Full fall

This is my favorite time of the year. Ok, summer is my favorite, quickly followed by fall, which is almost tied by spring.

So I haven't been blogging, because I've been having so much fun. We've gone to see the salmon spawn on the Sandy River, picked and carved pumpkins on Sauvie Island, walked the corn maize at night, kept up with dancing, drawing and yoga. Throw in a Thai massage....you get the picture.

I'm getting ready to head to Oaxaca for the Day of the Dead, visit Fede's family, and spend a week on a beach.....hot sunshine is about what I need right now. I've packed a bunch of books, a sketch pad, and the desire to try to do less and just be.

You might even get a blog post now and then.

Stay tuned for the adventures to come.....

Clueless at Target

Ok, so I know corporate America is not exactly a bastion of intelligence or integrity, but this takes offensiveness to a new low....

An illegal alien costume is on sale at Target's web site.

Really.

Click on this link to see the costume, which I hope the idiots at their HQ yank from the site before they have some boycott on their hands.

Pendejos.

http://www.target.com/Illegal-Alien-Adult-Costume-Size/dp/B002EIY1G0/ref=sc_qi_detaillink

Boss day

Did you know it was National Boss Day? Well, my staff got me a very funny card and signed it with really nice sentiments. I figure it was sincere, since if you don't like your boss there is no need to go the trouble of buying a card for Boss Day and taking the trouble to write a personal message....you could just skip the card or scrawl your name. Right?

It was a very sweet start to my work day.

I joked with them that everyday is Boss's Day..ha, ha.

For good and for bad stuff...the buck stops here.

I love my job. I love the people I work with.....even the icky stuff is interesting in a crazy way.

I am very fortunate.

What I'm reading

I've loved Roald Dahl for many years, and now I'm reading his adult memoir of his time as a WWII fighter pilot....he manages to weave humor, social commentary, travel writing into one slim fast read. Love "Going solo." Fascinating fast read.

Big thumbs up!

p.s. he wrote "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"!

El monte y el rio - poema de Pablo Neruda

En mi patria hay un monte.
En mi patria hay un río.

Ven conmigo.

La noche al monte sube.
El hambre baja al río.

Ven conmigo.

¿Quiénes son los que sufren?
No sé, pero son míos.

Ven conmigo.

No sé, pero me llaman
y me dicen "Sufrimos".

Ven conmigo.

Y me dicen: "Tu pueblo,
tu pueblo desdichado,
entre el monte y el río,

con hambre y con dolores,
no quiere luchar solo,
te está esperando, amigo".

Oh tú, la que yo amo,
pequeña, grano rojo
de trigo,
será dura la lucha,
la vida será dura,
pero vendrás conmigo.

Inspiring

This is a powerful story about the impact a book and a library (even a poor one) can have on a community.....

Enjoy!

http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/251737/wed-october-07-2009-william-kamkwamba

A moment in the garden

So this is actually a moment in July, not October....but it was so pretty I had to post it!

Drawing class

After many years of not drawing, it's been like coming to visit an old and beloved friend who you had a falling out with over some ridiculous thing. The ridiculous thing being my neurotic drive for perfection, which can set up any artist for a path to disappointment and harshness...which kills the joy and creativity. The other ridiculous thing was thinking that just because I couldn't earn a decent salary doing art that I should stop doing it. Crazy, stupid.

It's been a big step to return to this old friend. To find a class, sign up. It feels so right to be a studio, surrounded by easels and artists. A whole building of people all devoted to art.

Yesterday in class the familiar craziness crept in as I stole glances at other students' work and started to compare mine to theirs, coming up short mainly. "Oh, look at how cool that turned out." "Wow, what an interesting way to capture that..." "Why does yours look like crap?" I work at shutting off those voices almost as much as I do on the actually drawing itself.

Speaking of which, I did a good job in class with my drawings. We did blind contour, gesture, and contour drawings...one after the other, timed....It was fun, very different than how I normally would draw, and experimental. When we put up our stuff on the wall for critique one of the students shot me an admiring smile and told me one of my contour drawings was good. The teacher complimented both of my drawings...He said I'm good at creating an interesting composition that uses the space well, and I did a good gesture drawing too. I felt....like a million bucks by the end of class. I smiled as I lugged my stuff to the car. Artists need to work out just to carry the gear around.

Weekend of fun

We lucked out on a sunny weekend, which meant heading out to Oxbow Park for a hike and some gardening (time to harvest pumpkins!). Garden shots are courtesy of Gladys.

What I'm reading

This book came recommended to me by Gladys, who raved about this book so much I went out and bought a copy, sight unseen. She's got great taste in books...it is a beautifully illustrated and evocative story, a Caldecott winner. We've been reading it together this weekend and enjoying it immensely.

What a treat that the book recommendations are going in both directions.

What I'm watching

A co-worker recommended these wonderful movies....lots of good dance numbers, love stories, fab dance scenes, drama, and happy endings. What is not to like?