Maya Eventov Paintings

A gallery in the area is moving to a smaller location and has to liquidate a lot of their pieces. Because I know the owners I was allowed to come by the gallery and pick out anything I wanted at a discount. I found these amazing pieces by an artist named Maya Eventov.

I walked around the gallery for quite awhile and kept coming back to these. They're so "alive" to me and spoke to me on a very deep level. It's obvious by my own artwork that trees hold a special place with me. I couldn't decide which one, so I took both out on approval. I tried them on different walls to see if they would even work anywhere. I would walk around the house trying to decide which one to keep and in the end couldn't decide. So, I kept them both.

We haven't had any real direction for our Master Bedroom and these fit perfectly. Now we have something to pull inspiration from. One is already hanging in the bedroom, while the more vibrant one is hanging in the kitchen - the colors and size are perfect!

Every time I come around the corner and see one of them I smile. They're beautiful pieces with beautiful energy. The colors and texture in each one gives it so much depth that it feels like it's real - like you could touch the painting and become a part of it. Ok, I know this all sounds cheesy - especially for me, but I'm realizing it's hard to put into words how these paintings make me feel.

Multi-tasking and Death Machines

While I have several habits I'm changing this year (notice I didn't say "resolutions"...that's because "resolutions" fail - I'm "making changes") the biggest and, I think, most important one is cell phone related.

I've decided that I will no longer use my phone in the car. Period. I will only use "hands free" when I can master voice dialing (which I'll practice at home, not in the car). My phone now stays in my pocket. If my phone rings, I ignore it until I stop somewhere (and that doesn't mean a stop light or stop sign). I'm just so fed up with all of the close calls I get driving to and from anywhere. I'm cut off numerous times a day, or get trapped behind that person driving 5-10 miles below the speed limit - or the person who doesn't realize the light turned green. EVERY SINGLE TIME, that person is either on the phone, dialing the phone, or text messaging.

I have a news flash for everyone. The average car weighs in at 2 tons (4000 pounds) - that doesn't begin to get into the SUV's and Uber-Trucks that are on the roads right now. It is a machine - a machine that has the ability to crush and maim other people or yourself. We all think we can drive well enough to multi-task while driving, but study after study after study have shown that a majority of accidents are caused by people multi-tasking behind the wheel. So, guess what - get over your pride and ego and realize that you're driving and controlling a very heavy, potentially deadly machine - it isn't an extension of you.

I admit I was one of the worst, but over the past year I've had to limit the multi-tasking more and more because I had to be on the lookout for all the other idiots as well as myself. It was too much to handle safely. And it dawned on me one day - what the hell is soooo important that it can't wait until I'm safely parked somewhere? There was a time - not so long ago, when cell phones didn't exist - or were rare. You don't have to take that call while maneuvering through town at 40-50 mph. If it really can't wait, then pull into a parking lot somewhere and call the person back (there's a crazy feature on all phones that actually tells you who called and most have a "call back" feature).

Please do the world a favor - yourself included - and put the phone in your pocket or bag while driving (and don't fish it out if it rings.) Since I've been doing it my rides have been a little less stressful and it allows me to pay attention to all of the other idiots out there multi-tasking in their death machines.

It's 2010 y'all!

Another decade down - amazing!

Let's get one thing out of the way...it's pronounced "twenty ten". In 1910 they didn't say "one thousand nine hundred ten". It was "nineteen ten". Sure, maybe a few centuries ago it was "the year of our Lord one thousand five hundred ten", but especially in the age of texting and tweeting everything should be done in as few syllables as possible. So, say it with me, "twenty ten". Don't be the douchebag that says "two thousand ten" - you will be laughed at - and not just by me.

And before I start getting comments saying, "well they also said 'nineteen-o-five' when we said 'two thousand five'." Bite me - besides the fact that we're a lazy society and need to use as few syllables as possible, it just sounds cooler to say "twenty ten."

I'm Back...for real this time...

Wow - so much has happened in the past few months. We bought a house, fixed it up, had a very successful housewarming/holiday party, went to Disneyland, faced the holidays (especially hard for Mark this year since weather prevented him from going home). Now it's 2010.

I seem to have replaced my blog with Facebook, which at first I enjoyed. Now, not so much. It seems I've actually missed blogging. I quit when I felt like I couldn't write what I wanted because I was trying to protect people around me. Those events consumed so much of my life that it felt like there wasn't anything else to write about. I would find myself sitting here staring at the screen, blank. Nothing would materialize - so I decided it was time to "take a break."

That break turned into a year with a very pathetic attempt at starting up again back in August. Pathetic attempts are over with now. Looking back at old entries I've realized that Facebook is not a replacement for blogging. So many people I know have retired from the blog world, but I'm betting it'll make a come-back. So, in that vein, I'm starting it back up - and this time for real.

Just messing around

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in the meantime...

I know I need to post - there's plenty to write about, but since I was asked to post the link to Mark's new blog, I will.

Zeitzeuge Redux

Maybe I'll write a little sumpin' sumpin' tonight.

The Loft thing

So, here's the thing...and I've had a few drinks, so I'm sorry if this gets a little rambly and confusing. We found this loft to go look at. It's right down the street, has a separate bedroom, 2 baths, and a gorgeous view of downtown. The building is cool and so is the space...with a few "taste" upgrades. So, we scheduled to meet with the listing realtor...she sent her husband and "partner."

After spending a good amount of time looking, he mentioned that the prior deal fell through because the building was no longer FHA approved. ????!!!!!?????...Ok, so we want an FHA loan. Apparently one tenant bought a 4th unit to expand his loft (must be nice) which rendered the property FHA DISapproved. The HOA had no idea that they would lose this status with his buying another loft, so ever since they've been in a battle to regain FHA status. That was disappointment #1.

THEN he mentions that the $255/mo HOA dues had an additional assessment fee attached to it because of the new elevator they put in...after reading the paperwork I discovered that this elevator that goes 2 floors cost them $150,000...WTF?!?!? That would be a total of $390/mo in HOA dues until "assessment was paid."

THEN we asked to see the rooftop deck (one of the selling points) to which he says, "oh, my wife hasn't allowed me up there yet." So, I thought I'd ask about another selling point - the extra storage downstairs...his response? "There's extra storage?" Hmmm...ok...so we made a laundry list of what needed to be done:

1. rip out the brick "wine storage" that looks like a firepit gone wrong and is not structural
2. fix up the secondary bath
3. buy shelving for the master closet
4. remove the hd projector and painted screen
5. add a "loftwall" for the second bedroom
6. paint all the walls
7. sand all of the beams
8. remove carpeting from section of bedroom
9. remove part of the built in shelving because it doesn't accommodate our living room
10. remove "maple" panels from refrigerator and replace with black or stainless

And yes, some of these things can be done after we get the place and down the road, but still, quite a bit more work than we want to do. $169k for 1588sf... Our budget isn't that high.

The realtor's wife (the principal) wrote me back and apologized for the confusion with everything. She said that they are in the process of working out the FHA thing and that the assessment was either already paid for or would be rolled into the seller's closing costs. I told her that if he would even think of $159k for it we would take another look with her to show us around the rest of the building.

I got an email this morning from her saying that she would contact the seller and haven't heard back, so I'm writing that one off. On the other hand our realtor emailed a couple of listings this morning - one great house in Lake Highlands (near White Rock Lake) that we absolutely love...so who knows where this journey will take us.

We aren't seriously planning on moving until the Fall, but if something were to come along in the meantime...it would just have to be a perfect fit and deal for us to take it right now.

Mark's Back

Because Mark's started blogging again, it's been brought to my attention that I don't anymore. Sooo, the question is should I?

If there is actually a handful of people out there who are interested in my rambling, speak now or from now on you will only get Mark's side of the story! :)

I quit blogging because I felt like nobody really had any interest anymore. If I was wrong, then I'll happily start up daily ramblings again.

Goodbye Nora

Nora passed away last night just before midnight. It's amazing to me how knowing someone like her so briefly changed my life so dramatically. She unlocked a part of me that I had tucked away for what I thought was forever. She made me realize that it shouldn't be locked away - not that I'm ready to share all of that, but it's what allowed and inspired the paintings.

She loved a good margarita, so at 4 we're closing the showroom and heading out to get one in her honor.

We all love you and will miss you!

Heading Home

So no, Mark and I were specifically told not to dance together. We probably wouldn't have made it out alive - not everyone there is family. Not that family would be too keen on it anyway. However, it was a moot point becasue Mark and I stayed home while my parents went. We were completely exhausted and didn't want to move.

So, today we head home. I want to go by the cemetery here to visit Grandma and since we're out here I'd love to stop and see Granddaddy's grave in Shreveport, but that may take too much time out of the way. I know I'm anxious to get home and I can only imagine how Mark feels.

Everyone's still sleeping, so I don't think we'll make the 9:00 departure time we planned on. I think we all forgot about the stupid time change. I'm sitting here showered, dressed, and drinking coffee. Yeah, I'm ready to hit the road. I need to stop typing now...I sliced one of my fingers with an exacto knife yesterday, right on the tip. It's a little sore and this typing thing is starting to hurt.

Trip to Gorum

So, we're in Gorum to help my parents move Grandma's stuff out of her house. I'm the first one up and I've made my coffee and am sitting here in disbelief at how long dial-up connections take. I guess I just didn't remember. I mean I knew it was slow, but damn! My first pot of coffee was finished brewing before the home page came up.

That's one thing about living so far in the middle of nowhere - you have to be patient. I'm not. At all. I attempted doing a couple of things on Facebook, but it was just ridiculous how long everything took to load. It's a different world out here. (I realize how pathetic this sounds.)

Tonight, Mark will get the privilage of experiencing a local dance. Uncle Charles, Grandma's brother, will be playing the fiddle tonight - and he's amazing to watch. The fun part will be watching Mark take in the gathering of people. Most of them I'm related to somehow. There are 3 main family names out here and I think ours outnumbers the others by quite a bit. Anyway, I haven't seen a lot of these people in years so it'll be fun. The last time Mark came out here with me, but he only got to meet Aunt Carmen, he didn't get the full "Gorum Experience."

I think he's approaching it from an anthropological point of view. He asked if there were banjos and my mom replied, "we don't have banjos, we use fiddles out here." It'll be an experience he'll never forget.

Hopefully we'll be going into Natchitoches today for lunch at Lasyonne's. We need meat pies and gumbo at some point. If not today then we'll have to do it on the way out of town tomorrow. But I have a craving - and Mark's been talking about it for two weeks now, so hopefully we'll go today.

I'll be sure to take pictures tonight!

Nora

I've mentioned Nora before in my blog - pretty recently. She was the inspiration for my paintings. She had her surgery a few weeks ago to remove some cancer cells from just inside her skull. During this time she was off the chemo. While recovering from her surgery the cancer returned with a vengeance.

It has since spread into her spinal column and she has developed a type of non-contagious meningitis that can come with certain cancers. She is in the hospital on really good painkillers, but is also lucid. She has decided that she wants to go home with hospice care and let her family take care of her. Her goal is to build up enough strength to sit at her computer and tell her story.

She has realized that surrendering isn't about giving up, but about letting go. She is preparing herself to pass on to a place where she can take care of her friends and family here. She doesn't see this as and end, just a transformation. She is tired and has put up an incredible fight. She's ready to rest.

Oscars

For the first time in years the Oscars were entertaining. They brought back a feeling of old Hollywood. I have to say though, I'm not crazy about runaways. I haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire because it actually doesn't interest me in the least, but that doesn't matter - I just don't see how, with all of the wonderful movies this year, it could win things like "Sound Mixing." I mean come on - it's like there's a box on the ballot that allows you to vote a straight ticket.


I'm so happy that Sean Penn won for Milk. I remember walking out of the theater saying, "he deserves the Oscar, hands down." His transformation reminded me of Charlize Theron in Monster. Not that Harvey Milk was a hideous serial killer, but that I forgot I was watching the actors on the screen. They completely became the people they portrayed and left every bit of themselves out of it. I didn't think he would win just because it didn't have the hype of some of the others, but I knew he deserved it more than the others. I actually clapped and threw my arms in the air when he won...I don't do that sort of thing.


Hugh Jackman did a great job as host. He's funny, hot as hell, and extremely talented. He was the perfect choice for bringing back the feel of old Hollywood. Overall, it's been years since I've been able to say this, but we really enjoyed all 8 hours of the ceremony. (Yes, it's still too long.)

Latest Painting

Inspired by a walk through Greenwood Cemetery in Dallas.

Overheard in the Showroom

Oh, I had to share - this was too funny...

An anonymous designer said today,

Remind me to tell you the story someday of the drapery installer and the dildo. I'm writing a book.

And it was left at that. I'm dying to hear the rest!

Ella's Dance

My niece decided she needed to dance to "Life is a Highway." It's pretty cute.

Gorum Trees

Here's the most recent painting. It's taken from the same photo of trees as "Grandma's Trees." Gorum, LA is hidden away in a National Forest in Central Louisiana. This is a small guy at 20x16...I think I prefer working on the larger pieces, but I like the way this one turned out.

Star Wars/John Williams Tribute

So, I came across this video on the internet, if you've seen it you'll agree it's funny. The kid (ok, he's 21) in this video has quite a few videos on YouTube (in fact, now he's paid by YouTube to make them.) His name is Corey Vidal and he's very open about the fact that he's lip-synching. The original group who wrote and sang this is called Moosebutter. He had their blessing to do the video and they loved it - in fact they're collaborating on more videos.

Because of copyright issues Warner Bros has removed the original upload from YouTube, but there are still some copies out there. If the embedded video doesn't work, click here to see it on Facebook in really high quality.

Here are a few FAQ's about the song and video from Moosebutter's blog:

FAQ About Star Wars - there's a lot of confusion about the origin of the Star Wars song, since many people are attributing it solely to Corey Vidal. Here is information to clear up the mis-information, which we have little hope that the people who need it will read it.

• Music is from 6 different not-Star Wars movies, all written by John Williams.


• Words are paraphrased or directly from the original Star Wars trilogy, by George Lucas, et al.


• Song was arranged spring 1999 by Josh Slagowski and Bryant Smith, original members of moosebutter, in Salt Lake City, UT. Parts were re-arranged later by Mister Tim (Tim Y. Jones)


• Song was recorded in 2000 by Josh, Bryant, and Tim, and re-recorded in 2002 by Tim, Chris, Glen, and Weston, the new cast of moosebutter.


• There have been almost 50 different cast members of moosebutter since 1999, including subs and special guests. About half of those have sung Star Wars.


• Corey Vidal contacted us in summer 2008 to ask permission to produce his video. We said yes.


• WHAM BAM internet explosion.


• Corey is lip-synching to the 2002 studio recording of moosebutter. It was recorded at June Audio, Provo, UT. Corey filmed his video in his kitchen.


• moosebutter filmed their response video in November 2008. Corey was the most vocal supporter of us producing the new video, and he graciously posted it to his popular YouTube channel to generate more views.


• At the time of posting, Corey's video has more than 3.2 million more views than moosebutter's. That's because Corey is cuter, and smells better.

Eli Update

Elijah's brain is good! He will wear an eye patch for the next two weeks to see if it corrects itself.

Elijah's MRI

This morning, Elijah, my nephew is having an MRI. Suddenly last week he started having double vision and one eye started to get lazy. The doctors aren't sure what's going on. It isn't worse, but it isn't getting better. He's been wearing an eye patch to help the lazy eye get stronger. I mentioned that he gets to be a pirate...yeah, he's tired of the patch. I don't think he wants to be a pirate now.

Please send all of the positive energy, prayers, etc (whatever you believe in) that he's ok. I've attached this particular picture because it's how I'm imagining him facing whatever is going on - anything that will help. We should know something tonight.