WHAT THE #*%@ AM I GETTING MYSELF INTO?

Long ago I vowed never to carve a text heavy linocut again, but lately I've been a bit bored + searching for ideas for a piece I could really sink my teeth into. Enter the legend of La Llorona, which is a story I have been wanting to work on for quite some time. If my hands make it through this carving without shriveling up + falling off, I will also have some new prints about Lizzie Borden + El Chupacabra in the near future.

GARDEN VIEW

Mariss @ Vanillabean Knits asked for a wider picture of my garden, so I must oblige (please click on image for larger view).
We are in the midst of building a temporary fence. My boy has plans for a nice wooden one, which will still give a feeling of openess, but for now the quick fix is designed to prevent people from walking through our back yard, using it as a cut-through, which is a problem.

Lots of green things growing in the raised beds,
so far 2 squash plants* are producing.

* acorn + crookneck early golden

SPENDING TIME IN MID-CENTURY SUBURBIA

It's not the heat, it's the humidity that's zapping my energy. Lately I'm spending a little more time inside, with a cold beverage, watching
TV shows + movies.

Yesterday I watched Revolutionary Road, which I have to say was a great disappointment. I really did not give a flip about either one of these people + did not care if they lived, died, moved to Paris, or divorced, but damn-it, the set designs were fantastic! I found myself picking out furniture + not paying too much attention to the Wheelers' sad + sorry lives. I can't help but wonder why Sam Mendes decided to return to misery in suburban America.

Set in the same time period, with a similar storyline (husband works in Manhattan, has a gal on the side + a miserable wife in the suburbs) is the TV show Mad Men, which I am thoroughly enjoying. Again, great set design, but this time it's definitely secondary to the great writing + plots. I must admit that I had no clue who Jon Hamm was before he played Liz Lemon's "perfect" boyfriend on 30 Rock, but he's definitely intriguing as Don Draper, painfully handsome ad man with a mysterious past.

As for The Wire, I'm officially hooked!

"NEW" COMPOST TUMBLER

Our friends delivered my new compost tumbler today, made almost entirely out of reused + reclaimed materials (the base is made of a box spring frame).

It was a trade for a canoe that needed a little seat work. Originally we put the canoe on the curb with a "for sale" sign. I had numerous people inquire about it, one guy SWORE he was going straight to the bank + would return, but he didn't. The most um...interesting inquiry was the guy who wanted to trade. For what? A hot tub (delivered) + a camcorder. Move along, fella.

Our friends happened to drive by, wanted the canoe + since I would rather see it go to friends then have one more wacko knock on my door, we proposed a non-hot tub + camcorder trade.

THIS SPACE IS...

Periodically I get e-mails asking if I will hawk a product on my blog. I realize that these go out to 100's, if not 1000's of people + that they actually work because there is controversy in the blog world about bloggers who mention a product in exchange for pay. In fact, I immediately stopped reading a blog I loved because the author wrote about her excitement over being paid to mention a product, then proceeded to "sell" that product to her readers.

To be honest, I don't know if I've ever been offered payment for a product mention because after reading the first sentence of this type of e-mail, I delete it.

This post is not intended to tout my integrity, but to ask you about the most ridiculous type of product (no names please) you have been asked to mention on your blog.

Mine was contact lenses.

I'M NOT SURE IF BRUCE TOUCHED THIS SHIRT

My co-worker's boyfriend gave me another Bruce t-shirt, given to him after working for him this past weekend at Bonnaroo. He was part of the E-street caravan, escorted by 9 state troopers (please don't you stop me), that drove the band from the airport to the stage.

We did not go to the 3-day festival this past weekend because when it came down to it, we had already seen most of the bands we wanted to see (some more than once) + we really could not justify the cost of tickets. You know I love Bruce + pretty much died when I read that he played for 3 hours + his set included Santa Clause is Coming to Town (by request) but he's just not worth a house payment. Sorry Boss.

Here's hoping he'll add Nashville or Atlanta to a second tour + somehow I have to get word to Bruce's people that Steve gives his shirts to me + I wear an XS, not an XL.

BRACE YOURSELVES FOR ANOTHER RIOT IN L.A.

A Lakers' home game win is always followed by L.A.'s unofficial song + in honor of them winning the NBA Championship tonight...

Randy Newman- I Love L.A
Uploaded by droogirico. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

Thank you indulging me.

THREE

It was three years ago today that I was standing in the cubicle of my company's newly hired marketing director, chatting about crafts + craft blogs + was encouraged to start my own blog with the simple suggestion "you should do it, it's fun!" Thanks Hezza!!!
(Can you believe that was three years ago?)

Three years later I'm still having fun. I'm not going to get mushy + sentimental, but I've enjoyed getting to know so many of you out there through your blogs, e-mail + in a few cases, it real life. Thank you for all your support + encouragement.

I started this blog partly as a way to keep myself accountable. When I looked back at my first post, I realized that I have yet to complete the stiff leaf book for my photos of roadside memorials, which still remain in a box. Maybe in another three years I'll show you photos of the finished book.

THIS IS MY SHOULDER...

...and there are a couple shocking things I would like to point out.
A.
Prior to us moving from L.A. + perhaps the 5 years that followed, the shocking thing would have been that the sweater + shirt are not black AND that there is ruffle on the sweater.
B.
5 years ago- present, the shocking thing is that the sweater
is not some shade of green (green is my new black)
AND that there is a ruffle on the sweater.

Evidence of another attempt to get out of a clothing color rut.

GROWN UP-TYPE STUFF

I am always thinking that I can do more to produce, consume + spend less in my day-to-day life. We are told that we must spend our way out of this (depression) recession, but that does not necessarily fit within our budget being that we both work for non-profits + my boy is a full-time grad student.

We already shop at thrift stores, you all know that half our furniture was found on the street + I buy in quantity when food items are on super sale (I currently have 40 containers of soy milk in the pantry because the dollar store was selling Westsoy plain soy milk + I bought out their stock).

At Monk's last vet visit we got some excellent news, his blood work indicated that his seizure medication could be reduced in half, thus reducing our pharmacy bill in half!

Recently I turned my attention to the monthly bills, examining + questioning what we paid for + what we actually used. We were able to reduce the cable TV bill because we didn't watch all the stations we paid for. The biggest reduction was our auto insurance. I had to change providers for this, but shopping the two of us around + making companies compete for our business reduced the cost by over 50%.

Ever since working in a doctor's office + owning a house I have received a good education on some of the mysteries of insurance + finances, but mostly learning how to happily live within my means. All this stuff is not so scary anymore.

GRAB BAG POST

Yesterday I traded some cards for more handmade paper for a future (yet to be conceived) project.

And bought these candle stick holders from our booth neighbor. They are a 13-month belated 40th birthday gift for a friend in L.A. (I'll let you think about that for a second).

~WATCHED~
Last night, after yummy Thai food, we watched The Proposition (I tried to convince my boy it was the sequel to Indecent Proposal before we watched it, but he wasn't falling for it). WOW! It was great, but quite the blood bath, on par with a Sam Peckinpah movie

~WATCHING~

2 of the 3 final episodes of my beloved Pushing Daisies.

~WILL WATCH~
Diving Bell And The Butterfly. Julian Schnabel should have never picked up a paint brush + broken plates, he should have been a director to begin with!!
Season 1, disk 2 of The Wire. I'm not hooked yet, but so far the responses to this statement have been "just you wait..." and "you are in big trouble."

~READING (STILL)~
Sex, Drugs + Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman. To be honest, the first essay about how every girl has a crush on John Cusack because she actually thinks he's Lloyd Dobler is one of the funniest things I've ever read (because it's true), but the rest of the book just doesn't measure up.

~WILL READ~
After being on the wait list for-ev-ah, my turn finally came for the library's copy of Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher. Years ago I worked with one of her ex-husbands during their divorce + on top of everything else, I'm kind-a curious what she has to say about him.

A DAY SPENT WITH THREE GOOD FRIENDS

I spent Saturday at the crafts show in a booth shared with three good friends + in the spirit of looking at the bright side of things, it was great to spend the day with three good friends. In other words, the 2nd annual On The Beaten Path show was a bit of a bust for me.

My display within our booth. Ikea sells plate stands for .99 which are perfect for holding prints.

My friend Claudia's miniature bird houses (the roof flips open to reveal a tiny bird's nest) + children's block paper weights.

The main display in the center of the booth with all of our wares.
(photos taken during set-up. click image to view larger)

The weather was beautiful, mid-80's with a breeze, the setting was perfect + afterwords my boy took me to my favorite Thai restaurant for dinner. AND did I mention that I spent the day with three good friends?

This picture if for my dad, who can't get boiled peanuts in L.A. The concession booth did not sell all their peanuts + gave the left overs away. Being that boiled peanuts are an acquired taste, there were not many takers + I racked up.
I guess you could say I worked for peanuts.

PREP

I love preparing for a show. I'm doing my first crafts show of the year tomorrow morning + going over last minute stock issues, packaging up prints + getting food stuff together for a long day outside, under a tent, with friends. I just bought Boxer by The National + am now on my 3rd listen (I'm in love with the song Start A War).

Lots of good stuff this week, most notably a couple calls from greatly missed L.A. people who must have sensed that I miss my city. AND speaking of which, yay Lakers! Susan + I were all ready for some Lakers vs. Cavs smack (e-mail) talk, but sadly for her home city, they did not make it to the finals (too bad because a Kobe/ LeBron match up would have been fun to watch).

I will return with photos from the crafts show.