tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36612460075801413822024-03-12T22:31:02.904-07:00ms. martinifontaineAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-23729017988518892902014-01-01T14:00:00.000-08:002014-01-01T14:00:02.273-08:00Resolve<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People are inclined to make resolutions at the new year, I
suppose because it seems like a likely spot in time for a new beginning. I like
to think we can make a new start at any time – no need to wait for the
calendar. But I do enjoy the idea of a clean slate, everything from the past
365 days wiped away, starting off on a new day spotless and fresh. It’s easier
to continue forward, trying to be the kind of person I aspire to if I don’t
feel like I have to “make up” for anything that happened in the past; to let
any regrets I have go and forgive myself any transgressions. I try very hard
not to engage in activity that puts me in that position in the first place, but
there are always some things that I wish I could do better. Every year I think,
I’m going to remember ALL the birthdays this year! And then I fail. I think, I
really want to make a career change, and then life gets in the way and it’s
easier to continue on the same path, that of least resistance. I think, I would
like to be less judgmental about others in general, and then some young guy
walks in front of me with his pants almost to his knees, holding his belt with
one hand so that they don’t fall down the rest of the way, trying to look
“cool”, and there I go, being all judgy again. </span><div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2013 was a year of new beginnings: starting a new life as a
single mother, public school, and a huge move back to my home state of Oregon.
I’m excited to see what 2014 has in store. My resolve is to continue opening to
new beginnings, to allow possibility to have a prominent place in my life and
not to close <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>any figurative doors out of
fear, apathy or angst. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What hopeful things do you see for yourself in 2014? </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-86163084150247968242013-12-24T22:09:00.001-08:002013-12-25T10:02:41.889-08:00bah humbug<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wanted to write about Christmas traditions, but it turns
out, I have exactly zero traditions. When your family dynamic changes due to
something like divorce, the things that were traditions, or at least trying to
develop into a tradition, they get scrambled or discarded. We used to pack
ourselves into the car and drive around and look at Christmas lights. We
haven’t had a chance to do that this year. Our situation does not allow for me
leaving the house to do something like that. There used to be particular movies
we would always watch at Christmas time. But my son doesn’t like most of them,
so I don’t put them on. Most of them were movies that his dad and I would watch
after he went to bed anyway. I like to try to pick movies that take place at
Christmas, but aren’t necessarily “Christmas” movies:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Die Hard<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love Actually<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lethal Weapon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hook (the first time I saw it in the theater was on
Christmas)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Nightmare Before Christmas<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reindeer Games (horrid, but in a good way)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Titanic*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_40CeNLDi-tJNdyXUtY8k6HHe7sLs-4W82jUhsrMemp3bZXSaIN3m0qdYT5XmP9G5sOUafEOumvwKgJ6AKCC17dWDN1Pjdo1REA72R1GCNxItLyjpFjhOfa_Crkuv7XpmwmYHSM-xSfa/s1600/IMG_1832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_40CeNLDi-tJNdyXUtY8k6HHe7sLs-4W82jUhsrMemp3bZXSaIN3m0qdYT5XmP9G5sOUafEOumvwKgJ6AKCC17dWDN1Pjdo1REA72R1GCNxItLyjpFjhOfa_Crkuv7XpmwmYHSM-xSfa/s320/IMG_1832.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">this could be my own holiday portrait this year</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then there are the traditional Christmas films:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s a Wonderful Life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elf<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scrooged<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How the Grinch Stole Christmas<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bad Santa (I wouldn’t watch this one with the kids, though!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Holiday<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Home Alone<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What other traditions did we have? I don’t even really know.
I think it was only important to me to have traditions. The things I can
remember are me being the one who always was up Christmas morning with Nick,
because his dad couldn’t be bothered to wake up early in the morning, even on
Christmas. I remember that “we” decided not to give each other Christmas gifts
because we would just buy what we wanted. Which meant that it was too
inconvenient for him to bother to think of something to get for me for
Christmas. The more I think about it, the more depressing it is. I hope that my
son at least feels that his Christmas mornings are worth the disorganization of
his tradition-less parents. He gets a stocking every year – I guess that’s a
tradition. I used to read him the book A Wish for Wings That Work, but this
year, it’s packed and I have no idea where it ended up. I hope we didn’t lose
it. And he’s getting a little old for reading Christmas stories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That is not nearly the most depressing thought that I’ve had
so far this year. I also have dredged up some memories of my own Christmas
pasts. One where I sort of knew I was going looking for my Christmas presents,
found them, and in a flurry of irrational feelings of success, looked at all of
them, only to realize that absolutely nothing would be a surprise on Christmas
morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s not so bad, though. The
year that my step father decided it was time for me to “get over” Santa, and
said to me, “You know that’s all just made up, right?”. Christmas morning, he
actually took a couple of gifts from his parents and shoved them into my
stocking right in front of me and laughed saying, “Well, at least there’s
something in there for you!”. HAHA! YOU ARE SO FUNNY! Asshole. Who does that to
a 9 year old kid? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The rest of them, the ones I haven’t completely blocked
out, are just a blur of me being driven between one parent’s house and the
other, depending on whose turn it was to “have me”. Getting shuffled around to
make sure I spent the requisite amount of time with each family. It turned into
my obligation to act happy at every house and grateful that I got to have more
than one Christmas celebration. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first year we lived 3000 miles away, I was terribly
homesick until I realized I would not have to drive anywhere to visit anyone.
It was absolute bliss.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, since the divorce (just over a year ago),
which I’m probably still bitter about, even the memories that were good, I
think were just a lie. Everyone pretending to be happy and what the fuck was it
all for anyway? Hey look at that! I found my holiday tradition after all - being miserable and dissatisfied with my life! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What would be really nice, would be to have a holiday – any
holiday, really, I don’t care about Christmas one way or the other – to spend
with a person who actually <b>wants</b> to spend the holiday with me, who
enjoys doing the same things that I enjoy, so that we could enjoy them in
tandem and laugh and smile, eat good food, drink wine, go for a walk out in the
cold, tell stories, laugh at old videos. Maybe we would even come up with a couple of traditions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Come to think of it, it doesn’t even have to be a holiday. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*I had to edit this to add Titanic to the list. How did I forget that one?? It's my perfect Christmas movie!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-4314417116299262502013-12-22T21:31:00.001-08:002013-12-22T21:31:59.171-08:00Where I mention the unmentionables<div class="MsoNormal">
Hey, bra designers of the world, can you please get your
collective shit together and make a bra that not only works, but also doesn’t
make me want to join a nudist colony? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a plus size lady for pretty much all my life, even before
there was<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>such a thing as a “plus size”,
I can tell you this one fact about clothing: bras suck. I don’t think they only
suck for women who are under a size 12, either. I think that bras suck in
general, but my experience is predominately with bras in larger sizes. So that is
where the complaining will take place. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am about a size 18 (depending on the brand of clothing)
and I do not have large breasts. In fact, I would probably fit into a very modest B cup. My problem is that I have a large rib cage and I’m fat. So I need something that 44” around. Try to find a bra that is a 44B. You can’t. Believe me, I’ve
tried. I would like a cute bra, in my size, which can be worn with clothing
that isn’t a potato sack. I know, it sounds crazy! I have had one or two, but inevitably they wear out,
being the only couple of bras in my possession that don’t piss me off, and then
when I try to go back and buy more, the style has been discontinued or changed
in a way that makes them no longer appropriate. Bah Humbug! I am seriously
contemplating getting a boob job so that I can wear a size bra that exists and
doesn’t cause these types of bruises on my body:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Photographic evidence of injury done to person by afore mentioned undergarment:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9_vEOJldX5S74TYL-L10L5uRb9qVbmoj_XMX94GvZEyF8uXSSAm4C6RLvycaFphKWkITdm46946XJ4TPrCTuU1Fam-D7DDg4NrIulkRKLQfWUS3_gOoUWJjNxWf02q3LopuVjYlfAEv2/s1600/IMG_1870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9_vEOJldX5S74TYL-L10L5uRb9qVbmoj_XMX94GvZEyF8uXSSAm4C6RLvycaFphKWkITdm46946XJ4TPrCTuU1Fam-D7DDg4NrIulkRKLQfWUS3_gOoUWJjNxWf02q3LopuVjYlfAEv2/s320/IMG_1870.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the spot where the underwire rubs against me the most. This is from a normal bra - the underwire was NOT protruding (YET) from the bra, it's there mostly for torture and general discomfort. This picture was taken after the garment in question had been removed after approximately 10 hours of normal wear. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPAS_YjzmTGFBlh5-MSF8hPF8h4PHwjfd0-pOZDe4Zmx2iJYh2RX2pYIZC0y_rqK1aSr99sLrKUVvOpi_Bm8AocvMApVJ4ISWRN-5Bolu-yJMobJC6a7plK41GRl5UIBnoTUtjx5n79BJA/s1600/IMG_1875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPAS_YjzmTGFBlh5-MSF8hPF8h4PHwjfd0-pOZDe4Zmx2iJYh2RX2pYIZC0y_rqK1aSr99sLrKUVvOpi_Bm8AocvMApVJ4ISWRN-5Bolu-yJMobJC6a7plK41GRl5UIBnoTUtjx5n79BJA/s320/IMG_1875.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This picture was taken a full 24 hours later, lest you wonder if the marks on the first picture were merely an impression made by the garment. Nope. Bruises. They will purple up nicely.</div>
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It should not be too much to ask a designer, any designer, to come
up with a plan for making bras that fit actual people and not some vague
interpretation of a human form that doesn’t actually exist. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And while I’m at it, can we please do something about
underwires?? If we can get a flying machine into outer space, we should damn
well be able to create a structured garment that doesn’t suddenly, in the
middle of your day, become unhinged and leave you with a bare wire poking into
your flesh. How is that even reasonable?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Is there a comparable garment for men? No. Does any undergarment in the
average man’s closet (assuming you are wearing traditional male attire – I’m
sure there are plenty of men out there who are as pissed off about bras as I
am) even have a wire infrastructure? I can’t think of one. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Don’t even get me started on Spanx. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In closing, it seems that I am going to be forced into:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">A.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->not
ever wearing a bra again<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">B.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->wearing
something that looks like a bra, but is really only the suggestion of a bra and
will make me wonder all day why I didn’t go with option A<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">C.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->pay
a gazillion dollars to have a designer design and produce<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a bra specifically for my body <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">D.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->keep
wearing ill fitting bras that leave bruises on my delicate flesh<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s not looking good. <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-71558261195841210562013-12-16T09:48:00.002-08:002013-12-16T09:48:13.250-08:00Memory Loss<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Losing your mind happens in stages. Medical professionals
have created lists of stages that a person will go through when afflicted with
dementia. You can track someone’s behavior through these stages and, ideally,
prepare yourself and them for what will come next: the deterioration of the
brain. The brain is tricky, though, and can spend years convincingly acting as
though there is nothing wrong. All of a sudden, it seems to the person
suffering the loss, there is no more environmental control, no bodily control. No
more driving. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No more laundering or
cooking. No more bathing. All basic freedoms and dignities are slowly eroded
away, until what is left is dependence and vulnerability; the control of
others. If the brain would give way, relent and allow you to sink into a benign
muddle, content and infantile, it might be a peaceful way to go out. The brain
however, keeps poking at you, egging you on trying to reboot and restore
the previous level of function; teasing you, telling you that you’ve been
functioning all along and that you don’t need help. The brain is belligerent in it’s
biological imperative to create function and reason. The brain refuses to believe
that it’s no longer functioning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is most misunderstood about memory loss is its erratic
incompleteness. This can become frustrating to a caregiver; the patient seems
to be able to remember to go to the bathroom, to ask for help when it’s needed,
to wash hands, but one time out of 10, will end up crawling on the floor with
no pants on, and will become belligerent and stubborn, insisting that
everything is fine, this is the way it’s always been, there’s nothing wrong. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No amount of explaining does any good, because the brain which is affected by dementia cannot process information. The brain cannot
understand how a lecture or an explanation fits into the space-time continuum. Short term memory is a thing of the
past, and a simple sentence is uttered in frustration over and over, and is forgotten
again and again. Let me help you put on your pants. I don’t have pants on? No,
let’s put them on. I don’t need pants! You don’t have pants on. Don’t I have
any pants? Why aren’t my pants on? Let me help you put your pants on. I don’t
need help with any pants. I’ll put them on when I’m ready! Where are my pants?
I’m getting cold, aren’t you going to help me put these pants on?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A glimmer here and there of the way the brain used to be
capable of functioning; a spark of energy in one area for 5 or 10 minutes. Then
oblivion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My grandmother is in the later stages of dementia. For about
two years now, she’s needed help doing most things. Her decades long Tinnutis
makes auditory hallucinations more and more common as her brain struggles to
maintain normality. She likes to have the television running in the background,
to overcome the ringing in her ears that is always there, despite her hearing
aides. But dementia has stolen her cognitive ability to follow a story line, or
understand a plot or scheme being played out in a movie or even an hour-long
program. What we are left with is a handful of shows my teenage son and I lump into one
category as The Judges. These are televised, simulated courtroom settings where
a “judge” hears out an argument between two people and renders a “verdict”.
They are generally half hour programs and each “case” is about half of that,
making them, if not digestible, short. They also generally employ repetition to an epic degree,
making them perfect for someone who’s short term memory is approximately 90
seconds. Another for of television Grandma can appreciate is the game show. I don’t think she
follows the game as much as she can appreciate the emotionally charged, overly
gregarious behavior. It’s easy to know when to smile and laugh when there’s a
studio audience giving you cues. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I haven’t watched any of these shows for years, but it’s fun
to watch Grandma and my son laughing together over the Judge chewing out
someone or Steve Harvey being Steve Harvey (who knew Family Feud was still on
the air? I had no idea!). My feeling is that if in the few glimmers she has left she can laugh, then it’s going to be okay. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-22092028950437777062013-12-05T12:47:00.000-08:002014-01-01T14:01:28.830-08:00you might want to look the other way<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Before I go
ahead and just start ranting, I’m going to acknowledge first and foremost that
it is only due to my own privileged situation that I was able to homeschool my
son for 6 years. I feel that I was very lucky to not only have the opportunity
given by the state in which I lived, but also that our family was financially
able to support our mutual decision to homeschool my son. I do realize how
lucky we are to live when and where we live.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">That said, I’m
all riled up this morning about this story:</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://prospect.org/article/homeschool-apostates?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter"><span style="color: #0000f6; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">http://prospect.org/article/homeschool-apostates?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And my consequent
tweets:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCkJqJM6GvxCGmG1XwtppytCxaMrP5oDdeuWZFRSOvYWfsDw4GFXUpgdzE6HfqEqDU_duZsuYLFX8SDd8idAtJbZhyT9ihMoPvL8PJyHCxbSQFv62YeTuDuvyiIriZnaQN8GQf_dzIHkw/s1600/homeschool+tweets.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCkJqJM6GvxCGmG1XwtppytCxaMrP5oDdeuWZFRSOvYWfsDw4GFXUpgdzE6HfqEqDU_duZsuYLFX8SDd8idAtJbZhyT9ihMoPvL8PJyHCxbSQFv62YeTuDuvyiIriZnaQN8GQf_dzIHkw/s320/homeschool+tweets.tiff" width="293" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I read the WHOLE
article and now I’m going to get out my soapbox.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And to be fair,
I’m not so much riled up by the idea that there are some fundamentalist
religious people who choose to homeschool, who’s views I staunchly disagree
with. I am disturbed by families being plagued with the fallout of mental illness
while our health care industry does nothing. I am, in fact, righteously
outraged that people use the bible as a way to justify abusing children. And
once again, I am riled up because anytime homeschooling is mentioned it’s
always about the crazy people. Those crazy damn homeschoolers! What are they doing
to those poor children? Think of the children! The children, who
are being forced to stay home and ruin their lives! I am SO. TIRED. of
this argument.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Homeschooling
families are as diverse as families who choose public education. I am going to
venture a guess that even families who are choosing to homeschool because of
religious reason have a wide range of diversity. There is not One Kind of
homeschooler. This article mentions other types of homeschooling briefly, but
then quickly disavows homeschooling on any level.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I am also tired
of reading about the “frightening” statistics of homeschooling.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">“<span style="color: #1d1d1d;">Homeschooling now exists in a virtual legal void; parents
have near-total authority over what their children learn and how they are
disciplined. Not only are parents in 26 states not required to have their
children tested but in 11 states, they don’t have to inform local schools when
they’re withdrawing them. The states that require testing and registration
often offer religious exemptions.”</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Firstly, and most importantly, whether you homeschool or not, you live in a country where abusing a child is not legal. Period. And I'm pretty sure we are all clear on what types of "discipline" are actually <i>abusive</i> behavior. As for the "legal void" mentioned in this article, homeschooling
families of all sorts wish for this void every September. If only! I have lived in three
different states and have home schooled in each and the rules are varied, but
there is hardly a “void”. If it were a matter of parental choice, you would or
would not send your child to school as you saw fit for your own family. You
would homeschool at whatever level you choose to homeschool, you would not be
required to take a class (Washington State) or prove how many college credits
you have (North Carolina), or declare in any way your decision to homeschool
(Oregon). However, we are required by law to announce to the state and the
school district what are intentions are, not just once, but every fall that our
children are of “school age”, and individually for each child. The only benefit
I can see is to the </span><i style="font-size: 10pt;">school</i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> and the funding that each child represents in
their budget. It certainly has nothing to do with the welfare of the children
in question. I submit that instead of some "legal void" that homeschoolers are reaping the benefit of, instead there is a startling <b>lack</b> of legal rights if you choose to enroll your child in the public education system.</span></span></span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This argument is made only in favor of compulsory, public education. </span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> I have
done both, and I can tell you that my rights as a parent were pretty much
negated – we were told when and where our child was supposed to be while school
was in session and if we dared to fall outside that box, we were threatened
with being sent in front of a judge in a county court where we would have to
defend our parental “rights”. Where’s the legal void when you really need it?? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-size: 10pt;">But,
I digress. My whole point is to ask why is it that we only ever hear about the
horrifying stories of homeschooling? Certainly, there are as many ways of
parenting as there are families to decide how to parent, and homeschooling is
no different. Would you want to be told that you <b>must</b> feed your baby
formula? That you are absolutely <b>required</b> to use cloth diapers? That you
have to buy a particular model of vehicle if you planned on transporting your
child? Ridiculous! Abuse is abuse and while I see the correlation between the
fundamentalist homeschooling movement and child abuse, is it any different than
the correlation between<a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/child-myths/201003/child-maltreatment-and-poverty-causes-and-effects"><span style="color: #0000f6;"> poverty and childabuse</span></a>? From the motion
picture Horton Hears a Who to the latest media blitz on the horrifying story of
<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2013/11/hana_williams_the_tragic_death_of_an_ethiopian_adoptee_and_how_it_could.html"><span style="color: #0000f6;">Hana Williams</span></a>, over and over what people hear
is the term “homeschooler” linked with some nightmarish situation. It’s
what made people look at me sideways and take two steps back after I mentioned
that I was a homeschooling parent. You’re one of <i>those people</i>.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-size: 10pt;">Can
we please just start addressing the issue of child abuse, and leave the
homeschooling out of it? The only reason I see to keep making an issue of
homeschooling is to pave the road to removing that right altogether. Is taking
away basic rights a highway that anyone really wants to drive down?
In the words of Tod from the 1989 movie Parenthood,</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-size: 10pt;">“you
need a license to buy a dog, to drive a car - hell, you even need a license to
catch a fish. But they'll let any butt-reaming asshole be a father.”</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And
there’s the real root of the issue for you. Damn humans.</span></span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-language: JA;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-90925454465884224492013-11-25T21:09:00.000-08:002013-11-25T22:48:52.839-08:00Up Next: Adventures in Caregiving<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am a natural caregiver. Over time I have
learned that something I not only enjoy, but that keeps me feeling relevant, is
helping other people. I took a test several months back and discovered that I'm
a <a href="http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/TypeTwo.asp#.UpQcAqXDY_s"><span style="color: #0000f6;">type 2 Enneagram personality</span></a>. Even my
career in esthetics reflects my innate need to be needed. I have enjoyed at
times being both a stay at home parent and a home schooling parent. All these
things have given me to think that I will succeed at being the primary
caregiver for my grandmother. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My father's mother, she has lived in the same
house since before I was born. She took care of me many times when I was a
little girl in this very house. I remember her mother, my great grandmother,
also living in this house at some point in time. So it seems that a 5th
generation will live in this house that was a shack when my grandparents
purchased it for $3500. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have several very clear memories of being in
this house as a child: being very young, eating dinner in the living room while
Star Trek showed on the television, with my plate on the hassock, being sick
and having my temperature taken as I lay on the sofa and accidentally biting
through the (mercury) thermometer, swinging on the swing in the basement with
my grandma and trying to touch our toes on the ceiling, getting dressed up in a
coat with fur trim and my Black Pats (black maryjane patent leather shoes) and
going to church with my grandparents, my grandpa in a hospital bed in the
living room, dying of cancer. Many more. I even moved in for several months one
year in my 20’s, convalescing while my grandmother cared for me after I was in
a motorcycle accident. This house is as much a part of my life as anything else
I can think of. Even though the landline has been gone for a decade, I still
remember the phone number. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now 86, grandma has dementia, and cannot care
for herself. She needs help and recently, full time help so that she doesn’t
hurt herself at night. My son and I moved into the same basement that my dad
once lived in as a child with his parents, as my grandfather finished building
the main floor of the house. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s a strange juxtaposition, being the
grandchild caring for my elder. As I make her breakfast in the morning, I
remember mornings of her making me soft boiled eggs with toast in a special
Mickey Mouse dish, drinking grape juice and watching her move around the
kitchen, giving my grandpa insulin at the beginning of the day. As I help her
bath, I think of being so small that the bathtub seemed like a swimming pool
and having her wash my back and powder my bum when I was dry. Everything
reversed now. She and I giggle as I help her with the daily tasks of eating,
getting to and from the bathroom and figuring out which horrible television
courtroom show she would rather watch in the afternoon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best, we sit after breakfast, drinking our
coffee, and she tells me about when she was a young girl, her memories of that
time much more clear than those of what she ate 15 minutes ago. She tells me
about her old school house when she was a little girl, growing up in Broadview,
Montana. She remembers her daddy letting her drive the old pickup around the
fields, chasing cows when she was in the third grade. She remembers being 16 and
going to Corpus Christi, Texas with her mother to marry my grandfather, a
handsome navy man, who had already lied and told the court clerk that my
grandmother was 18 in order to get a marriage license. She remembers waiting
table in Corpus Christi. She liked living near the Gulf of Mexico. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now she counts on someone to do most things for
her. She doesn’t have good balance and uses a walker to get from one room in
the house to another. She doesn’t want to ride in the car to go anywhere any
more. Her hearing has degraded until she has a hard time, even with a hearing
aid and because of the dementia, she has a hard time following a movie; she
can’t read a book or do her favorite word find puzzles. Sometimes she tries to
play solitaire with a deck of cards, but gets easily frustrated when the
numbers and suits run together in front of her eyes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My days have become very small. I get up and
make coffee, which I drink a lot more of now that I’m home for hours at a time.
I make breakfast and sit quietly while she eats and watches the traffic out the
front windows, the people catching buses and the chickens in the yard across
the street. I read. I make several small meals a day. I do dishes. I fix small
things that need repair. I unpack my own boxes (unpacking takes me forever) and
decide what things to keep and which shall replace the things that she hasn’t
used in years. I make myself available so that when she calls out, I can come
and get her whatever it is she needs, sometime just so she knows she’s not
alone. I sit next to her on the couch and hold her hand and have the same short
conversations over and over. Yes, it’s a beautiful day outside. That tree
across the street is the most beautiful tree, with the red leaves. This is your
house; you’ve lived here for more than 60 years. Yes, we’ve moved in with you!
We sleep downstairs. The rabbit’s name is Oliver. He doesn’t eat cat food. The
days slip quickly by when they are measured in 1-2 hour intervals of napping
between bathrooms breaks and “meals” that are about 6 bites. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It will be an interesting adventure, caring for
my grandmother during this time of her life. I hope that it will give me
insight for myself when the time comes for me to require care from another. I
hope I don’t spend the next 5 years forgetting what it’s like to be myself and
becoming a crazy lady who feeds all the stray cats in the neighborhood. And I
do hope that I manage to give my grandma a little bit of the comfort that she’s
given me over the years. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIWp02EWg_iNAiibQq-0HEb5WClgU8gXiwkkpXsPqtrrw-v0o6U8xO8Rg7T6M1UwQGqU1iOiGgAq6NqvRydexZhGyeQd247Md4kkVUz2Q0IeSsPsPcWFDXbf2FtfsJ_Yt4d50LayE96CF/s1600/Scanned+Image+8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIWp02EWg_iNAiibQq-0HEb5WClgU8gXiwkkpXsPqtrrw-v0o6U8xO8Rg7T6M1UwQGqU1iOiGgAq6NqvRydexZhGyeQd247Md4kkVUz2Q0IeSsPsPcWFDXbf2FtfsJ_Yt4d50LayE96CF/s320/Scanned+Image+8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">me and my grandma, December 1971</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-84382115002845072102013-05-30T20:46:00.003-07:002013-05-30T20:46:31.590-07:00Prom Night, Part Deux<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, here it is. The part where I confess what a horrible human being I am. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Confession is like housecleaning - get it all out and then start over from scratch. Right? I'll give it a try. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A summary of my Senior Prom night so far: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I
didn’t get asked to prom by anyone<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I
asked someone who then declined<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Made
plans with some church kids instead<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Rock
and roll bowling in The Big City<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Met
up with friends to tell tales at the end of the night<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the time we all met up at the end of the night, I was
sort of worn out from hanging out with the kids who did not feel inclined to do
anything edgy. This is where my defective character starts to rear it’s ugly
head, because as much as I was willing to go along with the church dinner and
then go bowling with these kids, I was sort of hoping that they would loosen up
a little and chill out. Of course, they were who they were and I was who I was
and when I brought out the whippets and
the balloons, they decided that it was late and that they should be getting
home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don’t even remember where I heard about whippets. In case
you managed to get through the 90’s without working at a Starbucks, whippets
are the CO2 cartridges that you use to, for instance, charge whip cream
dispensers. You can also use them to make soda water (my grandpa used to have
one he kept in the house for mixing drinks). At that time, no one had yet
bothered to make a big deal about whippets. Someone had told me about them and
I thought they sounded like fun. In my 17 year old naivety I assumed that
because I went into a legitimate store
and purchased them, along with a plastic dispenser and a huge balloon,
that this was all legal and technically, it was all legal. Of course, no one
told us we’d be killing off huge numbers of brain cells. The straight kids were
the smart ones that night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whippets don’t actually seem to have any lasting effect at
all. You put a little, silver, rounded cylinder of CO2 into the plastic device,
and place the balloon around one end of the plastic device, crank it down so
that the sharp bit inside punctures the CO2 cartridge and lets the CO2 out into
the balloon. Then you take the balloon
and inhale the CO2 and fun ensues! Well, at least for the person who inhales;
the first couple of time you watch this happen, it is pretty entertaining to
watch your friend who just inhaled a disturbing amount of something that isn’t
air into their lungs turn red and fall over onto the floor laughing hysterically
at nothing whatever. After about 60 seconds, the whole thing is over and
everyone is back to normal. Then the next person takes a hit off the balloon
and it all begins again. This is what a bunch of band nerds in a very rural
small town could come up with for fun in 1989. We didn’t even have any booze! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The whippets were a lark, but after a while, it stopped
hysterical. And most of us stopped. We probably were raiding the refrigerator
for something to eat when my friend’s younger sister came home. I think she had
been at the prom, too. She was a year younger than us, and in a whole other
social circle. We were in the marching band, we were the nerds of the school
and were somewhat prideful about it. She was a cheerleader and ran around with
the popular, extroverted friends who joined student council and wrote articles
for the paper and worked on the yearbook. I don’t know exactly what she had
been doing earlier that night. All I really remember is that at some point, she
suggested that we should go toilet paper PJ’s house. I didn’t even know that
she knew PJ and when she suggested it, I was surprised. I asked her brother (my
good friend), why does she want to toilet paper his house? And he didn’t know.
I’m pretty sure he was just waiting for us all to leave to he could get lucky
with his girlfriend. He didn’t really care where we were going or what we were
doing. I got the impression that maybe she had asked PJ to go to prom also and
she was pissed off at him, or maybe they had gone out on a date and he had been
less than chivalrous, something had happened. That was enough for me to jump on
the bandwagon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is where I feel the blush of shame in my face, even
just writing about it. This guy, PJ, had declined my invitation to the prom,
but he had done it politely. He hadn’t ever been rude to me in any way, he just
did not like me the same way I liked him. My ego was hurt. And I was feeling
like I needed something to happen that night. I hadn’t gone through any of the
traditional rituals that most girls did on that night. Even though my own
choices were the reason for not participating in a staple of western teenage
culture, at that moment, I wanted to feel denied that right of passage. I
wanted to blame someone for my lack of dress, shoes and corsage, and PJ seemed
as good a person to take the blame as anyone. I agreed to go with her to toilet
paper his house. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cindy and my friend’s sister and a couple of her friends all
got into a car with toilet paper, eggs and a bottle of dish detergent. I don’t
think we actually used the eggs. The toilet paper was mess enough to be sure.
We through it high up into the trees over and over again and it was actually
pretty fun, once I got the hang of it and I realized that there was sort of an
art form to getting it to look like it always looked in movies when they showed
toilet paper hanging from trees. We poured dish detergent onto the windows of
the cars in the driveway (the idea there is that you can’t tell it’s on the
window until you turn on your windshield wipers and then it takes forever to
wash it all off) and then we drove off into the night cackling maniacally, very
pleased with ourselves. I do remember thinking at one point that we should be
careful not to wake his parents, but then I thought, oh well, it’s not like
we’re destroying anything, right? We’re not spray painting anything, or
breaking anything. Everything we did could be undone, so what could be wrong? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now as a parent I think that if I caught kids doing that to
my house, the very least I would do would be to call their parents and make
them come clean it up. If not call the police and try to charge them with
vandalism. I completely convinced myself that what we did was no big deal.
Everyone did it at some point, right? PJ would probably wake up in the morning
and have a good laugh when he looked outside and saw that his house had been
the target. He would probably be joking about it at school on Monday! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That, of course, is not how it played out. Even though I
wanted my choice to be vindicated as a normal act of childhood, when I did hear
PJ talking about what had happened in band the next week, he was not happy
about it. He was trying to figure out who had vandalized his house. He had no
idea who would have done something like that to him. He did not seem to get the
joke at all! So the part of my brain that KNEW that what I had done was wrong,
the part that couldn’t stand to live with my choices that night lead me to
impulsively confess my sin to him right there in front of several other people.
I laughed and tried to play it off as a huge joke and weren’t we all so funny!
I’ll bet it took you HOURS to clean up that mess!! Thinking back on it, I
realize now that the look I saw on his face was sheer disbelief. He saw the
reality of what happened even if I refused to acknowledge it. For the rest of
the school year, he was horrible to me. He treated me exactly the way I
deserved to be treated – like a lousy bitch who had toilet papered his house.
And I did NOT get it. I honestly did not realize how badly that must have been
for him, to realize that someone who said they were a friend, decided to defile
the place where he and his family lived simply because he did not want to go to
a dance with me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not many things I harbor regret for, but that is one of
them. I suppose I could track him down and apologize. Maybe someday I will, if
he would even want to speak to me again at all. Wouldn’t blame him if he
didn’t. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After we came back from our toilet papering adventure, Cindy
and I went to the local diner and ate pie. We didn’t go home to sleep until
early in the morning – it was the one night of the year that I did not have a
curfew. I think that I needed to stay up late enough that I was deliriously
tired so that I would actually sleep that night. Otherwise, I would have
rightly been robbed of a peaceful rest. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-59360947502460396752013-05-27T22:23:00.001-07:002013-05-27T22:23:22.831-07:00Senior Prom Part I -
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Prom Night<o:p></o:p></div>
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Is it prom season again? I was at the mall and I’m hardly
ever at the mall, so I wasn’t sure if all the formal dresses were because of
prom, or if it’s some new fashion thing that I am unaware of. So many of them
looked like they belonged in Strictly Ballroom, it was hard to picture them on
anyone who wasn’t doing the Flamenco. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rdGswZ_ayv8B_U2dKY8L3QbB2sTbGdFxh24tcuOAHnOb-FjcIypBKp-Q7JiJdg26a9O2iCkumPKvARVcjsd39q6b47MdLKWgR-Ek66eJq1XhGlZUpW4Br__lhs9Ri8JGGX3Dv8HCIGv6/s1600/2013_Plus_Size_Prom_Dresses_Mermaid_Sweep_Brush_One_Shoulder_Organza_PD0457_original_img_13637619951809_457_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rdGswZ_ayv8B_U2dKY8L3QbB2sTbGdFxh24tcuOAHnOb-FjcIypBKp-Q7JiJdg26a9O2iCkumPKvARVcjsd39q6b47MdLKWgR-Ek66eJq1XhGlZUpW4Br__lhs9Ri8JGGX3Dv8HCIGv6/s320/2013_Plus_Size_Prom_Dresses_Mermaid_Sweep_Brush_One_Shoulder_Organza_PD0457_original_img_13637619951809_457_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Is this not a Strictly Prom dress?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>
Prom dresses in 1989 were not so different, really. If there
was one huge difference, it was the amount of lace that was on most dresses in
1989. Lots of lace that year - big hair and lace.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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All those fancy dresses got me thinking about my own senior
prom, which I did not attend. As I was writing this story, I remembered something that happened at the end of that night which I had completely forgotten about. It was like I blanked it out of my memory on purpose. Which makes sense, because it was awful. Probably one of the more terrible things I've purposely done. </div>
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But to begin with, even though I wasn’t a huge fan of the idea of going to the prom, I drew a picture of the prom dress I wanted. If I had gone, I wanted to make my own dress, not buy one off the rack. I didn’t want a dress that looked like everyone else’s. As it turned out, no one asked me to go to the prom, so I guess I wore my feelings on my big, poufy sleeve. There was a person that I had hoped would ask me, PJ. Oh PJ.
He was in band. He played the trumpet. I’m not even sure why I decided that I wanted to go to the prom
with PJ, but once I made my mind up, there was no changing it. I waited until I
thought that it was getting to be a close call and then one day after school,
at a friend’s house, I called him and asked him to go with me. It was
terrifying! And he declined, saying that he had already asked someone else to
go. It was sort of kind to say that he had already asked someone else, but then
again, it’s never really fun to get turned down. Hopes dashed! So I pretty much
decided to boycott the prom. My two best friends were dating each other and planned
to go. I did NOT want to be a third wheel at the prom, of all things. And I
don’t think that they asked me to go, anyway. That would just have been
awkward. I made up my mind that I could
not be bothered to go to the senior prom. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHuoVZiguh81gMy-xRuVsjbrkztWYtAXKZmxHDlDUKzmP3N56tWP3grV7V0xNTckE7cmnvG9Y2pJxU52cSWBzds7oxaNcYYniREiF_XmAAlwtTeyDCFpC0B7p5pLmcKjEAAYIBGy3uBLDo/s1600/34396larger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHuoVZiguh81gMy-xRuVsjbrkztWYtAXKZmxHDlDUKzmP3N56tWP3grV7V0xNTckE7cmnvG9Y2pJxU52cSWBzds7oxaNcYYniREiF_XmAAlwtTeyDCFpC0B7p5pLmcKjEAAYIBGy3uBLDo/s320/34396larger.jpg" width="274" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I was absolutely terrified of anything strapless</span></div>
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<o:p> </o:p>It was maybe a week before the prom when I was talking with
a guy who sat in front of me in my Global Studies class, Jay. He and I were in
band together. We were chatting and I asked him if he was going to go to the
prom. He said no, he had not planned on it. I said, me either. But then I
impulsively said, “You have a tux for orchestra, don’t you? We could totally go
to the prom together!”. He just shook
his head and said, no, no prom. I agreed. It was really too late to make those
sort of plans anyway. And I didn’t want to go to the prom. I told him that we
should make other non-prom plans. I said, we should go Rock and Roll Bowling!
It will be fun and we can invite anyone we want to go with us, people who were
not going to the prom, obviously. Jay
told me that he was serving food at a dinner at his church that night. I said,
I’ll come help, rock and roll bowling doesn’t start until 10pm, anyway! We
agreed.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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So prom night – I showed up at Jay’s church. I’m not even
sure what the dinner was for, but I was helping out in the kitchen, washing up
dishes and getting big dishes of food ready to serve to large tables of people.
No one there knew who I was. I’m pretty sure that I was probably in the way.
And I had decided at the last minute to wear Lee Press-on Nails. Which, if
anyone remembers, were like, the worst, fake nails ever made. They looked
ridiculous and I had painted them bright red. I think I dressed up a little
too, and looked completely out of place in the kitchen, but I jumped right in
and put on an apron and a pair of gloves and got to work. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We were meeting a couple of other people to go to the
bowling alley with. It was in Portland, which was about 40 minutes away. I
think there were four or five of us in our little party. Rock and Roll Bowling:
when they turned the lights down on the lanes and played “classic rock”. It was
still a lark in 1989, and it got crowded quickly. We hadn’t been there for very
long when a group of guys turned up in the lane next to us. And I knew one of
them! Kerry! From my Greek Drama class the year before! He had graduated the
year before and was going to a local city university. I liked Kerry. He had let
me wear his Guess watch for two weeks once. I thought maybe he would ask me out
or something, but when he took the watch back, it was very matter of fact and
he was simply friendly. And now that I think about it, a little weird. Kerry
was with a group of guys and they were all drinking beer. He thought it was
great that we were bowling instead of at the prom – he totally got that we were
dissing the prom and bowling instead. We didn’t need any stinking prom! He
asked if any of us wanted a beer, but the crowd I was with was pretty straight,
so we just bowled. He and his friends got drunker and drunker and eventually
left. I never saw Kerry again, but I did hear that he got arrested at work at
the local grocery store for stealing a couple of years later. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAB1OGcnsuLAXkBbXAk2jIwbT_4-fxFZ8NUjN1k6ji3weVVMHp2xqbCV5Yi3jJG18gY4wWcIrISxzo854hWR558n5b1e_XmDy4mfTi4dQ9xGUJtU8Etb2vFWg_JgM3epMLM1fBfCNPMk2/s1600/party+time+formals+plus+size+6239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAB1OGcnsuLAXkBbXAk2jIwbT_4-fxFZ8NUjN1k6ji3weVVMHp2xqbCV5Yi3jJG18gY4wWcIrISxzo854hWR558n5b1e_XmDy4mfTi4dQ9xGUJtU8Etb2vFWg_JgM3epMLM1fBfCNPMk2/s320/party+time+formals+plus+size+6239.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Halloween costume or Prom dress?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
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Remember the horrid fake nails I was wearing? It tuned out
that Lee Press-On Nails were not designed to hold up to a bowling ball. I threw
the ball one time and one of my nails came off in the finger hole of the ball!
I was just glad that it didn’t fall out in the bowling lane. I tried to take
them off without anyone noticing, but I’m pretty sure Jay caught me and I managed
to laugh it off.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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After bowling, we were meeting up with friends who had chosen
to attend the prom. My two best friends had agreed to meet up with me and some
other friends of ours that were all going as couples. One friend, Cindy, had
gone to the prom with someone who she wasn’t actually dating, they just went
together to have someone to go with. She bought a crazy yellow dress and had my
mom do her hair. She looked really great. The guy she was going with was Cecil. When she told me she was going with Cecil, I was shocked. He was a
well-established bully! He said horrible things to me and several other people
I knew. She insisted that he had changed and that they were going to have a
lovely prom night. When Jay and I and our other non-prom people showed up at
the house where everyone was meeting, she was there to tell her tale of woe. She told us that she
had had a horrible night. Cecil was a complete jerk. He hadn’t bought her a
corsage. He took her to McDonalds for dinner and thought it was funny. He
didn’t dance with her. He didn’t really act like they were on a date at all.
She was so disappointed! I thought, I told you not to trust that guy. He was
nothing but trouble. I felt so smug for deciding not to go to the prom with someone
just to go (even though I would have changed my mind at the last minute if Jay had agreed to go with me - ah, 17 years old!) ! It made my night bowling next to Jerry and his drunken college
friends even better! Not even my bad
nail incident seemed that bad after hearing her story. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhph2m-Dr9N_FLg99NOVS-Ua-wBOzfIaehAPGFSUB54YroOoiwvR8afrgXL6YLHqd85vMi7i_f4uzhOR2g5UtPFzm-EKUQvsik6mzzcJzYq0rGYhspvoNOVxlx-lNyoi5cIn3bB0tUSh-uc/s1600/party+time+formals+plus+size+6252_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhph2m-Dr9N_FLg99NOVS-Ua-wBOzfIaehAPGFSUB54YroOoiwvR8afrgXL6YLHqd85vMi7i_f4uzhOR2g5UtPFzm-EKUQvsik6mzzcJzYq0rGYhspvoNOVxlx-lNyoi5cIn3bB0tUSh-uc/s320/party+time+formals+plus+size+6252_03.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I can't lie, I would wear this to Ben and Jerry's on a Monday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
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To be continued. Stay tuned for Part Deux, where you learn how I tried to debauch the straight kids, and other nasty things about my past. </div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-6910384739148820852013-05-12T12:03:00.004-07:002013-05-12T12:03:55.305-07:00Happy Mother's DayI know this holiday isn't for everyone, especially those without their mom's/kids. <div>
I hope however you choose to spend it, you honor yourself. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCw6TN747T_Y9G0nvJnS_R1h_Oxx9Bbgt1kQby_rlLIrNjbWlayN_DXbFu6ESW3RorrQg-R9fpDromii4Qw0mHZbfLBnBmkqL5JiF014in1VUJzXyCaFNsFplrne0VYIlgBEcKjMxc9FA_/s1600/Scanned+Image+4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCw6TN747T_Y9G0nvJnS_R1h_Oxx9Bbgt1kQby_rlLIrNjbWlayN_DXbFu6ESW3RorrQg-R9fpDromii4Qw0mHZbfLBnBmkqL5JiF014in1VUJzXyCaFNsFplrne0VYIlgBEcKjMxc9FA_/s320/Scanned+Image+4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">mom and me spring of 1972</span></div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-67347839901709653142013-05-11T18:18:00.002-07:002013-05-11T18:18:26.182-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 30!!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is it! Day 30! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you to <a href="http://www.thedawnieproject.com/2013/05/30-day-drawing-challenge-congrats.html">The Dawnie Project</a> for putting up a great challenge. It was a lot of fun. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 30 - A Banner for Finishing the Challenge</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLtqbIYDExzCHMqiT1m7rx3pifNHrvKsbsMXpvLwTa27dCWxCigssBDD1w-WbCiSVfhxYRxVOsbEDiKBzuFqr8VhqabmDjK6Aw-FDgPF4xikA5htm3Ljm-Dty9c8ZrwFCoxyQRZwz-iCz/s1600/IMG_0343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLtqbIYDExzCHMqiT1m7rx3pifNHrvKsbsMXpvLwTa27dCWxCigssBDD1w-WbCiSVfhxYRxVOsbEDiKBzuFqr8VhqabmDjK6Aw-FDgPF4xikA5htm3Ljm-Dty9c8ZrwFCoxyQRZwz-iCz/s320/IMG_0343.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Made it! </div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-53950360329729614292013-05-10T19:53:00.003-07:002013-05-10T19:53:28.720-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 28 & 29Via <a href="http://www.thedawnieproject.com/2013/05/30-day-drawing-challenge-place-you-want.html">The Dawnie Project</a><br />
<br />
Day 28 was Anything You want. That was yesterday. I fully intended to draw SOMEthing, however what I ended up doing was falling asleep at a ridiculously early hour. So apparently what I liked yesterday was some shut-eye.<br />
I drew you a picture of that instead.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvc8LKAphiQ84HBTrc_BANMNoILHRmADLgMiym3an-0xBICL7iM4Vibc1BaDw9WpxUT9frYPXfCmpBXRLVKAo4FdN9ndYVb6HYjUe8qF8IvXdwNi-FzusMAD7CVBqLQGUoUIDzc52oNeBs/s1600/IMG_0341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvc8LKAphiQ84HBTrc_BANMNoILHRmADLgMiym3an-0xBICL7iM4Vibc1BaDw9WpxUT9frYPXfCmpBXRLVKAo4FdN9ndYVb6HYjUe8qF8IvXdwNi-FzusMAD7CVBqLQGUoUIDzc52oNeBs/s320/IMG_0341.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Today, Day 29, was Somewhere You Want To Go</div>
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I like the idea of hitting the open road and just driving for the sake of seeing the country side. Visit corners of the US that I haven't seen before. Have adventures on the open road; eat at weird places, dance with people I've never met before, buy a beer for someone at a bar who's down on their luck. There are some beautiful places out there, and I'd like to see more of them. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vb8rysZ2Jt0CQkxHI0_bDD7CRyhX0bn63HYPgZrt9SlMx2xQXn2ihnkIPOSXiJJxK_vOA2894q0NyIwznJlbBAmVbEX6e_wCsJIbKeBFB4yUSqDSXkxTuAQ0dcBtWHCpCPj1wvhpv-rE/s1600/IMG_0342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vb8rysZ2Jt0CQkxHI0_bDD7CRyhX0bn63HYPgZrt9SlMx2xQXn2ihnkIPOSXiJJxK_vOA2894q0NyIwznJlbBAmVbEX6e_wCsJIbKeBFB4yUSqDSXkxTuAQ0dcBtWHCpCPj1wvhpv-rE/s320/IMG_0342.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Leave it to me to start slacking off the last couple of days of the challenge! </div>
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Tomorrow! Day 30! Stay tuned! </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-29939989643267179212013-05-08T22:25:00.001-07:002013-05-08T22:25:48.347-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 27Via <a href="http://www.thedawnieproject.com/2013/05/30-day-drawing-challenge-someone-you.html">The Dawnie Project</a><br />
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Day 27 - Someone You Love<br />
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Challenging, indeed.<br />
So many choices....<br />
But I picked my Grandma, who's name was Iris.<br />
Rest in peace.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohT1cCzcSXi0hMeZmJqz_GMNZQAkTWhjY8b382Ly4bCV0mqYqam5M7fllhNCDiz-S_qsh79J7SuVUtgqesxq5VCKAZjyohmtzuDzbp3pENFGvzotnx6Bkda8V8w2QczYbY6aeW2JVgxCp/s1600/IMG_0340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohT1cCzcSXi0hMeZmJqz_GMNZQAkTWhjY8b382Ly4bCV0mqYqam5M7fllhNCDiz-S_qsh79J7SuVUtgqesxq5VCKAZjyohmtzuDzbp3pENFGvzotnx6Bkda8V8w2QczYbY6aeW2JVgxCp/s320/IMG_0340.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-45319348218852878672013-05-07T19:57:00.002-07:002013-05-07T19:57:58.671-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 26Via <a href="http://www.thedawnieproject.com/2013/05/30-day-drawing-challenge-something-you_7.html">The Dawnie Project</a><br />
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Day 26 - Something you don't like<br />
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It was actually sort of hard to think of something I don't like! Apparently I have trained myself better than I thought to keep the negative things out of my regular thought patterns. Or I'm extremely hedonistic and always am thinking of things I like. Either way, it took some thinking to come up with something that I had pretty strong negative feelings about.<br />
Found one!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4_hfJ-qcSSpGI6eSY_FMxe0oB9_y3ASJM91goxz9h5dTryKMMygeH3y0UNTQGGER6ATxU5e3C6WLKdYKzSojffkVkb08L3ZvkzNKExN6IAmoQzqHUKJ97w3WQ9wBSEt84m6n5VzLDhYz/s1600/IMG_0339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4_hfJ-qcSSpGI6eSY_FMxe0oB9_y3ASJM91goxz9h5dTryKMMygeH3y0UNTQGGER6ATxU5e3C6WLKdYKzSojffkVkb08L3ZvkzNKExN6IAmoQzqHUKJ97w3WQ9wBSEt84m6n5VzLDhYz/s320/IMG_0339.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I couldn't even be bothered to make it look any better than that. Suck it, Walmart! </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-41984178933111785552013-05-07T19:40:00.002-07:002013-05-07T19:40:40.600-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 25 (a day late!)<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This drawing challenge via <a href="http://www.thedawnieproject.com/2013/05/30-day-drawing-challenge-something-you_7.html">The Dawnie Project</a></span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 25 is Scenery</span><div>
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I drew a picture yesterday and totally forgot to post! But here it is, such that it is.</div>
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Weirdly, it was the hardest thing for me to think of something scenic. But I think I had already done a beach and didn't want to repeat myself. So. Forest!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszvZiX3uQ3aRgz1hAbJLaHgn-_lm03tNUg4SqfRBDILJR6pJ1icWnZR-XWZ8bTOAKUrbBfii-GhyphenhyphenH8amfk3ze39-WKkISVwP8m87g_iEvh0kGhAzasix4zcZiOgexOG4fNBHB4DCsHNGq/s1600/IMG_0338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszvZiX3uQ3aRgz1hAbJLaHgn-_lm03tNUg4SqfRBDILJR6pJ1icWnZR-XWZ8bTOAKUrbBfii-GhyphenhyphenH8amfk3ze39-WKkISVwP8m87g_iEvh0kGhAzasix4zcZiOgexOG4fNBHB4DCsHNGq/s1600/IMG_0338.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-47558301633532291972013-05-05T21:12:00.002-07:002013-05-07T19:44:42.459-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 24Via <a href="http://www.thedawnieproject.com/2013/05/30-day-drawing-challenge-couple.html">The Dawnie Project</a><br />
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Day 24 is A Couple<br />
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Awww....a couple! A couple of what??<br />
I decided to do a favorite couple form my childhood. And it's a twofer!<br />
The Smother's Brothers. One of the best comedy duos ever. I listened to them growing up, over and over and over and over. I loved those records. I thought when I left the records behind, I would surely be able to get them on itunes one day. I may have to go back to the record store I sold them to and buy them back at some point! Luckily, I found one of my favorite bits on the you tubes.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qdRMHN2phkA" width="420"></iframe>
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Awww, Poor Herman and poor Sally! Whence did their love whence wrong?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ERY9aeiwom951D8KHsqOcMFxfrBWdmICY5yVr1NvKEPucOCulY90nr1QdHEhxQbq_mYdK-cAMzvLaKYFWdfh6LpPpzk3UIYyxLJCS79bc4CtIJFgDP7xrdS7eEKD4a5BalNt-UfR1-Vf/s1600/IMG_0337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ERY9aeiwom951D8KHsqOcMFxfrBWdmICY5yVr1NvKEPucOCulY90nr1QdHEhxQbq_mYdK-cAMzvLaKYFWdfh6LpPpzk3UIYyxLJCS79bc4CtIJFgDP7xrdS7eEKD4a5BalNt-UfR1-Vf/s320/IMG_0337.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Please go and enjoy that short by the Smother's Brothers. And there are loads more on you tube. And iTunes! Hurray!</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-18415583980089012922013-05-04T21:05:00.001-07:002013-05-04T21:05:26.757-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 23Via <a href="http://www.thedawnieproject.com/2013/05/30-day-drawing-challenge-something-you_4.html">The Dawnie Project</a><br />
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Day 23 is Something You Need<br />
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Some days all I need is just a little quiet time to myself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstrcoLuYOsL4CCrvA_ED1uTu2kQ7220ijmis3sTvygMvupspLfQinIcZQTSBPPrBmrVxye3KtM3ypZy_dUHJJR-0bUL-GjBny1cSWm7dURSbrdl6mwcwRBEoWY0eReKyIVZaQJrswal1H/s1600/IMG_0336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstrcoLuYOsL4CCrvA_ED1uTu2kQ7220ijmis3sTvygMvupspLfQinIcZQTSBPPrBmrVxye3KtM3ypZy_dUHJJR-0bUL-GjBny1cSWm7dURSbrdl6mwcwRBEoWY0eReKyIVZaQJrswal1H/s320/IMG_0336.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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There are days when a quiet place to think is just about the best thing. </div>
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Also, tomorrow's drawing prompt is giving me anxiety. </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-19045359430866297592013-05-03T18:35:00.001-07:002013-05-03T19:06:00.660-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 22<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Via <a href="http://www.thedawnieproject.com/2013/05/30-day-drawing-challenge-something-you_3.html">The Dawnie Project</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 22 is Something You Miss</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mostly I miss people. Friends far away, near, but not near enough. Miss-ity miss miss. Hey you! Yeah you! I miss you all over the place! But of<i> things</i>, places, I miss the Atlantic Ocean. I really did like living in Wilmington, NC when it wasn't oppressively humid and the ocean there was amazing. The beach was beautiful. On New Year's Day we would go down to the beach and it was always sunny and clear and the water would be so calm and blue. The sand was soft. There were always lots of pretty shells and rocks which always manage to find their way into my pockets. Living that close to such a great beach was pretty awesome. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXTXYAWdpb0N6e-Uy9b8K0LVACMopQ3t8IHNZQLdzH6A2E5MzHn-q16AJkFIWnQmbBRLVaJGCB5sDDqBqke6aG5Rbp4IiIdQQ8xN2lU99lMiQ3rL2dCRjt_mzxOOzvypbt5L9TueICF4g/s1600/IMG_0335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXTXYAWdpb0N6e-Uy9b8K0LVACMopQ3t8IHNZQLdzH6A2E5MzHn-q16AJkFIWnQmbBRLVaJGCB5sDDqBqke6aG5Rbp4IiIdQQ8xN2lU99lMiQ3rL2dCRjt_mzxOOzvypbt5L9TueICF4g/s320/IMG_0335.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-4472349080635532312013-05-02T19:23:00.001-07:002013-05-02T19:23:22.431-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 21Via <a href="http://www.thedawnieproject.com/2013/05/30-day-drawing-challenge-something-you.html">The Dawnie Project</a><br />
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Day 21 is Something You Want<br />
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I don't know if I can explain it. Or if I want to explain it. Just this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9BxWYre4uUK_FNUHvAfRwbooX9dQpnX4VBMsRbKyjFiSx6h07xgAGwfsmxWM5zOxl7oc314giYaqKl2OkVkgRq0YJWU4VjsoNMdaELuLqKOEDVExCr5v8IGP4x1eJSaFw6rOp1VTx_yq/s1600/IMG_0334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9BxWYre4uUK_FNUHvAfRwbooX9dQpnX4VBMsRbKyjFiSx6h07xgAGwfsmxWM5zOxl7oc314giYaqKl2OkVkgRq0YJWU4VjsoNMdaELuLqKOEDVExCr5v8IGP4x1eJSaFw6rOp1VTx_yq/s320/IMG_0334.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-92118764286503703022013-05-01T17:52:00.000-07:002013-05-01T17:52:02.663-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 20Via <a href="http://www.thedawnieproject.com/2013/05/30-day-drawing-challenge-something.html">The Dawnie Project</a><br />
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Day 20 was Something Orange<br />
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It's been so nice out lately that I've been thinking about cold sweet things. Sorbet, gelato, sherbet. Mmmm.....my favorite summery type thing is orange sherbet. Which, when I was little, I used to call "sherbert" and also thought came from a store called "Basket of Robins".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVeO7sV6MSaI5aOf4Z0ZA5zNnMm827Iog3sCFPQN1ocXVFhyphenhypheno1LYK5cydwPYSFAtjAFA-H2863ucAAbMe2n1wuLkJ1dsan6MlHVB8qmnyMW10NDA9h5vbsJ_-7qeHIAZFuZ4cZGlFyrVrl/s1600/IMG_0333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVeO7sV6MSaI5aOf4Z0ZA5zNnMm827Iog3sCFPQN1ocXVFhyphenhypheno1LYK5cydwPYSFAtjAFA-H2863ucAAbMe2n1wuLkJ1dsan6MlHVB8qmnyMW10NDA9h5vbsJ_-7qeHIAZFuZ4cZGlFyrVrl/s320/IMG_0333.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Go have yourself a sunny treat! </div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-11416064435727057552013-04-30T18:33:00.001-07:002013-04-30T18:33:39.548-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 19Via <a href="http://www.thedawnieproject.com/2013/04/30-day-drawing-challenge-something-new.html">The Dawnie Project</a><br />
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Day 19 of the drawing challenge is Something New<br />
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I was inspired today by The Bloggess today:<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Random assignment for bored artists today: An illustration of a woman making out with a unicorn.<a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23artforawesomeness">#artforawesomeness</a></p>— TheBloggess (@TheBloggess) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheBloggess/status/329274380133732352">April 30, 2013</a></blockquote>
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I decided to combine the two things. Art for awesomeness, indeed!<br />
It's definitely new, because as many unicorns as I have drawn in my life (mostly between ages 8 and 11), I never thought to draw this!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOj7kVZSukr5RdJlJWK6XYhBiIpcmfl701khK-KD5DsjT8CILtUfOG-HDfEWS5XoEi3gV9D789uYsohzBkqBi2AW-FY3vei6gaT1FML9g8QIS0L6V6xNkOhFu00fcKmXVP8rHTwCjeB6Lf/s1600/IMG_0332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOj7kVZSukr5RdJlJWK6XYhBiIpcmfl701khK-KD5DsjT8CILtUfOG-HDfEWS5XoEi3gV9D789uYsohzBkqBi2AW-FY3vei6gaT1FML9g8QIS0L6V6xNkOhFu00fcKmXVP8rHTwCjeB6Lf/s320/IMG_0332.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Enjoy! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-64501546054342833742013-04-29T20:02:00.002-07:002013-04-29T20:02:32.542-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 18<br />
Via <a href="http://www.thedawnieproject.com/2013/04/30-day-drawing-challenge-just-doodle.html">The Dawnie Project</a><div>
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Day 18 is just a doodle</div>
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My doodle age is 8. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-53307146286880208062013-04-28T23:13:00.002-07:002013-04-29T20:05:16.013-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge - Days 16 & 17Drawing Challenge via <a href="http://www.thedawnieproject.com/2013/04/30-day-drawing-challenge-family-picture.html">The Dawnie Project</a><br />
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(due to Blogger not allowing me to upload photos from my iPad (grumblegrumble), I'm posting two days at once)<br />
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Day 16: Inspiration<br />
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As previously stated, books are a big part of my life. It's been a crazy year (it's been a whole year!) since my life was changed from top to bottom and I've found everything from advice to solace to plain old escape, and more than a little inspiration in the books that I've read this year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfp9xJcgKs2_zPWqK3tQlfRwKqqlWNo8iMfUpx9H2bkmWm-cxILk3XSN3RxtmL8nrU72a13pz5392pTOTHTlJIHiHWIMxXNRyoDvYI4plI_K97TRVFde_t4SucvCu35JU1gO9gpuANs9B/s1600/IMG_0328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfp9xJcgKs2_zPWqK3tQlfRwKqqlWNo8iMfUpx9H2bkmWm-cxILk3XSN3RxtmL8nrU72a13pz5392pTOTHTlJIHiHWIMxXNRyoDvYI4plI_K97TRVFde_t4SucvCu35JU1gO9gpuANs9B/s320/IMG_0328.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Day 17 (today) - Favorite Plant:</div>
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It's spring! And today was a gorgeous day to be out walking around a beautiful city. And all of my favorite things are blooming. But it's the lilacs that really get me, every time. I like all the colors, but the deep purple ones are my favorite and they smell like heaven and sunshine all covered in happy sauce. Dreamy. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7Ab7QEt_xNO-MlyG7dkRp0CE72Jv58RY-mPGLzbHru9HQMDBIwRUqpd12T-HhLFOilzfJBo3R7-lxjWxHU4kKrsYVoM1Kfr_ky4dOquSykeIkLCr1FfY39Fn6Q-kEyOmXjX6ATd1r1mz/s1600/IMG_0330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7Ab7QEt_xNO-MlyG7dkRp0CE72Jv58RY-mPGLzbHru9HQMDBIwRUqpd12T-HhLFOilzfJBo3R7-lxjWxHU4kKrsYVoM1Kfr_ky4dOquSykeIkLCr1FfY39Fn6Q-kEyOmXjX6ATd1r1mz/s320/IMG_0330.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-2023856626582914442013-04-27T01:30:00.001-07:002013-04-27T01:30:21.268-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 15Via <a href="http://www.thedawnieproject.com/2013/04/30-day-drawing-challenge-family-picture.html">The Dawnie Project</a><br />
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Day 15 - Family<br />
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I've had this picture floating around in my head for a while now. It started out as a tree of life image. Something rooted to the earth, well grounded. Strong. Steadfast. But it works as a family tree, too. The idea that no matter how the family dynamic changes, it's still family. After all the anger and hurt and distrust simmers down, it's still family.<br />
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My family assimilates people. Resistance is futile. Once you are in, you are in for life, so don't even try to back out. We just keep people around, for better or worse. I like that aspect of our family, knots and all.<br />
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This is a ink and paper drawing I did of my family tree/tree of life. Just the first sketch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ErqZFR4E6-48Kt6xbTPn2U146EkVTuWg-dLkmz5xgw27ZYA6fLVSgZol2xpFPVCpHhAN16OsiJdAcBi1wmLJcZ3fTeuBPmOMcoOrDsRCvaArOJh0e4llBls6RE2k4x5VHj09tcNvSpLS/s1600/IMG_4697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ErqZFR4E6-48Kt6xbTPn2U146EkVTuWg-dLkmz5xgw27ZYA6fLVSgZol2xpFPVCpHhAN16OsiJdAcBi1wmLJcZ3fTeuBPmOMcoOrDsRCvaArOJh0e4llBls6RE2k4x5VHj09tcNvSpLS/s320/IMG_4697.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-21857679797172928762013-04-25T22:25:00.002-07:002013-04-25T22:31:20.350-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 14Via <a href="http://www.thedawnieproject.com/2013/04/30-day-drawing-challenge-favorite_25.html">The Dawnie Project</a><br />
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Day 14 is Your Favorite Fairy Tale<br />
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I never liked fairy tales very much.<br />
I do like the show Once Upon A Time, because it changes everything all up and also has a great cast.<br />
The fairy tale that always gave me the most trouble was The Princess and the Pea. I just despised that princess. I mean really. A pea? I never believed her. Rumpelstiltskin was creepy and why wouldn't she just stop spinning for him? You can always say no, was my thought. Never negotiate with a kidnapper. Rapunzle, SnowWhite, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty - all pretty much the same fairy tale, am I right?<br />
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I did have a year when I wanted a Cinderella dress more than anything else. I would always clarify and say, "The pretty one", to make sure there was no misunderstanding. I was six, maybe? Definitely first grade. I'm not sure why I wanted that dress. And this was 1977, friends. You couldn't just run out to Marshall's and buy one for $12.99. No, your mom had to make you one, or you had to actually BE Cinderella. I remember thinking about how awesome I would be, swinging in the playground in the Cinderella dress. It would be billowing in the breezy as I swung higher than anyone else, and they would all realize that I was indeed a princess.<br />
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Okay, you can stop all that guffawing. Because Santa at Canby Square in 1977 already put me in my place by telling me that I was in no shape to wear such a dress and to choose something more realistic. Like a jump rope. To get in shape. Come to think of it, this could explain my extreme disdain for fairy tales.....<br />
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So I'm choosing a grown up version of a fairy tale: The Lady In The Water by M. Night Shayamalan.<br />
It has all qualities of a great fairy tale, plus Paul Giamatti, who, by the way, can be in every movie ever made from now on, please. Thank you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCe8B72eZ_L7H1NClhmhn1Ef0oDsfFAObORiaVcfnBjBzNL8lH4PMh0CBr80YGuK0QanijxgRjUdW6YbYNiyNjDpaINnBP0ugU_hZ0BONrn6EnvJqzpN6NPRR1dmUz2g8rdjdIIj3xdJ7/s1600/IMG_0327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCe8B72eZ_L7H1NClhmhn1Ef0oDsfFAObORiaVcfnBjBzNL8lH4PMh0CBr80YGuK0QanijxgRjUdW6YbYNiyNjDpaINnBP0ugU_hZ0BONrn6EnvJqzpN6NPRR1dmUz2g8rdjdIIj3xdJ7/s320/IMG_0327.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The End</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3661246007580141382.post-66041342994161749452013-04-25T00:47:00.000-07:002013-04-25T00:47:15.532-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 13Via <a href="http://www.thedawnieproject.com/">The Dawnie Project</a><br />
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Day 13 is comic.<br />
I don't really read comics. I used to read what my dad called The Funnies in the newspaper. Once in a while I still like to read Peanuts, or Calvin and Hobbes. My favorite was Bloom County, back in The Day. I realized that I still needed to draw something rather late, as tonight was yoga night. So I drew this horrifying thing. But it pretty well shows how I feel in yoga most nights.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhni-fq8gjWl38NO7pEDys8eoeLkTY2a6bGd78ahFg7qPXq0FdXDSmPwvmy4WI-TGikkbwvX6HJLFLLEmfexTs8_7jV4R5mO3fsLeWx0LH80X8RwP4_ZG1JTbbOy_SnVlXYuJQAhFx4pyhG/s1600/IMG_0326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhni-fq8gjWl38NO7pEDys8eoeLkTY2a6bGd78ahFg7qPXq0FdXDSmPwvmy4WI-TGikkbwvX6HJLFLLEmfexTs8_7jV4R5mO3fsLeWx0LH80X8RwP4_ZG1JTbbOy_SnVlXYuJQAhFx4pyhG/s320/IMG_0326.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is why I should keep my day job. And keep going to yoga! </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201400189235996235noreply@blogger.com0