Blogging Books.
I was sent the first two books in the juvenile series: The Fairy Chronicles, by J. H. Sweet to review. While it's been a while since I was an 8 year old reader, it was enjoyable to sit for a afternoon and remember the joy of simple reading.
Imagine finding out one day that you are more than you seem to be: that you are a fairy. That what happens to nine-year old Beth Parish in Marigold and the Feather of Hope. Book one of The Fairy Chronicles follows Beth as she learns about being a fairy. She makes new fairy friends and is important part in the adventure of recovering the Feather of Hope. At just over 100 pages, it's a perfect summertime read for a child.
Book Two of the series, DragonFly and the Web of Dreams, continues the story with a new challenge. And it appears that the other books in the series will fit into this formula.
I love the line that heads these books: Inside you is the Power to do Anything. I love that each book includes extras at the end such as natural history lessons or an apppropriate craft project. And I think the length of these books are perfect for a short trip to the beach or a rainy weekend indoors.
However, like much juvenile literature, the responsibility of solving every problem falls to the youngest and newest members of the group. In this case, Beth/Marigold and her fellow young fairies. Adults serve their roles as mentors, but children are charged with acting in each mission. While I understand that the child reader needs to feel empowered and capable, it still bother me that adults become impotent and children must "save the day." Seems like a lot to ask.
Still, a 7-9 year old girl would probably love these books. And I'm eagerly going to pass them on to one.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Stitch and Pitch, Year Two. Play Ball!!
I love baseball!!
So I'm thrilled to post that Stitch and Pitch is returning to baseball stadiums around the country. There have already been five stadiums to host the excitement: The Diamondbacks, Rangers, Reds, Nationals and Dodgers. Three teams will host in June: Royals, Indians and Phillies. Eight teams will be fiber rich in July, and six final stadiums in August.
Even if your game is scheduled late, do try to participate in CRAFT's Stitch N' Pitch Design contest.
Are you planning on attending one of the games??
Crazy Aunt Purl and The DivaKnits already attended the fun at a Dodgers game, while Wicked Stitches attended the Reds game and shares photos of the swag. Nittany Knits (lucky gal!) not only attended the Nationals game on May 15th, but will be at the Pirates game in July!
Knitting Without Dog Hair Is Not An Option has her tickets for the Braves game and she is not a sports fan.
Pooch announced that Interweave Press is working to organize a blog meet-up and bring a huge crowd to the Rockies game in July.
And I will be present to experience the fun when Stitch and Pitch comes to Giants Game!!
If you're planning on attending one of these games and blog about it, please send me the link. I'd like to create a round-up of all the fun and would hate to miss you!!
Crossposted at BlogHer.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
So I'm thrilled to post that Stitch and Pitch is returning to baseball stadiums around the country. There have already been five stadiums to host the excitement: The Diamondbacks, Rangers, Reds, Nationals and Dodgers. Three teams will host in June: Royals, Indians and Phillies. Eight teams will be fiber rich in July, and six final stadiums in August.
Even if your game is scheduled late, do try to participate in CRAFT's Stitch N' Pitch Design contest.
Are you planning on attending one of the games??
Crazy Aunt Purl and The DivaKnits already attended the fun at a Dodgers game, while Wicked Stitches attended the Reds game and shares photos of the swag. Nittany Knits (lucky gal!) not only attended the Nationals game on May 15th, but will be at the Pirates game in July!
Knitting Without Dog Hair Is Not An Option has her tickets for the Braves game and she is not a sports fan.
Pooch announced that Interweave Press is working to organize a blog meet-up and bring a huge crowd to the Rockies game in July.
And I will be present to experience the fun when Stitch and Pitch comes to Giants Game!!
If you're planning on attending one of these games and blog about it, please send me the link. I'd like to create a round-up of all the fun and would hate to miss you!!
Crossposted at BlogHer.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Tags:
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Wednesday's Wanderings
Don't these pigeons roosting in an archway look terribly European? They are not. This is a house the dogs and I regularly pass when we're out walking. It was a nice house before the pigeons showed up.
I am still not doing much creatively, but it's OK. I was focused a bit on the Bay to Breakers, and now I'm planning summer activities (we go on our cruise in just a couple weeks, then there are a couple plays to see, Stitch and Pitch to attend, BlogHer in Chicago.. and that just gets me through July!).
Oh, and my computer is going into the "computer spa" while we're cruising, and the dogs are boarded... so the whole house gets a vacation!! Something about using a laptop on your lap that slowly (or quickly) kills it! Thank goodness I bought a warrenty with this baby!! Still it means I need to back up files just incase they disappear in the whole spa experience!
But I'm catching up on reading everyone's blogs (yes, I am way behind, I admit it!) and I'm planning a dye-day with some friends when I get back to the US. So creative things are on the horizon.
While I'm not making anything interesting, is there anything new you've found that I should be sure not to miss??
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Monday, May 21, 2007
You Never Walk Alone
Sunday I participated in the 2007 version of the Bay to Breakers Race. I walked the 12K course in the middle of walking about 10 miles. After leaving BART in the city, I walked about a mile to the staging area where we waited for the horn that signalled our race began. As I stepped over the START line, the chip I was wearing on my shoe began keeping my time.
While I did not walk with any friends, when you do this race you NEVER walk alone.
The challenge of the race, whether running or walking, happens at the 2.5 mile mark: heading up the Hayes Street Hill, which tops off at 215 feet and has a 11.15% incline. Look closely, several of the naked racers made it into this shot.
From the crest of the hill, it's basically all downhill through the city and into Golden Gate Park. You know you are nearing the end when you see the Breakers.
Turn the corner to walk down Highway 1 to the Finish Line:
After crossing the line, we continued walking.... about another mile to the place where they magically read our chips. I did the race (7.5 miles) in 2:22:32. Considering that I stopped twice to stretch out a crampy left hamstring, and to live Twitter the race (a feat that impressed several friends!!), that isn't a bad time. I believe I walked most of the time at my fairly normal 3.25 MPH.
At the end of the "walking" was the party zone:
There was a beer garden, lots of food, bands, and general party-themed activities. This is also where I need to be to a) get my t-shirt and b) stand in line for the bus ride back to BART.
The tents with the t-shirts are across the field... more walking. And the line to catch the bus?? Well, I waited about an hour while walking in a slowly moving line almost another mile to get to the bus.
Then MUNI chose to give us all a scenic 45 minute tour of the city while trying to get us all back to BART. Folks might complain about BART, but it was fast, on time and didn't ask me to walk miles.
The entire experience was wonderful, and I'm hoping to do it again next year. All the extra walking was a pain.. but the truly sad thing was that MAKER FAIRE was also being held in the city this weekend; and my poor legs could only choose to do one of the two activities.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
While I did not walk with any friends, when you do this race you NEVER walk alone.
The challenge of the race, whether running or walking, happens at the 2.5 mile mark: heading up the Hayes Street Hill, which tops off at 215 feet and has a 11.15% incline. Look closely, several of the naked racers made it into this shot.
From the crest of the hill, it's basically all downhill through the city and into Golden Gate Park. You know you are nearing the end when you see the Breakers.
Turn the corner to walk down Highway 1 to the Finish Line:
After crossing the line, we continued walking.... about another mile to the place where they magically read our chips. I did the race (7.5 miles) in 2:22:32. Considering that I stopped twice to stretch out a crampy left hamstring, and to live Twitter the race (a feat that impressed several friends!!), that isn't a bad time. I believe I walked most of the time at my fairly normal 3.25 MPH.
At the end of the "walking" was the party zone:
There was a beer garden, lots of food, bands, and general party-themed activities. This is also where I need to be to a) get my t-shirt and b) stand in line for the bus ride back to BART.
The tents with the t-shirts are across the field... more walking. And the line to catch the bus?? Well, I waited about an hour while walking in a slowly moving line almost another mile to get to the bus.
Then MUNI chose to give us all a scenic 45 minute tour of the city while trying to get us all back to BART. Folks might complain about BART, but it was fast, on time and didn't ask me to walk miles.
The entire experience was wonderful, and I'm hoping to do it again next year. All the extra walking was a pain.. but the truly sad thing was that MAKER FAIRE was also being held in the city this weekend; and my poor legs could only choose to do one of the two activities.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Tags:
Saturday, May 19, 2007
The Art of Travel
Somewhere on the innernets this past week, I came upon an essayist named Alain de Botton. Don't know where, and does it really matter?
No.
In looking through his list of books, I found a small work titled The Art of Travel. As I am in anticipation mode for our big travel next month, I checked with the library system and picked it up!
I'm only 20 pages into it and I'm already telling ya... if you're thinking about travelling, read him.
The first chapter of the book is a section on the Anticipation of travel. Just where I'm at now.
He has arrived at his planned winter destination (Barbados), when it suddenly hits him. He anticipated arriving at the airport and arriving in his bungalow. "In my anticipation, there had simply been a vacuum between the airport and my hotel." His mind conveniantly skipped over the nuts and bolts of the time in between. (and don't we all??)
So he considers:
With the venues I'm visiting, I'm certain that the anticipation is much tighter than the reality will be. Walking the old town of Dubrovnik... sounds simple and slightly romantic. Walking around a strange city with a foreign language for 5-6 hours? Sounds a lot more strenuous. But heck, I'm preparing for it already this weekend!
In other travelling news, do you read Moby's blog?? (and did you notice how hip I am being not even trying to 'splain who Moby is?? Yes, I am that hip and with it!! Actually, the guy is just a writer I enjoy!!)
Today he admitted:
Next month I travel to Asia Minor to begin a 2 week adventure of walking all over the Mediterranean.
July I travel to Chicago to meet up all the BlogHer Babes and even take in a baseball game.
Anticipation is what I'm all about.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
No.
In looking through his list of books, I found a small work titled The Art of Travel. As I am in anticipation mode for our big travel next month, I checked with the library system and picked it up!
I'm only 20 pages into it and I'm already telling ya... if you're thinking about travelling, read him.
The first chapter of the book is a section on the Anticipation of travel. Just where I'm at now.
He has arrived at his planned winter destination (Barbados), when it suddenly hits him. He anticipated arriving at the airport and arriving in his bungalow. "In my anticipation, there had simply been a vacuum between the airport and my hotel." His mind conveniantly skipped over the nuts and bolts of the time in between. (and don't we all??)
So he considers:
If we are inclined to forget how much there is in the world besides that which we anticipate, then works of art are perhaps a little to blame, for in them we find at work the same process of simplification or selection as in the imagination. Artistic accounts involve severe abbreviations of what reality will force upon us. A travel book may tell us, for example, that the narrator journeyed through the countryside for an afternoon to reach the hill town of X and after a night in its medieval monastery awoke to a misty dawn. But we never simply 'journey through an afternoon We sit on a train. Lunch digests awkwardly. We look out the window at a field. .....
A storyteller who provided us with such profusion of details would rapidly grow maddening. Unfortunately, life itself often subscribes to this mode of storytelling, wearing us out with repetitions, misleading emphases and inconsequential plot lines.
Which explains the curious phenomenon whereby valuable elements may be easier to experience in art and in anticipation than in reality.
With the venues I'm visiting, I'm certain that the anticipation is much tighter than the reality will be. Walking the old town of Dubrovnik... sounds simple and slightly romantic. Walking around a strange city with a foreign language for 5-6 hours? Sounds a lot more strenuous. But heck, I'm preparing for it already this weekend!
In other travelling news, do you read Moby's blog?? (and did you notice how hip I am being not even trying to 'splain who Moby is?? Yes, I am that hip and with it!! Actually, the guy is just a writer I enjoy!!)
Today he admitted:
in other news: cannes was nuts. i'd never been there during the film festival.I travel to the city early in the morning on BART for the express purpose of walking across it. One water way to the other.
it's, uh, o.t.t(a contemporary acronym meaning, i believe, 'over the top'. see, that's me trying to stay contemporary. awesome, right?).
so, this morning in cannes i woke up and stumbled to the french doors of my hotel room, flung them open to look at the nice mediterranean sea and the rich people's yachts thereon, and then realized that there were about 500 tourists and photographers looking at the front of the hotel(and, by default, me)to see if they could spot any movie stars.
so for a brief second the tourists and photographers were subjected to me in my bleary eyed morning naked-ness.
i'm hoping(more for their sake than mine)that no one saw anything(not much to see, unless you like bald white guys looking like they just woke up, which i just had, actually).
it was a brief moment of unintended nudity, and i can only assume that anyone who saw me probably wondered 'huh, i wonder what that naked bald guy is doing in the movie star hotel? maybe he's norah jones' assistant, possibly from a work-release program?'
or something similar.
and now it's 6 a.m in montpellier(did i spell it right?)and i should go to sleep, for tomorrow we go to barcelona, which i love(it's a hard city not to love).
ok, goodnight.
mobyTomorrow
Next month I travel to Asia Minor to begin a 2 week adventure of walking all over the Mediterranean.
July I travel to Chicago to meet up all the BlogHer Babes and even take in a baseball game.
Anticipation is what I'm all about.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Before something happens in the world, it must happen in your mind. CS Lewis
Damn. I haven't posted since Monday? I swear that in my mind I was writing posts! There was some disconnect between my mind and the keyboard, though. What possibly could it have been? Could it have been the realization this past weekend that I leave for a 2 weeks cruise in less than a month? And I don't know exactly what I'm packing? And I'm not sure I have what I need?
I have become distracted with thoughts of supportive walking shoes that will be comfortable in hot, humid weather (Turkey, Greece, Italy). Today I ordered an pair of Keen Rosarita's from Zappos to cover this. They didn't have the more neutral carmel color, so I chose the neutral garnet instead. What?? Red is a neutral!!
I have been distracted by the skirts I started sewing a couple months ago for this cruise. They are still unhemmed. I will playing with marking a straight hem on them tonight. Keep your fingers crossed.
I have been distracted with writing an "skills based" resume. I figure that I want to do some volunteering to get out of the house a bit (and maybe polish my skills for some paying work to cover workshops and fun things like shoes..). Being able to accurately represent what I've done and what I can do is important. Unfortunately for me, I tend to downplay my skills; fortunately for me, I have friends who won't let me get away with that.
I have been distracted with an idea for a short story. Not yet to the stage where I can write anything; I'm enjoying developing the structure. It's based in part on a line that Sonji wrote about when she was dating Townsend... part on my idea about learning how to score a baseball game... part on my belief that Baseball is a metaphor for life. But it's mainly about how a small shift in one's perspective can change your life.
oh.. that belief about scoring a baseball game? I believe it is something that one learns from a person (not a book or website). It's a tradition thing, I guess. Anyway, I'm still waiting for someone to teach me how to do it.
Guess this post could have gone my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Damn. I haven't posted since Monday? I swear that in my mind I was writing posts! There was some disconnect between my mind and the keyboard, though. What possibly could it have been? Could it have been the realization this past weekend that I leave for a 2 weeks cruise in less than a month? And I don't know exactly what I'm packing? And I'm not sure I have what I need?
I have become distracted with thoughts of supportive walking shoes that will be comfortable in hot, humid weather (Turkey, Greece, Italy). Today I ordered an pair of Keen Rosarita's from Zappos to cover this. They didn't have the more neutral carmel color, so I chose the neutral garnet instead. What?? Red is a neutral!!
I have been distracted by the skirts I started sewing a couple months ago for this cruise. They are still unhemmed. I will playing with marking a straight hem on them tonight. Keep your fingers crossed.
I have been distracted with writing an "skills based" resume. I figure that I want to do some volunteering to get out of the house a bit (and maybe polish my skills for some paying work to cover workshops and fun things like shoes..). Being able to accurately represent what I've done and what I can do is important. Unfortunately for me, I tend to downplay my skills; fortunately for me, I have friends who won't let me get away with that.
I have been distracted with an idea for a short story. Not yet to the stage where I can write anything; I'm enjoying developing the structure. It's based in part on a line that Sonji wrote about when she was dating Townsend... part on my idea about learning how to score a baseball game... part on my belief that Baseball is a metaphor for life. But it's mainly about how a small shift in one's perspective can change your life.
oh.. that belief about scoring a baseball game? I believe it is something that one learns from a person (not a book or website). It's a tradition thing, I guess. Anyway, I'm still waiting for someone to teach me how to do it.
Guess this post could have gone my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Monday, May 14, 2007
New Week Restart...
First, thank you all who commented (or tried) over the weekend. Haloscan had a server go down; many comments completely disappeared and the rest were cut short. Still several persevered.
Karoda.. about my writing/reading talent. I believe this was something hard-wired when I was born. I noticed it in elementary school; used it to cheat on one test (read the Gettysburg Address from the teacher's copy), but found no real use for it. I thought everybody could do it! So far I've only found a few people with the talent.
This weekend I got the surfaces cleared my workroom. This week I need to clear off the shelves and bookcase, toss a lot of stuff, donate a lot more and decide what I'm going to use in the next year. Not use it? Then it it's either being stored in the garage, given away, or sold somehow.
After this visible stuff is organized the drawers of stuff need to be gone through too.
In the meantime, I've written notes for blogposts, started (gasp) mind-mapping notes for a series, started journalling some important ideas (like the fear of success). I've written (on a white board) my goals for this week in several parts of my life.
Karoda.. about my writing/reading talent. I believe this was something hard-wired when I was born. I noticed it in elementary school; used it to cheat on one test (read the Gettysburg Address from the teacher's copy), but found no real use for it. I thought everybody could do it! So far I've only found a few people with the talent.
This weekend I got the surfaces cleared my workroom. This week I need to clear off the shelves and bookcase, toss a lot of stuff, donate a lot more and decide what I'm going to use in the next year. Not use it? Then it it's either being stored in the garage, given away, or sold somehow.
After this visible stuff is organized the drawers of stuff need to be gone through too.
In the meantime, I've written notes for blogposts, started (gasp) mind-mapping notes for a series, started journalling some important ideas (like the fear of success). I've written (on a white board) my goals for this week in several parts of my life.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Finding a Balance.
The lilacs have faded to brown now, but in their prime they were so pretty!
===========================
This past week I was thinking about lists on blogs.
Looking at my own blog, I don’t have any!! I do occasionally write an entry that’s a list of thing to accomplish, or a meme that's a list of things, but no other lists extant on the page. Do lists make us more interesting to others or more mundane? Would I share something truly revealing about myself on a list? Would anything there work to make me for productive, more interesting, more "ME"?
Nope, I don't think so.
I do have my del.icio.us tag cloud.. which is a more sophisticated kind of list. I have my Amazon wishlist (which I forget to update)... and lists of blogs. Would anything more just be more noise and clutter? Do I just need to clean up the sidebar and make it pretty again? Or maybe have the whole blog redesigned?
Too many questions for a Saturday morning.
While I think there is some potentially interesting lists on other blogs, I guess I don't want anything more on this one. Maybe paring it down to less. Cleaner. Quieter. Calmer.
I've started to notice an emotional disconnect between myself and the words on the screen. They used to feel more real to me than the words I'd put down on a page; more attached to the person I am at the moment. I would often write with little self-editing, then go back and polish for grammar and spelling, but not for truth or emotion. I don't feel that now.
Now there is a lot going on in my head that I don't want to share. That I hold back, keep private. And in doing so I'm holding back too much of me to connect to the screen. I'm developing a taste for wood pulp and ink. White boards and erasable markers. Calendars. Things I can touch and keep private.
I'm holding back too much and losing my balance between the real and cyber worlds, toppling first to one side then the other. I need to find my balance between my public me and my way too private side.
For next week: Work On Balance.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Seven Things
Gerrie tagged me to do the Seven Things meme. I'm going to do it, but I'm NOT tagging anyone. If you haven't been tagged yet and need something to blog about, feel free to leave a comment telling me that you've done it. I'll recap any meme's this weekend.
Seven Things You May Not Know About Me:
1. When I was four I took baton lessons. They tended to have the beginners stand next to the "not quite beginners".. and I was always watching them and trying to do what THEY did. Even at that age I always wanted to skip the boring basics and get to the more interesting stuff.
2. I color my hair. But I color it what was my natural color. (btw, it's dark ash blonde/lightest ash brown. Loreal Preference 6.5 A I think is the perfect color!).
3. I can read upside down and backwards. So if the text is facing you, I can read it almost as quickly as if it were facing me.
4. I sang first alto in choir from 6th grade on. When I got past the fall "find your voice" exercises, my range was E below middle C to a hard-push to G above high C. Didn't like those high notes, though. One year my teacher asked me to move to 2nd soprano; I hated it and begged to be moved back. Alto makes me very happy.
5. I was an alpha-tester for New Math back in the late '60s. So I can talk set theory with the best of them, but I cannot divide anything harder than 6 divided by 6 without a calculator (it's those 7s and 8s x table things that confuse me.).
6. I am almost always moving: rocking, swinging, jiggling something. done so all my life. Why? I don't know.
7. I have broken several bones but never had a cast. Yes, that means toes (4) and fingers (2). When I broke a knuckle on my left hand (walking our dog, Prince), I played 6 sets of tennis the next day even though the joint dislocated every time I tossed a serve.
That's seven. Who else wants to play???
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Seven Things You May Not Know About Me:
1. When I was four I took baton lessons. They tended to have the beginners stand next to the "not quite beginners".. and I was always watching them and trying to do what THEY did. Even at that age I always wanted to skip the boring basics and get to the more interesting stuff.
2. I color my hair. But I color it what was my natural color. (btw, it's dark ash blonde/lightest ash brown. Loreal Preference 6.5 A I think is the perfect color!).
3. I can read upside down and backwards. So if the text is facing you, I can read it almost as quickly as if it were facing me.
4. I sang first alto in choir from 6th grade on. When I got past the fall "find your voice" exercises, my range was E below middle C to a hard-push to G above high C. Didn't like those high notes, though. One year my teacher asked me to move to 2nd soprano; I hated it and begged to be moved back. Alto makes me very happy.
5. I was an alpha-tester for New Math back in the late '60s. So I can talk set theory with the best of them, but I cannot divide anything harder than 6 divided by 6 without a calculator (it's those 7s and 8s x table things that confuse me.).
6. I am almost always moving: rocking, swinging, jiggling something. done so all my life. Why? I don't know.
7. I have broken several bones but never had a cast. Yes, that means toes (4) and fingers (2). When I broke a knuckle on my left hand (walking our dog, Prince), I played 6 sets of tennis the next day even though the joint dislocated every time I tossed a serve.
That's seven. Who else wants to play???
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Debra Needs...A Meme
Fellow "travelling skinny pants" blogger Kris published a fun and simple meme Monday. Since I'm working on a big honking serious post about my Fear Of Success, and since I'm organizing (and so far not at a "lookie what I found!!" state), I thought I'd share this with you. OH, yeah.. (Rayna)... I'm kind of "mind mapping" some ideas for several of the pieces from your class. AFTER I get a workable work room.
Until then, Distraction is my Modus Operandi.
google your name + needs and see what comes up. I found that I need to change to one that needs a little fun...
Debra Needs....
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions for this week's Tale of the Scale.
Until then, Distraction is my Modus Operandi.
google your name + needs and see what comes up. I found that I need to change to one that needs a little fun...
Debra Needs....
- a tutor to help her read and write about work materials.
- oxygen.
- to view a pile of directories on a large system or server.
- your financial support.
- to go in early.
- a photo to post. (I can help me there...)
- to see a specialist
- to work on election integrity.
- to ask the question: "what moves me?"... hey this was from my own blog!!!!
- stockings because the week or so before I bought a garter belt.... (this is not from my blog!)
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions for this week's Tale of the Scale.
Tags:
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Clouds: May 2nd.I had plans for a very different post today; I had had plans to go to the De Young on Sunday to see the Vivienne Westwood exhibit. Alas, our plans had to be postponed. My take on this exhibit will have to wait a couple weeks. (sigh)...
Last week I did a bit a dyeing... some light pieces that I'll eventually use as the basis for some more play based on Rayna's class.
I think, though, that before I do that, I should finally unpack from that class. Which means I need to spend time this week, pulling lots of stuff out of my workroom, deciding what will go somewhere else and what will go back into the room, and getting it put away. Then putting away the supplies.
I mean, how long can a frying pan with soy wax in the bottom sit sideways on a chair in the living room?? It's getting hot outside!!
While this task is mundane, it gives me an opportunity to really think about what I want to be working on, if anything. Weed out the unlikely paths, focus my future. Dream and contemplate a bit.
And, I'm determined to find other space for me in this house, so I don't drop shopping bags, magazines, books, laundry and other stuff in this "my" room.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Friday, May 04, 2007
1970, A Hard Spring To Forget. When Campus Shootings Were A New Thing.
You know, you see these bums, you know, blowin' up the campuses. Listen, the boys that are on the college campuses today are the luckiest people in the world, going to the greatest universities, and here they are, burnin' up the books, I mean, stormin' around about this issue, I mean, you name it - get rid of the war, there'll be another one.Richard Nixon, New York Times, May 2, 1970.
It was a spring that was hard to forget:
First, it was my senior year in High School; I could not wait to leave that place. I fitted in not at all with my classmates and had all my hopes pegged on finding a more suitable crowd in college.
Second, have you seen Apollo 13? It happened that April.
And then there was May 4th.
Kent State.
I grew up in Northeastern Ohio, less than 40 miles from Kent State University. It was time when there were protests on every campus, but shootings were not a common thing. The first time it happened was May 4th, 1970. Many of my teachers that fall transferred to Cleveland State from Kent. It was a defining experience in my life, much like the other generational shootings: JFK, RFK, Malcolm X, or MLK.
I found an interesting first-hand account of the morning from one of the students who was shot and injured that day.
Spend a couple minutes today remembering the innocent time before this all happened.
Edited about noon: Ok, it's been pointed out to me that two episodes preceded Kent State. First was the The Orangeburg Massacre (thank you, Karoda) and the Jackson State shootings. This actually makes me feel better. When Kent happened, I had this distinct feeling that something similar had happened before, but everyone told me "NO".. this is the first time. Now I know I wasn't mistaken.
Tags:
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
High Tech Tools and Dangerous Doings...
Warning, Will Robinson!! Deb will be taking up (gasp) chemicals and tools to demonstrate her patented (well, in her mind!) bubble-wrap discharge technique.
Left Handed!
Just show how difficult it is! (I mean, how else am I going to take the pictures??)
First: The Supplies
A cotton Tshirt that you want to change or fabric you're not quite fond of. My shirts usually have food or grease stains on them and this let's me extend their wearability for a season. But maybe it's fabric I dyed and wasn't quite happy with.
Second: A plastic plate or meat-tray, some discharge paste, a foam brush and a firm brayer.
Third: Bubblewrap. This time I'm using the big stuff that wrapped the journal I just received.
The Actual Process:
Gloop some discharge paste into the plate, and pick some up with your foam brush.
Then casually brush the discharge paste over the rough side of the bubblewrap. Just do it quickly and don't be too concerned about coverage. This is afterall just creating texture on the work. It doesn't have to be perfect.
Then turn the bubblewrap over and place on the fabric. If it's smaller than the fabric, you'll just need to do it in sections. That's cool. It gives lots more texture.
Brayer the bubblewrap to make sure that contact is made between paste and the fabric. You can press hard and break the bubblewrap!! It's fun! Yes, you may scare dogs or cats! That just adds to the fun!
When the fiber/shirt is completely covered (or covered as much you wish) let it dry. I often hang these pieces outside on the line in the sun. They begin changing within minutes.. well worth hanging out and watching.
After the paste is dry, steam the entire piece with a hot iron. Be sure NOT to press the iron down especially over seams or you will get marks. Treat dry ironed fabric with any of the bleach stop chemical soaks (anti-chlor, Ph+ or the stuff from Dharma). Then wash, dry and wear.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions for this week's Tale of the Scale.
Left Handed!
Just show how difficult it is! (I mean, how else am I going to take the pictures??)
First: The Supplies
A cotton Tshirt that you want to change or fabric you're not quite fond of. My shirts usually have food or grease stains on them and this let's me extend their wearability for a season. But maybe it's fabric I dyed and wasn't quite happy with.
Second: A plastic plate or meat-tray, some discharge paste, a foam brush and a firm brayer.
Third: Bubblewrap. This time I'm using the big stuff that wrapped the journal I just received.
The Actual Process:Gloop some discharge paste into the plate, and pick some up with your foam brush.
Then casually brush the discharge paste over the rough side of the bubblewrap. Just do it quickly and don't be too concerned about coverage. This is afterall just creating texture on the work. It doesn't have to be perfect.
Then turn the bubblewrap over and place on the fabric. If it's smaller than the fabric, you'll just need to do it in sections. That's cool. It gives lots more texture.Brayer the bubblewrap to make sure that contact is made between paste and the fabric. You can press hard and break the bubblewrap!! It's fun! Yes, you may scare dogs or cats! That just adds to the fun!
When the fiber/shirt is completely covered (or covered as much you wish) let it dry. I often hang these pieces outside on the line in the sun. They begin changing within minutes.. well worth hanging out and watching. After the paste is dry, steam the entire piece with a hot iron. Be sure NOT to press the iron down especially over seams or you will get marks. Treat dry ironed fabric with any of the bleach stop chemical soaks (anti-chlor, Ph+ or the stuff from Dharma). Then wash, dry and wear.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions for this week's Tale of the Scale.
Tags:
Monday, April 30, 2007
I Must Have Been Very Good...
In April, Create A Connection had a Journal Swap. The rules of which I apparently didn't read correctly??For this month's swap, I'd like you to choose a journal that you’d like to share with someone. Send a journal, along with a note offering creative well wishes or a quote that inspires you. Blog about it on your site linking it back to Create a Connection.I thought we were supposed to blog about the journal we received, not the journal we sent. (Am I wrong??) I hope I'm wrong. I sent my journal off without taking photos!! Hopefully Judy doesn't let ya'll down.
Anyway, my receive from partner was Sweet Memories. When she contacted me, I mentioned that I might use it for sketching or as the memory book for the cruise I'm taking in June. (Six weeks!! I have lots of work to do!!) and she promised me something special for the occasion.
This weekend I received her wonderful journal. And, what can I say? Somewhere in my past, I must have been very good. First. That beautiful box at the top of this post is part of the package!! She decorated it with stamps!! That decided it, this will be the memory book from this cruise. Open the box and what's inside? A wonderful suedey book with handles!! Full of lots of wonderful pages for all my mementoes from the trip. It looks like a small suitcase, doesn't it?
And the inside is decorated too!
Tags:
Friday, April 27, 2007
Finally: AQC Fabrics:Show and Tell
April 13th through 18th, I was attending Art Quilt Claremont in Berzerkely where I took a four day class from Rayna Gilman. The first two days were improvisational fabric printing with found objects; the second two days were Jump Starting the Art Quilt.
I attended the class really for those first two days. I seem to be moving away from doing much quilting, but I am excited about the surface design aspect and feel a pull in that direction. What it means? I do not know.
Anyway, SHOW AND TELL
This piece was begun on day one. I used a plastic "something" to print the orange shapes, first through a silk screen, and using the screen without the plastic screen to make the mirror image. It reminds me of old iron gates. I later painted it with soywax to get some "crinkled" texture over it. I'm thinking of going back in with black paint and emphasizing the gates a bit.
This piece was my experiment in gelatin plate printing. My gelatin was way too thin and fragile and didn't work well. Then I tried stamping over it with a weird salmon colored paint and a flowery shaped potato masher. When Rayna saw it, she insisted that I take it to the sink and wash it out. It dulled the colors a bit, but didn't save it. When we played with drawing/writing using a syringe, I scribbled and wrote all over this piece. It became one of my favorites. Reminds me of what I did in Gerrie Chase's class, but more successfully here. The moral: When all else fails, just add some more. (well, that doesn't always work).
Day Two and I was in Soy Wax Heaven. This piece used a piece of tile underlayment (I think) to get the linear texture, but more happened to it later. This and the next piece became fiber "Rorschach tests" at Pickles Monday night, with gals seeing fish flesh and (turned sideways) Our Lady of Guadalupe. To me it needs some graphitti over it.
Piece Two. I tried playing with this during the second part of the class with no success. But I like it a lot.
Most of you would recognize the base fabric for this piece. It was a ubiquitous spring green print at JoAnne's. I used one of Rayna's wooden tjaps and an eggbeater to add the texture, then painted over it. Very commercial look.
I'm still not decided about this piece. It looks clearer in this photo than it does in real life. People either like it or not. There was some torn paper screen printing and some soy wax work.
That's about all I'm happy showing... but I truly enjoyed the class and have a whole new enthusiasm for surface design today than I had before I got there. Now to decide how to apply these newly learned skills. (oh yeah.. I guess I already did!)
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily DistractionsTags
I attended the class really for those first two days. I seem to be moving away from doing much quilting, but I am excited about the surface design aspect and feel a pull in that direction. What it means? I do not know.
Anyway, SHOW AND TELL
This piece was begun on day one. I used a plastic "something" to print the orange shapes, first through a silk screen, and using the screen without the plastic screen to make the mirror image. It reminds me of old iron gates. I later painted it with soywax to get some "crinkled" texture over it. I'm thinking of going back in with black paint and emphasizing the gates a bit.
This piece was my experiment in gelatin plate printing. My gelatin was way too thin and fragile and didn't work well. Then I tried stamping over it with a weird salmon colored paint and a flowery shaped potato masher. When Rayna saw it, she insisted that I take it to the sink and wash it out. It dulled the colors a bit, but didn't save it. When we played with drawing/writing using a syringe, I scribbled and wrote all over this piece. It became one of my favorites. Reminds me of what I did in Gerrie Chase's class, but more successfully here. The moral: When all else fails, just add some more. (well, that doesn't always work).
Day Two and I was in Soy Wax Heaven. This piece used a piece of tile underlayment (I think) to get the linear texture, but more happened to it later. This and the next piece became fiber "Rorschach tests" at Pickles Monday night, with gals seeing fish flesh and (turned sideways) Our Lady of Guadalupe. To me it needs some graphitti over it.
Piece Two. I tried playing with this during the second part of the class with no success. But I like it a lot.
Most of you would recognize the base fabric for this piece. It was a ubiquitous spring green print at JoAnne's. I used one of Rayna's wooden tjaps and an eggbeater to add the texture, then painted over it. Very commercial look.
I'm still not decided about this piece. It looks clearer in this photo than it does in real life. People either like it or not. There was some torn paper screen printing and some soy wax work.
That's about all I'm happy showing... but I truly enjoyed the class and have a whole new enthusiasm for surface design today than I had before I got there. Now to decide how to apply these newly learned skills. (oh yeah.. I guess I already did!)
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily DistractionsTags
:
Thursday, April 26, 2007
I am falling in love with bubblewrap...
Made this shirt last summer, and it was... uhm... a little intense in color.
Today I painted some bubblewrap with discharge paste then brayered it over the shirt.
I think I'm in love with bubblewrap...
It's interesting. I hang the shirts on the line to dry, and the part that faces the sun definately bleaches out a bit because of that.
Details
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Today I painted some bubblewrap with discharge paste then brayered it over the shirt.
I think I'm in love with bubblewrap...
It's interesting. I hang the shirts on the line to dry, and the part that faces the sun definately bleaches out a bit because of that.
Details
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Getting To Know You, Some More...
Finch sitting on a tomato stake. My digital zoom is kickass!!--------------------------
First, YES. I owe you photos of my fabrics from last week. I promise later today. I cannot believe it's been six days since I've blogged here.
-------------------------
Tammy has set out her last set of questions for April's Getting to Know You.
1. If you could have any magical power for only one hour, what would it be and why?
Only one hour?? If I'm limited to that time, I guess I'd like to talk with the animals. I think in an hour I could get a lot of helpful info out of our dogs, and convince the squirrels to not eat our birdseed.
2. You've won a pair of round-trip airline tickets to anywhere in the world. Where would you go, with whom, and why?
I would love to visit London and haven't yet gone. So probably the spouser and I would take that trip. Boring, I know. More exciting goal: Fly to China to see the clay warriors.
3. You are stranded in a library or bookstore for 24 hours. In what section do you spend the most time? Why?
In 24 hours, I could see most of the bookstore. I'd spend time going through the graphic art sections, then art, then mysteries and sci fi, biographies, photography, humor. I'd skip the philosophy, computer programming and history sections.
4. If you were to be on a reality TV show, which one would it be? Why would you be a good fit for that particular show?
OK, while I watch a little reality tv, I don't watch much and can't imagine I'd fit on any of them.
5. What did you most recently dream or daydream about?
I don't remember dreams, but yesterday I was daydreaming (remembering) about a cool neighborhood bar we'd go to when I was a kid. The best Friday fish fry and a $1 beer or coke.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Tags:
Friday, April 20, 2007
Living Art
Late afternoon light filtering through our deck cover onto the windows. It's an interesting play on light and distortion and line. 4/20/2007How would you react if during your daily commute talented musicians suddenly burst into song on your subway train?
Would you reluctantly respond? Turn away? Or start dancing? (me? I hope I'd start dancing...).
This was one of three examples of Beauty in Banal Settings that Sue Pelletier of the MeetingsNet blog wrote about this week. Though she aims her contemplation points at meeting planners and speakers, her suggestions apply to us all (emphasis mine):
Think about settings, think about audience, think about expectations, think about context, think about surprise, and think about how what you can do to bring beauty that in turn will bring delight to your attendees.
Crossposted at BlogHer.org
Tags:
Inspiration By Spotlighting An Artist
While at AQC, one class member mentioned that she would like to know about sources of inspiration to continue your art work. Many members mentioned art quilt sources (including the Journal project), but I suggested taking a different tack: Look at ART and Artist's websites; don't limit yourself to quilt art.
One artist I specifically mentioned is Keri Smith, so I found myself drawn to her blog while I was moving back into my everyday life. Have you visited it lately?
Just this week, Keri wrote in Why Art Sucks:
And among the items highlighted in her archives are: Ten Ways to Infuse Your Work with Your Personality. I need to read this one several times!
One artist I specifically mentioned is Keri Smith, so I found myself drawn to her blog while I was moving back into my everyday life. Have you visited it lately?
Just this week, Keri wrote in Why Art Sucks:
It is my belief that it is actually the experience of life that inspires the work which is the art. All to often I think people focus too much on the medium, which in my opinion is kind of irrelevant. Not kind of, completely. The real question to me is, "what inspired someone to express themselves?" What is the idea? The artist needs to ask the question, "What moves me?" not "should i use red or blue?"Check out her 100 ideas (a work in progress) for inspiration when you get stuck or frustrated or need to kick start your creative juices.
And among the items highlighted in her archives are: Ten Ways to Infuse Your Work with Your Personality. I need to read this one several times!
Tags:
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Booker Tuesday on Thursday: Sanity Savers
This book review is 2 days late. It's the way this week has gone...
Dr. Dale Atkins is described as a psychologist, frequent guest on the Today show, and saver of women's sanity everywhere. If her book Sanity Savers is any indication, more women need a lot more help than Dr. Atkins can provide.
In Sanity Savers, Dr. Dale begins in the intro with her "Five S's" that help a woman become centered in the world: Self, Support, Surroundings, Stimulation, and Savor. She suggests that when life is challenging you, you encorporate more of her "Five S's" into your life to find sanity.
She explains that applying her "Five S's" to specific situations is what the rest of the book is about. One can approached the several ways:
I had problems with this book from the beginning, but decided to give it a fair try before I completely dismissed it as "not useful for me."
What problems?
The second "S" is Support. Getting support from your friends and family. My major problem is not feeling that I have this support in my life. Checked through her index, searching under : building support, finding community, making new friends, what the F to do when you have no family, how about those of us without a church community...found all those categories missing. Thank Dr. Dale.
Most of the "ideas" listed make assumptions about the reader that exclude me. OK. So I can be really helpful to that support system that I don't have, but I'm on my own for my own problems.
The things I could identify with? Her suggestions were vague enough that they provided no real guidance to help me save my sanity. It was like reading your daily horoscope in the newspaper. Thin, non-specific, vague.
Maybe this book will be helpful for some women. I really hope so. But it's not for me. It left me feeling frustrated and more isolated than before I picked it up. I hated this book with a passion that surprised me.
This book was sent to me from a representative of HarperCollins and is part of the BlogHer Virtual Book Tour. No payment was received in exchange for this review. The suggested retail price of this book is less than US$ 45, and therefore, in accordance with BlogHer Editorial Guidelines, it will be passed on to another blogger or donated to my local library.
Ya know, I feel so negatively about this book that I'm donating it to my library immediately. No commentor gets a chance at it. Sorry. Or not.
Currently I'm reading Lunchtime Enlightenment by Pragito Dove and The 3rd edition of The Writer's Presence plus I recently finished Building Harlequin's Moon by Larry Niven and Brenda Cooper. Look for a Booker Tuesday next week about one of these.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Dr. Dale Atkins is described as a psychologist, frequent guest on the Today show, and saver of women's sanity everywhere. If her book Sanity Savers is any indication, more women need a lot more help than Dr. Atkins can provide.
In Sanity Savers, Dr. Dale begins in the intro with her "Five S's" that help a woman become centered in the world: Self, Support, Surroundings, Stimulation, and Savor. She suggests that when life is challenging you, you encorporate more of her "Five S's" into your life to find sanity.
She explains that applying her "Five S's" to specific situations is what the rest of the book is about. One can approached the several ways:
- read one passage a day and contemplate on it throughout the day. It might not apply you your own life, but don't let that deter you, as you could use it helping a friend or family member, now or in the future.
- check through the index and find passages that apply to what you are feeling that day.
- randomly open the book, and choose a passage.
I had problems with this book from the beginning, but decided to give it a fair try before I completely dismissed it as "not useful for me."
What problems?
The second "S" is Support. Getting support from your friends and family. My major problem is not feeling that I have this support in my life. Checked through her index, searching under : building support, finding community, making new friends, what the F to do when you have no family, how about those of us without a church community...found all those categories missing. Thank Dr. Dale.
Most of the "ideas" listed make assumptions about the reader that exclude me. OK. So I can be really helpful to that support system that I don't have, but I'm on my own for my own problems.
The things I could identify with? Her suggestions were vague enough that they provided no real guidance to help me save my sanity. It was like reading your daily horoscope in the newspaper. Thin, non-specific, vague.
Maybe this book will be helpful for some women. I really hope so. But it's not for me. It left me feeling frustrated and more isolated than before I picked it up. I hated this book with a passion that surprised me.
This book was sent to me from a representative of HarperCollins and is part of the BlogHer Virtual Book Tour. No payment was received in exchange for this review. The suggested retail price of this book is less than US$ 45, and therefore, in accordance with BlogHer Editorial Guidelines, it will be passed on to another blogger or donated to my local library.
Ya know, I feel so negatively about this book that I'm donating it to my library immediately. No commentor gets a chance at it. Sorry. Or not.
Currently I'm reading Lunchtime Enlightenment by Pragito Dove and The 3rd edition of The Writer's Presence plus I recently finished Building Harlequin's Moon by Larry Niven and Brenda Cooper. Look for a Booker Tuesday next week about one of these.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Home again..
I would say that Rayna was such a slave-driver that I could not find a moment to blog my week at Art Quilt Claremont except both Rayna and Gerrie managed to blog to prove me wrong!
The truth then: my computer is acting up (very slow and shutting down without a moment's warning) so it would take 5 or more minutes to simply get to the point where I could begin to post and the only place that I could work was in the cramped business center. So I chose to spend my time doing things that I paid to do there and left the blogging alone. Gerrie and Rayna did a fine job covering the details.. I would have just been redundant.
Today I am doing hills of laundry, grocery shopping, hitting the gym, and carrying my boxes and bags in from the trip. Later I'll be cleaning out parts of my workroom before I bring the stuff from the workshop into the room.
I loved the time I spent there, but it was time for me to leave. I need a little bit of quiet to process what I learned, and how I respond to it. Good bye to those who were sleeping when I pulled away (I think I left the hotel about 8 am). We will keep in touch.
I made several connections that I think will be valuable to me; I reconnected with some old acquaintances. Now I need a day or two to find how I have changed from the experience.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
The truth then: my computer is acting up (very slow and shutting down without a moment's warning) so it would take 5 or more minutes to simply get to the point where I could begin to post and the only place that I could work was in the cramped business center. So I chose to spend my time doing things that I paid to do there and left the blogging alone. Gerrie and Rayna did a fine job covering the details.. I would have just been redundant.
Today I am doing hills of laundry, grocery shopping, hitting the gym, and carrying my boxes and bags in from the trip. Later I'll be cleaning out parts of my workroom before I bring the stuff from the workshop into the room.
I loved the time I spent there, but it was time for me to leave. I need a little bit of quiet to process what I learned, and how I respond to it. Good bye to those who were sleeping when I pulled away (I think I left the hotel about 8 am). We will keep in touch.
I made several connections that I think will be valuable to me; I reconnected with some old acquaintances. Now I need a day or two to find how I have changed from the experience.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Friday night on Sunday Morning
Mycomputer died in the middle of posting this (it's having a heat problem). Fortunately, firefox saves everything. Class is a blast!! Will try to post more current pictures later. But first, here's my impression of Friday's arrival.:
The sky at dusk as clouds were just moving in gave everything a bit of a milky wash. I don't normally use that word to describe the NoCal landscape, but I've used it a lot this late winter/early spring.
While taking that shot, this salad was positioned near the window. First part of our dinner. Mixed greens with a couple artichoke hearts and a wonderful slice of goat's cheese.
I trust that Gerrie is keeping you informed of the desserts. They are beautiful and tasty.
I am thankful that I made it here this year, as I have just learned that this second AQC will be it's last.
As least I've had this experience once.
The sky at dusk as clouds were just moving in gave everything a bit of a milky wash. I don't normally use that word to describe the NoCal landscape, but I've used it a lot this late winter/early spring.
While taking that shot, this salad was positioned near the window. First part of our dinner. Mixed greens with a couple artichoke hearts and a wonderful slice of goat's cheese.
I trust that Gerrie is keeping you informed of the desserts. They are beautiful and tasty.
I am thankful that I made it here this year, as I have just learned that this second AQC will be it's last.
As least I've had this experience once.
Tags:
Friday, April 13, 2007
Where the heck is Deb??
May I clear something up, please??
People are apparently writing about the "If I Vanished.." post in a most esoteric way. Imagining that as one ages one "draws in".. and gets smaller. Imagining "vanishing" as dying. As disappearing from the world gestalt.
THAT'S NOT WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT.
Honestly, at this point in my life, I'm getting out in the world more, not pulling inward. And I'm way too young at 55 to start thinking about my declining years.
Let's remember the original story on Grey's Anatomy: a woman leaves her home to travel into Seattle. We do not know why, but assume it was an ordinary day. She is in an accident that disfigures her face (eliminating the chance for the hospital to publish photos of her and say: Who Is This?). She has amnesia (eliminating the chance for her to say: I am Madame X.).
And nobody has come asking about her.
She is someone who we assume worked.. and her co-workers aren't inquiring about her.
She is someone who we might assume has a lover with whom she conceived, or at least some friend or companion who shares her life. Some support for her and her child. They have not come asking about her.
She must live somewhere and neighbors aren't missing her. Friends are not asking about her.
This woman has vanished from the life she was living before the accident and nobody appears to care. Or at least not care enough to ask the authorities "where the heck is Madame X??
It is as if mystery woman lives alone and isolated in the world.
And Dr. Addison wondered if the same would happen to her. Would anyone notice and ask after her??
---------------
I know a number of women who travel alone and relish the experience. I would LOVE to do it, but it terrifies me. Not the lack of companionship or shared experience, but the thought that something could happen and nobody would come asking the authorities "where the heck is Deb??"
When I asked these women how they have overcome that fear, they all admit one thing: they have friends or family members with whom they are in contact every day. Most of the time, they are not people they see face to face, or even talk to on the phone. Someone will text them to say what they're having for breakfast; someone sends a voice message to tell them about a tv show they saw last night. A third might leave an email about a boring meeting; a fourth might ask why she isn't "Twittering" yet? AND THEY EXPECT AN ANSWER.
Yes, some of these women have people with whom they talk by phone every day. (NOTE: rarely talking to direct family members). But more often than not, it's more techie and less real life. But it is regular. It is throughout the day. It is expected that there is back and forth. These women might physically be alone (several of them work from home) but they are connected.
It is my own fault, but I have set up "barriers to communication" that mean I do not have this connection in my life.
I have a spouse who hates the phone more than I do. He can happily travel the world for 2 to 3 weeks and feel assured that I am home safe and sound. He will send an email when he can, and wait for an answer (which might get caught in the corporate spam filter). That's it. No answer, no panic. He's now gotten a Blackberry for work, so it's likely these emails will increase.
Friends (including some of you reading this) expect to find a new blog post most days here. But if one doesn't show up for several days, you just assume that I'm busy. No email, no question, no communication.
Real life friends usually only call or email when there is information to convey. They convey the info and let it drop. That's my own fault, I know.
One friend kind of "got it" from the original post. She emails me a couple times a week and expects a response. She calls me one morning a week and expects a response. She has promised me if I don't answer the phone or call her back quickly that she will "call in the cavalry." I am a bit calmer now.
But nobody communicates with me daily and expects to hear back in a timely fashion. This has made me vulnerable. This has made me fear vanishing. It's a much more real fear than disappearing from the world consciousness.
It is quite literally: what if I left the house tomorrow and didn't return ? How long would it take for anyone to know that I have been taken? That I have vanished? And, more importantly, to ask someone "where the heck is Deb?"
Oh, BTW beginning this afternoon until Wednesday morning, I will be Art Quilt Claremont. I still plan to be blogging, but if you don't hear from me.. that's the first place to look.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
People are apparently writing about the "If I Vanished.." post in a most esoteric way. Imagining that as one ages one "draws in".. and gets smaller. Imagining "vanishing" as dying. As disappearing from the world gestalt.
THAT'S NOT WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT.
Honestly, at this point in my life, I'm getting out in the world more, not pulling inward. And I'm way too young at 55 to start thinking about my declining years.
Let's remember the original story on Grey's Anatomy: a woman leaves her home to travel into Seattle. We do not know why, but assume it was an ordinary day. She is in an accident that disfigures her face (eliminating the chance for the hospital to publish photos of her and say: Who Is This?). She has amnesia (eliminating the chance for her to say: I am Madame X.).
And nobody has come asking about her.
She is someone who we assume worked.. and her co-workers aren't inquiring about her.
She is someone who we might assume has a lover with whom she conceived, or at least some friend or companion who shares her life. Some support for her and her child. They have not come asking about her.
She must live somewhere and neighbors aren't missing her. Friends are not asking about her.
This woman has vanished from the life she was living before the accident and nobody appears to care. Or at least not care enough to ask the authorities "where the heck is Madame X??
It is as if mystery woman lives alone and isolated in the world.
And Dr. Addison wondered if the same would happen to her. Would anyone notice and ask after her??
---------------
I know a number of women who travel alone and relish the experience. I would LOVE to do it, but it terrifies me. Not the lack of companionship or shared experience, but the thought that something could happen and nobody would come asking the authorities "where the heck is Deb??"
When I asked these women how they have overcome that fear, they all admit one thing: they have friends or family members with whom they are in contact every day. Most of the time, they are not people they see face to face, or even talk to on the phone. Someone will text them to say what they're having for breakfast; someone sends a voice message to tell them about a tv show they saw last night. A third might leave an email about a boring meeting; a fourth might ask why she isn't "Twittering" yet? AND THEY EXPECT AN ANSWER.
Yes, some of these women have people with whom they talk by phone every day. (NOTE: rarely talking to direct family members). But more often than not, it's more techie and less real life. But it is regular. It is throughout the day. It is expected that there is back and forth. These women might physically be alone (several of them work from home) but they are connected.
It is my own fault, but I have set up "barriers to communication" that mean I do not have this connection in my life.
I have a spouse who hates the phone more than I do. He can happily travel the world for 2 to 3 weeks and feel assured that I am home safe and sound. He will send an email when he can, and wait for an answer (which might get caught in the corporate spam filter). That's it. No answer, no panic. He's now gotten a Blackberry for work, so it's likely these emails will increase.
Friends (including some of you reading this) expect to find a new blog post most days here. But if one doesn't show up for several days, you just assume that I'm busy. No email, no question, no communication.
Real life friends usually only call or email when there is information to convey. They convey the info and let it drop. That's my own fault, I know.
One friend kind of "got it" from the original post. She emails me a couple times a week and expects a response. She calls me one morning a week and expects a response. She has promised me if I don't answer the phone or call her back quickly that she will "call in the cavalry." I am a bit calmer now.
But nobody communicates with me daily and expects to hear back in a timely fashion. This has made me vulnerable. This has made me fear vanishing. It's a much more real fear than disappearing from the world consciousness.
It is quite literally: what if I left the house tomorrow and didn't return ? How long would it take for anyone to know that I have been taken? That I have vanished? And, more importantly, to ask someone "where the heck is Deb?"
Oh, BTW beginning this afternoon until Wednesday morning, I will be Art Quilt Claremont. I still plan to be blogging, but if you don't hear from me.. that's the first place to look.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Thursday, April 12, 2007
A Knitter's Invitation: More on Constructive Comments and Community
Spring Lilacs In BloomTuesday afternoon I received an email from Cara that scared me! She was proposing that today she would open her blog for all negative comments about her and her blog for one 24 hour period. Put all the ugly in one place so we could examine it.
I was not the only person who wrote her back to say: ARE YOU F**KING NUTS??
Carefully rethinking her original idea, Cara formed it into a much more clearly expressed essay that she posted today instead. It's ends:
I would like to see a wonderful discussion in the comments Dig deep and tell me why you think you were mean that time. Were you threatened by something? Jealous of something? (I would think that my petty outbursts are the direct response of envy. I want whatever it is that someone else has – as hard as it is to admit it.) What do you think about a code of conduct? Do we really need rules? Isn’t the Golden One good enough? What do you think would have happened if I HAD openend up the blog to all the negativity I could handle for 24 hours?
Go read it now. And leave Cara a comment on what she wrote.Then come back here, and let's extend the discussion of society's rules as they extend to blogs and internet communities. What ever did happen to the Golden Rule?
Crossposted at BlogHer. where there might be more comments than here...
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Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Wednesday's Ways
Almost Sunset, April 10th, 2007.I am driving down to AQC Friday afternoon. I should finish packing soon. I think I've made it through Day One packing, though I'm contemplating pulling everything except white and offwhite fabrics. (OK, why limit myself? I'm driving this stuff down!)
I'm to the point of packing the large box of fabric pieces (scraps, etc.). Then I have to start gathering up the sewing supplies.
Last night I realized I need to pack for myself, too. That means clothes, sundries, camera, laptop, cellphone and a passal of chargers!! I think I'd better get on the stick!
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions for notes on Tuesday's Excitement!!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Booker Tuesday: What The Dead Know
I have never read Laura Lippman before receiving a copy of WHAT THE DEAD KNOW. The inside cover page mentions nine other books authored by her. My summertime reading list has just grown!
What The Dead Know is a mystery. Like any mystery, there is a crime unsolved, a solution offered, and points conflicted.
On a spring day in 1975, two young girls disappeared from a shopping mall. From that moment forward it was as if they did not exist: no bodies founds, no rumors grow, no ransom demands. Silence. Those girls vanished into thin air. (Regularly readers will recognize this as a theme/fear of mine.)
Thirty years later, after an accident on a snowy road, the police stop a driver who offers to give them the scoop on these girls. Eventually, she claims to be one of them.
After 30 years, how does one go about proving you are who you say you were? Or you were who you say you are? Landscapes change leaving little in the way of roadmarks. People die or move away. Children grow up and change. Changes become dead ends. Forgotten moments turn into key points.
This book is a trip through time and trust with enough tricks and turns to keep your interest. Lippman's writing style is comfortable not so easy that she lets you relax. She wants smart, attentive readers fully present in this process.
Just when I was certain I could relax, knowing exactly how the book was going to end, she added that perfect shift in thinking that made everything clear. I enjoyed this book so much!! And highly recommend it to any of you who enjoy a thoughtfully crafted mystery.
This book was sent to me from a representative of HarperCollins and is part of the BlogHer Virtual Book Tour. No payment was received in exchange for this review. The suggested retail price of this book is less than US$ 45, and therefore, in accordance with BlogHer Editorial Guidelines, it will be passed on to another blogger or donated to my local library.
If you would like this book, leave a comment on this post and I will randomly choose the recipient. If nobody comments, the book will be donated to Hercules Library.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
What The Dead Know is a mystery. Like any mystery, there is a crime unsolved, a solution offered, and points conflicted.
On a spring day in 1975, two young girls disappeared from a shopping mall. From that moment forward it was as if they did not exist: no bodies founds, no rumors grow, no ransom demands. Silence. Those girls vanished into thin air. (Regularly readers will recognize this as a theme/fear of mine.)
Thirty years later, after an accident on a snowy road, the police stop a driver who offers to give them the scoop on these girls. Eventually, she claims to be one of them.
After 30 years, how does one go about proving you are who you say you were? Or you were who you say you are? Landscapes change leaving little in the way of roadmarks. People die or move away. Children grow up and change. Changes become dead ends. Forgotten moments turn into key points.
This book is a trip through time and trust with enough tricks and turns to keep your interest. Lippman's writing style is comfortable not so easy that she lets you relax. She wants smart, attentive readers fully present in this process.
Just when I was certain I could relax, knowing exactly how the book was going to end, she added that perfect shift in thinking that made everything clear. I enjoyed this book so much!! And highly recommend it to any of you who enjoy a thoughtfully crafted mystery.
This book was sent to me from a representative of HarperCollins and is part of the BlogHer Virtual Book Tour. No payment was received in exchange for this review. The suggested retail price of this book is less than US$ 45, and therefore, in accordance with BlogHer Editorial Guidelines, it will be passed on to another blogger or donated to my local library.
If you would like this book, leave a comment on this post and I will randomly choose the recipient. If nobody comments, the book will be donated to Hercules Library.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
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Monday, April 09, 2007
B..B..B..
I was not feeling well on Saturday, so I moved in about half-speed (except to the bathroom.. enough info). However we had 3 bananas that were not going to last through the night, so I finally bucked up and got to baking that banana nut bread.
Yep. I need a full 2x6' island to cook this on. If it were larger, I'd use that too!! You can see the black loaf pan, greased on bottom, measuring implements, flour, recipe book turned sideways to be read from both sides of the island, bowl with wet ingredients, eggs, masher, compostable waste and soy milk.
In the background are a couple messes. I don't feel too badly about them after reading Sassymonkey's article on the book A Perfect Mess. When I get organized enough to get it from the library, I'll report upon it's real value.. but I know it gets us visual learners off the hook a bit.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
today for my Tale of the Scale. Tomorrow here: A book review.
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Saturday, April 07, 2007
Twenty-five Questions
Courtesy of Diane...
1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be?
Built a house once already. Although it was fun, I wouldn't want to do it again. At this stage of my life, I'd rather live in an apartment or condo (less work required) in some nice walkable urban neighborhood.
2. What's your favorite article of clothing?
Jeans.
3. Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex?
Warm, quick smile. Though the eyes tell all.
4. What's the last CD that you bought?
I don't buy them that often.. I should remember, but I don't.
5. Where's your favorite place to be?
In the sun near the water.
6. Where is your least favorite place to be?
In a doctor's waiting room.
7. What's your favorite place to be massaged?
Shoulders and neck.
8. Strong in mind or strong in body?
Both.
9. What time do you wake up in the morning?
7 am. Give or take 10 minutes if I'm lucky. Lately, it's somewhere between 4 and 6:15.
10. What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
My Bunn coffeemaker.
11. What makes you really angry?
I don't get really angry.
12. If you could play any instrument, what would it be?
I used to play the piano quite well.
13. Favorite color?
RED
14. Which do you prefer...sports car or SUV?
Sports car. Or sporty car. Haven't had one in way too long.
15. Do you believe in an afterlife?
Yes.
16. Favorite children's book?
Little Women
17. What is your favorite season?
Late spring to early summer. (April, May, June)
18. Your least favorite household chore?
Picking up dog poop. So I rarely do it.
19. If you could have one super power, what would it be?
The ability to communicate with everyone.
20. If you have a tattoo, what is it?
No tattoos. But I got scars!!
21. Can you juggle?
No.
22. The one person from your past that you wish you could go back and talk to?
I don't know.
23. What's your favorite day?
Don't laugh... Monday.
24. What's in the trunk of your car?
I have a station wagon, so no trunk. My back seat has: 6 paper grocery bags that use when I shop every week. Two folding crates for carrying in the groceries. An emergency repair kit, a flat of water bottles, a dog walk knapsack, a shorter dog walk belly bag.
25. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger?
Hamburger in cold weather (though rarely)... sushi in summer. frequently.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be?
Built a house once already. Although it was fun, I wouldn't want to do it again. At this stage of my life, I'd rather live in an apartment or condo (less work required) in some nice walkable urban neighborhood.
2. What's your favorite article of clothing?
Jeans.
3. Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex?
Warm, quick smile. Though the eyes tell all.
4. What's the last CD that you bought?
I don't buy them that often.. I should remember, but I don't.
5. Where's your favorite place to be?
In the sun near the water.
6. Where is your least favorite place to be?
In a doctor's waiting room.
7. What's your favorite place to be massaged?
Shoulders and neck.
8. Strong in mind or strong in body?
Both.
9. What time do you wake up in the morning?
7 am. Give or take 10 minutes if I'm lucky. Lately, it's somewhere between 4 and 6:15.
10. What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
My Bunn coffeemaker.
11. What makes you really angry?
I don't get really angry.
12. If you could play any instrument, what would it be?
I used to play the piano quite well.
13. Favorite color?
RED
14. Which do you prefer...sports car or SUV?
Sports car. Or sporty car. Haven't had one in way too long.
15. Do you believe in an afterlife?
Yes.
16. Favorite children's book?
Little Women
17. What is your favorite season?
Late spring to early summer. (April, May, June)
18. Your least favorite household chore?
Picking up dog poop. So I rarely do it.
19. If you could have one super power, what would it be?
The ability to communicate with everyone.
20. If you have a tattoo, what is it?
No tattoos. But I got scars!!
21. Can you juggle?
No.
22. The one person from your past that you wish you could go back and talk to?
I don't know.
23. What's your favorite day?
Don't laugh... Monday.
24. What's in the trunk of your car?
I have a station wagon, so no trunk. My back seat has: 6 paper grocery bags that use when I shop every week. Two folding crates for carrying in the groceries. An emergency repair kit, a flat of water bottles, a dog walk knapsack, a shorter dog walk belly bag.
25. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger?
Hamburger in cold weather (though rarely)... sushi in summer. frequently.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
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Friday, April 06, 2007
Inspirations
Earlier this week I reminded a friend of a promise to show me their art. I'd heard about it for a while, but never seen it. And I am incurably curious.
Looking through a sketchbook, I was a little surprised and a lot inspired by what I saw. Unforunately, the venue wasn't the best for lingering over detailed ink drawings. I only got to enjoy the experience for a couple minutes before getting interrupted. Darn.
But all that afternoon I thought about what I saw. To be truthful, I thought about how I would take these very urban, very detailed drawings and place one on fabric. (wish I could show you what I saw... just imagine). I finally decided I'd like a "whole cloth" tshirt from this drawing. Yes, I'm little crazy! I thought out one option to do it and another. Still haven't decided on the best approach.
That's OK, I don't have the drawing (yet). Fingers crossed, I'll get one some day and can take my afternoon's obsession and turn it into reality. In the meantime, I guess I could start looking through some of the copyright free images I have try some of my ideas on them.
Hmmm.... try to do something before AQC next week? Or wait until after I've spent a couple days with Rayna to acquire some better skills??
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
Looking through a sketchbook, I was a little surprised and a lot inspired by what I saw. Unforunately, the venue wasn't the best for lingering over detailed ink drawings. I only got to enjoy the experience for a couple minutes before getting interrupted. Darn.
But all that afternoon I thought about what I saw. To be truthful, I thought about how I would take these very urban, very detailed drawings and place one on fabric. (wish I could show you what I saw... just imagine). I finally decided I'd like a "whole cloth" tshirt from this drawing. Yes, I'm little crazy! I thought out one option to do it and another. Still haven't decided on the best approach.
That's OK, I don't have the drawing (yet). Fingers crossed, I'll get one some day and can take my afternoon's obsession and turn it into reality. In the meantime, I guess I could start looking through some of the copyright free images I have try some of my ideas on them.
Hmmm.... try to do something before AQC next week? Or wait until after I've spent a couple days with Rayna to acquire some better skills??
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
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Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Monday, April 02, 2007
Monday's Muddle...
Clematis Bud. Go Check out your horoscope at Crazy Aunt Purl's... she has a guest writer. Not quite as charming as Laurie's writings, but that probably means there is less interpretation needed too.
I mean, I'm still not sure about last month's "take a breath" advice.
Cancer (June 22nd – July 22nd)I'm liking the idea of doors opening, and hey... you guys coming to the rescue.. please wear something so I know who you are!
Even though you’re quite a strong creature, Cancer, your recent money, health, and/or relationship issues may be wearing you a little thin. Plus, since so many of your challenges have come as a result of other people’s choices (or lack of them) you can feel left hanging - rarely a welcome position for a security-oriented crab! Not to worry – the picture is changing! New ideas are percolating, helpful people are coming to the rescue, and inspired realizations are returning that can show you what new steps to take to create more abundance and professional success. What should you do? Use your instincts and intuition to flesh out what is really important to you and what you really should let go of in order to move on. Even the abrupt shifts in plans and expectations that might pop up April 1st - 2nd, 27th – 29th can end up resulting in lucky opportunities and insights that promote your dreams even further. Travel, write that book (or letter) and take a class in something that inspires you and you’ll start to see that doors magically opening for you that you wouldn’t dream of even knocking on!
Plans for this week: I've got to seriously start packing for AQC. First I've got to pack up all the goodies for the first 2 days of surface design work. That list is LONG.
Check out my other blog: Deb's Daily Distractions
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