So I Was Just Thinking

...Signs. Signs? You might ask. Yes, signs. I am thankful for the signs I was given this week. The following story is adapted from a status update I shared on Facebook: Sign Number 1   Most of you car owners have seen a similar sticker in your front window. It stays out of sight and out of mind behind the visor for the most part. My father however, ingrained into me the compulsion to make sure that the oil is changed every 3000 miles and before long trips. About a week ago, I noticed I was overdue for an oil change. I am usually very prompt in doing this, but have been very busy. I kept telling myself, I will do it tomorrow after school. However, every tomorrow would find me passing the exit for the service station, and I would magically somehow find myself pulling into my driveway without an oil change. This task would have to wait until "tomorrow."  Next the right blinker started blinking too fast. I have experienced this before. I learned that is the blinker...

A while back an article was written by Nicolas Carr in the Atlantic that suggested that Google is making us stupid. (By the way, I had to Google who wrote it and found it on the research teacher's dreaded Wikipedia.) I suppose there is some validity to his premise. I used to read an article or hear a story on the news and subconsciously must have known that I needed to remember it because it would have been difficult to find that information again without going to a library and digging through the Periodicals Index. As Google came along, if I heard or read something, I soon learned that I could just find it on the internet somewhere. In fact, my coworkers would often turn to me when they couldn't remember something, and I would use the right turn of phrase to get what they wanted. Then I found this "useful" site through an online friend that I could refer coworkers to when they had deep unsolvable questions. It is a valuable research tool. Check it out. I will wai...

One more day and I will have completed my first full week at Wright Career College. I work Tuesday through Thursday. I think this will be a good thing and I see more opportunities possible coming in January so keep your fingers crossed. I would rather work full time at one job rather than part time at two jobs. A couple of days ago I broke out the water colors and got to painting. The first page started out as a sketch in my little book and I recreated it in my bigger book. It needs something, but it will be a good base for something else. The last page is based off a photo that one of my friends shared on FB. The little bug caught my eye but even more eye catching was the dark orange of the pumpkin. I tried to capture that color on my page. I am really happy with this. Tomorrow and Friday I will begin the shift from one apartment/house to another. They are basically the same apartment but the new one will have more windows, the laundry room downstairs instead of up, one le...

Well, I am ready for November to come so I can start filling in my new calendar journal page. November brings new things. A new job teaching at Wright Career College A new apartment My birthday Thanksgiving Day Decorating the new place for Christmas A somewhat empty art journal to fill. Here is last month's calendar page. I am glad the month is over. Kathryn hasn't posted her new monthly reminder to participate in the journal, but you can see where she has been published in Somerset Studio Magazine. Yay, Kathryn! New Note: Kathryn's post is up here!!

I know that I have been pretty good at posting lately. I hate to leave my blog friends hanging but I am at a lack for words. My mom always told me if I don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. That being the case, I will leave you with a song I heard on the radio and my latest entries to my sketchbook. I will be back tomorrow with my calendar journal entries.

I had given up entirely. Given up on finding a job. I decided that I was going to just get used to being at home and painting and doing other homey things. So today, I saw two very ripe bananas sitting on the microwave. I couldn't just let them go to the fruit flies, and I don't have compost bin. The only logical thing to do was make banana bread. Then the challenges began. The butter was too cold to cream with sugar so I just left it in a bowl to get to room temperature. Then I decided it wouldn't hurt to put the sugar on top while it was waiting but then I got carried away. I measured flour and baking powder on top of the uncreamed butter and I hadn't even added the eggs yet. What was I to do? I considered dumping it all and starting over but thought better of it. I just let it sit, much like I did while I waited to hear about my job interview. After a couple of hours, I decided to try again. I got out a whisk and a wooden spoon (don't have a hand mixer) a...

So I did it! I used a page in my new journal. I am low on things to collage with (when I say "low" I mean "don't got no.") A certain procrastinator who shall remain nameless and isn't me hasn't found a new place to live yet so most of our household goods sit in a warehouse waiting for us. So I resort to straight out illustration and water color. Send out those good vibes, break out your voodoo dolls, pray for angels, whatever it takes to get that someone to call the movers or choose a new apartment. I would do it myself, but it's funny how those rental agencies kinda like their renters to have an income.