Coral Confection of Doom

We decided to paint the spare room. This is the room where people will stay, when they visit. I don’t want it to be offensive. I thought I was careful. I took my time deciding. We bought two gallons. I envisioned the soft Florida beach with my Coral Confection. We painted the trim. l I hated it. It made me want to hurl. It was a bad 80’s movie set or Malibu Barbie Beach house. I left the room. I came back 15 min later. It was horrible. Anyone familiar with the processed cheese that comes out of a squirt can? It was disgusting. I guess it was a good thing we only painted one wall. I thought I wanted something safe.

John said “Why do you want to be safe?” So we stopped being safe. We went bold. We went dark, and I love it. This is the color that reminds me of Florida. It’s called Tropical Waters. The extra bathroom also got painted. It’s dark purple.

Can you say Prince and Purple Rain? No, it’s the one horned, one eyed, flying purple people eater. But seriously we really like it.My art teacher Annette told me to not be afraid of the dark. She also taught me that it’s never to late to start. With Annette nothing was wrong or bad, it could just be better, and it was. Annette, I don’t know where you are, I forgot to ask for your address or email, but I did remember to get your photo.

You know, you were right.

Fancy Italian Restaurant

While in Austin, we went looking for a place to eat. We walked until we found this Italian restaurant. I was underdressed in my tank top and shorts. They had someone different to seat us, someone else to fill the water glasses, someone else to bring the bread, our server, an accordian player... They spoke Spanish to each other, and I started thinking in my Spanglish way.

I told John I would have felt more comfortable working in the kitchen with them. Than being waited on. The food wasn't worth the money. The dessert cart looked impressive. The doughnut hole sized baked Italian chocolate cakes with whipped cream filling were delicious. All the rest just isn't my style.

walking around Austin

We came across this music memorabilia store. There was some great local artwork, all related to music or musicians. I had wanted to find a whole block of this, not just one store. I wanted to buy these handmade and hand painted tables and cabinets. J said we could make our own. He already has, but I have to paint it before I'll share. This one guy who worked there was dressed like rock-a-billy Elvis. I wonder if that's how he dresses all the time?
The mural was used as screen for images at night. Did I mention the tatoo shops were open until 3 Am? Seriously I want to be sober when I decide to put something on my body forever. I guess that's just me.

Juice or water?

Decided to go to Austin for the 4th of July weekend. Quick and easy drive on the freeway only took about 3 hours. Did I love it there like everyone said I would? No. It was only okay. Am I going again? Definitely when the SXSW musical festival is there. So many people in Utah and Texas had said that Austin was probably the place I would most want to live. Guess what? Other people can be wrong.

Let's say there was juice and water. The juice was red like blood, Kool Aid, punch, and staining. What do I want? Do I want juice or water? Or do I want something else? Who says I have to drink out of what's in front of me. I don't like plastic disposable paper cups. Maybe I want a ceramic mug. Maybe I want a colored glass or a crystal goblet. Maybe I don’t want or need what’s here. Maybe I need to leave and go shopping for myself.

Warped Tour

The Warped Tour was musical bliss. The best day I've had in Texas. One perfect musical moment after another, and just when you think you were too tired to continue... Along comes another carnival ride.
Click on the white cartoon bubble to read who bands are, and my opinions. :)

Radio Stations

Just finished rereading Blessed Are the Cheesemakers by Sarah-Kate Lynch.
And in case some of you didn't see these on myspace. Here are some photos of my art/music room.

Warning: If you don't want to hear about music skip this post.

Was getting so sick of my rotating Dallas/Fort Worth 102.1 the Edge
Utah X96, & San Francisco Live 105 playing the same old. Like how does that happen? Someone at J’s work mentioned KEGL 97.1 the Eagle (check out online) they play a mix which I am love, loving. Classic Black Sabbath, Zeppelin, Floyd, with Perfect Circle, Tool, Pantera, Rage, Kid Rock, Korn, new Avenged, Disturbed, Shinedown, 3 Doors Down, Three Days Grace… They even play hair metal like Gn’R, Kiss, Tesla, Halen, Skid Row, (no one is allowed to make fun of my 9th grade crush on Sebastian Bach) and Jackal? Remember when my friend bought me that tape (Jackal). What were we thinking? It had like… 2 good songs. What garbage! Still hadn’t heard it in ages.

People are super nice here. Went to get car emissions and inspection done yesterday. Spent 45 min to an hour talking to man (who was waiting too). He told me (just like everyone else) that I have to go to Austin. He said, “you play an instrument don’t you?”

“yeah“

He said, “I could just tell. What do you play?”

“I try to play the guitar.”

“Welcome to Texas.”

“Thank you.” “So do they have any music stores around here?” I ask 1st guy (who works there). He tells me a place, maybe I can take lessons? (yes!)
Then when car is done, I notice the music. I said to 2nd guy (who works there).

“Are you guys listening to my radio station the Eagle? Where else can you hear old Megadeath with new Linkin Park?”

He said, “and Godsmack.”

“So you guys going to Warped Tour?”

1st guy “No, but I want to…” “Hey, my favorite music store is Guitar Center. Cause I play.” “What?”

“guitar.”

“Oh, they have one of those in UT.”

“Well it’s my favorite.”

“ok c-ya.”

Tomorrow is Warped Tour. I Am so Glad they Know how to Rock Here! Thank You!

and this is where I live

more photos from yesterday

And this was in the newspaper:

Utah is switching thousands of state employees
to a four-day work week to cut energy costs. (Associated Press)
The good news: You’re getting a three-day weekend.
The bad news: You still live in Utah (QuickDFW.com)

Can you say SNAP? (Well, I thought it was funny).

Also my cousin just had a baby. Isn’t Katelyn cute?

Surrounded by Art

Fidelity sponsored 3 days at the Dallas Museum where employees show their work pass and get in free plus one guest. Today was less busy, plus we didn’t have to pay for parking on the meters. Every time I go see art I can see something new or in a new way. Being surprised by famous artists who are known for one style, and seeing something else they created that is totally unexpected. I didn’t know that Winston Churchill painted. Did you?

There was this collection set up like a home with rooms. They recreated a living room, a dining room complete with table setting, a bedroom with shoes and clothing. They even used the architecture of the building with curtains on the windows. It showed paintings, furniture, all the components fit into this gorgeous presentation.

There were these skulls from the 17th century embroidered like pirates with bones on cloth . In that display, were these boxes of engraved pictures and opal like pearls reflecting different colors. They reminded me of small treasure chests that contained jewels. I automatically thought of Sharon and her Pirates of the Caribbean Johnny Depp obsession

My favorite section was the local artists. When I was there in April it contained work done by local high school students. Back then, I wished my kids could have seen the stuff that other teenagers created. It was an AP program where they got college credit in high school, for creating art! This section inspires me the most. Today I got all these ideas that I can’t wait to try when I go to my art classes in Portland. October seems a 100 yrs from now.

There was one painting of this woman,. It showed her face and body, but her chest was a skeleton. I read the description. It was the artist’s painting of his dying mother. He was visiting her one day, and he said, something like “I’ve never seen your eyes look so beautiful. I want to paint you.” In the picture her hands are clasped covering the place where she felt the most pain. It was her heart.

A funny thing was this huge class on some kind of field trip tour. We could sometimes overhear their professor speaking. It felt like he was behind us pointing out all the artists and revelations I had made to John 5-10 minutes earlier, like didn’t I just say that? Finally I asked a guy “Is this art school?” He said , “It ‘s art class, but not art school.” Well I thought ok, there is a difference if it was art school the teacher would so not be stating the obvious.

In the museum, I read a quote on the wall “There was a shock of recognition which put me into an entirely new orbit. I said to Sara, ‘If that’s painting, that’s the kind of painting I would like to do’ “ -Gerald Murphy

When we got to the car I asked “ Who feels like listening to Judas Priest? Cause I do!” And we did. Hope you had a happy Sunday!

Hey, hey, good-bye old house

Well they Fed-Exed the papers this morning@ 9 AM. John left work to come sign. Good-bye old house on Fowler Av, that I never really loved. I only sort of liked or loved parts of you at moments. I never intended to live in you for as long as I did. We had some very good and very bad times in that house, for was it… 13 yrs?
“You were mine…Just for awhile…”-PINK
Wow! Didn’t take long to sell, did it? All of those who thought we were crazy to wait until we left. Ha! Only took 2-3 weeks, and c-ya. So let that albatross be someone else’s problem.
We did, have some very good neighbors. Which in honor of them here are some photos. Oh, and the guy who lived across the street, with the kids and the trampoline. What was his name? Bradley? Last Winter he plowed our driveway. Just to be nice. Jim, Erwin, and Bradley helping us whenever we bought heavy furniture like the fridge, entertainment center, etc…

Martha who brought little holiday presents of thoughtfulness, and invited me to go with her group where we did the Chihuly exhibit, movies, singing etc. Erwin your soul is very kind and giving. With your ultimate garage with every tool and comfort for a man. You shared it all. You have more than average skills. That man can make some beautiful things. And not just out of wood. When I was too sick and could barely walk. Erwin brought our garbage cans in and off the road, and he also plowed our sidewalk and driveway, when John was in NYC. No more snow shoveling here in Texas (we hope)! Hooray! Erwin drove me to and from work everyday after the accident when I couldn’t drive myself. Then he continued to water our lawn after we were gone. When we were loading up the truck onto the trailer (a different guy who lived exactly across the street from us. I wish I knew his name)everyone who helped us.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
“I’ll keep you locked in my head. Until we meet again…And I won’t forget you my friend. What happened…I’ll cherish… But I keep your memory…Who knew?” -PINK

At the Car Wash

We went grocery shopping last Saturday it was so neat to look around, and see all the different things surrounding us. I felt we really are somewhere new aren’t we? It’s going to be fun to explore and discover all of this.
While we were in the parking lot leaving there were some kids with signs yelling “CAR WASH!” We passed, and I said, “Let’s stop. John we really do need the car washed.” It reminds me of one of those books I read by some older guy who said to stop at every lemonade stand, and buy some. So we turned around, and they were super excited. Apparently were raising money taking donations for their church (which there are no shortages of here, all kinds of different churches). They were so cute like the whole family or group of people working together to wash the car all at once like a team. They were having a blast squirting the water saying “Thank You!” They spoke Spanish all around me, and I told them “You are washing all the dirt away from New Mexico and Utah.”
The adult guy says “You were in Mexico?”
I said, “No, New Mexico. We just moved here.”
“Oh, ok from where?”
“from Utah”
He said, “Now your car is black.”
I said, “Yeah you couldn’t see that under all the dirt. It looked grey.”
He said, “Thank You So Much!”
I said, “No. Thank you! You guys did a great job!”
He said, “Welcome to Texas.”
I said, “Gracias! Enjoy your Sabado! Right?”
As we left they all said, “God Bless!”
I told John That was the best $5.00 car wash. It was worth more than $5.00. Look at how good our car looks! They dried it. They cleaned the tires…
“Honey, thank you for stopping, it reminded me of home.” I’m smiling and laughing through tears. Welcome to Texas indeed.

The Death Cab for Cutie Concert

Tues June 17, 2008
Total disappointment I have it rated in my bottom 3 concerts of all time. They rocked my favorite “Long Division.” The singer alone on his guitar on “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” which was great. They were extremely tight on “I Will Possess Your Heart” which I am so getting over because it’s being overplayed. I still love the band, but
1) Big arena
2) Tickets were $50.00 +parking $15.00 + t-shirt $20.00
3) We felt disconnected in the nosebleed section
4) People were sedated aren’t ya supposed to yell, scream, act crazy at a concert?

I hope this wasn’t any indication of Texas cause we have Warped Tour tickets July 3! I was thinking of Goo goo dolls last Aug and how what I really wanted was to see them 15 yrs ago in some little dive place before no one knew who they were.

Saw this movie about Kurt Cobain in March and in the movie he said
“The most exciting time for a band is right before they become really popular. I’d love to be in bands that just do that every two years.” He also said ”Without my choosing it’s become a job whether I like it or not. It’s something that I love doing, and I would always want to do, but I have to be honest, I don’t enjoy it nearly as much as I used to when I was practicing every night, imaging what it would be like the first couple of years of actually playing in front of a few people, and then loading up the van, and going to a rock show to actually play. The privilege of that I mean, you just can’t be reproduced after doing it for ten years.”
In April we were at a show and A Cursive Memory was playing, all the kids were dancing enjoying themselves, but not singing because they didn’t know the words. I was watching the band and the drummer was killing it, just smiling his little heart out, and they were having fun. I thought they love to play music. They are having the time of their lives! They’d play music just for themselves, even if there wasn’t an audience, and so they should. I just thought 'Keep Trying because it will come', but for your sake Do I want it to? Do I want you to lose this magic? I’d like you not to be broke playing for such tiny crowds. I’d like people to know and appreciate your music, but at what cost? If it takes away your happiness and the joy you get? No way! I’d rather you love it before it turns into something you are forced to do or pretend to love. I don’t want you to turn into entitled beasts of ugliness, like you expect praise and devotion.