Thanksgiving Adventures '08

Hi! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I couldn't be with my family this year, but it wasn't all bad.

In fact, it was pretty darn fun.

We left the house, and caught a train to Manhattan, but then I realized I had forgotten the XD card to my camera.

No problem!

We stopped in at a camera shop to buy a new one, and even though the camera guy was disgusted by how old and gnarly my camera is, he did have an XD card that would fit. So now I have 650 remaining photos on my camera! Before, the best I could ever get was 32! I was always having to delete photos before they made their way onto my computer, but no more!

It was a good thing I had a card in my camera, too, or else I wouldn't have been able to take pictures of Pikachu terrorizing the city.

It was terrible! It took a team of twenty highly skilled poke trainers to wrangle him back into his poke-ball.

After the the pikachu had been taken care of we all thought everything was safe and that we could relax, but then a giant ogre came along to grind our bones into bread and other such ogre-y activities. He and his Smash Mouth loving minions spread destruction and chaos with the help of a giant clover-bearing elephant.

Fortunately a space man and Zack Ephron came along to save the day. I wouldn't have been able to recognize this brave young man if it weren't for the dozens of young female narrators near by jumping and screaming,

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh- IT'S ZACK EPHRON!"

We needed to recover from all the excitement, so we found a little place to have some soup,

then we went and explored the city some.

In keeping with the day's madness, we accidentally wandered into an enchanted forest. This was a magical forest where every bridge came with it's own saxophone player, and where, despite the barely being freezing temperature, a pond had frozen over. Some of the strange inhabitants of the forest had blades attached to their feet, and I could only assume that they were under some terrible curse, because they continually went around and around in circles on the frozen water. Perhaps someday Zack Ephron will come and free them from their icy domain.

When we got back home I got to work preparing a small feast, and we decided to give thanks for surviving all the giant creatures and other chicanery that we ran into. That's why we call it Thanksgiving.

The birds in the branches are cared for.

I've loved being a florist for the past several months, but it was a blessing that fell in my lap, and I'm feeling it might not last much longer. The economy has hit us hard, and job security is a myth, a fabled thing you hear of, but see no signs of real existence.

I'll be honest-things are not good right now.

Things are not good in New York.

Things are not good in America.

But you know what?

This is when faith truly kicks in.

There is nothing like hardship to remind us of God's love and mercy.

Example: When I got my first paycheck from my current job we were down to less than $70. Total. Rent, bills, food... and all we had was $65 and some change.

God provided.

I have faith that, no matter what, He will again.

If I lose my job I'll find another one.

juz anuthr lolcat I made

When will I stop thinking lolcats are funny? When?! WHEN?!

Probably never.

Once upon a time...

It's been a very long day, and I believe a bedtime story is in order.

(I know it's not that late, but I'm knackered out.)

Once Upon a Time ...

There was a girl

Who met a boy. They got married and moved to the Caribbean and got a dog. He studied medicine, and she worked at a resort. But she got sick of the monkies messing up her table settings, so she went to work for a camp for undocumented kids. Eventually they had to leave the island. It was very sad. She still misses her friends and the kids there. (Especially that kid, Helene)!

Now they live in New York, where he "works" at a very nice hospital and she is a florist 60 hrs per week, but still makes dinner, does class work and blogs.

The End.

Good night!

Things I love about New York #3

I love where I live.

Finally, we were able to find a decent apartment in a new city on the first try. Our last big move landed us in a shoebox apartment that had a hole in the floor in lieu of a tub and a gargantuan generator sounding like a Harley gang permanently parked outside our bedroom window. This big move, however, landed us in a cushy Queens high rise that's as dog friendly as can be. True, we may not have furniture like normal people. But somehow, the whole utilitarian desks-instead-of-a-couch thing works for us.

Things I Love About New York #2: Indie Theaters

Number two on the list of things

I love about New York

is

Independent Theaters.

Theres a small Theater a few minutes away from my place that almost exclusively shows independent films. I suspect that the reason for this is not because of the owner's overwhelming desire to be a patron of cinematic art, but because it's a really old and small establishment, and they can probably get movies that no one has ever heard of for cheap.

(This is just a theory- for all I know, the owner could be wearing a beret as he scoffs at Spielberg as we speak.)

I love it there.

The building is ancient, and the walls are covered in posters featuring actors and actresses that were mostly dead before I was born. Also, it's a very cheap way to spend an afternoon. Last week we saw Happy Go Lucky. Even though it was a little frustrating at times, it was a GREAT movie. If you live anywhere near a theater where Happy Go Lucky is showing, you HAVE to go see it. Seriously. Not seeing it would be a crime. It's more a character study than anything- the plot is cobweb thin- but somehow getting to spend two hours with "Poppy" makes it worth it. On a side note, I couldn't help thinking that artsy star Sally Hawkins bears a striking resemblance to fellow AUC wife, Gerri Dicarlo... only much paler.

Things I love about New York #1

I'm not one who is prone to homesickness, but a few bad days in a row can really make you start idealizing the past, which for me is a sunny beach side apartment in the Caribbean. But it's like Conor Oberst (of my fave band Bright Eyes) says,

"Life is how it is, not how it was."

So I tell myself to MTFU (WTFU would be more accurate, I guess) and focus on all the nice things about living here, which I will start doing here on my blog. Starting now.

Things I love about New York #1:

Mass Transit

I love that New York has such a great mass transit system. Anytime I want to go somewhere I just dig out my Metrocard and hop on a bus, or a train, or whatever. No looking for parking, no avoiding the crazy NYC drivers. I can take a book with me or my MP3 player and just enjoy the ride. This is effectively how I've done all my classwork this semester. I read a few pages on my way to work, then read some more on my way home. When I actually do get home, I can get right to brass tacks. Thanks mass transit!

One of those days

Ever have one of those days where nothing goes right?

Like when the bus you're on has a flat and you get to work almost an hour late.

When you trim the plants that weren't supposed to be trimmed.

When you manage to knock over an entire five gallon bucket full of water which then rapidly floods your boss's office because the floor is slightly slanted in that direction.

When you come home as tired as you could possibly be after 10 hours and your hubby is crazied up because the dishwasher is broken and all the dishes are dirty.

When you give everything you can, but still end up feeling like a lousy employee and wife.

It's one of those days.

I can has a lolcat!

Come see the lolcats web page!

No telling how much time I've wasted at that site, but the above pic is my first ever contribution.

Warning: Icanhascheezeburger.com can lead to serial procrastination and massive time wastification.

There aren't enough coconuts in NYC

Back when I lived in St Marten I loved to play with my video camera.

(I still do, I just don't have any video editing software anymore.)

This only looks dangerous because it's in fast forward.

I'm actually pretty handy with a knife.

Flower Child

Sometimes I wonder if God is watching out for me. Other times I KNOW he is. When we moved to NYC in typical peter-and-La Sha fashion (which is to say with little preparation and mostly flying by the seats of our pants) I could only hope to find a job. ANY job. (Especially with this crazy economy and my dubious education/ experience; "so... um... I worked at a camp for a long time... but you can't call them for a reference- it's an underground operation and they don't have a phone").

But God takes care of me when I rely on Him, and after only a little job-hunting I walked into a florist's shop just to look around. There wasn't a help wanted sign and they didn't appear to be understaffed, but I was compelled to ask if they needed any help.

Mind you... I have NO previous experience as a professional florist.

I started working there three days later.

(I LOVE IT and it pays well).

Right place, right time.

Some call it luck.

I call it BLESSED.

Exams, and papers, and contests- Oh My!

I always mean to keep a constant stream of blogging going... and all my laundry clean... and all my homework done... but life just keeps getting in the way. Unfortunately for my laundry and blogging I had the first exam of the semester a couple days after my arrival in New York, so everything non-survival related was pushed to the back burner while I over-studied for the online test. You would think that taking college classes online would be easier than taking them in a class room... but it's NOT!!! Having never met my professor I don't know if he's a hard ass or a laid back type. I don't know if using a somewhat humorous and creative topic as the focal point of the paper I'm working on will win me more points and maybe even a chuckle, or just disapproving frowns as he stamps my digital paper with a big red digital "F".

As it turns out, I ended up getting an almost perfect score on the paper, and a high A on the exam as well. Next time I'll probably be a little more chill than I was this time. Only three more exams and research papers left for this semester! Yay!

In other news, while wandering around Manhattan yesterday giving my resume to anyone who would look at it, I found a street populated almost entire by fabric stores. Actually not just fabric stores, but also stores dedicated to nothing but trim and even one dedicated solely to producing some of the prettiest lace you ever saw. I haven't been jazzed about sewing for a while, but looking at all those bolts of fabric was like walking around on a giant paint covered palate. I can't wait till I have a work area set up, so I can go back and whip up some projects for myself.

I haven't been posting much in my etsy shop lately, but I have been shopping around some. I am completely smitten by littleloveblue and her ADORABLE little felt creations. There is a contest going on to win the most precious black felt kitten on Earth. It reminds me so much of my old cat Panda, who was ran over by a car one day in front of my house. Everything about this little fuzzy creation reminds me of Panda, even the withering whiskers that are a little limper looking than most cats. Also the way it's postured looks like it was made to be a model of her. Littleloveblue has such a gift for turning lumps of wool into amazingly cute creatures. If I win the contest we'll go to lunch in the city, my treat!

White Female Seeking Short Term Relationship Furniture

I've been checking out the prices on "disposable" furniture at Ikea and Wal-Mart, and I'm not thrilled. There's a ninety percent chance that whatever furniture we buy in New York will STAY in New York long after we've moved back south of the Mason Dixon, so I don't want to spend a fortune on a bed/ sofa/ table that we'll only be using for one year, 2 years max. If you, dear reader, or anyone you know (that lives in NYC/ Queens) has any cheap used (infestation free) furniture please let me know.

Dude, that's like sooo nineties.

It's been several years since I experienced cool weather, and I've never spent a winter someplace as cold as New York. To prepare I've been rounding up all the warm clothes I can find. I had several boxes of sweatshirts and other stuff of the sort from high school that I stuck in my mom's basement, so I rolled up my sleeves and dug into the mountain of boxes down there. I found a bunch of old stuff I hadn't thought about in years, like 11 years worth of church camp t-shirts, and a box full of Lisa Frank stationary. My favorite box of all though was the box full of the most ridiculously ninetiesish stuff ever. It had my Mario Bro's "Duck Hunt" gun, a couple Spice Girls cds, a rainbow's spectrum of over worn w.w.j.d. bracelets, and several Blossom-style hats. (That's a woven fiber hat that looks kind of like raffia, with some kind of giant flower glued onto the front). You would not believe how cool I thought I was in a hat with a huge sunflower glued on. (That's Blossom, not me- just in case you weren't a fan of the show).

What's a sugar glider?

I've always liked to keep unusual pets- for ten years I had a pet turtle. (I gave him and his incredible custom built terrarium to a local kids museum when we moved to the Caribbean). Now my new favorite unusual animal is the sugar glider. They're native to Australia, but they're starting to become popular over here as pets. They're kind of like flying squirrels, except much smaller. When fully grown they're about the size of a chipmunk. I almost bought one of the adorable little critters, but then I found out that they're hundreds of dollars. Also it pooped on me when I picked it up. I made this little painting of a sugar glider meeting a dwarf rabbit. I call it "You're Strange, But I Like You". Either of the subjects could be the speaker of the title. I imagine a tiny rabbit might be strange to an Australian flying squirrel. I adore this little scene, but I've been told it's a waste of paint, that I should paint over it and use the canvas for something else. I posted him for sale in my etsy shop (www.loveaboveall.etsy.com) so maybe someone will come and prove mom wrong.

The T is silent.

Apparently MJ moonlights at a law firm when he's not making underwear ads.

We took a day trip up to Waynesville NC last week and I couldn't help but take a photo of this window. I was about to walk right by it when I asked myself WWPKD? (That's what would Paul Kyser do for you non AUC-blogger folks). The answer? Take a pic and post it on the internet.

Moving vs Storing

Since we're moving in less than two weeks I am really getting quite desperate to sell some paintings- mainly so I don't have to make the decision between whether to leave them behind or sacrifice some of our very limited car space to move them with me. So, with this predicament in mind you would think I would have stopped painting, but no. Stressed out as I am about everything that's going on, I find myself nearly sleep painting at 3 am. Fortunately my classes aren't very time consuming, and there's not much I can do for the move just yet so my penchant for putting on head phones and drowning out the world in pretty swirls of color doesn't do much harm... except that now I have several more paintings that I'm torn about what to do with. I've changed the etsy prices from rediculously low to rediculously high and every where in between, but I think the problem is that my page just doesn't get much traffic. I'm just not very good at marketing... which is frustrating because I constantly see really crappy stuff sell on etsy- things the "artist" couldn't have spent more than five minutes on, but the paintings I spend hours and hours and sometimes days and days on won't even move for $40. I am so frustrated! Make me an offer!

But aside from all that I really have been enjoying painting a little extra lately. It is so consuming. I don't know if any other artists out there have ever noticed, but to me at least, painting feels very similar to praying. Both have a tremendously calming effect.

I have to thank Jane DesRosier for one of my favorite new things to do, which is use gel medium. It adds so much texture, which I really enjoy. It really adds another element to art when there isn't just color and composition to consider, but also the texture. Here are a couple of my favorite paintings that make good use of gel medium- they're not very figurative like most of my paintings are- they're really just color studies of hot and cold, with a bunch of gel medium swirled in.

Night Owl (cool) Summer Sky (hot) Seriously, no offer will be rejected if you want one of my paintings. Go to www.loveaboveall.etsy.com or e-mail me @ a_bedealia@yahoo.com

If I Can Make It There, I'll Make It Anywhere...

Trying to find a good apartment in New York is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The good ones are completely unaffordable... the cheap ones are completely unlivable... and the ones in that happy medium area just don't tend to be pet friendly... not that there's been much in that happy medium column. We met with a really nice real estate guy on Monday to check out an apartment that had looked really promising on the web, but it turned out to be located on the corner of Hellfire and Brimstone. For example, we were standing on the sidewalk waiting for the realator to arrive when a policecar peeled up onto the side walk and arrested a guy five feet from us. He seemed pretty cool with it actually. They were putting him in cuffs and he was just kind of like "eh, you caught me". We decided not to live in that neighborhood.

The place that we did decide on is actually pretty swanky. It's a little more expensive than we had planned to spend, but other medical students live there and have nothing but great things to say about it, plus it's really pet friendly. We've still got a little paperwork to sort out, but I'm pretty sure that's where we'll end up living. It's so perfect for students- there's a library with wifi and a game room with pool tables and playstations. By far this is the best place for anyone with a pet- not only is it a pet friendly building, but theres a fenced in grassy area behind it so you can play with your dog without a leash. I didn't take any pics while we were there, but you can check it out at www.theopalny.com . It's centraly located near all of AUC's clinical sites in NY, so any AUCers looking for a place in NYC would definitely be happy here.

The Tenth Time I Saw Shawn Mullins And The Last Time I Visit Pendergrass

Things went fairly well at Pendergrass, but I don't think I'll be making an appearance there again. I just don't think it's a great place to try to sell art- knock off Abercrombie maybe, but not original art. It's just more trouble than it's worth. I was surprised (pleasantly) when my mom showed up to help out. Not only did it make time go by faster to have some company, but it also allowed me to eat and and take bathroom breaks (not simultaneously). I guess I hadn't thought that far ahead- it would have been a pretty long day if I'd have had to hold it all day considering I started at sunrise and didn't leave until 5:00.

One of my favorite singers, a Georgia boy by the name Shawn Mullins, came to town last week to perform in the series of shows held for free at the old Gwinett courthouse. He's honestly not much of a showman, but man he can sing. Seriously, I could listen to him all day long. I was surprised how packed the venue was since it was an outdoor show, and it was kind of rainy. Like everyone else we just pulled on our raincoats and sang along. Hey look! It's Shawn!

Meet me at the Pendergrass Flea Market!

This weekend only, you can find me at the Pendergrass Flea Market on Route 129! I'll have all the critters from the blossom creek zoo collection, as well as some of my older Caribbean paintings. I even had some framed up! My booth is in the aisle directly across from the animal/ pets area entrance. It's booth #67 I believe. Hope I see you there! Also, I'll have some of my other stuff for sale that doesn't look like it's going to make the move to NYC with me, like this pink vintage number from Paris Sport. I don't know what sport the Parisians would play in a dress like this, but it's kind of harajuku if you wear jeans and/ or long gloves with it.

Coming soon to a hospital near you...

Peter got his USMLE scores back... and he PASSED!!! Not that I doubted he would pass for a second, but it's really nice to not have that looming overhead. So watch out world, cause Peter's officially liscensed to practice medicine (under close supervision).

Life at The Blossom Creek Zoo

The population at the Blossom Creek Zoo has been increasing steadily over the past few weeks... especially within the owl cages. Also, an adorable peanut loving elephant has taken up residence there. Those owls just keep multiplying though. You can be sure there will be more to come.

Oldest 8th Grader EVER

Funny thing happened- I was at Subway, and a woman thought she recognized me. (Here comes the funny part) she asked if I went to South Hall Middle School. I was about to reply, "yes, I went to South Hall", when she finishes her sentence with, "are you excited about 8th grade?" What? I laughed and said I was ten years ago, but now that I'm 23 not so much. That's the last time I go out wearing jeans, t-shirt, and pony tail.

More Flags, More Fun

Yesterday I spent the whole day shopping for something for Peter's mom's birthday, and spending some of my birthday money. I used most of the money I got on art supplies, as well as an adorable little charm bracelet. As with every specific purpose shopping trip, we always get a particular item in mind, then spend all day shopping and comparing them at various stores, to see where we can get the best quality and price. (His method, not mine). Anyhow, I don't know if she'll like what we got her or not, but Peter thinks she will, so that's what matters. I personally already knew what she'd like more than anything, I just didn't know how to wrap it- I mean, do you put my untimely death in a bag or a box?

One of my favorite artists/ bloggers Jane Desrosier made some really nice little tip videos to post on her blog. Click on the link in the "artsy folks" list to watch them for yourself. I was so inspired I went out and bought some gel medium, so I could try some of her techniques. I've done similar stuff in the past using Spackle, but I think gel medium will offer a bit more versatility- I don't think a photo transfer with Spackle would work very well.

Also, I found the camera, but I couldn't photo my new paintings today because it was so rainy and grey out that I couldn't get enough light to get good shots, even with all the lamps corralled around them. Tomorrow I'm going to Six Flags, so I probably won't get it done tomorrow either, but you can expect SOMETHING from me on Wednesday :)

I get a little goofy about birthdays.

About once a year I get a little older... I think this phenomenon is called a birthday.

Yesterday, I was going about my business when suddenly BAM! a birthday just jumped out in front of me and I hit it with my car and now I'm 23. To mourn the passing of my 22nd year a service was held at The Grit where vegan entrees were enjoyed by all. Indeed it's pretty much the only place on Earth where I can eat as much as I possibly could and still feel healthy. Afterward, I was taken to the loveliest cupcake store I've ever seen. That's right- a store primarily dedicated to the making of cupcakes. My foot had fallen off when I woke up this morning, so I think it's safe to assume that the ginormous single serving treat gave me diabetes. (I always say that). Something else I always do is toss tissue paper from gifts around like a juggler. Unfortunately, when I joyfully tossed the piece of tissue paper tucked into the top of the gift bag that Jamie gave me, I discovered that it was, in fact, holding small gifts. Fortunately they seem to have survived my over exuberant gift opening tactics. I really shouldn't ever be given anything.

Update Quickie

If it seems like I've stopped posting real, current photos it's because I have- I haven't found my camera in weeks, but I'm moving soon, so I'm hopeful it will show up then. I honestly don't have a clue where it could be. The last time I remember having it was at a memorial day cook-out.

Also, I have a bunch of new paintings done, but I haven't been able to photograph them yet, because of the aforementioned missing camera :( however, I will probably be scanning them and posting them on www.loveaboveall.etsy.com sometime this week, if not this day.

She's no wackadoodle...

Yesterday my dear Jamie got baptised at Athens Church (an Andy Stanley satellite church that takes place in the Classic Center). I can't say how impressed I am with her taking that step. I know for me it was easy because that was where I was raised- I was pretty much always involved with one church or another, so growing up it never really seemed like there was any other way to be, but Jamie's parents stopped taking them to church when they were still kids. They got mad about a comment she made about how they stopped going to church when they moved here and they took offense and said, "well you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink", but DUH, you have to actually LEAD it to the water first. Not kind of take it half way and drop it off and say, "eh, if you were really thirsty you'd find it yourself". I think it's really important to raise kids in a christian community, i.e. church. Someday I want to have or adopt kids, and they WILL be involved in church. A Christian church, NOT some wackadoodle Arnold Murray semi-cult. I used to kind of like Arnold Murray, but I've come to dislike him more and more... not that I am totally against his teachings, I just hate that it discourages people with otherwise Christian beliefs from participating in an actual church... also he's kind of a wackjob. Google "Arnold Murray" Shepherd's chapel" to see what I mean.

At Athens Church people make a video of their testimony, and it's played right before the service to introduce the person getting baptised. Jamie's video was so cute! Her room mate (who initially brought her to the church) actually started to cry. It was so emotional. So many people love her- over a dozen people who don't go to that church or even live in the same town, came to see her get baptised. I have never seen so many people come out for one person like that. After the service we all went to DiPalma's In downtown Athens- one of our favorite restaurants. Almost every time we go downtown we have lunch at DiPalma's... except for that one time at Doc Chey's, but that's a different story. I knew several of the people that came from high school, but I hadn't seen in years. I hope to go back to Athens soon; visit Jamie and The Grit :)

To riding my bike midday past the three piece suits... to fruits... to no absolutes!

It only took all day, but I am now the proud owner of a Roma commuter bike by Scattante. Mom and Brad and Peter and I all jumped in the Jeep to make the trip to Atlanta- I don't really know a lot about bikes so I really wanted my Brad's opinion. Peter knows a ton about roadbiking (but I think he's a little Scattante crazy) and mom just wanted to come along. Anyhoo- we left fairly early, and got there around 11:00. We were finally helped by an employee around 12:00, but by that point we had looked at almost all zillion bikes they had, and decided collectively that the Scattante Roma was indeed the best bike for the purpose of commuting around town, and also it was a good deal at the discounted price of $549. (Brad and Peter actually bought it for me! birthday present). I was a little proud for having picked out the best bike without even really knowing it, and anyone who thinks $549 is insanely expensive hasn't bought a new roadbike- they get crazy expensive- although it definitely wasn't the cheapest there- cheaper ones weigh a ton and have crappy parts on them that will have to be replaced.

Moving right along with my story about the day long trip to the bike store... at twelve we finally got a guy to hear us say we wanted to buy it... only problem was they didn't have one up on the shelve that would fit me. It took the schizophrenic ADHD ridden clerk over half an hour to check to see if there was one in the back... which there was which took HOURS for them to build... so we went to The Varsity for lunch and came back and waited some more. I could have just came back another day to get it, but it is such a long drive up there I really just wanted to take it home that day, and for the first several hours everyone was on board with waiting out Performance's insanely slow service, but after a while folks started getting on edge. When they finally finished the bike we raced to the cashier before he could disappear, and I rode it out to the car... where I discovered that it clicks freakishly loud in 6th gear. I thought about taking it back in and saying, "Hi I think you've put something together wrong, could you please fix it?" But my will was so broken after the long wait, and evening rush hour traffic was building up, so I just slung it on the bike rack and headed home. Next time I'm trying to politely alert pedestrians of my presence I'll just kick it into 6th gear and watch while they dodge the rapidfire gunshot sounds. It's a really beautiful bike though... and super light. I love everything about it except that I had to buy it at Performance Bikes the day before 4th of July. I think if I had've come any other day, the service may of been better. I took it for a ride as soon as I got home and it is super fast. It is much faster on the road than any of my mountain bikes ever dreamed of being. I'm a little wobbly when coasting downhill, but Peter says I'll get less wobbly with practice. I'm actually kind of surprised with how much I love this bike. I'm pretty darn excited to take her out for a long ride on Saturday :)