Dear Kelly Jackson and Jennifer Coomer,
You may be the only blog readers I have left. And that is okay. If it is only for you that I share this story, it is totally worth it.
The other day i was volunteering at the hospital, when i casually walked by a supply closet. As i approached the closet, a young attractive nurse walked out. She looked a bit disoriented. She walked away. I slowed my pace. Turned around, and expected to see Alex from Grey's Anatomy come out a few moments later. He didn't. Perhaps I watch too much TV?

In other news . . .

. i got a hair cut yesterday. i love phil the haircutter. he cuts hair with love. and he is fabulous. and hip and cool. sometimes he has a mohawk. sometimes it is crazy and curly. but he has a really really dorky laugh which makes him totally approachable. plus he won extra points yesterday as he squated, first behind me and then in front of me, to blow my hair dry. that is commitment to making my look fabulous. plus, he always tells me my hair is gorgeous, helps me put my coat on and walks me to the door. we love phil the haircutter. he is so good to me. and to everyone else. and that is why he has a thriving business.

. okay. that is all for the "in other news" i have time for now.

I'm Over It

It is snowing.
Again.
For the third time
in three weeks.

I am researching cheap flights to Mexico.
Heck - we have miles - we could just fly for free.

Maybe when we get back this will have all melted.

Probably not.
I have to come back before MARCH!

In other news . . .

I finally got over my "artists block" with the painting I am doing . . .
Who would have guessed that wandering into Paper Talk to get invites for Aly's "baby shower" would help me over the hump . . . but it is amazing what a new pack of the most perfect black and white polka-dotted tissue paper . . . mixed with a funny conversation with a self-proclaimed co-dependant gay man . . . will do for a girl! I am grateful.

I have been thinking about goals for this next year . . . still have not figured that all out yet. But certainly am realizing that my life is really different than it was a year and a half ago and I have a lot of room to play with my creativity - but with that freedom comes the flip side . . . a lack of structure and expectation. So, I must figure out a groove with finding my own set of goals and structure.

Life is good.
Now, if I could just remember that!!!!

I was listening to "Cecilia" this morning and chuckled as I remembered that it was not that long ago that I realized that Paul Simon was the Simon of Simon & Garfunkle. Funny.

I am also really enjoying Regina Spektor (especially On the Radio) . . . and the Grey's Anatomy Season One Soundtrack . . . especially the last 5 or 6 songs.

I have been talking to Kelly Jackson a lot lately . . . three times in one week - lucky girl am I! Grateful for her too . . . so that makes tissue paper, a gay wedding planner, and Kelly on my gratitude list so far . . .

And herb. I am grateful for herb. He has been playing out of the box with me lately . . . and I appreciate that a lot! We went sledding! So much fun. I have not been sledding in about 7 years! And then, for New Years, we stayed in an made homemade sausage. Yep. That's right. We are trying out new family traditions . . . that are just ours. We really are liking this one! It is just quirky and funny and odd enough . . . But then we had people over the next day for football, lounging and sausage . . . so, really, that helped normalize it a bit. Next year, Sausage Fest 2007! Herb is already thinking about T-shirt designs . . . get excited!

All right . . . back to my canvas.

Beauty

WOW! I have felt so inspired and fired up since I gave my talk about beauty and body image last weekend. Then I posted most of it here because I was so excited about it! Then I thought more and more about my long time goal of having an article or even a book published. And then I thought more about what I wrote about beauty and body image. And how I might like to use some of that in my pursuit of publication.

So, for now, I am taking it off of the World Wide Web. Just seems like a good idea. I would hate for somebody to like it, "borrow" it, publish it before I do, and then all of a sudden I am talking to Katie Couric's replacement on the Today Show about why on earth I published somebody else's work. (I do realize, of course that that girl from Harvard most likely did use somebody else's work. But wouldn't it be weird if I was accused of plagiarizing my own plagiarizer? Note to self: learn how to spell plagiarize before trying to get published). If you have any questions about what I wrote, let me know. It is an important topic and I feel very excited about women learning where their true beauty and value come from! We can chat. Otherwise, it is going into a safe place for now.

The good news is, I feel inspired to take writing off of my "someday" list and put it on the "today" list. I am going to do it. I am going to work on the essay I published here and see what it turns into. I have a magazine in mind that I might send it to for review. Special thanks to my friend Kelly who inspires me by keeping her five year goals on her fridge. I have mine up now (to my husban's chagrin, i am sure because he hates things hanging on fridges!) I have already crossed one thing off!
Here I go!