So the book I illustrated is moving forward to publication and I need to come up with a bio. ack!
Some background...my friend wrote a story that she decided to publish as a childrens book and she was looking for an illustrator. I had gotten back to playing with drawings and paintings after a long hiatus and had made them a keepsake box as a gift. After viewing that and some of my other work she asked me to illustrate her story. We had some obstacles (new baby, their water pump on their well broke) but the drawings are turned in and scanned and I need to get them a bio.
I'm used to writing theatre bio's b/c that was...well...what I do. I act. This is newer for me and I'm working it out. A bit harder than I thought it was going to be but I'll get there.
I'll let everyone know when the book is out :)
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Sunday, November 4, 2007
All Hallow's Eve...Samhain...Hallowe'en
Aaaah Hallowe'en.
A time of mystery and magic...
A time of shadows and moonlight
When the veil between the worlds thins
and only our laughter anchors us to the now.
Samhain
The New Year
Winter's Beginning
Where the Wheel of Life
The Circle; begins it's rotation
With the dying of the land.
A time of Faeries and Masks and Deception
Of treats and tricks
of laughter and screams
A time to glorify and revel in our fears
and perchance
heal them.
My Favorite time.
Somebody please explain to me then why I NEVER seem to have it together enough to truly DO UP Halloween with all the splendor and magic it deserves? Grrrr. Another thing to work on for myself as I face the coming year. ah well...moving on.
This year for Halloween we had some interesting firsts. My oldest for the first time requested a gory and scary costume. We've been through ninjas and dragons and spiderman etc...but this year my sweet, gentle boy wanted to be a cloaked and hooded figure with a glowing white screaming face dripping and oozing blood. A thing to make a mother proud. My dd was not a princess!!! (gasp) She chose a 'dark empress' costume and looked like an evil faerie queen. And my little guy was a crab...lol...a crab that hated it's head. His first was in learning how to trick or treat. He learned to walk up to someone, say "HAND", receive a candy and place it in his pumpkin. Too Cute. Mark and I also went against nature and were prep school sweethearts for Halloween. Anyone who knows us understands the joke. (For those that don't let me just say that we are the antithesis of that there costume)
Also a first we had another adult with us for Halloween. Thom (Rowan's godfather) came along as a rather gorgeous pirate. Too bad he's gay...too bad for the ladies I mean cause he is HOT and just the sweetest man on earth. (Yes my husband knows I think that) Thom actually gave me my greatest complement...he commented on my outfit as being so cute it was naughty in a bizarre twisted way and that he never noticed til now that I have a great ass. When a gay man praises your ass...this is a good thing. right?
ANYway...
Here are the costumes:
A time of mystery and magic...
A time of shadows and moonlight
When the veil between the worlds thins
and only our laughter anchors us to the now.
Samhain
The New Year
Winter's Beginning
Where the Wheel of Life
The Circle; begins it's rotation
With the dying of the land.
A time of Faeries and Masks and Deception
Of treats and tricks
of laughter and screams
A time to glorify and revel in our fears
and perchance
heal them.
My Favorite time.
Somebody please explain to me then why I NEVER seem to have it together enough to truly DO UP Halloween with all the splendor and magic it deserves? Grrrr. Another thing to work on for myself as I face the coming year. ah well...moving on.
This year for Halloween we had some interesting firsts. My oldest for the first time requested a gory and scary costume. We've been through ninjas and dragons and spiderman etc...but this year my sweet, gentle boy wanted to be a cloaked and hooded figure with a glowing white screaming face dripping and oozing blood. A thing to make a mother proud. My dd was not a princess!!! (gasp) She chose a 'dark empress' costume and looked like an evil faerie queen. And my little guy was a crab...lol...a crab that hated it's head. His first was in learning how to trick or treat. He learned to walk up to someone, say "HAND", receive a candy and place it in his pumpkin. Too Cute. Mark and I also went against nature and were prep school sweethearts for Halloween. Anyone who knows us understands the joke. (For those that don't let me just say that we are the antithesis of that there costume)
Also a first we had another adult with us for Halloween. Thom (Rowan's godfather) came along as a rather gorgeous pirate. Too bad he's gay...too bad for the ladies I mean cause he is HOT and just the sweetest man on earth. (Yes my husband knows I think that) Thom actually gave me my greatest complement...he commented on my outfit as being so cute it was naughty in a bizarre twisted way and that he never noticed til now that I have a great ass. When a gay man praises your ass...this is a good thing. right?
ANYway...
Here are the costumes:
Remembering Mary
My friends Annaleah and Joshua used to do playback theatre with me. Their daughter Mary had had some issues at birth that caused her to have motor skills issues and speach issues. A sweeter soul you would never meet though.
I remember doing a playback rehearsal where I played Mary for one of Joshua's memories. He had spoken to us of how much he loved her and how close their bond was. He spoke also of the joy she brought to his life through the 'simple things'. The two of them used to go bowling all the time and that was HIS special time with her. I don't think I ever saw them apart...she was the light and joy of his life.
Two years ago Mary had a series of strokes and ended up in the hospital...she almost didn't recover. Eventually she did but you could see that her hold on this world was a bit more tenuous...she seemed almost transparent at times...ethereal.
Well, on September 23rd 2007 at the age of 23...Mary crossed over.
We had not been in close contact with Annaleah and Joshua for a while...although we saw them here and there and it was by chance (or design?) that Mark saw the obituary in the paper and called my attention to it. We saw it on Sat. and the memorial at there house was that coming Monday.
Suddenly I was 'taken by the muse' and had to begin writing. I finished the verse and some sketching on Saturday and painted the gift on Sunday afternoon. On Monday we attended the gathering at their house (found the house by chance too...since there was no address in the paper) and I presented them with this "Present of Mary"
Many a flower blooms and fades ' too quickly we might say, yet
A flower's worth is measured out in joy, not length of stay
Regret not the fading nor the petals on the breeze.
Yesterday's Petals on the winds of memory
Are smiles beyond a flower's season.
- in memory of Mary A.
I remember doing a playback rehearsal where I played Mary for one of Joshua's memories. He had spoken to us of how much he loved her and how close their bond was. He spoke also of the joy she brought to his life through the 'simple things'. The two of them used to go bowling all the time and that was HIS special time with her. I don't think I ever saw them apart...she was the light and joy of his life.
Two years ago Mary had a series of strokes and ended up in the hospital...she almost didn't recover. Eventually she did but you could see that her hold on this world was a bit more tenuous...she seemed almost transparent at times...ethereal.
Well, on September 23rd 2007 at the age of 23...Mary crossed over.
We had not been in close contact with Annaleah and Joshua for a while...although we saw them here and there and it was by chance (or design?) that Mark saw the obituary in the paper and called my attention to it. We saw it on Sat. and the memorial at there house was that coming Monday.
Suddenly I was 'taken by the muse' and had to begin writing. I finished the verse and some sketching on Saturday and painted the gift on Sunday afternoon. On Monday we attended the gathering at their house (found the house by chance too...since there was no address in the paper) and I presented them with this "Present of Mary"
Many a flower blooms and fades ' too quickly we might say, yet
A flower's worth is measured out in joy, not length of stay
Regret not the fading nor the petals on the breeze.
Yesterday's Petals on the winds of memory
Are smiles beyond a flower's season.
- in memory of Mary A.
The Saga of the Bird
"The TIME has come" the walrus said "to talk of many things. Of shoes and ships and ceiling wax: of Cabbages and Kings" - Lewis Carroll
And here the time has come to speak of the saga of the bird. So fix yourself a cup of tea and a plate of cookies and settle in...it's story time.
Once upon a time in a land full of feathers and dreams there lived a family of 5. Well, 5 humans at least. A mother human, a father human, an eldest son, a middle daughter, and a toddler boy. This family also included 5 pets: The eldest cat, the boy cat, the boy cat's girl friend, the kitchen cat, and the dog. The family was complete and happy to be so. At least, they THOUGHT they were complete.
One day the family was preparing for a friend to visit and share a meal with them. The elder children were out playing and staying out of the way while the mother and father prepared dinner and the toddler played "get underfoot". It was 5:45 in the evening and the friend was due to arrive around 6/6:30pm...dinner was cooking and there were only a few preparations left to be made. Plenty of time to finish without being rushed.
Suddenly the voice of the girl child was heard through the open window as she and the boy made their way home: "mumble mumble BIRD...mumble KEEP IT mumble".
Well, her supplication was answered. It was not a baby chicken.
Oh no...not a chicken.
It was one of these:
A Japanese White eye...only a little bit bigger than a large egg.
SIGH
So the mother and father made the bird a safe place within the cat carrier using a towel and gave the bird water and melon and crackers to tempt it. All through dinner the toddler HAD to go and see the bird. The young boy was enthralled and kept signing "bird bird bird" to anyone who would listen. Every 5 minutes he went to see the bird: "bird bird bird". Well the bird eventually settled in and looked like it was sleeping. So the mother told the young child "Shhhh, we must be quiet. The bird is trying to sleep" So the young boy then signed "Shhhhh, bird sleep". Over and over he would ask for someones hand so he could lead them to where the bird was and tell them "Shhhhhh, bird sleep".
And so the evening drew to a close. The friend left, the daughter and toddler fell into slumber and the eldest boy was reading in his room as the father and mother worked on ending their day. But all was not ok in this house of feathers and dreams...the father came to the mother with unsettling news "I think the bird died" he said to her...so she came to look and sure enough the small bundle of feathers had breathed it's last and moved on.
What to do?
In the morning the mother spoke to the daughter and told her of the passing of the feathered spirit. "My daughter" she said "do not grieve to deeply; this beautiful bird knew that it's time to move on had come...and it came to you. It trusted you to give it a safe and comfortable place for it's body to rest while it's spirit moved on. That is a very sacred and special trust to receive from a wild animal. Be honored that you were chosen and do not be ashamed of your tears, for they are natural and right. We will allow you to choose a special plant and we will bury the bird..." "Her name is Cutie" said the daughter. "We will bury Cutie and put a plant over her so you can always see her in the growth of your plant" said the mother. "We will do it this afternoon when you come home from school."
So the children left for school and the mother and father sat and thought. They thought of how cute the young toddler had looked when he signed bird...they thought of how much the young girl had liked the bird...they thought of the inevitable "Can we get a bird" that was bound to issue from the childrens mouths...and they decided to go look and see if getting a bird would be a feasable thing to do.
Now I am sure, dear reader, that you KNOW what happened next...
They came home with THIS:
and the children were pleased.
Then they buried Cutie under a beautiful crotan right in the front of the house.
They are now a family of 5 humans and 6 pets and they are working on making the budgie feel welcome. The mother is hand training it. The children talk to it. The toddler coo's and babbles at it right before trying to hug the entire cage.
And the father, you ask? He is trying to convince the dog that the bird will not replace him and convince the cats that the bird is NOT a 'box-lunch'.
And so the saga of the bird comes to a close. In the land of dreams a new feather has come to roost and sing.
and all of this is true...
And here the time has come to speak of the saga of the bird. So fix yourself a cup of tea and a plate of cookies and settle in...it's story time.
Once upon a time in a land full of feathers and dreams there lived a family of 5. Well, 5 humans at least. A mother human, a father human, an eldest son, a middle daughter, and a toddler boy. This family also included 5 pets: The eldest cat, the boy cat, the boy cat's girl friend, the kitchen cat, and the dog. The family was complete and happy to be so. At least, they THOUGHT they were complete.
One day the family was preparing for a friend to visit and share a meal with them. The elder children were out playing and staying out of the way while the mother and father prepared dinner and the toddler played "get underfoot". It was 5:45 in the evening and the friend was due to arrive around 6/6:30pm...dinner was cooking and there were only a few preparations left to be made. Plenty of time to finish without being rushed.
Suddenly the voice of the girl child was heard through the open window as she and the boy made their way home: "mumble mumble BIRD...mumble KEEP IT mumble".
{Now to understand the urgency of the mother's fervor'd plea it is necessary to be aquainted with a few salient facts:
Firstly - that chickens are wild on this Rock in the Sea, in fact the neighbors boy had recently adopted 2 wild baby chicks...and chickens (and roosters) are loud!
Secondly - the dog (due to an unfortunate 'pecking incidence' in his youth) had an unreasoning hatred of all things chicken...unless cooked}
Well, her supplication was answered. It was not a baby chicken.
Oh no...not a chicken.
It was one of these:
A Japanese White eye...only a little bit bigger than a large egg.
SIGH
So the mother and father made the bird a safe place within the cat carrier using a towel and gave the bird water and melon and crackers to tempt it. All through dinner the toddler HAD to go and see the bird. The young boy was enthralled and kept signing "bird bird bird" to anyone who would listen. Every 5 minutes he went to see the bird: "bird bird bird". Well the bird eventually settled in and looked like it was sleeping. So the mother told the young child "Shhhh, we must be quiet. The bird is trying to sleep" So the young boy then signed "Shhhhh, bird sleep". Over and over he would ask for someones hand so he could lead them to where the bird was and tell them "Shhhhhh, bird sleep".
And so the evening drew to a close. The friend left, the daughter and toddler fell into slumber and the eldest boy was reading in his room as the father and mother worked on ending their day. But all was not ok in this house of feathers and dreams...the father came to the mother with unsettling news "I think the bird died" he said to her...so she came to look and sure enough the small bundle of feathers had breathed it's last and moved on.
What to do?
In the morning the mother spoke to the daughter and told her of the passing of the feathered spirit. "My daughter" she said "do not grieve to deeply; this beautiful bird knew that it's time to move on had come...and it came to you. It trusted you to give it a safe and comfortable place for it's body to rest while it's spirit moved on. That is a very sacred and special trust to receive from a wild animal. Be honored that you were chosen and do not be ashamed of your tears, for they are natural and right. We will allow you to choose a special plant and we will bury the bird..." "Her name is Cutie" said the daughter. "We will bury Cutie and put a plant over her so you can always see her in the growth of your plant" said the mother. "We will do it this afternoon when you come home from school."
So the children left for school and the mother and father sat and thought. They thought of how cute the young toddler had looked when he signed bird...they thought of how much the young girl had liked the bird...they thought of the inevitable "Can we get a bird" that was bound to issue from the childrens mouths...and they decided to go look and see if getting a bird would be a feasable thing to do.
Now I am sure, dear reader, that you KNOW what happened next...
They came home with THIS:
and the children were pleased.
Then they buried Cutie under a beautiful crotan right in the front of the house.
They are now a family of 5 humans and 6 pets and they are working on making the budgie feel welcome. The mother is hand training it. The children talk to it. The toddler coo's and babbles at it right before trying to hug the entire cage.
And the father, you ask? He is trying to convince the dog that the bird will not replace him and convince the cats that the bird is NOT a 'box-lunch'.
And so the saga of the bird comes to a close. In the land of dreams a new feather has come to roost and sing.
and all of this is true...
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Lazy Saturday.
It was a pretty lazy saturday out here...first hint of fall in the air.
Well, for Hawaii anyway.
It was cool and rainy. We were supposed to have 2 soccer games for Julian today but they called off the tournament due to the rain, so we came home and just crashed.
I like it when it gets cooler. We should have some more of that soon. I think I really miss Fall and Spring. I do like some of the seasons...the crispness in the air the smell of new flowers in the spring. Just not sub zero - freeze your nose off - cold.
I really need to get all of my back stuff blogged so I can talk about my boy...my oldest turns NINE on the eleventh. wow.
OK...my brain is fried today. Count this a loss and I will blog more later
Well, for Hawaii anyway.
It was cool and rainy. We were supposed to have 2 soccer games for Julian today but they called off the tournament due to the rain, so we came home and just crashed.
I like it when it gets cooler. We should have some more of that soon. I think I really miss Fall and Spring. I do like some of the seasons...the crispness in the air the smell of new flowers in the spring. Just not sub zero - freeze your nose off - cold.
I really need to get all of my back stuff blogged so I can talk about my boy...my oldest turns NINE on the eleventh. wow.
OK...my brain is fried today. Count this a loss and I will blog more later
Friday, November 2, 2007
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun! Right?
So my Daughter Arietta has always been one to march to the beat of her own drummer...or at least her own solo. It's fitting I guess...her name means 'little aria' or more literally...'little self contained piece for one voice'. Yup. That's her to a T or a do re mi at least. She is only 5 and is in first grade, won't turn 6 til the end of February BUT she is almost top of her class and peers with the older students. Yeah...one of those...lol.
She was a "dark empress" for Halloween so I did her hair in twisted whirlies in front...make her fairie-like:
Ignore the head glued to shoulder pose...it's her new thing.
ANYWAY...
she decided after seeing how it looked when the whirlies came out that she wanted THAT style for school on Fri.
Um...ok.
So thursday we bathe and whirl hair so that it looks like this:
and on Friday we take the whirlies out and off she goes:
Like I said...she has her own orchestra playing for her.
And you know what?
I wouldn't want it any other way.
She was a "dark empress" for Halloween so I did her hair in twisted whirlies in front...make her fairie-like:
Ignore the head glued to shoulder pose...it's her new thing.
ANYWAY...
she decided after seeing how it looked when the whirlies came out that she wanted THAT style for school on Fri.
Um...ok.
So thursday we bathe and whirl hair so that it looks like this:
and on Friday we take the whirlies out and off she goes:
Like I said...she has her own orchestra playing for her.
And you know what?
I wouldn't want it any other way.
How is this OK?
Double Standards bother me to no end.
And this is a shining example of a double standard in action. There has recently been furor over the movie "A Golden Compass". Accusations have been made that it is attempting to subvert children and indoctrinate them into Atheism. This is bad and should be boycotted. HOWEVER it is apparently ok for someone to put this pamphlet in a bag of candy they hand to my child on Halloween:
I don't care that it's Christian...what annoys me is that THIS is ok but a similar pamphlet extolling the 'truth' of Wicca or Atheism etc would cause an uproar. I don't much see the difference.
Now don't get me wrong...if this had been offered to ME as the parent I would have no problem with it. Gives me the right to choose and respects my RIGHT to have a different belief. Sneaking it into my child's candy bag at halloween??? not so much.
Double Standards people...double standards.
You can't do it yourself and then cry foul when it's done back to you.
Honor MY Truth as I Honor YOURS. They can both be valid without being diminished.
And this is a shining example of a double standard in action. There has recently been furor over the movie "A Golden Compass". Accusations have been made that it is attempting to subvert children and indoctrinate them into Atheism. This is bad and should be boycotted. HOWEVER it is apparently ok for someone to put this pamphlet in a bag of candy they hand to my child on Halloween:
I don't care that it's Christian...what annoys me is that THIS is ok but a similar pamphlet extolling the 'truth' of Wicca or Atheism etc would cause an uproar. I don't much see the difference.
Now don't get me wrong...if this had been offered to ME as the parent I would have no problem with it. Gives me the right to choose and respects my RIGHT to have a different belief. Sneaking it into my child's candy bag at halloween??? not so much.
Double Standards people...double standards.
You can't do it yourself and then cry foul when it's done back to you.
Honor MY Truth as I Honor YOURS. They can both be valid without being diminished.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
The Journey Begins
The Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with a single step...at least that's the quote...so here is my stepping off place. Bilbo Baggins in LOTR likened the road to a dangerous River that can sweep you onwards into unknown adventure simply by your stepping out your front door. So I am dipping my toe...as it were...testing the waters.
I love to journal but always seem to stop or have trouble finding the time to write. With nursing Rowan though I seem to spend lots of time at the computer; might as well use it to my advantage and try my hand at an online journal. It's not quite the same...I can't draw or color...but we'll see how it goes.
It seems fitting that I begin my journey on the Wiccan New Year. I am not one to limit myself to one belief but I like the symbolism of the Wiccan holidays...how neatly the fit into the cycle of the earth. I think it's time for me to study Wicca a bit more.
I'm on a journey in life too...constantly working on myself; learning, growing, changing...it's a fascinating path; this river of life and you can't fully appreciate it unless you immerse yourself.
I think it's time for a swim.
I love to journal but always seem to stop or have trouble finding the time to write. With nursing Rowan though I seem to spend lots of time at the computer; might as well use it to my advantage and try my hand at an online journal. It's not quite the same...I can't draw or color...but we'll see how it goes.
It seems fitting that I begin my journey on the Wiccan New Year. I am not one to limit myself to one belief but I like the symbolism of the Wiccan holidays...how neatly the fit into the cycle of the earth. I think it's time for me to study Wicca a bit more.
I'm on a journey in life too...constantly working on myself; learning, growing, changing...it's a fascinating path; this river of life and you can't fully appreciate it unless you immerse yourself.
I think it's time for a swim.
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