Such a classic.



We knew before we found the cremated ashes in the basement that the house on Simms Drive in Annapolis was haunted. Doors slammed, paintings came off the wall and landed across the room, and I never told anyone until later but the first night I was by myself the electricity went out and I knew I wasn't alone. When the cat disappeared and Andy searched every corner of that house, he came upon a spot in the crawlspace that no one had ventured in a long time, and there he found a box labeled to contain the cremated remains of Ida A______. Next to the box was a larger box of her personal belongings, which indicated that she had been secretary for the Unitarian church right down the road. There were church newsletters from the 60's that mostly dealt with the struggle for civil rights, so with that I knew Ida was a good ghost to have around.

PIctures of the garden expansion project that Andy and I did together last month:



You can't really see the colors of the flowers in these pictures. But I really dig the alligator stepping stones. After planting this I realized that I adore geraniums and I want more. They are natural mosquito repellents which is probably why they are traditionally placed in window boxes.



And on the porch is our confederate jasmine creation. When they are really feisty, the cats like to run up this column as if it were a tree. This was just the beginning of the blooms on the jasmine, it was covered with them later, and it smelled amazing. In Florida the screened in porches like ours are called "lanai".

When I was younger I was like most girls, paging through fashion magazines and feeling like an ugly cow after having done so. I refuse to buy them, though I won't turn down looking at one if someone else has purchased it--the photography will always be one of my favorite art forms. Yet is it just me or do supermodels look for the most part like mutants?

Checking out the Webby award nominees and as usual the most interesting are in the Humor and Weird categories. Although in the Personal category I really liked the calendar project of Jeff Harris and submitted my own journal entry for March 1, 2002: "My husband and I woke up at 4 am to drive a moving truck from Maryland to Florida. The stupid truck wouldn't start and we had already sedated the cat" which matched with a photo of some cool rocky landscape out west. But he already has an entry for that date so I doubt mine will ever get posted. Get Your War On is also a good site, especially this part...to think Iraq is another country chuck full of unexploded landmines, it's sick.

I couldn't believe my eyes the other day when I saw the music credits for Fame, my favorite David Bowie song, sure enough it was co-written with John Lennon. Never would have guessed, but it makes sense when you listen to the last album he did with Yoko, released after his death. In it I think you can hear that John and Yoko were starting to explore what would later become New Wave.

Andy and I have started adding to our massive collection of vinyl. So far I've gotten this record of historical significance, and just a few minutes ago I won an auction on eBay for Prince's little known protege band The Family's only album, which I used to play the hell out of on cassette. LPs are fun, especially the size and feel of them and the gatefolds, the nostalgia. We have a record player in our bedroom so that's the only time we listen to them.

Another one of those sites that perks up an otherwise dull day (with music).

Though I haven't had time to watch the past few episodes of American Idol, I have kept up on the web site. So now the two pretty white girls are gone and all that are left are the ragingly good singers from the South (except the country-singing Marine from California and I think it's safe to say with the current mood of this country we all know why he's still there). Of course Trenyce is still my favorite but I think she'd do better if her smiles appeared just a little more genuine. Right now I have no clue who will win, I would say Reuben because he is the best but you never know how the whole of America will vote.

I found some old camcorder tapes that I made in 1995 when I lived in the loft with Brigette and Lia. I got Erin with her cute bangs and the tent in her apartment that Andy was living in when I first met him, also my family before a lot of dramatic episodes transformed them into the people they are today. The shocking fashion aspect is the proliferation of baggy faded jeans, it appears that is all we girls ever wore then. Along with Doc Martens, oversized sweaters, and long coats. Such a contrast to the low waisted tight pants we favor now with fitted shirts exposing bellies, and platform shoes. I took the good parts out of the recordings and transferred them to a vhs tape, then erased everything else so we can reuse the camcorder cartridges. Andy and I need to make a video of our house and all its contents to store with his parents, just in case we get a fire and the whole thing burns to the ground. It happens: fires are actually more of a worry than hurricanes in this region.

I've been freaking out a bit about the problem I created by applying a thick coat of linseed oil on top of the painted guitar. It was a mistake because linseed simply does not dry. Luckily I have been given advice by Eva to remove the offending layer with paint thinner, which should do the trick without affecting the design underneath. It is so cool to have more experienced painters to call on when in trouble.

Grant had a bad accident kite surfing in Hatteras last weekend, nearly twisted his leg off beneath the knee. He has several fractures, had to have two surgeries, and is still in the hospital with a line of morphine. Erin is there and I was really worried for a few days but it sounds as if he is getting better fast, and is even talking about getting back to kite surfing as soon as he's able. I have been thinking that I am glad that Andy is not into extreme sports.

It's nice when you have an opinion on something and you find out that so many others agree with you. For example:

I went over to Lisa's: had dinner, watched The Banger Sisters which was actually pretty racy and endearing except for the Hollywood ending. I took these digital pictures of Lisa's hands. I want a camera just like hers, it saves the photos to a floppy instead of a memory card that you have to download.

Andy's parents left yesterday after having been here for a week. It was a really fun and busy visit: lots of activity and delicious meals. We had some of his family from Fort Lauderdale and Clearwater here for the weekend to celebrate Easter. We had brunch at our house and later I went out with the guys and played paintball in a woodsy area that smelled like toxic waste. It was a blast though, I did pretty well and ended up only getting shot once (by Andy) in the hip. I have an interesting circular bruise there now. I will definitely play paintball again, part of the fun of it was being in nature--I saw a nest of large bird eggs in the brush and some really beautiful brown and blue butterflies. 4/20 was not only Easter but also Andy's 32nd birthday. I gave him my gift as soon as he woke up: two tickets to see James Brown at the House of Blues in Orlando on May 3rd!

I am anxious to see A Mighty Wind, Spinal Tap being one of my favorite films of all time...whatever you do, don't go to www.amightywind.com because you won't find info about the movie. Instead you'll be transported to a religious site that is very focused on hellish damnation and the eternal suffering of sinners. Another film I am waiting for is Ang Lee's The Hulk. I loved the television show, can clearly recall my favorite episode when David Banner allowed himself to fall in love again with the woman who has cancer, only to lose her to death in the rain. This time The Hulk is computer generated and incredible looking, as you can see in the trailer.

One of the most enticing spams I've ever gotten:

You Can Purchase 1 Acre of Land on the Moon $29.99. Stake Your Claim
Now

Moon Land For Sale, unbelievable, but true.

The Perfect gift
Great Long-Term investment
You retain full mineral rights
A Great conversation piece

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In 2003, the Trailblazer, a TransOrbital mission to the Moon, will
deposit the names of the property holders listed in the database, on
the actual Lunar surface.

Each package contains the deed for one acre of land and it lists the
actual location of the property by quadrant, latitude and longitude.


A lunar map accompanies this, marked with an X showing the location of
the property.

1 Acre of Land on the Moon $29.99

Stake your claim!
http://GreatDealsDepot.net:8080/track?m=1234019&l=0&.e=88tDDhb9ORtBs78tS&ci=1

Of course now I wish I had gone down to the Acme more often when I lived above it, when these kids were playing acoustic sets there.

Water was running; children were running
You were running out of time
Under the mountain, a golden fountain
Were you praying at the Lares shrine?
But oh your city lies in dust, my friend
We found you hiding---we found you lying
choking on the dirt and sand
Your former glories and all the stories
Dragged and washed with eager hands
But oh your city lies in dust, my friend
Hot and burning---in your nostrils
pouring down your gaping mouth
Your molten bodies---blanket of cinders
caught in the throes...
And your city lies in dust

--Siouxsie and the Banshees, Cities in Dust

I'm reading a book of short stories by Neil Gaiman called Smoke and Mirrors. I never read his Sandman graphic novels but I'm familiar with them and I've always been drawn to the Death character, the gothic pixy with the oversized ankh necklace. The new painting that I sketched out looks a lot like her already so I think I may just go with it. Although the fact that Death appeared unplanned in one of my paintings is not really something I want to think about too much.

Researching places in Europe for us to stay next month during our vacation and I came across this site for a German inn with a very cute English translation.

Something happened to me the other night that rarely does, I guess the last time was the first time I heard 50 Cent's In Da Club and was instantly captivated (along with the rest of the civilized world). This time it was an amazing and intense song playing on the Orlando alternative station here, and all I remembered from the lyrics was something about "I'm going back to Wichita...this opera..." and I was quite sure I'd never heard the artist before. Of course the stupid radio station did not identify the song or the band so I was resigned to waiting until it played again. But today I searched the bit of lyrics I recalled on Google and sure enough, I found it. And it was The White Stripes!!! A song called Seven Nation Army and it sounds nothing like their previous radio hits. So now I have enough evidence to back up the claim I've heard more than once that The White Stripes are one of the best bands to come along in a long, long time. Certainly the most innovative but that was already obvious by the lack of bass and unique style. I will probably have to buy all their records now, but first I must get their newest, Elephant, with my song on it.

Can you believe this masterpiece is all stained glass? See more of Judith Schaechter's incredible work here.

My first Internet communities, like most people who came online in the mid 90's, were America Online chat rooms. That got stupid and boring fast, and from there I got lured onto filmmaker Kevin Smith's ViewAskew WWW board. Very fun and interesting because it brought you into an interactive realm never before allowed in cinema, until the administrator began instituting security measures for posters to the board: as Kevin Smith lost his edge so did his web presence. After that for several years I journaled in the Open Diary community, until I created this blog for my very own self.

I heard HBO is making a documentary about Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith's sidekick Jay and the only funny aspect of his recent movies. I definitely want to see it. I'd like to see much less of Bennifer though.

I have a thing for poets. Especially for musicians and novelists who are poets in disguise. Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Jim Morrison, Ani di Franco all have a way of grace with words.

Just like that, Shoshana is rescued. I never would have expected it in a million years.

So is this period of time going to imitate the 40's and World War II in terms of patriotism and glory? That's fine with me as long as it's not followed by something as oppressive and conservative as the 50's.

Which reminds me I really need to see Far From Heaven. I rented Secretary last night and it was fantastic, what a love story. I always adored James Spader in Sex, Lies, and Videotape and it's cool to see him in another off the wall sexual exploration like Secretary.

Right now I'm engaged in a Toni Morrison read-a-thon. I just finished The Bluest Eye and Tar Baby, and today I start Sula. She is one of the most phenomenal writers I have ever read, she is right up there with Joyce Carol Oates in terms of language that shines like poetry on paper. And they are both so capable of writing vastly different subjects and characters. I am usually left in awe when I read one of their books.

The Bluest Eye is the latest book that I can cross off my list of Oprah books. One of my goals in life is to read every book on that list, so far I have 21 out of 48 so not too bad.

I have the upmost respect for eBay. I think Meg Whitman is really admirable and smart.

I read an article today about the female POWs and how they basically showed that women are now in the military to stay, now it's done and progress can't be reversed. One aspect of it that I never considered before is the idea that male soldiers will unnecessarily endanger themselves to help a fellow soldier that is female. I always thought the idea of women in Israel being in the military alongside men was pretty bad ass and now we have the same, yet everytime I read the names Lori and Shoshana it makes me want to cry.

War is ugly. Just like when Jean d'Arc arose from her spiritual slumber to find herself covered from head to toe in the blood of soldiers in that movie The Messenger, when you strip the nobility away you just have death.

We leave for Europe in a close to a month. I'm gettting excited. It will be the first real vacation we've had in such a long time, actually more like a honeymoon since we didn't do anything major for ours. We're going to have a car, something I've never done in Europe because the public transportation there is so good.

When I first started working for L-Soft, I was just happy to have a job, especially one with a company that was fresh and international, different from any place I had ever experienced. I applied for the office manager position because administrative work was all I had done since I got out of college, mainly because I didn't really know what else to do. Though I've always been very organized, my strengths were in the creative realm and not really the business one. But the CEO and Marketing VP at L-Soft took one look at my resume and put me in marketing, assuring me that I would like it because it was something new everyday. They were obviously good judges of character because I am only a few months short of five years there, the longest I have ever stuck with any position. And for a year I've been doing my job remotely from my house in Florida.

One of the most interesting things about having worked at a tech company is that I got to witness the rise and fall of the dot coms firsthand. We were already an established business in the DC area so we did not exactly fit in with all the other flashy companies popping up all over San Francisco and to a lesser extent NYC. But we exhibited at trade shows alongside them and competed for attention next to their loud and towering booths, million dollar stage shows, and expensive promotional items for products that weren't yet available. The most memorable example was Digiscents, a fascinating start up that promised to bring smell technology to everyone's computer. They got tons of attention but closed up along with the others once the economy began to emerge from its cyberdream. I wish I had held onto more of the countless promos I collected at the events; obviously no one was thinking then that we were amidst a unique historical moment in time. Today I went through all my pens and pulled out the ones with dot com logos and put them away with my old books and other collectibles. I told Andy he might want to consider setting aside the dot com T-shirts I always brought home for him, the Digiscents "I Smell" one in particular.

We just never know when we are living myth.

I completed my Painted Objects page...Julie really liked her guitar, which was gratifying. I just wish I had thought out the varnishing process a little better, the linseed oil that I painted on top to seal the design is taking eons to dry. I am anxious to get the strings back on and send it to her, so she may start writing songs with the power and insight I find in the words on her blog.



Did you know that of all the roses in the world, no breeder has ever been able to achieve a true blue rose? And the image of the blue flower has often been connected with the ultimate artistic ideal, something I did not know when I got the blue lotus tattoo but which made it all the more special when I did.

I'm really tempted to buy one of these. It's an issue I feel very strongly about. I have never been able to comprehend the idiotic rudeness of those people of all ages, races, and genders that drive slow in the fast lane. Why do they do it???

If I want to learn something I don't already know about art, I read Lovelake the Artstar. She makes me want to visit Portland; it seems like a foreign country all the way up there in the northwest.

Checking out a page of photos depicting Carmen Electra's guest stint as a Playboy photographer, thought this one was pretty cool:

Last night Andy and I did something that we've been working towards for a while. I stayed up late with him and learned how to use his digital recording set up so that I can help him record music. There are a lot of details that I don't get but that don't seem to matter that much; the general functions of the software were pretty simple and I was able to get a few tracks down onto songs he's been working on for a long time. I think he is a bit too much of a perfectionist but that's because I don't hear and understand music the way he does. I also think he should be looser here and there, more experimental but the thing is he generally knows exactly what he's trying to accomplish. But he appreciates my input and we didn't having any control related fights so it was a very positive experience for both of us.

I started sketching a new painting from a ten year old photo taken by Margaret of me posing in a blue ball gown showing mostly my back. I'm working smaller than usual and I am sticking with acrylics for a while because oil painting is such a major hassle. I have also begun revising a painting that I previously though was finished. Summer Night does not have enough contrast at the top to show the definition of the tree branches as well as it seems in the photo, in fact without direct light it just looks like blackness so something has to change there. And I saw this cool show on the Food Network about the International Baking Championship where the winning Japanese team created a beautiful Asian landscape completely out of bread including a lovely cherry tree, so the formerly naked tree painting is now metamorphisizing into one with cherry blossoms. It seems fitting since I missed the spectacular emergence of the cherry blossoms up north.

I finally decided to try selling some art on eBay. The photo of this one turned out so well and true to life that it was the ideal choice. It's probably too expensive for eBay but it's actually a lot less than I would price it at a show. Andy and I decided to buy more land down here so I have to focus on making more and spending less money. Not that I'm this rabid shopper either but if I'm not careful I will end up with very little cash left over each month. The lots that we bought are around the corner from my parents' shangri-la land, not on the canal like theirs but on a kid friendly street in a neighborhood that is probably a better long term investment than the one we live in now. We got two lots side by side and one across the street thinking that if we ever need a larger house we will build in the center of the double lot. And then if another family member or members wants to move down here they can build on the lot across the street. The hope is that my parents will build a pool for us all to swim in.

I signed up for Clix a while ago and didn't think I actually got placed. But today I got a cool e-mail from another artist/diarist who found me on Clix. So I put the link back up on the above menu and here. Basically whenever you click the link, it adds to the rank of my blog.

The weather and timing were finally right for Andy and me to check out the first Friday art walk in Saint Augustine last week and we were really glad that we did. It was so much fun to explore the galleries, enjoy the complimentary wine and treats, and see some really original and skillful art. We were both amazed at how modern and creative so much of the art on display was, especially in comparison to the art scene of Annapolis which was so limited by the conservative and nautical majority. I got to meet an incredibly talented painter named Morning Star at her gallery, and was really impressed by what she labels her Inspirational pieces. But she is one of those artists that can paint anything well and does.

My job has been really busy since the reorganization so I find that I barely have time to slow down lately. And I've got tons of other stuff going on too, all good but time demanding and consuming.

Julie's guitar is almost complete. I just need to put one more coat of varnish on it and then put the strings back on. I'll take a photo and post it here and it will also of course go up on my new Painted Objects page when I get around to putting that up. I am completely redoing my web site--all new navigation and a few new pages. I'm going to separate the paintings into Available Works and Retrospective, a change that has been needed to be made for a while. So now I just need to find the time and inclination to do the overhaul.

Today Dr. Phil tells us why we shouldn't protest the war, or so the ad for today's show indicated. Hmmm.

We finished our spring garden, another thing I will need to photograph and post. We built this cute little rock path down the center and I planted all these amazing flowers: deep purple lisanthus, dark pink gerber, golden dahlia, white calla lilies, portulaca, aloe vera, geranium, the list goes on. I even broke down and am trying a tomato plant again, even though last fall's were disappointing. I mixed egg shells and coffee grounds in with the soil around the tomato which is supposed to really help it grow. We'll see.

Off to Clearwater this weekend to visit Andy's family and pick up a table and chair set for the patio they want us to have. We will have some nice al fresco dining with that.

I really want to order this (a full yard tall!) statue for our garden but Andy is not having it.



It reminds me of that episode of Laverne and Shirley when those crazy girls buy the lifesize statue of David and put him in their tiny apartment. I think Drew Barrymore is making a Laverne and Shirley movie. I also heard the same thing about her remaking Barbarella. Both classics.

This is probably one of the coolest bands I have ever met. They are true artists. To listen:

Emerson Tig 'Ol Bitties

Sometime soon I am going to make shishkebob for dinner. I bought the impalers over three years ago and never used them, and now it's finally time. I bought steak which I will marinade, then I will chop up onions and broccoli and some other vegetables that cook well on the grill. Preparing red meat for us is sometimes a little complicated because I like mine medium rare to medium and Andy likes it cooked to death. But we manage.

The most impressive dish that I like to cook is Glazed Chicken and Grapes. This was a recipe that I got from my ex-boyfriend's stepmother and it is absolutely delicious. It consists of covering chicken breast chunks with flour and nutmeg, then browning them in butter, then adding grapes to the pan, and finally glazing the whole mess with orange marmalade.

I ate scrambed eggs with ketchup when I was a child but I got sick of them and refused to eat any type of eggs until I was in my mid twenties (not counting the raw eggs I used to drink on a dare when I worked at the bakery). Boiled eggs make me want to throw up as do any other type of egg except for scrambled with tons of cheese. I am the master of scrambled eggs with cheese at this point in my life. The four best concoctions I have developed up to this point: Italian--milk, fresh mozarella, tomatoes, Italian herbs, parmesan; Hearty--milk, cheddar cheese, Montreal Steak Seasoning; Florentine--milk, cheddar cheese, fresh spinach; and Urbane--cheddar cheese, Harry & David's Pepper Onion Jelly.

Some of the creepiest food nostalgia ever.