catching up

I am sure throughout the billions and billions of blog posts out there...there are at least a million entitled "catching up". I remember as a kid, so many of my diary entries started, "Dear Diary, it has been so long since I wrote in you..." I wrote to the diary as a person. I always felt awkward about it too - like I should just be writing more to myself, and less to a book - or in fact, should I have named the diary...personified it and made it like another person....

"Dear Brenda, it has been so long since I talked at you, please don't be mad at me. I have been going to bed early and have just not had the time between talking for hours on the phone and birthday parties at McDonald's....life is good. You know, Brenda, you are a good friend in some ways, you never interrupt you are always here when I want to talk....But....Brenda, I have been thinking...in many other ways, this friendship is really going nowhere. You never offer me advice, and you never tell me anything about you. Are you ashamed of me? Ashamed to let me into your life? Tell me Brenda, why is it always me who divulges my innermost secrets - and you just sit there, drinking it all in.... Why must I always initiate things with you....Brenda, it is growing tiresome. I am sorry, but this has to stop...I need some time apart. Goodbye"

Then another 3 months would pass before I picked Brenda up again.....That is why I never named my diary. It had to remain just "Diary" - an object on which to scribe the news of which boy I liked, which friends made me "crack up" or who WAS a "crack up" - both noun and verb.... (a phrase I used often as an 11 year old) and why today was either the BEST or WORST day of my life.
And with that....Dear Blog - it has been quite some time since I wrote in you. Please don't be mad at me, I have been busy.
Love, MaryJo

The Need for A New Blog

I am thinking of staring a new blog -- not getting rid of this one, per se, but as an art teacher I am seeing the need for people to speak candidly about art schools, colleges and universities....We need some honest dialogue for kids to research. Also, portfolio guidance, etc...I think I can compile some good information - with a little help from my friends, that is.

If anyone is out there, reading this, let me now your opinion on this....is there a need for something like this out there?

unknown illness

Well, finally I am feeling better. I stayed in my house for 4.5 days - two of the days I had a fever (at one point my fingertips went numb?) and only left once to go to the doctor. Was it the flu? I will never know, part of me hopes it was so that I can sail through the rest of the winter and hopefully not get sick again. All a week or so after I started a 7 supplement regime to keep the flu away....no such luck. But I am not giving up on the supplements - although I caved into the sweet, sweet relief of Tylenol Cold the past few days, I will not give up on you, oh natural healing. I won't, I promise. In the midst of all this H1N1 - swine flu madness, no one will commit to a diagnosis. Non committal doctors, gotta say, I was pretty surprised he was so "well, maybe, maybe not" with me.

Today when I finally left the house showered and able to look people in the eye again - since before I was so afraid people might avoid me since I looked so terribly sick - I couldn't believe the weather. It felt like spring. Not November. And so, I appreciated the day, and I once again appreciate what it feels like to breathe without wheezing, sneezing or coughing.

Warm and Fuzzy

that is how i feel.

i guess i don't have alot to say tonight.

this was the sort of day that doesn't feel real,

but as the night came i started to feel the ground.

cool pre-fall night

wet streets

shattered glass

laughing and singing

orange and vanilla

chaperone

pizza

talk of india and violin

birthday gifts

and

forgotten cameras.

Remembering Summer.

today. in a nutshell.

To remember what a broken heart feels like, listen to Sinead O'Conner sing Nothing Compares to You while driving. Sing at the top of your lungs.

"I am not your Dude." said today to a boy who called me "Dude".

Love affair with fabric and thread.

Powerpoint in the dark.

A bumpersticker that says "EARTH" - brilliant

A witness to road rage - middle finger and all.

More than one art project - what a relief.

Britches full of Stitches - even though I broke my violin.

Boy George in the car.

Grocery shopping with my husband.

meaning behind the threads

http://flavorwire.com/34280/james-gilbert

just something interesting that I got in an email today.

another sampling from the archives.

making bean sprouts, cooking veggies and quinoa.

isn't food pretty?

edible art

in my kitchen....
breakfast for dinner.

Summer Planting

My ipod tuned to the Wilco station on Pandora, I got my hands dirty today. I finally got around to planting the impatiens Daniel's mom gave me at our engagement party - which was months ago...these babies were bursting out of the plastic pots after being rained on over and over. Ants moved in and made the roots their home - I am not sure if this is a bad thing or not. One time I had a ficus tree - inside - that was infested with ants. Every so often I'd see a little tiny ant - thought nothing of it until the sad look of the ficus inspired me to replant it - I thought its pot was too small and that was why it was always losing leaves, etc. Luckily this replanting endeavor happened outside - there were thousands of them - little ants, their larvae, etc. That was what I encountered today - but with the ficus, I cleaned off the roots. washed them off with water, etc. and replanted the tree. It is still alive to tell the tale - so I guess I saved it's life. The impatiens seem pretty happy to me, and so did the ants, so I left good enough alone and just planted them - they are staying outside, so what's the harm?

The wedding is in 10 days and I thought it would be nice to make our yard look a little prettier. I have bigger plans for this little backyard space -- but this year, I am a little closer to my goal - the backyard oasis. I don't really know much about gardening, but have decided that - I am not afraid to ask and as long as my plants aren't dying, I must be doing something right! Put that on the list of things I would love to take classes in.