Saying yes...

the best present of all

Grizzled and the lamblets are off for his sister's 12th Night celebration. While it is a very good time and never disappoints, it also comes at the end of a long holiday season. It only took a couple of missed years where one of the lamblets was sick and I stayed home to realize that staying home was really nice. There was no dealing with what to do with the dog, no wondering when holiday decorations would come down, just a few days of mind-centering peace... even if the peace was occasionally punctuated with vomiting...

I went a couple of years ago and once again had a wonderful time, but came home to real life starting up in earnest the next day. This year, I again decided to observe my staying-home tradition. I'll watch the dog and a sister's-in-law dog. I'll start dismanteling the decking of the halls. I'll watch some movies, I'll read, I'll do what I want for 48 hours.

I'm a social person, but I also love my solitude... a thing which is usually in short supply. I've got 2 days of being on no ones clock, but my own. It's the best present I could have gotten... that and the basement work being finished. Nothing has been moved back in, but as of 30 minutes ago, the carpet was back, the carpet is dry, microbes have been elimanated and all is right with the world.

Bring on the solitude!

Soylent Green and Earrings

I stayed up too late last night watching various movies. I saw that Soylent Green was on and told the eldest lamblet she had to watch it, that it was a classic! Her take on it? It wasn't really very futuristic at all... they were using incandescent lights and had televisions with dials! I suggested maybe they couldn't afford the new and had to make use of the antiquated. That theory was shot the minute Shirl started playing with her new video game, a game which made Pong look high tech.

The lamblet's other commentaries included, "The women in this are really pathetic... and what's with the Rapunzel clothing??" I pointed out that polyester maxi dresses were cool in the 70's to which she replied, "Yeah, but isn't this supposed to be 2022??"  Yeah, yeah!! Just watch!!! Just wait! About 7/8's of the way through she chimed in with, "Oh... I get it, the Soylent Green is made from people, isn't it? This movie is just odd. I'm going to bed." And she did... 3 minutes before Charleton screams, "SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!!!" That line makes the whole movie. I can't believe she didn't wait. She was right though, the movie really doesn't stand up to time.

I don't know if it was the Soylent Green viewing or the late night chocolate, but my dreams were running full tilt. Everyone was in them and time was no barrier. One part that stuck with me was finding an earring I lost some 20+ years ago. I found it in exactly the place I thought I had lost it. I was so excited to have found it and so amazed that others hadn't seen it that I was telling everyone, including Blue Girl who not only knew about the earring, but had also told a friend I had found it. Apparently the friend knew too... When I asked how her friend could know about an earring I had lost decades ago and how I had lost it, BG just looked sheepishly away. It was at that point that my dreaming world and *rise and shine* world merged and I woke up with the feeling that I divulge too much. In many ways I always have. I'd say at least 72% of the time, I'm an open book, I wear my heart on my sleeve. I share it all and expect people to do the same and when they don't, I pepper them with questions, trying to unlock the codes. Everybody is a story and I want to know how their lives unfolded.

I'm also always trying to find the meaning in things... everything is a metaphor for life. Grizzled is oh so very pragmatic and when I question why, why, why are we having to continually do and redo the basement, assuming there is some lesson to be learned, some lock to be opened, he merely responds, "Our foundation needs work." I look at him and think, ah yes... our foundation... that would make sense, but do you mean literally or figuratively??? I know better than to ask. He means literally. My mind goes to the figurative... and so I wonder, what is the meaning of an earring lost so many years ago and then finally found in a dream??? Is it some sort of closure on some aspect of my life that I didn't even realize was still open, or a sign telling me to be a little more tightlipped???  Or was it merely too much Charlton Heston scenery chewing too close to bedtime. I don't know. 

What I do know is this, it's almost 2009. 2008 had its good, its bad, its challenging and its memorable points, but I'm ready to kiss it goodbye. I'm ready to move into the New Year and hope it goes with me and not against me. Or maybe I need to stop being so bullheaded and need to go with it, go with the flow. Is that what my basement is trying to tell me?? The year is going to progress either way. Resistance is futile.

Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream

Happy New Year!

As the festivities take on a life of their own...

There's going to be even less time or desire to blog. May everyone have a fun, safe, warm, happy whatever it is they may or may not be celebrating.

See you back here in 2009. Maybe.

ATPCT: They invited me to the Christmas Party

For those of you who followed last year's saga of "As the Painting Class Turns", you'll remember the big deal that was made out of NOT HAVING A LESSON ON THE LAST DAY OF CLASS IN DECEMBER!!1@! That was the day they had their Christmas Party! I was reminded of this at least 3 times a class even though I told them I was fine with that and would not cancel their merriment for the sake of learning.

Well, it's time for the party again and I've been invited. I haven't been back since my last day in May. I thought about it off and on, but would always snap to and decide some things are better left in the past. Today, the Ghost of Painting Class Past will come back to haunt me. I said I'd go.

If you don't hear from me again, you'll know the party was all a ruse and they tag-teamed me... Wish me luck.

How on earth did I miss this?

Queen Claire requests the presence of your cookies...

It's bake-off season, people, and Claire wants your cookies! Last year's bake-off was neck and neck with Claire edging out Team Chicago. This year's competition promises to be just as tight. I'm also wondering if this might be the year a man actually wins. So far, only the fairer sex has garnered the crown. Belly up to the oven, boys, and send Claire your cookies!

I apologize... kind of...

Although fish has not been able to come up with the blown glass T-bone, he has been sending numerous sausage links for meat-themed ornaments and lights, thus proving that if you google it, it will exist in a form of its own choosing. All google prayers are answered, you just may not get the answer you want.

One of the good things about holding a contest where you offer a prize is that fish is overly-competitive... see above... fish is also ultra-anonymous. Fish will win, but fish will never divulge his true identity or his locale, so even though he wins, I never have to pony up with a prize. I may have to send Dan Leo something though for being first in with a meat-themed ornament. Honorable mention goes to Zombie Rotten McDonald for his artistic use of meat in a decorative challenge and for his inclusion of another blogger.

Meat ornament suggestions and links are still welcome.

tonight... the sun set in the east and fish was wrong!!!

Dr fish has always said, if you google it, it will exist.... Tonight, something came up where I realized I need meat ornaments. Yes, meat. I could see them in my mind's eye... glorious mercury glass steaks, sausage garland, bacon hanging like icicles. I was giddy with excitement. I knew they had to be out there. All I needed to do was GOOGLE!!@!11!

They. Weren't. There.

In defense of fish's google theory, I did find meat ornaments that were made up of those ubiquitous porcelain ovals that have whatever you want placed on the front with a decal. That's NOT WHAT I WANTED!!@! Didn't Google know?!! I could see them!! Where were they!?!

I then realized, maybe I'd found a hole in the ornament market! Could it be there there are no blown glass meat ornaments?? Oh come on! If only I knew how to make mercury glass... Does anyone know anyone who manufacturs mercury glass ornament? Anyone willing to manufacture a nice holiday T-Bone?? Hmmmm??

Also... I'm tired, so my finessing of the google may not be up to snuff. Anyone who locates some glass meat ornaments will get a prize and fish will get an apology.

I somehow missed the creepy factor

When I was a young, young girl, I would wait patiently until Garfield Goose would play this video. Playing this video meant Christmas was around the corner. This was filmed long before I was a glimmer in my parents' eye, but I remember it playing for many years after I was around. It was a standard and I loved it. Anyone from the Chicago area loved it.

I haven't seen it in a long time and now with the wonders of YouTube, it's available whenever I want to watch. I never realized how creepy it looked... I'm surprised this didn't scare me as a kid. I still feel a little glimmer of excitement when I hear the song, but if I watch... I'm still thinking, wow... that was kind of creepy...

Soon, we will gather together...

I thought I'd part with a clip from one of my favorite Thanksgiving movies. Heck, it's one of my favorite movies, period.

No matter how much you love your relatives and want to get together, holidays can also be like traversing a minefield... 

Meet you back on the other side.