A drawing of me...

A pal just drew this of me the other day.... Love my outfit, but do I really look that surprised?

Believe it or not...

Um... crazy Dinah

New books!

Thanks mom for the new additions to my library!!
Pages already marked for future projects....

Thoughts

In our 2002 commencement speech, my friend and fellow (and brilliant I might add) Bennington graduate Jen White listed a few of the things members of our class hoped to do one day. I remember her asking me this question and though I'm not quite sure of my wording, my answer went something like this: "To start/live/work/be involved in a crafting community." I may have even used the word commune! Um.... so now, each day my life gets closer and closer to this. At the time, I kind of tossed it off... which makes me wonder how often these 'tossed off' hopes and dreams are actually quite close to our hearts.

I want to make it happen.

Anyone want to join me????

Brooklyn in the house

The new shower curtain

The best things about Superbowl VVYXXXIII

1. Tom Petty's ascot (see right)
   
2. The baked/fried chicken I made: Dip chicken in a mixture of yogurt & mustard then coat in a mixture of breadcrumbs, oldbay and salt. (I'm not a fan of pepper.) Place on an oiled baking sheet and cook at 350 for about 50min or so. This sounds gross but was pretty good.
   
3. Trying to guess who's girlfriend Pamela Anderson was.
4. Garth being a genius and bringing Coca Cola with limes.
5. Garth, Anne & Seth sitting on my couch.
6. Anne bringing Choco Tacos.
7. The cute Oboe commercial
8. His royal hottness (see below)

Notice anything missing here people??? Like maybe.... I don't know..... the game???

Idea Day OR Why I'm allowed to listen to music

I'm a little amazed at how quickly I flip open my computer upon waking up. Or how soon I'll turn on some music. I know some people get dressed with the television on, watching the local news or what have you. Then there's the coffee grinder, or if you're lucky like me, a jackhammer outside that won't quit. Um..... why all the blasting distractions people?

We have a choice over these things and while they may seem small, it is my belief that they carry much weight. I can't do very much about the jackhammer, but the other day I did decide not to turn on music. I spent about 4 or 5 hours in silence, or at least the closest thing my Brooklyn apartment provides. I got my work done and it seemed a little bit easier to connect to my brain. I think of it more as time with myself, actually. Which makes me think....are we afraid of ourselves?

Today is different. Today I don't need to concentrate and write. Instead I want to come up with new projects for some books seeking submissions. I find it incredibly helpful in these moments to put on my favorite musicians and soak up their artistry and energy to fuel my own. So that is why today I'm allowed to listen to music, that and the jackhammer.

I started with a funny playlist called "Day". You can make one of your own easily in itunes by going to make a new smart playlist and typing day as a word in the song name. You'll figure it out. It's strange to see how many songs come up from your collection. Other words that are fun... love, the, way... please write to tell me yours! It's a nuanced way of music listening, in it's own random way. I'll then usually move onto someone that I've listened to a million times, so my brain doesn't have to think too hard. It makes it so I can hum along and know what song comes next and my hands can do their thing. I'm feeling shy about sharing those right now.

And yes, I am drinking my orange juice out of a wine glass. Life is too short to use a glass that doesn't feel right and the only one that worked this morning was a wine glass.

I get by with a little help from my friends

Dinah was really very excited to help me write today. She hung out on my desk the entire time.

She's usually a little fur ball, but we had her shaved the other day to get rid of all her dreads. She's such a skinny little baby underneath I was afraid she'd freeze so I gave her one of the dog sweaters I had hanging around.

I think she looks pretty cute, right?? She doesn't seem to mind this shape either. I first tried a simple pull over the head version, but I think cats can't really deal with the front leg restriction. She kept trying to back out of it.

Anyway, here are some funny shots of her being her D-Dog self:

Do Not Disturb

Last night I fell asleep before ten with an icky migraine. It happens. And while I'm sure it was caused by some combination of rain/pressure system (my usual explanation), lack of food or caffeine (another popular set) of perhaps even a the culmination of my recent list of sad events... I can't help but think this morning, as I wake at 7:30 to cheerily whip up some whole wheat walnut pancakes, that I had just been out of touch with myself. That I was just stuck in this go go go hamster wheel never stopping to stick my fingers in the stuff that really fuels me-- the making.

Stillness, my dear. I look forward to that quiet and slow cup of coffee. No radio, no tv, no music even. Just me and my own brain hanging out together. Maybe I'll write something, maybe I'll cook something, maybe I'll take photos or knit, whatever it is that needs to be done. Whatever is my joy that morning.

How quickly I forget this, inching out a few more minutes of sleep, grabbing food on the go or not at all, getting to where I need to be in zombie fashion. Not quite alive, yet not quite dead.

I'm pretty sure what needs to happen this morning... I've been needing to write for a while now as part of a proposal I'm working on. I find it extremely difficult to plunk down and write simply because something needs to be written, though. Yuck! And how could I possibly find my voice in a messy room, on an empty tummy, with music blaring??

All sounds muted but the soft purrs of my little fuzzy buddies. The room is clean (enough) and the coffee is hot. I rolled out of bed with a fresh vision, so I'm off....