Rita's Ramblings: a basically house-bound woman in Fargo, North Dakota blogging for friends, family, and anybody who finds it interesting. I talk about art or craft projects, my grandsons (Ian and Liam), the weather, movies, books, health, and whatever happens to be going on in my life. Welcome!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Monday-noon
Dagan, Leah, and I might all go wandering and snooping at the Parade of Homes tonight, too. They are open from 6:30-8:30pm during the week and thru next weekend. We're going to decide later.
I took the garbage out with my green cart this morning. The garbage truck had just been there. People don't put their garbage in sealed up bags and stuff fell all over the ground this time. I saw the garbage man out throwing stuff back in the dumpster and doing a second emptying. What a mess!
Anyways, I am going to go make some coffee....later....
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Sunday-2pm
I forgot to mention that a lady who was in our writers group back when I was in college at MSUM, Lin, called me last Thursday, I believe. Professor Vinz is retiring this year and they were having a goodbye event for him--she wanted to know if I wanted to go later that night. I wasn't having a good week last week and go couldn't that day, but I asked her over to visit tomorrow afternoon. Haven't seen her for years! She's somewhere around my age--can't recall exactly--energetic and funny and bold! Be nice to catch up and find out what she has been up to since she graduated.
I have been watching some Netflix movies the past few days---The Queen:
After Princess Diana's shocking death, Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren, in an Oscar-winning role) and Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) engage in intimate talks as Britain demands the princess be memorialized in a manner beyond standard protocol. This Oscar-nominated drama for Best Picture goes behind the scenes as the queen and prime minister try to manage Diana's death on a personal level while also dealing with a public calling for royal treatment for their beloved princess.
I thought it was very interesting and everybody did a great job--not trying to do obvious imitations of all these living people. It gave the royal family's position so that you understood more where they were coming from when they didn't officially respond right away to Diana's death--with protocol and so on. I could probably make some enemies here, but I wasn't a big Diana fan. I was in the beginning, I suppose--not that I paid a lot of attention, but you couldn't miss the fairy tale coverage of their life. And at first I felt sorry for her--being betrayed and all--but she married into royalty and it really shouldn't have been such a surprise. She hardly knew him--it was more or less an "arranged" marriage--she knew she was there to breed and provide heirs and play her role--come on! She wasn't that stupid--she knew what was expected of her. She loved having the position and she always played carefully into the press--like she should have--until the divorce.
Honestly, what altered my personal opinion of her was that long interview she gave when she was getting divorced--one on one interview--there was something in her face and her eyes. She was not the innocnent that she liked to portray to the public. I thought she was totally manipulating the press and saw this gleam in her eye and tiny smirk escape every now and then--and I felt she was lying and exaggerating specifically for public sympathy. That was my gut level response to her. I had never seen her close up for any length of time, so I had not had an opportunity to really watch her before. I know that is an unpopular belief--but after seeing her up close and personal--I wasn't effected much by her death and all the hoopla. I am glad she did some good in her life--charity work, etc. But I think she may have done it more out of boredom, a need to have something of her own, and to look good to the press--to keep up her own innocent princess identity. She fell in love with her own image and her own press, I think. I think she was a very troubled girl who was a sucker for men of power and position. She figured she had it made when she produced two male heirs, I think. Figured she had worked at maintaining being popular enough with the public that she figured she could go off and do her own thing and divorce (with the public's blessing and sympathy) and be the (future) King and a spare's beloved and revered mother--forever. And she was probably a good mother. She made her bed, but didn't want to lie in it. She knew she was popluar with the press, and she used the divorce as a public battle that she planned to win. Anyways---don't bother to write and defend her to me--I already know it is an unpopular viewpoint--hehe! I can understand her, but I just don't feel as much pity for her as the rest of the world seems to. (Same with Anna Nicole, for that matter. Although Anna did not have quite the global support as Diana did. What has happened to being responsible for your own actions and decisions?)
Anyways, I also watched The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn:
Small-town farmer Noah Dearborn (Sidney Poitier) lives an uncomplicated existence till shady developer Christian Nelson (George Newbern) tries to usurp his family's land. Nelson will do anything to take Noah's property, including hiring a shrink (Mary-Louise Parker) to have him declared insane. What Nelson doesn't anticipate is Noah forming an unbreakable bond with the doctor that proves stronger than anything the land baron can dish out.
This was such a good little feel-good movie--like a Hallmark movie--maybe it was? Sidney Poitier was excellent, as usual.
Marie Antoinette:
Sofia Coppola directs this stylized portrait of Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst), the naive Austrian princess who married Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman) to become queen of France at age 19. The film explores the young queen's luxurious yet terribly confining lifestyle and illustrates how Marie Antoinette's youthful indiscretion and frivolity were not only her release, but ultimately, her very undoing. A Golden Palm nominee at Cannes, the film also took Oscar honors for costume design.
Was like a personal glimpse into the lifestyle and home life--done very well. The only thing that really bothered me was the occasional modern music. Young director. Definitely eye candy--the costumes and decor are amazing! You felt like you understood Marie more and that maybe she got a bad rap because her lifestyle was all she knew and she was cut off from the normal society. Maybe the first person to be the victim of a huge publicity smear campaign??
And then I watched Grey Gardens:
Documentary pioneers the Maysles brothers (Gimme Shelter) capture poignant moments in the lives of Edith Bouvier Beale (Big Edie) and her middle-aged daughter, Little Edie -- relatives of Jackie O -- at their decaying estate, Grey Gardens. The ladies shut out their bleak present by recalling richer times and lost loves, and while Little Edie confides that she'd like to leave, the camera captures a co-dependency destined to continue.
This was a fascinating documentary! I had no idea that Jackie Kennedy Onassis had these realtives living in squalor in an old house that was literally falling apart out in the Hamptons. Jackie actually had to go out there and help clean it up once and legally make enough repairs to let them remain living there. But I had the impression that this documentary took place after that--and the house and grounds were in terrible shape. Cats pooping anywhere and racoons destroying the walls and attic--the daughter was feeding them!! The relationship between this mother and daughter was the focus of the film. They had this love-hate bond that had been established over the years. The mother (Jackie's aunt, I think she was) wanted the daughter to be dependent on her and help her--and yet she managed to insult her frequently. The daughter (who was in her 50s) felt she had wasted her life (her mother kind of pushed her into remaining single) but loved her mother and couldn't leave her--and hated her for it sometimes--and used her as an excuse for not having a life, too. There was a constant conversation, comfortable bickering, and occasional outbursts. Was hypnotic in a strange way--mesmerizing--but sad.
As long as I am probably irritating people today---something in the news lately--Richard Gere mauling Shilpa Shetty in India. I wish he'd get the 30 days in prison! I have always been confused by this man--he is so hypocritical. He claims to be a follower of the Dali Lama and the Bhuddist prinicples--yet he consistently picks movies where he plays horrible human beings and/or are very violent in nature. He insulted Cindy Crawford's intelligence, vocabulary, and claimed to be bored with her after they were married. Well, that says more about him than her! Gere has made many, many trips to India--and yet he has no respect for or understanding of their culture. This was made blatantly obvious by his pawing and smooching all over Shilpa. If this is something that isn't done there--if anybody should know this it would be a man who supposedly has such love and respect for the culture and for other people's religions and for other people's dignity! ??? I saw a snippet of him on some talk show afterwards--totally unapologetic, laughing about it, and poo-pooing it as insignificant to him. He didn't even understand the backlash or make any attempt to. Typical ugly American--no remorse whatsoever. No comprehension or empathy in the real world for where other people are coming from--just a lot of concepts and ideals in their heads. No wonder a lot of people don't like us in other countries....
I don't usually "rant" on my blog. But I will on occasion. If you don't like it--skim.....ROFL!!!
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Saturday-2pm
Friday, April 27, 2007
Friday-11:15am
As you can see, they are lower in the heel than they are in the toes.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Thursday-3pm
I had really overdone it on Tuesday with the sketching (sore), so I was being pretty good yesterday until I did play a little pyramid solitare very late last night. Karma kept me company.
Quiet, warmer day in Fargo. :)
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Wednesday-3:15pm
I got totally lost playing last night--with the Triplus colored pens and the Micron pens! Forgot to set my timer. Am paying for it today, but not as badly as could have been, I guess. :) Will take it easy today. Dagan and Leah are coming after work. Leah is bringing Subway! I will have to pass on crafts tonight. My body is forcing me to take it easy--hehe! I promise I will be good....
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Tuesday-3:45pm
To show you that there is just nothing to walk to around where I live--this is the view from the bus bench looking south.
And this is looking north. Used to be just all flat fields. Now it is all new apartment buildings and residential.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Monday-noon
Watched a movie I really enjoyed yesterday, too--Hollywoodland:
When George Reeves (Ben Affleck), the actor who famously played the Man of Steel in TV's "Adventures of Superman," turns up dead, a dogged private eye (Adrien Brody) investigates and unearths a string of strange secrets. Diane Lane and Bob Hoskins also star in this gritty noir-style drama based on the true story of one of Hollywood's most infamous mysteries, a film that marks television director Allen Coulter's feature film debut.
I liked the fact that they didn't tell you what they thought actually happened, but just put out the possibilities and left you to ponder on your own--because they never did find out if it was murder or suicide. The thing I loved about the film was the time period, the atmosphere, and the interesting details of George Reeves personal life that I didn't know about. It didn't dwell on the Superman series and the movie was basically through the eyes of this detective. I loved how the detective's life was changed by his investigation of Reeves' life. There was a lot more to the movie than I had expected.
Dagan is coming over for lunch. I have some computer questions for him. He'll be here any minute----gotta go! :)
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Earth Day!!! Sunday-4:45pm
Happy Earth Day!!!!!
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Saturday-1:30pm
I haven't gotten a lot done since I came home Monday night--just wrote a few letters and managed to wash clothes. Watched some Netflix movies. Feeling better and more back to normal now. :)
Last night we had a thunderstorm move in. I quick grabbed Karma's porch perch and brought it inside before it got soaked--not thinking that, of course, she was going to want to sit on it inside. Anything new intrigues her.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Wednesday-2pm
Here we are at Mary Lou's kitchen table on Sunday afternoon after we ate. Standing is my son, Dagan. Right in front of him is his wife, Leah. Clockwise--Mary Lou, my aunt, is sitting with her back to the camera. Renee, my younger sister. Denise--Mary Lou and Irving's niece (his brother's daughter) who I call my "kinda cousin"-- :) And Joel, Renee's son.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Friday-2:30am
http://soulcomfortsartisticside.blogspot.com
I know, silly, eh? Obviously the art/sketching/drawing does effect me on a core level, like I said. I even wake up dreaming and thinking about drawing! My subconscious is preoccupied with it, too--ROFL!!
I decided that I had best bring some art materials with--just in case--even if I will probably never touch them while I am there. They are packed. :)
We are leaving about 11am. I am hoping to catch a few more winks before then. Talk to you next week....have a good weekend!!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Thursday-7:30am
Went to look it up on Dick Blick--and come to find out that this one is made by the same company as the Nepal travel sketchbook I just dismantled because I couldn't deal with the paper. I had to laugh!! Both were made by Lama Li (and that company name wasn't on the new journal--only said Savoir Faire). So, I will never buy anything again from that company--hehe!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Wednesday-10am
I was so tired I was in bed by 9:30 last night--but woke up at 3:30 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. Was actually laying there thinking about drawing! Decided to draw the lamp on my headboard with the cool shade. Was harder than I thought--hehe!
I have an easier time drawing from a photo than from real life. So I was up snapping pictures of the different items for the EDM challenges this morning. Then sat down and drew for a while. Nice way to start the day.
Tonight is Sacred Circle. (I may need a nap!) Leah wants to make Eggs Benedict and said she is bringing all the supplies. So, I don't have to worry about making dinner for them, I guess. :) Then on Thursday I have to pack for the trip to Minneapolis!!
Right now--I am off to see if I can throw a little watercolor on the ink sketch I did yesterday...
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Tuesday - 7:45pm
Caroline came and cleaned this afternoon. And Jennifer came by later on after work. I had a whole stack of books for her and she had a few for me. We caught up a little, she showed me her new Ipod, and we watched a movie from Netflix based on the longest running British comedy Last of The Summer Wine. Kind of odd. Three old codgers and a dead body of a friend--strange little movie. Okay, I guess. Not the best of the British--hehe! It was really nice to see Jennifer--been a while!
Yesterday I washed clothes and played around with the new Moleskine sketchbook. I am not going to take photos until I have both pages filled when the book lies open. I also started an ink sketch of a vase and flowers in the rough WC book with the deckled edges. After I get it painted, then I'll take a picture of that one, too. I just think I am too tired to do any artwork tonight. Plan to get to bed early.... :)
Monday, April 09, 2007
Monday-11:30am
Decision number two still plagued me: draw in pencil or pen? I played around on scratch paper with pencil this weekend--which was fun. With pencil I can adjust my shape and perspective errors a bit, but there's something bolder about drawing with pen that pushes my limits, too. My perspective is not perfect, of course, no matter which I use. I couldn't decide. Something wasn't right.
Last night I woke up in the middle of the night and took notes on what came to me:
I shouldn't be thinking of this as strictly a sketchbook--it is my illustrated journal. I should go back to how I felt when I was very young and first writing and drawing. There wasn't a defined difference to me between the drawing and the talking on paper back then. When I first started expressing myself on paper, I was about nine or ten years old. I went off alone with paper and pencil when I was upset, confused, joyous, pondering, frustrated, bored--didn't really have anybody I could talk to. I always felt that my guardian angel was kind of over my right shoulder--watching over me and helping me to see less selfishly and with a more spiritual perspective (whether I liked it or not--hehe!). It was just me and God and paper. Well, and God's representative, I should say--hehe! I thought of it as going to my safe place.
I remember writing around and around something until my perspective changed and it became clearer to me and I could find some answers, some peace. Or I just plain wanted to share my joy and excitement over something. And while I sat thinking (inbetween talking on paper)--I drew and doodled and sketched.
I woke up chuckling--thinking that paper is like a creativity "bib" for me. It catches everything that falls out of my mouth--my head--my eyes--my ears.....and it covers my heart. :)
Anyways, I am not afraid of the pristine journal anymore. It doesn't matter what I use to draw with--pencil, pens, colored pencils--whatever strikes my fancy. I could use something different every time--every page. There are no rules! No lines! It is my own space--my safe place. I can choose to share or not share. Freedom!!
Have a wonderful day!!!
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Saturday-4:15pm
The green square one to the left and the black one with the blue band are sketch journals with drawing paper. The other three are watercolor journals--the light green one, lower center, has rough, deckled edge paper. I am all set now!
Friday, April 06, 2007
Friday-2:30pm
...lots of room inside the front flap for all sorts of small things--and pen slots. There's even a key clip on the end of the small black strap tucked into the top pocket.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Thursday-3:45pm
Don't worry (not that you would--ha!), I will always post my art pictures in here, too--never fear. :) So, if you don't want to hear more about art and mediums and paper and pens and art supplies--don't bother to check the other one--ha!
I went shopping with Leah at about 4:15 and she left here close to 7pm. I stocked up at Target on things that aren't that exciting to buy, but you need, like toilet paper and kleenex. Got Miss Gracie some seed and millet sprays--Karma got some kitty litter--but I even had enough left over to get a few cans of my favorite french vanilla coffee!! Thanks Blaine and Kathy for my birthday trip to Target! Gracie and Karma thank you, too. :)
My head was so stuffed up and my ears were plugged. I realized that I must have been shouting when I talked to Leah all night. I felt like I was hollering down a long tunnel--sad! Still have plugged ears today, too.
Leah went to her first pottery class Tuesday night. Here it had been cancelled due to the snow storm--(radio and TV announcements which she'd never be aware of)--but Leah and two others showed up. The teacher happened to be there, anyways--so they had like an extra little private class!! Cool! She said she made a couple of things already--they will still have the full eight more classes, too. And she found out that she can go there any night and play on her own for the whole eight weeks!! Awesome!
Anyways, she was wondering what she should make. Well, I had a ton of easy ideas for her! We could use little pots to hold brushes and small and large ones to hold water for painting. And I have all those coffee cups around the house filled with pens that I would gladly trade for something from my wonderful daughter-in-law. Good grief! Just those items could keep her busy for some time! And she can play with the shapes and the glazes--and each one can be different. Now she is all excited!! Me, too!!! Here's a shot of most of the brushes at my place--watercolor, miniatures, and junk brushes. All the acrylic and oil brushes are over at Dagan and Leah's place. I have been collecting brushes for years--for crafts and then because I always knew I wanted to learn to paint. The blue and brown pot in the front with the finger dents I bought from a local potter, actually. Love it. Imagine how I'll love the pots from Leah!! :)
The snow was blowing so hard that it covered the entire porch--right thru the screen--all the way to covering the little metal table and the covered metal chair. Karma kept begging to go out yesterday to eat snow. I think she enjoys getting cold for some reason?
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Wednesday-6:45am
I want to go for another reason--to hear about Leah's first pottery class last night!! Exciting! She will be going for eight weeks on Tuesday nights. (Vicarious joy for me--something I would love to have been able to do, too.)
Yesterday, since I have been feeling so punkish, it came to me that I could order the Office Max stuff online and get free delivery because it would be over $50.00. So, I went ahead and ordered--it was meant to be--got a free 12-pack of AA batteries for ordering the HP ink cartridges online. :) They have a confusing tracking system, tho--and I have no clue when it will be arriving and whether it is all coming at once? Some items say 1-3 days and some say 7-14 days? Oh well, I am not in any immediate hurry for the items, actually. Still have a little of everything--a little printer ink left (black at least), a couple legal pads left...
Since I had birthday money in March, I also ordered a pair of earth shoes. I have been thinking about them for a long time. Since the heel is lower than the toes, it just might be good for my plantar fasciitis and help with walking longer at a time? I was confused by the European sizing and hope I got the right size? I wrote them a note to that effect, in case I got it wrong. We'll see. Couldn't resist--got some clunky tie on shoes called "Hippies" in denium--chuckle! So "me"! I have visions of walking about this summer in my hippie shoes with my sketchbooks and journals and pens....ahh! (Please Lord! Such small things give me such great joy!)
Well, we had snow--blowing, drifting snow. It had been like spring, but winter returned for a while. Won't last long, tho, this late in the season. It is blowing so much this morning I can't tell if it is actually still snowing or the wind is just battering the snow around out there? I suppose I could turn on the TV and watch the weather, but you can tell it is cold and yucky out by looking out the window--ha!
I am hoping to get another EDM drawing challenge done today. And I want to start a new art blog just for pictures and art related stuff. I will still post all my pictures on my personal blog, too--never fear. But if I have a specific art blog, then I can contribute to the conversations and the mega blog link with the EDM website! My goodness! How my life has changed since Dagan and Leah gave me their old digital camera, eh? hehehehe! Have a good one!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Tuesday-6:30am
This paper -- (it is from Nepal--ran across the description as I made an order for sketchbooks this morning) -- is terrible for watercolors. It just sucks up the water and gets all soggy. This morning I ordered some watercolor sketchbooks and some sketchbooks with regular paper from Dick Blick. This book will have to be strictly for dry medium.
During the night Sunday night Miss Karma, my string loving cat, destroyed the elastic band that holds the Nepal sketchbook together. I hope it snapped her good!