random 10 mp3s

from this morning's drive to work mostly:

1. Killing Me Softly - Roberta Flack
2. You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You - Jamie Cullum
3. Why Should the Fire Die - Nickel Creek
4. Somebody More Like You - Nickel Creek
5. Helena - Nickel Creek
6. Raised on Robbery - Joni Mitchell
7. Eggs & Sausage - Tom Waits
8. Black Water - Doobie Brothers
9. Chocolate Jesus - Tom Waits
10. If I Ain't Got You - Alicia Keyes

p.s. - okay em, what are yours?

courtesy of brother T

pictures of his favorite guitar (American Strat, blah blah blah)...

digitally manipulated with Printshop (I think that's what he used)...

brother T said recently that he wishes he could find a woman to love as much as this guitar...

brother T loves titty bars and online poker....

we love him anyway :)

tulips

cause Karen made me jealous with her tulip talk this weekend :) and Mondays should always include fresh flowers - even though they mostly don't.....:) and because the new Blogher site went live yesterday...flowers for everyone!!...do I really have to go to work?

dragons

seems to be lots of talk of them near me lately...which is fine since I always was kind of partial to them in the first place...
I started this last nite with a set of architectural stamps that I got (along with a cool Tarot set which is another post in and of itself) at the Thursday auction....the colors came out sort of Parrish-y to me (yeah, don't I wish, LOL) so I had to add a dragon and since The Reluctant Dragon is one of my all time favorites...ever...I added my own relucant (to get up) dragon in the background...wasn't that interesting ;) ?

IF - Glamour

I've known many food service folks over the years and have lived with one for a long time...special people (said with the deepest love)...so here she is the glamorous waitress with a daily special sure to delight (these ducks keep turning up in the weirdest places ;) )

cat blogging friday

Mama
Blackie/Dixie
Sherbert/Fletcher

outside pack - or at least the major players - missing are Scooter and Stump - these cats get fed by at least one other family and usually sleep under our house....unfortunately only Mama and Blackie have been spayed (the others are too hard to wrangle at this point) so Mama may have grandbabies this spring...yikes

pumpkins

A coworker and I call each other pumpkin...it's goofy, but it was one of those remarks in passing that stuck...

so last nite J had jury duty (yeah, nite court) and I decided take her and wait until they were done...I took my sketchbook because I've been wanting to draw the pumpkin coach on the playground....I do that, J finally finishes, we leave, we go eat, we go home....once we've settled back in at the house I say, "oh let me show you my pumpkin" she says "what? why are you drawing that guy from work?"....wrong pumpkin honey :)

motivated

I need this...

and this...

in order to make this work

so I won't have to go here anymore....

because this dude seems to be following me and the laundry around (darth detergent)

sweater vests are sexy

I don't care what y'all think...thanks Erin for the picture;)...taken at lunch on Friday, either right before or right after I was attacked by the menu

look what I found

during one of my cleaning binges recently, I found one of my most prized possessions....first let me say I am a HUGE, HUGE fan of pin-up girl art...then anonymous posted a hottie for Illustration Friday and I had to get up especially early this morning (which thanks to J's job will be an ongoing thing) so what better way to start the morning than with Al Green and some naked women?


these are a French set of nude playing cards, circa mid 1960's I'm guessing....woohoo ;)

rainy days and Pat Conroy

just don't mix....someone gave me a copy of Pat Conroy's Cookbook for my birthday...nice thought because this person and I had just had a long conversation about him and southern lit in general - I had a serious Conroy phase many many years ago but have not read him for a long time and frankly that's best, I think he's just too much for me to enjoy because his work all seems so plausible that I have a hard time keeping the line clear between fiction and reality...of course she had no way of knowing my issues with him and it's not something that I even think about until he comes up (except for the whole Santini thing, LOL)...and actually there a number of Great Southern Writers that I just won't read anymore because of the same reasons...

anyway...

I started flipping through the cookbook this afternoon and I'll be damned if it isn't as bad (in a good way - I suppose) as his books...however, this being January still, I don't think I need to look at it again for a little while yet....if I go for the Leonard Cohen cds, I'm really gonna be in trouble

4 things

cause Lyn asked nice :)

Four jobs I've had:

1 - call center rep for a company that sold weight loss and erectile dysfunction pills
(not one I'm so much proud of but it was definately memorable in lots of ways)
2 - big box retail store manager
(and lots of other things within that industry as well - it finally broke me)
3 - donut seller
(my 1st job)
4 - office manager for a pool company
( my last job in Atlanta - nice guys, helped keep me sane those last few months)

Four places I've lived:

1 - with my maternal grandparents the first 6 months or so after I was born
2 - in a shotgun duplex in a funky part of Columbia - no AC - illegal sublet (oops)
3 - in an eighty year old house in Grant Park that got broken into a whole bunch and had devil- ish things painted in the basement
4 - in a house I hated in an Atlanta suburb made famous by the Atlanta Rhythm Section

Four movies I'd watch again:

1 - all LOTR (duh, big sci-fi geek)
2 - Willie Wonka (the original)
3 - Nightmare Before Christmas (Tim Burton's best in my opinion)
4 - True Grit (just because it's one of J's favorites and it is John Wayne)

Four TV shows I love to watch:

1 - Boston Legal (William Shatner is a genius - I don't care what anybody else thinks)
2 - Lost (sort of on the fence as to loving it but I keep watching)
3 - Survivor (see above - premise is getting tired, needs something really dramatic I think)
4 - Cooking shows in general (especially the Food Challenges on Sunday nights, not Iron Chef though)

Four of my favorite foods:

1 - Egg and Cheese Sandwich (with ketchup on toasted bread/bagel/biscuit)
2 - Non-dairy smoothies (especially mixed berries or strawberry/banana)
3 - Peanut Butter (and all things containing pnut butter)
4 - Pizza (in spite of the malicious menu attack)

Five Places I'd rather be right now:

1 - Asheville, NC (always #1 - except it gets cold)
2 - Panama City, FL (actually anywhere in FL that was warm)
3 - getting tattooed
4 - getting tattooed in Asheville, NC

cat blogging friday - IF Cats TOO

Tucker
Spencer
Otis

shameless pastel sketches of my rotten cats (one is so excited to have his picture on the web, he's in my lap watching me post right now)....and I'm making an effort to satisfy the "cat blogging on Fridays only" rule that I'm sure Denise made up.

edited to say: this is kind of an IF freebie since I had no idea what today's topic would be and posted these anyway....LOL...thanks Carla ;)

speaking of Jesus

did everyone know that there are now faith based fad diets? that's right - those crazy Christians are at it again...

What Would Jesus Eat?

The Bible Cure for Weight Loss and Muscle Gain

The Hallelujah Diet

There are actually more but you get the idea...evidently Christians are more obese due to the fact that they don't drink, smoke, do drugs or party (according to the author of WWJE), huh...so they eat - a whole lot....a whole lot of unhealthy stuff at that. Evidently my (former) people, the Southern Baptists, are the least healthy and most overweight. Go figure. Gluttony is still a sin right?

And to add insult to injury...they've discovered vegetarianism...and have a shiny, hi-tech website...

The Christian Vegetarian Association

If the Baptists ever decide to take a shine to lesbians I swear I'm going to have a steak and immediately sleep with a man....

see? mullet free...

my worst fears were confirmed

I went for a haircut tonite (to someone different) and the scantily clad girl (well, she was) who did my hair said I had the beginnings of a MULLET! I knew it!..and I specifically told the guy who disgraced me this way that it looked like a mullet last time I was there and he assured me it did not....for almost 2 months I've been saying it was mullet-esque...

"oh no, it looks fine"...everyone has been saying...now I know for sure...

the shame of it all.

fancy shoes

end of day 1 - mostly pleased with the progress so far....even if it's mostly pink...btw 18" x 24" canvas

to all the cars I've trashed

as previously mentioned I had some issues with driving from the ages of 15 to oh say 20-something and during those years I had occassion to destroy a number of cars...in as close to chronilogical order as I can remember (and btw NONE of these incidents involved any mind-altering substances)

mid 1970's Honda Civic - mine was that really bright teal color - threw a rod somehow
1976 Volvo Station Wagon...navy blue...details are fuzzy on this one
1963 Corvair Convertible Spyder...hit a bump and the engine fell out...looked just like this one
1966 Corvair Convertible Monza...blew the engine coming back from Charlotte on a solo trip to see friends...white top
1987 or 88 Nissan Pickup - not my fault, totalled in a rear end collision but I wrecked it at least twice prior to that one
1988 Nissan Sentra...this one actually lasted the longest but I finally totalled it in a head on collision where I ran a light

I'm not making light of my poor driving during that time...luckily no one was ever hurt...but it is amazing looking back that I kept getting things to drive....

IF - E is For....

the elephant shows J's grandfather would do when they were kids....he was a zookeeper back before it was a science...40 years or so I understand, he was killed in the mid 70's....the family has stacks and stacks of pictures of him with the animals and it's really amazing...every Sunday in warm weather (which was most of the year) he would put on elephant shows in the park and kids were an important part....so - here's Big John, wish I could have met him!

at last

it's Friday....back to normal schedule this week and it bites...my screw off time has been seriously compromised...however we do have a 3 day weekend which doesn't include any freaking family gatherings (even though my littlest brother just called and hung up when the machine came on - family is always screened - so who knows what he wants)....no plans other than some shopping to spend a gift card and a trip a thrift store or 2...well groceeries but that doesn't count..so all in all the weekend looks pretty damn good...

auctions started back this week as well and I was so sleepy Tuesday nite I had to doodle to stay awake...sometimes this annoys the auctioneer b/c he thinks I may not be paying enough attention to the bids...LOL...of course they don't trust anyone else with the computer so I must be keeping up alright...

(crystal decanter, popcorn guy, guitar, glass flower)

(auction Jeannie not to be confused with my Jeannie)

(crystal bowl, droopy lady, little piano box)

and I have to start trying to transfer something like this but with a fancy purse onto canvas with acrylic paint...hmmm, I don't paint on canvas I paint on wood and gourds and stuff so this concerns me

so I guess I do have some other plans for the next 3 days but that's fun stuff and I guess there's always looking at different designs for here since I keep saying I'm going to do something but still it's the same boring layout...and there's always the washers that need changing in the shower and sink....and the oven door handle that's loose....and the belt that needs changing on the dryer....and the straightening and decluttering and going through boxes that haven't been unpacked in 2 years since the move...I don't 3 days is going to cut it....this is why I hate lists :)

For Linda on her 1 year anniversary

The many years we spent together
Side by side in all sorts of weather
Your company meant the world to me
Until the doc said Hysterectomy

All bets were off
I made you sick
You had me cut out
It wasn’t a trick

Now it’s been a year
And I haven’t forgotten
The special times
When I wasn’t rotten

Love, Your ex-uterus

(a special offering for a special woman...we also had uterus cup cakes to celebrate the occasion...doesn't everyone want to work with us???)

IF - Sea

now if I could only be there with a fruity umbrella drink :)

Castle

what is it with me and little girl stuff lately???...this is for a 6 yo's bd party this weekend - it's kinda big....I did it on one of those sheets of foam core board....note little brown princess at the top :)

shameless animal pics even though

it isn't Friday, LOL...sorry Denise

birthday follow-up

at least the gathering is over...that sums up the afternoon...S seemed to love her art supplies and she seemed to be wanting my attention when La-bo was looking at the shoes, hats and purses, but the little kids were swarming and we didn't get a chance to hang out....Santini liked the Corvair enough I suppose, but thanks to my brothers the conversation ultimately turned to the stories of how I trashed both of the ones he restored and as funny as those stories are...it just didn't seem to be the time...LOL, even though Santini seemed a little pink at one point just reliving the memories and that made me laugh....

perfect gifts???

I think they are anyway...monthly birthday celebration for my family today - January is a big month...5...4 of which are "us" as opposed to "them" LOL...2 of those 4 are Santini and the golden son...so it is a holy day in Columbia....anyway that's not what this is about....

we went birthday shopping yesterday (only Santini, Honey and kids get gifts, adults get cards)...therefore we had 2 gifts and 2 cards to pick out...we went to Hobby Lobby (which is truly a bizarre experienc and worthy of a post all its own) b/c my niece (big sissy's youngest) is a little artist and we knew what we wanted for her and figured we'd try and find dad something too (we had low hopes but were willing to settle)....instead I found what should be a perfect Santini gift and something I've kept an eye out for over the years...and what should make it even more perfect is that he's retiring (for the 2nd time) next week and they leave for Florida for 2 months next weekend...so he should have a project (even though I'm sure he has a book of projects)....now the question is will he appreciate it?

this is for S - I really like this kid, smart, quiet, a little on the brooding side...she may be trouble :)



so....we'll have the post festivity update to examine reactions to our gifts...stay tuned.

I've been recruiting

and my friend Erin has set up a new Flickr site to post her pictures taken with her new fancy Fuji camera (really jealous of the camera btw ;)) take a look, I see there are more shots from the car and some fun fish - where's Eric?

Erin SC

Flavored Hats

purses next????

random stuff

Trinity Episcopal - looks more like a vampire hang-out though and especially believable with the creepy cemetary next door

State House Dome...no confederate flag flying here anymore...we're much too PC, it flies in a much more prominent place now

quick sketches of Ralph Stanley and grandson Nathan from Sunday's show.....

I've added a link to a journal project I'll be participating in this year, more on that tonite maybe...29,000 Floating Ducks

and I'm thinking handbags must come in the same flavors as shoes and hats...dontcha think?

IF - Flavor

kinda lame and I'm stretching here but it's a duel purpose sketch...my 5 yo niece asked me to do "fancy shoe" pictures for her newly decorated big girl room and her mother brought me 3 (tremendous) canvases (which I've never painted on) soooo I thought I should practice girlie shoe styles....since we'll see the family (YET) again this Sunday I drew some out that I got from a book on pin-up art...btw, who knew those girls had shoes on?....the colors and lines made me think of candy thus bringing it all back to flavor and that sounds kinda weird...anyway

Wall thing

finally I finished the nursery wall hanging - I have to say a few days ago I was hating everything about this piece, but it came together at the last minute and we both think it's actually pretty cute....it wound up being about 2' across and maybe 16" tall (sorry I'm not smart enough for metric conversions today)....all templates, cutting, and painting done by me...but based on Sea Life by Kids Line Inc. (so there is no confusion)....hope she likes it....it always makes me nervous making stuff for other people who aren't so familiar with my stuff...