Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Tuesday May 18 ~ 2010











Whew, I am back home after a fast and furious trip to California. I departed Tucson Friday morning at 3am to get to Oakland by 4pm and that would get me there in time to get my booth mostly setup for the one day BS NorCal show. As always my friend Gail Crosman Moore and I have a blast when we do this show and the BABE show in November. We get together for these 2 shows and then spend a few days just enjoying San Francisco and the entire Bay Area.

The best part about a friend like I have here is that there are no expectations. We meet up for our fun and we can laugh till our sides hurt, enjoy a fine meal, walk for hours on end talk about creativity and we can just enjoy the quiet of each others company.

I sort of needed to get some down time on Sunday after a very good show on Saturday and then on Monday Gail and I messed around SF and Berkeley all day on Monday. We ended up at a restaurant that was an old favorite of mine, Skates by the Bay has the most amazing view of the entire bay and we enjoyed the sunset so we could avoid getting back to Oakland during rush hour through the MacArthur Maze.

As per my usual ways, I had a mind clearing drive to and from the  Bay as I listened to books on tape and delved into my own processes and tried to organize thoughts and desires and creative notions. It is always so important for me to have this time to myself, time that is not disrupted by tasks other than concentrating on the road and seeing the landscape unfold before me.

I have loads to do in the next 12 days and I will keep you all up to date on my progress.

oh and by the way … Shhhh … keep this on the down low … my Cincinnati Reds are doing very well so far this year … I do not want to jinx them so I am not saying much..

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Saturday May 8th ~ 2010

 I have always loved Kurt Vonnegut and his work. The following list was a piece that was presented as Kurt Vonnegut's commencement address at MIT in 1997. It's great stuff, but apparently it wasn't written or delivered by Vonnegut. But it's still a beautiful piece... and very much in the Vonnegut style.



~Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '97:
~Wear sunscreen.
~If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
~Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
~Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.
~Do one thing every day that scares you.
~Sing.
~Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
~Floss.
~Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
~Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
~Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
~Stretch.
~Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
~Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.
~Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
~Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
~Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
~Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
~Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
~Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
~Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
~Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
~Travel.
~Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.
~Respect your elders.
~Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
~Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.
~Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
~But trust me on the sunscreen.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Thursday May 6th ~ 2010

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."
Albert Einstein.

Well not like this sign. This one is at Saguaro National Park here in Tucson. My hiking buddy Bria & I crack up each time we see this sign when we go out for a hike in the canyon.
 













 But Anyway ~ A few years ago I taught 2 young men how to ride bicycles without trainers. The elder of the two caught on pretty quickly but the younger one had a hard time finding his center of gravity. We went to an open parking lot to practice one afternoon and after a great deal of trial and error I could feel his personal frustration growing and I gave him the following advice.

" Just keep your eyes on the horizon and peddle faster than you are falling. No matter what, just keep peddling and do not look down."

He took off like a rocket and just kept going.

I read Einstein's quote this evening and it reminded me of that experience. I guess I can live on in confidence of my advice to this young man. There are a few wonderful moments in my life that I carry with me that will always make me smile and this one that is tops on my list.

I continue to get ready for my two upcoming shows and for all of my upcoming adventures. I am still looking for sign-ups to fill up my Texturing and Riveting Your Cold Join Pendant Creations class. Pass on the word if you know of someone looking for a really excellent class at B&B this June.

Also, I am very excited about  my next Master Muse Challenge. I got all of my supplies on Wednesday from Tonya and for a total change the inspiration for it was right there in my head, I had been milling over something similar in my head for quite some time and the design was pretty much thought out.

I have a rather strange process for a design, I tend to mull things over for ages and figure out all of the steps in my head before I dive in. So having a challenge handed to me that I have been pondering for a while is exciting for me. So, I am going to enjoy working out the final kinks with a few sketches. Keep your eyes tuned in to all of the up coming challenges as they are revealed.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Sunday May 3rd ~ 2010

I had a very productive day. It was a day of organizations and list of what I needed to do and what I need to buy what I need to print what I need to pack and trying to thing 30 plus days in advance.

The most excellent part of today was the weather. It was cool and breezy and the scent of the rains was blowing in a good two to three hours before they reached my door. To the day I leave this earth there will never be a scent that so relaxes me. The combination of earth mixed with the rain is so unique to Tucson and so a part of my soul. I will always be a part of this desert and I do love it so.

I have lists of lists that are actually getting organized and a plan is forming and being implemented. These next 30 plus days are gonna be insane but I am looking forward to the end result.

I have the Bead Society of Northern California NorCal show on the 15th at the Oakland Mariott Convention Center.






Then Bead & Button the beginning of June. Then I can breath for a week or so before the heat of the summer shows kick in. Be prepared for the craziness of it all.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Check out this Bead & Button Class


Here is the latest class that I added to this years Bead & Button list. If anyone is looking to add to their 2010 Bead and Button Experience. Join me for a extremely fun class that will hone your cold join techniques.