Changes are Coming!

Yeah, screw it I'm getting braces. No more cringing at my photos, no more trying to pose in the best possible way so that my teeth don't look too jacked up. It'll be spendy but I deserve it, I hope I can have them without any tooth extractions or more oral surgery. NO MORE SURGERY!! I've a consultation with Dr. Glen Young for next Wednesday (the 23) to see what we can do with these pearly whites! Wish me luck!

Lunch, swim outlet, sleeepy...

Salad bought at The View, not bad at all

Didn't go to lunch with Serene today, it rained and I'm a bit paranoid about what I put in my mouth since there really hasn't been any working out after last Monday. So it was a salad purchased at The View and the reading accompaniment was courtesy of the mini library that has sprouted here at work, Ask the Dust by John Fante. A story of a tortured, self-absorbed, self-loathing writer living in a run down apartment building in Los Angeles circa 1933. I was surprised to learn that a movie was made from this book with Salma Hayek as Camilla and Colin Farrell as Arturo Bandini (!) and Irishman playing an Italian American? Weird. I wonder if Colin pulls it off. Meh, I really don't have any interest in renting the movie. The book was a fast read, finished it in less than 24 hours but full of distasteful, suspicious, mean and dysfunctional characters, ick! I feel like I need to read a Wayne Dyer book just about now, you know, to balance things out!

C'mon order, get here tomorrow! Please!

Waiting for a package from SwimOutlet, I shouldn't have waited this long I know, if I don't get the items by tomorrow I'll be a sad little spud. Wah. I will get over it though, and it's no big deal, just need to keep somersizing and plan another trip where swimwear is involved.

The current color on my toe nails

Still recovering from the wine with D and S? Not sure but boy am I tired and sleepy. I need to go home and re-do the roots for the trip. It has to be tonight or tomorrow, I'm shooting for tonight. Oh, and I did get my pedicure, the color is one I had used before, ready? Live from New York, it's OPI clever these cosmetics namers, eh?

Lunch today, lunch tomorrow, pedicures and...

Delicioso!

Oh! Ate my salad before I took a picture of it, well it was basically the same one you saw in the prior blog post. What? You didn't commit that to memory? How dare you? Since I'm such a cool kid I'll describe it for you: arugula, mixed greens, spinach, red onion, tomatoes, sunflower seeds and balsamic vinegar. It was good but the last bites were mainly arugula and balsamic so a bit on the tangy, pucker up side of things. Earlier I had my usual breakfast consisting of toast and tea, then a snack around 10 or 10:30, today I snacked on red grapes that I THOUGHT were seedless only they weren't - ack! It's crazy to think taking seeds out of your mouth is a huge effort but we get used to all modern conveniences, don't we? In this case SEEDLESS grapes! Health benefits from red grapes: Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can support your body in fighting off infections and illnesses. It is also beneficial in maintaining healthy skin and promoting skin cell turnover. Calcium increases bone density and helps to keep bones and joints strong. Vitamin A increases collagen in the body and increases red blood cell production. Vitamin A also contains beta carotene, which promotes healthy eyes and night vision. Fiber leads to a healthy digestive tract and increases volume in bowel movements. Resveratrol has been associated with a reduced risk for certain cancers and heart disease.

I'm eating lunch with the lovely Serene tomorrow, my only request is to go somewhere where they serve salads, I'm all about the salads, they're all about me! I think I'll go send her an email right now about this. Ok, email sent.

These are not my feet, but I do like the color they used

Pedicure. Must have one before Saturday morning because by that point if the pedi hasn't happened it won't sooo the question is do I go before lunch today - my official lunch, the one where I actually leave the building as opposed to the one where I just eat food at my desk - or do I go after work? I think it may depend on whether my prescription is ready for pick up. So the Rx will be ready at 1:30 which means pedi after work, this actually works out well, saves gas (since the salon is on the way home) and I don't have to rush home to cook because the crock pot took care of that last night!! Sure smelled good this morning, yummmmm!

We may indeed take a check in bag to Oahu, I mean we still haven't packed the electronics, cables, charges, flat iron, Swiss army knives, etc. So either we will or R will talk me down from the cliff's edge and the $25 check in bag fee!

The Final Week Before Oahu, First Linocut and Tom Waits

I'll try to post pictures in order of the blog post title but I have a hell of a time figuring out how the photos fall into blogger, ack, especially with this "new look". So last one is first and vice-versa. Right, ok so counting the days until we head off to Oahu, there's 6 you know, counting today and counting Saturday May 5th when we venture to AT&T Park so see our Gigantes beat the Brewers. Trying not to sabotage all my hard work at the gym and in the kitchen with unhealthy eats. So far so good, but that means only 1 beer (if that) at the ballpark.

Homemade salad for lunch accompanied by Neil Gaiman's Graveyard Book. Enjoying it all very much, especially the sunflower seeds and bell peppers, NOM! I have to truly watch what I eat this week as working out will be compromised for 3 days. I go to lunch with Serene on Thursday so the thing I have to secure is that there will be salads on the menu.

This is a shot of my first linocut, it is FAAAR from perfect as I'm having a devil of a time getting the white lines clean and crisp; just not a carver, you know? There is a different version at the studio that I will post if it's still there when I get back from vacation, which I'm sure it will be. I have the monoprint I did and I LOVE it, not so much anyone else but I really don't care. It pleases me to no end and I will more likely than not, frame it!

Charli and I had a texting marathon last night regarding Tom Waits. Turns out Tom's wife, Kathleen, is Charli's client and so their phone number and home address are known to her. KC has already put in a very urgent request to Charli about jamming with Tom. I hope we're invited!!

There is an issue with the paper in the suite and I tell you it never ends. People state that they buy their own paper and thus refuse or are very hesitant to contribute paper for “community use.” So today I had to sort of put my foot down and send one person back to their PI for paper. It can’t swing both ways for these people, they can’t buy their own paper and then turn around and use the pool paper. It’s ridiculous that I have to monitor paper usage but until the chief puts his foot down and let’s everyone know that buying paper for specific projects is over and done with, I’ll have to be the paper natzi. I tell ya, it is so annoying. I don’t think the chief is going to do anything soon he’s sick and being pulled in a dozen different directions, ever since I read about the diagnosis it’s been a bit freaky. Freaky too with J’s diagnosis, which I never read and never asked C about it, wonder when that’s going to hit the proverbial fan. Oh, please let us get funded so everyone can exhale and just relax a bit.

Ain't posted nothin'

...and it's fine. It's not about lack of time this time, I think it's closer to an evasive motivation. At any rate it really doesn't matter because I always go back to Marty's lyric of "time is imaginary". That's my cop out. Deal.
Here's another gorgeous picture of one of the most gorgeous places on earth, a place that I ask the universe to grant to me and R as our retirement home. I'm asking, universe, can you hear me?
Starting to do the Spanish thing at Kilbey's site again, not sure how long that will last. We've passed the midpoint in art class, I've done intaglio etching, aquatint, chine collier, roll up, learned about soft and hard ground, different papers, etc...next on the block is linocut, we're not using wood, which is a good thing, rather a softer material which name escapes me. The technique is very similar to making a rubber stamp; I've the image already copied onto the plate and I bought the linocut set yesterday for $14, Detwiler says it's worth it, we'll see. The class has been fun, but intaglio etching is just not my cuppa art and although I've had a great time and learned more than I've wanted to know about this technique at the end of term I will say good-bye to the world of etching plates, mono inks and massive print making presses. I've given away two of my sweepia prints and plan to make more.

Sweepia, 2012

ALOHA!!!!!!

Made it to the Big Island this year, seriously, what is not to love? Stories of the adventure will make their way onto this page in the next couple of days, but right now, thanks to some funky food Serene and I had for lunch I must dash to the loo. Oooh!