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Sunday, March 6, 2011

First Class of 2011

Greetings, Blogland!

I am thrilled to report that there are still seats remaining in my upcoming bookbinding class at Jerry's Artarama in Raleigh, NC on Sunday, March 13 - from 12 to 6pm.  We will be sewing a canvas-wrapped journal using a variation of the long stitch.  I am very excited to be teaching at Jerry's, again!  

4.5 x 4.5 Long Stitch, Canvas Wrapped Journal

You can find the supply list and full class description at the Jerry's Artarama Workshops page.  The class allows for plenty of options to express your own creativity, while learning (or perhaps revisiting?) an extremely versatile decorative binding.  Various possibilities for closures will be demonstrated; and students will choose their personal favorite to complete the personalization of the ultimate blank book!  Whether you decide to turn it into a journal, photo album, or personal scrapbook, the book you create in class will grow and expand with your thoughts and experiences.  The wrap around cover will ensure that you are able to 'keep it all together' as you continue on your creative journey.

Closure options (L-R):  Grommet w/ Suede Thong,
Concho-Post w/ Braided Waxed Linen Wrap, and
Flat Button w/ Single Thread Waxed Linen Wrap

It promises to be a lovely way to while away a Sunday afternoon!  Won't you join me?

Onward & Upward!
 - pla



Words of wisdom for today:
"Man builds no structure
that outlives a book."
                     - Carl Elliot

Photo Notes:  
   Top photo taken using Motorola DROID, standard camera app
   Bottom photo taken using Vignette Demo app for the Motorola DROID (set to random)

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Like I Said

One (1) Box + Four (4) Wheels = NITRO
...in my last post, the events of 02/10/2011 have been long-lasting and far-reaching!  I am very grateful that the aforementioned "fiend" had insurance.  I am also grateful that I have been provided with a vehicle during the interminable wait for my own to be repaired.  However, I did not have any idea that I would be provided with what HAS to be the ugliest automobile on the road to 'tide me over.'  Witness the vehicle on loan:  


In the three plus weeks that I have been motor-vating in this beast, until yesterday, I hadn't encountered a single other instance of this car's existence(?)  The one I spied yesterday was in a beautiful shade of burgundy; but the color change did nothing toward the beautification of this automobile ~>:-\  For real:  when I was presented with the keys, I was stumped -- having never even heard of a NITRO!  A new friend (details coming soon - when we get to "the period of Restoration"), observed that it looks like a Storm Trooper Transport Device -- HA!  I couldn't agree more!

Things that make you say "hmmm"...
But, gentle reader, the true irony lies not in the lack of beauty, or the fact that it is indeed like riding around town in a motorized refrigerator box.  The grand stroke of irony in this pitiful situation is this:  It. Is. A. Dodge. *wtf?!?*  Yep...  the Universe responded to the wailing of my soul by placing me in a car manufactured by the same makers as the vehicle that started this mess!  All of which leaves me with the feeling that I am channeling Forrest Gump:  "Ugly is as ugly does!" - LOL!



Onward & Upward!
 - pla



Words of wisdom for today:
"Happiness is not the goal,
but the vehicle that helps you arrive on time."
                     - unknown

Photo Notes:  
   Taken using Motorola DROID, standard camera app

Friday, March 4, 2011

On Joy & Pain

In an effort to recoup the 'lost month' of February, I am looking back at the events that took me 'away' during that time...  As mentioned in my last post (and the one before), there has been much in the way of change of late!  I alluded to the Joy that suffuses the everyday existence, here in HoCo; and in the time since, I have savored those joys with regularity...  

The Man and I are very fortunate in many (nay, most)* of our dealings in this game called Life.  We have a successful business, healthy children, dear friends, and a keen love for the simple things (memorable tunes, good books, companionable silences, well-prepared meals, and quirky humors).  Granted, there are times when circumstances overtake us - between work and other obligations/interests - and we resort to 'stolen time' (i.e. staying up way too late to do a body good) to catch up with ourselves.  It's all part of 'our normal'...  We have, more than a few times, marveled over the fluidity of what passes for 'our normal' - which runs wild like the famed horses of the Outer Banks - encompassing everything from odd dining hours, tag-team parenting, and a somewhat selective embracing of various and sundry Holidays.

...all of which, I hope, goes some way toward explaining the Joy (and laughter) that accompanied my gift on Valentine's Day!  In addition to an attorney (read on... nothing standard on Arrowood Acre), I got a big surprise on Valentine's Day:  a box of chocolate covered strawberries with an interesting note ;-)

The surprise lies both in the gift itself, and the card that came with it!  My beloved is many things - not the least of which is a wee bit capricious when it comes to 'optional' observations...  Our celebrations of Valentine's Day have run the gamut:  from eye-popping jewelry purchases (on his part), to run-away weekends built around the day (on my part), to the "anti-establishment" years *wherein, the holiday itself was cause for great oratory on its lack of reason for being* (again, on his part), to the wild and wonderful, yet wacky present!  This year, it seems that the most acceptable approach was to acknowledge the event without contributing to the coffers of the evil empire of Valentine vendors.  (a.k.a. Hallmark).  SO...  the sheer joy ensconced in this box of beautiful, juicy chocolate enrobed strawberries went far beyond their delectable goodness.  It was all in the card!  Which reads:  "Penny,  NOT a Hallmark!  Love you, xoxoxoxo, Kevin"  A much appreciated token from my sweetheart on the heels of a terribly painful week prior!

Ahhh, yes *(most, but not all) - the Pain!  ...or should I say Pain(s) -- for they do seem to drag on!  I had made plans with the Uber Brother to take him to lunch on a 'regular Raleigh day' (i.e.: the grouping of lots of seeing folks & doing things - which typically means a tight schedule).  Five minutes away from being early for my lunch date, I was startling reintroduced to 'real world,' when -while slowing for the minivan in front of me to turn left - I was rear-ended by a very large, red Dodge truck :-\  The late morning/early afternoon plunged into a painfully protracted visit to BIZARRO world!  After impact, stunned, I immediately pulled onto the shoulder of the road to exchange information, wait for the Law, etc...  I was beyond amazed, to say the least, when instead of pulling over behind me, the offending truck LEFT!?!  Despite being badly shaken and unable to see clearly (as my glasses had flown off on contact), my Irish temper did not fail me!  I proceeded to curse a blue streak, and honk my horn with wild abandon!  Even in this day and age, I was dismayed by both the 'bad guy' leaving the scene and the fact that no less than three witnesses also left!

Wonder of wonders, a few minutes (seriously, less than THREE minutes) later, there was a plethora of blue lights shining forth from two SUVs bearing the insignia of the Wake County Sheriff's Dept.  "Was it a big pick up truck?" asked the officer in the lead vehicle.  "Yes!" says I, "It was big, and RED, and he hit me really hard!  He went 'that way' *pointing to my right*."  As I was to soon discover, the W.C.S.D. Special Response Team had been running drills on an old farm property less than a half mile away.  They heard the collision and horn honking (and, according to some friends:  my vehement cursing!); and saw the big red truck zipping down the road.  Two units came to my location (and, thankfully, called for the Highway Patrol *over an hour in coming*); while two units pursued and apprehended the scurrilous fiend who has rendered my beloved (and closer to paid off than the amount of damage done to) Cute Ute to the care of Fayetteville Collision (for the better part of a month)!

Captain Kia (er, uhm... CRUNCH)!
Poor baby, Ute!  All crunched up, and to the shop you go!

Long story short (oh, yeah - this could have been MUCH longer):  my sweet ride is in the *extended* process of being repaired, I am in the *extended* process of being repaired (thanks to Schultz Chiropractic), and I am driving the singularly most hideous vehicle I have ever encountered in the interim (oops!  thought I had taken a photo, but I haven't - something to look forward to, then, eh?)... 

Unfortunately, further revelations and recollections will have to wait for another time...  The hour is late, and there is much yet to do before tomorrow sneaks up on me!

Onward & Upward!
 - pla


Words of wisdom for today
(I waited a long time 'til he found me - this year will mark 16 years, 14 of them married!):
 
"I promise to wait my whole life
for a perfect love,
but keep busy in the meantime."
                                                          - St. Augustine