Pitiful Texas snow.

Jenna blogged about how she wants to be able to live somewhere that has seasons - so she can bundle up her future offspring and send them out to make snow angels. Well, if they're anything like Sam, it won't take much to make them happy.

At one point he came inside and asked me for a bucket to put snow in. I gave him a large bowl which he took to the back yard and filled with snow. Then he brought it through the house to the front yard, where he proceeded to make snowballs to throw at the house. He did that twice. And it never got old.

Even though his toes and fingers were numb, and it was dark outside, I still had to tell him repeatedly to come inside.

So, our Texas snow may not look like much, but apparently, if you have enough imagination, it's the bomb.

We were both disappointed this morning when they didn't cancel school. I hung out in bed watching the news for quite a while, hoping they'd make a last-minute announcement... I got Sam up and he went to the front door, looked out, groaned and banged his head against the wall.

We did get a little bit of a break, though. TWU closed at 3:00, so I got to come home early and he didn't have to go to day care.

So now I'm just trying to stay warm. We've been fighting over the cat. "No! She wants to sit on my lap!"

Flinks? (fun links):
I'm glad I've found a support group. Finally, someone who understands...

I don't really consider myself to be that much of a geek, but it worries me that I have the materials to make one of these.

I think I forgot to mention that I got my work shipped out. I was stressing about the cost. It was expensive, but not as expensive as I had feared it would be.

I got a lot done over the Thanksgiving break. I was able to clean Sam's room - getting rid of a bunch of old crap and making way for all the new crap he'll get at Christmas... I even cleaned and organized my studio.

I've got another solo show coming up that I need to make work for. I must be crazy to take on two solo shows at one time.

On Friday, Cathy and I went to Dan's to see James McMurtry. He was really good. I saw some friends from grad school there, too. I was a little wobbly the next day - getting too old for all that nonsense.

So Colleen tagged me to do an anagram thing. You have to go here and type in your name and it creates anagrams for you.

I don't really get any good ones with my name, but I got a couple of good ones with Seeking Shelter:
GENTEEL HER KISS
OK, maybe just one...

I switched cable tv and internet providers today. I'm excited that I'll have DVR now. Like I really NEED to watch more tv...

Oh! That reminds me - my new favorite bad tv show is on VH1 - Celebrity Paranormal Project. It's so awful that it's good. OK, maybe it's like watching a train wreck. I'm not sure which...

Oh, and speaking of awful - I also got sucked into watching the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders show on CMT. I fell into it when I was flipping by one day and happened to notice one of the girls being told that she was "heavy." What kind of universe are we living in where a clearly size 3, physically fit, athletic dancer was being told that she was fat? Anyway, I couldn't sleep the other night and ended up watching a few episodes in a row. Thank god that cow lost all that weight!

Thankful.

I'm feeling reflective this Thanksgiving - I know I complain about a lot of things, but I know that I'm very lucky and I'm thankful for:

Sam - he makes me laugh every day and makes me realize what's important.

Family - I know they would do anything for me.

Friends - who have supported me and encouraged me and listened to me and laughed at my stupid jokes.

Health - something we all take for granted.

Art - it's allowed me to meet so many talented and creative and nice people.

I'm counting my blessings. I hope you have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

I've been in overwhelm mode the last few days - trying to get everything packed up for my show in Reno. I have 10 boxes to ship. Holy moly. It's going to be expensive. I'm not looking forward to that.

I did find out that one of my paintings in the show in Sacramento sold, so maybe that will help cushion the blow a bit.

I keep going back and forth about going to Reno for the reception. I think it's on the 5th. I'd like to go if I can find a cheap last minute fare. But then I realize that I have to get a car and a hotel room and then it gets too overwhelming for me.

One reason I'd like to go is so I can call 911 and see who shows up.


I think I might save my money and focus on skiing with Colleen after Christmas. We haven't made reservations or anything, because I think she's overwhelmed with stuff on her end, but hopefully we'll be going skiing in Missouri. Yes. I said Missouri. Apparently they have a big hill there. And some snow. Hill + snow = ski. Hills are fine with me. I spend most of my time on the bunny slope, anyway. I only ski once every 12 years or so...

Today after I finished packing, I dropped by the art center for an opening reception. I helped hang the show, so I wasn't really there to see the art. The work is all cowgirl themed, so for the reception they got cowboy singers and they had the firemen (from the fire station across the street) make chili. Hmmm... so guess what I stopped by to see?

I had just assumed that the firemen would be hanging out with their chili the whole time, but when I got there they were leaving. They just dropped it off. Oh well. Free chili.

I was assigned sweet potatoes and pies for Thanksgiving dinner this year. I'm wondering if I can cut my workload in half by making a sweet potato pie. I can't even think about it, though, until my boxes get shipped.

OK, let's see what fun things I found on the internets recently:

Here's a super cool commercial where they used tons and tons of real paint.

I made the "HELP" image above using Geo Greetings.

I think these photos of travel souvenirs are brilliant. Wish I'd thought of it...

OK, one more. These Japanese Apple commercials are fun.

Lyle!

We were too far away and my camera shakes too much for me to have gotten a good picture. But that's him down there somewhere in the center of all the blurriness...

Awesome show. He tells great stories and just seems so down to earth and genuinely nice - he introduced everybody in the band multiple times and had so many good things to say about them, complimenting everyone and letting them all have the spotlight. He even let his guitar player sing his own (award-winning) song. Colleen describes the experience of his show so much better than I can.

He talked about how he drove through Denton yesterday on his way to some little barbeque place outside of Pilot Point. (This must have been the place.) He drove through Denton!

After the show we walked over to an Italian place for dinner and some wine. We would have walked around Sundance Square more, but it was too cold and Trish had forgotten her coat.

Today I'm going to try to get some stuff done to get my work ready to send to Reno for my solo show there. I still have to get some supplies and make some boxes to ship the paintings in. Lots to do!

Tomorrow I'm having a sort of "part 2" workshop at my studio, which is basically an open studio type thing - I invite the people who have taken the workshop and they can use my stuff and ask me questions. I don't really teach, I'm just there to help if they need it. Should be fun.

I think I forgot to post the link to this video. Jenna, this has some good preventive measures for us...

I'm sure you've assumed that since I haven't mentioned the job recently, that I didn't get it. Sad face.

I'm not sure what it is about me that is keeping me from getting jobs that I'm supremely qualified for.

On a happy note - good news on the national political front. Not so great in Texas, but at least we tried...

Fun stuff:
The new Sky Maul catalog is out. Be sure to watch the videos.

Funny poster.

Funny captions.

Voting ... A-Z

I voted today. They had some new-fangled electronic voting machines. I was suspicious, to say the least. I didn't see a Diebold logo, so maybe they're reliable...

It was weird. They were electronic and new, yet somehow they seemed old. There was a weird dial that you used to navigate through the ballot. Very strange. You'd think they'd use a familar interface. But a dial? Welcome to 1987.

Anyway. I don't have quite the same romantic feelings about voting that Colleen does. Don't get me wrong, I do think it's important. I agree that you have no right to complain about the way things are if you're not active in the democratic process. And I agree that we are supremely lucky to be able to freely cast our votes without harassment. And, as a woman, I definitely feel obligated to vote. Women in the past fought hard for me to be able to vote, so I don't take it lightly.

I think what I'm cynical about is that the process seems dirty. Low voter turnout, the media, the political parties, the corruption, money money money...

OK, what I'm really cynical about is that I live in Texas. Red state. I feel like my vote doesn't count. I can't change anything. Resistance is futile. Yet I try...

Speaking of Colleen, she tagged me in the alphabet game.

So here are 10 things that I like, starting with S:
1. Sam's silliness and sweetness and smartness
2. snowflakes (especially those big fat ones)
3. Sweet Basil's stir-fry veggies and tofu
4. spinach and artichoke dip from the Green House
5. sleeping late
6. Sense and Sensibility - book and movie
7. Sleepytime tea
8. Sarah Harmer songs
9. Spinal Tap (technically, it's This Is Spinal Tap - sue me)
10. Seattle

And 5 things I don't like:
1. surly people
2. sunburns
3. sardines
4. smelly socks
5. stubbed toes

So now I think I'll tag:
Trish with T
Jenna with J
John with Q

Vote!

Vote early. Vote often. Wait. That's only if you're in Chicago. Or if you can get your hands on one of those Diebold machines...

I stole this from the Comedy Central Insider blog:

"Today is the most sacred day in this wonderful theocracy we call democracy. It only comes once a year, and it only matters once every two years. And it only really matters once every four years. Unfortunately, this isn't one of those once-every-four-years years.

However, due to the random absurdity of the political arena, it does kind of sort of matter this year.

Today, we, as a nation, get to decide if we would like to send a strong message to the White House that we are no longer willing to thrust our resources and our soldiers' lives into a war that has been deemed unwinnable, and that we will not sit idly by while our civil liberties are slowly corroded out from underneath us, and that we favor a return to a more moderate form of conservativism.

Or, conversely, we'll get to say that we don't want gay people to get gay married.

So, get out there and vote! We can't wait to see how we really feel."

Had another busy weekend. Friday night, Trish invited me to dinner at Bari's and then a poetry reading at Art Six. Her poetry teacher was reading. We got there kind of late but were able to hear her teacher read her story. We both really enjoyed it. It was funny and sad at the same time. She was a good speaker/reader.

One of Trish's fellow students and one of her friends came along, too. Trish and I both felt really old around the young 'uns.

Saturday I taught a workshop. I had two students and then Cathy came by during the class to do some work, too. I was still a little tired from the virus I had, so I was probably more subdued than I normally am, but we had fun.

Then Saturday night I drove to Dallas to meet my friend Jean. We were in grad school together and I hadn't seen her in quite a while. She ended up quitting the MFA program and getting a teaching degree. So she's teaching elementary school art now. She works at 2 schools - one 3 days a week and the other 2 days. They work her to death. Poor thing.

Anyway, we met at Mockingbird Station and ate at some fancy schmancy sushi place. The sushi was good but expensive. We ordered hot tea and they brought us each a mug of tea. When we got the bill, I noticed that they had charged us 3 dollars each for the tea! Yikes.

Then we went to the 500X because my friend Nancy had work in the show there. We didn't stay too long. I should have stayed and schmoozed, but I didn't feel like it.

So we went to the Cheesecake Factory near North Park for dessert. Actually, I had soup and Jean had a sandwich - we were still hungry after our expensive sushi! Then we got some chocolate cake that was too rich and big to finish. It was yummy, though.

Yesterday I slept late and went to my studio for a while. I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to get everything packed up and then sent off to Reno for my show. I need to ship it out around Thanksgiving.

Last night I watched an interesting movie called Brick. It was sort of Dashiell Hammett Goes to High School. It was hard to follow, much like The Maltese Falcon (I've seen that movie so many times and I still have no idea what happens). It was fun to see the noir formula applied to the high school setting, though. I liked it.

I got a call from the doctor's office today - turns out I didn't have the flu after all. So much for all that flu medication I took. I wish they had been able to get the results just a little faster...

Did I already post this link? Brian Atene's audition tape for Full Metal Jacket...

And the "real" Brian Atene...

My little angel...

I talked him into going to the mall to trick-or-treat last night. I know. The mall sucks. But I didn't feel good and it was cold outside.

When we got back I did let him go to a few houses down the street, though.

The bat symbol on his costume lights up, by the way. Cool.

Since I wasn't feeling well yesterday, I went to the doctor. I don't think I've ever been to a doctor's office on Halloween before. It's a little weird when your doctor walks in dressed like a civil war soldier.

Here's a link for zombie clown haikus. I am easily amused.