Aug 03 2011
Come on out Sunday August 21 to Artful Sundays and see some awesome local artists and their work. Check out the Britannia library display window… and while you are there, have a look at Mary Anne and Lisa’s paintings in the gallery.
Jun 20 2011
Wow, I’m seeing a lot of eastvan love shirts out there on the drive. Heart shaped letters? So far we’ve gots the only ones I’ve seen. Yet. This little number will be in the Britannia Library window sometime this summer, promoting Artful Sundays. This year I’m towards the end of August.
Okay, truthfully, not a lot of sewing going on here. There was our big Vietnam trip over Christmas, and before that- getting ready for it, and leaving my job, and starting my new one. Then there has been teenage angst and all the stress of Morgan moving to my mom’s, and then the cat died and then the hamster. So far 2011 has really been kicking my ass. But I’m back, no not sewing, but with a new addiction… bikrams. I’ve gone for three weeks now and seriously, I feel different. Better. More sane. More energetic. More balanced. Less crazy. Less stressed. And really, less heavy. I feel like if I can survive a bikrams class, everything else if easy.
The school year is wrapping up and we’re on full tilt until next week. There’s a big wedding coming up fast that I am excited about and will be one of three people photographing it. I am very flattered. I even took a workshop to up my skills.
I am gaining some serious insight into learning difficulties as I struggle to learn guitar. Me and a coupla librarians and taking guitar lessons from a fellow librarian. Not only are my fingers in pain, but my synapses are freaking out as they struggle to make new connections. Hopefully this difficulty will help me be a better teacher:)
Jun 01 2011
I have been sewing but not with the same kind of obsessive drive I had before, which is kind of typical of me, to get really into one thing only to change to a completely other thing. Only thing is, I’m not really obsessive about anything right now.The bottom photo is a piece I’ve been toying with at the studio for awhile (where I have not spent much time lately). The silver is a silk hemp blend from a skirt I’ve owned for more than a decade, always intending to wear but never really liking how it looks. The white comes from a thick cotton shirt Chris tried to give to charity. I have a small, bad habit of going through his give away bags and rescuing things I might need one day. This one has good rough texture. The red flowery bits are from a shirt dress I bought at a yard sale down the street and wore most of a weekend seeing Phish at the Gorge.Home is a quieter space, though it feels like a hole is there. I’ve been filling it with intensive cleaning and painting of the kitchen cupboards, which has been extremely cathartic. Chris has been painting the basement and connecting some duct work so Morgan’s room finally has heat. I even scrubbed the front fence in the pouring rain and hail which, I hope, has added upped our curb appeal.I’ve gone to Bikram’s three times in the past two weeks. The first time was difficult but satisfying. The second time killed me. It was all I could do to lie in the room and try not to throw up. They say the harder it is, the more you need it. I’m telling you I need something, but I don’t have a clue if this is it. It was hell. And it made me want to only eat vegetables. I decided to give it one more try and if I hated it, to never return. I had a great class and now I am afraid to go again. Who knows what it will unearth? After class, I am shaking, with spells of intense heat and cold. But my pores are clear and my mind is clear. This lasted for 24 hours. Today I felt extreme exhaustion. It was all I could do to drag myself through the day.
May 10 2011
Changes are afoot in this house, not all easy, and not all good. I think I am grieving. Morgan is growing up and moving on. The pets are aging before my eyes, each week bringing to light some new difficulty or concern. I wrestle with balance and continue to wonder where my path is. I’d thought this searching would be done by now.
I’ve started a daily yoga practice in the morning. That sounds much more involved and formal that it really is. My entire goal is to unroll my mat and stand on it each morning. Sometimes that’s all I can do: I stand on the mat and then I put it away. I am grateful though, for a loving family, especially my partner, and a comfortable and warm home, for fun and inspiring friends, for lovely creatures we share our home with, two beautiful and spirited children, and for the time and means to pursue some dreams.
Apr 30 2011
great place to find something for your mom or to find out about backyard chickens. or bees. or buy some bedding plants or a weird stuffed animal.
Mar 09 2011
mucking around before and after the wet bus commute made me late for a meeting
Mar 08 2011
sunday had me slinging my camera over my shoulder and hopping on the bus for my nikon intro. even though i’ve had this camera for a couple years and dragged it to all kinds of music festivals and little trips around bc, the western states and even overseas to vietnam, i really use it like a glorified point and shoot.
my friends asked me to shoot their wedding in june and for my birthday i asked for a photo workshop (thank you chris) to find out more of my camera’s capabilities. i’d hit my wall with it. i couldn’t figure out how to get the shots i wanted and was frustrated with my limited knowledge. thrilled with the class, i am psyched to shoot more.
