Rock Lobster

I had almost forgotten about this little commissioned piece I did as a gift for a woman's husband. His name is Joey (as you can see on the side of the boat). She asked for some sort of boat and lighthouse scene and I of course said sure I can do that.

Then I mulled it over and thought, holy shit, I have never painted a boat/water/or lighthouse before... This could get interesting.

Later that night I had dinner at Red Lobster, and I looked down at my menu and saw this scene. Perfect boat/water/lighthouse combo. So that bad boy went home with me and helped me put this together for that woman.

I wonder if Joey saw this and thought, "This seems strangely familiar?"

(This reminds me that I do quite well with oils, but I just hate waiting for the pieces to dry!)

1st Anniversary of Mom's 59th Birthday!

Today is my Mom's 60th Birthday.

She and I were walking around my new neighborhood last night, and I realized that she is more of a best friend than I thought she was.

She is the kind of best friend that you talk about your other "best friends" to. She knows my many peeves about every little thing, and I know all of hers.

She also knows that I hate doing things alone, so she is always there to keep me company. Even if its just to walk a few laps around the block, or a quick lunch somewhere.

So Happy Birthday to you Mom!

ps-she looks pretty damn good to be 60 huh?!

(yet another reason why I use Mary Kay religiously...it's good stuff!)

Of Mice and Canadians

Sometimes my relationship with Mr. Jones reminds me of Lennie from Of Mice and Men - in a accidentally squishing or hurting when he doesn't mean to sort of way.

I'm not saying Brett is going to crush me dead like a rabbit...but a few stories come to mind from our past that are perfect examples of me vs. him vs. gravity or some other universal law:

Like the time he hugged me and squished me until I puked. Or the times he gently "nudges" me and I go flying into a nearby wall. I think he forgets how damn big he is half the time!

However, I use his height as a crutch, and if I even think for a second that I can't finagle something from a top shelf in the house I go crying to him to help me get it. This particular evening I was trying to retrieve a pitcher from the top area of our cabinets.. way higher than I could reach even with a chair...

Me (in my whine-y voice): Hey hun, ummmm can you get this pitcher down for me?!

Brett: Sure, get on my shoulders and you can get it.

Me: I don't think that's a very good idea.

Brett: Of course it is! Hop on!

He crouches down so I can sit on his shoulders

And up we go! I hand him the pitcher and he sits it on the counter...

Me: Ok! Put me down please!!! It's scary up here! (his height+ my upper half means I am over 9ft tall at that moment)

Brett: Aw come on, you are fine, this is fun!

I notice we are headed for the kitchen light fixture so I duck, Brett mistakes my "ducking" for "slipping" and proceeds to throw me up and into said light fixture.

Me: *screams*

Then he kinda half ass drops me and I hold my head and some ice for the rest of the evening.

In conclusion, my birthday is coming up - so if anyone wants to invest in a human-sized gerbil ball for me that would be spectacular. I can't get squished or injured if I am in a bubble all the time.

Subscription Prescription

I think that you can tell a lot about a person by the magazine subscriptions they have.

Take Mr.Jones for example, he has one - Game Informer. And that tells us what? The he is simple, and he likes to keep things simple. He loves his xbox. The end.

My reads? National Geographic for starters. I remember as a little girl my parents always took me shopping at antique stores. We would plan elaborate road trips all over the country to go to antique shops and auctions. If I found an old edition of a Nat Geo magazine? It was better than taking me to a trip to the candy shop. I was certain I had found a little treasure! I still have some of the old editions from those long forgotten trips. It had been a while since my last subscription to the magazine, so on my birthday last year that is what I told Mr.Jones to get me. No jewelry, or gift cards or things that will get hidden in my closet...When I get my monthly magazine from them it is like my birthday all over. I geekishly hover over every page, and proceed to pass the newest edition over to my family members telling them they have to read this or that and hold up the pictures on the pages as if I took them myself.

My other subscription "prescription"? Rolling Stone. A little left field in comparison to my Nat Geo, but I love a good ol drug/sex/rock story. As the Nat Geo brings out my inner nerd, the Rolling Stone brings out my inner bad ass. This month's 8 page spread on Robert Downey Jr. wasn't so bad either. Not so bad at all. I guess my Rolling Stone gives me practical advice...you know, if i'm ever stuck in a room snorting coke with Jack Nicholson - or need some artistic inspiration, world travel tips, etc...

When I open the mailbox and see one of those treasures laying there ready to be read I feel like I am about to step into another little world of fun. Therapy Schmerapy. My nerdy world and my bad ass world are all that I need.