I Blog, Therefore I Am

I seem to have too many ideas for one head. My right brain and left brain seem to have very different agendas, and I am oddly caught in the middle. The inner geek , despite lack of confidence and experience, has the challenge of mastering the fine points of website building. Well, yeah, I could hire someone. But how would I find someone who would understand the other part of this endeavor. That would be design, and they’d have to answer to the right side of my brain. I keep looking at the computer screen like it’s a canvas or a sketch pad. Which in and of itself is not a bad thing. But while I know what to do with a brush or pens or crayons et al, all I have to work with is these funny little buttons on a keyboard. I have spent this entire summer exploring what is truly within the realm of my possibilities. Some of it has been surprisingly easy; other ventures have left me vexed beyond my capacities. All of it has eaten away at my time and energy. Much of it has caused neglect to other priorities. You should see what’s piled up on my kitchen table. Um, no, you probably should not.
But there has been progress, and I have produced evidence to prove it. And I have also learned something besides the building of websites. Blogging is more than a journal. It has a therapeutic value in that it can help sift through the chaos, clarify some of the thoughts. I’m not sure if that is a left brain accomplishment, or an actual collaboration between both the right and left hemispheres. I am wondering if any other artists /bloggers have noticed this effect. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what YOU think!

Reflections

Albert Einstein said: ’Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.’ So how does that relate to the deaths of two American icons in one day? Everyone seems to have an opinion, good or bad, on these two people. I think that at one time, Michael Jackson was a talented and electrifying performer, but he became a victim of his own fame. I think Farah Fawcett was a beautiful actress but her tumultuous relationships took a large toll on her life. Both of these people lived in celebrity fish bowls, hounded by paparazzi with their lives defined by hype and media speculation. But quoting the ever brilliant Einstein again, ‘Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish. ‘
It may just be Divine Intervention that neither funeral will be attended by ALL the press. It may still be a circus but the media will have to divide their camps, thereby affording each family a little more space for their grief.

My little space is not going to be too focused on either. I am going to be pondering my Mom, who left us 9 years ago this weekend. I still miss her. Grief never really goes away (how could it? the Love doesn’t go away), you just learn how to manage it better. I know she is with God, and by staying close to Him, I can still stay close to her.
Tomorrow I will post a story about her called ‘The Queen of the Radishes’, with a painting I did in her memory. Stay tuned….

Father's Day

Today is Father’s Day. My father is a teacher, a veritable fountain of knowledge, now retired. Way back in the day, I attempted to ‘sing his praises’ with a hand-painted plaque. Perhaps it was a Father’s Day present…

Despite being retired for some time now, Dad continues to learn. He recently enrolled in a course of independent study on cosmology. Before that it was a course about Egypt.

But the lessons I’ve appreciated the most are
1.) the ones about prejudice not being a good thing; it has taught me about tolerance and acceptance.
2.) the ones about using all one’s resources; it has taught me to always keep looking for answers.
3.) the ones about being able to make the very worst puns possible at any given moment. It has taught me the power of laughter.

Thanks Dad, and Happy Father’s Day!