Tattoos and other examples of impermanence

Final thoughts: EFF it! The devil stays.

Shocked and Stunned and Nervous and HAPPY

I recently sent the middle part of my novel to a great editor. He is one of my "perfect readers"-- someone who understands what I'm doing and why and who supports me in that effort-- and he wants to publish the ENTIRE excerpt in his upcoming journal...


For real? Oh my gosh!!! Oh! Oh! Oh!

7 Extraordinary Things You Must Know This Instant

1) "Maxi" dresses are 7x more obscene than "mini" dresses. Firstly, they are almost all made of jersey. Jersey is extraordinarily clingy. Jersey will show just how ill-fitting your underpants are. It will enhance the lumpy and bumpy parts of your legs and your rear-end. Secondly, the name. Please. In conclusion, "maxi" dresses end up being much more explicitly "showy" than a mini.

2) In 7 days I am cutting ties with my iPhone. I am saying good-riddance to bad garbage.* Although I worry that my brain will not develop and evolve like others of my generation and of the Internet generation, I am saying "no thanks" to hyper-connection. That worry about my brain is founded, by the way. I worry about that already because I cannot use facebook without feeling like I'm at a party where everyone is talking and I am overwhelmed by the noise and the self-centeredness. (And I am aware of how self-centered blogging is, thank you!)This is old-fashioned and it is not okay. I will just have to go it alone.

3) I am trading in both generations of my iPhone for Amazon money. I also feel awful about this. But then I think about conflict metals and I am a little less ashamed of using Amazon to get cash for a new camera. But then I feel ashamed of not supporting a local camera store with my hard-earned cash. And then I think about how snobby the local camera stores are and then maybe I feel okay about getting a camera from an anonymous, push all the little guys out store. In the end, I just want to get wicked pictures of Lithuania and I cannot afford a new camera without some help.

4)For the first time in my life I am afraid of being homesick. Truly and deeply and astonishingly homesick. This fear is taking most of the excitement out of planning my trip. I'll be leaving a month! I'll be studying with Edward Hirsch! Whoa! Oh, to be connected to a family and to have my own wants. It is very hard.

5)Uh huh.
6)Yeah.
7)What?

* An acknowledgment: work got me a BlackBerry so I can use the map function for site visits. Apple's map function is much easier and smarter than BB's. So, in theory I will still be plugged in-- but not really and no personal info is on the work phone.

oh lazy head and stuffy nose and stuffy head and lazy nose and sleeplessness. oh, it must be summer.

bummer.

More Ronnie!

Okay, I've been here five weeks. Maybe she can pet me now. But not him-- no way is that guy getting near me! I think I like that lady even though I yawn with nervousness and lick my chops obsessively while she scratches behind my ears...

I like that they let me on the bed even if I don't want them to look at me while I'm up there. It's good to be up there, with all the family smells and sleepiness.

It's quiet here, mostly.

Today I went on my first walk around the neighborhood. I was scared about the harness, but then I saw that all the other dogs were doing it, so it must be okay. That crepe myrtle was a bitch. I ran around that thing five times before the leash gave out and I was stuck... but after that I got the hang of it-- I understood that the lady was holding on to me and that was okay.

And man, dingo bones?!! Wow-za.

Ronnie, part two

Diarrhea, fleas, garbage and grass eating, hiding in closets, hiding under the rose bush, no eye contact, don't even think about petting me, oh wait, treats? Chicken? What? Wet dog food? Okay, maybe we can be in the same room. No, we have to be the same room. I'll follow you around the house, but if you turn around to watch me, I'll run. Wait, what's my tail doing? It's wagging? Huh, that's strange. What is your hand doing? That hand better not be coming near me-- I said don't touch me. Run! Run! Run down the stairs, run up the stairs, run under the bed! What's that sound-- I know that sound, the treat bag! Okay, I'll take a treat from your hand, but don't get any ideas, I mean it.

Count all four of my babes in the bottom picture.

Okay, BMA, I do love you...

This is a silk painting I did a few weekends ago at the BMA's textile day. It was an incredible, FREE day of demonstrations and talks about fiber art. I fell in love, twice, that day. The first time was during the silk painting workshop-- I was in love with both the medium and fantastic, eccentric, seventy-year-old Egyptian woman teaching the course. The second time was during a needle felting demonstration. It is a simple art, like painting, but without the wait of drying layers, etc. I created a snail by stabbing a barbed needle through wool and yarn into a piece of felt. Katie F. and I both lost ourselves in the process and would have stayed at the table for the duration of the event if I hadn't looked up and noticed a line of children that wanted to try it out.

The event also featured lace makers (whoa), couture clothing, wire and bead work and batik.

A small side note, the streaks in the blue dye are from salt. You throw some onto the silk when the dye is wet. The salt absorbs the water and leaves that incredible speckle pattern.