I like you more than a friend. I made you a muxtape.

MySpace Survey


What does your MySpace headline mean?

It's a quote from Shakespeare: "I never heard/So musical a discord, such sweet thunder".


Elaborate on your default photo:

The CEO of L-Soft, where I had my best job ever, is an amazing photographer. I loved to model for him and this was my favorite picture from an incredible set he took one afternoon when we should have been working.




How many comments do you have?

88.


What's your current relationship status?

Very very married.


Are you happy today?

Not overwhelmingly but happy enough.


Who will cut and paste this to first?

Someone that actually cares about MySpace.


Name someone with the same birthday as you:

Pamela Anderson and Princess Diana.


Do you have a crush on someone?

Lots.


Have you ever sang in front of a large audience?

Karaoke, badly of course. My favorite to sing is "Hey Hey What Should I Do" by Led Zeppelin.


Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?

I get Jamie Lee Curtis or Diane Lane a lot. I've also gotten Heather Graham a few times as well as Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman, Katie Holmes, Drew Barrymore, and Sean Young. But usually people just mistake me for someone they know; I think it's because I'm generic looking.


What do you look forward to?

The kids going to school.


What's the latest you have ever stayed up?

Probably just 48 hours.


Have you ever been rushed to the emergency room?

Not rushed, not exactly.


LAST

Person you saw:

Merritt, trying to get out of his mandatory quiet time in his room.


Talk on the phone:

My mother in law.


Hugged:

Andy.


Text Messaged:

I really don't.


TODAY

What are you doing now:

Trying to get some quiet time to myself.


Tonight:

Ordering Thai food for dinner.


Wearing:

Loose black capri pants, tight T-shirt that I tie-dyed shades of green with what look like little amoebas.


What did you eat for lunch:

Coffee.


TOMORROW

Is:

Merritt's preschool day


Got any plans:

Probably clean something, take Justin to the park


Dislikes about tomorrow:

How early I will be awakened


Do you have work:

I work 24/7 with no vacation and no sick leave.


FAVORITES

Number:

7


Song(s):

Rosa Parks by Outkast
Bohemian Like You by Dandy Warhols
Serenade by Steve Miller Band
etc.


Color:

periwinkle, the black, a certain red


Season:

Anytime in Florida except the summer


CURRENTLY

Thinking about?:

1. Eating

2. When will Justin wake up

3. I have to go to the bathroom


Missing someone:

Perpetually


Mood:

Never bored since I had kids


Wanting:

To win the lottery yet I never play it.


Do you like someone right now?

Most everyone.


Are you listening to music?

No, silence is beautiful.


Do you have any pets?

Two cats, a betta fish, and I want a leopard gecko very badly.


Who did you ride in a car with last besides your family?

I can't think of anyone, I guess it's been a while.


What were you doing at noon yesterday?

Eating lunch with Justin in the backyard.


Has anyone ever sang or played music for you personally?

Yes, I am a muse as well as a groupie.


Ever wanted to be a teacher?

My college degree is in Art Education so I must have at some point.


Ever been stuck in an elevator?

No.


What do your cousins call you?

Con.


Has anyone ever told you they like you more than a friend?

Yes. And then he gave me a mix tape.


Name one hot celebrity?

Cillian Murphy.


Who do you like to spend your nights with?

Jim from The Office.


Who do you feel the most comfortable around?

Besides my family, other artists.


What is your favorite ring tone on your phone?

I have this really cool one right now that sounds very sci fi but it's quiet enough not to wake up the kids and loud enough I can still hear it.


What did your last text message you received on your mobile say?

It was a video of Jessica's snake eating a mouse.


Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?

It you want it to, it does. Everything is a catalyst for something else.


Has anyone disappointed you recently?

Merritt. He bit Justin again.


Do you have anyone who you consider a brother/sister but they really aren't?

I feel that way about so many people. I guess I am hippie like that.

I did some of the typical birds nest cupcakes for a kids Easter event but instead of the traditional coconut, I used shredded wheat and Chinese noodles for the nest of jellybeans. They were crunchy and delicious! Highly recommend. Don't however recommend hiding loose raisins in eggs for egg hunt in backyard...ants converge on them instantly! Open up an egg and get some ants with your treat, not optimal.

Holidays are so much freaking fun when you have children. That is one of the things most people probably don't realize when they make the big decision (or choice) to breed.

Spring is here...for the past few nights the tree frogs have begun filling the air with their music as soon as the sun disappears. I think I'm finally getting used to it after six years and can sleep peacefully.

Lovely lovely day.

The best show on television:

Happy St. Patricks Day. I have a bit of the Irish in me, probably where I get my love of music and tendency to excess and rosacea-prone skin. And of course my ability to hold a grudge. So it's probably appropos that today I finally did something I should have done a while ago:

from Connie Rice
to .....
date Mon, Mar 17, 2008 at 5:25 PM
subject Bad art and bad friends
mailed-by gmail.com


Hi .....,

It's been a while. I finally feel like I've got my confidence back enough to contact you.

A year or two ago I wrote you and asked since you were posting favorite links on .......org, that you link to my site, since I had linked to you for as long as I had a webpage, and touted you in my blog as well. It was a pretty simple request and fairly normal internet protocol. I felt comfortable doing it since we had bared our souls on ........ for so long. You replied that you were only linking to those sites that had a lot of writing. I guess you had never noticed the blog I've had since 2002. I was a little surprised and decided to take your link down. It was nothing personal, I just only linked to those who linked back (known as "trading" links).

I was even more surprised and totally crushed when sometime later you noticed I had taken it down and proceeded to attack me in your blog and declare that my art was "shitty". It was quite possibly the most incredible low blow I've ever experienced.

Before that, though I had never met you in person, I always thought of you as a friend. I always absorbed every word you wrote about art and life. I asked for your advice. I seriously considered buying one of your paintings. I planned to look you up when I finally made it to .......

I never told anyone, not even my husband who I tell everything good and bad to, about what you said. I never responded to you. I kept it inside and let it pop into my head when I was at my darkest times. Have you ever had anyone tell you your art was "shitty"? Not low quality, not poorly executed, not amateur, but "shitty"? It makes quite an impression.

I didn't paint for a long time after that. Partly because I was busy with my children, but also because I started to wonder if I had been wasting my time all along being an artist.

Recently I have started a new series that I'm really excited about. It's a great feeling and without doubt I know these paintings are good. So I guess I am finally free of the very irresponsible trip you laid on me. I think irresponsible is the best word for it, because you simply did not care how powerful your words would be.

I'm not sure why I'm finally telling you this. I haven't looked at your site or read your blog much since then but today I checked it out and realized I probably did myself a disservice by never calling you out. I would never under any circumstance attack another person's art, because that would be basically trying to wound their soul.

You spend so much time meeting and describing and dissecting and promoting other artists, but do any of them know how capable you are of hurting them too? I don't think they want to.

Connie


--
Connie Rice
tuskart@gmail.com
www.tuskart.com

Weaning myself off the Lexapro is actually going better than I first expected. I guess I had to have that moment of doubt. It turns out magnesium can be used as a sleep aid so that's probably what's been making me tired. So more coffee must be imbibed. Moodwise I'm doing great.

The last time I painted at Mud Monkey I created what may be quite possibly the weirdest thing ever.



I have no idea what to do with this thing. It's spooky. I love the colors though. I'll probably pack it away for Halloween.

I started to taper off the antidepressants. I did full dose/full dose/half dose for two weeks, then full dose/half dose for two weeks, now I'm up to full dose/half dose/half dose. It's taken this long to feel the effects of what is affectionately known as SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome. The past few days it's extreme fatigue and lethargy, and a little bit of irritability. I can deal with this. But I doubt I'll get off that easy. Soon I'll go to half doses only then start alternating half doses with nothing at all.

Along with this I've begun taking 1000 mg of calcium and 500 mg of magnesium daily. This is supposed to be a natural way to balance hormones to combat PMS. There are theories out there that PMS could be a vitamin deficiency, it mirrors some of the symptoms. It's not supposed to work for about two months so hopefully it will kick in by the time I'm feeling the worst of the Lexapro withdrawal.

All I feel like doing is writing here, watching TV, laying in the sun, and working on my painting.

My black and white painting is about me, God, giving birth, symbols. Many, many symbols. Personal ones and religious ones and ancient ones and modern ones. It seemed natural to include the swastika, a symbol if ever there was one. It stood out too much. Andy was sure there was no way I could exhibit it in the Art League with that symbol (nevermind there are occult and pagan symbols as well) and he's right. I started thinking a lot about the swastika, reading about it, reflecting on my own experiences with it. I don't know that there's ever been a symbol with so many ties to so many cultures, all of them positive and spiritual except for that one exception. The wikipedia entry is endless. The swastika is the sun, the four corners, the whirling winds...but I painted over it because I don't want the baggage. My painting is about life and the prevailing Western perception of this symbol is not. I hate to censor myself but it seemed the right thing to do.

OMG did she just say she once considered being a HOOKER?

BTW I am back on The Pretty Gene for Cycle Ten of my favorite sociological experiment.

Lately I just can't seem to escape literary working girls. Four of the blogs on my feed are either by or about prostitutes. And I just read a rather interesting book, Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl by Tracy Quan. It's had me thinking about the time in college when I actually considered such a profession could work for me. That was until I read the gruesome (and poorly written) American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. He made me realize that escorts are like free candy for serial killers. That nipped that brief ambition in the bud, thankfully.

From now on I'll be using proper style usage for titles, such as italicizing the names of books. I've been lazy up until now but honestly I need to be writing well all the time. There's no excuse to slack and I need the practice.

I cancelled my registration for my painting in progress (which probably won't be done for another year at this rate) and entered a drawing instead. It's very...um, sensual, and I worry it will be rejected. I think Art in the Park is supposed to be family-friendly. We'll see what happens. They could hang it high, away from young eyes or something.

OK so my three month sugar fast lasted one month. But I was seeing no physical benefits and I gained five pounds. What I achieved is that I can now indulge in delicious treats without as much guilt and worry for what I think it's doing to me. I just wish I had not missed the homemade tiramisu and chocolate trifle that were on hand when we visited Maryland.

The most incredible miracle has occurred. After giving away all my orchids (but one) because I just didn't seem to have the knack for them, the one I kept is putting out a flower! This is very momentous. And now I know which variety likes it on my porch: the ones with mottled leaves of the Paphiopedilum family, also known as Lady Slipper orchids.

I've brought my painting home to work on it. I really can't say whether it will be done in time for Art in the Park on the 15th. Also I told them the wrong size when I registered it so I may just say forget it. It's going to look so fantastic over our bed. I really like painting with black and white only, it's so organized. No clutter of colors everywhere, all you need is a tiny palette.

Tonight is the most exciting night: Project Runway season finale!!! And how funny the almost sure pick to win is from my hometown:



Born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland, Christian began his career in fashion at the early age of 13 working for a local trendy salon "Bubbles." Creating costumes for the yearly hair show competition while he attended the Baltimore School For The Arts, his hunger for fashion became apparent and upon graduation he took an international leap toward his future at The American Intercontinental University, London.

I used to go to that salon around that time--he probably washed my hair!

Stunning video by an autistic woman. Make sure to watch the whole eight minutes: