My nephew is in his first year at WSU (WA State U) and is participating in this thing called “Nerdy and the Greek 2008“. Apparently 6 nerdy guys get complete makeovers - hair, clothes, everything - from sorority girls and then the guys are auctioned off for charity. I saw on his Facebook account that Rob got waxed (face!) and spray tanned today. Ugh! Here’s his interview:
It is 10pm on a Thursday night and this is the first time I’ve had to work on any art or blog or even journal in ages. I’ve been working like mad to finish a large project for a client. I’m on the cusp of having it finished - yay! Except I don’t have any more big ones in the pipeline. Boo!
I’m working on a couple of pieces. The first is a jewelry box made of a huge thick book. I got the idea from Crafting for Cheapskates. The link takes you to her version. Mine is much thicker, so I had room for the two drawers plus I’m adding space under the lid for goodies as well. I really should have taken photos as I went along, but this one is going so well, I’ll probably do another and post that one. I did find that it is easier to make the cutouts if you first use Modge Podge or Gel Medium - two thick coats - to the edge of the pages, without gluing down the cover.
I’ll post photos when it is done. It is going to be for my niece for Christmas and she’s a real horsewoman, so the colors will be brown and red with photos of horses. I’m going to sign, date and name each one I do as well - treating it as a work of art instead of just “some craft project”.
I’ve got a second project I’m almost finished with. I finally decided tonight what it needs to finish it, and it will be done this weekend as well.
My brother’s birthday is on Saturday, so I’m going to bop over for dinner and get some family photos. I’m making everyone family tree magnets for Christmas, so getting photos now means I can get a head start on that.
BTW - always look at your store receipts. I just found one from Michaels and realized that it included a 50% off coupon that expires on Sunday! Needless to say that puppy is getting used.
Well, I really should head off to bed. Next week is looking quieter, work wise (not necessarily a good thing) but it means I have more time for artwork and writing!
Whew - I’ve had a bad case of the crud - maybe even food poisoning. I’ve been sick as a dog for almost six days which has screwed up my life incredibly.
I’m totally behind on NaNoWriMo and not sure I can catch up.
I’m behind on a project that was supposed to go to the client on Friday.
I’ve got piles of crap on my desk.
I’ve got a ton of emails to sort through.
I’m thinking of crawling back into bed….
Well-behaved women rarely make history ~ Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
I’m taking Nicolette’s creative lettering class and already seeing a difference in my lettering. Two important tips have helped me so far: use pencil lines and outline your letters. Truly, just going slow, taking care to form the letters and then outlining them has made a huge difference and given me a lot of confidence. Here are two recent pages from my journal:
Journal Page
(You can click on the image to see more detail).
I love this quote!
The really strange thing is that I liked the result of my lettering so much, I started to draw little pictures - and they don’t look half bad!
Today is the start of NaNoWriMo and I figure I need to get down about 1,700 words a day to make my goal of 50,000. I’m using my real name, dianeensey, as the user name, so if you’re participating make me a buddy! Oh, and they should be arranged in a semblance of a narrative. My DH, when I told him what I was doing joked that I’d have a hard time finding 1,700 words a day to write down. As in individual, non-linked words. I guess you had to be there.
Anyhoo, since he is off elk hunting this weekend and my inlaws are on a cruise to Mexico (insert your choice of bitter, jealous language here), I’m home collecting rent. That isn’t going to stop me from making a run to the Craft Warehouse, which is having a sale. When I dropped in earlier this week to pick up something, the nice lady at checkout gave me a 40% off coupon which I’m going to use to buy the pastel set of Le Plume II markers.
I shouldn’t be spending any money. Seriously. And I’m going to feel guilty about it, but darn it <start sad violins>I’m stuck at home all alone and I don’t get to go hunting or to Mexico, so I deserve some goodies. </end sad violins> Feel free to validate my justification in the comments. Please. I could really use the validation <grin>.
I’d like to point out that this post is almost 400 words, or 1/4 of what I need daily for my novel. This should be easy, right?
Some days I wake up and my anxiety level is already high. You know the feeling you get when you walk down a dark street and suddenly hear a strange noise? Or the feeling when that cop starts following you around the mall, even though you aren’t doing anything wrong? Or the feeling when you do something stupid while driving and just barely avoid creating an accident?
You know the feeling. Your stomach feels as tense as a rock. Your shoulders are up around your ears and your neck is rigid. You are gritting your teeth. At the same time you have the overwhelming urge to run, run anywhere, hide, go away, anything to get away from this feeling overwhelming dread and doom.
That, my friends, is what a high level of anxiety feels like. Try waking up that way and settling down to anything - work or fun.
And you know what the real crappy thing is? You know darn well there is no reason for the anxiety! The world isn’t coming to an end. You aren’t about to be shot by a robber. You haven’t done anything wrong. You know this and the analytical side of your brain is just ragging on you: “Cut it out - you’re such a baby. What is your problem?”
The worse thing anyone can say to you is “There’s nothing to worry about, just settle down” because, yes, thank you, I know there’s nothing to worry about and gee, I’d love to just settle down - why don’t you explain just how that is done when every fibre of your being is telling you that danger is right around the corner?
So you sit down and write a blog post about it, which you’ll probably regret later, and tell yourself “Thank god I work at home. I’ll just take the day off,” neither of which makes you feel better, but at least you are doing something.
I roll out of bed and don’t have to comb my hair before punching out 3 hours of work (yes, work - real, paid, work). I have a large project to start on, but I’m going to take a break and start some bread rising before digging in. I may not even comb my hair all day (this is why I do not have a web cam)
Connect to the Source and
you connect with the whole world;
life is richer,
creativity bubbles,
joy wells up to fill
corners in your soul.
When Shamhat was sent
to tame the wild man,
what was her feeling?
Was it for Ishtar,
religious duty?
Respect for the King?
Maybe fear of him?
Did she go in love,
desiring all men?
Was it in cold fear
of the animal?
Before she saw him,
Enkindu, the man,
how did she prepare?
Did she pray to gods
with hands uplifted?
Was she cool and calm
planning her conquest?
Was her future clear
or clouded with mist?
Did she weep before
setting out to him?
The woman, Shamhat,
did she dream of more?
Of life outside the
temple of Ishtar?
Was the temple big
enough for her dreams
or did Shamhat long
for life beyond sex?
Pf what did she think
before she met the
wild man, Enkindu?
