New Year's Resolution?

What a poor blogger I am. Last posting in August???? Now, I have an excuse: you see, at the end of August I broke my leg -- badly. Looking back on it all, I realize it was more of a trauma to me than I was aware of at the time it happened. It is only just now that I am able to do things "normally" (and I still limp. . . not to mention get very tired, very easily!) But I had SUCH great material during this time--- if I could have made myself blog about my time in the "Golden Living" Rehab Center (i.e. Rest Home) I might have made the big time!

But that opportunity is gone. Now I must pick up the pieces and try to put my life back together again! I must say, this gets harder after every illness and accident the older I get!

One of my resolutions for 2010 is to be a better blogger (which for now means blogging more often -- I'll work on content later.)

So, in no special order, here are my other, right-off-the-top-of-my-head resolutions for the new year:

-blog more often
-follow some "Twitterers" and try to figure out what THAT is all about
-do a good job with my clients
-paint more
-line up at least one new show for my paintings, or get a gallery to rep me
-do a better job with book-keeping
-be on time with taxes
-spend more time with friends
-make one special trip this year; if not to Italy, then somewhere that makes my heart pitter-pat like that.

Any I should add?

I do hope that this new year is a better one that the old! I need it. And I promise to work to make it so!

Pizza for breakfast

Leftover pizza for breakfast -- what a wonderful thing! I've had this for breakfast at virtually every stage in my life. I come by it honestly! My mother thought that there was absolutely nothing wrong with having pizza for breakfast -- she said "it's cheese, bread, and sausage!" To her, it was like a fancy version of cheese toast (another one of our breakfast favorities).

So, this morning, as I popped my pizza from last night into the oven to warm and crisp (I HATE a soggy crust!), I thought about all my pizza breakfasts of the past. (Well, not all -- too many too mention!)

Besides the many I had growing up at the counter in our kitchen (where we always ate breakfast-- never at the table), I of course devoured quite a few during my college years (some of those not even warmed up!) One of the most glamorous I had was in Chicago during a CASE Convention. Due to a mix up on the hotel's part (and old, upscale one right by the water) my partners and I had been upgraded to the penthouse suite. SERIOUSLY fancy and lux. For some reason, we had ordered a pizza the night before (or maybe had brought one home from eating out -- I don't remember the circumstances of HOW the pizza got there.) But I do remember heating up the pizza in the suite's kitchen and helping myself to a wonderful Chicago Pizza breakfast on the terrace of the penthouse! (My partners refused to join me-- they thought it disgusting.)

I don't get why people laugh about eating left over pizza for breakfast? It is one of those foods that actually takes to reheating marvelously. And, like my mother said, it does consist of all breakfast-type ingredients. So, what's the big deal?

Plus, during these economic times, it is quite frugal!

So, I'm happy munching on my woodfired pizza, topped with mozzerella, a little bit of tomato sause, and thinly sliced lemons. What a good start to a Saturday full of possibilities!

Hat juggling

Today is one of those "meeting days". You know, a day where you have two or more meetings that end up taking up your whole day. Perhaps not the meetings themselves, but everything connected to them: preparing for them, being IN them, and then all the stuff you have to do AFTER the meeting is over! (Not to mention the recovery time -- for me that could be a nap, a computer game, watching something mindless on television, or cuddling with my dog, Oggi.)

So, my morning was spent reading budgets and proposals in preparation for the 2:00 conference call (connected with one of my volunteer activities, Giving USA). Plus another phone call with someone to discuss the actual conference call.

Then a 1:00 lunch meeting with someone who is "networking" in an effort to find a job. This was enjoyable, because it is someone I knew long ago in a professional capacity, but had not seen in many years. Turns out we have a lot of common interests (theater, art, travel, etc.)

Then, my 2:00 conference call (there were 6 of us on it). A frustrating topic, because it involves budget problems that we MUST solve.

Then race back to my office to prepare for the 7:00 dinner meeting tonight, which is the final planning meeting for my beloved Cortona program's anniversary celebration (read: a big party!) Of course that meeting will be fun (IF I can get the program script written in the next 2 hours!)

So 2 phone meetings and a lunch that is my "old" life of fundraising consulting/philanthropy, and one meeting that I put in my "new" life of being a full-time artist!

I can't keep up with which hat to be wearing when!

But maybe that's the point, huh? Maybe I'm not SUPPOSED to just wear one hat. (I was never very good at that anyway.) Maybe I'm just supposed to get a bigger hat rack!

AAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(That is me letting out a BIG scream!)

Okay, I feel somewhat better now.

Don't you just HATE to be "diss'ed"??!! Especially by people who you have helped?

[big breath]

Okay, okay; back to work. Put on your "positive" vibe skull-cap.

"Stick-with-it-ness" -- gotta get me some!

I seem to have broken the first rule of blogging -- it's been almost a whole week, and I haven't posted anything! Obviously, I have to do much better if this is going to work. I think my trouble is I haven't found a consistant "topic" for this. I mean, right now, I am muddling my way along trying to figure out my transition into full-time artist/part-time consultant -- and that is rather boring, I'm afraid!

For most of my life, I've been pretty good at "stick-with-it-ness" ... some people have called me a bulldog. And I still have my moments. But I have to have both feet into it before that stickiness begins! I'm afraid I'm still just "dabbling" in this blog stuff.

Perhaps it's the word itself: "BLOG". I mean, it's like a combination of "blah" and "bump on a log" ... how totally UNinspiring is THAT?!! Blaaaagh.

Anyway, I have a few other things on my "to do" list that require some "stick-with-it-ness" right now (taxes, bank stuff, finalizing the last of my mama's estate, thank-you notes, volunteer commitments, client work . . . and the list goes on!)

So, before I close to go tend to some of those life things, let me reflect on the nice evening I had last night. You see, I met an old friend (well, she's not "old" -- she's a year younger than me! But I've known her most of my life, and we were good friends in high school) -- so, rather, "long-time" friend. Anyway, we met for dinner at 5:15, and parted around 10:30! We TALKED (and also did a lot of laughing). We caught up with each other's lives, but we also just talked about other things . . . a little gossip, a little soul-baring, a little philosophising. It was as if we were back in high school, killing time between classes. Except a lot has happened to both of us since then! We sat outside on a deck of a seafood restaurant, enjoying a wonderful breeze, watching the storm ride in, an nibbled on munchies. It was truly one of life's rewards -- enjoying time with a friend. It was easy. It was energizing. It was just plain nice!

I think I'll try to do it more often!

Creating an "Artist Profile"

Today I had the experience of answering some relatively simple questions about myself, but it got me to thinking. . .

See, I've got some paintings entered into the Creative Arts Guild Fall Festival (in Dalton, GA) this September. This year, they have decided to publish little profiles of the artists, so they asked for some information (via email, thank goodness!) Educational background -- easy enough. Additional education -- easy enough. Exhibits, awards, collections -- while the list of exhibits isn't shabby, I realize while writing this out that I need to do more! But the hardest part for me was to say, in a few words, WHY I paint.

Hmmmmmm.

The real answer is that I HAVE TO. It's just a part of me. And if I don't do it, not only do I feel as if part of me isn't alive, but that I am also committing some kind of crime against nature!

To blog or not to blog?

I posed a question on my Facebook page about blogging, and I got as much response from that post as from anything I've ever posted! The responses fall into three categories:

1. Please don't blog! There is too much out there online for people to read as it is, and this would be a waste of your precious time.


2. Perhaps you should blog, but you need to do some research first (lots of suggestions for this, which I WILL read, eventually!).


3. What IS a blog, anyway, and when you figure it out, let me know!

So, the ball is back in my court -- great feedback, but I've got to still do my research. And I've got to figure out do I have anything worth saying?

What's a blog, and how do I do one?

For that matter, WHY do I want to do one?

I must admit, I created this page some time ago, but this is my first entry.

I also must admit, that I have read very few blogs, so I don't really "get it". But since I am in the process of reinventing myself, I thought this might be a good exercise. I've had a few friends who tell me that they enjoy my Facebook postings, so maybe this, too, will entertain some folks.

My ultimate dream would be able to post from anywhere, and to post the sketches that I do as I sit and observe life.

OK, now for me to try to figure out how to actually POST this! Wish me luck!