"Hollowed Out"

"...inside: waterproof matches, iodine tablets, beet seeds, protein bars, NASA blanket, and, in case I get bored, Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stone. No, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Question: did my shoes come off in the plane crash? "-- Dwight K. Schrute

This is a page from my articulated book which I will be showing you more of, I assure you. I even included a fishing lure from a fly fishing outting. Can you believe that!? I actually went fly fishing in Scotland. Of course, I was a natural at catching anything other than fish. I spent the entire time trying to untangle my line from the bushes behind me and almost snagged a duck. Still, I liked how the lure looked with the rest of the page so I used it.

 This man is named Henry.  He's got one of those thick Scottish accents that I would struggle to understand (think Grounds-Keeper Willie) especially if it was before 9AM when I would occasionaly have kitchen duty. I'm inept as it is in the kitchen, so throwing a Scottish accent in the mix only made matters worse. If you were in Henry's company for more than 5 minutes, there were pretty good odds that he'd share an off coloured joke with you. Not only did he make delicious food like (Haggis, Neeps and Tatties with Stags Breath Whisky Sauce...mmmm), he created the most ornate garnishes (like swans out of lemons and palm trees out of carrots). They were stunning and I would constantly kick myself for not bringing my camera to dinner more often.

To our surprise, Henry is not only skilled in the culinary arts, but he was a champion fisherman once upon a time. I asked him if he's ever seen the movie, "A River Runs Through It." And he said, "Aye, and it's better than sex."  The day we all went fishing, Henry spent most of his time trying to help the Americans to catch one fish. And do you think we could do it?!?! NOPE! We just caught branches and gave up. "American girls."

I drew a picture of him because it was one of our art assignments and he joked that he was going to hang it over his fireplace. Hahaha. That would be hilarious especially when he's wearing a hairnet in the portrait. Nevertheless, I'm glad he even wanted it. Here's our wall of Henrys on display for our in house art exhibit.

 

And here's a shot of me in action trying to follow Henry's instructions. I thought I'd include it because it looks legit, but you know what would be really legit...IF I ACTUALLY CAUGHT A FISH!

In the end, my only souvenier was the chartreuse feathery fly that Henry let me cut from my line.

Journal to the Center of the Earth

Do any of my readers keep a journal or diary? Double points if you keep it between your mattress for safe-keeping.

I sometimes do, but mostly don't. I know that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a vigorous diarist, one whom I aspire to be like, but my journal entries are far and few in between mainly because I infrequently have anything of significance to record. ("Dear Diary, Today I purged my documents folder and sorted my e-mails." or, "Dear Diary, Today I sat on the couch with Hannah and Katie, while we watched Sarah purge her documents folder and sort through her e-mails.")  I'd like to make a nice habit of keeping a journal during the next few, potentially adventurous months ahead. So, I'm going to ask that my readers hold me accountable.

It can't be that difficult because even Michael Scott keeps a journal. Then again, that could actually be strong case as to why someone shouldn't keep a diary...especially one of the incriminating kind.

"Tan all over...Jan all over. Oh, diary, hehe"
But, based on a graph that my dad printed out from Dan Hanger's facebook, it says that Successful people keep a diary and Non-Successful people say they keep a diary, but actually don't.

Dan Hanger's informative formula for success also says that Successful people keep a list of goals, whereas Non-Successful people fly by the seat of their pants.
I assume, most of my readers would like to fall under the Successful side of that graph.

So, let's all journal! Let's all make goals!

Not that I am living the dream and should ever be giving advice on how to live the dream, but I can see some progress from journaling and goal keeping.

For instance, in one of my journals that features F. Scott Fitzgerald's signature gilded in gold on the cover, I discovered that I had made a list of goals about 4 years ago. To my delight, a couple of those daunting goals were actually coming to fruition. It's great because at the time, they were really outlandish, and obviously weren't fulfilled over night, but it cemented the significance of making goals and maintaining a record of our everyday thoughts.

Eventually, there is victory.

So, make some goals today. Pick out a decorative journal that is dying to be written in and get going.

I'd love to hear your success stories!

Collage Credits

I do not expect anyone to understand what is pictured here. 

You may think it resembles scraps of paper strewn together in a hurried fashion.

Or you thought, "Has she heard of scissors?"

Perhaps you said, "Ew, Ry-an, Is that a feather? Gross."

Or simply,"What am I looking at?!?! I'm on my lunch break. Wow, they let anyone have a blog these days!!" (It's true, anyone can have a blog...even Creed Bratton.)

Maybe you thought, "Oh, look it's a pile of junk."

Ah, but it is merely a card.

A card that I made for my best friend which I am hoping she sees it as a form of art that illustrates how much I am thankful to have her in my life.  I really enjoyed making this collage. I had been saving all these trinkets and bits of paper for scores. And, I just love working with a hot glue gun. It's so choice.

This was an illustration I drew a while ago. My friend has been transfixed by Abraham Lincoln as of late and has been sending me reminders of his virtue and wisdom. How can one fail to be inspired by these words?

"Adhere to your purpose and you will soon feel as well as you ever did. On the contrary, if you falter, and give up, you will lose the power of keeping any resolution, and will regret it all your life." (I need to write this out so I can see it more often. Maybe I'll hang it on the wall of my lair. Great motivation.)

"...I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side."

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan - to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations."

"If you're a racist, I will attack you with the North" ---Ah, wait, that was only Michael Scott in an attempt to quote Abraham Lincoln. I was just making sure you were awake.

Until next post, Reader.

Oh, and  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SARAH!

Well, there are worse things than staring at the water on a Sunday

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat (2 December 1859 – 29 March 1891)

This painting is perhaps the most iconic piece ever done by Seurat. Even though it's wildly over exposed, it holds a special place in my heart. I'm not really sure why, but I've always been drawn to this. I always thought it was because I like parasols.

It must sound absurd, but I think I have a connection to this. After all I was born on Seurat's birthday and he painted this pointillism masterpiece in 1884, exactly 100 years before I was born. But I guess that doesn't mean anything because we share a birthday with Britney Spears as well.

I had always associated it with the scene in Ferris Bueller when Cameron Frye is in a trance staring at this speckled canvas. I'll refresh your memory.

I don't know if John Hughes was responsible for the cinematography for Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but it leaves me wonderstruck.

That reminds me, I need to take a Bueller tour of Chicago someday. Dear Jana, Add that to your ginormous list of goals. Thank you. 

At one point you could Adopt-a-Dot  from the pointillistic painting at the Chicago Institute of Art. I believe that window of opportunity is now closed. But I know you could pick the colour of your adopted dot and they would send you a sample and let you know the location of your dot on painting. I should have splurged and adopted one then and there. Ah, that would have been grande.

Several years later, I learned that there was a Broadway musical starring Mandy Patinkin & Bernadette Peters called Sunday in the Park with George which was inspired by the life of Seurat and the characters that model for this painting. His love interest was a woman named Dot.  It was also released the year I was born and written by Steven Sondheim and James Lapine. The former also happens to be the name of my brother. I love those sort of things.

Why I haven't seen this Broadway production yet, I don't know, but I ardently adore the music that I've heard so far.

Then my favourite television show released this promotional photo. I can't get enough. Superb! Although it's missing Michael.

And a mug of mine that I have somehow acquired over the years. Where did I get this?  I guess that's a mystery.

So do you have a painting that you feel an affinity to? Also, have you seen this painting anywhere else in pop culture?

Well, I hope you had a pleasant Sunday...and maybe it was spent in a park...with someone named Georges.