I discovered a new artist today quite by accident. While searching the 50 percent off calendars at Barnes & Noble I kept coming back to one by Jack Vettriano, a self-taught Scottish painter, so I bought it. I liked his style a lot and there was a hint of something erotic in a few of the pictures. When I searched for more of his work online I found that a lot of it was much wilder than what was featured in the calendar...



It turns out he is very big in the UK and a bit controversial for being so popular. This goes to show that technique is not always everything; sometimes captivating subject matter supersedes.

"The most indispensable ingredient of all good home cooking: love for those you are cooking for."
-Sophia Loren

"Nature gives you the face you have at 20; it is up to you to merit the face you have at 50."
-Coco Chanel

We had a nice relaxing Christmas. It rained all day long which was dreary but other than that it was perfect. Everyone seemed to hold back on gifts this year so it did not feel overwhelming as it sometimes can. Andy got me tickets to the Cirque du Soleil Nouba show in Orlando on January 26th and I got all teary eyed, it was such a sweet present. As usual my gift to him was not at all romantic: a one cup Home Cafe coffee brewer. But I tried to make up for it with the amazing carrot cake.

I have already implemented my New Years resolution which is to stop watching television and read in the evenings instead. For so long I have been zoning out on TV after I put the kids to bed when I really should be delving into the books and magazines I've been accumulating. I got subscriptions to Dwell and Real Simple for Christmas, on top of the ones we already have to Time, Bust, Esquire, and Better Homes and Gardens. Since I've said no to TV I have plowed through my stack. And I'm reading East of Eden.

RIP Godfather of Soul...

Tuesday, May 06, 2003

The James Brown show was even more incredible than I expected. He was celebrating his 70th birthday that night and his voice could not have been more clear and perfect. And he still dances like James Brown. Luckily I had forgotten that he was in jail for beating his wife many years ago because I might not have loved the show as much, had I remembered. The upbeat songs were great but my favorite perforrmance was "Man's World" because it really showcased his expressive stage presence and voice. It was a great time and we had fantastic seats.

It's going to be a pretty mellow Christmas this year. Andy's parents are the only family visiting and we haven't made any major plans except for homemade waffles on Christmas morning. And Christmas dinner which I am making that will consist of organic ham, potatoes and apples au gratin, brussels sprouts, homebaked rolls, salad, and for dessert a carrot cake from scratch. I got a bottle of organic Reisling to go with. I'm on a big time organic/free range/grass fed kick these days mainly attributed to reading about the food we eat in a book called The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. He is a great writer, an investigative journalist, but very objective so you are left to make your own decisions about the things we eat. And I'm trying to stay away from processed food and fast food as much as I can--but I'm not beating myself up over it; if just half of what we eat in this family is healthy and cruelty free then I think that's a lot better than nothing.

Merritt is enjoying the Christmas season, the lights and decorations and special stories, but he doesn't realize yet that his true bliss is coming the morning of the 25th. Next year he'll know what to expect.

I bought a nail polish rack on eBay, like the ones that hang on the wall at a salon. It was an impulse buy but I think it will be a cool display and I'll enjoy being able to pick and choose from all my colors at once. I bought one for 60 polishes so I have room to collect a few more. Other things that I will put my Christmas money towards: a double umbrella stroller to keep in the car, and a nice pair of prescription polarized sunglasses. I am really into the huge ones these days, a la Lindsay Lohan...

New videos of the boys...

The Pretty Gene has died and gone back to my imagination for now. I just don't have time to post a daily blog.

I watched a movie called Mysterious Skin that has haunted me for days now. I am so drawn to the films of Gregg Araki but they always leave me so disturbed.

I can't believe Christmas is around the corner. Our decor is very minimal and childproof this year--not even any ornaments on the tree.

We're having fun with our Christmas card this year.

It wasn't as difficult as I thought to put the archives on this main page (see way below).

On the way to our playgroup holiday picnic at the park yesterday, I pointed out to Andy that Justin had finally stopped sniffling. So our family was finally over the head cold from hell and we were all healthy. JINX!!!! Within a half hour of returning home last night, Merritt puked up the entire contents of his stomach. He threw up about six times but slept relatively good. He's got a mild fever today and is very tired, but can keep food down. Please don't let the baby get this one too.

I'm keeping up with my art of the day posts on The Pretty Gene. For now. I can't see myself doing it every day for much longer. I just can't commit to anything except babies. Tooooooo busy. Babies babies babies.

I've kept this blog for almost five years now (!). I'm not sure how much longer it will last. Since I've switched to the new version of Blogger the biggest problem I'm having is that the link to my archives no longer works. It turns out that Blogger no longer supports separate archive pages. Hence I need to redesign so that the archive links are on this page. And I have so much free time I'm sure that will be done right away.

I'm torn whether I'll be able to keep both blogs going or kill off one or both and start fresh or perhaps not at all. I have a really good idea for a novel and maybe I should put my energy into that. Although the last novel I wrote was pure shit. I don't know if I'm capable of writing something truly literary as much I would like to. But I've seen a lot of pure shit not only published but on the bestseller list so who knows (ie Grisham).

Justin is learning to crawl. Just a bit of uncontrolled scooting right now towards toys. He's a beautiful baby: blue eyes exactly the same color as Merritt's but much paler hair, white blond when the light hits it. He is, at six months, very sweet and precious and I'd like him to stay this age for a long time. He won't. Soon he'll be eight months which was the age that I found it necessary to quit my job with Merritt.

Merritt is becoming more and more conversational. He knows almost all of his colors, numbers, and letters. He says and does amazing things everyday. He has such huge love for his little brother and it is heavily reciprocated. They crack each other up.

We took a family trip to Seaworld the other day. Perfect weather and hardly any crowds.

I have a lot to do for Christmas but I'm pacing myself. I would like to bake hundreds of cookies but I don't think it will be that easy. And lately I've realized that if something is going to stress me out and make me yell at the boys, it is not at all worth it.