9 Moons Ago

  

Even though one of my resolutions is to cut back on rambling, I’m not apologizing for this one bit!! I’m gonna have a general rant. If you are still with me at the end of it, you probably already read this blog on purpose! You may want to break it up into sections, so you can have a cuppa (tea) or make sure your kid didn’t just smear the Desitin (zinc cream) all over herself, or so your best friend won’t send out a search party to find you because you haven’t called her at 11 am like you were going to..3 days ago!

I mean I wrote it, in sections, over 6 or 7 days anyway! And in future, I’d rather write shortish, daily entries with one or two illustrations. This one was quite involved! But hella fun..I just spent days going nuts on drawing, experimenting with different illustration styles and photoshopping to my heart’s content. In fact, the only one I didn’t photoshop-up was the echidna..

Anyway, here it is. Definitely Unabridged!:

Amy’s Random Thoughts over the Close of 2004 and the Start of 2005

Ebony and Mum started teaching me to knit. So far I added 14 stiches to the last row of Eb’s scarf…4 of those were extra stitches. Oops! Mum said no problem..she’ll take them out. I already took out my 6 purls that had no business being on that scarf in the first place!
I’m rather eager to knit my first COZY scarf!! (Ohhh, you KNOW I will be making these for certain ppl who would fight over “cozy scarves” and “cozy blankets”, and the like..you know who you are!)

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Had a fun Christmas Eve talk to my family on the phone and called my sister and nephew for a wonderful conversation a couple of days later. Good to catch up on everyone’s news. Learned that my brother went to church twice..willingly!! Allison, take this as a sign of how much he really loves you!

My sister, the new mother, and her husband (you guessed it, the new father! Also the wearer of Spongebob Squarepants PJs that scare my sister in the middle of the night when she wakes up and sees those two huge eyes staring at her from the back of Zach’s shirt) actually had a very awesome kind of New Years planned with a couple who are friends with them. It was a “bring the baby, cause we have one too, and we’ll stay in and have a quiet adult party with french onion soup, crab cakes, and daiquiris!” kind of thing. Mmm…I should be so lucky when I have a baby!!

My mother was a bit sad about my not making it over there for Christmas, so my sister’s best friend..who is an honorary sister of mine, went out and BOUGHT A TREE for my mother to cheer her up! Christina you are amazing!!! I love you!

Apparently my new nephew, Isaac, thinks my dad is hilarious, because he smiles really big if he even hears Dad over the phone, and little Ike is also madly in love with my brother’s girlfriend.

My friend’s newborn daughter starred as baby Jesus in church on Christmas Eve! YAY for you, Destiny!
Where were the real babies back in the day??! Man, when I got to portray Mary one year, I had to hold this really dumb looking cabbage patch doll. If there’s any doll that DOESN’T make me think of the Christ child, it’s the one that has a weird squishy face and a tattoo of some rich (but very very generous)guy‘s name on it’s “A-star-star”!

It’s amazing what you can find on the internet, it really is…

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Last Friday met neighbours Sue and Murray who run the local orchard..and…AND.. if I didn’t already love black raspberries so darn much, I’d give pluots my vote as the bestest fruit EVA!! Cause I love both plums and apricots. Put them together ..WOW.. Cameron and I had to drive back after we tried a couple, to get more!! We bit into that sweet warm juicy flesh and both thought we’d died and gone to fruit heaven. I may have even had a brief pluot-induced vision of Liberace.

In fact, we decided to toast to the New Year with pluots, instead of champagne!

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Excited about joining the local resident’s environmental group and gaining knowledge about our local native wildlife as well as helping protect the wild habitats left in this part of semi-rural Melbourne. Cameron and I know we can both help with raising awareness, fundraising ideas and possibly a website design..

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Wrote a couple of postcards, and some emails… and planning to write more. I did NOT send ANY Christmas cards. Figured that during the beginning of the year I’ll mail some real letters and cards instead. I used to write those all the time..then I got burnt out from having way too many cool friends to write to, discovered email in 1999, sent some boring forwards and emails every so often, then last year struck upon this idea of rambling on self-indulgently in this blog as a way to “keep in touch” with everyone I love (the first and foremost reason for this blog). I’m ready to cut back on dog and kiddie photos, do more artwork, and save a lot of the person-to-person stuff for REAL letters! Cause, there isn’t a substitute for that kind of tactile, across the miles, nun-like handwriting-filled form of communication!
No one has complained at all, but I want to get back to my drawing and painting again..break time is over now. And I’ll still tell tales of daily life here for sure!

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I wrote my “first” poem, for my friend Janine, on her birthday (Jan 1). As I said to her, “It may not mean anything to anyone but you, and it’s my first real poem, but it’s definitely not my last!” In 2004 I don’t think I wrote much (besides this blog) at ALL. And I’ve always loved writing. I was avoiding it for a reason which I haven’t uncovered yet, but this made me aware of how much I miss it. Can’t tell from this entry at all, eh? I mean, maybe the reason was that I just needed to wake up the importance of writing.
Hooo boy…but what I’ll REALLY need is a damn good editor!! *I want to be more succinct* I strive for it, but to no avail.

I hope to write one or many books in my lifetime, and have been getting all kinds of heavenly direction in this area lately that I can’t ignore. So, no plans, except that I will start to write. About what, dunno..but I’m gonna do it! Now all I need is my antique typewriter that I was SUPPOSED to win at a St. Joseph School Bazaar raffle back when I was 10. Dude..I wanted it..and I still do!
I wouldn’t use it for much writing probably..just wanted it because I love antiques, I thought it looked great, and it’s a symbol of writing and authors.

*HORROR* as I make the connection to the subliminal influences of my mother’s favourite show, Murder She Wrote, which was on in our house for pretty much EVERY DAY..up till present day, when they have the audacity to play MARATHONS of it!!. ARrrghhh..the beauty of my dream to someday possess this symbolic icon of the writer has been sullied already!

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Cameron and I listen to Garrison Keillor reading The Writer’s Almanac every day, and A Prairie Home Companion every week and think everyone should! If I had to pick one person (besides anyone I know personally) who was my current hero, it’d have to be him!! I’ve been a fan of his radio shows since the mid 80s, and certainly don’t know all of his work yet, nor much about him as a person really…but man..he just..is the BEST!
An enchanted storyteller, he has a voice with the lilting quality of music and a bit of that beloved midwestern twang which I associate with happy family reunions in Dayton and Piqua OH.

He carries the show along with his attention to details..knows how to pause for effect, peppers monologues with subtle dry humor & wit, and can be quite ridiculous and silly. Alternately, he commands full quiet attention with loving tributes and sentimental reminiscing in hushed tones that may even slip into a brief melancholy mood at times. He has a love of fine music and writing and of corny jokes! All of this delights me to no end! He has the best supporting crew and talent that a radio show could ever dream up!

I also love Keillor’s picture book story, Cat You Better Come Home. The illustrations are as sweet* (*meant in a Cartman kinda way) as the story. And what I’ve read of Homegrown Democrat made me add that book to this years “required reading” list!

~Garrison Keillor, you’re my hero!~

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Cam and I have been excitedly making plans and brainstorming and have had late nights, long talks, silly dances, a few heated discussions, enjoyable veiwing of elephants and the honey badger on nature docos, cups of hot milky chocolately beverege, intake of new information, and a few soft serve cones from McDonalds..cause where else can you get ice cream..at a drive through..at 11:55pm..for 50 Aussie cents? And it’s cool, refreshing, custard-based vanilla goodness!! You know it is!!

I’m still a Mc D’s snob..but I’ll eat they (yes, they) ice creams and fries anyday. Stuff that apple crap..if I want an apple I’ll get it at Sue and Murray’s place..they’s got the REAL apples. Who wants RED DELICIOUS? PETEWI!! The kind with tough tasteless skin and WAX all over it? And engineered so that it won’t bruise when dropped from a height of 45 feet? Not ME! I was raised on the orchard apple..it be da best! Only thing they don’t have here in summer is South Central Pennsylvania white sweet corn!! Gotta love it!

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Had a New Years Day reflection/planning session of all the creative ventures and projects I’d like to work on. I LIKE making resolutions actually. I know a lot of people don’t like them or calling them that, but I’ve found that any year I make them, I usually keep them..even if I don’t think about them much at all. So I kind of think it’s a waste not to have a few irons in the fire ’round Jan 1st and write those ideas down somewhere.

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Listening to R.E.M. a lot and just smitten by the album! (Around the Sun) My favourite song by far is “The Ascent of Man” Yeahh Yeah Yeahh!
They are touring here in April/May!! WHOOOO!

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Although I would’ve loved to have participated, I decided to hold off on the rest of the 2004 Illustration Fridays (Penelope) and A Month of Softies projects (Loobylu), until the beginning of January, so I could get myself organized. I’m rather glad I did too. Why rush myself and put too many deadlines on my plate? I know I’ll get to these personal projects because I really want to and I like doing these things.

The really cool thing about returning to these projects at this time is that, for both, I’ll be focusing on aiding the relief effort of the earthquake/tsunami by selling them on ebay and donating the proceeds. And Penelope is encouraging donations by offering prints to those who email her proof of their donations during the month of January! Good on ya, girl!
Claire also has been encouraging this..and in fact, during every “Month of Softies” project has been urging people to use their crafts to help other people. I like the idea of donating the soft toys to children in need.

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And, to my family and dear friends. I love you and think of you every day. I’ll be spending this next week organizing my plans for finally getting over there!! I know I may seem focused on a lot of other things over here, but my main priority is making my way to good ‘ole York, PA!

And, so to wrap up, this is the result of a fun little quiz I took:

You Are a Life Blogger!

Your blog is the story of your life – a living diary. If it happens, you blog it. And make it as entertaining as possible.

But I’d like to ask you, the readers, just this once..what do you think of the site so far? Because I’m planning to do a re-vamp early in the year. What do you like, dislike..any things that you’d possibly want to see here? I will be adding a gallery of sketches and possibly a category system to look up topics..but that might not happen for a while. Any comments, critiques, questions or just random hellos would be welcome either here, or by email. Thanks for the wonderful New Years emails I’ve already recieved!!

Thanks also for all the support, encouragement and love that you’ve given me this past year. I won’t go through a list of names, but everyone who visits here has given me so much! I feel I’m coming home to my artistic heart, which had been disoriented, afraid, bruised & broken for a long time after my emotional and mental breakdown in 1994 and diagnosis of bipolar disorder the next year. I feel very alive and happy and, even though I’m far away from my most beloved family, I have no doubt that we’ll be able to be together a lot more this year!!

2005 will be one of more completion, reflection, dedication and SILLY ANTICS!! WHOOO!!! Ohh, the ideas are everywhere..and they all sound like fun! I hope you find this same kind of joy and creative energy in 2005 as well!!

Yeah..I finished.

Really.

I did!

Oh, O.K. I didn’t… because of the research I did for this entry, I stumbled upon something quite funny whilst getting the pic of Liberace! So, this may offend some (mild language, etc.) but if you value humor more than worrying about a few “bad” words, you’ll want to check it out!

As a side note, the Judge has the same name as my late maternal grandmother! I took it as a sign! Hee.. NOW I’m finished!

A la prochaine,
Amy

11-1-05: Update to Clarify

Um, yeah. I just wanted to let you know that I do not have a problem with gay ppl. I have many friends and relations who are gay or bisexual, and some of them are the most beautiful and fun ppl I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet.
I’ve even had a crush on some, including 3 gay models from LA (sooooo HOT!! Seriously, you don’t even KNOWWWWWWW!) who took me and 4 other straight girls out to party at a gay strip club for dancing, drunken flirting and a drag queen show in Washington D.C. after a friend’s wedding, circa 1997. (L & C…you know what I’m referring to…o my the fun we had that night!!)

And I know some gay ppl who live in New ORE LINS, who make me want to go to Mardi Gras with them above anyone else. Rather than with people like my ex roommate, “Souless”, who kept jars of beads in several rooms around the apartment as a public announcement of the fact that she may indeed be on no less than 4 episodes of “Girls Gone Wild”.

Oh, and if it’s still around, go to “Shampoo” in Philly on Mardi Gras Tuesday sometime. High cover charge..but do it at least once! Maybe get drunk first, for economy’s sake.

I may have been the shyest and quietest* person anyone ever knew in my youth (*Did you know that children will bully others for being quiet?), but never judge a book by it’s cover. Oh yeah…this girl has had some FUN in her life, let me tell you.

I so give up on my “no rambling” resolution today. Why fight it? Really. Why?????
Maybe I’ll create a tag-line along the lines of “9 Moons Ago: If You’re Looking for Short & Sweet, Go Somewhere Else!”

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 8th, 2005 at 4:37 pm and is filed under Art & Creating, Bipolar Disorder, Black & White Drawings, Color Drawings & Paintings, Cookery & Eatery, Family, Friends, General, Humor, Making Stuff, Music, My Resources, Photos, Poetry, Self Portraits, Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.