Quiet and Alone. What's wrong with that?!?

There are those out there that keep exquisite journals. Artwork. Clippings. Hugely creative doodles. These things get shown in national magazines.

I infrequently buy journals. I love paper. I love blank paper. I love a fresh book. I just don’t know how to properly deal with these things.

Now, if I buy a journal, I make sure it is quite small with few pages. That way, if I get a third of the way through, I can feel some sort of accomplishment.

I put little sketches in them. Mostly designs. I cannot “draw,” so no portraits or still lifes for me. So a page of multi-sized dots may be the extent of my drawing. Often I will write a pithy thought or perhaps an excruciating line about my mother’s death. How about a short list of names I will never be called? Or a list of my five (at the moment) favorite words?

I am now taking an on-line creativity course. I am supposed to write down my dreams. I am supposed to write down my fears. I HATE writing this kind of stuff down. It makes me feel like a dweeb and I already feel like a dweeb, that’s why I’m taking this course. I’m searching for a way to creatively leave my dweebiness behind.

In picking up a journal to do a writing exercise I don’t want to do, I flip though a few scribbled pages, among many blank ones. One page simply has a single word. And this word makes me laugh hysterically.

Hermitopolis.

What a fantastic place that would be! A city. A metropolis. Where one could actually be a hermit. Beautiful little apartments lined with books. Coffeehouses where hermits could infrequently meet or sit by themselves, lined with books, of course. Narrow little book-lined townhouses. Doors open on occasion to admit one’s closest friends. Little shops. Movie houses. Bistros. And then quickly home. Ahhhh, hermitopolis.

I’m not sure why I chose to write that one word down. No doubt I was feeling hermity. I feel that quite often. But I’m thinking I would like to live in hermitopolis. I’m sure it would not be a bad, cold, unfeeling place. Hermits care about others. They just prefer to peek through the curtains at what is going on in the street. If they even bother with peeking through the curtains. Perhaps they are damn jolly just working on a puzzle, doing some research, or perhaps having a delightful and saucy evening with another hermit of choice.

Tonight my daughter is going to a sleepover at 6:00. The hubby is trying to plan the perfect evening out. Dinner? A movie? A band? All three or just a combination? I don’t know. It’s cold. Snow is on the ground. I’m thinking of a cozy little restaurant. One with a fireplace. One populated with several other hermits having a rare night out. Then back home to do the hermit thing. Sounds good to me.

Lightweight Summer Reading

Planning on spending the summer by the pool with some romance novels or the latest self-help book? Dandy. But while you're at it, throw these into the beach bag also.

Want to know what would happen to the world if there were suddenly no people left on earth? What about the animals? The buildings? Radioactive waste? Plastics? Etc.? Would the earth be able to heal itself from the damage humans have inflicted on it? Check out Alan Weisman's The World Without Us. Fascinating read.

Are residents of New York City "greener" than an unshaven man sitting in a cabin by the lake? Most definitely according to David Owen, author of Green Metropolis. Pretty much comes down to high use of public transportation. Really, this book is not as dry as it sounds.

Every time I travel to a destination worth the purchase of guide books, one of these purchases is always written by Rick Steves. Yeah, I used to think he was a bit of a goober, but now he's pretty much one of my heroes. According to Mr. Steves' in Travel as a Political Act, travel can help to change the world for the better. Not just by lounging on the beach, but meeting folks from different countries and seeing how they really live. You could travel to the center of crowded Indian cities, across your own country, discover how content citizens of those "socialist" countries are, meet the folks in the beautiful but war-torn cities of Eastern Europe or just hang out in the public squares of any city or village in the world. His idea is to learn something new about the people of the world.

And, on the lighter side (really) there's Mike Leonard's The Ride of Our Lives. A fun book whether or not you've ever thought about putting three generations of family in two RVs and traveling over a large portion of America. Worth getting a sunburn to read.

Any advice for me as I sit by the pool "watching" my daughter and her friends play this summer?

The Happiness that $7.00 Can Buy

Each Spring, our local chapter of AAUW holds their annual used book sale. Here in these parts, its a big deal. Four days, 250,000 books. Lots of fun for us bookish types.

Day one brought very little. Two novels. And it turns out I had purchased one of the novels at last year's sale.

Day three is half-price day. Ahhhhh. There's nothing like being able to throw book after book into my bag and not have to worry about the price. On this day, I avoided the fiction section which was a little heavy on the romance and decided to go to the "collectors" and children's sections.

I was looking for some books to cut up and put into my artwork. Found 'em. But, they're just too darn beautiful to cut up.

Yep. Only $7.00.

A beautiful spread from the Children's book of Natural History. I'm going to have to find another copy to cut up.

And. For 25 cents. A modest looking atlas on the outside. But, the inside! I made a little squealing noise when I opened the book. Luckily for me, the folks around me are strange book people, too. Nobody noticed.


No way can I cut up this beautiful book. Sigh. I'll have to try to find another copy.

I did find a little natural science book with beautiful text and luscious, thick paper. That's been whacked already. Not sure what to do with the London Zoo book of birds. Too darn nice. And the bug book. I'm sure some info. is outdated, but it goes into my library. So much for scissor fodder.

I did find three maps. One, I purchased for feel only. I'm always on the lookout for pre-1960 maps. The new ones have slick paper, new colors, and little detail. Imagine my surprise when I got home and discovered this was a special map. Recently, I had torn apart a wonderful world map to put into several pieces. It now lays in tatters. One side has fantastic white text on black about the many ways in which man has ruined the world. The map also has the best ocean blue I have come across. I was so sad to see it looking like a carcass. And now I have a replacement!!!!

No, it doesn't appear to take much to make me happy. Smelly books and old maps. And $7.00 in my pocket.

My Nose, a Bird, a Book

Born a Poet, 6.5 x 4.5", on Etsy.

Thank you everyone for your comments of concern on my recent nose issues. Or should I say issues from my nose? What fun! After two visits to two doctors yesterday, I had a blood vessel cauterized and am now, for the most part, retaining my blood. I was told all the fun would be over by today. I do plan on venturing out later on today. Yesterday, I refused to leave the house (except to visit said doctors) out of the fear of scarring children who might see a horror movie they hadn't planned on seeing.

So, as far as I know, there is no brain tumor. One thinks all kinds of things when one's head is being emptied of blood.

Sorry if I made anyone twitchy.

Thanks to Susan who purchased my bird piece, Better World, the other day. I do intend on getting that out in the mail today, provided my nose cooperates.

On a non-related subject, I have just finished a great book, Nine Lives by Dan Baum. A "fictionalized" account of the lives of nine New Orleanians from the time of Hurricane Betsy to after Hurricane Katrina. The stories and people are true. Highly recommended for those who have an interest in New Orleans. Reading this book reminded me of an earlier intent, or promise, to have proceeds of my series of New Orleans quilts donated to a New Orleans charitable organization. I have not put that idea out of my mind, just postponed it for a while. First, I would like the economy to perk up a bit. Second, I would like to add at least four more pieces to the series. Third, I need to select an appropriate organization. Fourth, I need to make some sort of contacts to get this idea out there. So the idea is still brewing -- it has not been abandoned.

So, I'm always looking for:

nosebleed info
good books to read
charitable organizations in New Orleans.

If anybody can combine all of that, all the better.

Eating, Praying(?), Loving and Thanking

I am not in the studio today.  Last Friday I finished up four new pieces which have yet to be named and photographed.  As usual, the naming is difficult.

I spent this morning cruising blogs, cursing the computer, staring at the ceiling, and email whining to my oldest  (not age-wise, of course) blogging friend Paula.  Paula and I have done lots of bitching and complaining through emails.  I do appreciate her putting up with me.  We have been able to complain together about sales and dozens of other things I do not want to reveal here.  Like me, Paula is a self-taught artist.  Unlike me, Paula is a self-taught marketer.  When I tend to put my head down and whimper, Paula is resourceful and full of grit (that is a good thing).  She has put in a lot of time and effort to get me going.  And it takes a lot to get me going.  Paula is my own personal Wise Woman.

I do my best not to whine on my blog, although I know it still comes through at times.  And then, sometimes I rant.  Lately, it seems I have been a little quieter.  I’ve been overwhelmed at marketing myself and underwhelmed with the marketing options.  I have to calm down, gather my work and wits about me and get going.  Soon. 

Anyway, onto eating, praying, and loving. . .

When I read an artist’s blog, I like to learn as much as possible about that person, including what books they are reading.  Well, one very popular book seems to be Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.  For some reason, I would always dismiss this book by thinking, “well if everyone is reading it, I don’t want to read it.”  Makes sense, right?  I told myself today, if I found one more reference to it, I would buy it.  I found one more.

I had to go to Target again this morning.  I had a request from my daughter for kids’ gardening gloves and Magic Markers that were not all dried out.  How could I not comply with a request like that?  So there in a display at the end of the aisle was that darn book.  I bought it.  And now I’ve got to read it.

I’m usually the one who poopoos what everyone else is doing.  I usually don’t care.  Sometimes I even roll my eyes.  Those who recommend this book seem to be nice, sweet, loving, “Zen”, wholesome women.  If I hang out with anyone, it is usually the surly, sarcastic, cussin’ crowd.  But I do look over enviously at those sweet, loving, wholesome women who seem to be having a good time together.

We’ll see how well this book sets with me.  I’m probably not going into it with the best of attitudes.  Although I do love eating.  Can’t cook worth a darn, though.  As far as praying, I don’t look up to a higher power who is capable of guiding us.  I do believe in this power in each of us, just not outside of us. And love, well love is good.   I could live without eating anything but raisins, but I couldn’t live without love.

So, wish me luck on this adventure.  See if I’m a changed person at the end.  If I don’t mention this book again, well, you’ll know that I’m off reading something dark, scary and sarcastic.

Anyone else read this book that didn’t admit to it already?