bananas, green apples, red grapes, Turkish dried figs

That was breakfast this morning, thanks to my darling. He always provides me with fresh fruits and veggies, God bless him! I washed my car yesterday when I got home from work. I knew it was supposed to rain today, but it just gets so dirty I can't stand it! One time I saw someone had written a note on a car's dirty back window that said "I wish my wife was this dirty" I know --- tacky, but funny nonetheless. Last night I finally tried the George Foreman grill my honey let me borrow. And I have to tell you, it works great!! Masoud gave me some talapia fillets and some hamburger patties. I tried the fish last night and it was so good! And it only took like 3 min's! I may get healthy after all! It certainly won't be for a lack of trying on Masoud's part! Well, gotta run or I'll be late for work.
Happy "hump" day ya'll!

2 fer...

It usually takes me awhile to write after weekends! We didn't make it to the rodeo parade after all. I wasn't too sad. Traipsing around in the rain, early on a Saturday, isn't exactly the way I like to spend them. We did make it to the cook-off, even though our original invite fell through. So we just wandered around for 3 hrs; me causing quite a stir dressed like a C & W Anna Nicole. It was entertaining and Masoud said he never heard so many "Oh my God's!" As for the Academy Awards, I guessed most of them, except the Best Picture, which took me by surprise. Yesterday at work was quite chaotic what with the painters there to touch-up inside, the floor-polishing guys to buff the wood floors, some ladies from the Garden Club to lay down some plastic on the floor and the landscaping people to plant flowers in the planters that were delivered from Canada last Friday. All this in preparation for the Azalea Trail this wkend. Evidently there are going to be hundreds and hundreds of people go through the event which is 11am to 6pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Oh, Wow-age!

Finally Fri...

What a difference a day makes! This morning was so beautiful and QUIET! I soaked up the soothing solitude and serenity. I lay in bed and basked in it, marveling at the sweet simplicity of it. Watching the morning go from dark to dawn throught the gaps in the mini-blinds on my bedroom windows. The chi was flowing freely and all was well with Feng Shui.
After running into Mitch yesterday it brought back memories of when he, Carolyn and I worked together at the "big house." That's what he called it (And no, it wasn't "the slammer"). It was a couple of summers ago, very hot of course as Houston summers are. Mitch had recruited me from the "Artisits at Large" group to help them with some faux finish painting in the interior of this large home that was being built. We'd usually do Starbucks runs in the mornings on our way in to work. (I adore caramel frapuccino's). Sometimes we'd swing by El Rey to grab some breakfast tacos to go. They are some of the best around! At lunchtime, we'd have to decide where to go and what to eat. But one of my fav's was when we'd get some sushi, wasabi and other delectable goodies from Whole Foods, grab a corner of the house that wasn't being worked on and have our own little picnic lunch. It was so fun! Made all the hard work worth it!

Part 2: the day improved...

Well, after such griping this morn, I'm happy to report the day got better. My boss let me off a little early so I decided to take a walk when I got home. The weather today is so nice, it's gorgeous outside!!
As I was walking by the high school I heard some honking. I ignored it because I figured it was for the kids. But when I finally turned around, it was my ole buddy Mitch! We chatted for awhile, then I continued on my merry way.
And even though I didn't get the grant ($50,000.00) I applied for from the Hunting group, it's all good. Saturday is the rodeo parade, Masoud wants to go to that, so we're going. Then a friend of mine invited us to the Rodeo Bar-B-Que Cook-off Saturday night. Her boyfriend's boss has a booth there. Should be a lot of fun: free bar-b-q, free booze, great "scenery" and comraderi!! yee haw!!!

Rude Awakening...

Nothing like being roused from a deep sleep at 6am by huge, LOUD, roaring, horrendous, unfamiliar sounds!!! I got up and went and looked out the windows. My house was surrounded by 4 cement trucks (3 in front, 1 one back). You see, they're building SEVEN homes right across the street from me, in the front, and THREE homes behind me, in the back. It's bad enough to be near one construction site, but to be surrounded by them -- is almost unbearable. In addition to the cement trucks, there are the beep-beep-beeping sounds of vehicles moving backward, dozens of mens' voices shouting, jackhammers, nailguns, drills, electric saws and other assorted unpleasant sounds. My morning solitude is shattered. I would scream, but you couldn't hear me anyway. Usually they don't start till 8am (and end at 7pm). The noise might not be so bad if it was muffled. But I live in an old house. The windows rattle because they have nothing to hold them in place, you could pass a Sunday Chronicle through the front and back door (both in desperate need of weather stripping), the floors are wooden, no carpet to absorb the sound, no draperies to absorb sound and the house is very close to the street (only a few feet away); the street is very busy, heavily travelled with a high volume of traffic. Additionally, the house sits up on blocks so it's like a valley under there, where the wind blows freely and so does the noise. Just another of the many "joys" of living where I do. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing it won't last forever! It's pretty bad when you have to go to work to get some peace and quiet. grumble, grumble...

Ash Wed

Did you hear the one about the man that was found dead in front of his tv? He'd been dead more than a year! And the tv was still on. It's true! It happened in Hampton Bays, NY. He was 70 yrs old and had died of natural causes. He'd lost his wife years ago and lived alone. But you'd think neighbors would've checked on him. They said they thought he was in the hospital or in a nursing home. But, geez.
On a lighter note, last Saturday a crowd in Bismarck, ND broke the world record for the most snow angels. There were about 9,000 people, besting the previous mark of 3,784. Oh, wow-age! That's a lot of snow angels!!

"Two fer Tues" and Fat Tues

Remember how the clubs used to have "monikers" for the weekdays? Maniac Mon, Two fer Tues, Hump Day (Wed), Thur - I don't recall -- but it's now "Shows Night" for me and Mom and my personal fav T.G.I.F. Fri's (Thank God it's Fri!).
On a different note, remember a book called "The Art Spirit"? It was a cool book to help artists tap into and help maintain their creative juices, flow, spirit, etc. One of the things it recommended was doing "the morning pages." Just get up each morn and go write 3 pages. It helps to get your thoughts in order, among other things. It's a great exercise and now this blog is my morn pages, although I don't do 3 pgs and it's not always in the morn.
I awoke this morn at 5am and was reminded of something in Carolyn's blog re: the early morn hours and how peaceful and enjoyable they are. And she's absolutely right! It's like, for just a short period of time, you own your own little corner of the world. The nice, quiet, peaceful tranquility. Before the commuters start rushing around like crazy, before the dogs start barking, even before the birds greet the morning with their melodic salutations. And cogitating on all this brought back memories of when I lived in Clear Lake, on the lake. It was such a nice existence. When I'd get up in the morn's to go to work (Med Ctr) I'd see the sunrise over the lake. Upon my return in the eve's, I'd watch the sun, from the patio balcony, set behind the Hilton. But the best part was the weekend. Michael and I would get up at the crack of dawn, go downstairs to the boat slip and take out his jet boat. We'd motor out on the lake and at that time of the morn it was perfectly calm and still, like a giant mirror, not even one ripple marring the glass-like surface. We'd be on the lake when the sun came up, talk about a beautiful sunrise(!), with all the reds, oranges, pinks, yellows, lavenders and blue sky reflected in the water around us. Then off we'd go to explore the back waters of Clear Creek, which went all the way past (and under) I-45 near League City.

Promises, promises...

Re: New Year's Resolutions. I try not to make them. Just the idea of "declaring" a resolution is like saying "I'm going on a diet." Just knowing I can't have it, makes me want to break it. So instead I make "promises" to myself. And one biggie for this year was to paint more. I told myself I will try to paint (at the least) one painting a month. And I know we're only on month two, but it's a good start. I painted 3 paintings in Jan and 6 last night!!! That's more than I did in 6 months last year. I've got to build up a large body of work because a friend is opening a gallery soon and I must be ready. And a big thanks goes out to Masoud for inspiring and motivating me! Keep the creative sparks firing!

Chinese New Yr's Eve & Gal. Mardi Gras

As soon as Masoud gets here, we're headed to Pho Saigon for some breakfast pho. Yummy! Then it's off to the Chinese New Year festivities over in Chinatown on Bellaire. The last time I got to see such things was when I was living in San Francisco. It was a very memorable Chinese New Year that year. All the huge, pulsating crowds, the dramatic, colorful dragon dances, the primal beating of drums, the hundreds and hundreds of tiny red firecrackers pop-pop-popping everywhere leaving an acrid smell of smoke in the air, the cabbage leaves and dollar bills strung from the eaves of the buildings fluttering and twisting in the breeeze and the enticing aroma of noodles and eggrolls wafting from open doorways. Quite the spectacle! A veritable feast for the senses!
Next we're headed down to the Island for the Knights of Momus Grand Night Parade at 6:30 pm. We'll go a little bit earlier so we can roam about and enjoy all the sights before the parade. Of course I'll be one of the "sights" because I'll be wearing my "space woman" costume, complete with a silver hair wig, silver cape, silver stockings and silver face paint. I'll be throwing confetti, blowing kisses and wishing all the revelers a happy Mardi Gras.

Finally Fri...

I was lying in bed this am listening to the sounds of the morning; the songbirds, the woodpecker, the traffic passing by out in front of the house. The construction noise won't begin for another hour. My cat Elsa is trying to coax me out of bed. I don't want to leave my warm, cozy nest. Finally, the thought of coffee propels my lazy carcass out of bed. When I stepped outside the front door, on the way to my car, I noticed it's as cold outside right now as it is in my frig! Yowza! At work, we've been busy the past few days putting the "big house" back in order after my boss threw an underwriter's (for a charity auction) dinner party Tues night. But it's Fri and it's all good. My boss gave me a beautiful floral jade necklace from her trip to China (Hong Kong, Shanghi) a couple wks ago. I'm looking forward to this wkend: Chinese New Yr and Galveston Mardi Gras. Woo hoo!

Valentine's day

None of my friends has understood me;
when I weep in church
they tell me:
That's life.

None of my days
holds my hand;
I wait in vain
for what I dread:
love.

None of my nights
brings me something:
a tenderness
that holds me close,
a dream, a rose...
I don't dare
believe that's life.

--- Rainer Maria Rilke

Thoughts for the day...

Every morning when I get up, one of the first things I do is read the day's passage in The Upper Room. It always gets my day off to a good start. Today's was especially apropro(sp?) because the topic dealt with anger (which was me last night). It was about a woman who had lost her patience and temper with her young son and consequently caused herself to get locked out of the home. She had to call and pay a locksmith as a result. She said she learned an important lesson that day: anger locks me out. Anger locks me out of the place of peace where I want to reside. Part of the "prayer for the day" was: God, forgive us when we express our anger in damaging ways. And the "thought for the day" was: how can I be open to God's guidance in moments of anger? I know that's right!
On a different note: Rilke (my fav poet) believed in the coexistence of the material and spiritual realms, but he thought humans were only spectators of life, grasping its beauties momentarily only to lose them again. He believed though, that with the power of creativity, an artist could try to build a bridge between the two worlds. Rilke put mystical elements in his early works, but later he dealt more with the role of the artist, who must "speak and bear witness." Well, folks, that's my 2 cents for the day...

About last night...

I was leaving Mom's house last night after watching the shows (we always watch Survivor and CSI together). Driving down the freeway I happened to look over to the other side of the freeway and there were all these flashing (red, white and blue) lights. There were police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, etc. All the traffic was blocked off from the other direction. I don't know what happened, but it must've been something really gnarly. Then closer to home, I was driving over a bridge, and when I came down the other side I saw a strange sight indeed. A large old house was being driven down the middle of the street. It took up all four lanes! I've seen this before, especially where I live now, but it's still an unusual sight. To see a house going down the road, especially at night. Kinda eerie and it makes me wonder: Where did it come from? Where was it going? Who lived there? What kind of memories are left inside?

Goodbye Anna Nicole...

I can't believe she's gone. She was larger than life. I remember I impersonated her one year for Halloween when I worked for BCM. On my way in from the parking lot to the office, I nearly caused a Metro bus to wreck. I had on a micro-mini skirt, a low-cut blouse, high heels, silver hose and a long, blonde wig.
Then came Anna's "troubles". The legal battles. The loss of her son. The birth of a daughter. The paternity suit. The fight over her residence. The TrimSpa lawsuit. And the final straw -- questions whether her current lover was involved in her son's death. I guess it was just all too much.
Goodbye Anna Nicole.
'For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one,
In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your slient knowledge of the beyond, And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring. Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity. Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing. And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb. And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.'
...from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.

Absence of sunshine...

Just got back from my java jaunt. I rarely go at the same time and it's interesting to notice the differences. Of course, the later it gets, the more traffic there is. But it's the presence or absence of dogs in the yards that's curious. Sometimes it seems like every yard has a dog. Other times like today, I didn't encounter any. Some of the dogs just sit quietly and watch you pass by. Others run frantically back and forth, yapping for all they're worth, trying desperately to defend their territory. It's funny because sometimes there are two different kinds of dogs together and the sound their different barks make, like harmonizing on a canine scale. Sometimes I have to laugh. Some look so ferocious. Some dogs just walk silently along the fenceline with me. Some come up with a wag and a friendly smile. Oh and I saw a lady walking her dog; they were color-coordinated. She had white hair, she wore gray sweatpants, gray sweatshirt, white tennis shoes walking a white schnazer (sp). Then I came across a watch in the middle of the sidewalk. I didn't know if I should pick it up and put it out of harm's way or leave it. I decdied to leave it in case the "owner" returned. Closer to home I saw an odd thing. There is a tiny, old, beat-up shack-type building on a mostly vacant lot. Not unusal. But in front of it, right near the door, there in the grass was a ring of flowers. Real ones. Actually they were in a horse-shoe shape. Not sporadic, not in a straight line, but in a half circle, an arc, of lillies.
Don't forget: tonite is the season premiere of Survivor!

This morning's walk...

...the dew drops sparkling and glistening, from the morning sun, on the
slender, chartruse blades of grass.
...the harmonious melodies of different songbirds happily greeting the
dawn.
...the rat-a-tat-tat of a determined woodpecker.
...The delicate cooing of two pigeons overhead on the telephone wire.
...the big, wet, sloppy kiss on my nose, from a cute little orange and white
puppy.
...the toasty, enticing aroma wafting from a woodburning fireplace.
...the faraway, distant blowing of a train horn.

All this (and more) I experienced on my walk to Sunny's store this am to get my morn coffee (Starbucks Frappuccino, of course!)
What a way to start a day!

About the wkend...

Well, I'm running behind schedule. About the wkend. Saturday my honey and I went to the Yale St Art Market. Always a good time! It was a little chilly, but we warmed things up a bit w/ shots of Jose. Saw some of the "gang": Michael-Ann, Myra, Katie, Elaine, Mary, Erika, Mitch, Carolyn and Cindy. Missed Gordy who was out sick and Mercado. Then to Joe's Crab Shack w/ friends for supper. Sunday I got a wild hair and said let's do a beach run. So that's what we did. That's one (of the many things) I love about my boyfriend. He's always up for spontaneity! Most guys would not have ditched the Super Bowl to make a beach run, but that's my honey!!
We had a great time! Went to Bolivar and had the whole beach to ourselves; not only because it was cold, but because most people were somewhere watching the game. Even though it was a little chilly, we still had 1/2 a bottle left, so it kept us comfy. And the sunset was spectacular!
We were some picture-taking fools! So it was indeed a Super Sunday!!

Bittersweet day...

hi folks. today is bittersweet. 1st it's groundhog's day. kinda cute. you know, puxatawny phil and all that. one of my fav comedies is "Groundhogs Day w/ Bill Murray" and this yr the famed groundhog saw his shadow, therefore indicating an early spring. so on to the "darker side." my dear, sweet brother's birthday is today. Mark Macy. we were so close. but he is no longer w/ us. so say a prayer for Mark. he was awesome!!! he rocked!!! ya'll would've loved him and viceversa.
on a different note. my boyfriend just fired up a wand of sage. we both adore the scent of burning sage. and i was inspired to write this:

the smell of sage
it brings back memories of
the dry, desolate desert
of tumbleweeds, blowing past
of the dry, hot, heat of the desert
the sun blaring down
hot and sweltering
of days past,
native americans astride
their wild, running mustangs
in hot pursuit of bison
roaming, thundering hooves
b/4 they became extinct...

and this:

there were signs
that it would not last
but we did not listen
we did not heed the warnings
we thought the trees
would blossom forever
that the rivers
forever would run clear
and the air
would be free of clouds
of the type
that choke and imprison
how wrong were we?

Mississippi Mud Pie

What a day, what a drag. Today's rent day. But maybe even worse than that, I must return to the dentist. I went yesterday for a routine check-up and was told I have 2 cavities. And my blood pressure was up. Wonder if that was b/4 or after the news?
My driveway (unpaved) these days resembles mud pie, hence today's title. It's always so lovely to slosh through it, from my front door to my car, where it always ends up all over my matts.
Today's the 1st of February. Mom said she heard there were only 6 days of sunshine in January. I believe it! It's been pretty dismal weather. Here's hoping Feb's better! Well, I know it will be. There are so many fun things coming up:
Sun 2/4 - Super Bowl
Wed 2/14 - Valentine's Day
Sat 2/17 - Galveston Mardi Gras
Sun 2/18 - Chinese New Year
Sat 2/24 - Rodeo Parade
Sun 2/25 - Academy Awards