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Wordless Wednesday

Pay Attention

It's not often I do this so pay attention!

Many of you may not know I am a good cook. I don't talk about it very much mostly because it's one of those menial, everyday, un-extraordinary things I do most everyday. At least I think of it that way. I do enjoy it, though. I enjoy the mixing and measuring and assembling of a dish much more than I enjoy the tedium of baking. I relish the stirring of the pot as the seasonings and the flavors all meld together. I enjoy the ritual of cooking, the sacredness in its every day monotony.

Here is a recipe for homemade hot chocolate. To be sure, it's nothing fancy but Manthing asks for it as soon as the weather turns and I've never known anyone to pass it by. It's so not lowfat but it is relatively low-carb so if you are keeping an eye on those things... now you know. =)

Spiced Hot Chocolate for Two

1 qt. traditional half and half
1/4 cup of cocoa powder*
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar or splenda*
1 tsp. Real vanilla extract*
1/2 tsp. Almond extract*
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon*
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg*
Whipped cream**

*The measurements on these ingridients are all a rough estimate. I don't actually use measuring utensils for this because I've been making it so long. I just dump them in till it looks right. ;)

**Canned whipped cream works fine for this but you can also whip up some heavy whipping cream with a little confectioner's sugar and vanilla for an extra treat.

Pour the half & half into a medium sauce pan and set on medium high heat. Add cocoa powder and all other ingridients and whisk or stir till well blended and hot.

Pour into tall mugs and top with whipped cream. Dust the whipped cream with cinnamon to make it look pretty.

Makes approximately 3 to 4 1.5 cup servings.

Post Assistance

Holy crap! I just had a cup of tea and realized I have not updated this since people stopped clapping and Tinkerbell died... You would not believe the fairy dust I have to clean up. Apologies to my regular readers! Even the little blue ones!.

I am hopped up on caffeine with feeding the little people, a ticking crocodile, just generally being a delightful mistress to anyone unfortunate to cross my path, my day seems to be a litany of stuff and giggles from the second star on the right, straight on to well after sun-down. I am wearing my budgie smugglers. can't they see I am blogging.

I will try to remember I promised you   I will update you with my nefarious activities as soon as I get a chance. No, really! What do you mean you don’t believe me?

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Okay, you busted me.  I didn’t really write that… the Lazy Bloggers’ Post Generator did.But I did pick out all the words and phrases and it was fun!  Go try it!

See With Bigger Eyes

Half a Dozen Things Fine Artists & Crafters Can Do To Help Themselves Survive the Economic Slump

Because fine art and craft have long been considered a luxury for an audience with a disposable income, visual artists, like many self-employed creatives are susceptible to icky, economic downturns.  Right now everyone is hesitant to spend to drop cash on what seems to extravagance, even the very wealthy.  But collectors and dealers know this is the best time to buy and fine art and craft is one of the safest places to "park" their moola. But, they are looking to invest in  established artists with proven and verifiable sales and exhibition histories.

This is not good news for most emerging and mid-career artists. I've gotten e-mails from creative friends asking for ideas about how and where to sell work during a time when many galleries are struggling to make ends meet. Galleries are way more likely to exhibit the work of artists they feel confident they can sell right now. So, if you are thinking about approaching galleries any time soon here are five things to consider:

Know your stuff. Do your research and keep up the news- art, culture and business. Keep an eye on trends in your community. Watch which galleries are advertising and who they are showing. This will be a strong indication of which galleries will survive. Know which galleries accept outside proposals and when, keeping in mind most schedule exhibitions months or years in advance. Understand that, like the business world, the gallery world ebbs and flows and you need to move with it.

Become a little geeky. Aside from having an organized electronic (email) database of collectors, fans and people interested in your work, as well as an accurate inventory system, take a little time to research web sites (if you don't have one) and blogs. Determine whether you are better served with a blog that you can easily update or a static website that is updated quarterly or annually. Check out social media sites like Facebook or LinkedIn to find out how networking online with other artists and people of a like mind can benefit you. It's easy to let these things slide and find reasons for not having enough time, energy or resources...but, there is never a better time than now to get this stuff done.

Find creative weirdoes. Face it: being a visual artist can be a not only a weird but solitary profession, so in surrounding yourself with other creative weirdoes you can help one another remain positive and upbeat. So find other artists and creative people you can talk to and/or meet on a regular basis. It's always important to keep creativity flowing but especially during economic downturns. Nothing does that better than talking to other artists about their work and discussing yours.

Get out of the box. Be willing to think out of the box and explore non-traditional venues to exhibit work and be willing to lower prices and/or barter for goods and services if you can. Look into local outdoor and weekend farmer's markets and other similar venues. Look into renting space in an antique mall. Many people looking to decorate their homes with antiques also collect fine art and craft.

Curate yourself. Create your own exhibition of your existing work and approach local non profit exhibition spaces, small museums and college and university galleries with your ideas. Since many are coping with budget cuts, they are often more open to an exhibition that is already prepackaged and ready to hang. Use the distance you are willing to drive as your geographical radius and send proposals to everyone within that area. 

Do stuff for yourself. Everyone is under a tremendous amount of stress in this uncertain economic climate. The world seems chaotic right now. Money, career and family responsibilities can feel overwhelming. For many visual artists and fine crafters, it is our art that centers us and in an intrinsic part of who we are. We will all get through this, so continue to make the best possible art you can make and you will continue to thrive.

Note: Originally written for Active Gray Matter Blog.

We'll See

I have successfully kept my fingers still about "the Election" since the Primaries. Other than a few articles shared on my Google Reader page, I haven't said so much here.

In California, my views are considered conservative, in Virginia, liberal.  Because I am an artist most people assume I am liberal. I tend to think of myself as Progressive. People who know me, family and friends, know I am pretty moderate about most things political. I have issues I am passionate like anyone else but for most part I am moderate.

When Hillary lost the Primary, I supposed that history would repeat itself and it did. Refreshingly though it seems that the color of skin is secondary to the perceived character and ideologies, at least on the face of things..

Our household has been polarized by this election so we had a moratorium on discussing politics. When we went to the polls yesterday, it was with the knowledge that our votes were canceling each other out. But more than that, we were voting against someone rather than voting for someone else. I had an attitude about that because for the last four elections before this one, I voted for someone and I knew why. That was not so this time. If I could have voted with prejudice, I would have.

I am not convinced Obama is the great harbinger of change that people seem to want to believe he is. I don't know that I agree with Christiane Amanpour - that this election will change the world. Though I will venture to say it might change how America is viewed around the world. But like most of the country, I am tired of the status quo.  I am ready for change. More importantly, I believe it's time for change and I'm not sure it can happen in four years.

When I consider the alternative, I guess I'll take what I can get.

We'll see.

This time.

Two Hineyholes in a Hummer

In order to use disabled parking legally you need to have plates with the logo or hang your placard in the front window. As someone who needs to use disabled parking, I see perfectly able-bodied people use these spots all the time and more and more they are getting brazen about it. No embarrassment, no guilt when they are caught.

There are those people who have a disability and take advantage of it. These are the ones who park in front of entrances and no parking zones or even in the loading area of an already filled spot, hanging the placard in the window as though it is some sort of acceptable excuse for deliberate inconsiderateness.

KInda like the lady who parked a huge duel-axis pickup 3 feet away from the entrance at the hardware store a few weeks ago. She told me I was rude because I muttered under breath, 'Some people don't have to use parking spots'.  She was was talking to someone on her cell phone and interrupted her conversation to tell me I was rude. She pointed to her placard ferociously and said she was disabled and was picking something up. She toid me I didn't need to be so rude and ruin her day.

I would agree. You must be far more disabled than you look.

And there are those who have a placard and either refuse or don't display it properly and expect people to simply know they have one.

It's been happening so much that all I can do when I see it is mutter under my breath or or shake my head.

So yesterday, we stopped off at our neighborhood Walgreen's. I noticed a brand new, spit-polished and detailed Hummer, shiny clean rims and all. I looked at the plates, no logo. As we pulled into the other disabled spot, we both looked past the passenger on the cell phone to the rear view mirror. No placard.  As I got out of our truck, I looked back over at the truck and shook my head as I walked into the store.

Once I got to the pharmacy, I was treated to an unhappy man yelling at the Pharmacy Tech. He called the kid a jerk and was a complete hineyhole.  Why?  Because he couldn't read his own prescription bottle right. He insisted the expiration date was 11/31/08 and he insisted the tech look at it. "Sir, I see 10/31/08 not 11/31/08".

Uhhh... DOOD... there is no 11/31/08, even in a leap year.

So after Mr. Hineyhole finishes his tirade and tells the techit was his responsibility to let him know when his prescription  expires, I did my business and made my way out of the store, several feet behind Mr. Hineyhole.

Guess which vehicle Mr. Hineyhole got into?  Yep. The Hummer.

As I walked over the truck and was getting in, Mrs. Hineyhole had some words for ME.

"Maybe next time I'll take my autistic son in there and you can shake your head at him!".

Well, if he's as big a hineyhole as you and your husband I just might, CHICK.

"Huh?" is  what Manthing asked me as I was getting the truck. When I explained to him what it was all about, he told me they had a placard on the dash, not hanging in the window.

The times I have forgotten to hang the placard, I expect people to look at me weird or at the very least shake their heads a what a hineyhole I appear to be. They don't know I forgot. I certainly don't cop an attitude and hang out of a car window yelling like a fish wife at a total stranger because they shook their head at my vehicle

So here are a few tips to follow if you are ad disabled parker:

If you have a placard use it. 

If you don't, don't park there.

If it says 'NO PARKING', don't park there.

Don't get ugly because other people can't see the placard you refuse to hang or you think you can park anywhere because are disabled.

And don't use your kid as your weapon...for anything.

Just cause YOUR KID is autistic, doesn't give YOU special privileges.

AND

If you mutter under your breath, make sure you do it quietly.  ;)

I've Come To Realize

So. One post a day. Every day for 30 days. Last year I think I fell short by a few days. I didn't look.

But Hi to all my NaBloPoMo buddies!  Glad to see some of us stayed in touch! I updated the list and am looking and hoping to add more!

My NaBloPoMo page is here or comment with the pertinents and I'll add you!

So... off we go...and everyone who reads this and wants to play too should consider themselves tagged... ;) Send me a comment so I can see yours!

Fill in the second part of each statement with something about yourself.

1. I've come to realize that my hair...
will never be perfect.

2. I've come to realize that my heart...
is as broad as my shoulders and twice as strong.

3. I've come to realize that my job...
should be something I enjoy.

4. I've come to realize that I need...
to be who I am with everyone I meet.

5. I've come to realize that I have lost...
my asshole magnet.

6. I've come to realize that I don't like when...
when people I care about continue to hurt themselves.

7. I've come to realize that the opposite sex...
is not the enemy and not all broken.

8. I've come to realize that money...
is not as important as intregrity and self-worth.

9. I've come to realize that certain people...
are just taking up space and breathing our air.

10. I've come to realize that I'll always be...
unconventional, impertinent, irreverent,  independent, strong willed and loved just as I am.

11. I've come to realize that my significant other...
is best friend and the best man I have ever known.

12. I've come to realize that my mom...
has always done the best she can for us.

13. I've come to realize that my cell phone...
is less important than I thought.

14. Before I went to sleep last night I realized...
I'm fortunate.

15. I've come to realize that when I woke up this morning...
it was Saturday.

16. I've come to realize that right now...
I've watched a lot of movies this month.

17. I've come to realize that my dad...
should just go.

18. I've come to realize that when I read my e-mail...
I enjoy what I find waiting for me.

19. I've come to realize that today...
life is pretty good.

20. I've come to realize that tonight I'll be...
able to curl up under warm hand crocheted afghans and watch another movie.

21. I've come to realize that tomorrow is...
not promised.

22. I've come to realize that I really want...
a more comfortable balance between writing and arting.

23. I've come to realize that the person who is most likely to repost this...
is whoever sees it and wants to play too.

24. I've come to realize that life...
is deep and heady and filled with countless possibilities and opportunities.

25. I've come to realize that my friends...
are small in number but large of heart, courage and honesty.