Sunday March 28th ~ 2010

Dare! Dare to Believe! Dare to Have Faith! Dare!

I signed up for one of those silly applications on Face Book called Daily Zen. Each day words of wisdom and guidance are posted on my wall. I have to say that the zen given for today had sounded so true in my ears.


"Where there is no vision, the people perish."

If we take this in the context of our country, in this time and in this moment in history I can find no truer nor more insightful comment.

"Where there is no vision, the people perish."

I am tired of the hatred, I am tired of the rhetoric and I am tired of the falsehoods and I am way too tired of the lies that are being touted as truths in order to scare those that are not informed.

I got into a war of words with a complete stranger the other day. A FB acquaintance of mine posted an image of Sarah Palin that was in no way flattering, she was voicing her opinion about how distressed she was with Palin attending rallies in both AZ and NV. My verbal advisory from Alaska stated that that we just needed to spend time in Alaska and get to know her. I found myself adding my 2 cents to the conversation.

What disturbed me the most about this woman was that she had no interest in the truth nor any desire to listen or to learn. She accused me of not seeking the "real" story. I responded that I actually read from the extreme left and the extreme right and from the middle. When I asked her if she read "The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, The Christian Science Monitor, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post or The New York Times, her retort was to belittle my comments as uninformed. I had to say, in a rather "hoity toity" phrase, "I took umbrage with her remarks". To be just a little "snotty" I am sure that she had no idea what the word umbrage meant either.

I was raised in a very conservative household, in the conservative state of Ohio and it was not until I moved to NYC and traveled outside the boarders of my country to see the rest of the world that I understood that we are just a small part of an entire community of the world and that to be isolationistic is to doom ourselves to perish. 

But here is my point for this spring evening: now, on this day and in this time we have a person with a vision in the seat of power and for that I could not feel more secure. For the first time, in a long time, I take pride in my leader and I believe in his mission and his vision. Change cannot happen in a week, in a month or even in a year. Patience is our ally and with it the vision for brighter future is truly within our grasp. We need to believe in what 53% of this nation voted for on that wonderful November day.

Do not let the hateful and the angry gain enough voice to win. Do not let what we have fought for wither and perish with impatience.

Dare! Dare to Believe! Dare to Have Faith! Dare!

Saturday March 27th ~ 2010

Wish me luck: My plate is full to over flowing and I leave my home for almost a month in less than a week. There is a great deal to update here. I have been negligent on several levels especially in the professional realm. So, here we go.

 Several months ago I was asked to submit and article and give an interview for Kalmbach Publishing. The publication is the Art Jewelry Special Wirework 2010. The magazine hit the newsstands just over a month ago and is still very much available. It is loaded with some very fun projects, I highly recommend that you all give it a thorough once-over.

While giving the phone interview, I was grateful to have the opportunity to attempt to give credit where credit was due. I would not be where I am today without the guidance and mostly gentle prodding of Kate Ferrante Richbourg. (Who is now associated with the totally awesome Beaducation.) I look back over these past 10 plus years of teaching and I will always be grateful for that fateful evening, when we were laughing while trying to puzzle out the mysteries of Chain Maille. A great deal of the silliness & humor of that night was lost in the final editing and that is just a sad fact of trying to fill as much information into a very limited space.

 Also out this month is the April 2010 issue of Bead & Button Magazine. In this issue the staff of Bead & Button ran a survey to ask the respondents to give up the names of their favorite instructors. When the top 10 were announced, I was blessed to be included with some pretty amazing company. These women: Marcia DeCoster, Celie Fago, Diane Fitzgerald, Mary Hettsmansburger, Lisa Niven Kelly, Laura McCabe, Cynthia Rutledge, Kim St. Jean & Sherry Serafini are some pretty heavy hitters in our world and to be in their company on any level is an honor.

If you take a look at the calendar on my website it will be noticed that I am a crazy traveler for the month of April. I am off to Interweaves Bead Fest Wire, April 9th - 11th, in King of Prussia, PA. I am teaching 3 classes and am really looking forward to participating in this show for the first time. The following weekend I drive south to Miami FL for Best Bead Miami, April 16th-18th. I am teaching there as well and will also have a table in the show. If you are in the Miami area please stop by and say hello. Then I am off to the Cleveland area to teach for the local guild the last weekend in April. Then I drive home and fall over for a few days before I get up and dive into the heart of the summer travels.

I have to finish up my tutorials for the Master Muse Series with Whole Lotta Whimsey. I am working away and trying to give Tonya all the images that she requires. It is a funny thing, I am a minimalist  when it comes to images for projects like these and it in direct contrast to what is required here.

I have classes to get up and moving for CraftEdu as well. Keep a lookout for them as well.

There is so much creativity out there right now, it is hard to keep up with it all. It is especially hard when the daily running of life just keeps interrupting.

What a day of fun is in store!

Anne Mitchell and Gail Crosman Moore will be teaching a "Coloring Metals, Assembling Outrageous Components" class the day after the NORCAL Bead Society Show in Oakland at the City Center Marriott on May 16, click on the link above which will direct you to my site to sign up.

Tuesday March 23rd ~ 2010

Is it a right or is it a privilege?

Edward Kennedy: "Affordable health Insurance is a fundamental right and not a privilege."

For the first time in nearly century this country has taken on the great challenge and has started down the road of providing affordable health care for every person in this country. I watched as our President signed the House Bill this morning and I see us on a road that may actually have a light at the end of a very long dark tunnel.

I am one of those stories that has been talked about. I was laid off from my job after the dot-com crash and 9/11. I used the California COBRA system for as long as it was available to me and at the end of that insurance I had my regular checkup. I was in surgery for the removal of a lump in my breast within 14 days after my insurance ended even though I regularly had my checkups. I was one of the lucky ones, the lump was benign and all I had to do was empty out my retirement account to pay for the surgery. But for the next 5 years I was uninsurable and lived in constant fear that the next mammogram would show another problem. 

I watched Obama sign the bill and I listened to both Democratic and Republican responses to its passage. I listened and weighed out both the praise and the condemnation. I cannot fathom the reason as to why there is so much opposition to this and to a public option and to why there is so much opposition to a person being required to have mandatory health insurance.

The Republican Official response this morning stated that there are just a great many people that just do not want health insurance, are healthy and do not need it. I have a very simple and complete response to that imbecilic notion.

1. We are simply a nation of drivers, it is how a great many of us get around. A drivers license is "mandatory" in order to operate a motor vehicle. It mandatory for several reasons, but mostly it is to insure that everyone is as safe as possible, knows and observes the rules and to keep the roadways safe for us all.

2. We are required to carry drivers insurance. WHY? We are required to have this insurance in case there is an accident, if you as a driver hurt someone and that the bills can be paid for and that this person can have health and property restored. This insurance is required for the safety and security of all on the roads.

The Obvious Answer: So, the logic of this mornings argument follows… if I as a driver have never had an accident, never had a ticket I should not be required to have a drivers license and I should not be required to have insurance. If I do not want it I should not be required to get it.

All I can promise you that if this person who does not want insurance has an accident they would expect, hell, they would demand that an ambulance show up in a timely manner and get them to the hospital, they would demand that they receive the proper care at that hospital. If this happens to be a catastrophic accident and this person did not have a large stash of cash then we would rest of the country pick up the tab in the form of raised premiums.

We need to have a nation of people that are healthy and that understand that preventative health care will make the costs of a universal health care system so much more affordable than the horrific system that we are faced with now.

It is a RIGHT for every person in this country to have access to affordable health care. We are a diverse and complex nation and to believe that not having these fundamental basic services not what we stand for as a nation.

Monday May 22nd ~ 2010

Haters and Big Ol' Meanies Not Allowed

Sorry for being away for so long.

Whew! Santa Fe is over and I have absolutely no time to properly recuperate till I turn around and leave my home for 3 weeks. I am heading to the East Coast for Bead Fest Wire in Valley Forge PA, then off to Best Bead the following weekend in Miami FL, then finishing up in Cleveland the weekend after than one. Right now I think I am going to be leaving Tucson in 12 days for a visit with my mom in Dayton and then on my east coast tour and then finally back home somewhere around the 26th of 27th.

I had one experience in teaching this time that totally shook me to my core. In the safe haven of my classroom i was not prepared to be confronted with pure hatred and bigotry. I turned on some music for the students to listen to while they were working and I chose BB King and a student stated very loudly for all to hear "TWICE" that they could not listen to BB King because he was just a "screaming n_iger". To say that I was shocked, shaking and ashen faced was an understatement.

It took me a day or two to really figure out what it was that had shaken me so badly. While I was taking to the girls about it a word that I had not used before slipped out. I said that I felt violated in some way. I have witnessed hatred, bigotry and the downright stupidity that comes with this kind of ignorance. But, to have it face me in my own classroom in a world where we welcome all individuals shook me to my core.

This experience has changed me as a teacher and as a person. Nothing about this persons appearance or demeanor could have clued me into their extreme levels of ignorance and bigotry. I wish that there was an option for teachers to insert into the class description…

"NO HATERS ALLOWED!!!!"

Wednesday March 10th ~ 2010

Time passes to quickly and there are never enough hours in the day to get done all that I desire to get done. It is the constant struggle to find that balance between what needs to be accomplished and that which I desire to do.

Just to be clear, I do cherish my solitude. I long for a long and romantic journey on a train, I have slept peacefully and alone under the stars on a beach in Greece and traveling to far and distant lands is a desire beyond desires. I do follow my instincts and always sort of kick myself when I do not listen to that little voice in my head. My only desire is to be true to myself and my friends and to have them to be true to me and the "fitting in" will figure itself out.


I totally believe in kissing for hours on end.

Tuesday March 2nd ~ 2010

All I can say is that I am so ready for March to be here. The beginning of this year has been way too intense on so many levels. It has been a non-stop whirlwind of one thing after another and each of these things is an obstacle that had to be overcome. I am hoping that with the beginning of this month we can start from scratch and sort of have a do-over for the beginning of 2010. Is that okay with everyone?

To say that I have had a blast watching the Olympic for the last fortnight is a huge understatement. I have been a fan of the Olympics since I was old enough to understand what they were. I have been witness to some of the most amazing sporting events in history because my parents instilled in me the importance and passion of the games.

Franz Klammer - The most famous downhill run in Innsbruck 1976.
Dan Jansen  - Speed Skating collapse in 1988 and his glorious victory in 1992.
Olga Korbit - the Russian gymnastic darling of the Munich games of 1972.
Nadia Comăneci - the Romanian gymnast that was the first to ever score a perfect 10 in scoring in 1976 Montreal Games.
Mark Spitz - the American swimmers 7 gold meals at the '72 Munich Games.
Brian Boitano & Brian Orser - Mens Figure Skating - The Battle of the Brians at the Calgary games of 1988.
Dorothy Hamill - American Figure Skating Gold Medalist from the 1976 Innsbruck Games.
Greg Louganis - The American diver that smacked his head on the spring board and went on to win gold at the 1984 & 1988 Games.
Michael Edwards - Eddy the Eagle - The horrible English Ski Jumper who was so bad that he had all of the coaches from every team giving him advise in 1988.
Edwin Moses - American Hurdler who won gold in 76 Montreal and 84 Los Angeles and bronze in 88
Seoul - He could not compete in 80 due to the US boycott of the Moscow Games.
American Hockey - The Miracle on Ice - the 1980 Lake Placid American win over the Russians in the semi-final match. These were college athletes because this was before the inclusion of the professional players inclusion into the games.)

One of the most horrific memories I have is from the 1972 Munich Games and hearing Jim McKay saying through a strained voice "They're all gone" upon hearing that 11 Israeli  athletes had been murdered by the group Black September, a militant Palestinian splinter group of the PLO terrorists. I was nine and it was trying to grasp what was happening.

What I have grown to care about over the years of these competitions is that it does not really matter to me who wins. I love that all of these athletes come together and are competing to try to claim a dream that they have striven for. Even through the Eastern/Communist Blocs usage of steroids and the boycotts of the Moscow and Los Angeles games the dreams have endured and the desire to be an Olympian remains such a height to attain. The history of the games is that the Greeks stopped wars to assemble to compete and I believe that this desire to come together in peace and good will still exists.

It is the smiles of the athletes as they attain personal goals that keeps me coming back for every gathering and my heart breaks for each athlete that suffers disappointments. It is the humanity of the games that has captured my own imagination and I love being allowed to take the journey with them.

So, in closing for the 2010 Winter Games, thank you Canada for hosting such an excellent gathering. I await the London Summer Games of 2012. Let the games begin!

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." Anais Nin

I greeted this day in awe and wonder as I try to greet each day. It seems that some days the sun shines a bit brighter and what I saw as an obstacle pales in the light to what I witness my friends face and overcome. I hope to honor their courage by meeting my obstacles with a modicum of how they face theirs.

Whew, today was a day sitting at my desk with filling out paperwork. I figured out that by spending the billion dollars on the Adobe Creative Suite I coulds now fill out PDF forms without printing, filling out the form by hand, scanning them then attaching them to response emails.

What this means is that the 10 hours I spent filling out and signing contracts and submitting booth applications and really getting loads done today could have actually take twice as long as it did.

So, as much as I sometimes curse technology, there are times like today that I am pleased to have these tools at my disposal.

It has been a long day and tomorrow is going to be another day of lists and placing show orders. I took a brief break for 2 hours this evening to watch the Olympics and am looking forward to a good weekend of sporting events.

Tuesday February 23rd ~ 2010

I have been hiding for the last week. I really did not mean to, but I just needed to spend time with my GF and to not be interested in anything other than the Olympics. I was spending some serous down time in Albuquerque after the week plus insanity that was the Gem Show. I have gotten some very much needed rest and also got several pieces done for orders as well as for the Mariposa Gallery in Albuquerque. My metal work can be seen with Terri Caspary Schmidt's lampwork. I think the 3 pieces are nice indeed.

Being back home is always nice. I have missed my grey fuzzy girls and I look forward to curling up with them this evening. I still have a load of things on my "to do" plate that must be attended to over the next 48 hours. It is a rather daunting list of things that actually means I need to make a list of my lists in order to make sure that I get it all done.

As I am flying towards Tucson the snow is covering the high desert and I have to say that it is truly beautiful to see. I love a contrail, you know what I mean, those long white cloud-like trails that planes leave in their wake. Whenever I see one several thoughts go through my head.

1st - All of those people in a metal tube hurtling through space, damn that is so cool.
2nd - How did we, as humans, ever figure out how to get that thing off go the ground.
3rd - Are having beverage service right at this moment & what might I order.
4th - Landing is not really landing, it is just really controlled falling

But in a more transcendent flying note: Seeing the curve of the earth at the horizon line from close to 40 thousand feet is a really amazing thing and I will never forget the very first time I saw the Grand Canyon from a plane. I was flying up to the Seattle area and just happened to look out the window and I about crawled over the person sitting in the window seat to get a better view. I have never in my life seen colors like that and to actuality grasp that is was the Snake River below me was way too cool. (I will always associate Evil Kneivel with the Snake River, can't help it.)

Well, I am off to get things accomplished and to make my list shorter and shorter as these next 48 hours tick away.

Friday February 12th ~ 2010

It is already half way through February? ... Excuse me?

Whew, what a blazing, insane and whirling past nine days. I had a house and a guest house full of people exhibiting and assisting exhibitors for the Gem show and I was doing just the same, so for over a week every time I sat down to write about and post to my Blog I was just too tired and promptly curled up under warm covers and fell fast asleep till my alarm went off the next morning.

Gail and her Life Saving Get Around Wheel-y Cart.

The week and a half was as challenging as it was fulfilling. My friend Gail Crosman Moore overcame way to many obstacles in order to get to Tucson from Massachusetts. In December she had hand surgery, so her poor right paw was in a hard splint to protect it and then to add to her difficulties she fell and broke her fibula just four days before she was due to get on a plane. She always has been a person that I have greatly admired for her humor, talent and soul but this display of grace under fire was totally inspiring. What a total trouper and every day was met with smiles, laughter and several cups of coffee.

Terri and Andrea at the Whole Bead Show's Late Night.

 The show itself is always so much fun. I love that, pretty much, everyone shows up to either exhibit or to shop. There are many greetings and much hugging and the show is the kick-off for a new year. Every year the Gem Show seems to signify a new beginning of shows and teaching engagements and we garner the temperature for the new season to come by the general level of optimism those attending. I think that all of us were pleased to see that there is a greater feeling of optimism and a sense that the worst it behind us and that we are moving forward. I know that I certainly hope that this is in fact the case.

My favorite part of the week is Saturday night. We are all at the end or our perspective shows and the tensions of the build-up to it all has ebbed away. Last year, I had a large group of friends over for a cook-out and a real sit down dinner. We did the same this year and just as much fun and silliness and laughter was had by all.

We can be a boisterous group and I love to watch as each niche started laughing at their own conversations the general volume of the room grew. I enjoy how we share our stories of the week, our plans for upcoming years shows and how we can just relax for an evening. The simple bastion of a house and home to sit down in for few hours can really revive the soul. I truly love this night and I so covet this time that I have with my friends loved ones.

Terri and I drove back to Albuquerque yesterday and that officially brought the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show to a close for me. As we drove away from last minute shopping from the Gem Mall I realized how truly tired I was. I can normally drive for upwards of 10 to 12 hours at a time before I start to feel the effects but I only made it 3 hours before I had to hand over the task.

I have loads to do over the next week and a half and I am overwhelmed by the number of emails that I have to answer. I think that I will actually have to make a list of the lists that I need and start from there.

Wednesday February 3rd ~ 2010

There is an amazing clarity of thought and a sense of peace when you realize that time is fluid and that in order to feel totally a part of your world you just need to let it all go. I feel at times like I have suddenly been shifted to another reality; an alternate universe and that I have tripped through the time space continuum. I can walk into a room and certain things that I am totally sure of are just not so. I can look at a wall and comment n the new coat of paint and am told that it is several years old. Crap like that happens to me at times and I am just dumbfounded and I am no longer sure of which reality I am on or what reality I belong in. So, I just realize that time is not something that anyone can grasp and that our individual reality is only one reality out of billions of realities.

For the last few years, every few months I would do a Google search for an old high school buddy of mine. We where super tight and we did so much together for those 3 years of High School. Then came graduation and I went off to college, then I moved to NYC a few years after that and that was just it. I have no idea why that happened or why either of us let is continue. So, about 4 years ago I started looking. Face Book has re-connected me with several people that I have thought of often and I kept looking for my old friend. I was shocked and deeply saddened that he passed away just over a week ago.

The connection with these two paragraphs and the moral of this story is that do not let time pass into years and then let those years pass. Do not let this reality shift to where a friend no longer exists you cannot find someone that you once held dear.

Rich Masters was a comrade in our mutual theater antics, a fierce conversationalist, funny as all get-out, and a simply a really good dude. I counted him a good friend during my years in High School and I am kicking myself for not working just a bit harder to find him and re-connect. Had Rich not been taken too soon the series of events that has happened would never have occurred. This event has brought together a number of people from that time in my life that I have not seen since my graduation. 

I am refocusing  and I am going to try to do better in this aspect of my life and I hope that I can find the value in my handling of the time that I am given in this reality.

Gail Crosman Moore arrived on Monday afternoon and I am one of her official chauffeurs. What a trooper she is and having her stay here in just the best. I love the silliness and conversations and the silliness and the amazing company and I really love the silliness. It is going to be some kind of week and I know that we are all looking forward to it.

Terri & her dear friend/assistant Carolyn got in on Tuesday afternoon from Albuquerque for load-in. We stayed up ways to late getting our individual last minute preparations organized for our shows. Sleep was illusive on Tuesday night and we all pretty much depended on our many cups do very strong Peet's French Roast Coffee in order to properly wake up.

I will post tomorrow about "all" of the happenings at the first day of the show. I am just a bit too tired and I need a better nights sleep tonight.

Thursday/Friday January 28/29 ~ 2010

Today we lost an icon of American literature: J.D. Salinger, the author of the 1953 must read High School Literature Classic " The Catcher in the Rye" died . He last published in 1965 and retired to the seclusion of his home in New Hampshire. Where he spent his days scowling at the photographers who dared peer into his private world.

In 1997 in an NPR interview he was quoted as saying. "I refuse to publish. There's a marvelous peace in not publishing. There's a stillness. When you publish, the world thinks you owe something. If you don't publish, they don't know what you're doing. You can keep it for yourself."

Also from NPR "The Catcher in the Rye inspired censors, assassins and innumerable ordinary readers, who found in Salinger's hopeful yet disillusioned heroes an uncompromising kindred spirit."

He is believed to have stashed reams of unpublished fiction in a vault.
 
  "Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity."

~Henry Van Dyke~

 As I insanely get ready for the Gem Show next week I find that I am growing overly concerned with the passage of time and how swiftly it seems to slips from my grasp.

• Is there time enough to get all of my work done?
• How much time can I get out of each day to work?

Here is the truth about time: As soon as you surrender to time, surrender to it's inevitable rhythmic cadence, knowing that you will not get it all accomplished and that no matter how hard you try there will always be more that you could attain. Surrender to that simple truth and only then will their be a peace that fills you. The goals and tasks that you desire to achieve will gain even greater heights. Be warned, never fail to give time is due, it does not stop and it does not wait, it is ever flowing and much can pass you by if time is not given the proper payment of respect.

MY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

So, here is my big announcement, a few months ago I was invited to participate in a group design team in organized and by and in conjunction with Tonya Davidson and Whole Lotta Whimsy. The owner of this most excellent establishment just happens to be a friend and I am honored to be part of the group. 

There are 10 of us and we have been given the auspicious title: Master Muses and over the course of this next year each of us will present 6 projects that challenge us within certain imposed parameters. These projects are meant to expand our techniques and inspire each of us to new levels of creativity. I was "chosen" to be first so click on the above link and let us know what you think.

♥ ♥ "Time goes to swiftly when we are together and too slowly when we are parted…" ♥ ♥

Saturday/Sunday January 23/24 ~ 2010

A web-cam in Szentgotthárd, Hungary captured this curious bird looking into the camera. The webcam is set to shoot only one frame in every minute, so what are the chances?

I have had a whirlwind 10 days of travel and teaching and I am beat. My last 4 days of teaching for the most excellent Great Lakes Guild has been so wonderful. This is a groups that is totally full of talent and creativity all rolled up into one big ball of laughter and gaiety.

I love coming out here and seeing all of the people that I have gotten to know from my several years of teaching for them. It seems like another lifetime, my first trip out, all I taught was 4 or 5 days of double chain mail classes. Then to come out here and pretty much have an entirely different slant on my career within the profession.

I am now heading back home for a single day of recovery (NOT REALLY) and then I make the last and final push for the Gem Show. I have so much to get done and so much to finish up I just hope that I can accomplish 1/2 of what I desire.

I am pleased to see that our President is getting a little mad. This latest affront from the Supreme Court stating that there are really no limits on campaign contributions is a challenge to the democratic ideas that this country was founded on. We have delivered every elected office to the lobbyists and to the corporations. 

I want my politicians to have to sport their corperate sponsorships just like NASCAR driver!

I fully believe that each representative should have to wear patches on his jacket like and NASCAR driver so we the people can see who bought his seat in Congress.

 I am also glad to see that he is stiffening his resolve on the banks. They are close to getting back to business as usual and this can just not occur. So many people are in desperate situations because of the selfish acts of these people. We bailed them out and now we are still paying for their arrogance.

I need to see President Obama be okay with not being the man who wants the two sides to come together. I want him to be angry with their "childish politics" and to fight back. I want him to fight back because then all would see how truly inane the opposition party actually is.

I am patient, the truth will won out and we will be stronger for it in the end.

Tuesday/Wednesday January 19/20 ~ 2010

Check It Out! My friend Bronwen Heilman's  face bead made the front cover of the Main Show Guide.. Rock on for you Bron.

Well, I made it to Detroit and I finished my talk this evening. It was wonderful to be back here with this most excellent group of individuals; The Great Lakes Bead Workers Guild.

My topic for this evenings discussion; "Defining Your Creative Voice in an Overly Stimulated  World". It is a conversation that I find exceptionally relevant these days with our 24/7/365 lifestyle that has overtaken our society in the last decade. Finding a creative singular and personal voice in a sea of visual input overload.

I am looking forward to my classes over the next 4 day. Resins, Riveting, Chains and Viking Knit are all part of the slated entertainments. Looking forward to the frivolities.

During my last few crazed day of getting ready for my journey to the mid-west I had several errands that took me to all parts of Tucson. I am excited to see all the preparations  for the Gem Show really getting underway. I know that these 10 days away are going to bring huge changes as the vast open expanses are overtaken by the tent cities that are erected each year. It is such an exciting time of year here. IT feels as if the entire world of rocks, gems and beads descends on my small desert town. (Oh, Wait.. the entire rock, gem and bead world does descend upon Tucson and it is Fan-Tas-Tic.).

I changed venues this year. I switched over to the Best Bead Show ~ BOOTH SH-9 AT that the Kino Veterans Memorial Sport Complex. I am totally stoked to be in this venue with so many of my friends. I will miss my friends over at the Whole Bead Show but this move just seem like a logical choice for me.

Well, I am beat tonight/this morning and I am gonna tuck in and try to find my sleep. I have to say that I am totally dismayed by the happenings in Massachusetts. I find it hard to fathom the seat that was occupied by Senator Kennedy for over 45 years is to be taken over by a Republican. I thought that Coakley would have been a refreshing change for the Senate. Just knowing that she was not part of the Party Elite, and seeing her quiet  yet determined style that served her so well for so many years. She knows the law, she was a prosecutor not a politician, how nice would that have been. I am discouraged that the people are not willing to be patient and to give it a chance to get fixed and to be realistic about the total mess that we are in. This is not going to be fixed or healed in a few months. Eight years of the hellish course we were on cannot be corrected overnight.

Sunday January 17th ~ 2010

What a week I have had. I have not been this up against the wall slammed in quite some time. The logistics of splitting up my workstations, figuring out when to send off those boxes to arrive in time and still worry about inclement weather has made my salt-n-pepper hair a little more pepper I think.

I altered my travel plans ever so slightly and instead of driving directly to Iowa I got to spend Friday with my friend Elizabeth Bartky. It was wonderful to see Elizabeth and to head out to the Art Institute to take in the Caravaggio exhibit. We had a great time looking at the Masters assembled in those few rooms and yet; the silliness and giggles came out and we had an even better time making rather inappropriate observations of some of the facial expressions and posses that these artists chose to represent.

Prior to the Art Institute Elizabeth took me to the Cultural Center, this building used to house the library but has been transformed and renovated for it's new life. I would have loved to have seen this building full of books and tables and that smell you only get in a library. The artistry of this building is amazing and the Tiffany dome was truly amazing. This is a must-see for anyone that comes to Chicago and is one of my new personal treasures.
Tiffany Dome:

After these 2 most excellent adventures we walked back up Michigan Ave. in the wonderful winter chill and headed for Joe's Steak House. We both had really good meals and really nice wine and we toasted to Scott and started to share our memories and more stories. Scott loved good food, good wine and a really good stories and we did our part to keep a wonderful tradition alive and well. The evening ended up with Elizabeth and I scouring through Borders. 

I drove to Cedar Rapids yesterday afternoon, got the classroom all set up last evening and relaxed last night filing and sanding the 19 cuff bracelets that I have been making and assembling piecemeal for the last week in the midst of all of my insanity.

Class today, relax and pack this evening and I fly to Detroit on Monday for four days of classes with the Great Lakes Guild. My whirlwind mid-west tour is off to a great start. I have two really fun designs for chains knocking around in my head and I am looking forward to fusing for 5 or 6 hours today!

Saturday January 9th ~ 2010

I have stumbled upon www.stumbleupon.com. After you sign up and click on the subjects that are of interest to you this site will randomly pick out web sites that match your selected interests. You will be amazed at what you will "stumble upon". This is one of the most addictive internet activities that has invaded my little insular little world. One of the topics that I checked was philosophy and today these are two of the sites that popped up. What a wonderful, interesting, insightful, informative and intriguing waste of time.

"Seven Blunders of the World"
1. Wealth without work
2. Pleasure without conscience
3. Knowledge without character
4. Commerce without morality
5. Science without humanity
6. Worship without sacrifice
7. Politics without principle
~Mahatma Gandh"

"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed. It was the experience of mystery -- even if mixed with fear -- that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, our perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their most primitive forms are accessible to our minds: it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute true religiosity. In this sense, and only this sense, I am a deeply religious man... I am satisfied with the mystery of life's eternity and with a knowledge, a sense, of the marvelous structure of existence -- as well as the humble attempt to understand even a tiny portion of the Reason that manifests itself in nature."
~Albert Einstein

Thursday January 7th ~ 2010

I am really liking the typing out the numerical twenty-ten... do you think that the start of a new decade brings out optimism? I kind of do...and saying it is even better. Comes out so much easier than 2009


With the passing of friends and loved ones you will always spend some time in reflection and remembrance. I have spent time this last week remembering the loss of two people that I considered friends in the last months. In those moments of tears would come flashes that would make me smile and even laugh out loud.

As Dolly Parton's Steel Magnolias character •Truvy Jones•  said: "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion." Nothing could be more true than those words in times of remembrance.

I was recalling a late night with Scott & Elizabeth at their condo in Chicago. We were discussing all of the crazy toys and gadgets that we had collected over time and Scott told me he could put all of mine to shame in one-second: then he broke out the "THE VIOLET RAY". This quack medical device was sold in the 1920's & 1930's and it is a hoot.  We plugged it in and cured ourselves of all manner of ailments. Click on the link above and see what all can be cured. I just remember all of us laughing and tearing up as we each tried a wide variety of the attachments. My favorite was the comb.

 I did get a bit of a late start this morning; no matter how I tried I just could not remove myself from under my warm covers and the fact that I had two cats trapping me in did nothing to assist in the matter.

But, so far, the rest of day has a productive day, spent gathering all of the stuff that I need to ship out on Monday for classes in Iowa City & in Detroit. I have loads to accomplish in the next week and I am looking forward to the intensity that these type of preparations require. My dining room work table is covered with everything that is to be packed all spread out and me and my laptop have been relegated to a small corner of the once vast open expanse of wood.

Wednesday January 6th ~ 2010

Welcome to the new year and we are off to a running start. I usually do not get much work in January but this year is a bit of a shift for me. I leave for Cedar Rapids, IA in just over a week for a single day class of Fine Silver Fusing at The Bead Haven. Then I am off to Detroit to spend a week with the most awesome Great Lakes Bead Workers Guild. I am looking forward to a wonderful and FREEZING January.

Because I have been getting ready for this January's travels I have had to get a huge jump start on getting stuff ready for the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show. I have to say that I think I have done pretty well where that is concerned. I have 2 dozen cuff bracelets that are almost finished up, a load of new pieces that feature Terri Caspary Schmidts work, finished necklaces and the like. So I am  feeling pretty okay with how the work is progressing. As usual it could always be better and I am determined to get much accomplished before I head out to the frozen midwest.

I am really getting excited about this years BeadFest Santa Fe Show. March 18th - 21st this is the first major gathering of my people for 2010. Even though so many of us gather in Tucson for the Gem Show we are so spread out all over town that it is almost impossible for us all to schedule time to see each other. At least when we all meet up for the other major show we are in one convention center.

My classes for Bead Fest Santa Fe are a very fun offering check them out and join in the fun if you are in the area.
(Too see the classes, scroll down through the very long Workshops Page)

Color & Patina on Metals with Metal Joining Techniques ~ Class #1412

Fusing a Heavy Gauge Fine Silver Bracelet ~ Class # 2424

Hand Formed Sterling Fused Fine Silver Cuff ~ Class # 3424

Explorations in Low-Tech Metalsmithing & Fine Silver Fusing ~ Class # 4424

Even if my year has gotten off to a quick start I was deeply saddened by the news that with the very turn of the new decade a dear friend of mine has succumbed to his battle with a variety of challenges. Whether or not you knew my friend, if you are at all involved in my industry, you owe him a great big thank you. Mr. W. Scott Bartky invented the crimping pliers and he pretty much changed our industry. I was honored to count him a friend and he will be missed by all of those who were touched by his generosity, kindness and humor.

One of my last questions to Scott "What haven't you done?" We decided that cowboy and astronaut were safe bets.

I was blessed that during my trip to Chicago in October I got to visit with Scott one last time and spend an hour with him and his beautiful wife Elizabeth for a little mutual birthday get together. I was also pleased that  they got to meet Terri and she got to put a person to my stories. 

You can read about this mans amazing life. Chicago Tribune Obituary

My visit with Scott in August of 2008.

Friday January 1st ~ 2010

Please read and pass it on:

Today I want to share with you all a post from Gail Crosman Moore regarding an urgent matter that we could use your assistance on. You--our friends, fellow artists and colleagues--can assist us in this task by reading this post, passing it on, and raising awareness for our friend who is in need. These are the times when our community with its deep collective well of creativity and generosity can come together and be a powerful force. Please be a part of this and join us in this effort.

a day in the life:

In my ego-centric world things aren't going so great, but my plight will be relatively short lived. I'm going to follow sage advice and bring your attention to my/our dear friends plight....Michele Goldstein is caring around the clock for the dying father of her children. (There is no time for their family to prepare for the end of his life. Steve's sickness was unexpected and the cancer is moving quickly through his body. His death is imminent, and it's only been three weeks since he was diagnosed.)

If you know Meesh, you know that she is the kindest of souls and is always generous and puts others first. She would never think about asking for money from others. That is why her friends are asking you to think of sending her something.

In looking at the dawning of a new 'age', a new year, I want to start it right and send a loving message of direct help to one of us who is in need. Meesh has been unable to work, has needed to cancel shows and is looking at an uncertain future for herself and her two young boys.

It is my hope that we could take some immediate heat off of her situation by laying down a little padding to her nest. Could you help?

If you can help, the most direct route would be through her Paypal account.(meesh@michelegoldstein.com) If you could forward this to anyone who might be interested in helping, please do!

We will be following this up with an interesting auction of donated items, if you would like to become a part of this please contact either me at gail@gailcrosmanmoore.com or Anne Mitchell at anne@annemitchell.net to develop a trust for her children.

Michelle's On Line Studio & Her Collaboration with Stephanie Sersich Hearts & Bones Studio

Wednesday December 30th

~DETERMINATION~ 

Can you believe that this year is now over but the first decade of the 21st century has passed? Look at what has ingrained itself into our Lexicon that was not there 10 years ago. We knew nothing of Blogging, Twittering, Instant Messaging, YouTubing, Blackberry SmartPhones or Skype. Our world has changed so quickly and it constantly amazes me how quickly we human beings are capable of mastering these new techniques and make them our own so they show off our individual styles.

 When 2009 started I would never have imagined that I would be where I am now. I never considered the notion that I would be in a relationship that is 500 miles from where I live nor would I have ever imagined that I would have found a group of people in Tucson that I could be this close to this quickly.

It has been an amazing year for me on many levels. For me this was a year that had as many trials as it had successes. Each year, I pick word to focus my plans on for the year. My word for 2010 is to be ~DETERMINATION~. Not matter what goals I set for myself the focus on the path to each of those goals is ~DETERMINATION~. Choose your words wisely and make sure that they are words of strength and not words that put up boundaries for you.
















~HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE ALL ~
This New Years Eve we are to be treated to a ~Blue Moon~ A blue moon is a full moon that is not timed to the regular monthly pattern. Most years have twelve full moons which occur approximately monthly, but in addition to those twelve full lunar cycles, each solar calendar year contains an excess of roughly eleven days compared to the lunar year. The extra days accumulate, so that every two or three years (on average about every 2.7154 years[1]), there is an extra full moon. The extra moon is called a "blue moon." an astronomical rarity that occurs just seven times every 19 years, hence the famous phrase "once in a blue moon." The last time was in 1990; the next one won't come again until 2028.

What's more, this New Year's Eve, people living in the Far East will see a lunar eclipse, making this an even rarer...er rarity. A blue-moon eclipse only happens once roughly every 15 to 20 years.

Revel in the festivities, have a safe and prosperous 2010 and I wish much happiness to us all.