Monday again, already??

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.cfm the New York Public Library Digital image collection... I could spend quite a while browsing thru here!

(found via a wonderful new-to-me blog, Bricolage, Inspiration at Hand , which is also full of gorgeous photos for your browsing pleasure!)

the weekend went by very quickly.. work on Saturday, then napping/resting/sleeping Saturday afternoon and evening- apparently I needed to catch up on some rest! Sunday was spent with a couple friends, Jan and Lynn, at Lynn's house in Mesa, AZ. (aside: I drove thru neighborhoods full of lusciously fragrant orange trees in full bloom... the aroma was so strong it almost gave me a headache, but it's wonderful- there is nothing else like it in the world!) We watched the DVD 1000 Journals, talked, and sat on the patio while we paged thru Lynn's library of art books for inspiration. Lynn's husband was nice enough to grill us hamburgers, and there were a few snacks in there, too!) Now I am ready to get out my brushes, stamps, stencils, paint, and markers, and go to town creating! (of course, this means we can't eat at the kitchen table, but oh well... that's what the coffee table is for, right??)

the gift of friendship...

The importance of friendship and relationships are things I’ve been thinking about more lately, and these comic strips struck a chord when I saw them in my e-mail recently (click photo to enlarge):

I know they’re related to Thanksgiving, but I thought they were particularly fitting now, since we’re in the midst of the Christmas holiday season and friendship is totally in keeping with the holiday spirit… It’s difficult sometimes, when the hustle and bustle of “the daily grind” gets in the way, to focus on the good things instead of the guy who just cut me off in traffic, but I do try to be positive most of the time. Someone suggested recently to fit “gratitude” into my daily life: every day, think of three things you’re grateful for- no matter how small they are, or how bad of a day you’re having, they’re there, if you think about it.

So, lately, I’ve been thinking about how grateful I am for the gift of friendship…

I’m grateful to have found an extended network of artists and creative people (both on the internet through the wonderful world of blogging, and in the "real" world by attending Art Unraveled the past two years) and to continue expanding those relationships. Over the course of the summer, I’ve become part of a group of artists who meet once a month to work on projects, teach and learn new techniques, and socialize. Early on there were times that I couldn’t attend, but I now make every effort to fit it into my schedule because I’ve realized how important this creative community camaraderie and companionship (how's that for alliteration?!?) is to my “inner artist”.

Plus, it’s just plain fun to hang around with a group of like-minded people! People who get just as excited as I do about vintage photos of strangers, a beat-up old textbook, or a “new-to-you” back issue of an art magazine, because we have a different mindset about the “untapped possibility” inherent in these things that other people sometimes can’t quite grasp.

I’m also fortunate that Tom understands how much this aspect of my personality means to me, and that he does what he can to accommodate it. He's even gone so far as to arrange his out-of-town business travel to be home when these meetings are scheduled (if at all possible) so I can be away from home and the dogs in the evening. (Having dogs is just like having kids, you know, when it comes to scheduling things- the only difference with dogs is they never ask to borrow the car keys!)

Tom and I have been through a lot in the (almost) five years we’ve known each other (including moving across the country, and the passing on of my two beloved kitties) but that’s a post for another time, because there’s way too much to say about the last five years for this post- for now, I’ll just say that I’m continually grateful that I share my life with my best and closest friend.

So, if you’ve read this far, thanks for sticking with me!! And think about what you’re grateful for today, or maybe call up an old (or new) friend and let them know how important their friendship is to you.

thankful 2008

okay, so this is a Thanksgiving weekend post, not a Thanksgiving Day post, but I'm still just as thankful...

for my family- for my Thomas (I can't put it into words without sounding sappy, so I won't even try); for the furry companions we share our lives with, both canine and feline; for my family members all across the midwest (even though we don't get together very often any more); for my friends, both new and old... companionship of all sorts makes this journey through life sooo much more interesting!

(Bisbee is sacked out on the couch next to Tom... she's the funniest dog ever!) Sedona, patiently waiting for me to take her picture, so she could get up... I never knew I was a "dog person" before we got her; I'd only ever thought I was a cat person, but dogs are so much more sociable than cats... one's not better than the other, it's just different. Plus it's just a riot, watching Sedona and Bisbee play together (there's no way I could get pictures of that, though, so you'll just have to trust that it's hilarious)!

I'm thankful that we have a comfortable home, decent jobs, medical benefits, and the means to have the things we like in order to to be comfortable... (this is the "Before" picture of our Thanksgiving Day spread, which included roast duck, a wonderful bottle of Shiraz wine, sweet potato casserole, a relish tray, and homemade bread). I'm also thankful we live in such a beautiful (although seemingly inhospitable) part of the country, and that I have a chance to see Nature's majesty every day when I drive through the desert.

I'm thankful that I have a creative personality, and an outlet for all the ideas that float around in my head... every once in a while I talk to people who have pursuits that aren't creative/artistic at all, and they give me a weird look when I tell them that I like to spend my time painting, cutting, and pasting. I can't imagine NOT being like this!!

(I'm also thankful that both our employers gave us a 4-day weekend, and that we don't have to get up early tomorrow!)

an eventful weekend!

Most weekends are pretty tame around our house; we usually just hang around the house and relax, recovering from the week's stresses and recharging for the week ahead. (Of course, there's no sleeping in, because the dogs' stomach alarm clocks go off, even if ours don't... usually they get their breakfast then get put back in their crates, so we can sleep for a little while longer, till the cats start jumping on us.)

Yesterday I did have to go in to work (up at 3:15 am, at work by 5 am, out by 11:00 am... not that bad, except for getting up early). On my way home from work, I braved the Saturday crowd at the grocery store- not by choice, believe me, but I hadn't done a major shopping trip in a while. When I got home, we relaxed in front of a movie (the new Hulk movie; it was pretty good). After the movie, I worked for a while on my AU technique pages for the swap... I still have some painting to do, then it will be mostly assembly.

We had set up the telescope for some stargazing last night, but never got around to it, unfortunately. I went to bed around 10:30; shortly after that, Tom said "did you hear something??" because he thought he heard someone throwing a rock at the window. Nope, I didn't hear anything- I was sound asleep. But this morning, I found out what did make that noise: Turns out someone bashed one of our coachlights, probably with a baseball bat!! WTF?!? Turns out this is considered "Criminal Damage" actually, not vandalism... I found that out when I called the police to report it. Two officers came over to take the report, not that it will do much good, but... The day got muuuuch better after that, though- I spent a wonderful few hours of catching up and conversation with my friend Doreen over Champagne brunch at The Buttes resort in Tempe. This pic is a view off the patio at the Top of the Rock restaurant. The Buttes always has wonderful landscaping and flowers; every view is spectacular! I met Doreen over 15 years ago (!! Wow, it doesn't seem that long ago- where does the time go, anyway??) when I first started working at Abbott Laboratories in Chicago... she moved to Atlanta around the time we moved to Phoenix, so we've kept in touch via e-mail or phone calls since then. I was totally surprised when she called me on Friday night and said she was on I-10 about 100 miles west of Phoenix!! Turns out, she's spending a couple weeks in California for work, and decided to drive to Arizona for the weekend. (Next time, make it a longer trip, okay??)

Doreen and me on the patio outside the restaurant... I have issues with having my picture taken -I usually don't smile, or I shut my eyes- so we were lucky this turned out on the first try! (Our server was nice enough to take this for us- just part of the wonderful service you always get at Top of the Rock.) it was wonderful to sit and talk, and catch up on the last few years, althought it wasn't near enought time, since she had to head back to the Los Angeles area right after brunch. This picture is for Doreen: a view of Camelback mountain, with Mummy mountain to the left (although I will always think it looks like the camel's head, stretched out like he's taking a nap) and Papago Park on the right. (Doreen said she never reads blogs, though, so in order for her to see this picture, she will have to start with mine!!) Overall it wasn't one of those usual relaxing weekends, but it was a nice one, nonetheless.