Zen Moments

I was briefly watching QVC tonite and they were selling flame less candles "for those Zen moments we all want after the holidays and New Years". I had to laugh, could laugh as I had centered myself today, but I'm really not sure how laughable it all is. The holidays. Compounded with a Facebook November high school reunion I almost attended, and the gallery's Annual Artful Giving- ending with our annual closing and renovations during the New Year- it's all quite a ride. Aside from working in a gallery where sales are necessary for our educational programs, after the fact, it all seems a little too commercial, for me, and I think I'll stay off the merry go round next year as much as possible. Facebook is really too much with everyone reporting on shopping and baking and decorating. And I found I wasn't so far off base with my New Years cleaning as I thought- lots of people do after the holidays, organizing and getting rid of stuff.

I had a really upsetting doctors visit this week, very negative I thought, with the nurse I see every three months by state law for my head injury. I was off balance with the holidays and PMS and insomnia, and I explained this, but she didn't take it lightly. I did, this too shall pass. But she was full of gloom and doom and premonition, upsetting me much. Very disturbing for fifteen minutes every three months. I disregard a lot of what she says, she isn't holistic and would rather push pills than vitamin therapy.

I started a diet detox cleanse today, to last a week, began vitamin C for teeth and Valerian for the insomnia. She would prefer I get a sponsor, out of the blue, and go to meetings so others can tell me when I'm off. I knew I was off, I told her! I'm sticking with the diet. I don't have time for more relationships complicating my mind. And I've never been comfortable with the trading of obsessions- if you know what I am saying.

Pilates tonite then, very welcome. I've avoided the gym this week with the new influx of members and new resolutions, will return when it calms.

The RRCA was closed this week but I worked Mon, Tues, Wed, will work Saturday morning- cleaning and painting. I will be glad when work schedule returns to normal- we all will be. Next Tuesday Artworks starts, for 12 weeks where in I am a teacher's aide, I am still teaching Silver Run, and the 20th my watercolor class begins- for four weeks.

The nurse asked if I was motivated. HUH? Another person I sadly shake my head at, and I'll talk to people who know me for longer than fifteen minutes instead..........

Lovely lamp my sister in law gave me for Christmas, ambiance! :)

Finally figured it out

I don't know how to save pics from a media card on this computer, but I can import from my camera with the USB cable, just tried that. Two sample pics then- one- of my oh so cute kittie relaxing on the electric blanket, yes, the one that threw my back out last week. And another- an amusing portrait I did for my son, of one of his friends, for her Christmas. Next (when I get to it), ah, to install my Corel Paint Shop Pro so I can edit. This program is for photos, I have another Corel program for paint/the Wacom. No thousand dollar Adobe for me, can't afford, and if I can't do something with simpler tools- I'm lost.

In good spirits. Have been pain free for a few now, oh so nice. My home is clean and I've moved on to the busy work of educating myself about the laptop and Windows 7. This week too the RRCA is closed- today I went in to paint and clean, tomorrow clean, whatever is needed done thereafter. Don't have to dress for this. Being off a work schedule with the holidays, snow, now our renovations is a bit unnerving. I don't have a routine, flow. And I had the worst insomnia taking the muscle relaxers. Figures, that's my body, at backwards odds with medication. Relaxed insomnia.

A word about resolutions as the subject came up at work today. The subject came up when I stepped outside to have a smoke. "What about the New Year's?!!!!!" everyone asked. Well, what about it? I said I wasn't about to stress myself out. That my resolution this year was to NOT make a resolution. I knew one thing, that my body didn't like all the holiday food I put into it- I just wanted to eat greens again instead of baking fats. Feeling miserably weighted was enough for me to WANT to live healthier. So I have a desire, not a resolution. I also have six months worth of nicotine replacement, and about 12 exercise DVD's. I could lose 30 lbs. Ewwwwww, lose weight and quit smoking, sure, ALL BY NEXT WEEK!!!!!!! YEAH!

I'll let you know what my stats are in June, hows that?...............:).....The holidays were nice. I had a lot of Christmas spirit this year. It was even fun on Facebook. But the day after lost me. So much talk of shopping, STILL. Shake my head. New Year's Eve I fell asleep and woke five to midnight, tired of the holiday hype........

Happy New Year Everyone!

Nope, no New Year's resolutions, I'm too old to set myself up with expectations. Though I do hope to/plan to live as healthily as I can. Christmas cooking left me feeling like I ingested boulders, and I didn't like that at all. Christmas Eve morning the cat woke me by attacking the corner of my bed (she will do this when she thinks it's time to get up....)- I pushed myself up too abruptly (sleeping on my stomach) and severely twisted the right muscle along my spine. So I had a strained swollen muscle (hugs HURT!) and my old back pain returned with a vengeance with the new injury. I spent most of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in bed. Work Saturday, Sunday and Monday I had to sit with a heating pad. I could barely do anything functional without having to lay down for two hours. Forget sitting at the computer. Finally a neighbor gave me some muscle relaxers, and I've been without the pain for two days now. So that is my New Years joy and celebration- being without pain. I was getting so miserable in the constant pain, it's just awful. I don't know how people live when afflicted with chronic pain.
The RRCA is closed for repairs until the 10th, since the 31st. I've been doing a heavy duty cleaning of my home, updated the bathroom, finished tonite. And now that I can sit at a desk- it's computer time! Learn about my new toy finally- I just haven't time. Hopefully I'll be able to post pics very soon.
Happy New Year Everyone! My best wishes for all!

Season's Greetings!

No pics. I haven't got that far in using the new computer- learning how to load pics. The laptop is real nice and I'm enjoying it. :) Especially the music.

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday(s). I'm amazed two weeks have passed since my last post. Christmas. I was done shopping awhile ago, presents are wrapped. We were busy at work with the parade, Soul of the Season, and this past Third Friday. Then this huge snowstorm! 22.9 inches. I stayed home yesterday, the center was closed. Slept, watched movies, slept, pilates, basic vegging. Weird to be so lazy. Today I opened the center with some shoveling, but we closed early- no one was out.

Tuesday I'm baking, that's been awhile. Tonite I felt the need to do some yoga- the stress of the holiday. Craving normalcy a bit by now. But it will be nice to spend time with family- that is what I'm looking forward to.

Have a happy everyone!

Up and running!

• Got the laptop up and running! Love it. AND, got my Internet music back! I never use my home stereo, just the computer. Wow, so many wires with the old one. It really acted up this morning. But now it is no more. The laptop is a 17.3- large enough for digital work.
• Well seems I've got bullets in this post, lol. Musta hit a button somewhere, new keyboard.- I have a lot of stuff to learn! Haven't hooked up my printer yet or installed any of the paint programs- Windows 7 first.
• Happy Holidays Everyone! Whew!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Puter!

Today was the last delivery from UPS for my new system, a book from Amazon about Windows 7. Mom house sat for me for the delivery as I'm at work. Last night I was fried and had to sit and watch a movie to relax the brain, now I feel a bit excited. My old computer has been limping along the past few days- I've been checking my e-mail at work, and I do not know when I'll be up and running with the laptop. A laptop. And a Wacom, and a simple paint program- see what I can do. My nose has been stuck in a paint program manual, and the computer set up manual- which is why my brains are mash potatoes. Scrambled eggs. Now I have to get through the Windows 7 book. But it's all good. Save I do not when I'll be back to producing digital images. I'm too systematic. There are tutorials in the paint book I want to try, and I'm sure I'll go exploring through my new OS. I brought my sketchbook to work for watercolor, but we've been people busy.
Oh I have missed my Internet radio! I've been down for almost four days. I bought Christmas CD's at Bogart's, but I need some rock and roll, some new wave, some bee bop! My laptop came Saturday but I'm waiting for my days off to set up- with my geek son.
Boy it can stress you out waiting for packages in an apartment complex!

Waiting on a vacuum, but the Wacom came!

The wheels fall off my little cheap vacuum, a replacement was supposed to come today, another little one you can tuck behind a door, but the Fed Ex man brought me my Wacom tablet instead! BUT, my computer is dying too (everything breaks at once!-I have to navigate between freezes and a little black box on my screen that only goes away when you turn off the monitor), so there will be no Wacom work til my new puter comes. Talk about scattered brained today, vacuum falls apart, computer is wacked. The holidays rush me a bit too much, AH- I am finished shopping though! I finally edited some photos of recent little paintings. Little vacuum, little Wacom, little paintings. With the Wacom comes Corel Paint 4- I didn't know, and I had ordered that as well- it came Monday- at a savings of 70 bucks- so I'm giving the extra to my mother for Christmas. She recently won an honorable mention in North Jersey for a pastel. She sounds excited to try something so new. So techno.

Anyway, a few paintings. Two from slow time at work, Fall 6, and Snow 1- I have never painted snow before soooooo. And it's watercolor- I hope I learn a thing or two from the watercolor workshop starting January. Four little flower paintings for Christmas gifts, two posted here.

Tomorrow I must work on a painting for my son, a present for his current interest. Star Wars effects in the background, hmmmmmmmmm......laughter.

Pumpkin soup for Thanksgiving stayed with me for too many days, didn't think it would be so heavy....