Oh, it's you, New Year...

> ...what do you want?

>> I want you to decide what type of schooling is next.

> Okay, what else?

>> Study on your own.

> And?

>> Keep up the yoga.

> Check. See you next year.

>> If all goes well...

> Wait, what?

>> GTG!

'Twas The Night for Crafting-Gifting

It began with Esty, from which 80% of my gifts came this year. There were two perfect images printed on vintage Dictionary pages: one for a typewriter fanatic and another for a foodie friend. Goodwill frames followed and it all led to an evening of clay, Bronner's, acrylic, and glue...

So it began...

The gold frame was exactly what I was looking for to frame the print I bought for B-. Unfortunately it had a huge gash. I wavered back and forth on the purchase, and finally decided that I could successfully replicate the pattern with my clay stash. Here is the gash:

This is the work I did to fill it in:

I sliced the matting from the heinous Sunflower print and replaced it with the print that inspired the gift. The existing green border did not work...

So I changed it to black. It was as simple as some drafting tape and a marker!

Precision and perfection! There were a few ink-bleeds, but I was able to blend pale pink acrylic with white for touch-ups.

Finished(ish) product!

Completely finished, painted and refurbished frames! They are perfect and I can't wait to give them away to R- and B-! I think that they will both love them. Did I mention that I spent under $20.00 for each?

Time Spent Alone

I am feeling incredibly bored with life right now. In an effort to become more involved and find something interesting to invest my time in, I went to a holiday party for an organization that I'm interested in. I met with the volunteer coordinator (I used to be one eons ago) and he is my age, which makes the prospect of being a volunteer sightly more enticing. It's not that I don't enjoy the company of people who are older than me --in many ways I prefer it-- but I suppose I'm apprehensive since I haven't been in an office for 5+ years. Knowing that someone my age is doing it is somewhat reassuring. Apparently there is a ton of writing work to be done and perhaps it would be great to use my skills. It's scary, but I know that I could do it and do it well.

Something else I recently dove into is attending Bikram yoga classes. It's the most challenging yoga I have ever practiced, which makes it the most enjoyable. The room is heated to about 105 degrees and the class is an hour and half long. I think that I chose the right season to begin my practice. When it's raining and 40 degrees outside, the heat inside the room is very much welcome. This practice requires so much from my body that I can't not take care of myself during my day to day. This means that I must drink lots of water, a minimal amount of caffeine (I've switched to tea) and alcohol. I love how it demands so much from me and I can see the benefits in my skin and in my body. Plus, I sleep like I baby whenever I practice.

At least I am pushing myself to be active in the community and with my body. Hopefully the boredom and loneliness will pass. Unfortunately, I, like my father, tend to be kind of a recluse and can go days without seeing my friends. Part of me loves being alone and another part finds it lonely. When I spend too much time alone, I find it difficult to relate to people, even my friends. I have to force myself to hang out with and visit people, which is what I'm trying to do...I just wish that it came easy to me as it does for others.

Samantha, by Edward Albee

They weren't with me
When I was taken in to die.
They were in Spain.

They lay on a bed in Grenada
With the phone to their ear
And they cried when they told them,
Cried into the phone.

I know that much.

I was kept for them
Curled in a frozen sleep
Until they came back.

They dug a hole then
(He and his friend dug a hole then)
On the point, by the ocean
Where all the others had been laid:
Poochie, Jennifer, Harry, Andrew, Jane,
and the cats
Cunegonde, Sarah, Leslie, Dorothy, Jake.

They dug a hole and put me in it.
Gentle Diane, the potter,
Baked clay biscuits for me
Placed them.
(Very Egyptian for an Irish Wolfhound. . . .
. . .but nice.)

I liked being with all the others,
On the point, by the ocean,
Especially Andrew, especially Jake.

I wonder -
- when it comes time
For the diggers, for gentle Diane,
Will they be put here too?
On the point? By the ocean? With us?

I hope so.
.

Festivities and a Film

Just when I thought that I'd have to pumpkin patch all by my lonesome, J- and I were magically off at the same time on the same day. It was nothing short of a miracle and so we went to the pumpkin patch. Pumpkins always find themselves in my bathroom and this year is no exception. We have a pumpkin in our bathroom waiting until the next day both J- and I are off. I guess I can use this time to brainstorm a great carving idea.

Carving pumpkins in an apartment always sounds like a huge chore to me, but I am determined not to let this pumpkin, like so many that have come before it, go un-carved. We will butcher that thing and put it outside of our apartment door like a normal couple, so help me!

On a different note, it takes something pretty extraordinary to keep me up past 11 P.M. these days and last night I discovered just that: Annie Hall. Oh my word. What took me so long to see it? I find so many movies to be mind-numbing, eye-rolling worthy, and way too formulaic that I lose interest about 40 minutes in, but I didn't want this one to end. If we didn't already have our costume idea...

Sorry for the banal post. The clouds are back, thank goodness! Now I am going to curl up on the couch with the best pooch in the word and watch "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." Don't judge.

Dear Seattle,

Good morning and I love you.

-M

Next Tattoo

A noodle. Why you ask? Because Maya is a noodle and it's better than a paw-print tattoo.