Check out Sam's killer karate moves with some sweet trampoline action. I wish I had that energy...

I'm so tired! I was glad the Daily Show/Colbert Report are reruns this week so I can go to bed early. And yet, it's almost 10:30 and I'm still up. So much for that.

Great news! Thomas Kinkade is being investigated by the FBI. Maybe sucky art is a crime after all?

One of Lindia's pieces from this weekend's workshop. She used a printout of a photograph of a lake and put wax over it and around it. I think it came out quite nice.

Trish and I went to dinner at The Green House. I only had the southwestern shrimp cocktail. Not too bad, except for the tortilla chips. I think I deserved a few chips.

We enjoyed the Iron Man Theatre at the high school. It's pretty amazing that they learn so many lines in such a short amount of time. Some were better than others, but for the most part it was good.

Then we came back to my house and drank some wine and watched a few episodes of Strangers with Candy. I recently bought the whole series on DVD.

Elle Charlie suggested that I blow off the extra sour cream and just go for the margaritas. My strategy for drinking and WW is to just skip all the extra stuff and go straight for the alcohol. A margarita has 5 points but a shot of tequila (or most liquor) only has 2 points. A glass of wine also has 2 points. Yeah, I've got this all figured out...

Today I drove to Dallas to meet with my friend Nancy. I wish I had taken my camera - she's doing a really cool installation that involves all kinds of stuff - drawing, beads, glitter, chain, stickers, rubber stamps, syringes, razor blades, Barbie shoes, etc. It sounds weird but it's actually quite beautiful.

We had lunch and talked for quite a while. She's going to try to find someone to fix me up with. I was telling her how Trish and I were recently complaining that none of our friends try to fix us up with anybody. Are we completely undate-able? Some of my single friends complain about their friends trying to fix them up all the time, but it never happens to us. Anyway, so she's on the case now.

After lunch I wanted to go visit a couple of galleries nearby but they were closed. So instead I went to the Nasher. I've been wanting to go for so long. It's been open for a couple of years and I drive by it all the time... So I decided that since I was going to drive by it again, that this time I'd actually check it out.

I was a tad bit disappointed. Not in any of the art. It's just so expensive for the amount of work that they have. I had to pay $5 to park, $10 to get in, and I spent maybe 20 minutes there. They did have a great gift shop, though. :-)

OK, I admit that I really was disappointed that they only had two works by women artists. That's inexcusable. Maybe they have more in their collection but they just weren't on display at the time...

I did enjoy the James Turrell piece. It was very simple, conceptual, but also meditative and thought-provoking. It's a structure that you walk into. You go through a lighted hallway (which reminded me of one of his "light tunnel" installations at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston) and then into a "room" with benches on the sides. You sit back and look up - there's a square hole in the ceiling. It was sprinkling a little, so I watched the gray clouds slowly make their way across the frame. Beautiful.

3 POUNDS!

Can you believe it? I can't. I was thinking losing one would be great. Two would be awesome. But three (3.1 to be exact)! Let's go eat some Mexican food to celebrate!

AND - if you can stand it - even more good news - the gallery in Provincetown sold two of my paintings yesterday! How awesome is that? It's freakin' awesome, that's what.

My workshop went well. I only had two students, but we had fun. I'll post some of the pictures soon.

I'm worn out. And Trish is going to be here soon so I need to tidy up a bit before she gets here.

Here's something for you to order for your kids. If you want to frighten me.

I've been neglecting my blog. I know. Blogger's been all weird lately.

I went to the movies tonight, in case you couldn't tell. I saw Talladega Nights. It was pretty funny. Not quite Anchorman or Elf, but stupid-Will-Ferrell-movie-funny.

Oh, that reminds me. I need to put somebody else on notice:

Seriously.

I have to go weigh-in tomorrow, then go to my studio for my workshop. Then Trish and I are going to see a some plays at the high school. My friend Marlys' daughter Simone is directing some of the plays. It's some sort of challenge where the kids are given the scripts on Friday night and have to perform on Saturday night. Sounds like a lot of fun.

On Sunday I'm going to go to Dallas to see my friend Nancy. She's installing artwork in a show. I'm going to see her work and then we're going to have lunch. She just got her MFA from fancy-schmancy SMU. Her work is really cool. Check it out here and here.

Check out this video of my friend Erin's sketch comedy group. This was my favorite sketch they did when Jenna and I went to the show a couple of months ago. That girl can definitely bust a move.

You might have heard about this Forbes article already. What a dick.

A detail of a piece that my friend Vidya did in my "part 2" workshop a couple of weeks ago. Very cool, no? She used tissue paper, dipped it in the wax, and then collaged it together.

I'm teaching another basic workshop this weekend. I only have 2 students signed up so far, but one of them is coming from Oklahoma City. She had seen my show there and wanted to find out about encaustic. She's a photographer. It should be fun.

The Weight Watchers is going OK. Mostly because I haven't eaten out. That's my downfall. I'll go weigh in on Saturday, so hopefully I will have lost a pound or two. I decided to just go weigh in instead of going to the meetings. The meetings are torture. Or maybe it's just this one particular woman who is the leader. She was there the last time I did WW and I thought she was supremely annoying.

Amy had seen her there before, too. Amy's boss, Kyle, has been going to WW and he was in the meeting the other day. At one point I noticed that Amy was laughing and I looked over and saw Kyle pantomiming shooting himself in the head. Note to self: don't look at Kyle during the meeting.

Do you like to watch videos of people doing really stupid things?

Here's the best one - the redneck version...

This cracks me up... That pet store scene is one of my favorites...

McSweeny's has a great summary of the Fujita Scale of Tornadic Activity. "...my dog would be debarked." Hilarious.

Kind of reminds me of this info graphic from the Onion a couple of years ago:

Well, all I know is that I want my next house built out of whatever the wall in this video is built out of...

Another photo of Sam watching the rays at the aquarium. There's one speeding by on the bottom left...

I dragged Sam all over the place this weekend. Friday night I took him with me to my book discussion group. He didn't make it the whole time, but he did pretty good. He read and played his gameboy while we talked.

The discussion was good. Luckily Karen was there. She's really great at literary criticism and she was able to point out all the symbolism in the book.

On Saturday morning, I took Sam with me to the Weight Watchers meeting. Amy was joining (even though she doesn't need to) and I wanted to join partly to support her and partly because I need to do something with my fat self. I did WW about 5 1/2 years ago while I was going through my divorce (I know - how cliche!). I had lost a little before I joined and I lost 13 pounds in 13 weeks on WW. Then I lost more after - probably around 40 pounds total. I went from a size 18 to an 8.

Then I don't know what happened - especially last year when I was unemployed and looking for a job, I guess I was just depressed and unmotivated. I go through phases where I'll eat really healthy for a couple of weeks and then I'll get bored with that and start eating junk food again. So I need to have some motivation and accountability to help me. I'm not back to where I was before, but I'm well on my way. Time to do something about it.

I also want to try to find healthier things for both Sam and I to eat. I was too lenient for too long and he's turned into a junk food junkie. It's really bad.

After the meeting on Saturday, Dennis picked Sam up for his karate class. He had fun.

While he was in class, I got my hair cut. I went to a place that uses Aveda products. It was expensive, but everything smells so good there! I even bought some shampoo so I can continue to smell good.

Then I picked Sam up and we went to visit my friend Tracey and her new baby, Mary. They were all doing good and the baby is very sweet!

After dinner we went to the mall to walk around. It's still too freakin' hot to do anything outside, even in the evenings. The Denton mall is really sad. They try so hard to be a good mall, but there's still too many lame stores. Hopefully they'll get some better ones soon.

Sam was complaining of a runny nose and sore throat today. He also had a fever. So we hung out at home most of the day. He was getting stir crazy, so we went to the library and the grocery store. He seems to be feeling better now, though. Hopefully he won't have to miss school during the second week!

A great review of Snakes on a Plane. It's not Citizen Kane...

And check this out. A theatre in Austin is showing the movie for 24 hours in a row.

And here's a funny cake.

Here's a great video for a Friday afternoon...

I had forgotten to blog about a book that I recently finished - Fun Home by Allison Bechdel. I was reminded because Boing Boing happened to have a review of it today.

I can't remember where I heard about it - probably in the Powell's newsletter. I was intrigued because it's a graphic novel written by a woman. I find it interesting that I've never read a graphic novel. Seems like graphic designers and artists would be all about graphic novels...

I think I had never read one because I always associated them with comic books and I always associated comic books with boy things. Comic books, video games, role-playing games... none of it ever really interested me.

Anyway, I was instantly interested in the book. She seems to use a lot of narrative devices that remind me of movies. The drawings are great (kind of comic-booky but not really) and the story is well-written. I like how she goes back and forth in time, re-examining important points in her life.

The Boing Boing post mentions some hidden flaps in the hardcover book. My library copy didn't have those, so I'm going to have to go check it out in the book store.

And I might have to check out some other graphic novels while I'm there.

Now I'm almost finished with my book group book - The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. I need to haul ass, because we're meeting tonight. It's a pretty quick read. It's about a 15-year old boy in post-war Germany who has an affair with a 35-year old woman. They break up and he discovers that she's on trial for Nazi war crimes. Sounds kind of depressing, but it's not.

I was initially hesitant because it's an Oprah book. Some of the Oprah books that I've read, I've hated. I know people complain about them being depressing. That's not the problem. Mostly I just didn't like the characters. I'm thinking of The Book of Ruth and Songs in Ordinary Time. But I also liked some, like What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, Ellen Foster, and of course Toni Morrison's books.

But this one is good so far!

Just got back from the movies - (motherf***ing) Snakes on a (motherf***ing) Plane!

Trish, Karyn, and I went to a special 10:00 showing tonight. It was great! Campy, gross, hilarious, and fun. Those snakes were biting people in really inappropriate places. We jumped a couple of times when snakes flew out at people. Lots of gratuitious violence, sex, and lots of snake-fu (remember Joe Bob Briggs?).

We were the oldest people in the theatre. Pretty sad. I was expecting there to be some audience participation (Trish said she saw some people with rubber snakes), but there wasn't any.

So definitely stop messing with your big fancy hair don't, and go see it!

take the WHAT BAD BOOK ARE YOU test.


and go to mewing.net. not as good as reading a good book, but way better than a bad one.

Colleen posted this on her blog today, so I thought I'd play along, too. I hope I'm not like that book, though. I hated that book.

I'm addicted to Project Runway, even though they're annoying me more than usual this season. They seem to be keeping sucky people around just because they're good TV. It was all worth it, though, to hear Heidi Klum say, "There's a fine line between inspiration and insanity."

Here's a video to get you ready for Snakes on a Plane...

It just seems like common sense...

You can make your own warning label here.

Sam started 4th grade yesterday. I can't believe he's already in 4th grade!

We met his teacher the night before school started and she seemed really nice. Sam's desk is right next to the pet rat, so that's pretty exciting. When I picked him up yesterday and asked him how school was he said it was awesome. He said that they're going to do lots of fun projects and no boring math pages or things like that. I said, "Does your teacher know that it's school? Doesn't she understand?"

He said what he always says after I make a hilarious joke, "Har har. Very funny."

Then he said, "I have the coolest teacher ever."

His best buddy Ian isn't in his class this year, so that's a bummer, but he'll still see him at recess and lunch.

Here's an interesting video for you. I'm not sure why I find it intriguing...

Thought I'd update my on notice board...

For some reason I keep getting Blogger in German. So I will erstellen this and then post und veroffentlichen...

More snake-y fun!

I don't feel like writing anything today - just posting random fun things I find, such as:

Go here and you can make your own words out of zombies!

McSweeney's has a couple of great entries under the heading, "Yeah, Air Travel Does Seem A Little Weird Right Now."

I especially like this part of "Your Flight, Three Years From Now:"
"The airport tribunal (located in Terminal C, next to the Cinnabon) ..."

Dog days...

Check out this exhibit at the California Museum of Photography.

Jenna, wasted!

Well, not really. We did the Banter/Wine Safari thing again last night (hey, when we find something we like, we stick with it) and Jenna said she wanted to get drunk... She was beyond tipsy but not exactly falling down drunk.

We hung out in Banter and watched the drumming and belly dancing for a while. She hardly did any belly dancing. That's how I knew she wasn't *completely* drunk. And lucky for everybody, she didn't hurl.

We went back to her place and watched The Life of Brian and ate some popcorn and played with the kitties:

The elusive Shadow.

Cute little Casper.

This one cracks me up:
So yesterday was Jenna's last day at work. She's transferring to UT Southwestern in Dallas to do her clinical nutrition internship (so don't tell anybody that she consumes tapas, good popcorn, and copious amounts of wine). I'm happy for her but sad for me. We don't cackle and giggle like the people in the office next door to us, but we have fun in our own little ways.

It's raining! It seems like the last couple of months we'd get a day every now and then where it would cloud up for a while and maybe even sprinkle a little bit, but no real rain. This is the first serious rain we've gotten in a long time. Even a little thunder. Weird.

I'm listening to Lyle and the rain... Perfect.

I hung out in my studio today. I did an "advanced," or "part 2" type of workshop. Or maybe I should just call it an open studio. I invite the people who have taken my class to come back and use the materials. Only one person showed up this time, but it was fine. She got a lot done and I was able to do some stuff, too.

I did some pieces for the art swap I signed up for:



I'm so tired now. I don't know why. I'll probably just watch another Python movie and hit the sack early tonight.

Cool fish lights at the aquarium...

I hope you're not planning on flying anywhere any time soon. Cause you'll have flat hair, flaky skin, and you'll most likely be dehydrated. I just don't get it. Boing Boing has some interesting thoughts on the situation. I especially like this quote from an airport's website:

"In brief: Hand baggage restrictions are in place; Passengers will be handsearched; Footwear and all items (including pushchairs and walking aids) must be x-ray screened; Liquids will be removed from the passenger."

Yikes!

Anyway, I agree with some people who are commenting on this situation - the terrorists want to kill people, but if they can't kill people, then making millions and millions of people freak out is a good consolation.

But what do I know...

Check out this site. It's just about the coolest design I've seen in a long time. It's actually pretty interesting, too. A rare combination...

And this site for an interior design firm is super cool, too.

Warning - they're both pretty Flash-heavy...

More scary sharks...

I forgot to post the link to the video of this Norwegian band's rendition of Total Eclipse of the Heart. They're pretty rough on their appliances in Norway.

I was imagining the conversation:
"Sorry dudes. My mom won't let us practice at my house any more..."

I'm not sure what's up with their butts showing. Crazy Norwegians.

The moon is full. Step outside and take a look.

Don't cross me, or Stephen and I will put you on notice...

Create your own, "On Notice" board here.

Riding a shark on the merry-go-round...

We had fun in Houston. Sam's a pretty good traveller. He doesn't complain too much.

Sam wanted to go to the beach (Galveston is about an hour from Houston), but it didn't work out logistically, and we wouldn't have had much time to hang out, anyway... Also, we had been watching all those shark shows on the Discovery Channel's Shark Week, so I wasn't too excited about swimming in shark-infested waters.

We made it in a little over 5 hours. I met with the gallery owner for just a few minutes. She was busy packing up to move the gallery, so couldn't commit to anything. She said she'd get back with me, so we'll see...

I followed the MapQuest directions, which took us almost through downtown, so Sam saw the aquarium and wanted to go. So we checked into the hotel, ate lunch, and then headed off to the aquarium.


It was pretty nice - not very big and kind of cheesy with themed environments, but it was clean and well laid out.

There was a cool "hands-on" area where you could touch some rays and horseshoe crabs. There was a little bubble in the bottom of the ray tank where kids could crawl under and get a better view of the action and feel like they were really under water:


The big attraction was the white tigers. They were really beautiful and I could have sat and watched them all day. But unfortunately they were right next to the gift shop (aquariums, zoos, and anywhere else parents take kids force you to walk through the gift shop when you exit - it's frustrating)...




Outside the aquarium was a kind of carnival atmostphere. We rode the merry-go-round a few times, played one of those rip-off carnival games, and then rode the train through the shark tunnel. It was lame that you had to pay extra and ride a train, but the tunnel was really cool.



The top of the train was glass and the tunnel was glass so you could see sharks swimming over and all around you. It was similar to the shark tunnel at the Dallas World Aquarium. The one in Houston was cool because it had a ton of sharks and even some sawfish, which are supposedly pretty rare. But it sucked that you had to take a train through it. I would have liked to be able to hang out and watch them longer.


There was a similar tunnel at the aquarium in Albuquerque, but it was full of gi-normous eels. It was really fascinating and creepy.

Sam swam at the hotel that night and then we headed back home yesterday. I asked Sam if he wanted to stop in Huntsville and visit "Big Sam," but he said no (thankfully). He doesn't look that big in this picture that I took as we sped by...


I didn't drag Sam to any museums or galleries. Maybe next time...

Sam and I are going to Houston this weekend. I'm going to take some work to show a gallery owner. Hopefully they'll want to show my stuff. Right now it looks like an adventure, but after 5 hours in the car, it probably won't. I found a hotel with a pool, so Sam will be happy once we get there.

There's a ton of good art in Houston (surprisingly), but I don't think I'll drag him to any museums or galleries this time. We'll probably just sit in the pool. Well, maybe I'll try to drag him to the Twombly Gallery. Oh, and the Menil's just across the street... I know, I'm pushing my luck.

My favorite spot in Houston is the Rothko Chapel. He definitely wouldn't do well there (it's very peaceful and contemplative - not his scene).

Tons 'o Fun:

Check out this awesome video - Chad Vader, Day Shift Manager. And be sure to watch Episode 2.

And then you'll want to hear the "Chad Has a Date" song, which has been stuck in my head all day.

Here's another funny Star Wars video.

And finally, the anticipation is palpable - it's almost time for Snakes on a Plane! You can send a friend or loved one a personalized message from Samuel L. Jackson.

OK, I'm not sure if this should piss me off or not. Let me know what you think.

This is my website: www.deannawood.com

And this is the website of someone I was in grad school with: www.christadiepenbrock.com

Look familiar?

I know you can't copyright html code or even a design (not that my website was all that "designed"), but come on! She could have changed it at least a little bit, don't you think?