tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-288126912024-03-13T07:05:08.940-04:00Full of Earth and DirtToday's blog entry was brought to you by the letter Y...Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-83594301335373620382014-02-26T23:29:00.002-05:002014-02-26T23:29:32.990-05:00I just can't wait...!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;">I had all these good
intentions to write an exciting blog entry, and then I got consumed in almost a
stasis of hibernation while winter has been dragging on. There have even been
spectacular snow days, and I still didn’t write anything. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;">If you haven’t guessed by
now, there’s little hope for me ever being a serial blogger. Not that that’s a
goal of mine.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;">Anyway… so yeah! That blog
I was going to write</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;">In the last entry about
exiting my 20s, I mentioned that I thought it’d be cool to go see the Lion King
for my 30<sup>th</sup> birthday but decided against asking for tickets.
Instead, I thought it more practical to ask for new glasses. Which I totally
got. Check ‘em out:</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_UZgLC6PQjk/Uw5CkgpK3sI/AAAAAAAAAk4/nlvZKtkzTVE/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_UZgLC6PQjk/Uw5CkgpK3sI/AAAAAAAAAk4/nlvZKtkzTVE/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><giant ca="" glasses="" hipster="" in="" pic=""></giant></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;">… Just kidding. This is
what I actually got.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><new glasses="" pic=""></new></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AApK07TvHq4/Uw5CmKVXnbI/AAAAAAAAAlE/dSij6BYrzIM/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AApK07TvHq4/Uw5CmKVXnbI/AAAAAAAAAlE/dSij6BYrzIM/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="320" width="270" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I decided that I wanted
something different from what I had before, and this was the result. I’m used
to thicker framed glasses, so for the first week of wearing these babies I felt
like I was looking at someone else in the mirror. In some crazy way, I attached
part of my visual identity to “artsier” glasses. This was completely
unexpected, and I’ve since gotten over it and love my new glasses on my face as
much as I do off of my face. Although it’s very awesome that I have new specs,
GUESS WHAT:</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"><lionking pic=""></lionking></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cEQfc46iX5k/Uw5CmJEUnyI/AAAAAAAAAlA/RrF88YOMheg/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cEQfc46iX5k/Uw5CmJEUnyI/AAAAAAAAAlA/RrF88YOMheg/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;">BAM!!</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;">Remember how I mentioned
that I told my husband to plan everything for my 30<sup>th</sup> birthday? And I was really anxious about if he was going to do anything at all?
Yeah, he totally wins the gold in joining forces with friends in surprising me
not just with a grown-up-version of a Lion King party – which is really awesome
on its own – but ALSO tickets to see the Lion King. Which we are going to
go see <b>TOMORROW</b>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> WOOHOO!</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Okay.<span style="line-height: 115%;"> Perhaps I’m
disproportionately excited to see the Lion King as a 30 year old woman, but you
have to understand that the Lion King was my favorite Disney film as a kid. I
like to think I was busting through stereotypes without even knowing it,
because though I may have liked the typical princess films I never really got
into them. I was into 101 Dalmations, Aristrocats, The Rescuers and Rescuers Down Under, and
non-Disney films featuring animal characters. I was also extremely into Big
Cats when the Lion King came out, so of course it was my favorite and holds a
special place in my heart. But along with that, I'm also super pumped to see
the costume and set designs. From what I’ve heard, the sheer artistry put into the
show is pretty amazing and I want to have all my senses full present to drink
it all in. Since I’ve been making stuffed animals, I hope the show will be
inspiring on that end and feed into my creativity. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">I have to admit, though. I will probably cry. Especially when Mufasa dies, because even just listening to the music that accompanies the whole wildebeest scene tears me up. Seriously. And I may cry anyway out of sheer joy in going to see my first ever Broadway production. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Can't wait!</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-24532864013174512392014-01-04T17:10:00.002-05:002014-01-04T17:10:21.338-05:00The Three-Oh: Part Deux<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JWkw8tUphN0/UsiEhAIpl4I/AAAAAAAAAkA/0E1tnXwFMYU/s1600/Picard+30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JWkw8tUphN0/UsiEhAIpl4I/AAAAAAAAAkA/0E1tnXwFMYU/s320/Picard+30.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I figured that, since I wrote about my Bucket List of 30 things to do <i>before I turn 31</i>, I may as well write some reflections on turning 30 because Lord knows that hasn't been done before. That and I tend to get all contemplative when my birthday rolls around in part because it also happens to be 8 days into the New Year, when folks are all abuzz about reflections on last year and resolution about the next.<br />
<br />
Normally I don't make any big deal about birthdays, at least not my own. Since my birthday is in the winter, it inevitably fell during Winter Break during high school and college when many of my friends weren't even around. I'm also an introvert, so a great birthday party to me looks like hanging around with a handful of friends and watching a movie or playing games. Or going to a museum or similar institution. Case in point: I wanted to go to the Franklin Institute in Philly on my 16th birthday, the Earth and Space Museum in NYC on my 21st birthday, and two years ago I wanted to go to the Baltimore Aquarium. This year I would have liked to break the mold by going to see the theater production of The Lion King in NYC, but those tickets just crazy expensive so I felt all weird about asking for something that didn't have any practical use. Instead I'll be getting something much more insane: a new pair of glasses. I know, I'm totally living on the edge. <b>All you extroverts can't handle this.</b><br /><br />Additionally I threw the planning for my birthday into the capable hands of my husband and friends, and told them to make it a surprise. The lesson learned here is that combined with my winter blues, letting my friends decide my 30th birthday fate has led to bouts of subtle anxiety and thinking that nothing will be done to celebrate because my birthday doesn't really matter. This is actually the result of my birthday being during Winter Breaks, and self-inflicted scars from my young teenaged brain thinking most friends didn't come to my birthday invitations because they didn't care. As an adult, I know better, and soon enough my insecurity gets coaxed out of the dark and told to breathe into a paper bag. I'm sure whatever is planned for me will be awesome and fun.<br />
<br />
Anyway, this post was supposed to be about turning another year older and not about birthdays past.<br />
<br />
I'm about to turn 30. There is no pandemonium, panic, or worlds falling apart. Turning 30 is not this looming cliff I'm about to fall off of from youthful radiance into a pit of old age. Seriously guys, that's just buying into what fashion magazines and cosmetic plastic surgeons exploit: fear of aging. I suppose I've always thrown a proverbial middle finger up at that noise and I don't see it suddenly stopping any time soon, as I have always felt that 30 was decidedly <i>not</i> old and not that big a deal. But when I think about it just a little more, I guess it is a little more than "just another birthday."<br />
<br />The good part is that I'm looking forward to getting out of my 20s because for some reason, that will make me feel more like an adult. You'd think that living apart from my parents after college and getting married at 24 would have set the adult status in stone. It helped, but for some reason, exiting my 20s seems like the<b> real </b>initiation into adulthood. Nope. I don't know <i>why</i>. Perhaps it's that I think that in my 30s, I will finally have figured out what I'm doing with my life or at the very least have a pretty good idea of the direction we should be going. That we won't keep falling off the horse in attempts to get stable (no puns intended there). I know it's not a magic potion to make everything right in the world. I'm pretty sure crazy things happen without irregardless of age, and I probably won't have everything figured out either. Besides, God has certainly provided and carried both my husband and I through the various ups and downs through my 20s. Perhaps a good exercise would be for me to come up with a list of ways that God provided and what I'm grateful for from my 20s. It might offer some great perspective. A list of 30 seems too limiting, but it seems fitting. Who's with me?<br />
<br />
If you are 30 and beyond, or not there yet, how do you feel about it? Did you ever feel snubbed as a teenager because your birthday was during a month when most kids are on vacation? <i>(there's gotta be more people out there besides me that felt that way)</i>Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-77264894044266023842013-12-26T21:09:00.001-05:002013-12-26T21:09:25.428-05:00The Three-Oh is Fast ApproachingAt one point, I had these 30 ambitions to do before I turned 30. They promptly fell to some crazy gorge and got stuck somewhere<b>. </b>So like New Year's Resolutions, I only got part of the way through before I forgot about them. Well here they are again, <i>but I'm changing the rules!</i> I'm giving myself another year to complete my list (that I modified for the umptenth time).<br />
<br />
"Why," you ask?<br />
<br />
Why! Because I am turning 30 in thirteen days! That's why! And I feel like the things I said I wanted to do should still at least be given a shot. Trust me when I say I tend to give things a chance well after the expiration date.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Here's a handful of accomplishments:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">We have a real bed, as opposed to a futon frame with a mattress thrown onto it.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">I had a consistent exercise/yoga routine for a few months. It counts.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">I've done a professional photo shoot with hubby. </span><br />
<br />
Find a way to make art and make money in a consistent way. <i>(sewing, sewing, sewing...)</i><br />
<br />
I was cooking for others more... then I started sewing more, and I saw no one.<br />
<br />
Be less cynical.<i> (I go in seasons - but I swear I'm better than before) </i><br />
<br />
<strike>Have a mini-garden... or be a part of a co-op.</strike> I am successfully growing inedible plants in my cubicle at work. That's as good as it's going to get realistically, right now, so I'm counting it.<i></i><br />
<br />
I had a professional massage <i>(once again, thank you Erin and Katy!)</i><br />
<br />
I did an MS Walk last April.<i></i><br />
<br />
We went camping this past year and it was AWESOME. We're working on camping more.<br />
<br />
I'm pretty sure I eat better than I used to when I started this list.<br />
<br />
One of my goals was to go to a city I have never been to before, and we went drove to Clearwater, Florida.<br />
<br />
I've been able to visit my brother a little more than usual, which is nice.<br />
<br />
I'd like to apply to more art shows in the coming year, but I am in a year-long exhibit at a college right now and I'm in an exhibition I'm curating, coming up in January. Which is more than the previous year, so I AM COUNTING IT.<br />
<br />
My artspace at home is kind of more conducive to making art... however now it's getting cluttered with the many products of said the art making.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><b>Here's what I still want to do:</b><br />
<br />
<br />
Ride a bike in the city. I promise to find someone to take a video of me being terror
stricken while riding down a Philadelphia street.<br />
<br />
<br />
Would you believe I still haven't gone on a legit picnic, you know, with basket and blanket in tow?<br />
<br />
I still think it would be fun to go on a Philadelphia Tour of some kind.<br />
<br />
I think it's a little late for me to try going somewhere outside of the US on my birthday, considering I don't even have a passport. So the goal is for me to get a passport and then jump over the border if I can. <br />
<br />
<br />
I'd still like to take a self defense class, just in case.<br />
....and an art class again (an encaustic class would be my dream) or have access to a printing studio...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Seriously, guys, I would love to have a separate studio for my painting and art-ing. ... Seriously.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It would still be kind of cool to jump in on an Improv Everywhere... uh.. somehow. <br />
<br />You know, I wanted to participate in the Sketchbook Project, and I still kinda do. But I think instead I really want to spend time developing a "business" out of the stuffed animals I sew.<br />
<br />
I still think I should start making a comic revolving around our cats, Autumn and Tobia, having adventures. <br />
<br />
Reviewing this list reminds me that I am still failing at writing in my prayer journal. I should get on top of that because there are so many crazy things in my head. <br />
<br />
Originally one of my goals was to participate in a print exchange again. I would love this. But seeing that much of my time is spent sewing right now, I think a better goal is to find a balance between working 40 hours a week, and creating things/visiting friends/reading/journaling/spending time with hubby with the rest of those hours.<br />
<br />
I've thought about it more... and I still want to go on a fishing adventure!! I don't know why!!<br />
<br />
<br />
This last one is a bonus that again I was going to remove, buuuuut it would still be a super great bonus:<br />
<br />
I discovered that <i>petting a tiger</i>
is not as far fetched as I originally thought. Or, at least being in the presence
of a living, breathing tiger. I don't know if I'd be able to touch it.
But you can "adopt" tigers at the Philadelphia Zoo, and as chance would
have it, for $150 you can set up a personal meet-and-greet with a tiger
and its handler.<br />
<br />
Actually a secondary bonus would be to go see the Lion King in NYC. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-41686992731050863712013-11-01T20:56:00.000-04:002013-11-01T21:02:35.829-04:00The Sweet Spot I Accidentally FoundI’ve noticed I have a habit of getting geared up to write a journal entry, and never end up actually writing anything. Kind of like how I will have an important conversation with someone (a friend, a family member) in my head and work out exactly how it’s going to go, only to have it never happen (I’m not the only one that does that, right?). So finally I’ve got a moment where I can focus my thoughts and throw them out into the blogosphere to see what happens.<br />
<br />
Recently, I discovered a funny thing about my personal creativity over the past year that I never would have expected. It’s kind of awesome – which is equally unexpected.<br />
<br />
When I was in college working on my degree in Fine Arts, I had a special appreciation for my friends who were in the Craft department. You know, the fiber artists, ceramicists, jewelers, wood workers, etc. The skill it took to make what they were making was mind boggling. While I admired the Craft department’s work, I also made sure to differentiate what they did (artisanal arts) with what I was doing (the FINE arts). Thinking about it now, this is actually kind of odd because I decided to pursue Printmaking, an art form that I would say has deep artisanal roots and it’s often paired with book-arts. The difference between the Fine Arts and Artisanal Arts/Crafting in my head was that the Fine Arts hefts emotional and conceptual weight to visually communicate with the soul of another human being. Meanwhile, Artisanal Arts were aesthetic goods that were for function or décor. Honestly, I still think that’s at least partially true, but the notion I once held was that the Fine Arts were somehow a better pursuit than Artisanal Arts – a notion that my spidey-sense has picked up on from other fine artists and galleries.<br />
<br />
As I’m writing this, the more absurd the notion seems, and hopefully it seems just as ridiculous to everyone else reading this. But also as I’m writing this it seems apparent that this really comes down to Enlightenment (and certainly before and after that) mentality: that intellectual pursuits are somehow better than physical ones. Although not a definitive statement by any means, the Fine Arts seem to hang out in a high realm of intellect whereas Artisanal Arts spends time in the physical earthy world of “things.” At least this seems to be how the camps are perceived in a worst case scenario. And so with this idea buried in my brain, I’ve kind of always poo-poo’ed the idea of crafting with any kind of seriousness. To be clear, that’s for myself: I always wanted to make paintings and etchings and Fine Artsy things and be that kind of capital A Artist full-time, a lofty dream that for practical reasons doesn’t seem achievable until I’m old and retired.<br />
<br />
<i>On to a side story but it’s important to where I’m going with this, so hang with me.</i><br />
<i> </i>
<br />
Being a Creative type, with the absolute need to be making something, I’ve also been interested in other creative outlets besides the Fine Arts. Illustrating and cartooning were a focus when I was a little kid up through a good portion of college, and I still do that. To make some extra money, I flirted with making costume jewelry for two or three years, incorporating elements of illustration. I still have a bunch of supplies from that and still fiddle with it now and then, and turns out it’s a handy skill to have. I would sell the necklaces on Etsy and also in two boutiques in the city, so it was cool. But all of that wasn’t stuff I took seriously, and looked at it more like a hobby.<br />
<br />
About this time last year, I was selling the necklaces (oh, and tile coasters with bird illustrations which I still make) at an adorable shop called Nice Things Hand Made. As you can probably guess, the shop features items that are handmade. Every month, the owner, Elissa, does a little second Saturday exhibition in the shop to feature a local artist or artist who sells items in the shop. In December, she puts on an ornament show. I wanted to participate, and decided I wanted to make little animal ornaments made out of felt. Where THAT even came from, I haven’t the slightest idea. I’ve never worked with felt before, I don’t own a sewing machine, and I only really know the basics when it comes to hand stitching. But I decided to give it a go, and next thing I know Elissa gave me the kind of look that is a window into the gears turning in her head. She asked if I can make the felt animals bigger, I said sure, and for the past year I’ve been making stuffed animals made out of felt for the shop, through Facebook, and on Etsy. Things aren’t crazy, but picking up.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m4Z2S-N0gMc/UnRM5Q8jCTI/AAAAAAAAAh4/gAzgYD0JwdA/s1600/Foxtrot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m4Z2S-N0gMc/UnRM5Q8jCTI/AAAAAAAAAh4/gAzgYD0JwdA/s320/Foxtrot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_v4WUUklFs8/UnRM9OsKLgI/AAAAAAAAAiA/HRuWQZLz2Cw/s1600/Foxtrot1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_v4WUUklFs8/UnRM9OsKLgI/AAAAAAAAAiA/HRuWQZLz2Cw/s320/Foxtrot1.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aGyWUIsH7EA/UnRNWQMH-JI/AAAAAAAAAiI/NeSEMLxF4nE/s1600/MenagerieJuly2013-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aGyWUIsH7EA/UnRNWQMH-JI/AAAAAAAAAiI/NeSEMLxF4nE/s320/MenagerieJuly2013-sm.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I absolutely love making these stuffed animals. It’s very cathartic, and utilizes a very different creative process than the one I use for painting or printmaking. It’s like I’ve been meandering through different creative outlets outside of Fine Arts, and I accidentally stumbled into a sweet spot. Up until very recently, I was pretty shy and felt awkward telling people about what I’ve been up to when they ask what I’ve been making lately. I don’t recommend telling a gallery owner that you’re making stuffed animals when they ask this question, even if you have a pretty good relationship with them. You get this blank stare like you just said something a little crazy but they don’t want to offend you by reacting to it. Enter in the Fine Arts and Artisanal Arts divide that I discussed earlier.
<br />
Maybe it’s just awkward to me because more of my free time is spent sewing, and less of it has been spent working on paintings, but I don’t want to give the impression that I’ve “given up” on being a “fine artist.” I still love painting and printmaking because it meets a different kind of artistic need. The thing that comes as a complete surprise is that for the first time really ever that I desire something other than being a Fine Arts Artist full-time. Turns out I would really love to make stuffed animals as full-time work at some point, and continue painting/printmaking on the side.<br />
<br />
Who knew? I’m slowly but surely getting to a point where I’m okay with this weird Fine Arts / Artisanal Arts dichotomy that exists within myself, too, possibly due to the stuffed animals (okay, maybe more craft than artisanal) and painting/printmaking pieces feed two very different creative outlets. I’ve discovered that several other artists are multi-disciplinary in this way, which helps a lot.<br />
<br />
If you’re an artist, do you find that there are different creative outlets you pursue? What are they?
<br />
Have you experienced the same weird Fine Arts (which I think includes theater and dance and music, not just painting etc) and Artisanal Arts divide as I have?<br />
<br />
Please share your thoughts!
<br />
<br />
<br />
P.S. For the curious, I sell my stuffed animals on Etsy at yivviepants.etsy.com.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-78106774795667194912013-04-09T15:35:00.005-04:002013-04-09T15:35:54.071-04:0030 Buckets Before 30Though there are some other things buzzing around that I could write about, for now I thought I might update my bucket list. Because I know you're very interested in knowing about the things that I've accomplished in the four months I've been 29. (don't worry, I'm not altogether interested either)<br />
<br />
<strong>What I've got done:</strong><br />
<span style="color: black;">1. Have a grown-up bed, and not a loft bed - <em>DONE! As in, officially done, and not just kind-of done. We officially have a grown-up bed. I wasn't expecting this to happen until... I don't know, sometime after 30.</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">2. Have a consistent exercise/yoga routine -<em> Believe it or not, I actually am trying to exercise on a regular basis thanks to Tony Stark Horton's Power 90 Workout.... not to be confused with his p90x workout. So this can be legitimately crossed off the list.</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">3. Do a professional photo shoot with hubby. </span><br />
<br />
4. Find a way to make art and make money in a consistent way. <em>This is worthy of a separate blog post.</em><br />
<br />
5. Cook for others, and with others, more. - <em>Not consistent, but we did host Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner this year. I look forward to doing that more.</em><br />
<br />
6. Be less cynical. <em>I *think* I'm better at this? </em><br />
<br />
7. Have a mini-garden... or be a part of a co-op. - <em>I didn't have a mini-garden, but the unedible plant in my office seems to be living and doing very well. I'm counting it. This will be moved to another list whenever we happen to gain a house.</em><br />
<br />
8. Get a professional massage - My friends Katy and Erin got me a massage gift certificate for my birthday!!! YAY! <br />
<br />
<br />
9. Do an MS Walk -<em> I am signed up to walk on May 4th!</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><br />
<br />
<strong>Ongoing, or things that just need work anyway:</strong><br />
10. Visit my brother more. - <em>I saw my brother for Easter! This sounds like a simple task but it's, um, more complicated than it should be. </em><br />
<br />
11. Have a healthier diet / eat less processed foods. <em>With exercising, this seems to be going better</em>.<br />
<br />
12. VOLUNTEER!!<br />
<br />
<br /><br />
<strong>Here's what I want to accomplish by 2014, with the rest of my 30 items:</strong><br />
Now that it's starting to get warmer again outside, several of these should be pretty easily accomplished.<br />
<br /><br />
13. <strong>Go Camping</strong> - We have a tent and a camp stove. We need to take a trip to an EMS to get sleeping bags...<br />
<br />
14. <strong>Ride a bike in the city</strong> - Now that the weather is getting warmer, the opportunity to do this is near. I promise to find someone to take a video of me being terror stricken while riding down a Philadelphia street.<br />
15. <strong>Go on a legit picnic</strong>, basket and all<br />
<br />
16. <strong>Go on a Philadelphia Tour of some kind</strong>, because I've lived here for 6 years and I'd like to learn something about the history of where I live.<br />
<br />
17. <strong>Go somewhere outside of the US</strong> - Canada is looking like the least expensive option. Maybe a pre-emptive 30th birthday adventure... That's a hint to my friends. And my husband. If he read blogs.<br />
18. Now that I'm thinking about it, <strong>Get a Passport</strong> should be on this list.<br />
<br />
19. <strong>Take a self-defense class</strong><br />
<br />
20. <strong>Take an art class of some kind.</strong> My soul is turning into a pill bug without some kind of input.<br />
21. <strong>Pursue getting into art shows again</strong> - I kind of fell off this boat and into a black hole last year. <br />
<br />
22. <strong>Make my artspace at home more conducive to art making</strong> - I started!! I just need to finish. Still.<br />
<br />
23. <strong>Go to a city I have never been to before</strong> - There aren't too many cities that I've been to, so there are all kinds of options. <br />
<br />
24. <strong>Participate in an Improv Everywhere event</strong> - I don't know, it could be fun. And totally outside of what I would normally be comfortable doing. <br />
<br />
25. <strong>Participate in the Sketchbook Project </strong><br />
<br />
26. <strong>Start making a comic revolving around our cats, Autumn and Tobias</strong> - This is replacing the idea I had to start writing a book, because drawing my cats having adventures is more fun, and in theory easier to accomplish. Doing that before I'm 30 is another matter.<br />
<br />
27. <strong>Get back into writing in my prayer journal</strong> - FAILING.<br />
<br />
28. <strong>Participate in a print-exchange again</strong> - I so miss printmaking. Ugh.<br />
<br />
29. <strong>Go fishing </strong>- OK, I'm not dead set on going fishing but I'd kind of like to catch a fish. Who can I go fishing with??<br />
30. <strong>Seriously pursue having kids</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>BONUS!</strong><br />
I considered nixing my BONUS Bucket, but after some investigating I discovered that <strong><em>petting a tiger</em></strong> is not as far fetched as I thought. Or, at least being in the presence of a living, breathing tiger. I don't know if I'd be able to touch it. But you can "adopt" tigers at the Philadelphia Zoo, and as chance would have it, for $150 you can set up a personal meet-and-greet with a tiger and its handler. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T8i9vQZFKAc/UWRtTNVnttI/AAAAAAAAAek/zG9DxqiMYuQ/s1600/is-it-a-tiger-1354825359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" height="149" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T8i9vQZFKAc/UWRtTNVnttI/AAAAAAAAAek/zG9DxqiMYuQ/s320/is-it-a-tiger-1354825359.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">This kind of tiger is not acceptable.</span></em></div>
Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-50351636894039878472013-03-12T21:31:00.002-04:002013-03-12T21:31:28.214-04:00InspiiiiiredYou know, this blog used to be an attempt to sort out my thoughts when it came to art making, and posting images of my work in progress. Wonder what happened...<br />
<br />
So, in light of that, here's a brief entry to let you know that I think I found my arts' soul mate. Okay, maybe not soul mate, that's too strong an affiliation for someone I don't know and for a process that looks to be quite different from my own. But the layers of color... the layers!<br />
<br />
http://seedsgallery.com/artists/jeremy-fahringer/#<br />
http://jeremyfahringer.com/ <br />
<br />
Paintings by Jeremy Fahringer. I don't know who he is, but I dig the paintings. This one in particular.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://seedsgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Developer-by-Jeremy-Fahringer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://seedsgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Developer-by-Jeremy-Fahringer1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Developer, 2007</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Since the latest images seem to be from 2007, I have to wonder if he's still working on this type of painting. I know my own work has taken on different forms over the past several years, although in a strange way carrying some similarities along the way. I wonder how much Mr. Fahringer's work has changed since 2007? Hmm...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-22798951754340751082013-01-26T15:58:00.000-05:002013-01-26T16:01:16.291-05:00Don't Take Politcal Anger Out On HairIt isn't often that I come across a photo meme that makes me have any kind of response other than being amused, for ill or good. However, today while breezing through my Facebook news feed (the bane of any kind of valuable time), I came across the image below, shared from a Republican friend through a right-wingers group lauding the image as accurate.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V7_tQA8Bjho/UQQyyPT41PI/AAAAAAAAAeU/RMa3fCoWQNk/s1600/obama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V7_tQA8Bjho/UQQyyPT41PI/AAAAAAAAAeU/RMa3fCoWQNk/s320/obama.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Now, as I have stated in previous posts, I'm politically independent; I am not keen on pledging allegiance to a political party. What upsets me about this image actually has nothing to do with what I think about President Obama and his presidency, and everything to do with the snide "Fake Hair," the ignorance of white people, and putting women in a box. It has me in such a mental fit that I felt I needed to get it out there in a blog post.<br />
<br />
I'm about as white as you can get when it comes to skin tones, thanks to some Irish heritage somewhere in there, so I've been told. You can literally see veins through my skin on my arms and legs if you're looking close enough. I noticed this one day (to my horror) when I was shaving my legs. My version of tan is laughable, and for the most part concentrates into wonderful freckles on my face and shoulders during the summer. My hair fair and it is not thick; getting it to stay in some kind of real curl is nearly impossible but I can manage some slight waves naturally. All of that is to say that I don't have any experience being dark skinned or have thick, textured hair. But I do have a few friends who do. And I live in a city where you can find all kinds of hair products that tailor to all kinds of hair-types, products I had never seen when I was living in the suburbs.<br />
<br />
The first thing about this image that comes to mind is, what does Michele Obama's hair have do with the quality of presidency or anything to do with politics at all? It seems to suggest that if you have fake hair, you are not a quality person. It's an unfair attack on a woman, and an unfair attack on the First Lady -- which I can't really think of anyone doing except when it came to that whole Clinton cheating fiasco.<br />
<br />
Secondly, this seems to really come down to white-ignorance. Michele has had a lot of different hair styles, and I don't think it has anything to do with wigs and everything to do with having the resources to do different things with her hair. From what I've read and heard from friends, African-American hair takes a LOT of work to maintain, especially if you want it straight. About two years ago, I went with an African friend to get her hair done (she was born and raised in South Africa and came here for college, and stayed). She was getting the twists in her hair re-done, since they had grown out quite a bit. I have to tell you, the whole process looked painful and tiring, since took a long time. I also had helped the same friend get ready for her wedding, and she showed me how she puts natural oils in her hair to keep it nice, and we put her twists into rollers to make them curly instead of straight. <br />
<br />
I briefly had co-worker who would openly admit that she wore wigs and they were so beautiful, I didn't even know it until she told me! For all the work and effort that goes into maintaining, I don't blame any woman who would rather opt for a wig. So to go on and basically attack Michele Obama for wearing a wig (though I don't think she even did), you may as well attack every woman who chooses to do so. Or better yet, get educated about African-American hair.<br />
<br />
Another issue that this brings in for me is the idea that if you don't fit a certain image of a woman, you aren't good enough. Why is it that African-American women straighten their hair in the first place? Certainly, some women like it, for the same sorts of reasons that a white woman with ultra curly hair may want to straighten it out once in a while. But, I have to wonder, how much does it have to do with just not feeling pretty enough? An African-American friend of mine was very candid once, in admitting that she didn't feel pretty growing up because all the beautiful women she saw in the media - TV, the news, advertisements, etc - had either pale Anglo-Saxon skin or pale-as-you-can-get African American skin; and their hair was not coarse like her's was. I had never noticed this before, until I was watching some TV station that was tailored more towards the African American community. There were different commercials for the same products on that station, that I had never seen on any other station before. I thought this was extremely odd, and wondered, "Why would you do that??"<br />
<br />
This story from my friend was echoed through the show "My Strange Addiction," when it featured a young African American girl who had a particularly dark skin tone. Her "strange addiction" was to rub bleach lotion all over her body several times a day, in order to lighten it. She said she felt very ugly because of her natural skin tone. She was 15. <br />
<br />
Unfortunately, this kind of idea is not exclusionary to the US. I'd read a BBC article about the outrage in India over a special bleach lotion that was meant to lighten the skin in the nether-regions of women. I read several other articles afterwards that revealed that having darker skin as an Indian woman is looked down on, while having fairer skin is preferred. Bleach lotion is no stranger there. Women have been photoshopped to have lighter skin than they actually do for magazines, and I'm sure that's a practice that happens over here in the US and no one has come out to say anything about it (that I know of). Additionally, a friend of mine spent two years in China, and the paler you were, the better. <br />
<br />
I grew up hating how pale I was. I would burn all too-easy, and I felt like a ghost compared to tan friends. I hated my freckles. Just like tan bodies are preferred for white women, I guess lighter versions of dark complexions are perceived as being preferred for black women. I don't understand this, and I think it's outrageous. Why is it that women can't just be who they are, and be seen as intelligent, authentic, beautiful, and loved? Thankfully, I've gotten over my complex of wanting to be tan, and I rather enjoy each and every freckle that is evidence that I really do have melanin in my skin.<br />
<br />
I'm sure that if Michele Obama went with her natural hair texture and style, the right-wingers would still not be pleased, and proclaim that she is dirty and go further to say that Obama's administration and presidency is somehow wild and uncontrolled. Because of some crazy logic that ties together the First Lady's appearance with political virility and authenticity of the President.<br />
<br />
Now, my hope is that no one who is African American would be offended by my thoughts. If anything I would very much like to be corrected where I need to be; I prefer to know where I am wrong than continue living in some ignorant bubble based on what I've seen/heard through the lives of others. Please contribute your thoughts!<br />
<br />Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-62900612340693253802013-01-14T16:57:00.002-05:002013-01-15T07:29:12.449-05:00Gift-giving and Church FolksFor the past few months I've been reading a book I acquired a long time ago, <i><b>The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World</b></i> by Lewis Hyde<i>.</i> It's been a few months because although the book has maintained my interest pretty well, I've only been reading it during my lunch breaks at work; I'm also easily distracted by so many other things, like BBC News and Etsy and trying to find something creative to physically do with my hands.<br />
<br />
I picked it up again today, and finished a chapter titled <i>Usury: A History of Gift Exchange,</i> and I remembered that I wanted to write a blog about this chapter once I finished it. So, here goes.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
To start off, <b><i>The Gift</i></b> doesn't immediately jump into the "Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World." I'm about half way through the book, and up to this point it has been about the history of gift-giving in different cultures and points in history. It's as much an anthropological study as it is a sociological one, and though that might sound really drab and I'm eager for the creativity and art part of the book, it's actually pretty interesting. Chapter 7 is particularly interesting to me because the author takes on the notion of gift exchange and usury (along with interest loans) from the law of Moses, Deuteronomy 23:19,20, which reads:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Do not charge a fellow Israelite interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest. You may charge a foreigner<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-5521A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></sup> interest, but not a fellow Israelite, so that the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> your God may bless<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-5521B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></sup> you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess."</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
As Hyde says, "This double law, both a prohibition and a permission, seeks to organize the double situation of being a brotherood wandering among strangers." He goes on to explain that the gift-cycle is that those who are not in need within the group ought to give to those who are in need within the group, because the group as a whole feels the pang of the individual's needs. That "no member of the tribe be either more or less in touch with the necessities of life." This is a generosity with boundaries, though, as strangers are premited to be charged an interest because there is no assurance otherwise that the whatever is given would eventually return organically. Now, I know that this leaves a lot unsaid that the book addresses in previous chapters, such as the nature of the gift-cycle. What I primarily want to focus on is this law about usury, the nature of "the other," and how the history of the church defined its implementation; at least, how Hyde explains it.<br />
<br />
This law from the Old Testament essentially makes it so that Gentiles are kept in the stranger status, and Jewish brothers as those within the group, creating specific boundaries for economics and commerce. This type of division between peoples is challenged greatly in the New Testament when Jesus comes into the picture and flips so many laws seemingly upside down. New Testament teaching proclaims that for those who follow Jesus, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free,<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29131AU" title="See cross-reference AU">AU</a>)"></sup> nor is there male and female,<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29131AV" title="See cross-reference AV">AV</a>)"></sup> for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28). Charging interest for the foreigner is questioned completely, because if all are brothers, who is the foreigner being charged? Boundaries are extended well beyond the Israelites because being considered one of God's people was extended beyond the Israelites. Regarding the topic of charging usury, Hyde explains that it was interpreted by early Christians to share all things and give freely to all -- as seen in the book of Acts. It would seem that this kind of compassion and open-handedness breaks down when Christianity gets wrapped up into the Roman Empire and even more broken down with the Reformation and beyond. Personal property, seperation of "worldly" laws and faith, and class divisions (the poor suffering the most) became more and more rigid as people tried to define who should be charged interest and rent, and who should not be. The spirit of Grace and Compassion towards strangers seems all but suffocated in the public sphere. <br />
<br />
I find this chapter fascinating because so much of what the church fathers (like Luther and Calvin) have to say about the matter seems so far off from the way I've understood engaging the world around me as a Christian. The New Testament seems very clear to me in not expecting anything in return when someone owes you (especially if you know they cannot afford it), and at the very least not hold it over their head with an interest rate. Additionally, I've learned and believe that my Christian faith should inform everything that I do, whether I am dealing with Christians or dealing with non-Christians. Although Lewis Hyde is speaking pretty exclusively about the nature of tangible gifts and not the nature of faith, his use of "spirit" in this chapter is easily interchangable with the gift of the Holy Spirit and the gift of Salvation, the gift of God's love, compassion, and grace. Yet I see this exclusion of "the other" and tight grips on personal property play out every day around me and in Christian sub-culture bubbles, all of it fodder for zealous media stations and internet trolls. It's the kind of christianity that is self-concerned and thinks that God is an object that can be taken out of other things like school buildings and songs, leaving a den of sin behind it. It's the kind of christianity that builds giant buildings while kids in American cities aren't getting proper nutrition because the only time they really have a meal is once a day at school. A gift is offered with one hand but the other hand holds "the other" at a distance, making sure you don't get too close. While we all ought to be wise and I don't think we should pursue being taken advantage of, Christians are called to take care of the orphaned, the widow, and the poor, as well as each other. Not just by giving material "gifts" but also giving gifts of education, new skills, and so on.<br />
<br />
But I digress. I wrestle with a slew of other things that make me out to be not as generous or compassionate or loving as I know Jesus would have me be. I am not completely unaware of the logs jammed into my own eyes, and there are times when I am very jaded and the opposite of compassionate and generous. <br />
<br />
<br />
There is much more that I could write and end up quoting nearly the entire chapter, so I'll use the nice summary that Hyde implements:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
" ... Our blood is a thing that distributes the breath throughout the body, a liquid that flows when it carries the inner air and hardens when it meets the outer air, a substance that moves freely to every part but is nonetheless contained, a healer that goes without restraint to any needy place in the body. It moves under pressure ... and inside its vessels the blood, the gift, is neither bought nor sold and it comes back forever.<br />
<br />
The history of usury is the history of this blood. As we have seen, there are two shades of property, gift and commodity. ... The image of the Christian era would be the bleeding heart. The Christian can feel the spirit move inside all property. Everything on earth is a gift and God is the vessel. Our small bodies may be expanded; we need not confine the blood. If we only open the heart with faith, we will be lifted to a great circulation and the body that has been given up will be given back, reborn and freed from death. The boundaries of usury are to be broken wherever they are found so that the spirit may cover the world and vivify everything. The image of the Middle Ages is the expanding heart, and the deviant is the 'hardhearted' man. He is usually taken to be a Jew, the only man in town who feels no self-consciousness in limiting his generosity. <br />
<br />
The Reformation brought the hard heart back into the Church. In a sense, the swing from gift to commodity recrossed its midpoint during these years, the high liveliness of the Renaissance. The church still affirmed the spirit of gift, but at the same time it made peace with the temporal world that limited that spirit as it [the church] grew in influence. <br />
<br />
But the heart continued to harden. After the reformation the empires of commodity expanded without limit until soon all things -- from land and labor to erotic life, religion, and culture -- were bought and sold like shoes. It is now the age of the practical and self-made man, who, like the private eye in the movies, survives in the world by adopting the detatchment style of the alien; he lives in the spirit of usury, which is the spirit of boundaries and divisions.<br />
<br />
The 'bleeding heart' is now the man of dubious mettle with an embarrassing inability to limit is compassion. Among the British in the Empire it was a virtue not to feel touched by the natives, and a man who 'went native' was quickly shipped home. ... Now the deviant is the heart that does not keep its own counsel and touches others with feeling, not reckoning. Gift exchange takes refuge in Sunday morning and the family. ...<br />
<br />
In this century, the man with the bleeding heart is a sentimental fool because he has a feeling that can no longer find its form. Still, his sentimentality is appealing. ... In the empires of usury the sentimentality of the man with the soft heart calls to us because it speaks of what has been lost."</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
May all our hearts be softened by Christ.Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-77076694021845178842013-01-10T10:37:00.001-05:002013-01-10T10:42:13.631-05:00Twenty-Nine, Day 3: There's much to be done!I just turned 29 on Tuesday, and although I like not making a big deal out of my birthday I'm pretty excited to be that much closer to exiting my 20s. I don't know too many people who feel or have felt the same way. I never quite understood why people nearing 30 years of age seem to have a quiet edge of lament when telling their age, lacing into the conversation about how they are getting old. Although it would seem that women primarily dread this age, I've taken note of several male friends who also seem to dislike the idea that they're approaching or have reached that particular age.<br />
<br />
From what I can tell, turning 30 does not magically turn you into a grandma, like Cindarella changing back into a maid at the stroke of midnight. Thankfully.<br />
<br />
I generally tend to be reflective about how the previous year of my life went when my birthday comes around; it doesn't help that it falls so shortly after the start of the New Year, too. This year was ... interesting, to say the least. It involved unemployment for both myself and my husband (well he was really technically self-employed for a hot minute), and then regaining employment. Much of this past year swirled around work, so there wasn't a lot of room for anything else. However, God provided better employment than what I was doing previously. Sure, it's boring. Sure, I sit in front of a computer all day. But I try to remind myself that although this isn't exactly what I want to be doing (far from it), it is something God provided to take care of us. I'm glad to be starting another year of life and have a more positive view of the horizon than I did at the beginning of last year.<br />
<br />
Even though I posted my bucket list previously, I decided I should probably make an actual post of if, rather than just throw it out there like a wet noodle with no life and no prospect of being exciting. I was uninspired. I'm feeling better about revisiting the list and revamping it. Many things on the original list involve money that I do not have or in the near future anticipate being able to afford. I started this list in February of 2011, so you could say some things have changed since then.<br />
<br />
Here's what I've done so far from the list:<br />
<br />
1. <span style="color: black;"><span style="color: red;"><strong>Have a grown-up bed, and not a loft bed</strong></span></span> - Half the battle done, since we don't have a loft bed anymore.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">2.</span><strong> Have a consistent exercise/yoga routine</strong></span></span> - I did yoga consistently for a summer and fall<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">3.</span> <strong>Do a professional photo shoot with hubby.</strong></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> - All thanks to Katie Harnish! Woo!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">4.</span> <strong>Find a way to make art and make money in a consistent way</strong></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> - It's through crafting things and selling artwork randomly, but it seems to be working.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">5.</span> <strong>Cook for others, and with others, more.</strong></span> - Not consistent, but we did host Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner this year. I look forward to doing that more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">6.</span> <strong>Be less cynical.</strong></span> - I *think* I'm better at this? Life changes have made me more optimistic about the future, however tumultuous it appears to be!<br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">7.</span> <strong>Have a mini-garden... or be a part of a co-op.</strong> </span><span style="color: black;">- I didn't have a mini-garden, but the unedible plant in my office seems to be living and doing very well. I'm counting it. This will be moved to another list whenever we happen to gain a house.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Here's what I sort-of did, but could use improvement, so they kind-of count:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1. <span style="color: #6aa84f;"><strong>Visit my brother more.</strong></span> - I realized that this particular task involves a third person beyond myself, whose schedule I have no control over. Tricky.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2. <span style="color: #6aa84f;"><strong>Have a healthier diet / eat less processed foods.</strong></span> - We were kind of doing well with this, before employment got all messed up, and before the holidays. I need to get back on this.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3. <strong><span style="color: #93c47d;">VOLUNTEER!!</span></strong></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Here's what I want to accomplish (REVISED) this time next year, 2014, with the rest of my 30 items:</span><br /><p><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1. <strong>Go Camping</strong> - I'm looking forward to this because we got a tent for Christmas AND I got a camp stove for my birthday! We need to take a trip to an EMS to get sleeping bags...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2. <strong>Get a professional massage</strong> - My friends Katy and Erin got me a massage gift certificate for my birthday!!! YAY! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3.<strong> Do an MS Walk </strong>- This is kind of in the works. There's an MS Walk coming up in Philadelphia in the beginning of May, and I just need to sign up. Sign up, and then walk. And THEN I can cross this off the list. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">4. <strong>Ride a bike in the city</strong> - This seems lame, buuut I'm still terrified to do it, which means I should do it. Again, Katy and Erin may have to come to the rescue to get this done...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">5. <strong>Go on a legit picnic, basket and all</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">6. <strong>Go on a Philadelphia Tour of some kind</strong>, because I've lived here for 6 years and I'd like to learn something about the history of where I live.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">7. <strong>Go somewhere outside of the US</strong> - Canada is looking like the least expensive option. Niagra Falls?? Maybe a pre-emptive 30th birthday adventure... That gives me a whole year to figure it out (especially since I don't have a passport).</span><br /><br />8. Now that I'm thinking about it,<strong> Get a Passport </strong>should be on this list.</span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">9. <strong>Take a self-defense class</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">10. <strong>Take an art class of some kind</strong> - There's an open drawing studio coming up.. hmm...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">11. <strong>Pursue getting into art shows again</strong> - I kind of fell off this boat and into a black hole last year. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">12. <strong>Make my artspace at home more conducive to art making</strong> - I started!! I just need to finish. SOON.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">13. <strong>Go to a city I have never been to before</strong> - This shouldn't be that hard, right? There aren't too many cities that I've been to, so there are all kinds of options. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">14. <strong>Participate in an </strong><a href="http://improveverywhere.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Improve Everywhere</strong></a><strong> event</strong> - I don't know, it could be fun. And totally outside of what I would normally be comfortable doing. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">15. <strong>Participate in the </strong><a href="http://www.sketchbookproject.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Sketchbook Project</strong></a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">16. <strong>Start making a comic revolving around our cats, Autumn and Tobias</strong> - This is replacing the idea I had to start writing a boo<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">k, because drawing my cats having adventures is more fun, and in theory easier to accomplish.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">17.<strong> Get back into writing in my prayer journal</strong> - I used to do this obsessively when I was in college and shortly after I graduated I stopped. I think this will help me be more thankful and see where God has been working in my life. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">18. <strong>Participate in a print-exchange again</strong> - I so miss printmaking. Ugh.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">19. <strong>Go fishing</strong> - OK, I'm not dead set on going fishing but I'd kind of like to catch a fish. Any time I went as a kid (all of maybe four times), I didn't catch anything. Who can I go fishing with?? An acceptable and unrelated alternative to this one is to <strong>Ride A Horse</strong>, since it's been a long time. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">20. <strong>Seriously pursue having kids</strong></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<em><strong>BONUS!</strong></em><br />
<br />
One awesome thing that I thought of while writing this list, but decided not to add, was to <strong>pet a tiger, or some sort of wildcat</strong>. This is a bonus because I realize this is a 1) potentially dangerous activity; 2) probably expensive. I don't know if it's even a possibility unless you have a vault full of money you can dive into like a ballpit. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Soooo okay! Let's do this thing! </h3>
Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-55788938584553098412013-01-03T15:30:00.003-05:002013-01-03T15:30:44.649-05:00Oh yeah, I had a Bucket List..In light of being 28 years and 359 days old (or, 6 days shy of turning 29), I figured I would revisit my "<em>30 Things to Do Before I turn 30</em>" bucket list. It looks like I have a lot to do within the next year.<br />
<br />
1. Live in a place with free laundry - I don't think we'll be moving any time soon...so not sure how this is going to work out.
<br />
<br />
2. <strike><span style="color: black;">Have a grown-up bed, and not a loft bed</span></strike> We put the mattress on our old futon frame. Not a "grown-up bed" but not a loft anymore! That's half the battle. I'm counting this.<br />
<br />
3. Have an art studio again.<br />
<br />
4. Seriously pursue having kids<br />
<br />
5. <strike><span style="color: black;">Have a consistent exercise/yoga routine</span></strike> - I did yoga consistently for a summer and fall. Does that count?<br />
6. Take a self-defense class<br />
<br />
7. Take an art course in SOMEthing again -- Although I'd be happy to take a class in anything, what I really want to learn is encaustic painting.<br />
<br />
8. <strike><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Be more at peace with myself and have more joy.</span></strike> - This is not a super solid goal, and really I'm not sure it has a place on a list like this since it's really something I should always be striving for throughout life. I'll have to think of something else that can go here...<br />
<br />
9. Go somewhere outside of the US (even just Canada or Mexico)<br />
<br />
10. Write at least a draft for the book I've been thinking about. - This needs more structure. I may later change it to something else, since I haven't even begun writing anything.<br />
<br />
11. <strike>Do a professional photo shoot with hubby.</strike> Thanks, Katie Harnish!! I'll share your website as soon as it's finished. :)<br />
<br />
12. Own a professional digital camera<br />
<br />
13. <strike>Find a way to make art & make money in a consistent way</strike> - Still looking promising. It's through crafting things and selling artwork randomly, but it seems to be working.<br />
<br />
14. Take Spanish classes that will actually be useful in the real world<br />
<br />
15. Join an art collective with friends<br />
<br />
16. <strike>Cook for others, and with others, more</strike>. Not consistent, but we did host Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner this year. I look forward to doing that more.<br />
<br />
17. <strike>Volunteer.</strike> - I volunteered with an arts-and-crafts afterschool program for a little while, but there are some opportunities on the horizon for this year.<br />
<br />
18. <span style="color: red;">Ideally, live in a house instead of an apartment.</span> - See #1. <br />
<br />
19. <strike><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Have a healthier diet / eat less processed foods</span></strike> - I could probably be doing better, still, especially after the holidays. But we were doing pretty well for a while there.<br />
20. Learn Archery, or at least something like it. I've always been fascinated with bows & arrows, and used to make toy ones out of saplings when I was little. Wouldn't mind fiddling with that again. <br />
<br />
21. Ride a bike in the city - no, really. <br />
<br />
22. Have better posture or work on my posture.<br />
<br />
23. <strike>Be less cynical. </strike>- I *think* I'm better at this? Life changes have made me more optimistic about the future, however tumultuous it appears to be!<br />
<br />
24. Get a professional massage, or have Scott take a massage class. I'm thinking the former is cheaper. Okay, really, I just want to go get a pro massage.<br />
<br />
25. <span style="color: #6aa84f;"><strike>Visit my brother more.</strike> </span>- It'd been a while since I saw my brother last, but I realized this is tricky when the other part of this is coordinating with someone who might not get back to you for a month.<br />
<br />
26. Go camping again (it's been a long time!) - We got a tent for Christmas! All that much closer to camping!<br />
<br />
27. <strike>Have a mini-garden... or be a part of a co-op.</strike> Part of this would be to learn HOW to garden. -- I have some herbs growing on the window-sill?? -- The herbs growing on my window-sill died. The cactus that was sunning on the window-sill also died. But I have a spider plant that seems to be doing well there... I can't eat it, but it's something? Is that cheating?<br />
<br />
28. Go on a Philadelphia Tour, because I don't know jack about the city I live in.<br />
<br />
29. Go on a legit picnic, basket and all.<br />
<br />
30. Go to the Empire State Building<br />
<br />
... Looking at the list again, I think it needs an overhaul. Particularly when it comes to things that involve moving or the like.Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-1991482127226734402012-12-25T11:44:00.000-05:002012-12-25T11:44:06.574-05:00Glory of That NightThought I'd share a poem I wrote in 2004.<br />
Merry Christmas everyone. :)<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Glory of That Night</span><br />
December 2004<br />
<br />
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Midnight blue as velvet<br />
punctured true with a million stars<br />
Silver-rimmed moon, <br />
hung by invisible mobile-threads<br />
Darkness draped like fabric<br />
while sheep sleep on the plains<br />
and shepherds stand watch</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><br />
Child's cry piercing desert night air,<br />
painted miles and miles away<br />
drenched in the color of Holiness<br />
Creation shudders and shifts<br />
to cradle its newborn Creator<br />
This Divinity in humanity-<br />
the eternal Light source <br />
to a fallen world<br />
The canvas known as Today<br />
woven and held fast by this Everlasting,<br />
framed by glory to glory</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><br />
Darkness draped like fabric<br />
torn and pushed wide<br />
White and yellow spilling,<br />
blue and purple bowing aside<br />
The armada of heaven armed with light<br />
robed in 'Hallelujah's<br />
Voices puncturing midnight with Truth -<br />
O choir, sing and never end!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><br />
Warm with the red of human life<br />
soft with the skin of mortals<br />
This Divinity in humanity-<br />
the will of the Father,<br />
a lamb placed in the manger<br />
A lamb placed on the tree<br />
where it was finished<br />
Color us as salt<br />
from a promise drawn long ago<br />
Death held no grip, no hue,<br />
on the eternal Light source<br />
to a fallen world<br />
<br />
Midnight blue as velvet<br />
punctured true by a million angels<br />
Silver-rimmed moon,<br />
held by the newborn Son<br />
Darkness sewn shut like fabric,<br />
while sheep scatter in joy<br />
and shepherds quake<br />
As though on wings of etheral eagles<br />
they will fly<br />
and worship.</i></div>
Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-54610677498795082642012-12-21T22:22:00.002-05:002012-12-21T22:39:53.086-05:00TwentyAnyone who knows me, knows that I enjoy the zombie genre. No, I haven't seen the classic zombie movies, but my tastes lean more towards contemporary zombies. I enjoy Shawn of the Dead, 28 Days Later (which is particularly unnerving), and I have been thoroughly enjoying The Walking Dead on AMC. <br />
<br />
I've had many hypothetical conversations with my friends and husband about what we would do in the event of a zombie apocalypse. I'm one of <i><b>those</b></i> people. No, we're not preparing ourselves for any such thing, but it's fun to have a circling debate about what areas would be the safest, how would you get supplies, what would you use as weapons with the skills that you have, and things like that. On that note, I would never actually want to see a zombie apocalypse or anything of the sort come to fruition. I like zombies the best out of pirates and ninjas -- two other highly violent groups that are romanticized in pop culture -- because they don't actually exist.<br />
<br />
What makes the zombie film genre so interesting is that it's not really all about the zombies. It's not about the gore, no matter how much there is or how impressive the effects are, but the bottom storyline is all about human nature. The Walking Dead especially illustrates the dynamics of human nature in the face of dire survival. When the characters are forced to protect their loved ones and make alliances with strangers for the sake of surviving, the line between good and bad, right and wrong, eventually start to get blurred. Mistakes are made. Friends become enemies. The moral world as we know it (at least in Western culture) cracks in very fine, and major, ways. Desperation pushes us beyond logical reasoning. Every action is justified.<br />
<br />
In some ways, it's a fitting caricature of a post-9/11 America. <br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Before 9/11, we could fly to and from places without fear of something happening on an airplane. I remember traveling by myself from Pennsylvania to Texas when I was 15 years old, the same year that two older teenagers killed several of their peers at Columbine and just two years before 9/11.<br />
<br />
I didn't need to do much to get through security, and not even an eyebrow was raised to a teenager traveling by herself. It was my first time flying anywhere, too, so I pretty vividly remember what I needed to do. My next time being on an airplane was when I was 23. Big difference in protocols, and things have changed even more since then. Underwear bombs gave way to body scanners and nude protests at the airport. On one level I understand the need for security because we seem to be living in an increasingly dangerous world where Americans are not very well liked, thanks to the wonders of the internet and YouTube. On the other hand, I of course find it going too far. But I don't know what the boundary ought to be.<br />
<br />
Ever since 9/11, it would seem some of my fellow Americans have felt increasingly threatened. At least, in my observations, which are admittedly limited. Not only by those outside the country are considered suspicious, but certainly within. If you're not quite right, or the same as someone else, you're a threat. If you don't vote for the same party, you're a threat. If you don't believe everything exactly the same way that I do, you're a threat. From what I can tell, 9/11 brought in an uneasy fear into public thought. While I would be inclined to blame mass media and internet conspiracy theories for this, I don't actually know how this happened. But it happened. Something did. Something broke in the American consciousness.<br />
<br />
Then war was declared. Some were for it. Others against it. <br />
<br />
Ever since then, tragedies of all kinds of proportions have come to pass. Our trust in the American government is waning, although that has probably been going on ever since the Red Scare of Communism in the 1920s and 1940/50s and whenever UFOs were first reported. There have been so many mass shootings on American soil, the next seemingly more atrocious than the last.<br />
<br />
2012 alone has had 6 to 7 major shootings, <a href="http://timelines.latimes.com/deadliest-shooting-rampages/" target="_blank">according to this timeline</a>.. Only a week ago, the most heartbreaking involved the death of 20 children. I made the mistake of reading the profiles of each of the children and adults who were killed, and it was difficult to keep myself from weeping. The thought weighs like a millstone on my heart.<br />
<br />
With each and every shooting - regardless of the death toll or the age of victims - comes the great debate regarding gun control. Hackles rise on those for more gun control, and teeth bare on those for less gun control laws. Both sides are fundamentally concerned about protecting their loved ones, and really no one can fault them for that. Personally, I have been keeping out of the debate about gun control, simply because it can get nasty. That's the same reason I generally have avoided discussing politics. No one seems to keep a cool head about it. <br />
<br />
I started out this blog entry talking about zombie genre and how it narrates human nature and survival and desperation. In many ways I feel that Americans find themselves in that type of position. In my limited experience of 28 years of life, it is my observation that the society I belong to has become increasingly afraid of what they perceive (whether real or imagined) to be a threat. The issue of gun control is just one of those topics that brings it out most strongly because the issue of survival is a reality. People are forced to protect their loved ones; the line between
good and bad, right and wrong, eventually start to get blurred. Mistakes
are made. Friends become enemies. The moral world as we know it cracks in very fine, and major, ways.
Desperation pushes us beyond logical reasoning. Every action is
justified. <br />
<br />
To be straight with you, I don't have answers on how violence of this type can be solved, but I won't pretend that I don't have an opinion or that things should stay status quo. Something needs to change. In general, I'm for more gun restrictions and control. While guns have always made me feel uneasy (my dad kept one around the house when we were kids and I think he still has it, not once has he ever had to use it), I think it's more reasonable for an average citizen to own a handgun or something like a shotgun that would be used to hunt with, than it is to own an assault rifle. So, I think it's fair to place more restrictions on assault weapons and who legally has access to them. One may argue that criminals will always find a way to get access to assault weapons, regardless of their legality, so that shouldn't be the reason to have stricter gun laws. Criminals will also find ways to access illegal drug; that doesn't mean we should make drugs legal to the public. The argument is ultimately not helpful to finding a solution. Neither is the argument that because knives kill people (events recently in China being cited frequently), we may as well ban those too if we are banning guns.<br />
<br />
My concern with the rigidity of individuals that are for less gun restrictions in wake of tragedies like this is that gun ownership is not primarily about defending and practicing the Second Amendment. The demand the right to bear arms seems to primarily come out of fear or a lack of control. I cannot control the situations around me, so I must take control by being able to defend myself with a gun. It is compensating for an insecurity. I realize not all gun owners are like this. I know that no one will like the sound of that. But if someone is putting their trust and safety in an object, then the only thing remaining if that object is taken away is fear or emptiness and perhaps wrath. I am reminded of an man on the west coast a few years ago who was a prominent businessman in his company, until it started to crumble due to the recession and he lost his job. I can only speculate that his life, safety, and trust were invested in the position he held because <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct/07/local/me-porterranch7" target="_blank">shortly afterward he killed his family and himself.</a> That's an extreme example, but it's hard not to go there when the extreme questions about protecting your family with a gun are thrown out there. I am unwilling to hurt someone with my words, even when they hurt me very deeply, let alone with an actual weapon of destruction.<br />
<br />
Perhaps what is more upsetting about this gun control debate is that it would seem that a large number of Americans who consider themselves Christians are among the loudest voices of defending their right to bear arms. This is puzzling, when even Jesus admonishes one of his followers (presumably Peter, I think) for taking up the sword against the guards and priests when they came to take Jesus captive, to later be crucified (Matthew 26:50-53). Our Lord even goes so far as to say, "<span class="text Matt-5-38"><span class="woj">You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’</span></span><span class="text Matt-5-39" id="en-NIV-23274"><span class="woj">But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.</span></span><span class="text Matt-5-40" id="en-NIV-23275"><span class="woj"><sup class="versenum"> </sup>And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well<sup>.</sup></span></span><span class="text Matt-5-41" id="en-NIV-23276"><span class="woj"><sup class="versenum"> </sup>If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.</span></span><sup> </sup><span class="text Matt-5-42" id="en-NIV-23277"><span class="woj"><sup class="versenum"></sup>Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." (Matthew 5:38-42). This is radical teaching, and a passage troubling on its own without the extremes of mass shootings, and raises several "but what if" types of questions. I honestly am still trying to figure out how this passage applies to every day life in a city where there are more violent crimes in one year than there are days. Whatever the case, it would seem that many who would say they are Christians are full of fear; they walk in fear, not in love. They become angry when certain "rights" seem to be infringed, when the truth of the matter is that we don't have the right to claim anything for ourselves. Christ bought us with his life; what we have is purely by the grace of God. Shouldn't we be confident that he will take care of us, regardless of what we do and do not have? Or is the fear so strong and the desire for control so powerful, that we do not see how desperately he cares for us and meets our true needs?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text Matt-5-42" id="en-NIV-23277"><span class="woj">Not to say that believing that is easy. It's hard. Especially in the wake of tragedy. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text Matt-5-42" id="en-NIV-23277"><span class="woj">But the point is to ask, why are we so afraid? What was it that broke in the American </span></span>consciousness?<br />
<br />
<span class="text Matt-5-42" id="en-NIV-23277"><span class="woj">Like I mentioned before, I don't have any answers for what should or shouldn't be done in regards to gun control laws. I know that other countries have significantly less gun violence related problems as a result of gun control, but many of those countries are also vastly different in history and public thought than America. It's hard to take a model from another type government system when there are plenty of other issues going on. I for one think that acknowledging and treating mental illness in more effective and long-lasting ways is needed. I think that kids bullying each other unfettered is a major problem, and that schools should be more active and parents more involved (and less threatening/reactive) in working towards safe environments. I think that Americans feeling they have a right to do and say and act however they want on the internet -- and increasingly in public -- is also a major problem. There is so much that goes into this whole topic that one cookie-cutter solution isn't going to work. It's just going to make some people happy and others irate, and others will think America is going to dissolve into anarchy while others think it will dissolve into tyranny. </span></span><br />
<span class="text Matt-5-42" id="en-NIV-23277"><span class="woj"><br /></span></span>
<span class="text Matt-5-42" id="en-NIV-23277"><span class="woj">All I can really do is pray (for our country, for families affected by violence, for so many things), vote on or petition the things I think are important, and try to figure out how to love my enemies. And where permitted, have civil conversation with those who disagree with my point of view.</span></span><br />
<br />
On a final note, I'll leave you with some song lyrics, and just two articles:<br />
<br />
"Tell me would you kill to save a life / tell me would you kill to prove you're right / Crash, crash burn / Let it all burn / this hurricane's chasing us all underground." - 30 Seconds to Mars<br />
<br />
"I don't hate my enemy, I hate the fear he's brought over my land." - House of Heroes<br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">"All the love in the world is right here among us / and hatred too. / So we must choose what our hands will do. / Where there is pain, let there be grace. / Where there is suffering, bring serenity. / For those afraid, help them be brave. / <span class="text_exposed_show">Where there is misery, bring expectancy. / For surely we can change, / surely we can change, / something."- David Crowder Band</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-gun-control/2012/12/21/6ffe0ae8-49fd-11e2-820e-17eefac2f939_story.html" target="_blank">5 Myths About Gun Control</a></span></span><br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/07/mass-shootings-map" target="_blank">Guide to Mass Shootings in America</a></span></span>Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-77194027703392944332012-10-25T17:10:00.000-04:002012-10-26T07:19:31.864-04:00Full of Dirt: ConfessionsI've been meaning to get around to making this post since my soul sister and missionary <a href="http://www.heatherhollywood.org/" target="_blank">Heather</a> wrote her own list of confessions in July.<br />
<br />
The word "confession" is one that, on the surface, might bring a chill up your spine or flashbacks from a Catholic upbringing -- so I hear. I wasn't raised Catholic or really in any church at all, so I don't know. It's also a word that seems to have gotten tossed around in pop culture biographies.<br />
<br />
It's a word I've become very familiar with over the past 11 years of being a follower of Jesus. Unlike the beds of suspicion I usually hear the word in (that is, outside of my church community), I have a pretty positive take on Confession. Admitting the truth of an otherwise hidden deed can be freeing. Scritpurally, I'm pretty down with the idea with confessing my hidden deeds (sin or wrestlings) to God. I agree that I should go to my brothers and sisters and confess what I struggle with. James 5:16, "...Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may <b>be</b> <b>healed</b>."<br />
<br />
However, despite my cozy attitude toward confession I wrestle with actually doing it. Just like anyone else, I prefer to keep my weaknesses to myself. Likewise, I am not always as transparent; for fear of being judged or harped on or rejected I keep my thoughts to myself. This is not an altogether bad thing, but the motivation behind it isn't so awesome. <br />
So, here are a few confessions:<br />
<br />
<br />
I am a closet pessimist. I will look for the good in just about anything other than my own circumstances, most of the time. So although I will tell <i>you</i> that things will get better and there is a purpose for whatever it is that's happening, I will tell <i>myself</i> that I am forever stuck.<br />
<br />
Every now and then, I'll wonder what life would be like had I not decided to go to college and studied fine arts. Say, if I actually went and did psychology or biology (my 2nd and 3rd choices, had I not made it into the art program). I do this if I'm particularly pessimistic at that moment.<br />
<br />
I apparently have a love affair with rules. Or at least, traffic laws, which has become glaringly apparent now that I commute via vehicle to work.<br />
<br />
I catch myself being judgemental in my head, and I try to remember to tell myself to knock it off. <br />
<br />
I think the meanest thing I've ever said to someone (that was not my brother) was when I was still in elementary school in Texas. There was an African American girl who hurt my feelings and I mocked her for being adopted. I will never forget the pain in her face, and I've avoided being mean to others ever since. I have never told anyone this story.<br />
<br />
I like tattoos and piercings. This is nothing new to anyone who knows me. But it gets under my skin (harhar) when other Christians whip out Bible verses they think are about tattoos and piercings today. If it applied the way people think it does, men also ought not cut their hair or trim their beards, and the whole lot of us shouldn't wear cotton/spandex blended clothing.<br />
<br />
I love Star Trek. Preferably, The Next Generation and good old Captain Picard, the Borg, and the lovely Q.<br />
<br />
I like video games, and I'm actually pretty into RPG's but only RPG video games. No D&D'ing for me.<br />
<br />
I'm more insecure than I like to let on.<br />
<br />
I used to be ready to be friends with anybody for life. When I hear that an old friend (who I haven't talked to in a long time) is in the area but I don't find out about it until weeks later, it used to hurt as if it were a breach in friendship. It's been hard to accept that the nature of friendships I had in college don't define the nature of those friendships now. I'm better with that, but the flip side is that I'm more guarded in who I establish friendships with.<br />
<br />
Similarly, I feel as though I damaged friendships when I was support raising while ministering to college students. The flip side is that I feel I strained relationships when I <i>left</i> ministry, now that I'm not regularly in touch.<br />
<br />
I thrive on affirmation, and self-destruct when only negative things are pointed out.<br />
<br />
I get crushed when I find out that someone doesn't like me or finds me (or something I do) annoying, and I can't understand why or what I did to be unlikeable. <br />
<br />
My wedding date was originally set for August 8, 2008 (save-the-dates and all). Then we changed it to two months earlier, to May 31, 2008. I was oblivious that some people would think that the change was because I was pregnant. I was not. In fact, I was a virgin of any sexual contact until my wedding night. The only thing between the hubs-to-be and I was making out, which lead to heightened <i>temptation</i> to fool around. Which is the real reason we changed the date; we didn't want any pre-marital-ness to happen before we got married. And, Heather wasn't able to make a wedding in all of June and July, and there was no way I wasn't going to have her there.<br />
<br />
I enjoy having figured out sex along with my husband, and I celebrate the glorious ways in which our bodies work together. Mmhmm.<br />
<br />
My husband was my first boyfriend. At least by my standards. There was a "boyfriend" in 8th grade, but since it was for a few months and I was 15 years old, I don't count it.<br />
<br />
However, that period of time included my first kiss. If that's what you want to call it. He went for tongue. It was terrifying. I don't count it.<br />
<br />
In light of that, I have a hard time understanding dating without openly discussing wanting to find out if you want to marry that person, or just dating for dating's sake. This wasn't the reason for staying single throughout high school though of course. I was simultaneously afraid of boys (because "they only want one thing") and I didn't think I was that attractive.<br />
<br />
My husband was the first guy to tell me I was beautiful and wanted me to be his girlfriend.<br />
<br />
I have never been drunk, or even tipsy. So if you ask me, "You know what it's like when you're drunk and..." I will stare at you blankly because I have no idea what that's like.<br />
<br />
I generally do not enjoy the taste of alcohol. The only things I can drink and actually enjoy are Malibu and Coke, Ice Wine, Twisted Apple Smirnoff, and Woodchuck's Hard Cider. Just about everything else causes me to make a face you don't want to see.<br />
<br />
I have also never smoked, or done drugs. <br />
<br />
Since I've never experienced these things, I sometimes feel inadequate to share Christ with folks who drink frequently, smoke like a factory, and/or have sex before they are married. I think that they think I'm on some otherworldly plane and I can't relate to them, so what could I possibly have to say to them. But I just want to love them and look beyond those things. I am not better than, and have my own issues. <br />
<br />
I did not grow up going to church, and wasn't raised Christian.<br />
<br />
Up till this election, I have been anti-politics because of the discourse between Republicans and Democrats is grating and hateful. I label myself "Independent. Not Independent as in the Party, but Independent voter. I am not undecided; I refuse to pledge allegience to one side or the other, since I see things I agree with and disagree with on both sides. I learned this year that this makes me a swing voter. I also refuse to choose a side because I don't think God favors one over the other.<br />
<br />
I like zombies, but do not ever want them to exist in reality. Ever.<br />
<br />
I sometimes laugh or get excited disporportionately more than I should to something mildly funny or mildly exciting. Like ice cream and donuts, and nerdy jokes on Big Bang Theory.<br />
<br />
I sometimes go along with something an aquaintance or co-worker has said, even though I don't know what they are talking about. Which usually is not a good move.<br />
<br />
I somehow make it a point that every new man that I meet know that I am married by mentioning my husband in conversation. While I generally like to talk about my husband anyway, this is kind-of a subconcious reflex to avoid weird encounters and would-be hit-ons.<br />
<br />
I detest country music. But, I have a softspot for some folk music.<br />
<br />
I've also grown a thick skin against much of "Christian" genre music. A lot of it seems shallow and lacks depth (creatively, or in content). Sorry.<br />
<br />
I hate generalities. Such as, "All Christians are ignorant, and abandon logic," or "Feminists are all pro-choice," or "All gay men are pedophiles."<br />
<br />
I do not like it when people make assumptions about me or
write me off when I say I'm a Christian -- or when anyone says they're a
Christian for that matter, or belonging to a particular group. I would
much rather have a conversation with you, so I can get to know you and
you can get to know me.<br />
<br />
I hate gossip, and "christian" gossip disguised as a prayer request. Ever since I was in High School I've never understood why people talk maliciously about others behind their back or spread rumors.<br />
<br />
I hate to admit it, but I am afraid of <i>undomesticated</i> mice and rats. If it's in a cage, I think it's cute. If it's running around my kitchen, I think it's awful.<br />
<br />
Although I know that God's grace for me is abundant, and He's shown me his care for us time and again, I struggle with accepting his grace and worry about tomorrow.<br />
<br />
<br />
I think that's enough of my confessions for now. I feel better. I would feel even better if others would join in the conversation and engage the topic of Confession, especially if it bleeds into non-internet conversation.Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-59845346984773364762012-10-11T15:07:00.003-04:002012-10-11T15:07:50.641-04:00Looking for Direction, Inspiration, and Time v.2.0I realized a full day after my last post that I didn't end up finishing my thoughts. Probably because I was at work, and I just wanted to get my post out there RIGHT AWAY. <br />
<br />
Whoops.<br />
<br />
In the last post, I mentioned how I was finding some ways to make art and that spiralled into questioning my artistic identity. Well, not questioning exactly, but examining the very different methods of creating that I have. It just proves my theory that if I were ever not able to make something for an extended period of time (like the rest of my life), I just might explode. Because I'm spread out in a few different areas, I tend to question the quality of what I'm making. Then again, this is not entirely new. During college I would work on 7 different projects at once (for my Printmaking courses specifically), because there is something in me that HAS to work on multiple projects at once. Settling down and focusing on one thing art-wise has proven to be a difficulty. <br />
<br />
Another thing I'm working on right now is not directly about creating. I'm working on pulling together an exhibition. For the record, I've only ever thought of ideas for shows but I've never tried pulling together a group show before; this is going to be a huge learning curve for me. Recently, the President addressed the issue of human trafficking and what our government will do in response to it domestically. While certainly more can be done, I got very excited that this was being addressed at ALL (but disappointed that practically no news stations picked it up). Last week, PBS aired a two-part documentary called <strong><a href="http://www.halftheskymovement.org/" target="_blank">Half the Sky</a></strong> that looked at injustice done against women worldwide, including trafficking. I decided: I need to do something about this in a way that I know how. So I'm in the baby-steps phase of pulling together a show based on addressing human trafficking from an artist's perspective. Thankfully I already have a space; now I'm just confirming with the artists I'm interested in having participate, and we'll see what else needs to be done. This won't be until early 2014, so there is plenty of time to work out the kinks, and I'm glad to be working with people who have done this before! I'll write another blog entry another day about human trafficking.. I don't want to get <em>too</em> off topic here.<br />
<br />
The other point I mentioned was about desiring a creative/artistic community or folks who can provide helpful feedback and support for what I'm working on. This has been an on-going issue for a few years, but I'm finally at a point where it just needs to happen. Thankfully, an opportunity has come up where someone with more leadership and people-organizing skills than I do wants to start up an artists' group at our church and I'll be helping. The driving force is to provide community and support to artists of faith, and utilizing our gifts to help those around us (within the church and outside of the church). This could mean a lot of different things, and it's something I'll be aiming to explore. The vision includes discussions, critiques, supporting one another by going to other artists' exhibitions/shows/performances etc, and praying for one another and our city. Since I'm blogging from work (again), not all of my thoughts are concentrated to really explain it right now but it's something I'm really looking forward to. <br />
<br />
<br />
All in all: some really good things are coming together!Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-50075232736116873112012-10-09T17:34:00.004-04:002012-10-09T17:34:59.304-04:00Looking for Direction, Inspiration, and TimeSince my last post about wanting more time to work on art, and wanting more community, some things seem to be getting momentum. Kind of.<br />
<br />
First, the art. While I'd rather be painting/drawing/taking over the world, I've been putting my creative energy in creating random designs and illustrations for Threadless.com. If you're not familiar, Threadless.com is a sort of online retailer for clothing (shirts, hoodies) and accessories. Their stuff is pretty hip and there are tons of shirts I would love to own, pretending that I am still a care free 24 year old college minister and not a 28 year old who works in a cubicle and wears business-casual clothing 32 hrs a week (for what it's worth, it pays the bills and for another 8 hours, I can wear jeans on Fridays). <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Really, though, my job is a blessing and provided by God at a time where we thought we were going to go homeless. </em></span><br />
<br />
Anyway. <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
So Threadless.com regularly runs contests for artists to create designs for shirts, and win money if the shirts get printed. It's a pretty sweet system - if your shirt gets picked. Although none of the designs I've submitted have been picked (that I'm aware of) and have received mediocre scoring, it's been a fun process to get some kind of creative juices flowing. Some samples are below. </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XfNeH9FWESs/UHSUi3qPrFI/AAAAAAAAAcc/rH8EY9yMqY8/s1600/452245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nea="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XfNeH9FWESs/UHSUi3qPrFI/AAAAAAAAAcc/rH8EY9yMqY8/s200/452245.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2XI5Zm1Ci58/UHSUj_VfVVI/AAAAAAAAAcs/edIR2fRmfmk/s1600/459440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2XI5Zm1Ci58/UHSUj_VfVVI/AAAAAAAAAcs/edIR2fRmfmk/s200/459440.jpg" width="160" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Evr2bvPxH9g/UHSUjXQa8PI/AAAAAAAAAck/TjkliOhv164/s1600/459386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Evr2bvPxH9g/UHSUjXQa8PI/AAAAAAAAAck/TjkliOhv164/s200/459386.jpg" width="160" /></a> </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
What's interesting about this process, and wanting to get more involved in my painting/drawing (I took a break while it was blazing hot), is that it really underscores the many different variations of art and styles that I have. I have these, which are more illustrative and graphic in nature (back to the kind of things I used to do all the time in highschool & college). I have other things like this that I classify as <strong>Just For Fun - </strong>the things I'll sell at a craft show or just do it for kicks. I tried explaining this to a gallery owner who I'm friends with, and in whose gallery I've shown some work in the past, and she just kind of laughed and gave me this look like I was a little off my rocker. I also make costume jewelry as a hobby. </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
And then I make paintings like these:</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QLeIZlHXTmE/UHSWhZNfd_I/AAAAAAAAAc0/SvlsAEZVWm8/s1600/Prophet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" nea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QLeIZlHXTmE/UHSWhZNfd_I/AAAAAAAAAc0/SvlsAEZVWm8/s320/Prophet.JPG" width="320" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LQpk_FW9J0E/UHSWiRnxMvI/AAAAAAAAAc8/ZIIofjY8Dn4/s1600/Season-of-Night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LQpk_FW9J0E/UHSWiRnxMvI/AAAAAAAAAc8/ZIIofjY8Dn4/s320/Season-of-Night.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<br />
This kind of work I consider my "serious" work, which doesn't imply I don't have fun making them (although sometimes that is true when I can't get it right), but this work goes more into having legitimate meaning that I hope the viewer will experience. I want these to be contemplated, thought over, and so on. <br />
<br />
What I'm wondering is if this puts me in a sort of dilemma. Not a crisis or anything like that, I'm not freaking out about it, but the question arises as to what I should focus my time on and IF I should be worried about that kind of thing anyway. Any other artists run into this multiple-personality-style disorder in their work? Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-40707280002240205312012-08-13T16:31:00.001-04:002012-08-13T16:34:29.531-04:00Creative SlackerA third post in one month? Has someone hijacked Full of Earth & Dirt???<br />
<br />
Though no one is seriously asking this question, the answer is: No. I'm just incredibly bored at at work. I've been temping here for a few months and was officially hired today, but since the company needs to reconfigure all of my settings, I literally can't do anything useful today. Putting together another blog entry seems a good way to go. Especially since the entry about my internet wanderings is probably not that interesting, looking back at it. I feel like I have to explain myself whenever I express a wariness of uber-social media. I just don't want Mark Zuckerberg taking over the world by integrating Facebook into every aspect of our lives, which I'm half convinced he's aimed to do -- kind of like Google.<br />
<br />
I'm also slightly wary of smart technologies (like <a href="http://www.nest.com/">Nest</a>, the learning thermostat or the iPod for your home), while simultaneously finding them totally awesome and brilliant. I jump back and forth over a line between "paranoid" and "geek-out." I've watched too many sci-fi movies that explore artificial intelligence's relationship to humans.<br />
<br />
Anyway.<br />
<br />
I've been in a sort of art-slump for the whole summer, at least in the way of major drawings or paintings. It's been a blazing hot summer, and the room that acts as my studio (slash dining room) is just an uncomfortable place to be (so we've been eating in the living room a lot, too). I have been able to figure out some fun crafts, though, which helped me do my first craft fair ever on July 29th! It was a lot of fun and I hope to do another one someday. Scott keeps saying I should just give up my day job and start doing crafts... thankfully, he is joking. <br />
<br />
More after the jump.. click to read on!<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
The crafting has helped a little bit in getting out my creative frustration, but I really want to paint. Actually, what I <strong>really</strong> want to do is get my hands back into printmaking. I'm just waiting for a few other things to fall in to place first. I'm finding that my paintings (or ideas for paintings) keep falling more into an abstract realm than I would have wanted 4-6 years ago. Abstract in the sense of having a lot more to do with color fields and texture to speak of content. While the evolution is a welcome as an experiment, the change is also a little startling as I try to figure out what my "voice" for the look and feel of my art. I'm not there yet. What doesn't help is that I feel stuck in a bubble, and don't get many opportunities to talk about my artwork with others like I used to. From what I understand, this can be a common problem. It's not that I don't want to talk about my work with other artists, though; or that it's even about me as an artist being anti-social (since that's such a stereotypical image of artists). Or at least, I'm pretty sure it's not about all that. Especially since I know better.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://99u.com/tips/7187/Why-Sharing-Your-Work-Setbacks-Struggles-Breaks-Creative-Blocks">There's an article I read recently</a> that pointed towards community and sharing with others as creativity's best friend, and not just in the art field, but in science as well. This is a point that I agree whole-heartedly with, and have seen it proven in my life as well as others' lives in the past. Human beings - yes even those odd, eccentric artists - are meant to be in community with one another. Community helps us thrive with a give and take of ideas, challenges, and problem solving. Even Scripture points towards this in literal and symbolic language: "As iron sharpens iron, so does one man another." (Proverbs 27:17); "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up." (Ecclesiastes 4:9,10). A number of other places point towards the importance of coming together as a community (specifically in worship of Jesus and for spiritual encouragement/prayers/etc). So I know that community is important. Yet why is it so hard to come together with other artists? Why do I not take the initiative to ask artist friends to take a look at my artwork and help me sort out my thoughts and methods?<br />
If I were to guess, I would say that laziness is a factor, as well as fear or pride. Generally, I find artists who are older and/or more established (or ambitious) to be intimidating. I'm afraid that what I make is not good enough. I also fall into a trap of being really defensive about my work and the content of my work, and push back when someone is really trying to offer some good constructive criticism. I'm also afraid that another artist is going to impose their own idea of what my art should look like, as a reflection of how they make art. I feel like I can pin this on a certain professor I had for an introductory class, who would literally take something I made and make it look like something she would make. With all of that, I also turn around and think: I should really just get over it and stop being so protective.<br />
Community would also help me have a better idea of what sort of galleries to be looking at; and it would give me people to go with to look at art. You'd think that living in Philadelphia that this would be easier.<br />
<br />
Of course, there are a LOT of "I could be doing this" to keep up a healthy artist habit. Sometimes I feel like the biggest creative slacker in Philadelphia (I can't really say the planet, since, I'm sure there are others just as bad as I am).<br />
<br />
Another reason community is helpful: accountability. <br />
<br />
Anyone want to chime in on this line of thought? Although I know I'm not the only one who thinks about these things, it would be super helpful to actually hear about others' thoughts! What struggles do you have about community as an artist? Where have you seen community being super helpful in your life/art/work?Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-10117007591257473732012-08-07T17:18:00.002-04:002012-08-07T17:18:46.827-04:00Bucket List RevisitedIn my resolve to try and do more blogging, I decided to revisit my 30 before 30 Bucket List, considering it was pretty much a year ago since I last took a look at it. There isn't a lot to cross out, and there are things I'd like to change, but let's see what we have here...<br />
<br /><br />
1. Live in a place with free laundry<br />
<br />
2. <strike>Have a grown-up bed, and not a loft bed We put the mattress on our old futon frame.</strike> Not a "grown-up bed" but not a loft anymore! That's half the battle. <em>I'm counting this one, since it might be the closest we get to a "grown up" bed!</em><br />
<br />
3. Have an art studio again<br />
<br />
4. Seriously pursue having kids<br />
<br />
5. <span style="color: red;">Have a consistent exercise/yoga routine</span> - <em>So I was doing yoga consistently last summer, but with the winter and then no longer having a membership through work, I have fallen out of any kind of routine. If I did it once, does it count?</em><br />
6. Take a self-defense class<br />
<br />
7. Take an art course in SOMEthing again -- <em>Although I'd be happy to take a class in anything, what I really want to learn is encaustic painting.</em><br />
<br />
8. Be more at peace with myself and have more joy. - <em>This is not a super solid goal, and really I'm not sure it has a place on a list like this since it's really something I should always be striving for throughout life. I'll have to think of something else that can go here...</em><br />
<br />
9. Go somewhere outside of the US (even just Canada or Mexico)<br />
<br />
10.<span style="color: black;"> Write at least a draft for the book I've been thinking about. - <em>This needs more structure. I may later change it to something else, since I haven't even begun writing anything.</em></span><br />
<br />
11. <strike>Do a professional photo shoot with hubby</strike>. <em>Thanks, Katie Harnish!! I'll share your website as soon as it's finished. :)</em><br />
<br />
12. Own a professional digital camera<br />
<br />
13. <span style="color: #6aa84f;">Find a way to make art & make money in a consistent way -</span><span style="color: black;"> <em>This one is looking promising, since I very recently did my first craft fair and I would really like to do another one!</em></span><br />
<br />
14. Take Spanish classes that will actually be useful in the real world<br />
15. Join an art collective with friends<br />
<br />
16. Cook for others, and with others, more.<br />
17. <span style="color: #6aa84f;">Volunteer.</span><span style="color: black;"><em> - I've got some volunteering done, but I'd like to do more. I was helping on and off with an afterschool arts-and-crafts group, and I'd really like to do it again more consistently when it starts again!</em></span><br />
<br />
18. Ideally, live in a house instead of an apartment.<br />
19. <span style="color: #93c47d;">Have a healthier diet / eat less processed foods<em><span style="color: black;"> - I could probably be doing better, but we're much much better than before!</span></em></span><br />
20. <strike>Go to a taping of Conan.</strike> - <em>No, I didn't go to a taping of Conan, and as much as I adore that strange, lanky red head, this is a goal that is not something I can control. Instead, I think I'd like to </em>Learn Archery<em>, or at least something like it. I've always been fascinated with bows & arrows, and used to make toy ones out of saplings when I was little. Wouldn't mind fiddling with that again.</em><br />
<br />
21. Ride a bike in the city - no, really. I'm terrified to do this. - <em>Seriously considering removing this, because I'm that tense about it.</em><br />
<br />
22. Have better posture or work on my posture.<br />
<br />
23. <strike>Be less cynical.</strike> -<em> I *think* I'm better at this? Life changes have made me more optimistic about the future, however tumultuous it appears to be!</em><br />
24. Get a professional massage, or have Scott take a massage class. I'm thinking the former is cheaper. Okay, really, I just want to go get a pro massage.<br />
<br />
25. <span style="color: red;">Visit my brother more</span>. - <em>This had some momentum and then suddenly fell off while I was unemployed</em>.<br />
<br />
26. Go camping again (it's been a long time!)<br />
<br />
27. <strike>Have a mini-garden... or be a part of a co-op. ** Part of this would be to learn HOW to garden. -- I have some herbs growing on the window-sill??</strike> -- <em>The herbs growing on my window-sill died. The cactus that was sunning on the window-sill also died. But I have a spider plant that seems to be doing well there... I can't eat it, but it's something? Is that cheating?</em><br />
28. Go on a Philadelphia Tour, because I don't know jack about the city I live in.<br />
<br />
29. Go on a legit picnic, basket and all.<br />
<br />
30. Go to the Empire State Building.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-66555470616822733382012-08-02T11:55:00.002-04:002012-08-02T11:55:17.111-04:00The Internet: My Web Wanderings and Present PrecautionsOne day I might find a good rhythm of writing blog entries. In the meantime, expect the next post to be 4-6 months from now. Actually, maybe sooner; I have too many thoughts swirling in my head, and too much time on my hands at work while waiting for something to do.<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2P8T-AkH41E/UBp1JKabZVI/AAAAAAAAAao/184QNsOW450/s1600/blog-map.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" eda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2P8T-AkH41E/UBp1JKabZVI/AAAAAAAAAao/184QNsOW450/s1600/blog-map.png" /></a></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
As a side note, I decided to see my blog stats, just for fun. No surprise, I don't have many visitors. Definite surprise, I have visitors from Russia, Poland, and Latvia. See, check it out: </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
So... hello Russia, Poland, and Latvia! <br />
This is a great segue to what I've been wanting to write about for nearly two months. <strong>The Internet. </strong>It's a pretty amazing technology, really, that lets you connect to anyone anywhere in the world. I've been able to watch evolve over, I don't know, the past 22 years. Although it's not uncommon for a 28 year old to be very familiar with the internet in the US -- or other countries for that matter, as the Olympic opening ceremonies artistically demonstrated, and young activists have proven through Twitter and other social media outlets -- I think the only thing that makes me somewhat more like the generation behind me is that I grew up with a computer in the house. Not many friends of mine have had quite the same experience, having acquired a family computer in their pre-teen to teenage years. I was introduced through a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64">Commodore 64</a> and whatever came immediately after it (I know it was some Apple product). As much as a child can manage, I became familiar with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_DOS">Microsoft DOS</a> before computers even had a picture based interface and you had to use some fancy combination of keys to do anything at all; and games required multiple floppy disks and were extremely simplistic. I was fascinated, whereas a youngster the same age today would be bored out of his/her skull and unimpressed. If you read on, you get to see how involved this all became.
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Thanks to my parents appreciation of technology (Ham Radio and the original Star Trek probably helped), I was introduced to computers at a young age. Consequently, I was also introduced to the internet at a young age, starting with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prodigy_(online_service)">Prodigy</a> and then graduating to AOL. There's a combination of nastalgia and annoyance every time I hear the unmistakeable sounds of a modem connecting to the internet. Even back then when the internet wasn't considered a dangerous place for children as it is today, my parents were very cautious of my using it. My dad had very basic but strict rules about chatting, such as never responding to A/S/L (age/sex/location) and even steered me towards <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRC">IRC (or Internet Relay Chat)</a> -- with the handle of SpunkyKid, since my dad's handle was Spunky (after Rocco's dog in Rocco's Modern Life). It could be that my dad lead me to IRC because he personally knew a lot of individuals on there (they were Ham Radio friends of his) and also because he could track down IP numbers to find out who was talking to me and go back and read logs if he really wanted to. I wound up spending a lot of time on the internet while my dad was working during the summer, making friends and playing games. IRC eventually introduced me to my first internet "relationship" when I was 11, if you want to call it that but it wasn't really. But we moved to a different state in 1996, and the interest dissolved entirely. <br />
<br />
Moving to another state, and consequently another school, seemed to push me further into the Internet world since I was shy and had a hard time establishing friends outside of school for a period of time. I stuck mostly to IRC rather than AOL, though I eventually succumbed to Instant Messanger. My brother was the same way but he was (and is) much more internet savvy than I was, and we navigated through one of the first multiplayer gaming platforms, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mplayer.com">MPlayer.com</a> when it was offered for free. I had the handle of DragonWing. We were obsessed with Quake primarily where I alternated between SpunkyKid, DragonWing, and cRaZy; but there were so many other games besides just that and there was a chat platform there as well. Eventually I ended up in an actual online relationship with an older kid in Connecticut: we wrote letters to one another, talked on the phone, and chatted online endlessly into the night. That abruptly changed when he announced he gained a girlfriend in "real life." My brother and I also got involved in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUCK">MUCKs (Multi-User Created Kingdoms)</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUD">MUDs (Multi-User Dimensions),</a> which are text-based roleplaying games, and I all but abandoned MPlayer.com except to play Quake. MUDs are structured and dealt with points, whereas MUCKs are kind of a freestyle form of roleplaying where you get to create your own characters and write stories with other players. I prefered the latter, because it opened a world of imagination and fueled creativity. Some MUCKs were based on TV shows or video RPGs (such as many different Anime shows, or the Final Fantasy games), others based around fantasy like dragons, wizards, and the like. Between IRC and a MUCK called <a href="http://www.alfandria.net/">Alfandria</a> (which still exists), my handle as Zalyina became my entire identity -- you can read all about it in my post, <a href="http://yvonneboudreaux.blogspot.com/2010/01/avatar-zalyina.html">"Avatar :: Zalyina,"</a> where I explain that I really ended up believing that I was a dragon soul trapped in a human body. Eventually I hopped the bandwagon of Anime and the MUCKs associated with Anime and RPG (primarily Final Fantasy) themes, and created nearly a dozen characters. But Alfandria was still my homebase. At this point, I had a full blown obsession, or what could easily be called an Internet Addiction -- and this was all through high school. I would stay up late at night, or sneak onto the computer while my dad was sleeping during the school year. I would stay up until 7am during the summer. I would throw a fit when I thought my brother was on the computer too long or when my dad barred us from internet access, outraged at perceived injustice that I could not talk to my friends, the only ones who really understood me. They were people that I loved and cared about -- people I had never met in "real life" and had no chance of ever doing so. I had friends in school that I cared about too, others who didn't seem to fit into a clique. But there was something about the internet that my friends could not compete with. "It was my safe place to go when things simply didn't make sense. These people didn't want to hurt me -- for, as far as I know, they all suffered much in the hands of others as well. This digital world and their avatars were (and for some, still is) their safe place, where they can be who they think they are and escape the realities of a war-torn world."<br />
<br />
Needless to say, it was unhealthy. Of course I never saw it. The emotional experiences and connections were very real to me. When I became a Christian my Senior year, that's when my ties to the internet started to strain, primarily because I no longer held the same beliefs as those of my dearest friends in Alfandria. It's also when I actually wanted to connect to real people, the people who I could see face-to-face and establish real connection. When I got to college, I had no time to really go bounding around the internet, and it gave me a legitimate chance to connect with people: new people, new friends. It was like starting over.<br />
<br />
Because I know how being so deeply entrenched in the Internet affected me psychologically, I have been very cautious and even critical of the Internet since I stepped out of that lifestyle. While in truth I do miss writing stories and the creativity that MUCKs offered, I know how positively addicting it can be. I don't even really like to chat through Instant Messaging anymore, and placed myself on invisible on Gmail to avoid it. Social Media has only complicated my relationship with the internet. When Facebook first came out while I was in college, I was excited about it and connecting to my other college friends, and those I had met on retreats, or staying in touch with a few friends from High School (<em>I only joined MySpace at the end of college to connect with a new friend I met at a concert, who eventually became my husband; you can ask me about that another time</em>). I didn't have a cell phone until college, so it only made sense to stay in touch through Facebook. But I don't really like what Facebook has become, this megalith of social media giant that literally wants to integrate itself into every aspect of your life, if you let it. It's proven to be just as dangerous as any other Internet outlet for addiction (<a href="http://www.uib.no/news/nyheter/2012/05/new-research-about-facebook-addiction">http://www.uib.no/news/nyheter/2012/05/new-research-about-facebook-addiction</a> as one example, I'm sure there are several others). I hate how I can see what old friends are up to, who I haven't spoken to in years, because it makes me feel jealous and yet feel compelled to find out about their lives. Twitter I'm sure can be just as addictive (I generally avoid it); but I see the usefulness in both tools. I see how it can update friends if you are ill and unable to make tons of phone calls. I've read articles about how it's connected adopted children to their birth parents and relatives to one another. But as a whole, I am still wary of it.<br />
<br />
I'm wary of children and teenagers' access to the Internet, because of my experience. I don't think that kids will think they will get sucked into unusual beliefs (but certainly I know it happens). Of course there's the worry of being exposed to all kinds of levels of pornography and violence on the internet, a topic that is well discussed and argued about and researched for a good reason. I'm worried about how the Internet affects their social development and overall communication skills. I've known so many college kids who prefer to email or text or send messages (over Facebook or IM) to sort out problems, avoiding face-to-face confrontation. I know how easy it is to think you love someone who have either never met or have very little interaction with face-to-face. It also has a huge impact on writing skills and abilities. The internet also seems to give irate, opinionated people to an avenue to say horrible nasty things and attack their opponents, like a hornets' nest that's just been kicked. But many of the people who do that would never say such things to someone's face; the internet is their shield and spear. Internet and text based hazing/bullying comes out of this, which literally can be fatal to those who otherwise have found the Internet to be their safe place, especially young people. It easier to attack and be hateful towards someone you don't have physical interaction with (another example of this kind of interaction is cursing out other drivers on the road and rattling about how one thing or another was totally idiotic). <br />
<br />
Actually, this isn't just children and teenagers; this is for adults too. The Internet (and really, texting over the phone) -- for all it's usefulness and incredible tools to connect people to one another -- it can be a breeding ground for incompetant face-to-face relationships and human interaction and it dehumanizes opponents in conflict. <br />
<br />
I'm also wary of the Church utilizing the Internet and Social Media as a means of outreach, and especially as a means of replacing a physical church body. But that's really a topic for another time, since this entry is already long enough!<br />
<br />
As much as I hold the Internet at arm's length and hold social media with caution, I do fall into Facebook holes and YouTube holes that eat up productivity. There are many useful things about the Internet, and to the dark side there is a light side. Unfortunately, the good and bad go together because it's not so much the Internet that ought to change (although, some aspects should), as much as it is the hearts and minds of people. That is a much larger task.Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-36379992985040018072012-04-17T09:48:00.003-04:002012-04-17T09:48:31.662-04:00I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVEEE!*ahem*<br />
I wouldn't blame you if, after such a pessimistically geared entry back in November, I may have fallen off the face of the earth. This is not the case, nor did I die and reanimate and become the world's first blogging zombie. I've just been busy (and at times feeling much like a zombie).<br />
<br />
Which means, since I am blogging again, you can conclude that I am not busy. In fact, I am unemployed AND my husband is on tour with Calling Out Closer as their road manager until mid-May. Yep. Not busy. As you can imagine, I am bored out of my mind. Looking for jobs online can only last so long during a day before I want to poke my eyes out. The unemployment came about because apparently I am not able to balance 25 different things at once. I like that I can be "a great person" and well liked, but I don't like being told that while I'm losing my job, either... It's a great sentiment, and I still like the people I worked with. However, a little monster seizes that thought and laughs with a pointed finger, "You're a nice person but heck if you can't do anything worthwhile!!"<br />
<br />
For the most part, I've been successful in squishing that little monster, but I can't help but think that being a nice person doesn't actually get you anywhere. I could bleed kindness all I want, that's not what gets a person employment. However, I'm just not in the business of being cutthroat and undermining people. <br />
<br />
So I'm hoping to find a job that is really more along the lines of what I'm passionate about: helping people and/or art. Finding something like this has proven difficult, since it would seem that I am lacking in experience: I haven't been working since the dawn of creation in a particular field, and I am not throwing hundreds and hundreds of dollars at school loans for a degree in graphic-design/web-construction-guru/AdobeSuite-master-of-the-universe. OK, so that last part was mostly for the arts jobs I've been looking at. But it's true that it's been difficult to find even a well paying entry level job that doesn't expect the newbie to be the master of all things. Craigslist is almost not worth it, since most of those jobs are either part time, just above minimum wage, or both. I am not saying I am above working multiple jobs, but I'm trying to avoid it so that I can keep my sanity. Or else I WILL become that zombie I mentioned earlier. <br />
<br />
I've been attempting to stay occupied by working on my art. This is going OK so far but I need to come up with other projects to work on because I can really only progress once a week with the "technique" I use. While oil colors are really awesome for blending colors and having a rich and supple look, they take so long to dry. If you're an experienced oil painter, you will probably be able to tell that I am not trained in oil painting, since I'm pretty certain there are oils or chemicals you can add to the paint to make it dry faster. I just don't know what they are, and would be afraid it will change the look of the paint. If you know otherwise, please inform me. Before I was completely unemployed -- my former employer was very kind and generous to give me two months to look for work -- I did create a website. This was to exhibit samples of my work to potential art employers, but I needed to get one up anyway. You can check it out at <a href="http://yvonnevalenza.prosite.com/">yvonnevalenza.prosite.com</a>. The section under "Birds of the Air" is a project I've been meaning to get back to, so I can do that while waiting for paint to dry.<br />
<br />
<br />
I actually don't see this whole period as necessarily <i>bad</i>, though. I mean, it is kind of lousy to be unemployed when I'm the kind of person that needs to be doing something. I don't relax and chill out easily. I'm attempting to use this time to refocus on God and coming closer to Jesus since I've been kind of at arm's distance for quite some time. What I mean is that at one point in my life I would pray every day, eagerly read Scripture if not every day, at least a few times a week. Not saying I "need" to do these things or else God would be very sore with me; no, God doesn't need us to perform for Him to love us fully. What I am saying is that I need it to get back to a more stable equilibrium. Recently Scott and I went to Atlantic City, and while we were there we visited the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum since I'd never been to one. At the very end, the main exit is through a dark tunnel with the walls literally spinning with paint enhancing the effect. It creates an optical illusion while you walk through, making your brain think the room is tilting, making your eyes play tricks on you, so your brain makes your body compensate by leaning. To the observer, the person walking through the tunnel ends up slanting and leaning on the railing. Your equilibrium is thrown off, making you disoriented (and in my cause, nauseous) even though you are conscious of it being an optical illusion. If you stare straight ahead to the other side, you can make it through fine, by the way. I did that and Scott made me walk through it twice because he thought I closed my eyes. (I managed to find a YouTube video of the tunnel, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=hkdgaEKO-SQ">here</a>, if you've never been.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It's kinda like that, minus the nausea. I need to get back to reading Scripture and praying consistently because I've been disoriented while a whirlwind of things happen around me, and when there's a whirlwind of crazy talk in my head (see the previous post regarding the Death Spiral). This has already been helpful, since I am not freaking out about not having a job right now; I'm just really, really bored. I know that I'll get an answer from someone I've sent my resume to, or that something will come through the temp agency. It's a matter of time. I have also been getting some direction lately about ways to use my gifts, but I'm keeping that to myself right now till I get some more clarity.<br />
<br />
Still twiddling my thumbs at times and staring at the computer, wasting time on Facebook or stalking my email and staring at my phone, waiting for a call or an email from a potential employer. Or I'll end up pacing the apartment or chasing the cats BUT I'm trying to stay focused and preoccupied! Heck even writing this blog entry just killed an hour and a half. But I think I'll go outside today. I need some sunshine.Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-60742941204819111942011-11-13T19:42:00.001-05:002011-11-13T20:37:07.990-05:00WearyYou know, I was about to start do an entry that was about being weary and with an elaborate explanation about why I probably have been feeling weary the past several weeks. Which then started turning into a moping fest on my end while staring at the screen wondering what I was going to write exactly, and feeling awful while going on a Death Spiral -- you know, the thing that happens when your brain becomes a negativity factory and you can't get out of your head.<br />
<br />
I decided I needed to find a different way to write about my weariness, because the other way sure as heck wasn't working.<br />
<br />
I haven't been sleeping well for the past few weeks, on and off. I've also had a lot of stress in my shoulders and neck - but that's not necessarily a new thing. I've been worrying about the future in ways that are horribly pessimistic. You know: the Death Spiral. It looks like this:<br />
<br />
I can't go out with friends because apparently socializing requires money.<br />
I won't be able to get an art studio again, ever.<br />
I won't be able to make money as an artist because I can't get into galleries, because I can't pay for stupid frames or stupid jury fees.<br />
And who would buy my art anyway.<br />
Oh and while we're at it, we will never be able to get a house because we're forever going to be stuck in the city, making enough money to be paycheck to paycheck. And because we'll never have a house we probably won't be able to start a family either.<br />
And therefore we will never progress as human beings. EVER.<br />
<br />
.......<br />
<br />
I hate that Death Spiral. It looks a lot more sinister than this, of course... like a shifty shadowy figure that turns out to be a werewolf chasing you until you can't breathe. Or something like that. You get the idea.<br />
<br />
Needless to say, I've been weary. Now today in church I had a good reminder of what to do when I'm weary: "<span class="woj">Come to me," <span style="font-size: x-small;">(that's Jesus talking)</span>, "all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. But let's just be honest. For the past year I've been having a hard time fully trusting Jesus with my life and future. He's still my Savior, who is the only one who can and did die for my sins (even my sin of worrying and not trusting him), but I am having a heck of a time being hopeful for the future when the job I thought I'd do for a long time - college ministry - was gone. Granted, there is a blessing in being shown why I left ministry. It was sucking the life out of me because I was trying to do it on my own power. God was calling me out of it so I wouldn't shrivel up and die, running around like wonder woman as the only campus minister to an entire school. I always thought that having a flexible schedule was awesome, till it started swallowing up every waking hour. I'll tell you one thing though: I was at my lightest weight while I was running around the city to and from meetings with students! Joking aside, I loved spending time with students, but it all became too overwhelming when I also wanted to spend time with my husband and friends. Since I was trying to do things on my own power, and while I was running around like an idiot, I wasn't exactly spending a lot of time with God. </span><br />
<span class="woj"><br /></span><br />
<span class="woj">With that in mind, yes, leaving college ministry was probably the best thing I could do at the time that I left - as much as it sucked and as I felt like a disappointment/failure to my students. At the same time, leaving ministry derailed the way I thought life was going to go. Suddenly I felt thrown to the wolves. Then I got a job, and I've been very blessed to have the job I have. Yet there's still and underlying notion of being thrown to the wolves because Scott has also had his fair share of having plans dashed to pieces and strangely reassembled but still looking a little askew. Or, rather, it's taking a bit longer to get the plans moving than we both anticipated - for various reasons. </span><br />
<span class="woj"><br /></span><br />
<span class="woj">So, here I am, fretting about what in the world the "plan" is. Do I have goals? I don't feel like I do. I have ephemeral aspirations to do "something," "someday," but it's not well defined and there's hardly a path to get to it. I want to do all the things I mentioned previously, but setting goals for those things is sort of beyond me right now. I feel trapped in one place, and I could really use some help seeing what's around me. Like I need a breath of fresh air, a new vision, a renewing in my heart. I want to be able to say from Proverbs 31: 25 that I am a woman who is clothed in strength and has no fear of the future. </span><br />
<span class="woj"><br /></span><br />
<span class="woj">I guess that's where I am right now. I'm stuck, and weary, and I don't want to be anymore.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><span class="woj"> </span>"But the harder I try the more clearly can I feel<br />The depth of our fall and the weight of it all<br />And so this might could be the most impossible thing<br />Your grandness in me making me clean</i><br />
<i> ...</i><br />
<i> I am full of earth and dirt and You"</i>Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-38375696106395439672011-10-05T14:35:00.008-04:002011-10-05T17:19:32.085-04:00There are days I feel like a Pollock painting on the inside.I've said too many times that I always think of tons of things to blog about and never do, and now suddenly it's October and the last thing I wrote was in July. So we'll move past the self pity regarding blogging and get right to self pity about being an artist.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(just kidding. mostly)</span></span><br /><br />You know how some mornings when you wake up to get ready for work, you have a flood of thoughts all at once about one particular thing, and you don't even know how it got implanted in your brain in the first place? And it bothers you for days? No? Okay, well I experience days like that. Recently, I've been thinking about how why as an artist I create things. In particular, the way a selection of drawings/paintings over the course of the past 10 years looks like totally different people made some of them. Actually, even over the past 5 years since college doesn't altogether count. Regardless, it seems pretty in-cohesive. I'm an artist flailing around in the dark, not really totally sure what I want my art to look like, or continue to look like. I'll push it this way, then the other way, and then enjoy each of what was produced.. then later hate that I can't stick with one style. One day it's,<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> "YES, this is what I want!"</span> and the next it's, <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">"AHHHG WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?!? I FAIL AS AN ARTIST!"</span> and later regain my composure after walking away.<br /><br />Then again... I'm three years shy of 30, and I would suspect that most artists don't have a set style until well after that - provided they stick to it. But I could be saying that just to make myself feel better. Not sure. While I have friends who are artists, I'm not actually camped in any kind of immediate art community that is helpful in fine-tuning my direction. The Bible talks about ironing sharpening iron in the means of following Jesus faithfully - sticking to community that helps you stay directed. There's a phrase I've heard ad-nauseam (though I do not disagree with it) since college: A lone ranger Christian doesn't survive. Likewise, I think there's a grain of truth to adjusting the phrase that a lone ranger artist doesn't survive. But that kind of seems like an artist's stereotypical M.O.: the one on the OUTSIDE who is secluded and slaving away in the studio rather than have normal social interactions with other people <span style="font-size:85%;">(<span style="font-style: italic;">actually that sounds very much like many computer geeks as well..hmm</span>)</span>. I have friends who are artists, some of who I have astounding relationships with and wouldn't trade them for anything. But somehow we rarely intentionally talk about our art in a way that is helpful, nurturing, and challenging. I think we just don't think of it.<br /><br />As an aside, there actually there IS a community that gets together that I know of, yet guess what: work gets in my way and they all meet outside the city! Curse being city- and budget-bound! But I digress. There's some rumblings amongst those friends about fixing this problem... so I hope it happens soon. Another problem I noticed from my artist friends is that we have grand ideas that somehow never seem to quite come together -- or at the very least, that's me. I don't know how I ever bring a painting from start to finish with that awful character flaw.<br /><br />I do have one success out of all this confusion. Or, what I consider a success. I haven't had anyone actually critique this painting before because I'm terrified of what might be said. I started this self-portrait at the end of 2007 and it finally worked its way to being finished in 2009. There are a lot of elements of the finished product that I really liked <span style="font-size:85%;">(one of them is <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> how well I can do a portrait,<span style="font-style: italic;"> yuck</span>)</span> and have utilized in other paintings and I keep trying to figure out ways to push those elements. So.. maybe at long last I will have <span style="font-style: italic;">some</span> kind of cohesive style?<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BCwO09EYpts/ToysChsbySI/AAAAAAAAAV4/m8oLJkP2e2A/s1600/Selfportrait.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BCwO09EYpts/ToysChsbySI/AAAAAAAAAV4/m8oLJkP2e2A/s200/Selfportrait.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660087991102327074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SmELH4fQH5Y/ToysC8Tn9xI/AAAAAAAAAWA/Tu0DDeQ8s6Q/s1600/P2230001.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SmELH4fQH5Y/ToysC8Tn9xI/AAAAAAAAAWA/Tu0DDeQ8s6Q/s200/P2230001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660087998246024978" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1UTwIJtGIKU/ToysDZkXSaI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/da1DC7C6EJ8/s1600/P1010027.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1UTwIJtGIKU/ToysDZkXSaI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/da1DC7C6EJ8/s200/P1010027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660088006100863394" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-65N1GW4nvoM/ToysDmeNIYI/AAAAAAAAAWY/NvQIbk4yD6w/s1600/WIP2a.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-65N1GW4nvoM/ToysDmeNIYI/AAAAAAAAAWY/NvQIbk4yD6w/s200/WIP2a.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660088009564692866" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dLCjSb_N-o8/ToysW9FXRRI/AAAAAAAAAWg/SPDNlNL7BkI/s1600/Self-portrait.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dLCjSb_N-o8/ToysW9FXRRI/AAAAAAAAAWg/SPDNlNL7BkI/s320/Self-portrait.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660088342052029714" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Hooray! Finished product! Now if I could only get money to submit to art galleries.Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-48093918580756403962011-07-10T17:03:00.004-04:002011-07-10T17:23:56.138-04:00Bucket List<span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">It's been a while since I really even looked at my "Bucket List of things to do before I turn 30." So I figured I would quickly take a look at what I've done, and what I'd like to edit on my list.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px;font-size:14px;" ><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span class="Apple-style-span">1. Live in a place with free laundry<br /><br />2. <s><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Have a grown-up bed, and not a loft bed</span></s> We put the mattress on our old futon frame. Not a <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"grown-up bed"</span></span> but not a loft anymore! That's half the battle.<br /><br />3. Have an art studio again<br /><br />4. Seriously pursue having kids<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">5.</span> <s>Have a consistent exercise/yoga routine</s> - <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">this one I can't say I've completed, but I <span style="font-style: italic;">have</span> started going to the gym, and <span style="font-style: italic;">have</span> taken yoga classes, and I <span style="font-style: italic;">have</span> gone to one Women & Weights class (next one is this weekend!)<br /><br /></span></span>6. Take a self-defense class<br /><br />7. Take an art course in SOMEthing again<br /><br />8. Be more at peace with myself and have more joy<br /><br />9. Go somewhere outside of the US (even just Canada or Mexico)<br /><br />10. Write at least a draft for the book I've been thinking about<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">11. Do a professional photo shoot with hubby<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">12. Own a professional digital camera<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">13. Find a way to make art & make money in a consistent way<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">14. Take Spanish classes that will actually be useful in the real world<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">15. Join an art collective with friends<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">16. <s>Do some crazy food challenge</s> I realize that doing a food challenge totally contradicts my #19, having a healthier diet, and I only thought of it at the time because I was obsessively watching <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Man vs. Food</span><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span> That guy ain't messing around; a food challenge would kill me. Instead, I'd rather: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Cook for others, and with others, more.</span><br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">17. <s> Volunteer with Fleisher Art Memorial again, long-term </s> I have to question if I even have time/energy to do this. Maybe it should be simply: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Volunteer.</span><br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">18. Ideally, live in a house instead of an apartment.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">19. Have a healthier diet / eat less processed foods<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">20. Go to a taping of Conan.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">21. Ride a bike in the city - no, really. I'm terrified to do this.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">22. Have better posture or work on my posture.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">23. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Be less cynical.<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> -<span style="font-style: italic;"> I am failing miserably at this.</span></span></span><br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">24. <s>Get a professional massage, or have Scott take a massage class. I'm thinking the former is cheaper.</s> Okay, really, <span style="font-weight: bold;">I just want to go get a pro massage</span>.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">25. <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Visit my brother more.<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> - I've seen my brother twice since creating this list, which is more than I've seen him in the course of a few months than before writing this list. I'm hoping to keep the momentum somehow.</span></span><br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">26. Go camping again (it's been a long time!)<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">27.<span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> Have a mini-garden.</span>.. or be a part of a co-op. ** Part of this would be to learn HOW to garden. -- I have some herbs growing on the window-sill??<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">28. Go on a Philadelphia Tour, because I don't know jack about the city I live in.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">29. Go on a legit picnic, basket and all.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">30. Go to the Empire State Building.</span></span></div></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span>Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-85302786968243715242011-06-06T17:21:00.000-04:002012-08-07T17:22:41.277-04:00<pre><span style="font-style: italic;">Surely We Can Change</span>
And the problem is this
We were bought with a kiss
But the cheek still turned
Even when it wasn’t hit
<span style="font-weight: bold;">And I don’t know</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">What to do with a love like that</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">And I don’t know</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">How to be a love like that</span>
When all the love in the world
Is right here among us
And hatred too
And so we must choose
What our hands will do
Where there is pain
Let there be grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Help them be brave
Where there is misery
Bring expectancy
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Something
And the problem it seems
Is with you and me
Not the Love who came
To repair everything
Where there is pain
Let us bring grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Let us be brave
Where there is misery
Let us bring them relief
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Oh surely we can change
Something
Oh, the world’s about to change
The whole world’s about to change
-- David Crowder
Breathe... 1, 2, 3. The road is about to get very bumpy.</pre>Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-6740195008737559292011-06-01T10:58:00.003-04:002011-06-01T11:57:44.730-04:00Sluggish ThoughtsI've probably complained about it being really hot in Philadelphia during the summer more times than I can actually count. So I'll refrain, and simply say that it's hot and it makes me want to do absolutely nothing. Humidity saps my energy and strength almost as quickly as Kryptonite saps Superman's.<br /><br />Yesterday marked the three year anniversary of the day I married the love of my life, lost my virginity later that day (woohoo!), and started on the amazing journey of the rest of our lives. We're goofy and have fun with one another. We don't really do "romantic" outings, because not only is the iconic idea of romance expensive, it is also very awkward and not our style. I'd rather go eat the most amazing barbeque in the city than at a five-star restaurant that requires formal attire. <span style="font-style:italic;">Those places just feel rigid and unnatural to me. They kind of freak me out.</span> Anyway. Three years later, it's still just the beginning, and there is much adventure and obstacles on the road ahead of us. Much has happened in three years, and so much more is to come. It is slightly frightening, but even more exciting. <br /><br />Sometimes I reflect on my wedding day and think about all the "oh, I wish we did <span style="font-style:italic;">that</span>," after attending the ceremonies of several friends. In retrospect, I feel like things could have been done differently. Really, I didn't know what the hell I was doing putting a wedding together more-or-less on my own. I did not put together an amazing party for my friends and family. But I have to stop that on-coming train wreck of thought, and realize that it doesn't matter. All the money, flowers, professional photographers, and hip, out-of-the-box ideas in the world could not replace the words and vows shared between my husband and I. That is all a lovestruck girl really wanted: an upstanding man to look me in the eye and pledge his unwavering love and commitment, and to do the same back. <br /><br />I have a problem with comparing my life to other friends who are married, which always leads to a bad place. I look and see friends who already have a house, a dog (which is undeniably more responsibility than two cats), a kid (or two), and have an envious cloud come up before my eyes. <span style="font-style:italic;">I</span> want a house with A/C, with a washer and dyer, and a dishwasher. <span style="font-style:italic;">I</span> want a yard in which I can grow herbs and tomatoes and peppers. <span style="font-style:italic;">I</span> want to start a family that is beyond my wonderful cats. <span style="font-style:italic;">I</span> want a second car so I can go where I want, when I want. I suddenly become more and more dissatisfied with where I live, how I live, and the way I got married. Envy -- our more perhaps Biblically, covetousness -- is a nasty thing that rises up in you and makes you think that everything you have sucks, and that everything everyone else has is gloriously amazing. And then I start to think that oh, if only we had more money, it would fix everything, because I see money as the enemy and <span style="font-style:italic;">that</span> is the only reason why I do not have the things that <span style="font-style:italic;">I</span> want.<br /><br />No. It would not. Money would not suddenly become my friend and fix everything that I perceive as being wrong in my life. It might help things out a little, but it would not fix anything. Namely, it would not fix my heart nor my attitude.<br /><br />I am very blessed to be married to a man that loves me, who does not turn his gaze to pornography when he wants to escape, who does not hurt me or lord over me. I am very blessed to live in a nice apartment. I am very blessed, even, to have two kitties who make me laugh and satisfy my love of furry creatures. I may even be blessed to not have had children yet - which is harder to admit, but in many ways I know we are not ready to have a baby be it psychologically, or even financially. It is pretty awesome that I can get fresh fruit and veggies at all from Whole Foods or even better, from one of the many local outdoor markets in Philadelphia. What I need to learn is some patience, and with patience, praying that the Lord would make a way for these things to happen sometime, and that we would both focus on enjoying Him first, and being thankful for what we have now. Wanting some of those things isn't bad per se (like wanting a family), but throwing a mental tantrum over it is probably not the best thing to do.<br /><br />Besides. It isn't the material things that make life satisfying. Anyone who follows the farcical lives of celebrities will know that they are some of the most unsatisfied, unhappy people in the world. I don't want that. I want to be satisfied in knowing that I have a God who loves me and cares for me, and will get me through all the hardships the world can throw at me through Christ. I'm still working on that, clearly, and I don't always understand what that means. But it is helpful to have a husband around who is trying to do the same thing, and that we can encourage one another in faith. And that is probably the biggest "material" blessing I can have, through thick and thin. <br /><br />So here's to three years of marriage, and ten times as many to come.Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28812691.post-37560919297159407522011-05-30T18:33:00.003-04:002011-05-30T18:42:23.592-04:00Hey, here's one way you can help an artist...Buy stuff; cheap! I've decided to go through some old artwork from college and put a bunch of it up in my Etsy shop in order to get it out of my apartment... I'm too much of a sentimentalist to throw some of this stuff out, since I'd put so much work into these things. There are a few current items, but they're mostly drafts of some kind that pass as pieces on their own.<br /><br />I've marked down the prices from what I would have wanted to sell them for when I originally made them, since they've just been living a lonely life in storage. Art doesn't do anyone any good if it's not out in the open somewhere.<br /><br />Anyway, I hope you or someone you know would like to purchase something! I am also considering taking some illustrations out of my sketchbooks from High School. But that's more for making a little extra cash.<br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><table style="text-align: center;"><tr><td><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.etsy.com/flash/spots/etsy_mini.swf?user_id=6113300&user_name=yivviepants&item_source=shop&item_size=gallery&rows=4&columns=3" width="538" height="730"><param name="movie" value="http://www.etsy.com/flash/spots/etsy_mini.swf?user_id=6113300&user_name=yivviepants&item_source=shop&item_size=gallery&rows=4&columns=3" /></object></td></tr><tr><td><a style="font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" href="http://www.etsy.com">Etsy</a><br/><a style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:12px; text-decoration: none;" href="http://yivviepants.etsy.com">yivviepants</a></td></tr></table>Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08329934031987053623noreply@blogger.com1