happy friday

our new fish. . . he's pretty cool.
fly in my coffee this morning!
namaste
drawing of dom i've been working on

3 minute story

i know, i know, 4 posts in one day. so npr is having a 3 minute fiction contest. this one all stories have to start with the same opening sentance, "the nurse left work at 5 o'clock" and be under 600 words. here's mine:

The nurse left work at five o'clock. It’s hard to feel like a normal human being at 5 in the morning when you’ve witnessed more trauma and death in the last 12 hours than some people do in a lifetime. Five in the morning is a very interesting time to be awake in the city. Depending on the season you may or may not have any idea the sun will soon be up to greet you.

It’s summer today and the first twinkling rays from the sun are flickering in the dew on the leaves of the trees and slender blades of grass. Each step she drops a memory, a thought of the horrors she’s witnessed from the night before that must be left behind.

In these early morning moments most of the people who’s paths she’s crossing are starting their day. Their eyes have a similar glaze, but they are heading in another way. Today is Friday and it’s the start of her weekend, she must leave it all behind, she cannot be haunted by thoughts of the night before. It is over and it is done. This morning she will join the land of the living rather than going home and climbing into the safe comfort that is her bed, drawing tight the shades on this lovely summer day.

The bell rings as she swings open the door. The smell is intoxicating, fresh pastries and the hot freshly brewed coffee. The light is slowly dancing up the windows of the building across the street. She sits on a glittering blue vinyl booth with the best view of the street and the rest of the diner.

The waitress wears a smile that shows no recognition of the early hour. Her eyes shine as she sets down a short glass of sweating ice water.

“What’ll it be, sugar?”
“What’s your favorite?”
“Old Fashion hands down.”
“Sounds perfect, and some coffee.”
“You got it honey,” she says with a smile and turns.

An audible sigh of relaxation leaves her lips as she puts her feet up on the seat across from her. She enjoys the sight of the beautiful flowers in a planter box outside the window. Out of the antiqued wood explode an exquisite rainbow of pink, purple, blue, orange and yellow flowers and all shades of green leaves that are beginning to wake along with sun. Stretching towards the sky, beginning to shake off the cool morning dew.

The waitress delivers her luxurious morning treat. Adding the cream and two packets of sugar to her coffee making it blonde and sweet. She enjoys the way the cold cream smokes in the cup of hot black coffee. The warm white mug is curved to perfectly fit in two cupped hands. A small sip and she again sighs, this time there is a hint of joy. It’s delicious, smooth and sweet.

Breaking off a small piece of cakey goodness, this was indeed made for accompanying coffee. As she begins to taste the sweet slightly crisp bite of fried glazed cake she smiles remembering a reply she heard in an interview with a doughnut king. When asked about his success in this health conscious society he smiled, “What’s healthier than a doughnut? A doughnut makes you happy and there’s nothing healthier than being happy.”

win this

check out illustrated ink's tattoo tales here! she's so talented!

painting

i've been working on this (from a picture on kootut murut, on this post). the center flower i really felt got screwed up. i painted it one night with not very good light and in the morning was like eek. . . so i cut out a new one, painted it, and it's sort of 3 D now. i'm going to glue it down. i think i'll do some finishing stuff with colored pencil.

when you're smilin'

this song was on the this american life i was listening to yesterday. i think it goes in with that verse i kept being reminded of. "ask and you shall receive". it's a good reminder. it's so true, if you're having a bad day, stub your toe in the morning, someone cuts you off on your drive, kiddo screaming. . . it builds. you're frowning and the whole world is frowning with you! so smile. . . laugh. focus on your blessings. be thankful of the good things and you notice more and more good things. i got the louis prima version, because kiko's been talking about needing some louis prima.



Oh when youre smilin....keep on smilin
The whole world smiles with you
Ah when youre laughin....keep on laughin
The sun comes shinin through

Now when youre cryin.... you bring on the rain
So stop that sighin....be happy again
Cause when youre smilin....just keep on smilin
And the whole world gonna smile with

The great big world will smile with

The whole wide world will smile with you

rip

this was dom. dominique island. dominique isla. kiko's adopted crazy uncle dom. if there was ever a character he was it. funny, smart, life of the party. good bye dom.

synchronicity

three books i've read in the last two days mentioned this bible verse:

Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

what have i asked for? what do i want? i must meditate on this because so many times you think about what you don't want. what do i want exactly? got to figure that out first huh?!? pretty impossible to receive exactly what you want if you haven't really figured it out yet.

dream

so i had a dream the other night that i got a tattoo on my face. on my right cheek. it was like a logo or something. and then i was at like a flee market and there was the coolest chair thing. i've drawn a picture below. it was purple velvet and i couldn't afford it. it was $3500. it had drawers up the side. it was really cool. what does it all mean!

i am so happy and greatful

that my new stores are so successful and stress free. i've got an ad going out in the wash park news paper, i just ordered some post cards i designed (well with the help of the template on illustrator):


i was reading eat pray love and was inspired to listen to deva premal. one of the songs we danced around to the last day of massage school:

Om shree saché maha prabhu
Ki jai
Paramatma ki jai
Om shanti shanti shantihi om

May the ultimate truth and that which
is beyond all boundaries be victorious.
May there be peace, peace, peace.

it was so cute, palmer sat on my lap, his head on my shoulder singing along.

what's up with me

i heard this review of paolo nutini's new album on npr and i had to get it. it's good!
"When you close your eyes and listen to Paolo Nutini's new album, Sunny Side Up, you can hear echoes of Bob Marley, Otis Redding or a young Dean Martin."

i picked up this magazine at whole foods. i like it i'm getting a subscription. . .

this is lee rose. i saw her work at a gallery down on sante fe. . . i've got to get into her life drawing class. . . i love her work!

onsies. . . i think i need to add more. . . i've got to get that backer stuff. . .

in progress. . . ok i found how i found this picture first here to here. . . kootut murut she's awesome, from finland. i'm finnish too, but i can't figure out how i ended up on her site. . . what do you think. . . kiko just shrugs his shoulders when i show him any thing i paint. . .

follow me on a journey

not having school has given me all sorts of crazy time to read. well a lot more time then i'm used to. so i just finished 2 books this week. i have read all of these ladies other books and it's been so much time they both have new books. . . it was interesting to read them together because they are similar yet totally different. both stories of mothers and daughters, among other things. both have mention of the moon.

the crowning glory of calla lily ponder, by rebecca wells
i loved this book. i cried and cried

the almost moon, by alice sebold

it's a bit depressing

so both these books, dealing with the moon. todays a full moon. saturday, if i'm not sick anymore going to hang out to funky buddha, for a full moon party my friend is spinning.

feeling a little down the last week. work, missing my family, getting sick. needing inspiration i picked up this book i've had for years. . .

the artist's way, by julia cameron

i just started but it's pretty fun. journal everymorning and an artist's date everyweek. now this artists date, you're supposed to do alone and do something fun, looking to "fill the well" of your creativity. being at home with palmer it's hard to make time along but i think looking around on blogs is pretty inspiring and fun! so with palmer asleep for nap i give myself the gift of looking at blogs and all the creative things people are up to.

so this is my works space. not very fancy but it's working! i'm starting a watercolor of that picture i found on a blog. . .

every paycheck i put quotes in. i had a bunch of therapists flake this last week so this week i found this quote:

"80% of success is just showing up" ~ woody allen

so another blog i follow, she has a link to this talk:

feels like synchronicity to me! so now i'm starting to read this: