a dozen random queries

WHY WAS THAT CABINET EVEN OPEN?
I have a pretty specific morning routine on non- studio days.
It is the same day after day because it is both efficient and easy to do half asleep.
Which is why I do not understand how I managed to smash my face into the medicine chest mirror this morning.
I hadn't used anything in there yet.
I'm sure it was closed when I got into the shower because otherwise I would have hit it going into the shower. But when I was drying off and stepped out of the shower gabang chin meet pointy edge of door. Then the phone rang and Rea was greeted with, Stand by; i'm wet and bleeding.
Good start to the day: GO Team Us!

DID THE DESIGNER OF THIS COOKIE JAR GET FIRED?

This little doggy is so cute with his play-with-me posture, waggley tongue and big eyes.
But who thought it was a good idea to have to fetch your Oreos from under the dog's tail?

WAS THE DENVER AIRPORT DESIGNED BY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL?

I mean, honestly people.

Was the circus in town during the designers' meeting for this building?

HOW AWESOME IS THIS ENSEMBLE?

Cute summery sheath dress in a sweet bamboo print that has not only a matching purse, but matching shoes?
I love matching!
Now if only I liked sheath dresses.
And wore green.
And was a size 6.
A size 6 Tall.




AT WHAT HEIGHT DOES A PILE BECOME AN AVALANCHE HAZARD?

This is an unused shower with which I am acquainted.

 (no, it isn't mine; we already established that I was in my shower this morning)

Every time I use the facilities in this bathroom I am kinda afraid for my life.

WHY MUST PRETTY PRETTIES BE SO EXPENSIVE?

...sigh
Spent a while cleaning and displaying Waterford crystal at the Flea this week.
This is a medium bowl in the Lismore pattern.
You can see the spots of light that it throws onto the wall, but the picture didn't capture that all of the cut lines gleam with rainbows.
I could sit and stare at it for hours (but Andrew would frown on that).

ARE YOU SURE THAT IS EDIBLE?
What is going on here?
Jar, water, yellow globs...
That, my friends, is some of the homemade butter I made from the cow I milked.
This pic is from an intermediary step; I promise it comes out better in the end.
Look for the complete post next Thursday or Friday.




WHY DO FAKE ANTLER CANDLESTICKS EXIST?

We are not even gonna discuss the idea of decorating in dead animals.

Or the fact that this particular candlestick is hideous.

If you are opposed to using real antlers, why would you be okay decorating with resin ones?

Normally people that don't want real antlers wouldn't like any depiction of dismembered animal parts.

If you are going to go with a rustic/hunter/carnivore motif you should at least have the good grace to use real antlers, people.

WHY IS LYDIA STANDING IN AN ABANDONED GAS STATION WEARING 3-D GLASSES?

I gave another teaser about this Friday Adventure months ago and then there was the picture kerfluffle.
Well, I am really going to reveal the coolness behind this picture in a post on Monday or Tuesday.

IF GIANT BEAVERS RULED THE EARTH WOULD THEY KEEP US AS PETS?

Yes.
Yes, they would.
At least, they'd keep the sparkly humans as pets.

The rest?
Great Dam builder slaves.















WHAT HOBBY WOULD YOU START IF YOU HAD UNLIMITED TIME AND MONEY?

For me?

Juggling fire.

'nuff said.

WHAT IS MY NAME?

The contest to name this adorable little guy ends on Tuesday.
I have a clear favorite so far from the suggestions.
Leave your last minute ideas here or on the original post.
Wednesday his/her name will be announced and the winner gets either a $15 NikCo gift certificate or a 4 pack of greeting cards custom made for them.

being 40

This month i celebrated my 40th birthday.
I've been alive for 40 years.
I've reached middle age.
Shouldn't i feel different?
Aren't i suppose to feel different?
Cause really, i don't.
In fact, 40 doesn't bother me a bit.
The only milestone birthday that ever bothered me was 18.
Yes, 18.
18 made me nuts, made me question everything i believed about myself, made me act reckless; basically, i had my mid-life crisis at 18. By that logic, my life-span would be 36 years so honestly, every year after 36 is a bonus year. There is no reason, in my mind, to be upset about The Big 4-0 because it is a right sight better than the big dirt nap.
I was talking to a friend who had been working on a Things To Do Before I'm 30 list and it got me thinking. It seems like a lot of the fun life experience lists are about getting things done before you turn a certain age, like you expire at that age or something. I think that it helps reinforce society's construct that we all have a Best By date stamped on our butts.
Screw that.
I don't accept that.
To celebrate that i am 40, i have constructed a 40 Things to do While I'm 40 list that can be found here. Some of the items i can finish at anytime, but others will take me the whole year. A few items might earn me gold stars, while others expand on resolutions. They all will help me focus on being present in my own life this year.
What do you want to accomplish between your birthdays this year?

since Mike asked...

Over the last few years i've felt myself becoming stagnant.
I loved my job, but it didn't challenge me anymore and there was resistance to change from higher up, not to mention no funds to change anyway. I loved my friends, but so many of them were so far away that i felt isolated. I loved my art, but needed to be stretched. I wasn't completely discontented, but bored and stuck and floundering.
We know now that part of it was medical, but other parts weren't. I've been wanting change, growth, challenges to break me out of my comfortable box. My post about this week's quote is really about how all of that change seems to be happening at once and only some of it is in my control - be careful what you wish for, right?
So, in order to be less cryptic (i'm looking at you, Michael :->) here is a list of opportunities, goals, obstacles, deadlines that are swirling in my brain right now, in no particular order:
-2 members of my team were laid off
-we have to keep taking triple bookings
 -my team is writing the new summer theater program
-my team is writing a new assembly program
 -my team has been researching new classroom programs
 -summer bookings are closed, but higher than i wanted them to be
 -my entire department is being reorganized and reimagined
 -i am on a committee to do a summer extravaganza of science
 -the owner of Objects Found asked me for a new line of Spring cards, three weeks ago
 -there is going to be a 2nd annual Catonsville art exhibition; due date for entries is April 10 and i don't have any new pieces finished
 -i am in the middle of a painting
 -i am in the middle of an assemblage
 -i have the inspiration and the materials to do a sculpture/mobile/thingee, but it needs about a thousand solder joints
 -i need to learn how to solder
 -and get a soldering iron
-i was asked to do the publicity and marketing for that art exhibition
-which just got moved up by a week [MAY 15TH; YOU'RE ALL COMING, RIGHT?]
-i've been reminded that my handmade cards were the highest selling object at the last art exhibition so be sure to have plenty done
 -i have 15-20 necklaces in the works
-i have 6 other necklaces designed and faux beaded that need finished
-there is a new thrift store in Catonsville that i've started courting to possibly carry a line of handmade or reimagined jewelry of mine
 -i have the okay from the organizer of a local scrapbooking crop to be a vendor at her next crop, selling found objects, interesting notions and handmade embellishments, date April 16ish
 -sort and package notions
 -make displays and prices
 -finish embellishments
-make pages/samples using my wares
 -paint 12 chipboard books
 -start April birthday cards
-Debbie's play is this weekend
-spend time with Colleen
-i am working on cultivating/growing about 10 new friendships within 2 totally different communities and need to devote time to each
 -somehow i need to fit in at least 5 hours of sleep a night
-i can finally, finally go back to the gym
 -i don't think i have clean underware for tomorrow
-there are 26 books checked out from the library in my living room, mocking me
-my taxes need done; where did i put my W-2?
 -there are still 22 CDs checked out from the library that i am reviewing
-i owe Carlotta dinner
 -this is day 3 of not buying any restaurant food; if i make it to 31 i get 20 stars, but i really want KFC for dinner so that i don't have to cook
 -there is currently condiments, half an onion and Scotch in my fridge; i need to go shopping
 -i am resolved not to go to the grocery store without a menu, shopping list and coupons
-like everyone else in this economy, i will soon be spending more each month than i make and banks don't believe in negative numbers; where do i get more income?
-i need to secure funds to ensure my mother's continued independence
-my museum is hosting the national conference in October; i am planning a traditional all-day outreach session, due date for changes and prices was a week ago and i have neither finished
-over the last year i've gained 20 pounds that needs attending to before my annual physical next month
 -wait... did i schedule that physical? yes, i did.
 -wait... did i just book a show for that day? hmmmm...
-i need a better recycling process at work cause currently i just take it home, but after rearranging our little corner there are about 5 loads of paper recycling
 -the community clean-up day is April 9 and i want to volunteer
-i want to invite my new neighbors to dinner
-girls' craft night???
-we lost 5 limbs off of the dogwood tree; how am i going to get them to the mulcher on clean-up day?
-the basement seriously needs cleaned
-New Year's resolution #1 (volunteering) hasn't even been started yet; do i want to apply for CASA and/or mentor at St Vincent's?
-i got a baby shower invite for my high school best friend; wait... she's pregnant?!?
-the trivia season ended and we won our location; special game on Saturday, finals next weekend, Trivia Bowl (if we make it) on April 2nd
-i have 10 days of dirty dishes to wash
 -i got a letter from my sponsored boy in Africa and i need to get a return letter in the mail by Saturday
-the are currently 15 blog posts started in the queue and i took picture today for 2 more
-need to fit in a phone debrief date with Matt and Sara this week
 -i owe Grandpa a letter
-the only disorder left from the office shuffling is sitting in my space
-the 35L dewar is in pieces and i need to get it fixed
 -did i take my mid-day pill?... yep; okay
...phew And that's just what came off of the top of my head. Most of these things are awesome opportunities that make me tingle with possibilities. Some of them are deadlines that i'm not sure i'm gonna make. Any money things really stress me out cause i don't really care about money, but that doesn't mean that i don't need it. I need more time, but have to get the sleep necessary to keep me healthy (dang it!). I am excited about the new things at work, but need to take time off to finish my outside endeavors, but can't take time off cause i'm understaffed and don't want to take time off cause i'm excited about the new things.
So Mike... does that clarify things a bit?

2009 book breakdown

I read a lot last year -because that's what i do- but i realized as i was culling my commonplace book to put this post together that it wasn't really a stand-out year for books for me.
I enjoyed almost all of what i read.
 I found some new authors.
I started some new series.
 But there were no books that after i read them i thought, Man, i need to write a blog post about that or Everyone i know must read this book. There also weren't any Jeez that was so bad i feel like i should get a time refund from the author moments either. I guess some years are just like that.
Anyhoo, since no great truth or hidden wisdom was revealed to me during my perusal of last year's books, here is just a super quick breakdown of the literary habits of the Nikiverse, circa 2009:
Total books read: 132
Re-reads: 6
Mystery/ action: 68
Children's/ YA: 37
Graphic novel/manga/comic collections: 19
Short story collections: 6
New series started: 7
Most read month: August, 22
Least read month: March, 0
Most read author: Charlaine Harris, 25
Most interesting read: Lullaby, Chuck Palahnuik
Most surprising reveal: the Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart
Most quotes gleaned from: The Book of the Unknown, Jonathon Keats
Best title: the hollow chocolate bunnies of the apocalypse, Robert Rankin
The story was better than the movie: "Quantum of Solace", Ian Fleming
The movie was better than the book: The City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau
It will be interesting to see how things go in 2010, especially since i just finished a book by a cartoonist that features a dachshund with a soup ladle for a leg.

Glimpses into the Commonplace Book

I do loves me some words - love 'em. I have been a word collector and a quote collector most of my life in one way or another. Even as a child i learned the words of a song after only a few listens; words just stick in my brain. A few years ago i started gathering up all of the slips of paper and notes and scribbled napkins that had accumulated in my life in an attempt to capture all of the wonderful words i've found in one place. I enjoy reading weekly quotes on other people's blogs so i have added a new side bar that will have something plucked from my very pink commonplace book. Some quotes echo how i feel about a particular subject, some i find thought provoking even if i don't agree with them, some make me laugh and some i just enjoy their use of language. It is my intention to update it Wednesdayly; we'll see how that goes.

I like books

I do really, really like books; I love thoughts and words and pictures in my head.
I'm fascinated that something as mercurial as emotion can be captured in 2 dimensions; the concept of written language is cool.
I've always been a voracious reader, but living without cable for nearly 3 years has given me the time to rediscover books.
Living on the same road as the library helps, too.
 I always intend to review the books i'm reading like the fabulous Kaaren, but i never do. Instead of resigning myself to complete failure I offer here a brief-ish rundown on what i read in 2008 with some highlights. [note - if i say NEW obviously i mean "new to Niki" cause i am always years behind (or ahead) of any trend]
Books read : 104
# of rereads : 7
Non-fiction : 7
Children / Young Adult : 50
Newbery winners : 15
Graphic novel / comic compelations : 12
Science Fiction : 3
Fantasy : 29
Mystery : 16
Best : The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo - i really love this book; you can read my purple review here
Worst : The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan - supposedly about the banality of evil this book was in fact, just banal itself. The evil wasn't really that evil, the secret wasn't terribly shocking considering the circumstance and the characters were downright unlikable. If time were money I'd demand a refund.
Best new children's series : The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley - there are 5 books so far in this twist-on-fairy tales series that are quick, fun, witty and yet still manage to delve into slightly deeper themes.
 Best new adult series : the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich - i've read 12 of the 17 books about the New Jersey bounty hunter and enjoy the idiosyncratic characters and pure escapism plots; i mean her car was smashed by a garbage truck for goodness sakes.
Fascinating and Fantastical : One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - i'm still confused; the characters have the same names and you can't really tell if it is fantasy or allegory, but i liked it and there were some breath-taking uses of language; i wish i could have read it in its original language cause i bet it was even more beautiful.
Most Over-rated : Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield - i've heard about the "shoe books" forever and checked out several at a time, but was so unimpressed by the first one that i didn't bother with the rest.
I was so amazed and delighted at the end that i immediately flipped to the first page and started over : The Life of Pi by Yann Martel - love, love, loved it and will not comment on it at all so as to not influence anyone else's enjoyment other than to say if you haven't read it, do.
Enjoyed it so much that i read passages aloud in the van, but then was so angry at the end that i threw it to the floor and physically stomped on it : Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquirel - loved the format, the use of language, the imaginative characters, and the unique plot; hated the ending - HATED IT - but i still recommend the book anyway.
Not at all what i was expecting award : Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling - Kipling and New England? Kipling and fishing? What? Liked it once i got over the surprise though the dialect dialogue was a bit thick.
The You Fail award : Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire - didn't finish reading it; i tried and tried but couldn't muster enough interest to continue past about 100 pages of this 3rd Wicked book.
Most impactful : The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran - perhaps i was influenced by being exhausted, hot, grimy and a bit tipsy while cleaning out Douglas' mother's house the day before her memorial service, but i cried from beginning to end as i read it sitting on the floor amidst the never-ending piles of crap.
Glad i finally got around to reading it : the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett - i've only done 6 of the 25, but at least now i know what everyone is talking about.
Loved the movie so much i read the book : The Prestige by Christopher Priest - i was spellbound by the movie (Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale in the same place? Yes, please) but couldn't imagine how the book could've been written cause of all the twists and turns; the book is very good and twisty in its own right, but different from the movie in a lot of little details, like character and plot. I highly recommend both though they have little in common.
Liked the book so much now i want to see the movie : The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy - a compelling "what if" based on a real-life crime, it is gritty with interesting characters and an ending i didn't see coming until it was almost upon me.
Most infuriating Author's Afterword : Brisingr by Christopher Paolini - i reread the first 2 books in the trilogy when the third was published in September only to get to the end of the third and find out he'd decided to make it a series so now in 2 years i'll have to reread all 3 before the 4th comes out - if i'd known that before i started i would have just waited. Good book, though.
Wait, i thought i read this before : the last 4 books in the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis - i thought i'd read them all when i was younger, but The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician's Nephew and the Last Battle were completely unfamiliar when i read them in April; they're all good, but Voyage of the Dawn Treader is still my favorite. And if you're going to read them, for goodness sakes read them in the order they were published and not in the ridiculous chronological order they are currently being sold in.
Surprisingly good : The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - i tend to avoid anything that might have been in Oprah's book club, but i had a free copy of this book and i really enjoyed the strong female characters and the basic message of finding your own power on spite of your surroundings.
So moved by it and it captures some of my own philosophy so well that I want to hand out copies on the street corner : The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom - i loved it; read it; read it now.

It's a new year - you know what that means...

RESOLUTIONS! I loves me some New Year's Resolutions. First, a look back at the resolutions that were and my performance : 1. make better language choices - i did pretty well 2. be more thankful - check 3. unpack moving boxes - utterly failed, failed, failed 4. put my artwork up for sale - done and done Sooooooo... for 2009 i am resolved to : 1. Be more courageous. 2. Be a more consistent correspondent. 3. Make yoga a hobby instead of an occasion. 4. Write in my journal on a regular basis. Basically it comes down to me doing the right things all of the time instead of when i think about it and taking more risks in my life. It should be difficult, but rewarding. What are you working on this year?

How can it be December???

CRAP! How can the first week of December almost be over? I still have one more resolution to finish and not nearly enough to get it done. Resolution #3 is "Finish unpacking moving boxes" which is certainly reasonable since i moved 2.5 years ago. When i moved i had to get rid of about 40% of my belongings - it was pretty traumatic. And that is only added to the trauma of my family breaking up, which is why i moved in the first place. So needless to say, once i was in the apartment and i had unpacked all of the necessities i just abandoned a bunch of boxes. There aren't that many left - maybe... hmmmmm... 20ish - and they are out of the way on one side of my bedroom and one side of the sunroom. For a while i just didn't want to be bothered. Then i was uber-busy. Now... i don't know... maybe i'm just lazy. No, the biggest part of the problem is that i am down to the boxes that are multi-step unpacking. I have collections of unicorns, thimbles and Beanie Babies (yes, i've always been this random) that I am not going to keep, but i love all of them so much that i want to choose a few to keep (not quite as difficult as Sophie's choice perhaps, but close in some cases) and then take pictures of all the rest so that i can scrapbook all of their stories (cause you just know they all have stories) once i get rid of them and then i need to actually find a place for the ones i am keeping. There are 5 boxes of vintage and collected barware, but the hutch i am currently using as my bar only has 2 shelves : i'm not really sure how to solve that problem without bending time-space. Then there are the boxes of books; i have to clean off all of the stuff currently being stored on the bookshelf before i can put the books in their rightful place. How am i supposed to get this done when i only have 3 days off from work before Christmas, then i'm in Florida for a week and then it's 3 days until New Year's with a new crop of resolutions? A few days ago i decided to at least open a few boxes while i watched a DVD (oh how i loved Wall-E, oh how i love RedBox) to see if maybe there was some stuff i could get rid of; i mean, if i haven't needed it for 2 years maybe i don't need it now, right? Wrong. I did 2 boxes of books and only found 4 for the Book Thing. I did one box of barware and couldn't bear to be parted with anything - i was brutal when i culled the herd 3 years ago and there was really only super cool, unique stuff in there : Then there were things that i knew were packed, but i didn't realize how much i missed them until i saw them, like these 2 guys: my Pooh Bear from when i was little (my brother once told me that if you put a stuffed animal in the washing machine it would come alive; instead of being excited and trying it (which is what you'd think my reaction would have been) i had nightmares about it and vehemently wouldn't let any of my animals anywhere near the washing machine) and Five, my bear from my high school boyfriend (his full name is Leroy Melvin Burch, the Fifth - can you believe that?). It took hours to do just those three boxes and I only put half of it away, with the rest being creatively moved around in the dining room. How am i ever gonna get this done?

Apperantly I'm It

Ahhhhhhh... the blog tag. I read other people's tag postings, but i've never been tagged. How i long to be tagged. Thanks to Kate P for my first time tag. (it really doesn't take much to make me smile) I'm excited cause you know how much i love randomness. For those of you unfamiliar (and i bet there is at least one of you), you post 7 random things about yourself and then tag 7 other people on their blog. That way, anyone reading your blog will read their blog as well. Of course anyone reading my blog would probably already be reading those blogs - i think i might have about 7 readers. Plus, Kate p is out cause she tagged me and Mel is out cause Kate tagged her. And THREE of the blogs i read every day (or whenever they post) are password protected. And i can't comment on Jonah's blog. And several of my faithful reader are cool, but i don't know if they will play... Crap; this could be a problem. But first for the funness: 7 Random Things about Niki 1. Though an obvious extrovert, there are situations in which i am very introverted and i suffered from some Stage 1 Social Anxiety Disorder about 10 years ago. 2. I feel the need to declare to anyone I am with that i am leaving the room to go to the ladies' room. I don't want people to think i am just done talking to them; i want them to know that only insistent prompting from my body would drive me away from them. 3. I really, really want a tiger tattoo, but can't get one because of childhood scars on the area in question (my leg, BTW). 4. I will listen to a CD or a watch a movie over and over and over again until I know every tiny detail of it. 5. I have had a secret ambition for my life for about 11 years. I have never told anyone about it; i have never even written in my journal about it. (i let part of it slip out a few weeks ago, but the person i was talking to had no clue how momentous of an occasion he was party to). No, i'm not going to tell you either. I'm not sure why i continue to harbor this crazy idea in my head, but i do. 6. I have a not-so-secret desire to be a better dancer. I freaking LOVE to dance, but look like i'm getting electrocuted. 7. I LOVE sunflower seeds (already shelled, of course). I mean i LOVE them. They are like crack; if i have a few of them i want the whole bag. Great, now i want sunflower seeds... Onto the hard part; i think i can get 5. I'm gonna tag: Kaaren Jonah (i'll just e-mail him) Elizabeth (Mom and Dad can help) Francie (you could use some frivolity) Erin