Hello World!

So I woke up today thinking it was Wednesday. To my dismay, it's only Tuesday. A crushing blow to my evening Outlook. I will have wait another day before I get watch my favorite TV show. But on the bright side it means I will actually get some things done this evening rather than structuring my time around the tube. (Actually TV's don't have tubes anymore.....:D)

I have to call the cable company to fix the TV in my bedroom and the plumbers to fix the pipe that blew out because Louisiana is experiencing an Ice Age. I will have the time to work on my latest project.

The community orchestra has asked me to paint a violin. They also asked a close friend of mine to one. And so the question is, what do I do to make this the most awesomest amazing ingenious spectacle ever to play a note!!

I decided to take a few pages from history and see where that takes me. And so I have begun the task of educating myself on everything orchestra, violin, related useless knowledge and example. The first thing I did is google search images of painted violins. I want mine to be original so I need to know what has already been done. It has to be unique, elegant and reflect a little piece is my love of history. I have already tiger striped the edges because the very first well-known violins were constructed from a type of wood that resembled a tigers coat. I discovered that Albert Einstien played the violin, so this will be incorporated. I know what the layout of an orchestral floor is, so this will be incorporated.

At the end of the day, it looks like rather than accomplishing any physical artwork this evening, I will curl up with my sketchbook, google, and a full cup of coffee. Sounds like heaven to me. I wonder what I will learn tonight!

Public info

It is truly a little scary what you find out about a person just by sitting with the internet for an hour or so. I recently found some usefule information regarding my nieces new step-mother who was causing problems with my neice. Based on this info, my sister was able to secure a victory in the courtroom. Before finding this little nugget of awesomeness, I had completely traced her family tree, found where she had graduated, found marriage licenses for all of her wedding and located where each of her ex husbands currently reside. I even found the records of her home purchase and how much she pays in property taxes.

But more recently I found my mother's half brother. Initially we were looking under the wrong name. His mother had re-married and at some point he took my grandfather's name back. But I didn't know this at first. I couldn't find him, so I began looking for his mother. I found where she had been married four time (or listed herself as having four different names at various points.) One of these may have been a maiden name, but I am not sure. Anywhoo, I ended up finding her obit and in it was listed the person I was looking for, only it showed him as having my grandfather's last name. So......once I began looking for the right name in the last know part of the U.S., it took me all of 2 minutes to locate him. Address, phone number, employment....

So the lesson I have learned is that the web is awesome but may just be the demise of all of us. There is no such thing as privacy anymore. Even if your home phone number is non-published. Even if you no longer have a home phone. At some point you probably did. Or you married and it's public record. Or made someone angry and they blogged about you. Any little thing can lead someone to tracking your butt down.

Admittedly, I have almost 4 years of experience as a bill collector and learned a few tricks. And I also have six years experience researching public records for various reasons. But justy about anyone with little or nothing to start with......they can probably find you.

I'm off topic here on this little art blog. So just to keep my blog on topic....here's a little bone I'll throw.




Kaylie - Oil on canvas (2009)

Christmas

So, I am back from Christmas Break and all I want to do is go back to Omaha! I miss everyone already and I haven't even been gone a week! Loved the snow, loved the Christmas, loved to get hugs from everyone. It was absolute chaos with all the kids running around, but it was awesome for all the cousins to be i the same place at the same time. We got lots of pictures and everyone had a great time! No bickering, no comments, no one had anything negative to say at all! It was amazing, and I can't wait for summer. I think I need another trip back home. But maybe this time without the blizzard keeping everyone apart on the last two days of the trip. Gotta love the midwest.

A Book?

I think I decided to write a book. Actually, I think it was decided long ago. But now seems like as good a time as any to get on the ball. After all, it looks as if the powerball evades me and it would be nice to be heard....er red...er something like that. I wonder if anyone would really like what I could produce. Never know unless I try. All I know is that I have always felt, down to my very core, that I was meant for something great. And it really does feel as if I am living someone elses life at the moment. I can do anything I want. I have always had this philosophy. So the worst that can happen is that I fail. I've failed before and I am sure there will be many more along the way. But why not? I mean there are people who have made their fortunes doing nothing but going clubbing with the right person. At least I will have worked at this! I better get started. Hmmm, fiction or reflection? Non-fiction or drama? Suspense or Childrens? Such a wide variety of genres! Might take me another 10 years just to decide on that! LOL

Deeply Entrenched

On a day like today when the phone is ringing consistently and the mountain of paperwork seems like it may avalanche at any moment, I am thankful for waking up this morning. It's crazy and rushed and chaos reigns. But the clock is on hyper speed and the day ticks by with the ease of breathe. I am focused and energized by the air. The sun is shining and the air is crisp. Winter is coming and the season is ratcheting up to crescendo. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year will be here and gone without the climax it used to bring. The excitement is overshadowed by the weight of making every bow and every word precise. But the reward at the end is the excitement and joy in the faces of my children and the hot cup of coffee brought to me by my husband. And none of it is possible without days like today.

Sometimes

Sometimes a song comes across the airways. It's unique sound is so beautiful that it takes you by surprise and before you know it, your eyes are closed and your breathing is slowed. Your mind races to an amazing place. And then suddenly it's so beautiful, it's unbelievably sad. A rush of heat flushes the cheeks and tears well. An emotional and physical reaction to sounds that transport much in the same way a hollywood production spends millions to accomplish. And yet here, within just a few seconds of sound and clear mind, I have reached that place. But why is the beauty so sad? It must be something within me. A thousand un-answered questions and hundreds of self analytical moments. The song is over and here I sit with my keyboard and my thoughts. A surprise journey as I make my morning plans.

Here we are

Here we are at the edge of time. We stand, sit, run, stare and study the map of how we came to this point. Are we better at this point than if we had chosen to veer left at that last fork? Would it have made a difference? Is any of it really in our control? We can nudge the pitcher of lemonade and it fall to floor. Sticky sweet and glistening on the clean linoleum. Staring back at us with no answers. Cause and effect seems so simple. But what of the choices such as the car we choose to drive, the friends we choose to keep and the emotions we allow to cross our gaze? Cause and effect? So we stare and ponder a little more.