer of their galaxy of shared moments.

It will also be a much-needed relief to have her jump from her temporary housing in my hind-pocket back into his - I don't mind being second favorite. I have 3 other loving children who orbit me like the moons of Pluto, even in their often irreverent and oh-so-cool teen years. Tonight, though, my emotions will be bittersweet, watching Daddy and Maggie's reunion.

One Cheerio at a Time

2010-03-30T13:07:00.000-05:00

That's what I had for breakfast this morning, celebrating my monthish mark of starting one good new habit. Cheerios and a banana with milk.

I am eating breakfast these days.

It's been about 20 years of my general avoidance of anything other than coffee and cigarettes before noon. I have been a one or two meal-a-day person and it's wreaking havoc with my body & mind.

Y'know, now that I'm older.

If I have to be older, it would be nice if accompanying it would be the words "and wiser".

So, I'm trying to take better care of myself... one Cheerio at a time.

Currently...

2010-03-12T09:22:00.001-06:00

I'm a little busy.

Should be up and writing in no time!

Orginal artwork by me,

"Thoughts" India Ink on cold press, 2009.

I digress...

2010-03-04T15:00:00.007-06:00

¡Híjole! I have too much going on of unImportance. There's a bunch of things to do, that don't need doing and a bunch of things to do that I'm avoiding doing. Avoidance issues can be avoided in this post as well, but suffice it to say I should be getting things done like cleaning, cooking, kid stuff, bills, sundry work and even perhaps showering - instead here I am.

What's taking up my precious time? Well, besides this blog - nothing Big.

I have been reading books - not literary works of art, but good books nonetheless. I only state this because I used to be a voracious reader, but not so much anymore... Specifically, I've been reading Reginald Hill's Dalziel & Pascoe mysteries. Finishing a book with my kids around takes a long time, so it's kind of a miracle that I've read two and have two more sitting waiting in about 5 days. (Before that it was 3 Vonnegut books.) Normally, when I pick up a book, my 5 yr old screams "No READING!" My 18 yr old actually whined when I picked up a book the other day, too. As in, "Pay attention to ME, not that dumb BOOK!" Basically, I'm supposed to be available to all my children, all the time. Mother's Duty. Lately, I just glare at 'em and continue reading.

Then there are my audiobooks, which I can only listen to in my bed before sleeping - otherwise I can't concentrate on the story. (Although when you fall asleep to an 8 hr long installment of a book, chances are you'll wake up with your mp3 player dead, your neck perilously wrapped in headphone cords, and no idea where you left off in the book.) I just finished listening to The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard, which is not the type of book I have ever been interested in, but this one grabbed my interest, and kept it, for some reason. Perhaps I'd like to take a journey myself. Hmmm. I have just gotten The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. (Yes, I'm a member at Audible.com - and I LOVE it.) But I've also been completely flummoxed over the difficulty of both picking a good book AND a good narrator, after having been "ruined" by Neil Gaiman's reading of his own The Graveyard Book, which - along with Shaun Dooley's narration of only 3 of Reginald Hill's Dalziel & Pascoe audiobooks - makes everyone else sound wheedly and pedestrian. Something about that British accent (Yorkshire?) that I can't get enough of...

Add fridayflash - which takes up a lot of thinking time, not much writing time, but the pressure to try and meet my own goals concerning this weekly "hobby" is pretty high for me. I have been pretty spotty on my participation but am still not shelving it yet! Yay for good hobbies.

To add to that, I just found one of my favorite old games in it's new, spiffy 20 yr anniversary edition - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Adventure Game. **insert long break here while I went on a 2+ hour shopping adventure and dropped off a kid, just so you don't think all I do is avoid things** It's a text game where you try to figure your way out of certain pickles along the lines of HHGG by the late, great Douglas Adams. Long ago, along with banana throwing giant apes on skyscrapers, it was my favorite computer game. My cousins had Atari growing up but our mom never allowed one in the house, so when I got my own place and first computer - I played games!
Before I had any or uncribbed children, I played video/computer games infrequently with friends or my first husband (such as the two just mentioned). When my kids were still in their single-digits, we got an N64 and had family fun doing multiplayer of James Bond or Perfect Dark, in which we would all kill each other with lots of malice and yelling about fairness. I slaughtered my children repetitively with no guilt - often more than a little glee. Don't feel bad for them - they thought nothing of putting a game bullet in my skull any time they could. It was ... family therapy. heh
I've played all sorts of games and do pretty good with even the more involved ones (Medal of Honor), but none are as fun to me as those simple, early ones. Well, maybe Zelda is...

So, that's what I've been up to - reading, listening, playing, writing, thinking - in between the few other things that eventually I can't avoid. Such as cleaning up for impending company and making potato soup with leeks, hot Italian sausage & bacon. Oh, and maybe a coupla loaves of banana bread. I should get busy.. but, maybe I can fit in a few minutes of playing with Ford Prefect. (No, not the car.)

#fridayflash Another Tuesday

2010-02-26T09:43:00.007-06:00

Zorba the Greek wouldn’t survive this job long. He would spit, tighten his belt and walk out – grabbing Shelly from her cubicle by the doors on the way out. Shelly would go, too. Her pale fingers would clutch Zorba’s broad and calloused hand, and he would practically drag her to the elevator. Encircling his arm around her ample waist, he’d shake his fist at the gaping herd of cubicled daydreamers and bellow, “We go outside where God can see us better!”

Steven wished he was more like Alexis Zorba.

Alexis Zorba had passion. Shelly probably liked passionate men.

Steven carefully put his glasses back on and repositioned the headset. While the Monday night movie continued its mocking mental replay, he pushed the button and waited for connection. Steven's eyes drifted unconsciously to the beige cubicle wall that harbored Shelly as he spoke. “Hello, this is Alex in Tech Support – may I have your telephone number, area code first, please?”

Slife Three

2010-02-18T15:55:00.001-06:00

Slife = slice of life:

A weekly bit showing our daily world,

shared with online friends to get to know one another better.

That is my morning view. Kidlet on the couch watching her two shows, munching on cereal while I drink coffee and go through my internet stuff. Although, for two days now, I've also been munching on cereal (trying to start a new good habit). Go Me!

Above is Kiko, our miniature schnauzer, mentioned in a previous post as being a neurotic pooper. But he's so much more than that, e.g. he's been outstanding in his role as miniature snowball collector and yard decorator. He also enjoys playing (although it seems more like fighting with gnashing teeth and non-stop growling) with his half-brother, Otto, at my brother's house when we get together to play Mexican Train.

Mexican Train is a game using a set of dominos going up to double 12s or, as pictured above, double 15s. Basically, you get a number of dominos, build a train with what you are dealt, then go on to play off everyone else's train or the "Mexican" trains until someone runs out of dominos. Players with dominos left, tally them up and lowest score after a number of rounds wins.

Generally we play it at my brother's house (where this photo was taken), but I used to play with my cronies from back home, which was where we hashed out all the specifics of our rules as compared to what you can find online. There are lots of tricky little situations that we just go with "house rules" on and some bits that are specific to OUR version of the game. If you ever find yourself playing the game and hear someone refer to an uncovered double as a "booger", they learned it from a friend or relative of one of my original group.

My husband's mother raved about the game and bought me a set, but never quite got around to telling us the rules. So, my friends and I figured it out and became addicted. It has snowballed to countless other homes and people, all thanks to one little lady who spends 6 months of the year in Baja California and the rest of the year toodling around the states with her husband in an RV. They avoid things like snow, but spoil us rotten when they visit.

This is the little snowman my middle and youngest daughters made today, because the youngest wanted to play and I encouraged the middlest to help her. I was worn out due to chipping ice and clearing sidewalks down to the concrete for the New postman, who refuses to walk on anything that may even remotely resemble snow and even expects me to shovel areas where there is no city sidewalk. I think he may hail from another climate. The trouble with breaking in a new postman is that you cannot break in a new postman. They break YOU in to fit THEIR varying habits.

See that blue hair on Kate (left)? We (re)did that yesterday. I bleached two lower sections of her hair, and colored one Kelly's Blue and the other Cherry Pop. She has gorgeous hair and admittedly, I wasn't too keen on letting her "wreck" it with chemicals - but after letting my son have a 14 in. mohawk it was hard to say no. Both my elder girls have colored streaks in their long hair, my only condition was that it be in the back and under a layer of their uncolored hair. It looks pretty cool, especially in a ponytail.

I apologize for the delay in getting this slice of my life posted and would like to offer you, who might have been waiting, this lovely sunset. We cool?

#fridayflash Queen of the Universe

2010-02-12T15:20:00.001-06:00

No human suspected that the Queen of the Universe not only walked among them, but smoked Camel cigarettes and had a thing for swarthy men. Most humans weren’t aware that there was any such entity.

Most humans weren’t even aware of much beyond their own minds. That made things easy.

Well, not easy – it wasn’t easy to be born, or eat brussels sprouts, or to pass calculus in high school.

It wasn’t easy to see all sides and still pick one or two for the sake of propriety, or watch that promotion go to the sycophant, Boyle, when it should have been hers.

It wasn’t easy to have children, knowing they contained no integral part of her and would be unable to escape their human form and its transformations.

It wasn’t easy to get the right amount of cream and sugar in her coffee when using an unfamiliar cup.

It wasn’t easy to endure the suffering, the fear, the hatred and bitterness that swirled around her, nor was it easy to dismiss the love, compassion, empathy and hope that washed up, frothy and light, against the shores of her being.

It wasn’t easy to live as a human, but it was easy to hide amongst them.

It was also easy to make good on her self-made promise to not interfere in any grand way, any Queenly way. She had merged into the stream of human life to become. Now that she was being, it was slightly exhilarating. There was only a moment before this body died, in probably another 40 years, and the Queen of the Universe would return to herself with no regrets. The humans would continue into their future, as curious and crazy as ever. She didn’t know or really care what became of them, but this moment would be stored within her – which was an honor, whether they knew it or not.

She only cheated in one area, and then only occasionally. When she found herself outside and the conditions were right – she would whisper with her true voice to the wind. She would flatter it with attention and praise; caress it with her knowledge on the beauty of its ever-changing flow. In return the wind would play with her, cool her brow, weave itself through her hair and tease the soles of her feet. She enjoyed the wind more than anything else.

She knew that the humans wouldn’t appreciate that the wind gave her more enjoyment than any individual, idea or emotion. She was the Queen of the Universe, and while all lifeforms were interesting and memorable, her greatest memory of this planet would not be the charming smile of the butcher, or the discordant singing of a child in the bathtub, or the voluminous works of writers past and present.

She would miss the wind.

Effect Affection or Affectation?

2010-02-09T10:33:00.001-06:00

Last night, while I watched television, the local news meteorologist broke in between programs with a glimpse of the news that would be showing later. He assured us that the heavy snow we were experiencing was not a part of the surrounding area's snowstorm warnings, but rather "lake-effect snow" and invited us back at 10pm to learn more. Admittedly, I did not tune back in to learn more. Why?

Before moving to Duluth, I lived 3 hours south in the gently rolling hills and rivers area of Wisconsin. When it snowed there, it was just snow. No Eau Claire meteorologist ever felt the need to keep us abreast of why our snow was different, just that it fell and we might want to take care when driving. On occasion, I would talk to my brother, who has lived in the Twin Ports area of Duluth, MN and Superior, WI for over 20 years now. Through him, I was familiar with the term "lake-effect" and knew that the weather was different due to his living in close proximity to Lake Superior. What I didn't know, was that there is a large population of people affected by lake-effect. People who's affection for lake-effect has become an affectation.

Talk to a native Duluthian about some weather oddity and you get a blasé, "It's the lake-effect." Ask a non-native but long-time inhabitant and you get a rather pretentious, "Of course, it's the lake-effect." It doesn't matter who you talk to or how you try to dodge the weather banter, the comment is inevitable.

Having lived here now for almost 2 years and experienced the lake-effect weather myself, I would like to point out that it is, indeed, just regular weather. All the emphasis put on where it comes from, how it got here and how unique it might be, is just so much extraneous information. Whether or not the snow falls from a storm front or because of some kind of meteorological phenomenon involving induction, synoptic large-scale forcing and fetch - it IS snow. Last night we received some accumulation of lake-effect snow, which Duluthians didn't want to be confused with the accumulated regular snow that fell in other areas. We have stars on our snow, and they have none upon thars.

I have also come to realize that you cannot be facetious with Duluthians about the lake-effect weather. They don't like it. When shooting the breeze with a neighbor about our impending date with the shovels and snow-blowers, he mentioned the those words (yes, "lake-effect" in case you are unclear) and I responded with a twinkle in my eye "Do I need to buy a special shovel for it then?" Apparently my twinkle froze somewhere between my eye and his comprehension, because the conversation was abruptly over. He has lived in Duluth for around 60 years, and has most assuredly his humor concerning lake-effect has atrophied beyond repair. Or, it wasn't that funny, but I'm going with the former as I had quite a chuckle over it.

In the numerous times I've tried some light humor or straight-up sarcasm about lake-effect weather, I have been shut down. Either they chuckle dismissively and proceed to tell me just how Real and Important this phenomenon is to all concerned or they just dismiss me.

My dog is a neurotic pooper. He'll spend 10 minutes, frantically making sprints from one section of yard to another, only to then ricochet between 2 or 3 points only feet apart looking for Just The Right Spot on which to unburden himself. I asked my brother if he thought this was strange behavior. Happily, 20 years is not enough to completely make my central-Wisconsin born and raised brother go native. He responded that it is lake-effect defecation, and common to Duluth dogs.

#fridayflash Glass Door

2010-02-05T08:47:00.006-06:00

He waited inside the glass door, looking out at the woman taking pictures of his truck. He spent much of his current life waiting behind doors, or stopped behind a convenient SUV, while people discussed his truck with looks of disdain and wonderment. Patience was a virtue, he told himself. He knew if he came out and headed towards it, she would hurry away. She’d probably feel bad or embarrassed at getting caught, so he wanted to avoid that. He certainly wanted to avoid any confrontation or discussion. That happened sometimes, too. Do-gooders, nosey-parkers and assholes liked to talk to him or at him. Regular folks just avoided him. Regular folks were okay, but would only talk to him if they didn’t know. It was kind of a catch-22, but it didn’t matter.

The woman finished taking photos and looked around the parking lot. She had a slightly worried look on her face. He wondered if she was worried about getting caught or about him. Her face turned towards him once but she didn’t see him. That was normal, too. He was forgettable; he blended into brick walls and glass doors. He blended into whatever was there. The only time he was visible was when he was near the truck. Life was funny that way. You could wear the camouflage uniform, put bushes in your helmet and paint your face the color of dark forests – the enemy saw you anyhow. You wore a ridiculous thrift-store conglomeration of ill-fitting seconds, walked in a shuffling gait, probably could use some human contact – and you became invisible to friendlies.

She walked to her own vehicle, fussing with her camera. He watched as she maneuvered through the lot and drove away. He stepped out into the dissipated light of the cloudy day and shuffled towards his truck. His leg was giving him pain today, which was nothing new either. After coming home wounded from Vietnam, pain was his only companion. The only one he could trust, anyhow.

He clambered into the driver’s seat and shoved his store bag into the tumbling avalanche of junk that threatened to engulf him from three directions. An empty, flattened box of HoHos slid down and landed between his legs. The HoHos box wasn’t even his. He had found the box on the ground just like all the other junk that almost completely filled the cab of his little truck. Staring at the colorful box, he wondered again why he did this. His eyes closed.

It took up the empty spaces. The junk filled the emptiness where people – a wife, a friend, a grown child – should be sitting. Instead, his wounds scarred over externally with detritus. He packed himself into his own spaces like a sardine. It felt better that way. Open spaces unnerved him, but filling them with the cast-offs of living people made him feel protected and safe. Soldiers with ragged limbs, blown off jaws and those desperate eyes couldn’t fit between the crumbled McDonald's bags, snack wrappers, plastic food containers and free flyers that wedged his world as tight as he could make it.

His left hand moved over his eyes, while the right grasped the HoHos box. Sighing at himself, he crammed the box into the pile on the dashboard then started the truck. He’d be home soon and could sit in his chair amidst a towering canyon of junk. Be safe, but alone – the two thoughts chased perpetual circles in his mind as he drove out of the lot.

Slife Two

2010-02-03T15:48:00.004-06:00

Slife = slice of life:

A weekly bit showing our daily world,

shared with online friends to get to know one another better.

Started off the day taking Carly & Maggie to our favorite restaurant. It wasn't as busy as usual (lunch crowd and earlier breakfast crowd normally has a bit of a wait) but we didn't get there until around 10am. To understand our appreciation of this restaurant, an example of their awesomeness: Maggie's fruit plate came with blood orange, pineapple, kiwi and banana.

No lame melon filler that normally comes with kids' sides.

We love Duluth Grill.

The obligatory stop at the damn grocery store, where we were all too full to have fun shopping and just wanted to get out of there. Bleah. Excitement factor was nil.

Later, at the stripmall where we stopped to do some little errands, we parked near this vehicle.

There was a small space wedged out for the driver amidst all the junk & mail that comletely filled this truck's cab. Carly & I discussed whether or not the person gets ticketed frequently, what their house might look like if this is their vehicle, etc. We'd never seen anything like it. I'm still mystified and intrigued by it.

My day, until 2pm, was spent at some barely functional level of agony regarding my lower back. I picked up some Ibuprofen, got out the heating pad, had half a cup of Slopehugger coffee from Stop'n'Jo, and sacked out on my bed for an hour listening to 'This American Life' podcast.

I FINALLY feel better!

Investigating Beargrease

2010-01-31T18:58:00.001-06:00

Photos from the start of Beargrease 2010 (sled dog marathon) that we went to today.
The marathon starts in Duluth and is a 380-mile endurance race to almost the Canadian border and back, through the Sawtooth Mountains along Lake Superior's North Shore.

(The man above is/was racing against his son.

Good article on the mushers here. )

These dogs were raring to go - and loud!

Ready, set ...

GO!

(I snuck into VIP area for this. shhhh)

It's late, I'm tired .. and I'm not Vonnegut.

2010-01-31T00:58:00.001-06:00

I am:

Kurt Vonnegut

For years, this unique creator of absurd and haunting tales denied that he had anything to do with science fiction.

Which science fiction writer are you?

Oh, HOW I WISH. These tests only succeed in reminding me how I'm so NOT whomever they tell me I am. Then again, it does make me go all smuggy when I get someone I admire greatly.

#fridayflash "All-night Diner"

2010-01-29T07:54:00.001-06:00

'All-night Diner'

3.5in x 2.5in

India Ink on 140lb cold press

CJ Hodges-MacFarlane

Circle of Friends

2010-01-29T07:49:00.000-06:00

I was given this award by Simon aka Skycycler (@skycycler on Twitter), which is an honor considering his exceptional writing ability, whimsical imagination and easy camaraderie with his peers. I'd like to give this award right back to him in spades.
While having missed many months of flash fiction - therefore many opportunities at getting to know many writers better - these people (and their offerings) stand out in my mind:

Shannon Esposito (@soesposito)
for her stories, especially: Birth of an Idol

Peter Etherington (@petherin)
for his stories, especially: The Distance Between Things

Jennifer Jones (@jentropy)
SnohoStories for the stories, photos and serenity found at her blog.

Stefanie Howerton (@SteferstheGreat)
52 Weeks of Wordage for her infectious exuberance and writing.

mmmmusic

2010-01-27T16:21:00.004-06:00

180 artists, 389 albums, 5215 songs ... and counting.

Most albums per artist goes to Tom Waits with 11, followed by Pink Floyd with 10, Modest Mouse with 9 and Led Zeppelin with 8. Lately, my most played would be Tom Waits and Radiohead. A month or so ago it was Calexico and The Raconteurs.

It amazes me that almost my entire collection (some CDs I never bothered to put on although I have room to double my albums) can fit onto one little bit of electronic gadget no bigger than a small spiral notepad. I don't even consider myself a music lover. But it's so much nicer having it all in one spot that I can take with me, play on the stereo in the car or at home, my headphones at night, etc. I'm still mystified by and thankful for mp3 players.

My music tastes vary greatly, from Primus to Woody Guthrie and Neil Diamond to Gogol Bordello - and it used to be easier to list what I didn't like rather than what I do. But, music genres have gotten so overlapping and strange in the past decade that I can't even really say what I prefer anymore. My teens and I argue over genres all the time - what is punk to them is not punk to me, they call heavy metal "screamo" which, I'll agree, is apt - but we don't agree on bands. It is nice that we share music though. I never bought "kids' music" when they were little, they grew up singing Soundgarden, Presidents of the USA, Harry Belafonte or whatever else I was listening to at the time. "Spoonman" by Soundgarden is a cherished family sing-along song.

Growing up, I had an 8 track player with two tapes - Pink Floyd's The Wall and The Beatles On Abbey Road, which I listened to every night for about 6 years while falling asleep in junior high and high school. I had other albums and tapes, but those were my nightly preferences. I tend to be like that with my music tastes. I'll find an artist and listen them (not quite exclusively) for months on end - then either switch to something else or stop listening altogether for awhile.

I'm like that with all of my interests it seems. Wonder if there's a name for sort of behavior... Is it normal?

slife one

2010-01-26T12:26:00.003-06:00

Slife = slice of life:

A weekly bit showing our daily world,

shared with online friends to get to know one another better.

Had a bit of fun before clearing off the truck.

Carly (18) called me a dork when I came inside, but was laughing.

Maggie (5) thought it was funny and explained where the nose, mouth and ears were located.

The hallway to preschool class causes a bit of vertigo for me,

or perhaps it is having a child just starting

another long trek through 13 more years of school.

still falling ...

2010-01-24T10:33:00.003-06:00

I love fresh, sticky snow.

Meanwhile, my husband is in Hawaii,

missing out.

Or is it the other way around?

It's awfully pretty both places.

unDismal

2010-01-23T18:28:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning in a great mood.
Coffee, good kids, easy-going plans for the day.

It was dismal outside. I don't mean it was raining, which it was. I don't mean it was dirty, which it was. I mean it was dismal - the kind of day that tries to suck the joy right out of you. The grey clouds hung low, so low that the tops of tall trees were hazy. The top of the high, hilly spine that is the headpiece to Duluth's bed by Lake Superior wasn't even visible. It was drizzling, then raining, then nothing, then sleeting, then ... The snow was a foul mix of sand, dirt, exhaust, trash and who knows what else. Between the drippy, sloppy sounds, the chilled humidity, and the greasy blurs of grey/brown - every sense was regaled with DISMAL.

But, I wasn't depressed, despondent or even a little blue.

I noted the dismal day and kept right on laughing, cracking jokes and smiling at anyone who looked my way. Flashing my teeth, spreading a little joy and dancing through the puddled parking lots - I kept the dismal at bay. I was going to take a picture of the dismal day, to try to capture just how horribly dreary and ugly it was... and then I noticed how bright my jeans looked against the nasty concrete sidewalk in front of the hardware store.

Friends located east of me on the globe were talking about what a beautiful, glorious sunny day their world was having. I think mine was just as beautiful and glorious. Why?

I have no idea.
But it felt good.

#fridayflash "Verklempt"

2010-01-21T23:22:00.001-06:00

He dropped it.

His eyes widened into chasms of uncertainty as time slowed. He flailed in mental stop-motion, ineffectually grasping to regain hold of it.

Dust motes sparkled, twinkling a slow waltz in front of his eyes. His mind buzzed with the electric hum of a thousand devastating consequences. Potential - shattering into the dull smithereens of decayed dreams.

His breath, captive in his expanded lungs, prickled and itched to escape. The pressure pulsed ominously on his pores, while the folds of his brain began unraveling. What would happen?

The cat in the closed box winked.

……………

“It’s okay, honey. We can reschedule for another night if you have to work,” she sighed.

“You still love me?” he said, in a quick rush of liberated air.

“Of course I do! It’s just dinner, we can celebrate in other ways when you get home,” her voice warm again after her pause had slowed time. “I’ll see you later, big guy.” She hung up.

…………….

He stared at the picture of his new wife, her heart his most prized possession.

Redemption reanimated his body and he touched the velvet box on his desk. Inside, the platinum cat pendant with diamond eyes lay curled in satin, awaiting its new home close to her heart.

ahem a little uh.. dedication

2010-01-21T14:16:00.004-06:00

This morning, as I sat at the helm of my revived virtual world, I glanced over at the window and saw my ravaged geranium bonsai, now in full bloom, backlit by the sun.

I captured the moment and... Wait, a short backstory is in order.

Recently, the unexpected happened.

I met someone interesting.

In between my mundane activities and stretches of boredom, this person reached out across the miles to make herself known to me and put a spark of anticipation into my days. I didn't realize at first (how could I?) that this person might turn out to be a New Friend.

People (especially online) tend to be passing through, reacting to one blip of your signal with perhaps a return beep, then moving on to other things. Blipping and beeping, texting and tweeting - it's a fickle wwworld, with lots of dry, shifting dunes stretching between oases.

She commented.

I commented.

We commented. We dug deeper and commented more.

We followed and made stalking jokes.

I felt inspired to do some writing, perhaps something creative.

We emailed. We shared.

Inspiration was courting, creativity sat by my side.

We chatted. We told secrets.

For Hours.

We talk about possible trips to meet In Person.

Where is it all leading? Who knows!

But so far, I'm enjoying every moment.

So.

This morning, as I sat at the helm of my revived virtual world, I glanced over at the window and saw my ravaged geranium bonsai, now in full bloom, backlit by the sun.

I captured the moment and am now dedicating this moment to her.

And yes, I'm feeling bit silly, a tad self-conscious - but what the hell?

Carpe diem.

Enough!

2010-01-18T19:40:00.000-06:00

I am really tired of that last post staring me in the face, but am not feeling particularly bloggy.

So, in the meantime, here's a picture for my own viewing pleasure.

#fridayflash "The Right Thing to Say"

2010-01-15T09:41:00.001-06:00

Her friend pulled the truck up to the doors of the hotel. She glanced over at him and said, “Thanks for the ride.” Not bothering to acknowledge his hurt look at the brief comment, she got out, shut the door and walked through the double glass doors and into the hotel lobby. To her right she saw her mother, father and friends, some already standing, waiting for her to join them. The look on every face was of raw concern, whether smiling through it or just frozen in place, like so many deer in the headlights. She couldn’t deal with them right now – she needed to be alone.

The elevator doors stood across the vast lobby and in a split moment’s decision, she headed straight for them instead of to the collective support that waited, holding its breath to see what she would do. She heard someone call her name but kept walking. The elevator doors slid silently open and she stepped in, pushed number three and waited for the doors to close. She saw her dad walking to catch up, the hitch in his walk apparent. He liked to say he’d broken every bone in his body at least once, some twice – and it was the walk that betrayed he might not be exaggerating much. The door slid closed and she rode up alone to the third floor.

She made it to the room and pushed down on the door handle, before she realized she didn’t have the cardkey. She tried again, hoping maybe it would just open out of respect for her need, but the door wasn’t obliging. She leaned her forehead on the cool wood, content just to stand there forever, realizing with surprised detachment that she still smelled like the hospital, like witch hazel.

A hand reached out to her shoulder and gently pulled her back to make room. Her dad slid the cardkey in with his weathered, almost mahogany-tanned hand with its thick, clean nails. He liked to show her “nail strengthening exercises” for those times when one is caught without their pocketknife and needs to pry something loose with a fingernail. She didn’t quite believe the exercises worked, but did them anyway because his nails were unbendable, tough and she wanted to believe everything he took the time to tell her.

He opened the door and she went to the far bed and sat on the edge, facing the window. He stood alongside her with his hands in his pockets, also not seeing the same vista through the opaque curtains. He waited for her.

“Dad? That sucked.”

“I know, honey.” His voice, made deeper, and face were ravaged with pain and empathy, his slate-gray eyes searching the curtains for something to make her okay.

The tears welled up into her eyes, making the room blur into an underwater realm of pleasantly colored light woods, and distinctly hotel-like colors and patterns. She stood up and buried her face in his shoulder. The tears flowed from her eyes in hot rivers and she clutched at the front of his lightly plaid shirt with both hands. All the grief and anguish had surprised her – she never cried. It welled out of her as if some foreign entity had possessed her. She was both crying and watching herself carry on, embarrassed but not unclenching the fists of plaid shirt in her hands. Her dad embraced her with both arms, not saying a word – just holding her, gentle and solid.

She could smell his familiar morning odor of spice and musk from his “cheap, but does the job” aftershave, coffee, and 40 years of mentholated cigarettes. He hadn’t started smoking until he was in the hospital, after some Korean War injury he never talked about. His buddies would bring him cartons of smokes and he’d just pass ‘em on to others in the ward, until someone brought him menthols, and the smell reminded him of one of his meds. He started smoking them as if they’d somehow have the same effect, and had never quit. She had picked up the habit the night of her 16th birthday, when it was legal, because she wanted to be just like him.

Her nose clogged up now, forcing her mouth open to catch ragged breaths of air. The sounds that escaped her were not of her. They were from some mewling, grotesque cave creature. Why had she done it? Why had she acted so cavalier about it all? The only time she had felt slightly off-kilter with the whole deal was when she was looking at her father, the pain in his eyes over her decision apparent, only slightly hidden by his love for her. He was her rock, and she had shaken him without regard, but he was too kind to say anything. Her tears were not only for herself, but for the pain she had caused him and, unknowingly, for the guilt of that inflicted pain she would carry long after he was gone.

When she became self-aware again, the tears subsided. She pulled back and hung there, feeling cleaned out and used up. She didn’t know how long they’d stood there, but it had been long enough. Cracking a little grin, she touched the black smudges of mascara and slick wetness of her dad’s shirt.

“I got your shirt dirty.”

“Oh Christ, it’ll wash.” He cracked a little grin back at her, reaching into his back pocket to get his hanky. He handed it to her and, knowing better than unfolding it, she dabbed at her puffed and sore eyes. She took a deep, only slightly ragged breath and tried a wider smile at him. His moist eyes twinkled, under his slightly bushy, grayed brows and he touched her cheek, “That’s my girl.” And she was.

Today's Rationalization

2010-01-12T10:25:00.000-06:00

Pictured above is my blooming geranium bonsai.

I'm quite proud of it and it's lovely photogenic lines.

As a serial destroyer of proper bonsai trees and shrubs,

a gentle suggestion was given to me

to try taming the precocious geranium,

as it might be easier on my conscience and pocketbook.

It's aesthetic lines and startling blooms remind me that,

although my paths may wander without comprehensible reason,

occasionally I am rewarded with unexpected beauty.

Acupuncture & Indian Food: Novella of First Experiences

2010-01-10T13:26:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, I went with my eldest daughter and my sister-in-law to my first acupuncture session and first Indian dining experience. Both locations were dimly lit so I couldn't provide my own pictures, so I have, with minimal guilt, stolen all photos to make this a more interesting experience for you and more time consuming and annoying one for me. Go Martyrs!

My SiL is one of those new-agey types, which normally provides a lot of scoffy mirth in our family, but on occasion she lures me into some of her wonky gigs - usually with a little food bribery. She knew I'd not tried Indian food before and was hankering to - so she offered to buy me Indian lunch if I went to a "community" acupuncture session this month with her. (Having failed her last month, as I withdrew at the last minute due to stress ... Irony noted.)

The acupuncture studio was in an old office space above the Electric Fetus (Great music/head shop/cool stuff store - but don't say "I'd like an electric fetus candle for Christmas", unless you are with someone who knows that the Electric Fetus is the name of a store, not a contraption). We deshod outside the door and walked into the tiny room partitioned with curtains. The obligatory decor (prints of Buddha, myriads of official looking certifiying certificates, and lots of - WAIT - enough detail, this could become book length. I'm sure it looked like every other desperately hopeful acupuncture joint.

Sitting in a comfy recliner facing some random, close-eyed woman with needles poking out of her head, and my SiL and daughter to either side of me in their own comfy chairs, I tried to relax. Everyone's feet were facing the center of the room, and luckily I treated this outing like a 3rd date and had shaved, pumiced, gratered and painted before leaving home. When it was my turn to get punctured, the waif-like Mistress of the Needle asked me some questions, I told her no lies, and she proceeded to gently palpate areas of my body and stick pins in my feet, legs, hands and yes - on the top of my head. The last made me jump a little - I did not expect my skin to make a quiet popping noise as it broke the skin. Yes, ew. But - no pain!

She left me there to marinate in my newly skewered chi. I waited for something to happen. I listened to the chanty music. I watched the fountain. I checked out the bottom of random woman's feet (hardly calloused!). I closed my eyes and thought about if my chin was obviously doubling. I counted everyone else's needles and found I only had 7 compared to their over 10 or more - which made me momentarily jealous, then smug - because I was obviously in better overall health. I thought about Indian food. I wondered how I was to tell if I was feeling something or was it just the fountain, dim lights and soft chanty music making me relaxed. I thought about how this wasn't an ideal situation to scientifically deduce if those various needles were doing any good. I wondered how long I had to sit there. At some point, she came and took the needles out and smiled with warm expectancy at me. I smiled back unsurely, chirped "Thanks!" and jumped up to get on to my Indian food. I'm sorry to say I don't know if it worked, but I'd do it again for no other reason than it's not bad to relax in a cozy setting while mimicking a pin cushion.

Next stop - India Palace. Nice decor, dimly lit with fancy elephant gods and pretty exotic ladies decorating the walls. Sadly, they only offered buffet lunch (I loathe buffets), but since I was being Daring that day I didn't moan. Clientele was mainly those Green & Therefore Cool smuggy types (huge population of those in Duluth) and Indians (dot not feather, although huge population of the latter in Duluth as well).

I didn't order any beverage since I wasn't paying, although some of the strange yogurty drinks looked promising. Everything looked kind of yucky except the bread (paan) and the chutney (I liked the mint), but that's true of some of the dishes I make so it didn't mean they weren't good, right? Well, the curried meatballs looked bad and were bad. But the tandoori chicken was yummy, and the saag paneer (spinach & cheese goo) was scrumptious over some really tasty basmati rice. (Yes, I looked all these up a minute ago, since of course I didn't memorize the names on the spot. Eating excursion, not to-be-quizzed-later.) The rice pudding (kheer) was exceptional and surprisingly flavored. I'd go back, but not for buffet.

And a day later? I'm still feeling relatively stress-free and the Indian food did not give me heartburn. About as much as one can hope for!

Winter Beach

2010-01-09T08:42:00.001-06:00

Here are few photos taken on Jan 8, 2010 on an excursion to the shores of Lake Superior with my daughter.

Temperature was 6 degrees.

All ice boulders and ice rocks on shore of Lake Superior. None of these are actually rocks, some are as large as 3ft across.

Icicle pool, about the size of a hot tub.

Not hot.

Breakwater on Wisconsin Point

Taken from the shoreline - new ice field created by incoming ice and slush from the lake.

Loose sand blown away from frozen sand, leaving beach detritus on small pedestals.

Me, freezing, but enjoying the ice beach excursion.

vocabulary

2009-12-14T10:27:00.000-06:00

The amusing problem of a 5 yr old having an extensive vocabulary is that some words fall sideways into their brain.
"Can I go outside and play in the snow? I'll get all bungled up! Do I have to wear a scarp?"

#fridayflash "Family Ties"

2009-09-18T16:09:00.004-05:00

It started almost imperceptibly, after she had unexpectedly become the single parent of too many kids. Small breaks for contemplation over a cigarette and a cup of coffee lasted longer. Moments of introspection lengthened into mornings of mulling and afternoons of inaction. She was letting go of exercising her maternal obligations in favor of the internal occupation of thinking about them. Hard decisions, bad memories and fears plied for her attention alongside hopes, fantasies and recollections - and ruminating on these had become an addiction. She thought incessantly on ways to keep her family safe and well cared for with only one parent. She was their mother, it was her obligation.

As some of her brood got older and more able to handle the daily routine without her help, she had more time to think about how she shouldn’t let the children do all the work. The children would say her name three or four times before she would hear it. Her irritation was evident in the sharp snap of her reply or the slicing redirection of her gaze from the window to the intrusive child. Alternatively, she’d often let a child sit on her lap while her hand would gently stroke their arm or hair in time to some invisible metronome. They thought of her as a loving mother because of those moments. That she would, perhaps once a week, sit them all down for lengthy and repetitive lectures on How to Be a Good Child in the Face of Adversity, showed them that she cared.

The smaller children figured out that if they waylaid her coming out of the bathroom or getting back from a cigarette run, they might get to occupy her attention for a short while before she was drawn inexorably back to the chair. There were more and more days that she would answer the older children’s questions, but in a dazed manner, as if she’d been struck on the head recently or was just coming out of a faint and wasn’t sure where she was at the moment. There were nights when she never made it to bed. One of the smaller children would make a midnight potty trip and see the glow of her cigarette reflecting off the windowpane, and a pang of loss would clench their heart. Misunderstanding that pang for fear, they’d hurry back into bed and hold tightly to their bears or blankets until falling back to sleep. She had begun to slightly frighten some of the children, but she was unaware of it. For her part, when she noticed a small child padding from the bathroom at night, she was wracked with guilt over the state of their sad little lives, or the fact that they didn’t call to her for help anymore. She didn’t understand why she’d lost them, so she would contemplate that as well.

The school officials dealt endlessly with behaviorally difficult children and parents, so her quiet and unobtrusive family was somewhat of a relief, regardless of the fact she never showed up to the children’s concerts or conferences. It was all too easy for her to continue, even intensify, her introspective ways. The eldest children graduated but continued living at home to “help out”. They’d hold family meetings and discuss important matters by her chair, more out of respect than necessity because they rarely could break her reverie. The children took good care of her - fixing her food, which would often sit for hours unnoticed unless someone took away the coffee and cigarettes , at least until she’d get a few grudging bites in her mouth. Only the braver children would take away her necessities though, risking the cuss words hissed through clenched teeth, flashing eyes and invariably repentant tears at having been mean to one of her children. Years passed by and nothing much changed except the children’s height.

It started almost imperceptibly, after she had stopped caring for herself altogether. Through the years, small trinkets and fresh flowers had often been left on the table by her chair from this or that child, as tokens of their love. But now that she needed her personal hygiene attended to, the children made small changes. Increasingly, she was dressed in more colorful houserobes and wore more jewelry. She had become a sort of living icon, enshrined on her chair with her cigarette smoke curling through the air like incense. They brushed her hair until it gleamed, and applied soft make-up to her wan cheeks. They kept her safe and well cared for between them all. She was their mother, it was their obligation.

#fridayflash "Letter to the Editor"

2009-09-11T12:42:00.002-05:00

To the Editors of Gourmet Trends,

We, here at GenetiFoods Corporation, would like to set the record straight regarding your brief article about our new line of treats. We are not the “barbaric overachievers” of the food industry, nor are we “blithe caterers to the X-omnis”, as your magazine erroneously labeled our corporation and our endeavors in the last issue (May 2120). We cater to all vores and do not ally ourselves with nor show preference to any specific group. (In fact, our efforts in creating more products for the insectivores are unparalleled – and everyvore knows that they are the toughest consumer market of all, with their overabundance of naturally occurring, albeit highly distasteful, food supply.) By designating us as “barbaric”, you designate our global customers as barbarians!

GenetiFoods Corp. does not overachieve, but rather we simply strive to feed the people. Our vast array of meticulously formulated consumables has withstood the test of time – from the early years of genhanced meats and vegenmatter to better feed growing global populations through the Famine War, to keeping up with supply and demand through the dark Green Age, and continues today in these times of highly demarcated consumer vore-factions. We are a global corporation retaining amazing longevity and the continued trust of all the vores. We have always been at the forefront of the Consumption Question – spearheading bold, and may we add successful, moves in the genetic engineering of new food products, safely and consistently.

Considering the latest atrocities committed by the extremist vore-factions of omnis and veguerillas (which epitomize barbarity, with their growing propensity towards mutual elimination, the latter in a vindictive reversal of long-held morals with its “eat the hunter” campaign), we feel strongly that our good name not be allied with any such extremist groups. Please retract your statements publically and without delay.

We would hope that our new line of tasty treats, e.g. JelliedBears and Elecones, inspires some revitalization of joie de vivre in the various vore markets. The older vores amongst us can attest to having made it a long way in a short time regarding global satiation, and more’s the pity to backslide into the Green Age-mentality of “feed to live” rather than enjoy one’s food – which is what we thought your publication is trying to overcome.

Adiro Helesthion Grubenhoff III, CEO
GenetiFoods Corporation

(story and illustration both by me)

Gigantic

2009-09-09T23:41:00.003-05:00

I just watched, found kind of by chance*, a cool film called 'Gigantic' with a nifty cast (including awesome part played by Ed Asner!) and good soundtrack. It is one of those slightly odd movies with lots of interesting characters, half of which you either wish you were or wish were part of your life.

Insanely expensive mattresses, shroom tea, Chinese baby adoption, possibly imaginary stalker, dictator piñatas and ... Well, worth seeing, in my opinion. Yay for the unexpected entertainment!

* #1 daughter was in the mood for an easy-going romance film, so we searched by genre and looked at 'Gigantic' because it's the name of a great Pixies song. We then saw Zooey Deschanel's name and felt one good omen double, then triple with Ed Asner, and quadruple with John Goodman. We didn't recognize Paul Dano's name, but he was excellent in the lead.

Two Score

2009-09-08T09:24:00.000-05:00

I am 40 years old today.
I wish it felt more magical or surreal, but I'm not as surprised by the lack of magic in the world anymore. Maybe that's what getting middle-aged is ... The realization that 99.9% of the time 'this is all there is'. The other .01% is what keeps you going, hoping, searching, waiting and observing.

It's kind of pathetic, but in an endearing way. Castles of sand, that kind of thing.

Now.. where's my coffee cup? I've got mundanities to avoid.

#fridayflash - Stuck

2009-09-04T08:52:00.001-05:00

Standing to one side, I watched the crouched figure remove a nail from between its lips. The figure swiveled slightly, sweeping its gaze past me just for a moment. The opaque eyes panned the landscape beyond without searching or wavering. I might have been a fleeting emotion; untouched, unobserved and unable to connect with this consumed being.

Slowly, it placed the nail on top of its pale foot and brought the hammer down in one precise swing. No hesitation in the movement, no acknowledgement of pain, only deep involvement in the process. Nail from lips, to foot, swing of hammer and repeat the process. The figure’s tortured feet bristled with the consecrated nails. The ground beneath was a red reflective pool of form, action and indifference.

I shut my eyes to the void where anguish should be, and opened them to the dim light of my office. My throat was dry when I spoke.

“It seems your parents requested this meeting, yes?”

Giving the file an explanatory nudge, I glanced over at the young woman sitting across from me in the over-stuffed chair. My question hung in the air, as expected. I was the last hope after neuroscientists, psychiatrists and shamans. I was the traveler to her living purgatory. But I wasn’t her hope.

“I’m sorry.” Pausing for gentle emphasis, I continued, “I cannot help you.”

My senses intensified to gage her reaction - a honed response from having issued this innocuous finality before. The young woman continued to mindlessly regard the carpet, picked for its soothing blend of soft colors and simple patterns. The decorator had done well, but the lack of vitality in the office was almost obtrusive. Or perhaps I was still dealing with remnants of the girl’s psyche.

I paged the attendant to escort the young woman back to her room.
Gazing at her parent’s number on top of the closed file, I reached for the telephone handset. My mind conjured up the vision of a hammer swinging down resolutely. My knuckles went to my eyes, rubbing ineffectively to erase the visual that looped quietly in my head.

(story & illustration by me)

... for my listening pleasure

2009-08-30T19:57:00.000-05:00

Having written previously about my lack of tenacity concerning new interests/projects, I would like to mention one abiding interest - podcasts!

I've had my Zune for over 2 years (upgraded once) and here is the short list of podcasts that I continue to listen to religiously:

This American Life A stimulating weekly radio/TV/free podcast, centered around changing weekly themes and stories that illustrate that theme.

The Moth Great unrehearsed stories direct from the storyteller, spoken in front of a live audience. My favorite podcast!

PRI: Selected Shorts Wonderfully narrated works of short fiction in front of a live audience.

I highly recommend all three of the above. While I have listened to many various other podcasts and found them entertaining, none have stood the test of time quite as well.

An honorable mention goes to the following, as a kind of guilty pleasure:

Smodcast Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier (the movies Dogma, Clerks, Jay & Silent Bob, etc.), waxing unpoetic and often quite lascivious about anything and everything, but hilarious enough to keep me laughing on long drives. Not for the prude!

Other podcasts have either fallen by the wayside or are so hit-and-miss that I hesitate to recommend them, and a few more are still in testing stages.

Within the last few months I've also become a member of Audible, and have been enjoying audiobooks regularly (which has cut down on my podcast time). I did find that I'm picky as hell concerning the voice of the narrator. I'd give Neil Gaiman first place as best narrator, and second place goes to Shaun Dooley, who sadly only has narrated 3 books that I can find - hopefully more are in the works. Maybe that's another blog post.

Oh, where's the Esperanto podcasts you ask? Good question, beyond a few radio shows from various countries, the net is powerfully lacking in Esperanto podcasts. If anyone knows of any - let me know!

Cat on a Butterfly Farm

2009-08-29T11:35:00.003-05:00

Confession:

I'm learning to accept my character (flaw?) of being constantly distracted by new projects/interests, while rarely sticking to them. One can only receive gently amused looks from friends and family members for so long before accepting certain facts.
I've decided that it isn't a bad thing, as if I could stop myself somehow...

kurta penso

2009-08-28T12:46:00.003-05:00

Nu, mi lernas Esperanton kaj nun ĝi iĝas pli malfacila. Mia filino ankaŭ lernas, sed ŝi ne ŝatas paroli, nur skribu kaj legu ĝin.
Multaj personoj helpas nin, el tuta mondo! Mi havas novamikojn kiujn parolas Esperanton el Tŭitero, Lernu.net kaj Facebook. Kelkfoje, mi iris al babilejo kaj parolu kun esperantistoj. Mi supozas ke ĝin estos facila kun pli laboro.

Esperanto

2009-08-18T19:29:00.001-05:00

Mi estas komencanto de Esperanto!

Duluth Bear

2009-07-08T08:04:00.002-05:00

Duluth Bear
Originally uploaded by hojpoj.

This bear sits outside Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Canal Park, Duluth MN. It's kind of a mini Duluth icon... Maggie just got 6 stitches on her chin from a run-in with a post, which explains the bandaging on her face.

Monday Morning

2009-06-22T08:13:00.002-05:00

It's been a ridiculously annoying morning and I haven't even had a cup of coffee yet. I woke up, with a start, at 6:22am to the sound of Kate's door shutting. I looked around and saw a pile of dog poop on the carpet, which I cleaned up while snarling at Kiko. I took him out and noticed the sky looked like impending rain. Kiko did nothing except get bird white wash on his nose. I brought him in and flopped back on the couch. Kate came out and said she woke up too early, so she heads downstairs to watch TV. Why didn't she take out the dog when she first woke up? She says didn't know she should, even though I've asked her every day for a week. Kiko whined at the stairwell. I laid there and tried to relax... I look up again to catch Kiko in the act of defiling my carpet again. Had he been whining to go out or because his Kate was downstairs? I jumped up snarling and threw him outside. Cleaned up the mess and laid back down again, only to notice it was just starting to sprinkle outside. Screw the dog - let him get wet.
I started to wonder when Kate had to catch the bus, so I got up and asked her - 10 more minutes. Laid there, counting the seconds. Kate came up, and got an umbrella because it was raining a bit harder. She left, and I lay there a short while then decide to get the dog in - but as I walk towards the back door, I see the top of an umbrella through the window. What?!? I opened the door to see Kate, who had missed the bus. Not her fault, of course - it drove right past, earlier than usual, as she was crossing the main street. Growling and cussing, I tell her to bring the dog in and dry him off while I got my jacket on to go. It starts pouring in earnest. Grab the dog (no one is awake to watch him, kennel too small) and we all get in the Durango. It won't start, imagine that - doesn't like wet days. Try again, again, again and again. Finally it shudders to life, and I let it run to warm it up a bit. The windshield fogs up as we head out. Sheets of rain, lots of cars, smelly wet dog, and two nettlesome people. Drop off the kid and head home almost, but not quite, chuckling at my day thus far.

I'm home now, and the coffee is ready.

Thoughts ATC

2009-05-20T12:44:00.002-05:00

Thoughts ATC
Originally uploaded by hojpoj.

Finished this today... I like it so much, I probably won't be trading or selling it. I'm learning to KEEP the ones I really like, prints can always be made later.

Pink Elephant

2009-05-15T14:34:00.002-05:00

Elecone ATC
Originally uploaded by hojpoj.

Here's another entry into a surrealism swap I'm taking part in.

Stuck ATC

2009-05-14T16:39:00.002-05:00

Stuck ATC
Originally uploaded by hojpoj.

For a surrealism swap, this figure's been haunting my sketchbooks for awhile now.

Mime in Small Box ATC

2009-05-13T12:10:00.002-05:00

Mime in Small Box ATC
Originally uploaded by hojpoj.

Done for a personalized trade - gave me lots of trouble! I'm not used to drawing people - even painted people.

But, it turned out alright.

Year of the Rabbit

2009-05-01T09:45:00.002-05:00

Year of the Rabbit
Originally uploaded by hojpoj.

First rabbit card done by request for a personalized swap - it was my first swap and it was FUN!

Facebook

2009-04-26T19:56:00.001-05:00

It's evil.

With doom frosting.

Twisty Roots

2009-04-18T16:19:00.002-05:00

Twisty Roots
Originally uploaded by hojpoj.

We went back to Jay Cooke State Park today, on a different trail. It was full of moss and very cool cedars with roots like these.

one of THOSE trees

2009-04-17T16:57:00.002-05:00

one of THOSE trees
Originally uploaded by hojpoj.

I could spend a load of time staring at this tree, with the river running behind it and the waterfall off to the right... *happy sigh*

I think it's a cedar.

Taken in Amnicon Falls State Park in Northern Wisconsin.

Big Manitou Falls

2009-04-15T15:53:00.001-05:00

Pattison State Park, where we went hiking today.

Kiko going to the park

2009-04-15T11:38:00.001-05:00

Just a *little* nervous.

A hike a day...

2009-04-14T20:41:00.001-05:00

reinforces my love of the outdoors and my fear of heights. The picture was taken on the Munger Trail southwest of Duluth, MN.

I also joined Twitter, which was kind of silly - since I have lost most of my internet friends over the years (15th year online!) and can't seem to find them. Ah well.

I was accepted to join IllustratedATCs.com which is way cool, but it's kind of difficult to figure out how to use. We'll see - lotsa swaps and exceptional artists on there, though.

The Two Chefs

2009-04-11T10:22:00.001-05:00

Maggie getting a lesson in the fine art of bread making with Kathee. Beautifully made aprons by Jill.

mmm... Cookies

2009-04-10T19:04:00.001-05:00

Oatmeal craisin! Our treat for a night of Mexican Train and good company.

Nice shootin', Tex

2009-04-10T08:38:00.002-05:00

Nice shootin', Tex
Originally uploaded by hojpoj.

First target practice this spring (my Taurus PT 92, 9mm - 12 yds).

I'm no gun fanatic, hold no particular political views on it, nor do I shoot anything but paper. I just like to shoot at targets - it's fun.

That being said - WOOO! Happy with my first target day in over 6 months.

Early moss

2009-04-07T15:44:00.000-05:00

Happy! Lush moss everywhere... on the Munger trail today with husband, daughter and dog.

Tonight's Entertainment

2009-04-04T23:36:00.001-05:00

Shadowmaster's Tattooing in Cloquet... My sister-in-law's first tattoo!

Took 4 hours, mostly because it was her own design so the artist had to do her own sketches, work out details, etc. In the end - it was worth it. Hopefully I'll have pics of the tat soon.

The artist, Maura, was nifty. I might be going back to get some work done on an old tattoo of mine that needs sprucing up. She's my #1 pick now - since I haven't really been drawn to any other tattoo joint in the area.

tire damage

2009-03-29T16:09:00.000-05:00

This is what we pulled out of our car's tire. Ugh!

Munger Trail Dogwalk

2009-03-28T12:01:00.001-05:00

My nifty brother with his Otto and my Kiko on the Munger Trail - a short hike from our neighborhood.

Overheard conversation

2009-03-25T11:28:00.004-05:00

Daughter (4): What do you want to do?
Son (14): I dunno.
Daughter: No! What do you want to do?
Son: Flush you down the toilet.
Daughter: Nooo!
Son: *picking her up and heading towards bathroom* C'mon - it'll be fuuun!
Daughter:*squealing and giggling* noooooo!
Son: Sure! There's LOTS of other Maggies down there - just like you!

HA!!!

newish puppy

2009-03-21T11:28:00.001-05:00

Kiko - our newish mini schnauzer

Maggie at Sunshine Cafe

2009-03-20T12:33:00.000-05:00

Miss Thang

blah blah blah

2009-03-20T12:04:00.006-05:00

I took Maggie all over creation yesterday. Out to eat at Sunshine Cafe, where she was fauned over by the owner. Maggie drew a picture and it went up on the wall - she was so proud! Then we toodled here and there, did this and that. She got a fancy new nightgown that looks like a fairy dress. She LOVES it. Later, she became squeevil and commenced to get in much trouble for this and that towards evening. Rotten, ungrateful child. I was tough though, and wouldn't let her get away with it. She didn't get to wear her new nightgown/dress until today.

She was supposed to go to daycare today, but since she's been invited over for a sleepover with Caryn, I thought it best to keep her home so they don't wear out of each other so quickly. We'll (me, Carly, Maggie) will head over there around 7pm and big kids will play Mexican Train while the wee ones frolic and fight.

Hopefully, it will be fun. Last time it wasn't, the time before it was - always such a gamble.

Carly's art project she's been working on, the one with faces on black paper, is complete and her art teacher loved it so much, she matted it for her while Carly was away, then gave it to her. Carly is SO SO proud. We're getting a frame when she comes home from school, and we'll hang it in the living room. Which she is also extremely thrilled about. She's a-beam whenever it's discussed. Tamra saw it, got teary eyed and gave Carly a hug and said "law enforcement?!? bah - what a waste!" all snortily. Carly positively GLOWED. It is fun to watch her GLOW.

And it's chilly with flurries today. *grumble* All week, the dog and Maggie have enjoyed being out in the balmy weather. Now it's over.

Oh! I also sold an art card from my explexia.etsy.com shop, which was surprising, since I haven't promoted at all or done anything really - except relist last year's nonsold items until I can make more. Yay!

Books!

2009-03-19T12:07:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I was poking around on Amazon, because I had a coupon and bought 6 books for Maggie, with free shipping. I got:

The Funny Little Woman by Arlene Mosel (one of my most favorite books from childhood - she laughs "tee hee hee" and has a magic spoon that can make unlimited rice dumplings, and escapes the Wicked Oni from underground - it's like an Asian folk story)

A Beasty Story by Bill Martin Jr. (looked good)
The Granny-Man by Judy Schachner (same one who writes the Skippyjon Jones books, about an old Siamese cat who gets a new lease on life when they bring a kitten in for him to teach)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. (Little's favorite childhood book)
Don't You Feel Well, Sam? by Amy Hest (another in the Sam books like Maggie's Kiss Goodnight)
Barn Dance! by Bill Martin (looked really good, about what happens in the barn after people go to sleep, has something to do with a scarecrow, too.)

Then from a non-Amazon seller for $11 because it's not in print anymore:

A Little Book of Little Beasts by Mary Ann Hoberman (my absolute all-time favorite childhood poem book.. 'pollywiggle pollywog, tadpole bullfrog, leaps on long legs, jug-o-rum jelly eggs, eats flies spied by flicker eyes...' I still can recite many of them!)

And until right now, I didn't have any inkling that I got 3 books by Bill Martin Jr... wow, odd.

Anyhow, Maggie's been getting 3-4 bedtime books read to her a night so I'm stoked that she FINALLY is interested, and couldn't help getting her some new ones for her own collection. YAY! I would have gotten tons more, but just put them on my shopping list for another time.

Steps forward

2009-03-05T12:17:00.002-06:00

I've reopened my Explexia shop on Etsy, with nothing new added so far - just previous inventory from before my move to Duluth, MN. Amazingly, it's as if I never stopped selling.. my same hovering over the shop, anxiety over what to create and the lurking about in various areas of the Etsy community has started. But, I'm feeling a bit less worried about it - not too concerned with promotion or anything. It's all just There.

Sadly, I can't reopen the Hojpoj site yet, because all my finished pieces are buried yards deep beneath summer equipment and boxes in the garage - I can't get to them without supreme hassle, much less create a workspace. The whole work area will have to be revisited in warmer weather. So, the stained glass is on major hold.

Meanwhile, I find myself trying to figure out my daily schedule. When to do art?

Layoff and irresponsible acquisitions

2009-02-06T09:13:00.004-06:00

Well, I've joined the thousands of others who've been laid off. Luckily, my husband is still working and my job wasn't a huge contribution monetarily - more of a therapy for me to which I could escape. Now is a good time for me to get the house in better order, get the puppy we've been eyeing, spend time working on a few other projects, etc.

The economy is scarier every day. Sheesh. And here I am adding to the family with a dog. Ah well.

11th hour on the job

2008-11-10T01:03:00.000-06:00

and I'm gettin' tired...

the skinny

2008-11-07T11:57:00.000-06:00

Thought I'd kill a little time while waiting for the latest episode of "Life" (my favorite cop drama) to download.
I attended a great wedding this past weekend - the pic is of the cathedral entrance. I had a ton of fun, those Italians can throw a wedding!
I've also been finding new (for me) music - of Montreal, The Black Keys, a new Los Lobos and a new Beck album...probably more I'm forgetting.
It snowed on me today while driving. Or we had some fluffy rain, as my nifty RR passenger, Broncko, preferred me to say ... snow being a four-letter word.

The Red Mug

2008-11-03T09:54:00.000-06:00

A while ago, I finally made it to this coffee shop in Superior, WI, where my brother sells his pottery. It was great - hope I get the chance to go back often!

Day at the shore

2008-10-15T07:54:00.000-05:00

Sunny but brisk on Lake Superior yesterday ...

More..

2008-10-12T23:20:00.000-05:00

While these are pretty nifty, the best ones still elude me.

Train art

2008-10-12T23:17:00.000-05:00

Captured this a.m.

Down time

2008-10-12T05:57:00.000-05:00

I've been up driving all night, and now I actually scored a run with enough wait time to grab a bite at Perkins.
Sadly, I'm alone in the pre-dawn, thin crowd of sobering couples and cab drivers. I had paperwork to catch up on, so at least I could bury my nose in something while trying to avoid the glances of regulars.

Excellent timing!

2008-09-24T09:25:00.000-05:00

Between calls, sittin' at home and what do I find on the tube??
Planet of the Apes!!
Yay!!!

Graffiti Art

2008-09-24T08:38:00.000-05:00

Blogging from a mobile phone is cool, but I do miss my spellcheck.
Anyhow, working around trains, I am constantly seeing absolutely stunning examples of graffiti on the sides of the rail cars. Sadly, it seems the best ones are too hard for me to get a good picture, for various reasons. But occasionally I can, and this was taken early this morning while I was waiting for a Union Pacific conductor to pull some switches.
It was much better in person, and I'm not adept at the cameraphone yet - but you get the idea.
Hopefully, I can catch more in the future as I find them very interesting.

A Great New Hang-Out

2008-09-23T14:43:00.000-05:00

Having been a patron of many all-day-breakfast food joints, I was overjoyed to find this little gem in Superior, WI. The prices are great (2 eggs, hashbrowns, bacon and toast for $3.65!), the food is yummy and the atmosphere is totally chummy. Seniors playing cards, everyone seems to at least be acquintances, and even a counter with stools! It's my new favorite eatery. But, come with cash, no credit taken. I wish it was open all night, too, as that seems to be the time I'm sitting with time between train runs. I still like it enough to share by taking a quick pic of the counter/kitchen area.

The Skinny

2008-09-20T09:00:00.004-05:00

After a loooong break, I'm finally getting around to my internet presence again. Here's the skinny on what's new with me:

I now live in Duluth, MN! The Northland!
Nice town - although I'm a little fearful of the coming winter. Lots to do for outdoor enthusiasts, that's for sure.

I am back in the workforce. I drive as a railroad crew transporter. These conductor/engineer crews have to get taken by automobile from/to their yard offices to outlying areas where they can jump on their trains. So, I get a big ol' Suburban to keep with me, being on call pretty much all the time (round the clock), and I run around within a 500 mile radius to drive train crews to wherever they need to go.

It SO beats working in an office. Lots of alone time, interesting stories exchanged, etc. I have my Zune (mp3 player) which now gets oodles of use, a nifty AT&T Palm Centro mobile phone with internet/cameraphone/MMS that keeps me in contact with my family (teens love to text, even if it's just to Mum). I'm hoping to get the whole update the blog via the phone thing working, but I'm still painfully new at it all.

I hope to be taking some photos of the neat things I get to see, perhaps share some stories of this new adventure. Lots of ideas - but often I have big dreams when the reality is less kind. We'll see.

Sadly, this means I have about zero time for stained glass. I still have an inventory of finished pieces that I can relist on Etsy. But I've hardly any space in the box-filled garage (with no electricity) to actually work on the glass itself. BUMMER!

But, I am totally capable of continuing with my 2D artwork, and plan to get that going soon. My poor Etsy shops have been sitting desolate for months now. I've had to quit my Etsy Glass Group, which sucks. But, things are what they are.

So, now that I've lost ANY readership I may of gained ... back to square one.

moblog

2008-09-19T17:41:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day Video

2008-06-13T15:02:00.001-05:00

To Daddy from Maggie!

Podcasts: Pick of the Week #2

2008-05-23T21:37:00.007-05:00

The podcast I'd like to bring attention to this week is an absolute MUST to download, featuring stories by regular folks, told to a live audience, and collected for your listening pleasure by a not-for-profit group. The stories range from the poignant to the hilarious, and while they aren't polished or perfect - which is part of the charm, in my opinion - they reach that common denominator in us all. Laughing at ourselves, empathizing with others and FEEL in a way that is amazing without being over-the-top with Big Money bells and whistles.

If you don't have an iPod or mp3 player, I still urge you to give it a listen via your computer. I can't gush enough about these storytellers or their stories. The only downside I have found so far is there aren't enough of them to greedily hoard - you have to be patient for the weekly additions after your first download. I don't regret listening to any of them, nor have I skipped even a part of one. They are all worthwhile, and some are truly gems. My favorite so far is "Richard Price: Fishing Hole on Delancey", but even by picking a favorite, I feel as though I'm doing all of them an injustice.

Go to the website (via the linked image above) and you can find out how to subscribe to the podcast and tons of other information - it's a whole Moth world.

LOLspeak: OMG teh fun timez 2 be havin wit dis ting

2008-05-18T22:34:00.008-05:00

Tehre is beesin a nu langwajez in webtahn. Its be calling lolspeak. As a lovah of teh langwajez, I has 2 say dis shood buggin mez (I tewtully doan evun like it wan people cannutt speel oot "you") but, OMGROFL, sewmezthin bowt it tikklez mah funnehbone. I doan likey dem kewtzy pikturz of kittis, much lessins dem silly blurbs sewmez peepul be unjoyun pastin on tehm, but dis is where lolspeak wuz be startin at in teh first place. If youz takes a lookinz aroun teh internet, youz will find all sewrts of deez places dat talk bowt dis nu phenomeznon. Kthxbai!

more cat pictures

Goodbye, Rabbit

2008-05-17T22:10:00.004-05:00

Out of the blue, with little to no earnest promotion by me - I sold two ACEOs in my Explexia shop today. One of a moon and bird - and the other was the 5th in the 2nd series of my rabbit.

I haven't been doing much with the art shop lately, due to my increased productivity with my stained glass. It's nice to see that people are still looking though - and even purchasing.

The other problem I'd been having with the art is that my stained glass mentor, a suberb artist in a few mediums, had mentioned that perhaps I should make artwork larger than the standard ACEO - she loves the art, but the size is just too small for her tastes. Which is something I had been considering myself. Perhaps I lack the confidence to use a bigger size, or perhaps I like the idea of art cards and feel comfortable with them. Regardless - I'm seriously considering expanding my repertoire to include larger pieces. It certainly wouldn't hurt, and if they don't sell - it's no worse/better than an ACEO selling or not, eh? Hrmmm.

Compulsion Buying: Body Products and ZombieWear!

2008-05-15T20:52:00.018-05:00

I was piddling around in the Etsy forums, and noticed a thread on handmade lip balm vs. Chapstick. Those damn bath&body folks piss me off - their stuff is SOOO good, and affordable. It's the compulsive buyer's worst nightmare. The scents and flavors are amazing, to boot!

After another long day at the hair salon getting "fixed" - see last post - it was kinda nice to buy some little products for myself. As if spending on myself at the salon wasn't enough... but that was rather stressful, what with hair weirdness and all. So I just went with it.

First off were these two products from YouStinkSoap.etsy.com

Next - to share the love with other sellers, I got these from BLSoaps.etsy.com

And lest I forget - even though I got this t-shirt a few days ago - it deserves a mention - from ChristineRenee.etsy.com. It's for my teenage son, but I covet it secretly.

It'd be so nice, if all I had to do was mention "stained glass" or "art" and people felt compelled just to run to my shop and buy some. Heh, I think it'd be fun for a while, anyhow.

* Say, wouldn't some stained glass look good in your window right about now? *

Happy. Orange. (a tiny irony)

2008-05-14T23:26:00.010-05:00

Happy.
Today I need some happy.

So I searched happy on Etsy and found these things.

Thought I'd share some happy.

"What Was A Happy Love"

johnwgolden.etsy.com

Happy Orange Nerd Bunny

spidercamp.etsy.com

Happy Little Orange Flower and Leaves Earrings

nicholasandfelice.etsy.com

I just now noticed, that all these happy things are orange! There's some irony there, because orange is a big reason why I need some happy today.

Spending 4 hours in a salon to get your black hair lightened, spending a pile of cash, making a separate appointment for the next day for highlights because your poor scalp just can't take any more abuse - only to find that when you stand in the light of the sun that your hair is a lovely deep (but bright) shade of orange, instead of the reddish brown it looked like in the salon - leaves you needing happy. Lucky for me, I'm an optimist about tomorrow.

Wish me luck!

Podcasts - Pick of the Week

2008-05-13T21:30:00.006-05:00

Recently, I became the happy owner of a red 80GB Zune (don't snark at me that it's not an iPod, I had my reasons). After spending quite a bit of time packing it with as much music as I had to lay my hands on - I decided to play with the podcasts directory.

Knowing what podcasts were, and never being terribly interested, I decided to delve a bit deeper. And Holy Mother-of-Audio-Bliss, was I surprised and elated to find a whole world out there of great podcasts. I tend to like stories and commentary, and don't really care to hear the news, or how-to's, world music, interviews, etc.

I grew up in the 70's listening to people read me stories aloud, great radio programs - like NPR's "The Spider's Web" and "A Prairie Home Companion", and I also had a kick-arse collection of records, "Free to Be You and Me" with a ton of folks like Marlo Thomas and Alan Alda, and my prize collection of 12 (read 24 stories) "Let's Pretend" records, which I still own. The latter had stories and fairy tales like "Rumpelstiltskin", "The 12 Dancing Princesses", and "Faithful John". When I discovered that story-time was alive and well in podcasts - a new universe was opened through my Zune. One of cozy moments snuggled up listening to stories - as an ADULT! Okay, a lot of them so far have been cozied up to my glass workbench, but who can be choosey?

I've decided to share my joy by selecting my Podcast Pick-of-the-Week. This week, it's an old favorite:

Garrison Keillor's monologues - News from Lake Wobegon

(from radio show "A Prairie Home Companion)

Approx. 15 minutes each, and just like I remember them.

This seems too easy, but these monologues were just what I needed to start myself out. His perfect low radio voice, his amusing small town anecdotes that wander from here to there and back with perfect synchronicity ... Not to mention, there is some nostalgia in it for me. I didn't listen to PHC for the folksy music when I was a kid - it was to hear about Lake Wobegon.

Podcast training wheels, so to speak! Give it a try.

A little flowing champagne pink

2008-05-09T13:36:00.005-05:00

When searching for more "affordable" and less time-consuming projects for my own designs - I opted for a lovely minipanel. At $20, it's certainly affordable and the colors are just beautiful. I often cringe at cutting up a piece of glass that is so pretty in it's entirety. Why not just go with the flow?
(Yes. That "flow" pun was intended. I'm a sucker for puns.)

Procrastinatin'

2008-05-08T23:08:00.004-05:00

Yep, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool procrastinator. BUT - I've actually gotten some glasswork accomplished this week! (Yes, I know, it's May... so much for an early Spring start.)

Pieces will be added daily to my shop, unless I pull my usual and throw them all up in one big pile because I can't wait to get them on Etsy. (If they aren't up, people can't see them, right? Yes, but then I have to renew just to keep steady listings. Catch-22!) Enjoy!

Grind 2008 and EGA Spring Sale!

2008-05-01T10:03:00.008-05:00

The time has come - a little belatedly - for me to get my grinder out of storage now that the weather is warm. New this year? DAYCARE! I will have a few days a week dedicated to stained glass art - which is very exciting. My daughter no longer has to play in the garage with old tapes and dusty boxes while "Momma does her glass". Although I will have to get used to it myself. I keep finding myself waiting to be interrupted. Next step is to structure my time a little better - I feel as if I have "earn" my alone time. Is that silly? Probably.

My plans to get get back into the groove are to do more whirligigs and butterfly mobiles. They're definitely a favorite with folks. I have a few new ideas percolating, so stay tuned. Along with this blog and my spanky new webspace (linked on the top right), I'm hoping to garner lots of new interest. YAY!

BIG Spring sale through Etsy Glass Artists

They've been keeping much busier than I have this winter!

New Website - Reciprocal Links!

2008-04-27T22:28:00.007-05:00

Linked to the right is my brand spankin' new website - all graphics, layout, etc. done by me! I finally bit the bullet and decided to get my own URL. It is still a work in progress and all my selling will still be done through Etsy, but now I can use the http://www.hojpojart.com/ address on my business cards instead of having two separate ones for art and stained glass.

WOOO!

There's even a spot (on the "Artist Info" page) to ask questions, and I will post the q&a on the site, along with a link back to the questioner's blog, website, Etsy store, Flickr page - whatever they like. Reciprocal links! Who doesn't like that?

Posting with Word

2008-04-03T23:25:00.002-05:00

I recently got Microsoft Word 2007, and it has this nifty feature where you can publish from it to your blog.

So… this is a small test post.

It worked! (I'm editing/adding to it now in Blogger itself.) I also have a Wacom tablet to use with my nifty new pen tablet PC software. So, I can handwrite my posts - maybe I'll post more often.

Yes, I've been very lax in the whole posting bit. It's been a long, hard winter.

Not that I think I have any readers anymore - but if anyone does this remote posting thing with Blogger - how'd you set it up for pictures?? That part is troublesome.

Made the cover of VolumeOne!!!!

2008-02-29T19:07:00.001-06:00

Made the cover of VolumeOne!!!!
Originally uploaded by hojpoj.

Explexia

2008-01-17T09:10:00.000-06:00

I finally opened my art shop at explexia.etsy.com to house my ACEOs and other art. I still consider my stained glass my primary work - but in the winter it is SO hard to convince myself to go freeze in my workshop, that I don't get much done.

My art cards used to sell quite well, specifically my signature rabbit (see here), so it was kind of interesting to see if they would continue to do well. I also have included my other art ACEOs, such as watercolor and other subjects in various mediums.

Surprisingly, the first rabbit I put up sold within hours and so did the next. Lots of views for the others, but no sales as of yet.

It's gratifying, yet somehow intimidating. We'll see how it goes!

New Creation! Spirally Goodness ...

2007-12-12T13:25:00.000-06:00

In my effort to find fun and chilly garage-avoiding items to make, I came up with this cool sphere:

It was quite the undertaking, considering every piece of wire was individually formed and shaped, placed together, new spirals made to fit and then finding the nuggets for placement. Considering it was my first one - I got pretty frustrated, but then figured some things out along the way. Like usual, I expect the next one to be easier.

I find I like it more just place randomly on a shelf or end table, rather than hanging. The tactile quality makes it hard not to pick up - and even harder to put down. And, like the pendants, it lends itself SO well to photographs that I took maybe 40 photos of it (then had to wade through the best ones, but there were so many that turned out well).

I already have ideas for other ones with a bit of a different twist to them. I can picture an entire basket full of these happy spheres sitting on my table, all different sizes. *happy sigh* Hard work ahead though - and I don't even know if people will like them! But I do, and that's what matters, eh?

Catsicle

2007-12-09T19:18:00.000-06:00

This cat found me today:

It was about 2 degrees above zero and this little guy was wandering around outside. His fur had snowballs stuck in it and his lip was injured. I brought him in and fed him some milk and tuna, and let him warm up. He's Very Friendly.

We put some "Found Cat" signs around with our phone number on them, hopefully he belongs somewhere. He seems too pretty to be a stray. We'll see what happens.

Until something does - looks like we have unexpected company for the holidays!

Snow, Pomegranate & Secret Santa

2007-12-07T14:12:00.000-06:00

I was standing outside thinking how beautiful the snow is today - all sparkly and beautiful, when the idea hit me to grab a pomegranate I had bought and play with it in the snow! The ruby red of the fruit and the sparkly white snow turned out COOL:

It made me wish I was a photographer, and could just snap photos like this all day. Well - I guess I can, but for no purpose other than to please myself. Which is okay!

I also received a gift from a Secret Santa exchange we were doing within our EGA group:

My gift came from one of our administrators (and internet superstar among Etsyians), Lis Kidder! She totally made it personalized and looks like she put a ton of work into it. THANK YOU, LIS! How very cool. It's soup season for me, and I was just getting annoyed that I don't have a spoon rest for all my soup pot stirring spoons. And voila - one in the mail! How cool. My kids were all impressed, too. Happy dance!

It happened to come with 5 other packages of Etsy purchases I made recently, so it was a super happy mail day. I can't wait to show all the things I bought, but it will have to wait until after Christmas!

Snow(!) & Pledge to Buy Handmade initial results

2007-12-03T09:57:00.000-06:00

I had forgotten how suddenly winter can appear. This past weekend, it started snowing on Saturday at about 10:30am and by 4pm, my daughter just couldn't handle it anymore and had to get out into the snow. From grass to this in about 6 hrs:Crazy amounts of snow! I wanted to get more pictures, buy my camera was getting pretty wet just from two. Fall to winter in 6 hrs - shovelling, new coats, and now the Christmas tree is up.

~~~~~ Pledge to Buy Handmade ~~~~~

I did a ton of shopping on Etsy for all the kids, and a few friends and relatives. That was interesting! Searching for specific items wasn't all that hard, even with all the catagory complaints you tend to hear about on Etsy. Searching just for ideas was much harder, but that's more my fault. I found the Gift Guides practically useless.

Of the 16 items I bought in 12 different shops, I had two problems with Paypal (which were fixed immediately by the shop owners), 4 of the sellers contacted me right away with a little "received your order & thanks" message and 8 I haven't heard from, only 3 (so far) have left feedback on my prompt payment, and two have already left "shipped" notices on my purchases.

It surprised me how many didn't leave feedback right away. I always leave positive feedback to buyers when they pay immediately - that's their end of the bargain and they did it. I don't like feeling as if my feedback were somehow contingent on what feedback I leave for them after receiving the item. Interesting, but it won't stop me from shopping with them in the future, it was just a strange little thing that seems odd to me. Perhaps they're just busy!

I am curious to see how the rest of the process will go, how soon I will get the items, if there will be any problems, etc. For my first large purchase from multiple sellers on Etsy - it wasn't too bad. I did feel the checkout process was clunky in the fact you can fill your cart with multiple store items, but have to pay everyone seperately, and remember when your list is long with purchases, whom to leave a note about the purchase with - because you only get one chance.

YAY! I still have a few more items I'd like to pick up, and in the end will only have to buy 4 items in a real store (electronics). I did pretty well for my pledge to buy handmade - how about you??

Horrible to Happy

2007-12-01T12:57:00.000-06:00

This week has been hell. So many things went awry, that I was almost scared to wake up by Friday - and had been going to bed super early, just to be done with each day sooner.

But - through all the poo, I actually accomplished some things! YAY!!

I did some nifty pendants - but the above was great to finish. It is inspired by this awesome painting my mother has by E. Newman (that we know little about, except she was a friend of my aunt's in Oakland, CA). I have a similar woodcut I did of the same theme, so it was fun to get it into glass. YAY! I love it, it's bright and happy! The opposite of my week.

Perhaps I put all my happiness in the panel, making my life devoid of it for a period of time. Ah well, hopefully it's behind me. Happy December 1st!!

Sales inversely related to temps?

2007-11-27T11:10:00.000-06:00

I hoped, but didn't think it would happen: Sales are up - woohoo!

Which begets a new problem - temperatures are dooowwwnnn. 19 degrees today (fahrenheit). My glass studio is in the garage which, besides a couple of space heaters, is not heated. I'm trying to muster up the cajones to go out there but am still really not looking forward to it.

Glass panels take a long time, what with cutting, grinding, foiling (inside) and soldering, sometimes also framing. I thought maybe I could concentrate on little panels, but then thought about the nuggets (see this post) and that's just soldering, since most of the foiling is done and the wire work can be done inside. Although I'm not a big fan of the glass nugget - it is a small solution to my chilly problem.

Then this item sold today:

Is it sign? People do like these??? They don't have nugget bias? I know they're nifty - but as I've said before, they feel as though I'm cheating. But when it's cold enough to freeze the hair off a polar bear's ballyhoo - suddenly nuggets seem pretty nifty.

Mostly Other Things

Well, crap.

New Adventure!

Beaver's First Day of School

Turtle's New Friends

How We Roll

Groomer for Hire

Reunion

One Cheerio at a Time

Currently...

I digress...

#fridayflash Another Tuesday

Slife Three

#fridayflash Queen of the Universe

Effect Affection or Affectation?

#fridayflash Glass Door

Slife Two

Investigating Beargrease

It's late, I'm tired .. and I'm not Vonnegut.

#fridayflash "All-night Diner"

Circle of Friends

mmmmusic

slife one

still falling ...

unDismal

#fridayflash "Verklempt"

*ahem* a little uh.. dedication

Enough!

#fridayflash "The Right Thing to Say"

Today's Rationalization

Acupuncture & Indian Food: Novella of First Experiences

Winter Beach

vocabulary

#fridayflash "Family Ties"

#fridayflash "Letter to the Editor"

Gigantic

Two Score

#fridayflash - Stuck

... for my listening pleasure

Cat on a Butterfly Farm

kurta penso

Esperanto

Duluth Bear

Monday Morning

Thoughts ATC

Pink Elephant

Stuck ATC

Mime in Small Box ATC

Year of the Rabbit

Facebook

Twisty Roots

one of THOSE trees

Big Manitou Falls

Kiko going to the park

A hike a day...

The Two Chefs

mmm... Cookies

Nice shootin', Tex

Early moss

Tonight's Entertainment

tire damage

Munger Trail Dogwalk

Overheard conversation

newish puppy

Maggie at Sunshine Cafe

blah blah blah

Books!

Steps forward

Layoff and irresponsible acquisitions

11th hour on the job

the skinny

The Red Mug

Day at the shore

More..

Train art

Down time

Excellent timing!

Graffiti Art

A Great New Hang-Out

The Skinny

ahem a little uh.. dedication