Thursday, January 29, 2009

Uhh....Bibulousness???



I live near Chinatown and occasionally venture into its depths, (where no visual evidence of the USA exists) to shop in the stores I find there. Items normally in the pharmacy sell for far less money....basic things like simple office supplies, or kitchen things, or cleaning aids. While I was not particularly in the market for the New Generation Washcloth, I could not resist, basically because the 2-pack (pink and yellow) only cost a dollar, but mostly because the description had my eyebrows knit as I giggled like a silly girl. Check out the features!

[Photos are a little blurred. Please click on them for easy (and fun) reading]

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Today



In the morning I overslept...well, sort of. I actually set the alarm for three hours later than I was supposed to. Jeesh.

I had a doctor's appointment. My first time seeing this particular doctor, and hopefully my last. Did not like his manner, his rushing me, his suggestion upon looking at my leg for less than a minute that I should get surgery, his absolute defensiveness to my questions, nor the fact that I caught him saying in a voice recorder (in another room) after I got dressed that "this patient is very competent" (which I translated to mean that it was not going to be as easy to pull the wool over my eyes and dupe me into getting the expensive procedure that I really don't need. His own sort of note to self, if you will.)

Back home, before noon I put a couple of new items in my Etsy shop:

This first one, entitled "Do You Mind??!" combines my love of antique toys with humor through it's image and description which reads:

Shame on you for barging in on Lady Pricilla's bath time, I mean, really! It is very difficult to bathe oneself when one's hands are needed to hide the goodies. You really should turn your back...avert your eyes....something! Huh? Say what? You want to hang her portrait on your wall!? Well...this is highly unusual, we don't normally entertain requests such as these in the bathroom, although, yes, yes, this makes sense now. Be her guest!
The second one is a symbol to inspire personal achievement, one I thought would be nice for anyone to hang on their office or studio wall. It's called "Aspire" :)


In the afternoon I was invited (and accepted) into an exclusive Market (I won't bore people with the details of what "Markets" are, etc., just suffice it to say I was excited!) on 1000 Markets, a new juried online selling venue where I have recently opened another shop.

In the evening, I went food shopping. At this point the temperatures had dropped significantly since the morning, and reinforcements were necessary; NYC is a walking city, it wasn't like I was gonna hop in a car and drive to the store. I walk everywhere, no matter the weather, so I wrapped my face up in my favorite scarf, one my mother knit me (the best kind of reinforcement, don't you agree?) and forged ahead through the streets, my fingers quickly turning numb despite being gloved.

Then walking back I passed by Heath Ledger's last home, where he was found dead exactly one year ago. There were several bouquets and collages left outside of the door, in memorial, and it reminded me of that horrible day last year, also as cold. How ironic the announcement of his nomination for his role in The Dark Knight came out this morning.

And finally, tonight I will be catching up on some cleaning, starting new artwork, watching a little TV, adding another upload to my Flickr account, and having a nice bowl of something hot to warm me up inside.

Tomorrow is back to work. But tomorrow is not today, so it doesn't belong in this post. So with that I bid you all a good night!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Donald Sultan


I have only recently discovered his work. It was by accident, while killing time recently in a bookstore, a big coffee table book's bright cover caught my eye. When I opened it, immediately my lips parted, and with each turn of the page, I am sure you could have fed me, oh I don't know, say donut holes (if you're so inclined) through the gaping hole I left open. My jaw agape, my eyes feasted. The charcoal and tar....tar? He uses tar? And spackle! Rich, rich blacks, full of deep sooty lushness. Creamy whites. The lemons. The black eggs. Vinyl floor tiles, rather than traditional canvas. Simple shapes, organically rendered. I sink in this beauty and disappear into an inspiration-vortex. The book goes on my wishlist.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Let’s See, Etsy!

(She Ain't No Junkyard Gal)


Junker Jane is the 'handle' used by a wonderfully talented lady named Catherine who makes some beautiful, whimsical, and definitely unusual dolls. To some the term creepy might be more fitting, but you will never hear me characterize them in such a way, I think they are adorable times a hundred. I discovered her shop when she was featured on the front page of Etsy, where I also sell, and I sit here now and announce my endorsement of these soft little wonders made with an eclectic variety of fabrics, patchworked together.

Here are two I own which I've named Winky and Bunny-Cat. Every day when I come home from work I am met by their innocent faces. They make any black clouds disappear, and have absolutely won my heart!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Food Poisoning


At The End, originally uploaded by sMacshot.

I am on Day Three, and feel so weak and miserable, both at once burning hot and freezing, covered in goosebumps. There's no comfortable position in bed, and I just rock and moan in a half-conscious delirium. I had a doctor's appointment a few days ago and they made me a cup of coffee. I can't help but wonder if the last person who cleaned out my mug didn't disinfect their hands so well (perhaps after handling a 'sample' ?) because there is nothing else odd I ate which I do not eat every day. The problem is that very little has left my body in days, and so the poison (or whatever it is) is still inside me. Send me a mental thought of health, my friends, that I may soon recover and not feel like a person upon death's door.


UPDATE: Day 4 now, 11 lbs down and hopefully no more than that. I am feeling a bit better, have been up all day and am not sure, but think I am craving beef, which I never really eat (nothing against it, just don't care for it) and if I had some in the house I would surely prepare myself a plate. Tonight I will try to go to bed early evening rather than early afternoon; I must return to work tomorrow, because 4 days off from work is enough. More than that and I will really starve. :)