Backhand like Seles

(I don't actually know anything about professional tennis, so if Monica Seles ha a terrible backhand, just pretend I picked someone who has an incredible and deadly backhand instead. That's the point.)

Yesterday, our CFO and a couple other finance folks called to ask if I could put together some data for them. It wasn't a huge deal, but I talked it through with them to make sure I knew exactly what they wanted, and said I could squeeze the extra task in and have it to them by Monday morning. No biggie.

So I stop at my local coffee spot this morning for a nice dose of java and some pastry accompaniment, and I happened to run into the aforementioned CFO. He greets me pleasantly, we chat for a moment about coffee, and then he launches into this:
Him: "I was really impressed by your calm response yesterday!"
Me: "...."
Him: "You really took it in stride."
Me: ".......ummm, did you think I would....panic?"
Him: "No, I just mean, it was the perfect corporate response."
Me: ".......uh, thank you?"
[pause]
Him: "So now tell me, who exactly do you work with again?"

Are you serious? "Perfect corporate response"? What am I, an intern? "Who do you work with"? I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR 4 YEARS AND THERE ARE ONLY 38 PEOPLE IN OUR OFFICE. Do you seriously not know???

It coulda been me

I have become addicted to a new (to me) webcomic called Questionable Content by J. Jacques. Other than the terrific artwork and the snappy and often hilarious script, I think it appeals to me so much because the characters are terrific compilations of some of my favorite real-life people and situations. Plus the fact that my best friend from college and I daydreamed about opening our own coffee shop, and I like to think it would have been at least as much fun as Coffee of Doom

Make sure you pay attention to all the stuff in the background. It's also fun to just skim through the archives and read the titles - they don't always have anything to do with the comic, but they are another string of humor adorning the rest of the laughs.

You should really start at the beginning - the artwork isn't as great at first but it matures pretty quickly, and it's totally worth it to get the background on the characters and all the inside jokes.

Joy is Peace Dancing

I have permanently added the link to this video to my bookmarks. I will watch it whenever I am sad, and it will undoubtedly make me happy again. There is so much joy in the world that often gets overlooked or drowned out by the "news". Thanks, Matt, for doing what you do.

Joss Whedon does it again

My big find of the day (and it's not even 9am yet!) is this portal to glorious anticipation.

I'm sad to report that it's only going to be three 10-minute episodes, but I do not doubt that anyone who watches will count that a half hour very, very well spent. I will be waiting with baited breath!

Yes, yes, almost a year, whatever....

Right, my last post was August 2007, and there's a darned good reason for that. I've had a baby since then. Ta-da! So as of last August, I was dealing with 24-hour-morning sickness, exhaustion, and all the other "joys" of pregnancy. And in March I gave birth to my second daughter, and since then I have been enjoying her and my 3 year old and The Boy every second I can. Hence, less blogging.

But recently I've been reading a lot of other people's blogs, and realizing that I had some fun tidbits of my own life to share again, plus I wanted to take the opportunity to share some of my favorite things to read with the rest of you. So, in case anyone out there has faithfully continued checking this site for the last year in hopes that I might one day get back around to it, your faithfulness has been rewarded.

Congratulations - you now have something better to do than looking at last summer's gardening duck post.

Gardening Duck

Local news channel WTOP has to come up with 24 hours worth of news all the time, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it literally includes all the news that's fit to print. Which honestly isn't much these days. But thankfully there are still enough quirky duck stories left to fill the headlines and keep us all from plunging into the depths of despair.

Super Villian Quiz

Guess who suggested I take this quiz???


You are Dark Phoenix
A prime example of emotional extremes: Passion and fury incarnate.

Dark Phoenix 65%
Mr. Freeze 64%
The Joker 54%
Mystique 53%
Venom 52%
Poison Ivy 51%
Apocalypse 50%

My new favorite blog

Buddhist Monk Garden
by Natalie Roberts

If you don’t regularly go to this blog, you should. I love the stuff that gets posted here, both art and musings. The two people who run this site have some winderful insights, plus they tend to find and post some really cool stuff (i.e. Mute Math). The point being that I really liked the entry this week about what art really is, what it holds, what it brings. And I especially like the idea that art doesn't have to be an earth-shattering revelation to the whole world to mean something to any one person.

I have a little painting that I got at some big box store probably a decade ago. It's about 4" x 3" and of an orange slice and a little floating trail of orange blossoms on a blue background. It doesn't reveal any great depth of human understanding to me, but it makes me feel both peacful and energetic every time I look at it. That's what I want to do - create peace and energy and thoughtfulness, both for myself and for whoever sees what I make.

Maybe someday I'll manage it.

IF - I Spy

Every morning my daughter and I check the branches of the apple tree in front of our house for the first leaves of spring. Despite the warm weather, we haven't seen anything but buds so far, but we keep looking.

IMT - Feminine Art

Life, soft pastels on paper, 6x9

This week's Inspire Me Thursday theme is Women's History Month, so they asked us to be inspired by the feminine in art, either female artists or art with a feminine spirit.

This is an image I've had floating in my head for a few months now, waiting for a good reason to be committed to paper. So, thanks IMT!

This didn't scan as well as I'd like, and my digital camera doesn't do it justice at all. I'll try to scan it again later and see if I can brighten it up some more.

IF - Wired

Wired

No. 2 pencil on laser jet printer paper.

The things you can accomplish while at work.

:-)

Now, if I had the pictured items, I might actually have the motivation to get something work-related done at work....

Maybe.

A dream come true...

Every once in a while, when the mood strikes me, I check my horoscope at www.freewillastrology.com because Rob Breszny has a wonderful way of making the mundane profound, and of making a horoscope seem completely not ridiculous. This week (beginning March 8) my Piscean prediction reads:

Molecular scientist Robert Bohannon knows a way to cram even more obscene gratification into a doughnut. He has discovered the secret to infusing pastries with a non-bitter version of caffeine. If his innovation is adopted by bakers, a doughnut would not only be able to have its usual sugary kick, but could also deliver the punch of two cups of coffee. Judging from the current astrological omens, Pisces, I'd say you'll soon be able to find a healthy metaphorical equivalent to this pathological marvel for your own use. In other words, you'll intensify your enjoyment of an already fine pleasure.

I fully intend to use this as my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday theme, "Wired." Personally, I have no interest in a caffeinated doughnut. I enjoy coffee too much, and frankly a cup of coffee with a double whammy of doughnut caffeine sounds dangerous. But this just goes
to show that nothing is impossible....

IF - Communication

"So Much to Say"

Work in Progress, 2007

It won't be done by the time the new topic is posted tomorrow morning, but at least I'm posting something!

And the lion shall lie down with the lamb...

Can you imagine anything sweeter than two children, both rejected by their mothers, finding love and comfort from the most unlikely of friends?

From http://abcnews.go.com/International/popup?id=2911566&content=&page=1

Learning

Skyholder, by Marvin Bartel







I am trying to figure out how to be an artist. I'm pretty sure it's there, somewhere inside, but I've never had any clue how to get it out where I can use it. I've never had an art class that was more than 4 weeks, and the three 4-week courses I've had didn't teach me anything except the basic use of a new medium, they didn't teach me about making Art.


I came across the website of Marvin Bartel that has some seemingly-useful insights on how to teach creative thinking, how to really draw out Art, but it seems that it could pretty easily be applied to self as well. http://www.goshen.edu/art/ed/creativitykillers.html Now I just need to make the time to really do it.....

Now that's Winter

Wow, 100 inches of snow in Oswego, NY and more to come. I mean, I've been pining for snow, but I'm thinking more like 3 feet, not 11. Actually, I'd happily take 3 inches at this point.

Ahh, Irony

Dixie Chicks score 5, count 'em FIVE, Grammys, including Best Song for "Not Ready to Make Nice." They win the top music industry award for a song that refuses to apologise for saying the things that got them almost completely ostracized by the music industry just a couple of years ago. Now, I'm not a huge DC fan, but as one of the apparently few people who was appalled by the response of the music industry and the public when they retaliated against an artist for expressing her opinion, I am so completely gratified by this whole situation. Congratulations, Chicks, for not backing down!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/11/AR2007021101680.html

HI! Yeah, it's been eight months since my last post, so sue me. I've had a few thoughts that I felt were worthy of sharing as of late, so it seemed to make sense to revisit the blog idea. I added a few new links, changed my pallatte again, and here I am.

So my thought for the day - WHY is Anna Nicole Smith's death a front-page headline EVERYWHERE?

CNN - http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/09/smith.dies/index.html

NPR - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7309890

Washington Post - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/08/AR2007020802435.html

even the BBC! - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6346201.stm

How is it that the reason for her celebrity is that she is a celebrity? Isn't that some sort of catch-22-like logic? I heard a sound bite of her this morning where she said, "It's just so expensive being me!" Being what??? She was famous for being famous. I just don't get it.

Dance

I did this about 4 years ago, maybe longer, but it continues to be one of my favorites. Pastels on paper, 6" x 10"

Diet Coke and Mentos

If you haven't seen this yet, be prepared to be impressed!

http://eepybird.com/dcm1.html

Be sure to scroll down below the video afterwards and follow the How does it work? link to see the Super Burp girl.