Funnily enough, I find myself craving gingerale now. I know "Brilliant!" is Guiness's schtick, but I think the use of these 1950s illustrations to make hilarious commercials deserves a "Brilliant!". And a toast, with a Jack and Ginger, or something equally Schwepps-tastic.
It seems I'm in a D mood lately. Dependency, dreaming, domestication... DDD.
This morning I had a realization how dependent I've become. I was thinking of going for a run or a bike ride, or both. I thought a bike ride on the trail would be nice, but I would have to go alone. That was a big deterrent in my mind (there's the D again). Then I wondered, "What the hell is wrong with me? I can ride a bike alone." Yet even after that realization, I was still debating (D) on whether or not to go.
I went. It was grand. I decided (D) to only ride, mainly because I couldn't find the bike racks at the park (found them after I gave up the idea of the run, so I'll know next time). Six and a half miles, mulling over and over in my mind why I don't want to do (DD) things alone anymore. I no longer want to go out and grab dinner (D) by myself; I rarely go out to shop, because it will be by myself. I used to never have this problem. I did all sorts of things all by my lonesome.
Goal: get over it. Realization: I love having Raju to do stuff with. It's like having a best friend around all the time. Except he's not around all the time. He has a life. I have a life. We have a life. I should live my life. Starting with the bike ride this morning. Maybe I'll follow up with lunch at the pho restaurant. Hopefully dinner will be shared over a nice glass of wine, though. Me sharing - that's another topic.
This picture posted on Flickr inspired me for the outdoor dining space. Of course, I don't have enough room for all of those beautiful umbrellas, and Raju might kill me if I paint the side of the house (ala one of those HGTV shows we watched once upon a time, of course, she also cut away part of the deck; damn did her hubby need that margarita maker they won when he came home). So I'm paring down a bit and going with what seems to be leaning more toward a French feel with the red and blue and the Tolix chairs. Either way, it will be better than what it is today.
what it is today: clean slate or barren waste land? cup half full or half empty?
Of course, we'll need more plants, and brighter colored planters than are in the mock above. Shortcuts - I just wanted some greenery in the picture.
The current plan is to put in the tall, skinny evergreens, similar to the ones in this photo from Florence (center of the pic) in a row down the fence. That should give us some privacy and kill some of the ambient road noise. So I guess we're bringing a little Italy back in. Maybe I can call this "Euroblend"?
I cannot believe I've been writing this blog for over 4 years now. From the first post in Missouri with Milo enjoying the fresh air to the latest hiatus followed by domestic bliss, it's interesting to read what I was up to then and the thoughts that swirled through my head.
A few days ago we celebrated our second anniversary. On our first anniversary we just chilled out on our deck, enjoyed the view of the mountains, and talked all night while drinking a bottle of Krug. For the second anniversary, we chilled out on *our* deck - the one we spent a weekend staining a month ago. Switch Dom for Krug, and last year's conversation for something more light-hearted and less philosophical. Oh, and switch out the champagne glasses to the kitschy, heart-shaped, freebie glasses we used at our wedding, for nostalgia's sake.
Then we decided we needed to eat this time around. Out we went to Zeni, and Ethiopian restaurant, where we enjoyed our favorite, kitfo. After eating all the meats, a little injera was left, and Raju showed his artistic side by carving Orion's Belt into injera.
All in all it was a great night. Piece by piece it was a great night.
"I wouldn't call myself much of a planner. I'm more a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants gal, moment to moment, yeah, that's me." - Vivian Ward, Pretty Woman
Even though that line is from a prostitute, it pretty much sums up my views on planning. I hate planning and like to live in the moment, but only when I want to live in the moment. Sometimes I just want to couch potato in the moment...
So this, this is odd, but a good exercise for me. Living with someone else, sharing a house, means I can't just be me. Sure, I have all these ideas floating around in my head, and I know they'll turn out. If they don't, I can always change everything, right?
the Gray room - guest bedroom #1
Getting it all on paper before executing, with the occasional surprise thrown in, does seem to be working. The rooms, while coming along slowly, are coming along, and look just like my vision. Well, the little parts that are complete, anyways. I would say in the past things have only come out like my vision 50/50. So on the plus side, a greater rate of success, on the minus side, not so many happy accidents. I live for happy accidents. They're what make me, well, happy.
We spent the earlier part of this year searching for a house, then we finally found one, put in an offer, luckily didn't get that one, found another (which we actually had found previously, but it took us a while to decide it was right), found out someone else had put in an offer, we put in an offer, got in contract, and finally bought a house. Then reality set in - houses cost money. The life we knew was gone. The savings we had was gone; in its place is home equity. Welcome to grown up life, Courtney.
I make this sound bad, when really, it's great. I wouldn't trade it for the world; it's really nice having a place to call home, though it's taking a while to sink in that it's ours. It's a new project on a grander scale than previous projects. Walls to paint, tiles to break, bricks to fix, rooms to decorate. Grown up furniture, guest bedrooms, in-laws visiting. A bar that hides the liquor instead of showcasing it.
But my creations these days are very domestic. A decorated house, a yummy meal, a tomato or a cayenne pepper I grew and used in dinner. I have trouble with that, but I also enjoy that. There's not enough time to create - art, dinner, a home - and work. Actually, I'm sure there is; I'm just lazy. Or maybe I just have too many ideas and not enough focus.
Ahh, but I've finally posted another post. I've put images back on Etsy for sale. I can make a resolution now to do better, to promote myself, to set aside time to work on the site, the blog, the art (as I haven't created anything in 2 years now), exercise, learn new languages -- all that stuff I want to do, but never get around to. Instead of resolutions, though, we'll just see what happens. Resolutions, even made in August, seem to be the thing you break. At least, for me.
Art is about experiences. It is about the experiences you, as a viewer, bring with you. It is about the experiences I've had over my lifetime.
So I'm giving you a glimpse into my life and experiences. This diary is a compilation of current events, reminiscences, thoughts, and even a few posts about my pieces.
Feel free to share your experiences with me via the comments links.
A southern girl, displaced, but loving every minute of it. A drifter through life, living in the moment or just enjoying that moment. An artist who forgoes the thinking to just create. An impassioned soul, but only for the briefest of periods... until the next new thing comes along. A comedian, well, I amuse myself anyway. :-)
