Thursday October 30th

It has been a productive day. I finally got the new 2009 Tucson Workshop dates up and rocking. I am pleased with some of the pricing choices that I have made. I have chosen to separate the Materials fee from the reservation fee. Check out my site and see the page for yourself. I think it will be a great 3 days. I am offering 2 workshops surrounding the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show. I will post the Greater Gem Show Link for everyone as soon as it goes live.

The evenings are so nice and cool now. The days are still very warm but the nights…Ah the nights! There is something that I sort of forgot about the cooler weather. Sound carries father in the cooler air. I have forgotten that I love the sound of the trains as they pass through downtown Tucson. My sleep schedule has been for crap lately but the sounds of the trains passing through town has been a solace during these waking hours. If I close my eyes I can actually hear the wheels on the tracks along with the whistle/horn.









I miss the caboose. I really do, the day they went away was a sad day for me. Do you remember that there was actually a man waving a lantern, as the train would pass through a Rail Road Crossing? I do, I remember, growing up, I knew the train schedule so well that I would ride my to the crossing to wave to the Caboose Guy. I love a caboose as much as I love Tug Boats. It is an irrational kind of love thing. I just really love those two pieces of American iconic machines.

This is one of those classic images that will endure!

Oh well. Not much worked out for me in Major League Baseball this year. The Rays got hammered, the White Sox got trounced, my Reds Sucked, the D-Backs just got tired….
Oh well! I guess if I have to look for one Silver Lining…
The National League Won the Series!


The major funny of today…I am SUCH a ball fan that this seems inexcusable not to know this minor fact of regional baseball!
Sarah Palin standing firmly in Pittsburgh Pirates Territory and said that she was happy to celebrate the victory of the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies in Pennsylvania.
I cringed as I heard her say those words.
OOOOOOOOOO that was NOT GOOD!
They HATE each other….She got so booed so hard, I laughed out loud with glee!
And the best part was that she had no idea why and one more time her eyes glazed over!
I really hope someone told her.

I am unbelievably looking at Arizona maybe switching to a toss up state. McCain has started his Robo-Calls here. At least I can say that I VOTED! GO AWAY! And my vote was NOT FOR YOU!

Tuesday October 28th

This just made me giggle! Ain't he cute?






I have pretty awesome friends. Today is my birthday and over the course of the day many of them IM’d, called, emailed, pestered, poked, karma’d, super poked, & e-carded me to let me know that they were thinking about me on my 45th birthday.

I could not have asked for a better remembrance. We are all so spread across the country that to take that time means the world to me. Many thanks to all of you and I will return the favor as each of your b-days come up.

I need everyone to think really excellent thoughts and send extra special KARMA to the greater Chicago area. It is important to me….thanks. I am doing my best Vitruvian Pretzel for as long as it takes.

I had a productive day and I even got to take a birthday nap for about 60 minutes. It felt so nice to wake up under a quilt and snuggling up to Bob-n-Beep and Ice Bat while my sweet Niki joined the party.

I had a great Tarot Reading today as well as a very nice horoscope.

The Covering - Three of Pentacles: Skill

The card in the Covering position highlights the important events, issues, attitudes or influences around the question or current situation.

This is a good time for business, financial and property matters, so focus on those areas of your life. You now have an excellent opportunity to use your skills and abilities to make gains in any areas you choose, especially those to do with your material well-being or status.

I am still checking the RealClearPolitics site every few hours to see the turns and the twists running up to next Tuesday. No sooner did I say it on my Blog Yesterday than did I actually see that Arizona has switched from SOLID McCain to LEANING McCain...Could I ask for a better pre-Birthday gift. There would be only one thing better than having AZ go BLUE as the final nail and that one thing is way to personal to share! LOL

Thanks to my friends for all of the sweet wishes!

Monday October 27th

I have done it. I voted this morning. It was painless and fast. I stood in my little plastic cubicle and colored in my circles, making sure that I did not go out of the lines. I folded up my ballot and sealed it in an envelope and watched as the clerk slipped it into a locked bin. Took me all of 15 minutes from parking the car to getting back behind the wheel of my car. I took the weekend to really go over several local and state issues that I was not fully informed on. I found it important to vote on more than just the Presidential Election. I do feel that my vote is rather wasted here in AZ but my voice will be heard and my vote will be counted all the same.

I am kind of wondering when we are going to get past this Electoral College thing. I really would like my vote to mean something. I am voting for a person that my state is voting against and so my vote does not really count. Unless by some random miracle AZ goes Blue! The original concept for the Electoral College was brilliant. But now, it is outdated and no longer represents the people in the manner that it was intended to. What is the problem with one-person equals one vote and those votes get counted up and who ever has the most at the end wins. Seems so simple and so logical. That might actually mean that the candidates might actually have to visit all 50 states, address the issues of each region and pay more attention to the country as a whole and not just select pockets of the country where even if you win the popular vote you loose the election.

I have another question…Can someone please explain to me the problem with a National I.D. card? I do not grasp the fear associated with them? We have Social Security Numbers that are assigned at birth and these numbers stay with us for the entirety of our lives. Why can’t that number be placed on a card with our picture on it? I really do not get why people have an issue with them and I would like to understand this. Would this not solve many of the voter problems that we are having in these past few elections? The driver’s license was never intended to be used as a form of identification. It is just permission by a particular state saying that you understand the driving laws of that state. It is not and was never meant to be an I.D.

Lastly, I am sick to death of all of these states and the different ways that you can vote. I understand that the elections boards in each state are in charge but can’t they F-ing get together and settle on ONE SYSTEM for everyone? It would bring less up to date communities into the 21st century and would promote a system that would be state of the art. I have never had a problem coloring in my little circles and placing that piece of paper in a machine that read those colored circles and them that information went on it’s way via the Inter-Net. Why does it have to be THIS STUPID? We have been in this repetitive disaster movie for more then 8 years now. Can we not just GET IT DONE???

Do not even get me started on the random and regional acts of the TSA!
Oh, that is another issue entirely and it is one that I could vent on for HOURS!

As Rachel Maddow says "Can Someone Talk Me Down Please?"
Politics as usual need to stop, we need to fashion New Guards for the protection of our rights and our voices deserve to be counted and the votes we cast actually need to mean something.

Thank you all for reading on!

As many of my friends know, I have my Rules of Travel that also translate to Rules for Events.

Rule: You cannot count the day you are in and you cannot count the day of the event.

So, as of today Saturday Oct. 25th we are 9 days away from the election and I have something that I would like to share.

A group called the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission has posted a series of videos on its site and on YouTube called "7 Reasons Barack Obama is not a Christian."

The Christian Conservatives are gathering together to smear the Democratic Presidential Candidate in these last days of the election to try to influence voters that voting for a black man would lead to the total destruction of our country. These are the people who pride themselves on being Christian, moral and in the majority. They are neither Christian, moral nor are they in the majority. They have set on a tactic to scare the elderly and less well informed with misinformation. They insight hatred and say that anyone who does not share their exact beliefs must not be Americans; they must be Socialists or Communists or Terrorists. They spread lies and forgo everything that they say they hold dear. In my opinion these groups are no different or better than any extremist group or terrorist group that they say they are fighting against.

Chris Matthews was on a late night talk show the other night and discussed the most profound insight about our country. This country is the only country in history that is based in an IDEA. We are not a race, we are not a culture; we are a country that is a gathering of immigrants. We are a country that was founded on the premise that any can succeed if we educate ourselves and work hard.

How can we let these attacks continue, I want to know how I can speak up and say enough….Oh, yeah, I can vote! I can say enough is enough. I have the right to tell my government that we have to change and we have to be tolerant of other religions and of other lifestyles, we have to be able to say that ideas that are different from our own are ok. My only caveat would be that those other ideas cause no harm to others.

As Michael Douglas said in The American President:
"America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours."

It is this "ldea" that we need to remember and the "Ideal" that we must strive for. We can no longer tolerate hate, racism, cruelty or inequality for any culture that deems to call America home. We can no longer give credence to those who spew out the venom that goes contrary to what this Nation was founded on. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness…but those ideals cannot be granted at the expense of another’s freedoms.

Saturday October 25th

I have been meaning to write about several things for quite some time now. One of these has been percolating in the back of my mind for a while.

I had this great conversational cabbie on one of my last returns to Tucson. He and I were chatting away and he asked me what I did for a living that made my bags so heavy. I told him that I was an instructor and a designer and I had an online web business. He asked what I taught and when I told him I was a metalsmith he was intrigued. He asked it I know the origins of the word “Smith”. I said that I had no idea but it would be a look up when I got home. My only thought at the time was so contrary. A “Smith” seems to imply that there is a specialized aspect to the craft…but it is recognized as the most common of names.
Just a quick look at wikipedia has opened up an entire new line of inquiry for me. I think I may now want to think of my self as a “whitesmith” someone who works in the white metals. But why continue on with labels, right?

Smith (metalwork)
•A smith, or metalsmith, is a person involved in the shaping of metal objects.
•In pre-industrialized times, smiths held high or special social standing since they supplied the metal tools needed for farming (especially the plough) and warfare. This social standing might be a reason for the prevalence of "Smith" as an English family name (and similar names in other languages, such as German "Schmidt").
Etymology of smith
•The word smith is cognate with the somewhat archaic English word, "smite", meaning "to hit" or "to strike". Originally, smiths practiced their crafts by forming metal with hammer blows.
•As an English suffix, -smith connotes a meaning of specialized craftsmen
Artisans and Craftpeople
•The ancient traditional tool of the smith is a forge or smithy, which is a furnace designed to allow compressed air (through a bellows) to superheat the inside, allowing for efficient melting, soldering and annealing of metals. Today, this tool is still widely used by blacksmiths as it was traditionally.
•The term, metalsmith, often refers to artisans and craftpersons who practice their craft in many different metals, including gold, copper and silver. Jewelers often refer to their craft as metalsmithing, and many universities offer degree programs in metalsmithing, jewelry and blacksmithing under the auspices of their fine arts programs.
Types of smiths
Blacksmith, arrowsmith, bladesmith, coppersmith, fendersmith, goldsmith, gunsmith, locksmith, pewtersmith, silversmith, tinsmith, swordsmith, whitesmith

While I was in Miami we had such a good time and one of the gals brought in her iPod dock so we could listen to music while we worked. It is a favorite way for me to work and I was happy that so many of the ladies agreed. Several of them brought in their iPods so we kind of traded around so we each got to listen to our favorite music. We traded favorite artists and chatted about what kind of music that we liked to listen to while we worked and how time could fly when you got in that ZONE of inner peace and the day flies by as creativity takes control.
There is so much music out in the world that I love, half the time I forget some of the stuff that I have on my iPod and then when I find it, it is such a treat all over again. My newest find is Jason Mraz.

Jason Mraz - I'm Yours

Song Lyrics

After a while we all started chatting about our favorite things. One of mine that started a lively conversation was that I love BAD MOVIES that are so bad that they are actually wonderful. I have my list and for many reasons, if they are on, I will tune them in and love them all the more.
My all time favorite BAD MOVIE that is so bad it is good…
Kevin Costner’s: Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. This movie has so many excellently bad scenes and so many great one-liners that I look forward to seeing it whenever it is on. I guess that I may actually have to get it for myself as a birthday present.
The best sequence of lines in the movie: I HEART Alan Rickman, no one can deliver a line better!
Sheriff of Nottingham: “I am going to cut your hear out with a spoon!”
Guy of Gisborne: “Why a spoon cousin?”
Sheriff of Nottingham: “Because it will hurt more.”
There is nothing like laughing at stuff like this, I am typing this right now and have the silliest grin on my face because I see the entire scene in my mind.

Make your list of great bad movies and enjoy one or two of them this weekend. I think that I shall while I wait for more of the World Series this evening! GO RAYS!

My friend Stacey called the other evening to let me know just how truly excellent her daughter is. In CA there is a measure on the ballot that will rescind the right for gays to marry. A group was demonstrating outside of her school and she took offence to the act. She could not understand why it is so upsetting to so many. This is something that in her eyes will in no way diminish anyone’s life and will actually lead to healthy and committed unions. Her take on the whole thing was quite interesting….she hates the color red and now want to protest against people wearing the color red. She thinks it is just as silly. I love the eyes of the young, simplicity and an unclouded view can cut right to the point.
I told Stacey that I shall no longer wear RED. Thanks for the insight Hannah-Banana.

Thursday October 23rd

$150.000.00 in 8 weeks for clothes and this man is an elitist? Oh, and by the way…these shoes that you are looking at have been re-soled with ½ soles. Very Elitist Indeed. And John McCain wears $520 Ferragamo leather loafers, he has 11 homes &13 cars…Obama has one house and the family drives a Hybrid.
I have proven my point and I need say nothing else. I am tired to the core of the SHIT that is being proffered as logical politics. Joe the Friggin’ Plummer? PLEASE!!! If “that other guy” or that “IDIOT WOMAN” want to talk real issues I will go back to listening to them…until that time the MUTE is ON!


















I am voting in the morning. After reading what Robert Kennedy Jr. had to say in this issue of Rolling Stone, I am not taking any chances. I do feel that my vote for the President is rather wasted here in AZ but I can have an impact on other races that if all goes the way I am hoping for, it will make Obama’s job easier to attain.

I had a wonderful day. I got my hair cut today…it was a gamble, the most excellent Mariah is on maternity leave and she said that Denise would take great care of me. I am SUCH a CREATURE OF HABIT…it took an extra 4 weeks to work up the courage to go get my hair cut by a stranger. The gamble worked out well for me, Denise was delightful. I now a pleased to say that I have a backup…HA!

The weather here right now is so beautiful. I have the doors open and there seems to be such a soft breeze coming through town. It is a delight to sleep and I have to say that my Niki is pleased with the cooling down. With the drop in temperatures I sleep in one position during the night and she can sleep “on” me. Which she LOVES more than me brushing her coat

I got to place myself in the most excellent hands of the beloved Carylse this afternoon. Her hands need to be declared a state treasure! I would be a mess without her!

I got more work done on my website today, I got the Index page more organized and hopefully it will lead to more people clicking on more pages and getting lost on AnneMitchell.net and buying lots of things. It is an “evil plan” HaHaHa… I will have next years Tucson Workshops up by tomorrow afternoon. I am trying to come up with creative ways for people to be able to come out here and yet still have it be more economical for them. I have a few ideas that I am knocking around! I think it will be a positive adjustment.

Gail L. sent me her version of my gals from Cheezburger. Made me laugh out loud! Thanks Gail!






Last nights opening of the World Series did not go quite the way I would have liked (with the Phillies Winning) but tonight the Rays did a great job of handling "THAT OTHER TEAM" hehehehe! The Series it tied at a game each.

Tuesday October 21st

I was having a fantastic day until this afternoon; that is when the ugly little gnat started buzzing in my ear again. There is only so much one soul can endure with out blowing a gasket and really taking aim. It is so easy to foster self-righteous anger and hated when you never look the person in the eye.

After getting home yesterday I crashed for the better part of the day and only managed to unpack and put my things away. After that I was totally useless. But today starting at 6am I got EVERY order that I took in Miami out to the post office by noon. I got my tools inventoried and a list for re-ordering ready. I made my bank deposit and got the credit receipts run and got bills filled out and ready to mail off as soon as all of the monies post to the appropriate accounts. I was productivity personified this today.

And what a beautiful day today was; the breeze was cool and the sun was so very warm. I am looking forward to getting some more yard work done this week and really cleaning up the inside of the wall. I need to reconnect with the earth and crave the sun on my back and I want to really wear myself out in that most excellent physical way. I love those days when you are so tired that you wake in the same position that you fall asleep in.

I am also getting ready for the BABE show in Oakland in the beginning of November. It will be good to hang out with Gail and to see all of my chums from CA. I am planning on an extra day with my friend Carol in LA either on the way out or on the way back. I do miss all of my friends very much and am looking forward to having a few days with them. The big news is that I get to hang out with my bud from the old days Anne Devine. As of my birthday this year it will have been 2 years since we have seen each other.

Here is the rub; I let myself get sucked up into a life that actually did not really include me. I was on the outskirts looking in and waiting for the invitation that was never going to come. Now that I see that in my perfect 20/20 hindsight vision (with the help of bifocals I might add) I am honored and blessed that my friends have forgiven me my errors of judgment. One told me the other day that “I knew that you had to go through it and that you would be the stronger for the battle.”

Ok, tomorrow is time for THE WORLD SERIES. It is going to be Phillies vs. Rays. Here is my dilemma; I had to root for the Phillies against the Dodgers so that Manny Ramirez would not get to the Fall Classic. He does not deserve the honor; he does not respect the game at all. He played like crap so he would be traded. That is not professional that is grandstanding. Now if LA was Manny free, I would have loved to see the Dodgers get to the Series just to have Joe Torre show up the Yankees.

Now on the to Rays, I did not pay them one bit of attention this season. I have no interest in the AL east. I am sorry to admit that. Hey, Curt Schilling had it right from spring training. He called the Rays for the series way back then. Guess he showed us. So, I guess I have to get behind the Rays because the Phillies and the Reds do not like each other at all.

Has this been convoluted enough for you? It makes perfect sense to me and I guess that is all that matters in the long run.

We are 2 weeks away from the election and I am cautiously optimistic. The desperate acts of the GOP are actually making me physically nauseous. I am hitting the mute button more and more everyday just so I do not have to let the toxic venom into my life. I have had to cut back on my news watching, I cannot listen to people that I have no regard for, who have lost their integrity and have left their honor by the side of the road. Let’s get out and vote early so there is less of a chance for all of the tricks that are being proffered to keep the Black, Young, Elderly and Hispanic vote from counting. Read the Rolling Stone Block the Vote Article this week. It is urgent that you do. Robert F. Kennedy has some very important stuff that you should all know about.

Sunday October 19th

What a whirlwind 4 days. I cannot believe that I arrived in Miami on Wednesday evening, gave a talk on Thursday and taught for 3 days. Man, I now ready to get back to Tucson. It’s not that I have not had an excellent time but I am ready for my own bed and the attention of my girls. The 2-day workshop was awesome! I cannot believe what these ladies did and how beautifully they accomplished it. It has been an absolute delight to share time with them and I have discovered one 1 or 2 kindred spirits in this eclectic group.

I have to say that I am one of the most self-amused people that I know of. I find a giggle and a smile in so many things, there have been several comments about being more aware of what surrounds us in everyday life and that these observations have caused smiles and have induced giggles. There is nothing better than acknowledging the humor and silliness in the world that surrounds us. It is my firm belief that if my overt enjoyment of the music on my iPod can make a passersby smile and giggle in his or her own right…then I have doing a good thing. Not only am I having a good time, I am passing on that good time to someone else.

The reason that I am writing about this is because the talk that I gave the other evening seems to have touched one or two that were there. I have had some one on one time with several of these ladies and I know that I have met at least one very kindred spirit. Everything from ideals to the music on out iPods is in sync. It has been very nice to meet another person that sees things in similar hues and tints.

This evening has been spent catching up with a few friends that I have not had the time or the energy to catch up with in these last few days. I have missed my Jilly and I have yet to grab some very necessary time with Cris. I am looking forward to being home for a few days and to start getting ready for the BABE show. I am down to the crunch for the end of the year…Can you believe that I am talking about the end of the year???

Jeezy Creezy…I am still in stunned amazement about this year. I would have never guessed the 180º turn that can happen in a moment. Just goes to show that you should always pay close attention to what friends tried to warn you about and to listen to that little voice in your head that told you to RUN LIKE A MAD WOMAN! Well, it is my goal in this lifetime to at least learn one or two lessons that have been presented to me.

I am so ready to be home! I miss my girls and I long to snuggle up to them and hear their gentle purr as I hold them close.

Have a great Monday…

I am watching the last inning of game 7 of the ALCS. The Rays are 3 outs away. I do not know if I can stand the it. I am no longer a fan of Boston. I am not sure what really caused the switch for me...it seems to have been a gradual thing, but the shift is a fundamental one that goes to the core of what I believe Baseball to be...Go Rays Go!!! I would really love to see a Rays/Phillies Series!!!!

Friday October 17th

Yesterday was really a rather long kind of day. I was off to the venue in the morning to set up the classroom. I was told before I arrived that I would be teaching in the Boy Scout clubhouse on the property. Now the property is the Elks lodge. The Scouts clubhouse is an ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC A-Frame. I could not have been happier. I found the building charming and totally fun. It made me laugh from the second that I saw it. Adrienne and I had a nice time setting up the classroom and then I got to have REALLY good Sushi. Oh, it was so nice.




























My talk last night went really well and the ladies were funny as all get out. We had a laugh filled evening. I can’t thank these ladies enough for such the nice welcome.

Today was great. We have a nice full class and everyone is doing such nice work. Everyone has caught right on and is making beautiful things. I am so looking forward to tomorrow to see how all of the pieces turn out.

Most of us got together at Adrienne’s house for a nice dinner and conversation. I have my rules about no politics; religion or health issues are to be discussed in the classroom but the gloves are off at a social gathering I guess. I tried several times over the course of the evening to steer clear of any landmines that I might walk into, actually being in one of the BATTLEGROUND STATES. I actually walked away at least 3 times so I would in no way offend anyone with my beliefs of my political stands.

But at the end of the evening I got into a political, ideological debate for over an hour with a conservative self proclaimed “Kingsonian” I had never heard that term but he described himself as a man that followed the teachings of Martin Luther King. Now I had a great time, I love a good debate or a good argument…my problem is that this man did not and could not back up his arguments with anything substantive. He choose to not investigate his claims. He complained about the system but could not tell me why he thought the system was broken. He took pride in the fact that he knew but never did any investigation as to why he believed what he believed.

I forced myself to watch both sides of the conventions and the debates. I force myself to watch Fox News (occasionally) as well as MSNBC and CNN. I cannot listen to Rush Linbaugh but I try to read it to make sure I know what that jerk is saying. I make sure that I use the Internet to check facts from all sources, everything from the extreme left to the extreme right and as much in between as I can to try to have the correct facts on hand. This man has taken no responsibility for his part in the process and does not agree that we as citizens are obligated to question and to hold those in charge accountable for their actions.

It is our duty to hold our leaders accountable and to question the choices if we do not agree. It was a spirited and conversation yet one that was frustrating because, unfortunately, the argument cannot be held up as valid without the knowledge base of those convictions. Without knowledge we are doomed to repeat our mistakes. It was only that he realized that I was almost 45 and not some child in my 30’s that he thought my argument was thought out and not just a knee-jerk reaction to popular politics. He touted that his duty and his absolute conviction of having served as a soldier and that a soldier follows and responds to orders without question. He said that he was a true defender of the Constitution, The Bill of Right and the Declaration of Independence having never read a single word of any of those documents.

There are times that I feel like this frog balancing in something that no one should have to balance on. Only right now I kind f feel that I am actually under the damn pumpkin waiting for it to roll off. I just thought that this image was funny as hell. I have more to say but I guess that it’ll have to wait till the morning. I am tired and my mind is spinning with these past few days.

Wednesday October 15th

So I am here in Miami. Ah, Florida.

***So when I was about 5 years old, my family drove down to Florida for our yearly Florida vacation and as you cross the border you always stopped at the visitors center and were greeted with a glass of fresh squeezed OJ. Being the child of the space age...I walked up to the stand and I asked for TANG! Embarrassed my folks totally!***It is a true story!!!

I was Up at 3am for a 6:30 am flight and a 3-hour layover in Hot-Lanta. So when I made my reservation I could have chosen a connection flight that left about 45 minutes after I was supposed to land in Atlanta. Now I have been in that position and have been screwed and missed my connecting flight. NO ONE TOLD ME IT WAS THE SAME PLANE! I could have gotten in 3 hours earlier. I would have been on the same plane but with a different flight number. WHY GOD WHY???

So I have never been in such a huge airport that felt like The Stepford Wives National Airport. I mean really, the place was deserted. It was surreal; I would go for several hundred yards and not see another soul around me. Counter after counter was deserted and it was 5:30pm. Long stretches of check-in counters had no airlines associated with them. All of the signage was gone. It’s not like I was arriving at 2am and the whole world is asleep. It was really freaky. I did not like it.

















But, as I drove to my hotel I was greeted with the classic Golden Girls Sunset of the huge orange ball of flame setting behind some beautiful clouds. It even had the plane flying through in profile. Absolutely classic Miami look.















I got in, had a light salad for dinner and hunkered down for the last debate. I am please to say that I feel that Barack Obama did a very nice job, kept his cool and did not let McCain get to him. He stuck to his points and was very Presidential.

Now, I have never really been in a hotly contested state during an election before. Being here in Florida right now it so weird. The commercials are EVERYWHERE. Every other advertisement is political, and Obama is out numbering McCain by 3 to 1 and I am here to lat you know that I have not seen ONE negative attack ad by Obama. I wish that I could say the same for McCain. His ads are split 50/50 form sticking to his message to slamming his opponent. It is a shame, his tactics have not worked in the past 2 weeks and they did not work tonight!

THE PHILLIES DID A GREAT JOB. I am so pleased that the Dodgers went down hard. Now all I can hope for is to have Boston tank. I could actually get excited about a Rays/Phillies battle in the Fall Classic. I did not really give the Rays the attention that they deserved this season. I now offer my most sincere apologies to the Rays. Go, Rays, Go – Beat Boston!

Tuesday October 14th

What a day! Up at 5am and I worked non-stop till well after 8pm.
Wire to wind, cut and package.
Kits for classes to finish up.
Loads of packing to do!
Laundry
General Chores

Whew!
You name it; it had to be done…
I am in pretty good shape for this weekend, I have to say, there was only so much I could do before class and then last night and this morning all hell broke loose and the crazed whirlwind takes over and I get so focused that I remember things that I would not normally remember. It is done, I am packed and I am as ready as I can be.

This is my friend Anne Devine. She rocks!
I have no idea why but I joined Facebook this evening after being bugged by several friends to do so I gave in. Well, I am glad that I did, not more than 10 minutes after filling out all of the information I got a quick note from a friend that I had not talked to in almost 2 years. We have traded emails and phone messages but we just kept missing each other. Now that beauty of it all is that her name is also. This evening is a good evening! I have missed her so much and it was just like no time had passed. We spent 10 minutes each getting caught up and then it was like not a day had passed.

Well I am up and out the door in a few hours and I need to get some sleep before I journey across the country.

This picture was just to cute to pass up sharing with all of you!

Monday October 13th

I want to be as wise as this dude!
It is a goal.
It’s like he can see into the essence of your soul and he knows more than you ever will.



















Class went great, everyone made such beautiful things and I had a blast. Great fun, great conversation, a great deal of laughter…I cannot say enough…Thanks ladies!

I have spent the rest of the day doing all of my final prep and pack for Miami. I have SO much to do tonight and tomorrow. I have no idea how I will get it all finished, I really do not have any choice, it has to get done and I’ll get it done because I have no other choice but to get it done! UGH!

36 hours till I am off to Miami…I am looking forward to my talk and I am looking forward to our classes, looking forward to meeting a whole bunch of new folks and I know that we will have a great time!!!!

You’ve Got Mail

Greg Kinnear: “Is there someone else?”
Meg Ryan: “No, there is the dream of someone else…”

That is what it is supposed to be. That is the dream to believe in. It is the dream of that most perfect someone. I do believe in that dream and I absolutely believe in true, honest, romantic love. I believe that there is that perfect someone out there in the world that each of us is supposed to meet and to spend the rest of your life with. That someone that can look at you and know you inside and out, know you better than you know yourself, know what you want before you know it yourself. They just know and it is easy. The fact that it is actually work but it does not matter because it is not really work at all, you would do nothing less, because that is the effort that true love needs to take hold. It is as easy as it is hard and it is always worth that effortless, effort filled, effort

Redundantly Redundant…right…but it is so true!

Sunday October 12th

So, class is going great and we are having a blast. I can’t wait to post some of the projects to show you how well everyone is doing. The pieces are coming out fantastic. We wrap up tomorrow and I know that I had a great time. It is always a rather bittersweet time. Here are these people that you spend several days with and they are in your home all day and once they know where the glasses are and it’s like they belong and then suddenly, poof, they go back home. It is a fascinating transition actually.

Yesterday evening after class we went to my favorite restaurant for dinner and we went early enough so we could actually talk, hear each other and just spend time getting to know each other out of a classroom setting. I love the shift that I can take from teacher to diner companion. Later that evening then there was a “Club Crawl” down on 4th street with all of the bars and clubs hosting local bands. We went to The Hut to hear a friend of mine in the band Ghost Cow. They put on an excellent show and the crowd watching was an education for sure.

I have been thinking about and singing all of the old SchoolHouse Rock educational segments that I grew up with. Then that naturally led me to my FAVORITE cartoons in my adult life. I do not know how many of you know of the Animaniacs…They are brilliant and I do mean brilliant. This is a long cartoon but worthy of the 9½ minutes. Watch adult brilliance, there will be more to follow as I decide which of my favorite ones I will share with you.


I continue to watch the political gamesmanship and I am ready for people to actually do their own research and to really find the truth. The woman who thought Obama was an Arab because she got a letter in the mail informing her of that scares the hell out of me. I mean no offence to any Arab, I swear. But what scares me is that this woman thinks that an Arab, anyone of Arab descent is bad. I thought that this country was founded on the freedom from persecution, freedom of religion and so many more. This woman wants to take all of these away because of her ignorance and misplaced fear.

Can anyone tell me where and when we lost our way? At what point in time did we allow ourselves to become a nation of scaredy-cats. People that think they are Americans and others are not? There was a time when their families was the immigrants, how may generations does it take to become an American?

Erin gave me a book of Pablo Neruda Poems
and I tore through them this evening.

Love

What's wrong with you, with us,
what's happening to us?
Ah our love is a harsh cord
that binds us wounding us
and if we want
to leave our wound,
to separate,
it makes a new knot for us and condemns us
to drain our blood and burn together.

What's wrong with you? I look at you
and I find nothing in you but two eyes
like all eyes, a mouth
lost among a thousand mouths that I have kissed, more beautiful,
a body just like those that have slipped
beneath my body without leaving any memory.

And how empty you went through the world
like a wheat-colored jar
without air, without sound, without substance!
I vainly sought in you
depth for my arms
that dig, without cease, beneath the earth:
beneath your skin, beneath your eyes,
nothing,
beneath your double breast scarcely
raised
a current of crystalline order
that does not know why it flows singing.
Why, why, why,
my love, why?

One thought to ponder

This just seems to say so much!

Tao te Ching
Chapter 58

If a country is governed with tolerance,
the people are comfortable and honest.
If a country is governed with repression,
the people are depressed and crafty.

When the will to power is in charge,
the higher the ideals, the lower the results.
Try to make people happy,
and you lay the groundwork for misery.
Try to make people moral,
and you lay the groundwork for vice.

Thus the master is content
to serve as an example
and not to impose his will.
She is pointed, but doesn't pierce.
Straightforward, but supple.
Radiant, but easy on the eyes.

Friday October 10th

John Mellencamp - Pink Houses



- John Mellencamp Lyrics

One of the gals from class is staying with my friends at the Royal Elizabeth Bed and Breakfast and I was invited to join them for breakfast. What a treat to get a great meal but to have some time with these 2 awesome dudes! LOVE THEM! And according to USA Today, they run the 4th best B&B in the country.

We had an excellent day in class today and started in on all of the essential elements for our pieces. I had a great deal of work to do this evening and had to stay in instead of hanging out on 4th street with the gals. I would have much rather done that for sure.

I am excited about the rest of the weekend, everyone had jumped right in and has started making some great stuff.

Well, the wheels may be falling off of the McCain wagon and the axels are grinding into the mud that he has been slinging. The hatred and venom that he and his partner in crime (and I do mean crime) has been put right in front of their faces and he was forced to say that Obama was a good man, an American, a good family man and father that he disagreed on policy with him. This is the most despicable display of racist behavior from an elected official in a high office.

He has one last chance to redeem his honor. I hope HE steps up to the plate and does what right.

Wednesday October 8th

Oh,John..."My Fellow Prisoners!!!"

For Your Listening Pleasure
Volcano


- Beck Lyrics

Busy Day, Tired Day.

I got the box of goodies off to Miami today. I decided to go UPS this time round. Since I am just shipping student tools it seemed the best way to get it done. That and I have a tracking number. I am very, very, very ready for class this weekend and for classes in Miami as well. I am giving a talk on Thursday and have been working on a fun Power Point presentation for that. Lot’s to share.

I have been going through some old files and I thought I would share one of my favorite pictures from when I was very little and the other, one of the most embarrassing images of my childhood.
You get to pick out which one is which.
HA!














I was reading Gail’s travels in France and it seems that she can get in trouble in any country and at any time. Well Done! Her description of her escapades made me laugh out loud and yes…Cris and I know first hand how Gail can just be Gail. God lover her, I know many of us do!

Sorry I need to vent for 2 paragraphs!

I find that I am absolutely obsessed with this election as I have never been before. I have always been informed and aware. In watching the events of these past few weeks I have never been so upset by the desperate attempts to destroy a mans character all for the sake of a job that is slipping from John McCain’s grasp. I am sad for the lack of personal dignity and for the ploys of crap politics that he swore he would not participate in. That in and of itself tells me the kind of man he is and the kind of leader that he would become. I am disappointed in McCain and I am angry as HELL that a person who has the intelligence of pond scum is what he believes would be a good VP. (I am sorry that I insulted the pond scum so badly) I hate the politics of desperation and selfish, gratuitous, agrandization.
Let’s here it for Country First!

But here is the real news! This is what we are coming to...
We had a 90 year old woman shoot herself in the chest and a man kill himself and his family because they had lost everything. The woman was to be evicted, Fanny or Freddie...I do not know which one.., forgave the debt upon learning that she was that desperate (NOT BEFORE) . The man, his children and his wife are gone!
Yes, John McCain...Country First! By all means...Country First!

This was the crappy part of my last weekend and my week so far!

I have had a bit of a frustrating issue lately. When I was cleaning I found a letter from my bank behind my desk. It was 4 months old and I almost threw it away but I took the few minutes to give it a look and I am glad that I did. It was a returned check from B&B for almost $500.00. I tried to call the person and I even got her email address from the B&B staff. I have yet to hear from this person after 3 phone messages and 2 or 3 emails. The check is good for 6 months and I wanted to let this person know that I was going to re-deposit it. I gave to address a good look and saw that this individual lives in a city that a friend of mine does. I come to find out that this is not an isolated incident and this person is notorious for shoplifting, bouncing checks and bold face lies. I guess I am one of the lucky ones. I think that I may have actually gotten my money; it seems that many others have lost out.

I find this behavior absolutely bewildering.

Sarah Silverman Rules!

My local artist friend Amy showed me this a few weeks ago and I forgot to post it.
I am so sorry! Watch and LAUGH!!!
Sarah Silverman - A-maz-ing!!!!

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

Monday October 6th

Well the dream of a Chicago World Series is now a thing of the past. My Sox went down HARD tonight and it was harder to watch. Tampa Bay has been an awesome team this year and if you read Curt Shilling's 38 Pitches you would know that he picked them from Spring Training.

Oh, well the Cubs CURSE goes on and the Sox were actually pretty luck to even make the playoffs. I will watch the rest of the playoffs and the Fall Classic as I always do.

I have no idea what my sweet Niki has been up to these days, but it seems that she has been a bit of a traitor…This is NOT my house!













This song has been in my head for DAYS! Thought I’d share it.
Classic - David Bowie - Space Oddity

Song Lyrics

Today was a CRAZY day of too many deadlines that cropped up THIS MORNING! I have added an additional 1-day workshop for Bead and Button. Whew! Got ‘em done and now on to all of the other deadlines that I have to meet.

Really looking forward to class this weekend, we are gonna have a great time!

I see my year and I see it heading towards a conclusion that I would never had dreamed as a possibility. It is October, I turn 45 in a few weeks, I am truly hopeful for the first time in a very, very, very, long time. The betrayal that sears to the core takes a great deal of time to scab over and an even longer time to heal I do not know if I am healed but I know that I am better and will heal more every day.

The card in the Covering position highlights the important events, issues, attitudes or influences around the question or current situation.

The Ace of Pentacles shows a time of improved prosperity and security is beginning. You should take advantage of this positive period to lay the foundation of a safe and stable future. Matters relating to finance, property or status are propitious now, and material gain is distinctly possible. A windfall or a gift may come your way, and this is a good time to risk an educated gamble.

Sunday October 5th

I have been thinking about my intense love and interest of politics lately. I can attribute it to one human being. Mr. Huffman; he was my government teacher in high school. Everyone was terrified of taking his class; if you did not pass you did not graduate. It was that plain and simple. The only thing we had as a textbook was a booklet put out by the Ohio Bar Association, "The Law and You". I still have mine. Never in my life have I met a man that loved the government and love the principals that it was based on more than Huff. The most amazing part of his class was that when it was time to get your grade you sat down with him one on one and discussed what you both thought that you deserved. He loved the argument and if you could show him yours was valid, even though he may have not agreed, he gave you the win. He taught us all how to think better than we ever could have thought we were able.

My lasting memory of Huff was one of the last weeks of the year; an argument between 2 students broke out on the hallway during class. My seat was right in front of the door and I saw a fellow student draw a handgun and point it at the other student. (I never did find out who that student was.) Huff, looked out into the hallway and without a moment’s hesitation, walked out into the situation, shut the door behind him and talked the student down. After he made sure that the situation was under control he came back into the classroom and resumed teaching. At the end of class he talked about what had happened for about 15 or 20 minutes and asked us for our thoughts on the situation as well. I will never forget that day. His actions and his selfless dedication to the students have left a lasting impression on me.

We were talking about the Declaration of Independence that week and to this day the words of that document stay with me. I love the fact that the movie "National Treasure" uses the words that Huff found so dear. These words mean so much more to me now than they ever could have when I was in High School. I will always remember Huff, he scared the crap out of me and he is, to this day, one of the most influential teachers of my education.

By the way, I think I got a B+ in his yearlong class.

Read these words out loud and listen to them. They are so profound!

The Declaration of Independence

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. — The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

Please replace King of Britain with the name that deserves to be there. I know who I would put in it's place!

Ok, Now These Are Funny!

Very Funny, The Queen Rules and Tina Rocks!

SNL
But Alas Sarah No Flute Playing Talent Section!



I found this on The Daily Kos

Saturday October 4th

I await this weeks Saturday Night Live with baited breath. The rumor; Queen Latifah will portray Gwen Iffle. Now that would be some fine casting. If one person could evade a direct answer and still come out looking like a fool…we have a VP candidate!

What an excellent day I had yesterday. I got SO MUCH DONE. Loads of paperwork sorted through. Organization is taking form and guess what? Fall is arriving here in Tucson, the intense heat is dissipating and the breezes are cooler. I am excitedly getting ready for a workshop here next weekend and for my trip to Miami on the 15th.

Then it all went to hell in a handbag! I was supposed to go out last night to hear some music and I am not sure what happened but I ate something that did not like me! Whoa, I’ll tell you I felt totally yucky! Glad that I am feeling better this evening.

I had a very productive day today as well. More and more gets done with each passing day and I have to say that the list does seem to be getting just a bit smaller! Whew!

Went to go see Nights in Rodanthe this evening. I like Diane Lane and Richard Gere very much and I did like this movie. It was a bit predictable and stuck to formula but the message and the nuances and chemistry between Lane and Gere is very present. There were some interesting commentary on how we, as lovers and partners choose our paths and make choices about what we will accept as a part of our lives and what we will tolerate in a relationship and for what reasons. I found several of the lessons hit a bit to close to home for my comfort, but at least I realize the patterns and will never let that occur again.

Song Lyrics

As each day passes and I gain greater insight to the past and greet the future with an honest, clear and truthful perspective. I see the place that I have come from and can not believe that I let myself go down the same toxic path twice in my life.

My Tarot - In answer to the life path that I am on.

The Root - Nine of Swords: Cruelty

The Root card deals with past events or influences that have played an important part in bringing about the current situation, and these influences are still likely to have an effect now.

The encouraging aspects of your situation at the moment have been brought about by making it through a depressing time of stress and anxiety. More difficult aspects are likely to be the result of despair or hopelessness, having their roots in guilt, illness or loss. Lies or downright malice may have been at the heart of your problems.

The Covering - Queen of Wands

The card in the Covering position highlights the important events, issues, attitudes or influences around the question or current situation.

This is a time when you need to act on your feelings. Be creative and adaptable, applying calm, persistent pressure rather than delivering an impetuous strike. Beware of any tendency towards vengeful or domineering acts. Get in touch with what you feel, then apply this understanding.

The Future - IX The Hermit

The card in the Future position suggests fresh influences or events that are about to come into play and are likely to operate in the near future.

You are entering a period in which you need to be patient and introspective in resolving difficulties. You must make sure that you give yourself time to think things through and avoid unconsidered actions. This will be an excellent opportunity to decide what you really want to achieve and how you can achieve it.

Thursday October 2nd

Welcome to Fall. I do so miss the smell of a crisp fall morning and the change of color that comes with the change of the seasons. Rather hard to grasp the reality of it all as it is still in the 90's here. Pretty funny actually!

I watched Base Ball today as I worked away and the excitement builds as the teams play for the honor to represent their divisions in the Fall Classic. Not looking good for the Cubs at all. Yeesh! Scary stuff! Joe Torre is doing a good job with the Dodgers and that is for sure.

I filled out submissions to teach at Art & Soul in “09. Wish me luck.
In RI, I did meet some folks that are offering to send me on one of those Bead Cruises. Does not sound like such a bad thing. Spend a week at sea and teach a few classes. I think that it would be a great time right after Bead & Button next June. My friend Cris already said that she would be VERY willing to be my assistant.


I was ½ listening and ½ watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith while I was working and there was a line that struck so close to my own journey over this past year.

Brad Pitt – Mr. & Mrs. Smith
“I guess at the end you start to think about the beginning.”

That statement could not be more true…especially when you realize that there was so little substance or tangible in that beginning.

I was very pleased with Joe tonight!

I could go on forever about the debate this evening. I mean I could go on forever! I never thought I could find anyone who is scarier than Dick Cheney. Here is a woman that wants to eliminate the lines of the separation of powers. Let's change the very essence of our Constitution. Let’s make the separation between the Executive and Legislative Branches of government even blurrier than Cheney has spent 8 years working on.

Oh, and let’s have her NOT answer any questions that are put before her. Here is the end of it all. She does not want to be forced to answer any questions. She mouthed rehearsed speeches and spouted GOP doctrine. She has no substance and has no depth of knowledge that can hold up to the test of time!

As it has stated clearly in follow-up commentary, the conservative right will love her more and the rest of us were left pulling out our hair. I know that some people will have fallen for this rhetoric but I truly hope that the majority will see her for the scam artist that she is.

Finally, if she disrespects the process by winking at the camera and hamming it up to make brownie points with “Joe 6-Pack” I am going to scream and jump up and down. I do not find it endearing nor do I find it good policy for our politicians to dumb it down to get elected. I want someone who it smarter than the rest of us are to lead us out of this mess. It is this behavior that has led us to the mess that we are in right now! She is more George Bush than George Bush was at the beginning of his tenure.