Photo of the Day

New Bloggy Project

A couple of weeks ago, I had an epiphany, having to do with giving oneself permission to be creative, and the silencing of the heckling voices in one's head. As I come from a family in which sarcasm is near to an art form, the heckling voices in my head are perhaps more aggressive than some. They say things like, "Oh, I guess you're Ansel Adams now" and "Ya really think anyone is going to want a photo of the underside of a bridge?" That second snark actually encompasses a different but related battle: the idea that my creative endeavors must be salable to be valuable. That may spring from my profession: I am a potter, and most of what I make, I intend to sell. 

When we were little our parents told us to ignore bullies and they would leave us alone. That never proved very effective with external bullies, but I think it just might work with the internal kind. In any case I am going to give it a shot. I won't strive for a photo a day, as such a commitment seems doomed to fail, and I am not doing this to create another opportunity to fail. (Imagine the voices then! "Oh, I guess your widdle project wasn't so important after all, boo hoo!") But I will take photos, often, and post them. In an effort to encourage the creative moment, I'm not gonna worry too much if they are good photos, just as I would encourage my beginning students not to worry too much about making good pots. Katherine Mansfield once said, "Looking back, I imagine I was always writing. Twaddle it was too. But far better write twaddle or anything, anything, than nothing at all." 

That's the approach I plan to take with photography. 

How Appropriate

Via Dependable Renegade.

Cheap Date

Advice gurus are wont to proclaim that Relationships Take Work. You must strive to improve them! Yeah, bullshit. Bad relationships take work. Good relationships are as easy as having fun -- easy, unless you are Frank N. Furter. Relationships take effort, yes, but everything worth doing takes effort. If you are constantly reminding yourself that relationships take work, please consider whether you are attempting to polish a turd. But that is not I am writing about today. 

One of the efforts hubby and I happily make is to continue dating, long post-wedding. Date nights break out spontaneously two or three times a week, and usually consist of a visit to our local pub (karaoke night is the best!) or a disc from Netflix, most often four episodes of an old TV show, that we then proceed to heckle. But we discovered a new favorite: putting together a jigsaw puzzle.

Here's what's great about it, in no particular order:

1. It's free, after you own the puzzle. We have a few kicking around, but I suppose we'll get sick of them and have to buy new ones eventually. Still: almost free. 
2. It's very laid back, with no particular time frame. We can pause, get a beer, take the dog for a walk, and come back to it. We settle in as it gets later and the puzzle grows nearer to completion. 
3. It is surprisingly bonding, the achievement of this small goal together. 
4. We talk and talk and talk and talk. I don't even remember what we talk about, though I do know some of it gets quite silly.

I feel like one of those back-in-the-day oldsters, advocating such a homely pursuit. But it's fun, and we are in a recession, after all: we can replace some of those pub visits ($3 beers!) with a quiet night at home, at the dining room table. 

Confession

I bought two of the 40-cents-per-pound, one-per-customer turkeys at Hannaford. Couldn't resist.

Please Let This Happen

Please. Please.Please. Please.

While Liz Cheney could not possibly have been serious (could she?) when she suggested her father, who will be 71 by then, might pair up with Sarah Palin for a 2012 run at the presidency.  Can you imagine a less appealing ticket? They might as well run a Lecter/Fudd ticket in 2012.

It won't happen, of course; the majority of Republicans are too smart for that. Well, Palin's probably not, but Cheney is, for sure. But a Democrat can dream.

Crash in 4...3...2...1...

Stale birthday cake and Pepsi for breakfast. What a freakin' terrible idea. Now I feel queasy and massively energetic at the same time. I can't sit still and my desk; I keep humming and sort of dancing, in my chair. My concentration is utterly shot. Why isn't sugar a controlled substance?

Wink Moon

There's just a sly sliver of moon tonight; I can hardly see it. It's like a thin, suppressed grin of barely concealed mirth, or like a wink, from one sister to another.

Lunar Water: The Essense of Wetness

I am taking bets on how long it takes for someone to start marketing Lunar Water. "Lunar Water is made up of micro-molecules, for deep, penetrating hydration...Lunar Water, the secret of radiant skin...for beauty as ageless as the moon..." Let's throw some racism in there, just to be thorough: "Native American women have always known the power of the moon to enhance beauty...now you can share the secret..."

After all, they did it to Deep Ocean Water:

Hawaiian deep sea water is a natural skincare ingredient drawn from deep in the ocean; usually from 2000 to 3000 feet below the surface. Deep sea water is pathogen-free and naturally rich in important nutrients and minerals, ideal for natural skincare. Hawaiian deep sea water is known for a very wide range of health benefits when taken internally or applied to the skin in natural skincare.

Oh, for stupid. Deep Ocean water, from Hawaii or anywhere else, is mostly just colder and saltier than regular ocean water. Any water is pathogen-free if you boil it! Still, that doesn't stop marketers of health and beauty product from making all kinds of improbable leaps. It's only a matter of time before they leap to the moon. 

The Surest Sign Yet...

...that my shoulder is recovering: I was able to fasten my bra behind my back this morning, without assistance!

All Together Now!

I have a compulsory work function to attend this evening. I can never say that I am "attending a function" without picturing a bunch of people going potty together.

New iGoogle Gadget

Testing it out. There might be more frequent, if pithier, blog posts, if this works out. It's almost like tweeting.