Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

I finally succumbed to Pandora. I know why they called it that - once you open the box, you can't close it again. Right now I'm listening to Mark Ronson Radio, and I'm lovin' the funk! I've been so behind on new music, and I still can't stand certain "artists" who are more manufactured diva than musician. But I just came from a hip little cafe that was playing some cool funk, so I had to hear more when I got home.

Off The Waffle

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy waffle with bacon and egg, and a cappuccino

It was such a beautiful day.

Clematis in the morning

We rode our bikes into town - it was sunny but brisk, with a north wind. I'm not one to do the Lycra bike suits, or anything that comes from a sporting goods shop, so this is what I wore.

These thrifted jeans are perfect for biking because they're soft and don't fight me when I'm pedalling, and the pegged pants don't get caught in the chain. I layered a camisole and long-sleeved T-shirt under my Target "Little Wing" shirt and Christopher & Banks jacket. The brooch is a wire chaos concoction I made.

No reason you can't look classy when you're riding a bike, right?

The boots are new to me, and the first wearable item I've bought in months. They were half-price at the thrift store, and with my senior discount they were only $6.25!

New boots, and it's time for Shoe Shine at Sheila's! Sheila is getting into the menswear look, too - come and take a look.

As I'm typing this, I'm listening to Amy Winehouse sing "Valerie." I'm digging Pandora!

Val-erie

Failure all around

I broke my unspoken vows. As an Oregonian, I violated the sacred rule that all Oregonians unconsciously abide by. In my last post I - gulp - invited people to move to Oregon. I'm not supposed to do that. It's not allowed. We want to keep Oregon quiet and uncrowded. So just ignore what I said, okay?

I mean, we weren't even upset that the national news only made a slight mention of the resignation of our governor after four (non-consecutive) terms. And they haven't made a big deal about the investigation of his fiancee (Cylvia with a C) for influence peddling. Whew! We wouldn't want everyone to know about that. We're just honest folk out here in Oregon. Our new governor, Kate Brown, is so honest that she admits to being both married and bisexual. That sounds like an admission of adultery, too, but that's between her and her husband, and I think she'll be a fine governor.

Anyhoo, the other failures this week involved footwear. I guess I should have invoked St. Hubbins because I had not one, but two shoe malfunctions this week.

I was wearing my red "alligator" Dexter loafers (seen here and here), and the heel caps starting chipping away - on both shoes.

Then this happened

They're not that old to be requiring the care of Jim the Shoe Doctor. It's a tough blow, alright.

Then the next day I was wearing my boots from JCP when this happened

What are the odds? These boots are pretty old anyway, and I think I can treat them at home with some strong glue, botox and reruns of The Avengers.

Geesh, Mercury is barely out of retrograde, and the Old Mother Hubbard constellation must be in quincunx to the crap nebula. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Val

South of 45

This last weekend we had our final day's shoot for the music documentary Mr. S and I have been working on. The photo below was taken by one of the musicians when we recorded at his house. I'm not really an audio technician, but I can fake it when necessary.

The program is called South of 45 (Like us on Facebook!), and we got our posse together for a final gig at the now-closed Dexter Lake Club (which I wrote about here).

The shoot was dope, as in really good! As Production Assistant, I was in charge of catering, supplying Coke (with a capital C), and generally running around and finding the gaffer tape. My fabulous niece Lisa took photos (she shoots her husband Kenji's blog, which is one of the best men's blogs I've seen).

Here are the bands we worked with.

Hyding Jekyll - funk metal grunge

REFA - upbeat, complex, really really tight

Alexander DiGrazia - poetic lyrics and gentle guitar

So, that was a rocking long day on Saturday, and Sunday we had a Wrap Party at our house.

Then Monday I started working full time again. It's gainful employment and a total shock to the system. I've got a temporary job, about 4 or 5 months, but at least it's steady money. I'll be editing, proofreading and blah, blah, blah. I wasn't getting much traction as a freelancer but, of course, I'm getting inquiries now. Typical. I may soon be really busy working days and evenings, and Mr. S has also got some paying work coming up. We may have a few bucks yet for retirement someday.

The new job is near the university, and there are some nice walks for my break times.

And the weather here is ridiculously mild - look at this:

If you live in the northeast of North America, you might want to consider moving to western Oregon!

Val

Boys, boys, boys

I had lunch with a handsome young man on Friday. Honest!

He's a man I worked with for eight years, and while he was working he was going to law school. He now assists two judges at the federal courthouse here. He's incredibly smart, and also very funny and naughty, and exceptionally courteous - such a charmer!

His entire name is typed with only the left hand. Isn't that weird? By contrast, the letters in my name alternate almost perfectly from one hand to the other - it's very easy to type. Isn't that strange?

But I digress.

Here's what I wore to lunch. I took several very quick photos before I left, and really only got one usable one, with a sour bitch-face. That suits what comes next.

thrifted boots and skirt, old top and wrap, tights - Target, socks - who knows? necklace made by my neighbor

So, my title was boys, and I'm actually talking about men. Some pretty dreamy men. But I have a bone to pick with these handsome, mature men.

source

source

source

Why are they glorifying guns and violence? This really pisses me off. Whatever your views or local laws are about gun ownership, don't you get sick of seeing these kinds of movie posters where the stars are made to look sexy and in control - with a weapon of death? Grow up, dudes!

Denzel, really? Would you put that poster up in your church?

Keanu, I don't expect much from you, but I want to. Don't be a dick.

Colin, darling, you're so much better than this.

It's not just men. Angelina Jolie should be ashamed of herself, too, for this kind of crap.

source

UNHCR ambassador, my ass. What kind of message does this send to those who have been affected by violence in their lives?

I also hate, hate, hate movies about hit men or gangs or the Mafia. Yuck. When I go to a movie, I want to be entertained, not sickened. Isn't there enough violence and nastiness in the world without these kinds of movies that fetishize it?

Rant over. Go in peace.

Val

PS - Evidently the pictures I linked from IMDb don't show up on every screen. I apologize - it does rather ruin the effect of my rant. I think you can still use the "source" links if you really want to see the movie posters with guns front and center.

Right brain, left brain

Have you ever done one of those tests to find out if your right brain or left brain is dominant? Mine usually come out fairly even, which is good, I guess.

Actually, I always hope that my right brain will win out. I'm much more inclined towards living an artistic life than conforming to office hours. But I'm pretty good at office work, and that's where my left brain comes into play. I'm organized and consistent and efficient.

Even my hobbies make use of both sides of my brain. So while I am itching to produce art like this

"Loneliness #3"

I'm compelled to produce these diminutive bits of uselessness.

"Cafe Tout Petit"

I suppose this brings the right brain and left brain together. Right brain - I get to create the scene and mix patterns, textures and colors.

Left brain - I figure out how to make tiny things, and I'm somewhat precise in creating itsy bitsy cups out of clay and gluing little beads onto them for handles.

I never wanted to be thought of as a miniaturist - that sounds like someone who plays with dolls, and who owns cats numbering into double digits, and who has a funny laugh and awkward social skills. (If you're a miniaturist, I do apologize, but I'm trying to make a point here.)

Maybe this will produce an income some day; hopefully not a miniature one. But I can't seem to help myself - I'm hooked. I've got a teensy, weensy monkey on my back!

Val

Good Morning

Our weather forecasters never get anything right. Which is good, since they're usually predicting rain, fog and dreariness at this time of year. But today was surprisingly warm and clear, in spite of what we'd been told. I woke up early and decided to go greet the dawn. I walked down the road to some large ponds, and fortunately I remembered to bring my camera.

some neighbors still have Christmas lights up

these are blue herons roosting

And then I headed home.

my favorite tree in the neighborhood

that's my house with the two lights on

Here on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister's eyes, into
Your brother's face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope
Good morning.

 Maya Angelou, Inaugural Poem, 1993

Oh, no - not another Altoid tin!

If you're coming here looking for pretty pictures of me in my fantastic clothes and gorgeous home, with inspirational quotes and tips for removing warts, I've given you fair warning. This post is about an Altoid-type tin that I crafted for a custom order for Christmas.

The order was for a little diorama for my customer's mother-in-law, who is housebound. I was given some ideas about the MIL's life and likes, and I went from there. This is what I came up with.

The customer said her MIL likes East Asian art and architecture, so she asked for a temple door and roof tiles.

The interior continues the theme, and includes a passport and map to reflect MIL's travels, the books she likes to read, and the coffee she likes to drink.

The otters in the photo have special significance, too, but the little felt slippers were a last-minute thing I added because the floor needed something. Squee!

I didn't glue down the itsy books, and one of them is a picture book with tiny photos from my own travels.

And one more -

I'm still working on my little Parisian café, mentioned in my last post. It's an even smaller scale, so it's challenging to fit in a tiny café bar, as well as an upstairs bedroom. I think this one's going to take some time! Here are some more in-progress photos.

You know I'm making this because I want to live in a little place like this on the Left Bank.

I should have called it Café Tout Wacky because the scale and perspective are going to be totally wack. I made a stack of espresso cups that are tiny, but too big for this place. Maybe I should add a bottle of absinthe to accentuate the twisting of reality!

À bientôt!

Val