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Vince had a big, unfortunate day today.
He went to the vet to be fixed. He didn't
know what was going on when we got
there. I think he thought he was going
to have a playdate with lots of different
kinds of animals. But no. He was going
to be hurting in a matter of hours.
He's home now. He did really well. But
he's not himself (of course). He is really
sleepy and trying really hard to be happy
about much. Poor little guy.
On a much happier note, I did end up
seeing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind this past weekend. And it was
terrific. The imagery, the acting, the
story...Wow. Anyone got a bottle of
smurf hair coloring?
This weekend I had the pleasure of taking a
picnap. It's sort of like a picnic only with no food,
just napping. And oh yes, it was wonderful. I
grabbed a blanket and took it outside to lie in
the grass. Soft, just-turned-green grass. I just
closed my eyes and listened to the symphony
around me. Birds sang short, high-pitched songs
to one another. Dogs barked in conversation.
The wind softly rustled the grass. I could hear
the highway in the background (I pretend it's the
sound of the surf and the occasional motocycle
is a ski-do).
As the sun warmed my face, I felt peaceful.
Tranquil even. It's amazing what just being
still will do. I forgot about my worries. Forgot
about wedding planning. Forgot about my
to-do list still waiting on the counter. I was
just in the moment.
Last night was quite a treat. We were
invited over for dinner at our friends'
house. Our friends who are the best
cooks we know. And they made us sushi.
Fresh tuna, sticky rice, lots of yummies.
It was great. It was also great not to
scrounge around in my cabinets searching
for anything that will cook up in less than
20 minutes.
I am by no means a good cook. I'm really
good at pasta and noodles. I've also
mastered salmon. And that's about it.
Oh, and I'm really good with cereal.
So getting a real home-cooked meal is
something of a grand event.
Thank you VZ and Greezy.
I've been dying to see Eternal Sunshine
of the Spotless Mind. I've wanted to see
it every night this week. But something
always comes up. So, maybe tonight's
the night. I'll let you know.
Happy weekends full of theatre seats
and buttery popcorn!
Trickle Trickle, Gush Gush
Boy, when it rains, it pours. Work never
comes slow and steady, does it? I get
so busy I feel like my head is going to
spin off. Lists tacked up on the wall,
inspiration glued to the lamps, supplies
strewn about like a tornado hit. Wait!
Where'd I put the red?! I can't find my
ruler. I think Vince ate it...
And when it's slow, it's turtle-slow.
Slow and sticky. Slow like I'll never
get another job again ever. Ever. And
I'll wither away and die with no paint
spots on my clothes. No stained fingers.
No oopsies in the margins. Just let me
drown in my sorrows. Let the stickiness
freeze me in one mourning position for
the rest of my breathing days.
Okay, maybe I'm being a little dramatic,
but you get what I'm saying. What's
with the ups and downs? Why is it a
scary, thrilling rollercoaster ride and not
a peaceful ride on the merry-go-round.
At least life is more exciting this way,
I guess. Always look on the bright si-ide
of life. Dink dink. Dink dink dink dink dink.
That's what that one song says, right?
Right now is one of those "too much to
do" times. And I've been procrastinating
doing much of it at all. Maybe it will do
itself. But probably not. With the wedding
planning and the working-all-the-timing
and the still-trying-to-have-a-social-lifing...
It's messy.
And I guess that's the way I like it.
One of my biggest pet peeves is
feeling hopeless. It comes on when
you have a big thing due, and then
you get it done. Then you feel dry.
Like there's nothing left to be excited
about or feel good about. And you
don't know what to do to shake it.
You just have to let it pass. At least
now I know that this feeling does pass.
I just have to wait it out.
I think times like this I need to read
a book or a magazine or go to a movie.
And do absolutely nothing to try to fix it
or create anything.
Rest.
This weekend was a busy one. I had a
lot on my to-do list and knocked them
off one by one. Productive-lope. One
of my projects was an illustrated and
bound book for a woman's new grandson.
It was a huge project that took a ton of
time. Things always take a lot longer than
I anticipate. But it turned out great. I'm
looking forward to hearing what she says
when I mail it to her.
Sunday was the wedding shower thrown
for me by the Dullaghan clan. It was
great. They are all very sweet women.
The host had the house all decked out
with candles and roses. Very feminine and
beautiful. I felt really welcomed into the family.
Hope your weekend was lovely as well.
Just Because
Yesterday I was feeling kind of blue.
The weather has been less than
Spring-like here. We got four inches
of snow earlier this week. The brave,
little flowers that raised their heads
early have been giving me dirty looks.
So, there I was feeling sorry for myself
(one of my biggest pet peeves), and
I decided to do something about it.
I went down to my favorite cd store
and bought Colin a cd that he's been
craving. Then I wrapped it in simple
brown craft paper with a red ribbon.
And I drew a little card to go with it.
And seeing the smile on his face as I
handed it to him made me feel better.
Doing something nice for someone else
seemed to do the trick. I'll have to
remember that next time I'm feeling
dumpy and grumpy.
This weekend the Dullaghan women are
throwing me a shower. It's extremely
generous of them seeing as I don't know
them all that well. I'm excited to see
them all again.
Happy weekend, all!
Happy St. Patrick's Day late. I wore green
to avoid the pinches yesterday. And I went
in search of green beer. No luck. I instead
had a little Bailey's on the rocks. Yum.
I remember promising to show off the
invitations to our wedding. So, here they are:
And the RSVPs:
I got wonderful red envelopes from
Paper Source. They have a tiny bit
of shimmer to them and are really pretty.
I heart Paper Source.
Lightening the Load
I have never been a saver. As a kid I moved
around quite a bit. Different school almost
every year. Different locations for short
times. But I liked it that way. I met a lot
of interesting people and learned new things
everywhere I went.
Moving so much never allowed me to keep
much. I had to let things go to move lightly.
All my childhood belongings fit into two
rubbermaid tubs that I still have (miraculously).
This lightening the load really burned it's
signature into my brain. In high school I
would have regular bon fires and burn
everything I could live without. Entire boxes
of notes passed in class, letters from old
boyfriends, pictures, artwork I wasn't pleased
with....it all went up in smoke.
And some feel that this is a tragedy. I don't
at all.
Each time I felt a huge rush of energy. I closed
the door on that time in my life for good. No
longer could it haunt me. They are only in my
memory. Which is where they should be in
my case.
During college I moved to Florida for a short
time. All of my belongings fit into my small car.
And that made me feel free. I felt like I was a
bird that could soar and fly and come and go.
Now I have my own house with little storage
nooks and cubbies and multiple rooms. And I'm
no longer fancy-free. I can't fit everything into
a small car. I don't think I could fit it all into
a U-Haul.
And I'm feeling the pressure. I feel really bogged
down and heavy. I look around and I am offended
by the amount of stuff. Things I never look at
or enjoy. It's just there taking up space, waiting
to be cleaned, or making me feel guilty.
Not that I want to get rid of all my belongings.
Maybe it's just the itch to spring clean. I would
like to pare down the furniture, the clothes,
the dishes, the magazine, the papers...
just live simply. Live with what I need and the
things that I absolutely love.
I feel a garage sale coming on. I feel freedom
around the corner.
What'd you do?
This morning I was driving along and
was suddenly stopped in my tracks by
a small, blue car in front of me.
At first, I was a little miffed. I had to wait,
and I was being impatient. But I didn't
honk my horn. And I'm glad I waited.
The middle-aged woman in the passenger
seat leaned over and kissed the man
driving. She touched his shoulder and
proceeded to open her door. They said
something to each other that I couldn't
make out, and she shut the door and
walked away with a smile on her face.
What a beautiful scene to witness. Two
people in love, just carpooling together
to work. It made me feel like the whole
world was right. That love does exist
and people feel it and are grateful for it.
I know I am.
Here they come! I noticed them yesterday.
Little green sprigs stretching out from the
ground, well rested from their long naps.
They roll their leaves out and wait for the
sun to help them grow.
Last fall I planted a boat load of bulbs in
my little flower garden. For my birthday
last year, my mom contributed to the bulb
collection. So I should have quite an
array in just a few weeks. Hooray!
Well, all the invitations are sent out
and done. Hooray! That was the
toughest part of the whole wedding
planning ordeal thus far. Now I just
have to sit back and wait for the little
RSVP envelopes to flood my mailbox.
Here the sun is shining. It's still a bit
chilly...but it's getting better. I'm always
amazed at how my mood follows the
weather around. Up and down. Left and
right. I think I should live with a sunny
beach nearby...I always wish upon a star.
Maybe someday.
My wonderful friend Evan brings me all
kinds of fun links to check out. I thought
I'd pass this one along. See someone's
bravery here.
Penelope the Pudge-Monkey
Boy, not getting any exercise for months
at a time sho' does take a toll on one's
body...and self image. I'm pudgy-lope.
I used to exercise almost everyday. I felt
so great all the time. I had lots of energy.
I wanted to go more places, see more
things, climb more mountains, visit more
oceans. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating just
a teensy bit.
I read all the time in magazines that you
should schedule exercise. But how do you
do that when you don't have the time
to begin with. They make it sound like a
cinch. "Oh, Hi. I'm Barbie. I exercise at 3am
every morning before I go for a swim in
the ocean. Then I ride my bike home and
make toast and jam for my fabulously fit
husband and our two and a half beautiful
kids, and then I take the dog for a walk.
Then I work at the studio for 9 hours,
wining and dining clients."
Ugh.
Gotta run yet again. Well, by run I mean
sit and do more stuff.
Oh, Goodwill (and other bargain shopping
venues), how I love thee. Let me count
the ways...
One petal pink shell,
Two orange-and-purple striped sweater,
Three large basket for four dollars,
Four expensive-looking jacket for meetings,
Five funky, kermit-green cardigan.
Pure Chaos
That's what last night was. Chaos.
Oh. my. god.
Before we even met Vince, C and I
had agreed to babysit for our friend's
dog while they went to Singapore.
So, last night we went to pick up Dudley,
a fatty little dog who looks just like an
ottoman with legs. Then all hell broke
loose. Vince and Dudley were playing and
growling and nipping and running.
Non-stop claw clacking on the hard wood
floors. Non-stop tail wagging knocking
things over. Non-stop squeaky toy
squeaking.
Our cats thought this was the end. They
did Halloween kitty all night long. Poor
guys. I wish I could give them a cake for
being such good sports.
Then there was trying to go to bed...Dudley
would steal Vince's bed. Then go run around
the house, barking and panting. Then he'd
come back in a chew on a bone (which is
like cymbals crashing in your ear when you're
trying to fall asleep).
Distraction. Barking. Growling. Bumping into
the bed. I finally broke down and cried.
Big fat alligator tears. Wept like a wee baby.
And now I feel sheepish. I just wasn't prepared
to keep a zoo.
This morning they are all a little calmer.
Things seem a little more under control.
This morning I'm booking a hotel room for
the weekend.
I think my mood reflects the spring
weather. One minute it's rainy and
gloomy, and the very next minute
it's sunny and delightful. Eck.
Moody-lope. Eck eck. I'm looking
forward to green grass and blue skies
and flowers popping out to stretch.
Soon.
Creatively, I'm a little ink well. Just dip
the pen in. The only problem is time. I've
been staying up way too late addressing
invites, searching for addresses (I'm not the
most organized of the bunch), and drawing
maps. I haven't had time to do illustration.
And I have a few deadlines staring me in the
face. I'm looking forward to getting to them.
And the invitation process should be over
shortly. Oh, and I promise I'll show you what
they look like soon.
One more thing: I had NO idea I would ever
worry about a dog's number two schedule
as much as I do now. Sheesh.
Well, the bowling date was put off
until Saturday. Mr. J called with the
flu...no he wasn't trying to get out
of it. He's a very honest boy. So
Saturday it's on like Donkey Kong.
I forgot to mention last Saturday night.
C and I went out to his company's award
banquet thing-a-ma-jig. It was quite dull
watching people I don't know get awards.
But I enjoyed the table of people we sat
with (and the free wine). I may have had a
little too much because I started high-fiving
people coming off the stage. Yeah....not sure
what that was all about. Later a small group
went to out to a bar. We had a lot of fun
swapping stories and getting to know each
other. It ended up being a great night.
Okay, I have been avoiding saying this, but I
feel a tinge of excitement in the air that I can't
explain. Like there's a bubble expanding,
about to burst or a beautiful mess getting
ready to spill. I don't know what it is. I feel
loud and colorful and messy and full. I'm ready
for whatever this is. I guess I just have to
wait (impatiently) for this to happen. I wish I
could explain it. I feel it's a good thing. I'm just
kind of hesitant to say anything in case it's a
spoof. But, what the hell. Come on...come on...
Thought you'd like to see a photo.
Unplug
For the first time in who knows
how long I didn't turn on the
computer last night. I didn't pick
up a paint brush. I didn't do any
sketching. And I didn't flex my
creativity.
I did, however, start addressing
invitations. Yow. My hand hurts.
And I didn't even get through half.
More to do this week.
Tonight is a double date. C and I
are setting up two friends of ours
from different circles to see if they
like each other. Low key bowling will
be the setting. That way there's
something to do with your hands
and something to cheer about. It's
a good first/blind date, I think. I hope
it works out.
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© Penelope Illustration. Stealing
is not nice. |
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