tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73791450169232428782024-03-12T16:20:33.899-07:00the artist's wifeJohannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-43145492127086886882014-09-10T17:00:00.000-07:002014-10-02T15:19:46.458-07:00Obsessed: Pride and Prejudice <div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1HgGI-SQWL9RHJ_7ql1KA-8s9gAxT0vlLjCvhOC6IYnfQij2DlpZl4uSmVtAsq8kVIzkOlQzBGxYXN49LBn-z3GsoV2Anyi9WCBwCw1QkzOqxA8ilYZvB-hcoQrfAAeyYagWCMEuZ1Bv/s1600/9781843440710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1HgGI-SQWL9RHJ_7ql1KA-8s9gAxT0vlLjCvhOC6IYnfQij2DlpZl4uSmVtAsq8kVIzkOlQzBGxYXN49LBn-z3GsoV2Anyi9WCBwCw1QkzOqxA8ilYZvB-hcoQrfAAeyYagWCMEuZ1Bv/s1600/9781843440710.jpg" height="400" width="248" /></a>Confession—I tend to have an obsessive personality and my
obsessions come in the form of addictions.
Fortunately for me, my addictions are relatively benign in nature.
Instead of drugs or gambling, my addictions are to stories. Maybe infatuation is a better word to describe
what happens to me when a story takes a hold on me—when I don’t want to say
good bye to its characters and I have an insatiable need for more information
about their lives and their world. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Exhibit A: In the summer months my infatuation tends towards
True Blood (totally guilty pleasure). During week in between new episodes, I am
compelled to read books from Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series that the
show is based on—I can’t do without the characters for the painful seven days
between episodes. That’s just one
example…there have been many more over the years including, Lost, West Wing,
and Anne of Green Gables. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My current infatuation, which has grown to a full blown
obsession, is for Jane Austen’s <i>Pride and
Prejudice</i>. It began quietly over a
year ago and has snowballed into what is arguably a sickness. Prior to my
current obsession, I’d read <i>Pride and
Prejudice </i>a couple of times (years ago) and I’d seen every movie/TV
adaptions—but I was never this captivated. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In spring of 2013 my friend, Anita lent me <i>Austenland</i> by Shannon Hale—that was the
being. It was an enjoyable, quick read, and when the movie adaptation came out in August 2013 I was excited to see it. After seeing the movie, I was inspired to read
original <i>Pride and Prejudice </i>again<i>. </i>This read—my third—had an entirely new
effect on me. I was hooked on Elizabeth
and Darcy. Not only was I sad to put the
book down—I missed my new friends immediately—but I felt like Miss Austen left
me hanging. So much was left unsaid and I
had two burning questions: 1) What happens next? And 2) what were Elizabeth and
Darcy (especially Darcy) thinking and feeling? Miss Austen did not deeply
explore the internal lives of her characters—at least not at level that I could
find satisfying. I wanted to know more about their motivations, thoughts, and
feelings. And furthermore, I could not help but notice the total lack of
mention of physical contact between the characters. I know that is indicative
of the time in which the novel was penned, but come on…not even an accidental
touching of hands? It must have happened and isn’t it delicious to think about
what that would have been like for Elizabeth and Darcy? It would have been positively
electric I should think. At any rate, I had questions and I wanted more…<o:p></o:p></div>
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Since that fateful re-read 13 months ago I’ve read <i>Pride and Prejudice </i>a fourth time, watched
the 1995 BBC adaptation countless times, and read approximately ninety works of
P&P fan fiction. Yup, you read that right—ninety. Not nine, not nineteen—nine zero. My journey into fanfiction has taught me few
things—the two most important being the growing availability self-publishing
options means reading fanfiction can be dodgy, and when it comes to P&P
fanfiction there are several varies out there.
The first variety is the sequel answering—usually in a spicy way— the
burning question: what happens next? The second variety shifts the perspective and
retells the story from the point of view of a character other than
Elizabeth—usually Darcy—and answers the question: what were they thinking and
feeling? The third variety is the “what if?” retelling, which answers the
question I didn’t even know I had: what if one element of the story unfolded a
differently than in the original? <o:p></o:p></div>
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I started my journey with a few sequels, which mostly turned
out to be bodice rippers complete with all the clichés—highwaymen, kidnapping,
daring rescues, sword fights, uncomfortable euphemisms for body parts, and
well…bodice ripping. All in all, not satisfying. Next I moved on to retellings
from Darcy’s point of view. I liked some
of these more, but I still needed something further. Finally, I discovered the
P&P “what if” stories, which have become my favorite. They tend to do a good job of offering
insight into the characters motivations while telling a new story and
preventing boredom. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But, as I mentioned before, a lot of fanfiction is
self-published and that means it is often not good. Many are poorly written
and/or poorly edited. I’m going to give
you a list of the books and authors that I like so you can avoid all the
rubbish. (Disclaimer—none of these books are great works of literature. Don’t
expect anything more than a light, fun read) Here they are: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Books—</b></div>
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</div>
<ol>
<li><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Stronger
Even Than Pride</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> by Gail McEwen. In my opinion, this book is under rated by
online reviewers.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Something happens in
the story that many fans don’t like, but I think the story is romantic and sexy.</span></li>
<li><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The
Subsequent Proposal: A Tale of Pride, Prejudice, and Persuasion</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> by Joana
Starnes. This book imagines a new story with both the characters from P&P
and from one of Miss Austen’s other novels, <i>Persuasion</i>. </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Personally, I think any book that has both
Darcy and Captain Wentworth in it is a good book.</span></li>
<li><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Mr.
Darcy’s Pursuit </i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">by Rose Lyons</span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">. </i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Ok, this is a little bit of a bodice ripper,
but it’s fun read that takes Elizabeth and Darcy to India. I could not put this
one down.</span></li>
<li><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The
Confessions of Fitzwilliam Darcy </i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">by Mary Street</span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">. </i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">This is by far the best retelling from Darcy’s point of view.
It’s insightful and romantic.</span></li>
</ol>
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<b>Authors—</b></div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Abigail Reynolds. Ms. Reynolds is one of the
most popular and well established P&P fanfiction writers out there—and with
good reason. Her books can get a bit racy, but they are well written, inventive,
and generally good fun. I just wish she’d stop using the word “minx.” I hate
that word.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I would recommend her books </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Pemberley Medley</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (a collection of short
stories) and </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The Darcy’s of Derbyshire</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">. </span></li>
</ol>
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Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-86049506357943599912014-03-10T08:31:00.000-07:002014-03-10T08:32:28.966-07:00I'm Back...<div class="MsoNormal">
Well here we are, almost three months into 2014 and I haven’t blog
in well over a year—not a single post in 2013. But that wasn’t for a lack of
thing to blog about. 2013 was a very busy year. Here’s a little summary of all
the things I neglected to blog about. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I started 2013 with a bang and started graduate school. I’m
currently in my fourth semester of the Master of Strategic Communication at
Westminster College. My studies have kept me extremely busy and the work has
been stressful—but also rewarding and fun. So far I’ve learned about rhetorical and
persuasive writing, crisis communication, grammar and editing, and
organizational communication. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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My studies took up most of my free time in 2013, but I still
some time learning to produce more and purchase less. At the end of the summer I spent hours
canning and preserving vegetables from my garden. I made pickled beets, green tomato relish,
and spicy tomato jam. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Charley’s nephew got married, and we were invited to his
costumed wedding. We went as Fantastic
Mr. and Mrs. Fox and I decided to make our costumes by hand. I sewed my dress
using a vintage pattern—this was the most complicated thing I’ve ever sewed and
I need help from my mom and friend Anita, but it came out great. I assembled Charley’s attire from second-hand
item and clothes he already had. I handmade our masks with faux fur, cheap
Mardi Gras masks, aerosol fabric paint, and a lot of glue. I was very pleased
with the end result, even though everyone though our costumes had something to
do with the “What does the Fox Say?” video…GRRR!!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Charley’s year was just as busy as mine. He had two shows
within the calendar year. The first was in Palm Desert last February, and the
second was in Park City last month. Both shows were successful. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This year I am resolved to write more, so stay tuned for
more posts soon. <o:p></o:p></div>
Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-7409384100553479042012-09-16T15:56:00.002-07:002012-09-19T15:26:54.140-07:00Too Many Tomatoes...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pqHXuUz9uMg/UFZAN82pImI/AAAAAAAABjw/QYIuJtrPEps/s1600/IMG_0265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pqHXuUz9uMg/UFZAN82pImI/AAAAAAAABjw/QYIuJtrPEps/s400/IMG_0265.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
This summer was long and hot...which is apparently the prefect weather for growing a garden. Our garden grow into a jungle this year and we have more tomatoes than we know what to do with—I've been picking a pound or two a day since the beginning of August. So, I had to come up with a couple of easy ways to use and preserve this amazing bounty (and waste as like as possible). <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Fresh Sauce </b></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8LkDnJS9p-A/UFZLHbtQUUI/AAAAAAAABkg/9FH7edkGilA/s1600/spilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8LkDnJS9p-A/UFZLHbtQUUI/AAAAAAAABkg/9FH7edkGilA/s400/spilt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I planted two varieties of cherry tomatoes this year and they produce more fruit than the other varieties I planted. We've had so many, I could have stocked the local grocery store—there is no way we could eat them all ourselves.<br />
<br />
I came up with a very easy way to use them and store them for later...freezable pasta sauce. This sauce has a wonderful fresh taste that really showcases the flavor of the sweet little tomatoes...and it's fat free! It could not be more simple to make. Here's how to do it:<br />
<br />
1 to 2 pounds of cherry tomatoes<br />
3 to 6 cloves of garlic, peeled<br />
6 to 10 leafs of fresh basil<br />
1 tsp crush red pepper flakes (or to taste)<br />
1 to 2 tsp <u>white</u> pepper<br />
Salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br />
Blend the tomatoes, basil, and garlic in a food processor and then pour them into a large sauce pan. Heat the tomato liquid over medium heat. Once the liquid is cooking add the other ingredients. Cook it until the liquid thickens up—about an hour.<br />
<br />
At this point, you can either serve it over pasta, or add chicken stock and cream to make a soup. What ever you don't use can be frozen and used throughout the winter. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Freezing Instead of Canning</b></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GH30WXMXdvk/UFZASj16NSI/AAAAAAAABkM/a5LROXhp3CM/s1600/IMG_0360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GH30WXMXdvk/UFZASj16NSI/AAAAAAAABkM/a5LROXhp3CM/s400/IMG_0360.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I planted two Roma tomato plants with the intention of canning them, but I discovered a much better way to preserve them...freezing!<br />
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Canning is labor intensive and you need a lot of ripe tomatoes on hand at one time. My Roma plants have produced lots of fruit, but I have not had a great enough quantity of ripe tomatoes at the same time to make canning worth while. Freezing has worked out for me much better because I can do small batches. Once or twice a week I freeze what's on hand.<br />
<br />
The process is simple. Blanch them in boiling water for about 1 minute, peel them, pop them in a freezer bag, and done! Since I started preserving my Romas this way, I've discover this works for the large heirloom varieties I have too. <br />
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Now I'm looking forward to a winter filled with yummy sauces, soups, and stews made with summer fresh tomatoes from my own backyard!Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-29334301069562725522012-08-21T21:57:00.000-07:002012-12-03T14:11:55.292-08:00Bye Bye Long TressesWhen Charley and I got engaged three years ago I started to grow my hair for the wedding. At the time my hair was short—about chin length. I'd worn it short for many many years, but I wanted to wear it up for our wedding, so I started to grow it.<br />
<br />
After the wedding I'd grown attached to it and kept growing it. I'd heard about organizations like Locks of Love and considered donating it as some point—but then a one night last summer, while I was surfing YouTube for videos of my favorite band (the Avett Brothers, of course) I came across this video and I was inspired:<br />
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<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iNlVbMCQMks" width="560"></iframe>
This was the first time I'd heard of <a href="http://www.wigsforkids.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=128" target="_blank">Wigs for Kids</a>. I did a little research and what I learned made me sure Wigs for Kids was the charity I wanted to give my hair to. They work with salons around the country to give kids who suffer from hair loss (do to cancer treatment or conditions like alopecia) wigs, hairpieces, or hair prosthetics—whatever they need—completely free of charge. Amazing!<br />
<br />
The only problem was Wigs for Kids requires more hair for donation than other charities—12 inches, which is 2 inches more than Locks of Love. So I'd have to stick it out longer. Last summer, when I decided to donate to Wigs for Kids, I had about 6 inches in length. Thirteen month later, and almost all of the way through this wickedly hot summer, I finally had enough hair to make the donation. Hooray!<br />
<br />
Here's a few pictures of the big day:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0sy7vQoAeBcu4G2NZPomKuIUSStQzreWbptaGT7xiI6KXDTphc-Z5TwBjOU9Us5zQlv1XTm5WT-6A-JIt7HiYZ6NpiRGkVG88qwmNPOPO5FY-dDwFhgh2o56i4dxnWbCt4F83Yue_xix/s1600/IMG_3497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0sy7vQoAeBcu4G2NZPomKuIUSStQzreWbptaGT7xiI6KXDTphc-Z5TwBjOU9Us5zQlv1XTm5WT-6A-JIt7HiYZ6NpiRGkVG88qwmNPOPO5FY-dDwFhgh2o56i4dxnWbCt4F83Yue_xix/s400/IMG_3497.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipcF75BcfGxtZw3Q8xdolifTFaNJw4TGIL7O9-a6AO3J-O4H13RFHPYdkQglt0_VY48fEf0Mrrlv3XXLvu0MyLSRW7kkeTJ7dDoEyFRBYqSun6470fkqqSAmMHLxMWfoCuBCqRCjQ1mRQz/s1600/IMG_3499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipcF75BcfGxtZw3Q8xdolifTFaNJw4TGIL7O9-a6AO3J-O4H13RFHPYdkQglt0_VY48fEf0Mrrlv3XXLvu0MyLSRW7kkeTJ7dDoEyFRBYqSun6470fkqqSAmMHLxMWfoCuBCqRCjQ1mRQz/s400/IMG_3499.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlB0zoM2LirFjO51OkDC6JA8_TUIb5NViRC1ew8iOqD7RXxfgZvl-VdgbiJ7QEEuFyLee15NIaqFepcMYQ57OBqzvEn0-ZjSCIHcht4Ld9WYAhF7vTONwj50d2deoySl-r9AvWHi81AkyM/s1600/IMG_3500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlB0zoM2LirFjO51OkDC6JA8_TUIb5NViRC1ew8iOqD7RXxfgZvl-VdgbiJ7QEEuFyLee15NIaqFepcMYQ57OBqzvEn0-ZjSCIHcht4Ld9WYAhF7vTONwj50d2deoySl-r9AvWHi81AkyM/s400/IMG_3500.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrghFBO9Wq2lRM7ugfyRjTFB8KkFm5NyjVaefj3NUgYW2dCTMcQ9d0iyU5o6vccsnBEBI_Dd30Achb3oIR553eutWg3hwuCJd2P31uoZ9RAaiVcM0FFedxCP-1etEQDSPVma4bfbIhok-k/s1600/IMG_3501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrghFBO9Wq2lRM7ugfyRjTFB8KkFm5NyjVaefj3NUgYW2dCTMcQ9d0iyU5o6vccsnBEBI_Dd30Achb3oIR553eutWg3hwuCJd2P31uoZ9RAaiVcM0FFedxCP-1etEQDSPVma4bfbIhok-k/s400/IMG_3501.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I have to say, it was much more emotional to part with my hair than I thought it would be. I'm more of a short hair kind of a gal, but I guess I'd become attached. It was part of me, I suppose. But it was also a relief to get rid of it—I felt like I was myself again. And it was exhilarating to know that I was doing something that would help some child somewhere rebuild their self esteem. What a crazy mix of emotions. But well worth it. In fact, I've just decided, I'm going to do it again. And I invite you to join me...in fact, I challenge you to join me. If you're game, let me know...maybe we can get a fundraiser event in the works. <br />
<br />
Thanks to Wigs for Kids for the great work you're doing and thanks to the Avett Brothers and Crackerfarm for inspiring me. Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-32520345455291535362012-08-10T19:07:00.000-07:002012-09-23T20:43:06.014-07:00Introducing Alice!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmMZx_o99cMe9W1GI_myKMF7lL6_Zr6kZVXu5d70xJR2ohWRxBWkWZCNK_wjjMqohVFOSKu_OHcdWB7HjYxcyHPbwRG1T5egio6ImQEdvPOKLZ-KSOT2b7gQWNuieLSuepptC0NDjg9gZ/s1600/IMG_3366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmMZx_o99cMe9W1GI_myKMF7lL6_Zr6kZVXu5d70xJR2ohWRxBWkWZCNK_wjjMqohVFOSKu_OHcdWB7HjYxcyHPbwRG1T5egio6ImQEdvPOKLZ-KSOT2b7gQWNuieLSuepptC0NDjg9gZ/s400/IMG_3366.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWWUadvlwrWzzASQn50suQHAdIwv-BDqL6IluLC8hCUr3VuDGKd0qyNSV1Xove16ut4sAbTwQ9bejQ9lw8eVr9Yio4fr_OYIZwECNBKyTB2syb0cioRDvLZXSvoZBRFDP8M9yhyphenhyphenr1-XET/s1600/IMG_8988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWWUadvlwrWzzASQn50suQHAdIwv-BDqL6IluLC8hCUr3VuDGKd0qyNSV1Xove16ut4sAbTwQ9bejQ9lw8eVr9Yio4fr_OYIZwECNBKyTB2syb0cioRDvLZXSvoZBRFDP8M9yhyphenhyphenr1-XET/s400/IMG_8988.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Last month Charley and I welcomed a new member to the family. Her name is Alice, and she's the most adorable puppy you've ever seen. She's a Pug/Boston Terrier mix...sometimes referred to as a Pugston or Bug. We've had her for a month and she's already double in size. She's a handful, but she's also loads of fun.Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-8696839684815101142012-05-25T09:52:00.001-07:002012-05-25T15:42:28.970-07:00The Work of Vivian Maier<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzN1hhN03CPwYfXy1FwR7Ky-jFO5NjnjvkppBP7fpDbQezkhCn2uYpkn0X9XbMChrDXcKYZFwG_8lhSv410eL9BloENHG76h7PWYqCHNlyNsygdhPj7p0tKgyvkG8CPoVfSxCFQJnSQsh/s1600/maier+5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzN1hhN03CPwYfXy1FwR7Ky-jFO5NjnjvkppBP7fpDbQezkhCn2uYpkn0X9XbMChrDXcKYZFwG_8lhSv410eL9BloENHG76h7PWYqCHNlyNsygdhPj7p0tKgyvkG8CPoVfSxCFQJnSQsh/s320/maier+5.jpeg" title="vivian maier" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vivian Maier - Self Portrait</td></tr>
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A few weeks ago Charley and I attend a taping of <a href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/464/invisible-made-visible" target="_blank">This American Life</a> beamed live into our local movie theater. It was fantastic! It included all the wonderful elements you usually get on the radio show, plus dynamite visual elements like dance and film. The show was great from start to finish, but if I had to pick a favorite part it would have to be the segment about <a href="http://www.vivianmaier.com/" target="_blank">Vivian Maier</a>, who, until that evening I'd never heard of. I find her photography and her story fascinating. </div>
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Vivian Maier may be one of the greatest street photographers of the twentieth century, but until recently her work and talent were undiscovered. She spent most of her life working as a nanny for several families in the Chicago area. She was a loner and a hoarder who was known to speak her mind. In her free time she strolled the streets, snapping thousands of photos with her Rolleiflex—photos that she never shared with anyone. No one saw the beautiful, haunting images she captured until 2007, when over 100,000 of her negatives were discovered in a storage locker auction. </div>
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Here are some of her amazing photos: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXG2LImm3nF2J2MeLT0IGAHBlpo7lBfAJTTnH2QyABc3VvB8OJmQKsj2fP7o8RrF99mHTujVredNXXOOelrrwtyv7qmBtnoXhObZJXQdd38DTeQ6R6yY1AVa2PWNkbBTc6y5B5P6sY6R7/s1600/maier+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXG2LImm3nF2J2MeLT0IGAHBlpo7lBfAJTTnH2QyABc3VvB8OJmQKsj2fP7o8RrF99mHTujVredNXXOOelrrwtyv7qmBtnoXhObZJXQdd38DTeQ6R6yY1AVa2PWNkbBTc6y5B5P6sY6R7/s400/maier+1.jpeg" title="vivian maier" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5QnLuiTsaJmuYcL1VgmFVB0eS3Pw27w-8eDVtPbmINS2LGRKz82VkxeAF05ABk1VYlwa1ND-Bydksqh_XX2TykONIiwoBlcL8CgZD0qOfiM6kdnPgWuPC2BbTv8L_ou7fx354a39P7sg/s1600/maier+10.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5QnLuiTsaJmuYcL1VgmFVB0eS3Pw27w-8eDVtPbmINS2LGRKz82VkxeAF05ABk1VYlwa1ND-Bydksqh_XX2TykONIiwoBlcL8CgZD0qOfiM6kdnPgWuPC2BbTv8L_ou7fx354a39P7sg/s400/maier+10.jpeg" title="vivian maier" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_iNxYuBfR0mdg9NK1SNzdNlrKolJGP4Fh_3CHzcQUFGH-ABoCslm_XrTOV5L_v0F85ujFCABmnTKlPmeAazuUe7NXgrYUyKxnwQ6MHtbnrxgrcSmrsRa3Ff1qlXM7XFhPIAuDWREwKcN/s1600/maier+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_iNxYuBfR0mdg9NK1SNzdNlrKolJGP4Fh_3CHzcQUFGH-ABoCslm_XrTOV5L_v0F85ujFCABmnTKlPmeAazuUe7NXgrYUyKxnwQ6MHtbnrxgrcSmrsRa3Ff1qlXM7XFhPIAuDWREwKcN/s400/maier+2.jpeg" title="vivian maier" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU54_LT_dWlKWcQ45t87nH5awlBS7jcimaXflfaiZAHRvnaDlTp3OSsDxycjxsZYwcagBAO1oQd1YGzWNxvk7ZiIaylSm4TFR5Yff0PC25qL61tLuGZwLvFuWXE_3kxzkHTaOf7ZN8vDTy/s1600/maier+3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU54_LT_dWlKWcQ45t87nH5awlBS7jcimaXflfaiZAHRvnaDlTp3OSsDxycjxsZYwcagBAO1oQd1YGzWNxvk7ZiIaylSm4TFR5Yff0PC25qL61tLuGZwLvFuWXE_3kxzkHTaOf7ZN8vDTy/s400/maier+3.jpeg" title="vivian maier" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6k-RV5Kaa7H9JbEiHXt9j68Feetc3dUeQAW3oYSqj_Wp8jVrub3uPLVSF7oux-z10SCcO-9Dw-BODFoMrVMLCom0vvrhsYzC2dJg_2tPuQLklUM1hxAT4n5-WS52pg6mEGrWjqXjA0KC/s1600/maier+4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6k-RV5Kaa7H9JbEiHXt9j68Feetc3dUeQAW3oYSqj_Wp8jVrub3uPLVSF7oux-z10SCcO-9Dw-BODFoMrVMLCom0vvrhsYzC2dJg_2tPuQLklUM1hxAT4n5-WS52pg6mEGrWjqXjA0KC/s400/maier+4.jpeg" title="vivian maier" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBRY82D3RKQ5rD5ZYiVettORIXIZa3KplClgGUQkW3pjE04JCMYgkAt734PsqiuKTUAUvdlZD-BOjLUlY4IAAQVdmRMLY493oJoXWFVw6HEqeJVBrLymQwuhjwqg_HDy1S4H3UiP0xK4f/s1600/maier+6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBRY82D3RKQ5rD5ZYiVettORIXIZa3KplClgGUQkW3pjE04JCMYgkAt734PsqiuKTUAUvdlZD-BOjLUlY4IAAQVdmRMLY493oJoXWFVw6HEqeJVBrLymQwuhjwqg_HDy1S4H3UiP0xK4f/s400/maier+6.jpeg" title="vivian maier " width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHoqjCdErFsgIvqnjFgQWCujDAT8wW4jUS3DOP1VXqNQNX9t69YLzYGdF4GhfG0VlChz6QacjhU61dRqpcHw1rhsAWl9YtjAtXm4owjtf98YslZrvCnGoT_jwfjKj_Hf-dGVsWfz5R02m/s1600/maier+7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHoqjCdErFsgIvqnjFgQWCujDAT8wW4jUS3DOP1VXqNQNX9t69YLzYGdF4GhfG0VlChz6QacjhU61dRqpcHw1rhsAWl9YtjAtXm4owjtf98YslZrvCnGoT_jwfjKj_Hf-dGVsWfz5R02m/s400/maier+7.jpeg" title="vivian maier" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5PjkMWuxGYJY236WLy24d14LIRL4vMKgV2Ubez8BajNXTHfLHP-6zyDPLa3OeQuxx_VZwD1G8FQncDVwibotqZZvGXdz6NmXbfSrBlRfE17Z0RaFpr9mZ0GI37PsIFDEhZMJ9B6Xr2iW/s1600/maier+8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5PjkMWuxGYJY236WLy24d14LIRL4vMKgV2Ubez8BajNXTHfLHP-6zyDPLa3OeQuxx_VZwD1G8FQncDVwibotqZZvGXdz6NmXbfSrBlRfE17Z0RaFpr9mZ0GI37PsIFDEhZMJ9B6Xr2iW/s400/maier+8.jpeg" title="vivian maier" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAapZsARSZxwgFvlQ_uJBq_-6DiK-B74V411Jh-GAbdMjl4SfB6vJdA02iMZ2U5gnnGQr0cPodFG-EqvK1_GhBXP1yoa0YPT62caBbPr8PrI0FF33hyphenhyphenvMNC_KYSmIaM5LrTIeQlOWoJKuN/s1600/maier+9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAapZsARSZxwgFvlQ_uJBq_-6DiK-B74V411Jh-GAbdMjl4SfB6vJdA02iMZ2U5gnnGQr0cPodFG-EqvK1_GhBXP1yoa0YPT62caBbPr8PrI0FF33hyphenhyphenvMNC_KYSmIaM5LrTIeQlOWoJKuN/s400/maier+9.jpeg" title="vivian maier" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-23365854265731461882012-05-24T09:25:00.000-07:002012-05-25T14:03:38.429-07:00AntiGravity Yoga at Westminster College<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is one of the reasons I love my job at <a href="http://www.westminstercollege.edu/" target="_blank">Westminster College</a>. Yesterday I got to try AntiGravity Yoga as part of a demonstration for the local media. Westminster is currently the only college/university offering Antigravity Yoga classes in the U.S. Our instructor, Tamer Begum, is a Westminster student and is the nephew of AntiGravity creator, Chris Harrison. </div>
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The class was so much fun...and a great full body workout. I'm pretty sore today. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqNC_W1GC9YXZxr3D4mj3mNIeZtRw0aBnzp5NIb6r6JEOv1_Zyj0oS6am7KRCctgLKElCCIvoAj25hrjl9_978OTleM0ePNwIOSzHZeNzKSmQ3EaHmfgUh2KzJ8NKI7Mf4IY36emdYS15/s1600/AG+Yoga+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Westminster College" border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqNC_W1GC9YXZxr3D4mj3mNIeZtRw0aBnzp5NIb6r6JEOv1_Zyj0oS6am7KRCctgLKElCCIvoAj25hrjl9_978OTleM0ePNwIOSzHZeNzKSmQ3EaHmfgUh2KzJ8NKI7Mf4IY36emdYS15/s400/AG+Yoga+3.jpg" title="Antigravity Yoga" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That me in the front (Photo: Ravell Call, Deseret News)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwDCkm2OXHVocRkgZc_tQ3DKEKiV388IEtlpgsqhNXygyKv9L5IPimI1s1Sr9YYp0JChuYrMctSw81JMSvyInoTq_qMWA22HNsYxHTFwJK1OB_H71eKHTsn8j0EPXndYctP9A4p9oIBrn/s1600/AG+Yoga+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Westminster College" border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwDCkm2OXHVocRkgZc_tQ3DKEKiV388IEtlpgsqhNXygyKv9L5IPimI1s1Sr9YYp0JChuYrMctSw81JMSvyInoTq_qMWA22HNsYxHTFwJK1OB_H71eKHTsn8j0EPXndYctP9A4p9oIBrn/s400/AG+Yoga+1.jpg" title="Antigravity Yoga" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo: Ravell Call, Deseret News)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIivuZ62XgX5iTiTyUoAWpGpsS8s-q_3GdThlvyyjvb4Z6mdsPFz-7wsYSN76X8KB5SV8kVhS6q6AUyamhBv4aaWLo_tM2llG7OfK6R9AvX8oa6JyB5IBXB5r61sT034Tzyn4_JSrodoa/s1600/AG+Yoga+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Westminster College" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIivuZ62XgX5iTiTyUoAWpGpsS8s-q_3GdThlvyyjvb4Z6mdsPFz-7wsYSN76X8KB5SV8kVhS6q6AUyamhBv4aaWLo_tM2llG7OfK6R9AvX8oa6JyB5IBXB5r61sT034Tzyn4_JSrodoa/s400/AG+Yoga+2.jpg" title="Antigravity Yoga " width="377" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tamer Begum helping me into a pose (Photo: Ravell Call, Deseret News)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSduMqWwICToOqbZLIOwGz2zYEdbrVxy652a9fO8yfDVFX386R7-CAynxGKQ_gOcbNDcfjdtMNMpeDcblSLvT06RSVmeLbgzTvNEOqWN1kjXAaTDOlQS_KvWXVcS2CoIryk5PcaNE03b0/s1600/AG+Yoga+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Westminster College " border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSduMqWwICToOqbZLIOwGz2zYEdbrVxy652a9fO8yfDVFX386R7-CAynxGKQ_gOcbNDcfjdtMNMpeDcblSLvT06RSVmeLbgzTvNEOqWN1kjXAaTDOlQS_KvWXVcS2CoIryk5PcaNE03b0/s400/AG+Yoga+4.jpg" title="Antigravity Yoga" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo: Ravell Call, Deseret News)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
AntiGravity Yoga is a hybrid that combines traditional yoga poses with aerial arts, Pilates and dance. For more information about Antigravity Yoga <a href="http://www.antigravityyoga.com/index.aspx" target="_blank">click here</a>.Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-16973658078012375562012-05-07T21:04:00.000-07:002012-05-07T21:22:49.681-07:00Paris for a DayWhile we were in <a href="http://the-artists-wife.blogspot.com/2012/05/london-for-week.html" target="_blank">London</a> last month we decided, what the heck, let's fly to Paris for the day. So we flew out early one morning and flew back that evening. Some of us were exhausted, some of us were hung-over, and the weather was gloomy, but we had a great time. We had two wonderful French meals, visited the Musee d'Orsay (amazing!), and strolled through beautiful parks...and Charley eat <i>five</i> pastries (three short of his goal).<br />
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Here are some photos I took that day: <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqH-9G0-oN-c7xoBBogY8EOBwurJEcU1aJ9vVbqaQt02A-n_ZxUkMJ8QBNuJZOjXPo_nXvtspaX2LNI-9iJAP-2L4NEgvXj2xYF_zI3midUzIf6438FBsz4hBO3DMJvAT9JVQQqGO4too/s1600/IMG_3328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqH-9G0-oN-c7xoBBogY8EOBwurJEcU1aJ9vVbqaQt02A-n_ZxUkMJ8QBNuJZOjXPo_nXvtspaX2LNI-9iJAP-2L4NEgvXj2xYF_zI3midUzIf6438FBsz4hBO3DMJvAT9JVQQqGO4too/s400/IMG_3328.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely lady</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dfOqPbakYfYP8uKuFgMnE2zXqMCS6nZYc3DYwbzrGQOVOSXQ0l5Lt2a2xkUj4192vGmLPsZdzYA1sJOOIgRoYCJbDLMstSmozwULj8xaZizIT5nww3xuKpfdH3TYMU2HJJXivvol3tns/s1600/IMG_3329_3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dfOqPbakYfYP8uKuFgMnE2zXqMCS6nZYc3DYwbzrGQOVOSXQ0l5Lt2a2xkUj4192vGmLPsZdzYA1sJOOIgRoYCJbDLMstSmozwULj8xaZizIT5nww3xuKpfdH3TYMU2HJJXivvol3tns/s400/IMG_3329_3.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old and new</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix76SayWQaGBAhHTyP9LjbQ1CnV0ETvVrdX_PrD_NLIj3Poh2KEXEJ0bmoktGmySyb2tW5mpapWggXwSshZ66CAMN6IINuz9iWrGTbHp3dxrNVV3PUqn6SnXGImg9O7zSKqh0TIaZzzulH/s1600/IMG_3334_3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix76SayWQaGBAhHTyP9LjbQ1CnV0ETvVrdX_PrD_NLIj3Poh2KEXEJ0bmoktGmySyb2tW5mpapWggXwSshZ66CAMN6IINuz9iWrGTbHp3dxrNVV3PUqn6SnXGImg9O7zSKqh0TIaZzzulH/s400/IMG_3334_3.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bikes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQzhGi8J1WWA4T5YlOwOMECzaTlIKvkaioJkiDulb-aoxm-OvDguBe7hvOps8f-NysJxbRdoHchTGILqqoW5VGgT8uByIuMf2gQnxqX9xeRyKujhzKOy_6Q-bFb6Q4U9Cb1OayLQz-lgN/s1600/IMG_3335_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQzhGi8J1WWA4T5YlOwOMECzaTlIKvkaioJkiDulb-aoxm-OvDguBe7hvOps8f-NysJxbRdoHchTGILqqoW5VGgT8uByIuMf2gQnxqX9xeRyKujhzKOy_6Q-bFb6Q4U9Cb1OayLQz-lgN/s400/IMG_3335_2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWB2dEVcgTEurFQwJAcpiU_nLxHwrCKbEuLaDyVeJBtWgzVblD7zzTw_VO0l9imqSu3d3XSf-WHn4R9ltXw8lpM4LvpoU-har4bYRLpHAMxJLasAW89SwFGB1tUDO9ofenDwJ969dO1BN/s1600/IMG_3336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWB2dEVcgTEurFQwJAcpiU_nLxHwrCKbEuLaDyVeJBtWgzVblD7zzTw_VO0l9imqSu3d3XSf-WHn4R9ltXw8lpM4LvpoU-har4bYRLpHAMxJLasAW89SwFGB1tUDO9ofenDwJ969dO1BN/s400/IMG_3336.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SACREBLEU! (lovely shop window and my reflection)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpksMTo82dZUhhrEprwJ3HSwH18SvM-z2QssM_T1_meOohM7psxApAJd5XdzI4SIQc5d3C_Oj8eIX2BWaoJBqkAmA3JyfRzt4S4KEKEmP5gdYIG_HghVl5UW5yFfyt86fnLIlggUoHkjw1/s1600/IMG_3338_3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpksMTo82dZUhhrEprwJ3HSwH18SvM-z2QssM_T1_meOohM7psxApAJd5XdzI4SIQc5d3C_Oj8eIX2BWaoJBqkAmA3JyfRzt4S4KEKEmP5gdYIG_HghVl5UW5yFfyt86fnLIlggUoHkjw1/s400/IMG_3338_3.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statues outside Musee d'Orsay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibi8TP8gj1KQx5BM0aKERmy1gUZxZiW7PuQxYt8irrJB5izcCA3M0jx9doUmoQmQptG5SQqHQqkx9z1aRrFbFy2gVQIBKpgIpyYOn2VagwmABAeXRAyubCSgoSVjOX1-y9B1iO7kUScgAM/s1600/IMG_3340_3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibi8TP8gj1KQx5BM0aKERmy1gUZxZiW7PuQxYt8irrJB5izcCA3M0jx9doUmoQmQptG5SQqHQqkx9z1aRrFbFy2gVQIBKpgIpyYOn2VagwmABAeXRAyubCSgoSVjOX1-y9B1iO7kUScgAM/s400/IMG_3340_3.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No caption needed...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-17119652328151088662012-05-01T21:21:00.001-07:002012-09-23T20:48:06.789-07:00London for a WeekLast month we had the opportunity to visit my cousin, Natascha, and her husband, Duncan, in London. It was amazing! We had a fabulous time. Here are the highlights:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>We visited lots of museums: the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Tate Modern, and the Natural History Museum...and the Tower of London.</li>
<li>We eat tons of incredible food. The highlight was dinner at <a href="http://roast-restaurant.com/" target="_blank">Roast</a> where I eat a rabbit, cider, and Herefordshire snail pot pie...amazing!</li>
<li>I was introduced to the delights of the Full English Breakfast, which consists of (for those of you who don't know) piles of breakfast meats, eggs, tomatoes, baked beans, and black pudding...total heaven! And can I just say, black pudding is magical? I'm totally obsessed with it. Happily, I've already located a store on Salt Lake that sells it.</li>
<li>We saw oodles of amazing art. We saw the Lucian Freud Portraits exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery and a Damien Hirst exhibition at the Tate Modern. Both exhibitions were fantastic and once in a life time experiences. </li>
<li>Natascha and I attended the Royal Ballet's production of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It was spectacular, but sadly our seat were not very good. We had a great time anyway. </li>
<li>And most importantly...I got to hold an owl!! A real live owl!! Talk about once in a life time. </li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjcFiW3fL2_aAsS1MV26i4_dObhF2Ul2lNNwJpCbqJ6DXh0fhTA7XSBFFsSZi83iqj_-7f9OvBQ5ZHT4fOhAHANHRWi5Abn81__Or0vURavofX9ZZPiWEkMdSxPL0cCwZET-xDAv_6oSt/s1600/IMG_3261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="owl" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjcFiW3fL2_aAsS1MV26i4_dObhF2Ul2lNNwJpCbqJ6DXh0fhTA7XSBFFsSZi83iqj_-7f9OvBQ5ZHT4fOhAHANHRWi5Abn81__Or0vURavofX9ZZPiWEkMdSxPL0cCwZET-xDAv_6oSt/s640/IMG_3261.JPG" title="owl natural history museum london" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and an owl!! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzy-oJI657IeeAOH6n8tql88KJPxpGXHoJbxh7gVeZCQ3idpGvA7fPAVV3gmGCH52AbVdDhTSkieRbpYMcRx66GbuR1fZQ12WF9UCHpBBW1J15xQ8bsL3-P1mugCt8rPM2gpQw28W-KfiT/s1600/IMG_3252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="owl" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzy-oJI657IeeAOH6n8tql88KJPxpGXHoJbxh7gVeZCQ3idpGvA7fPAVV3gmGCH52AbVdDhTSkieRbpYMcRx66GbuR1fZQ12WF9UCHpBBW1J15xQ8bsL3-P1mugCt8rPM2gpQw28W-KfiT/s640/IMG_3252.JPG" title="owl natural history museum london" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby owl at the Natural History Museum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1CYTJjdwO3ARbi8fUbUCkej4OZVpJyOlDkUOWI6S2rfHP1MhzxxmR9cZogRw0HvVc8lDktJz3jQ6DZaRh8D3yv7AiyzbxbWrPrptaC5HM7LusiNxguy5PJoT_5TnC_QqGLAmRGpHO4gp/s1600/IMG_3222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1CYTJjdwO3ARbi8fUbUCkej4OZVpJyOlDkUOWI6S2rfHP1MhzxxmR9cZogRw0HvVc8lDktJz3jQ6DZaRh8D3yv7AiyzbxbWrPrptaC5HM7LusiNxguy5PJoT_5TnC_QqGLAmRGpHO4gp/s640/IMG_3222.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mews houses in my cousin's neighborhood (South Kensington)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhuSiWWHbKZKbARVZThGQzbfFv1XDlvvyT74fDTYHHjVJ2oIuCD5ImshMs9UlPWZ5qlOlKomPr8OYXxFpsGXxeRnfoDTx7soJ44mUCSZ88vInaJ880wLrlz7ct7_CIde7rdS9BDfQ0XTU/s1600/IMG_3277_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="569" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhuSiWWHbKZKbARVZThGQzbfFv1XDlvvyT74fDTYHHjVJ2oIuCD5ImshMs9UlPWZ5qlOlKomPr8OYXxFpsGXxeRnfoDTx7soJ44mUCSZ88vInaJ880wLrlz7ct7_CIde7rdS9BDfQ0XTU/s640/IMG_3277_2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tower of London</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTMfHQHiI8vb-DUWH1smHHqra2ZSfg8BebKQsgxNbCbC83ETtWiJBE6y6i9Ao9VzegDEv36xKtdwK3bhen0tqHWbsBU2hJQ8Imp0StG9MH7WqJxxXyxTq5ciw-Pn-_-Vl0Z-hzZTzX5YX/s1600/IMG_3289_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTMfHQHiI8vb-DUWH1smHHqra2ZSfg8BebKQsgxNbCbC83ETtWiJBE6y6i9Ao9VzegDEv36xKtdwK3bhen0tqHWbsBU2hJQ8Imp0StG9MH7WqJxxXyxTq5ciw-Pn-_-Vl0Z-hzZTzX5YX/s640/IMG_3289_2.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the inside of the Tower of London out</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5X8eQE_HZF9g_VemKot23yWL_Z_OSCjyfEt7mE1bY72mZLCKkfJaYmSvI0rD1Lw9HgbUHpsJoc17i3Oyu2p3wSOviVAATXZBI7woponPEC_N8_upWJUfNmQEfSlXICNLtuMnzdmuDDOk/s1600/IMG_3276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5X8eQE_HZF9g_VemKot23yWL_Z_OSCjyfEt7mE1bY72mZLCKkfJaYmSvI0rD1Lw9HgbUHpsJoc17i3Oyu2p3wSOviVAATXZBI7woponPEC_N8_upWJUfNmQEfSlXICNLtuMnzdmuDDOk/s640/IMG_3276.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charley with wings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikKUbgP6LmH1R664i9KlJv6bYw2mLtYRir8wRDbjojKxsaGAMHXbjDFM1V3MjWfttvYHkJDScSCRD6b5H1cRgSocpctsiaMDfs9MqtVnpXtaMUT5p2eJf95iJ2QQxxaEiKiEblBADcK3TS/s1600/IMG_3294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikKUbgP6LmH1R664i9KlJv6bYw2mLtYRir8wRDbjojKxsaGAMHXbjDFM1V3MjWfttvYHkJDScSCRD6b5H1cRgSocpctsiaMDfs9MqtVnpXtaMUT5p2eJf95iJ2QQxxaEiKiEblBADcK3TS/s640/IMG_3294.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natascha and I in Hyde Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGv6Z5TxKCauRL9Z_pAamkMsjogfZfQ7J1KgpuPN_8MjI7mYe3oeYwNfLnv9X_xkmPue0HTP1xInOzvNHQBCNEdBzpVQG9MzzxRJOIOPsFtEIA1PpTpop8m8s7ECbx_uCKPGm368sMl4M/s1600/IMG_3297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGv6Z5TxKCauRL9Z_pAamkMsjogfZfQ7J1KgpuPN_8MjI7mYe3oeYwNfLnv9X_xkmPue0HTP1xInOzvNHQBCNEdBzpVQG9MzzxRJOIOPsFtEIA1PpTpop8m8s7ECbx_uCKPGm368sMl4M/s640/IMG_3297.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charley and I in Hyde Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPwQJDLDNUu0SM61Sf4y8MPRsYVNbHbE7WHgKLTTFCnGwRGxtaCEcmrpNkvnL1raaLqH76JY_WWHtj8NrUVAsnW2yF8hOm1kU32TCwQdi_95NonF29C4Ba5WgBVdvoa2OEC8rM0kcF-vR/s1600/IMG_3298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPwQJDLDNUu0SM61Sf4y8MPRsYVNbHbE7WHgKLTTFCnGwRGxtaCEcmrpNkvnL1raaLqH76JY_WWHtj8NrUVAsnW2yF8hOm1kU32TCwQdi_95NonF29C4Ba5WgBVdvoa2OEC8rM0kcF-vR/s640/IMG_3298.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty London street</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz84ldK7wNmletN67Ina_3fEfcjfekD8hw0x8uvfyHon_ZOwyGc7K9-URAOxgtKS5thf9hVZ8GKu0nWCL3VX_xorzaEy-kZWlStwBwdPzPPhlyeWqVMIaBMTLqeyt6ihNWXsx6-gSH6dz6/s1600/IMG_3301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz84ldK7wNmletN67Ina_3fEfcjfekD8hw0x8uvfyHon_ZOwyGc7K9-URAOxgtKS5thf9hVZ8GKu0nWCL3VX_xorzaEy-kZWlStwBwdPzPPhlyeWqVMIaBMTLqeyt6ihNWXsx6-gSH6dz6/s640/IMG_3301.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our wonderful hosts</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7tf6O-W5WqrdUERaun41v2R0ADrQv2GW67boH4iogw0l4RC3J2lYcRR7YZzSgJIy-8H0lN02JlcrIcbiapYhQbhete0newHIbpj42T7Spb2w9v67lU43JGz5V7oY95MPuS_gMfSmwlAF/s1600/IMG_3308_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7tf6O-W5WqrdUERaun41v2R0ADrQv2GW67boH4iogw0l4RC3J2lYcRR7YZzSgJIy-8H0lN02JlcrIcbiapYhQbhete0newHIbpj42T7Spb2w9v67lU43JGz5V7oY95MPuS_gMfSmwlAF/s640/IMG_3308_2.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">London scenery </td></tr>
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<br />Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-26978045049253358552012-04-26T08:08:00.001-07:002012-05-25T14:03:54.898-07:00Spring Sale!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
All items in my Etsy shop are currently 15% off! Sale ends May 6th. Visit <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheArtistsWifeCO">http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheArtistsWifeCO</a></div>
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<img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlH9CB60jPiDdx7dcNj8iXB8GAoUvSfsySFwAYnUllWIozdELJJvwpGn4EDltJH7gQbcsKgYSavY5A6987LLD2K6pUCpaRoSi3vCuOtZhG-i0ZGXYyBwrUDGCIi7855vNGOcgsAOFcKzw/s400/il_570xN.331193447.jpg" title="the artist's wife" width="286" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnHjQPvAfo0icB4c0vlUaxOQb9FOfVyLKnbZY1BrJSz1WpieWtfTQsQ1OqmDV1lRpgZN8SxWZt8ZqWfOmunoKyJWR3BZ6nXG4DTIKQglRRHJQa9d0cWge8YV_gzIdSiBg5vDU3_9YZndu/s1600/il_570xN.331193775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnHjQPvAfo0icB4c0vlUaxOQb9FOfVyLKnbZY1BrJSz1WpieWtfTQsQ1OqmDV1lRpgZN8SxWZt8ZqWfOmunoKyJWR3BZ6nXG4DTIKQglRRHJQa9d0cWge8YV_gzIdSiBg5vDU3_9YZndu/s400/il_570xN.331193775.jpg" title="the artist's wife" width="286" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1F8ytiEjbQLZyoHOS8c7bK_HAaW0BI8VYgD5wv0MVMxCyR2Bpuem4yrP2vqEQWGyzSXwQ728iff8ouPs0sQ2SPLeJrpNCSGxPnGbcwHZAMgnMMKYegUjR0TApVDXxDbNG3ofUrvAB9Tq/s1600/il_570xN.331329708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1F8ytiEjbQLZyoHOS8c7bK_HAaW0BI8VYgD5wv0MVMxCyR2Bpuem4yrP2vqEQWGyzSXwQ728iff8ouPs0sQ2SPLeJrpNCSGxPnGbcwHZAMgnMMKYegUjR0TApVDXxDbNG3ofUrvAB9Tq/s400/il_570xN.331329708.jpg" title="the artist's wife" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-44754670332624424332012-03-13T09:29:00.000-07:002012-03-13T09:29:21.068-07:00Happy Napping Day!I'm pro-nap. Here's why:<br />
<a href="http://www.patioproductions.com/blog/news/napping/"><img alt="" height="3639" src="http://www.patioproductions.com/blog/wp-content/upLoads/2011/Napping-ITDOnlineStores-101411.jpg" width="400" /></a>Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-32404983669468603532012-03-12T14:39:00.003-07:002012-08-14T13:10:34.029-07:00I Heart Portland<div class="MsoNormal">
I recently had the opportunity to visit one of my best friends in Portland, Oregon – and it was lovely. I’ve been to Portland many time and I’m always enchanted – this trip, my first in over two years, was no exception. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I was visiting my friend Nicole (who I’ve known for 18 years) and her delightful family. We had a great time eating, shopping, and going to the ballet.</div>
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<b> <o:p></o:p>Day One – Lots of Buses</b></div>
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First we went <a href="http://tastynsons.com/">Tasty n Sons</a> for lunch. I had the best roast beef sandwich I’ve ever had.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAyDoUkP_yhUdqntD1UmbQxfVFQa2NzUSdQ4_hU9vHC9sgxFU5tz5wWIeA3Jj0XCX0kdCsg8unFZc-_5Oi0iKefgVfwAmvAntez0iHj_FtdIOtNKD832Uz1-VsXic8mLJqpRd_1aNy4uB/s1600/roast+beef+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAyDoUkP_yhUdqntD1UmbQxfVFQa2NzUSdQ4_hU9vHC9sgxFU5tz5wWIeA3Jj0XCX0kdCsg8unFZc-_5Oi0iKefgVfwAmvAntez0iHj_FtdIOtNKD832Uz1-VsXic8mLJqpRd_1aNy4uB/s400/roast+beef+2.JPG" title="Tasty n Sons" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roast beef at Tasty n Sons</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGv3FFfjQA9xUx0efcKIeFUDtKACkU3ngQe4MZ7sD_vejWQQIpy6iSy1dHUwxBkaV-7cKM4YbxNhMx6ux5SvQlFgqxPV7ZQxJUDLStPWVcNNQamNdnSgSIAvh9VnsLEgqgSeA5sP6s2iZr/s1600/roast+beef+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGv3FFfjQA9xUx0efcKIeFUDtKACkU3ngQe4MZ7sD_vejWQQIpy6iSy1dHUwxBkaV-7cKM4YbxNhMx6ux5SvQlFgqxPV7ZQxJUDLStPWVcNNQamNdnSgSIAvh9VnsLEgqgSeA5sP6s2iZr/s400/roast+beef+1.jpg" title="Tasty n Sons" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yum! </td></tr>
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Then we went vintage clothes shopping in a bus…yes a bus. The shop <a href="http://www.lodekka.com/">Lodekka</a> is located in an old double decker bus. I found a lovely 1950’s dress for summer. I can’t wait to wear it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieA-muLqmT0vErz5L79u_Brswz9GikyVnu6QOeRfgt66qhpjtZnxRFkd_h3TfLoFl_1J6HpMBguiEYIJ6AMBpRMGfaUjfGJhwkPew1oPC-6yMkmBveHhp0iLpO6y_d7a3ReQyj0VvQLuxd/s1600/Lodekka.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieA-muLqmT0vErz5L79u_Brswz9GikyVnu6QOeRfgt66qhpjtZnxRFkd_h3TfLoFl_1J6HpMBguiEYIJ6AMBpRMGfaUjfGJhwkPew1oPC-6yMkmBveHhp0iLpO6y_d7a3ReQyj0VvQLuxd/s400/Lodekka.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vintage Dress Shop Lodekka</td></tr>
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Later we had dinner in a bus…yep, dinner in a bus. We had grilled cheese sandwiches at the <a href="http://grilledcheesegrill.com/">Grilled Cheese Grill</a>, which is one of Portland’s many food trucks with a permanent location. The dining room was a converted school bus. The grilled cheese was mediocre, but eating in a school bus was fun. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Day Two – Giselle and Ice Cream</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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On the second day we attended a matinee of Giselle preformed by Oregon Ballet Theater. The performance was designed for children and they only preformed the 2<sup>nd</sup> act – Nicole’s daughter, Naomi came along. She and I enjoyed every minute of the afternoon. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAThJ73A64X_HRotN4nbzai48JQ6LrQdCLyDJBFqswH5dIVpD8qPw_KjhryA3_rbYxTIXc3B4d7w_CYvTljnxYxVOm0GX4RPYF7Wea0IT5yDlGN2H6Qo3B0x07DGeSx_fQ4pHL7nGrDyBQ/s1600/Giselle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAThJ73A64X_HRotN4nbzai48JQ6LrQdCLyDJBFqswH5dIVpD8qPw_KjhryA3_rbYxTIXc3B4d7w_CYvTljnxYxVOm0GX4RPYF7Wea0IT5yDlGN2H6Qo3B0x07DGeSx_fQ4pHL7nGrDyBQ/s400/Giselle.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicole, Naomi, and I with a costume from Giselle</td></tr>
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That evening Nicole and I sneaked out for some gourmet ice cream from <a href="http://saltandstraw.com/">Salt and Straw</a>. Salt and Straw is known for their <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #262626;">ice cream which is</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #262626;"> <span style="font-style: inherit; outline-width: 0px;"></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; color: #262626; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;">handmade in small-batches</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #262626;">using only</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #262626;"> <span style="font-style: inherit; outline-width: 0px;"></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; color: #262626; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;">all-natural</span> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #262626;">dairy with the best</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #262626;"> <span style="font-style: inherit; outline-width: 0px;"></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; color: #262626; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;">local, sustainable and organic</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #262626;">ingredients</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">. </span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #262626;">I was intrigued by their </span></span>strange and exotic flavor combinations…and of course I had to try some of the wackier flavors.<br />
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I sampled Bone Marrow and Smoked Cherry (delicious) and Pear with Blue Cheese (also delicious), but finally ordered Honey Balsamic Strawberry with Black Pepper (super delicious). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Day Three – Shopping and Biscuits </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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On the third day Nicole and I explored her neighborhood (Alberta Arts), did some shopping, and had a wonderful lunch at <a href="http://www.pinestatebiscuits.com/">Pine State Biscuits</a> before I headed home. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSH2YDxBB-f4anLRou6II-LRHa9GcrZ7zgjDJFUNQJmP2mI5JPOVeVlzmCpMa6UBp_dsHlS2FDWi4KEpWkpI86UeqNLvXIASzlWEdRFU5J_DAHLaCMrd_Vahmrs9PjACJue_PDcGNqStS9/s1600/yumm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSH2YDxBB-f4anLRou6II-LRHa9GcrZ7zgjDJFUNQJmP2mI5JPOVeVlzmCpMa6UBp_dsHlS2FDWi4KEpWkpI86UeqNLvXIASzlWEdRFU5J_DAHLaCMrd_Vahmrs9PjACJue_PDcGNqStS9/s400/yumm.JPG" title="Pine State Biscuits " width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Reggie Deluxe at Pine State Biscuits </td></tr>
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I’m not kidding you when I say the biscuit sandwich I had was one of the best things I’ve every eaten…It was really amazing. Fried chicken, bacon, cheese, a fried egg, and the best gravy I’ve ever had, all piled up on a delectable biscuit…heaven! <o:p></o:p></div>
Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-55271859035159117792012-02-29T14:42:00.001-08:002012-02-29T14:49:29.410-08:00Happy Leap Day!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marilyn Monroe</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KGJl9hlNiUdN1qCnBk1itH8INmiJ8mKZ12-8eYPlEm9bRneVkBTFmNmzUQGUtftpA2xqeIj6GDzHZFI-VAzD-EFfE3am-d958ifKQxu9VyETfErsga4I_B2Wp7Sj716K0gVdwN8EVBYr/s1600/Barbara_Ann_Scott_stag_leap_1947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KGJl9hlNiUdN1qCnBk1itH8INmiJ8mKZ12-8eYPlEm9bRneVkBTFmNmzUQGUtftpA2xqeIj6GDzHZFI-VAzD-EFfE3am-d958ifKQxu9VyETfErsga4I_B2Wp7Sj716K0gVdwN8EVBYr/s400/Barbara_Ann_Scott_stag_leap_1947.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barbara Ann Scott</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilcrT0E8Ud8DyWFW-rQronE8nHqnlqXvqk0hWpFjYJj4ZSrBBYWMsruuAdb_KPufMbzn-0rs67NAPZelCnHSBUonA7B9j5njnxUVt5SMOz_Xv8api10arSQqPbnb-klhyphenhyphenGV_JimB8s-l4/s1600/Leap+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilcrT0E8Ud8DyWFW-rQronE8nHqnlqXvqk0hWpFjYJj4ZSrBBYWMsruuAdb_KPufMbzn-0rs67NAPZelCnHSBUonA7B9j5njnxUVt5SMOz_Xv8api10arSQqPbnb-klhyphenhyphenGV_JimB8s-l4/s400/Leap+2.jpg" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audrey Hepburn</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzD7QxXjjHY_l-NHMmCKBLvzd2uT-vVniE-v6e8vYsdFIXly4ybI6j9yZ0OGE9T4EAiRwnQNZ5Wr53bXObWEney9v-q-FI8UZZksKT9f58Yb4a7qcfLhVrfwmvUr3jX4yr5dVcZsMRWpCf/s1600/Leap+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzD7QxXjjHY_l-NHMmCKBLvzd2uT-vVniE-v6e8vYsdFIXly4ybI6j9yZ0OGE9T4EAiRwnQNZ5Wr53bXObWEney9v-q-FI8UZZksKT9f58Yb4a7qcfLhVrfwmvUr3jX4yr5dVcZsMRWpCf/s400/Leap+3.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gene Kelly</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsi92zDCkMnPk0Vqsgzr1dR-uf-qp4rjcCM6Bp_qI4dLW3lnNgMgblhr2riCmq4vOYzzwM6QhEtbHiT-AxbM_2VYRbfXy7Iz_W8u98ozXhbVCCumlRxuZ1z6EouXxKQ-98qD3mzfKU5tc2/s1600/Leap+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsi92zDCkMnPk0Vqsgzr1dR-uf-qp4rjcCM6Bp_qI4dLW3lnNgMgblhr2riCmq4vOYzzwM6QhEtbHiT-AxbM_2VYRbfXy7Iz_W8u98ozXhbVCCumlRxuZ1z6EouXxKQ-98qD3mzfKU5tc2/s400/Leap+4.jpg" width="328" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-5010372913061946382012-02-27T15:22:00.012-08:002012-12-03T10:23:08.982-08:00Dyslexic and Proud<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UNvdVnEIygQSk7caUdSsjEqZh4BAkhK2c8xXpnUvZORaQc9B5V8q1I2xse8VzLfl0QpzCv4YSc9q1Gk0cY1D3y84_Xi_yu8lCpW3w_hlzD1eNJlX71SUK7EPaR1n1MewhY5AZiodwMj6/s1600/05DYSLEXIA-popup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UNvdVnEIygQSk7caUdSsjEqZh4BAkhK2c8xXpnUvZORaQc9B5V8q1I2xse8VzLfl0QpzCv4YSc9q1Gk0cY1D3y84_Xi_yu8lCpW3w_hlzD1eNJlX71SUK7EPaR1n1MewhY5AZiodwMj6/s200/05DYSLEXIA-popup.jpg" width="168" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Tucker Nichols</span></td></tr>
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For most of my life I've struggled with dyslexia<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span>not just because of the challenges it caused for me in school, but because of the perception most people have of dyslexia. So, I think it’s time for me to speak out and maybe, in my small way, I can help educate people about dyslexia.<br />
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In elementary school, when I was first diagnosed with dyslexia, I had many teachers who treated me like I was stupid and the other students teased me. In high school, I was singled out and made to attend a study hall for “learning disabled” students for one of my class periods. This meant I didn’t have time in my schedule to take the fun/useful electives other students did, like home economics or typing. I was not allowed to take advanced placement (AP) or “gifted and talented” science classes, even though my test scores qualified me for them and I had a love of science. The school administrators explained that I could not be both “gifted and talented” and “learning disabled.” If I took AP science, I’d no longer be eligible for the extra help I needed as a dyslexic student. I was also told that college was not in my future and directed to peruse the less rigorous 21 credit high school diploma not accepted by most 4 year universities.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now I am consistently hearing similar stories from other dyslexics<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span>and sadly, dyslexic students are still treated this way in many schools around the country. Even some of my closest friends have looked at me like I just told them a horribly embarrassing secret when I reveal my dyslexia<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span>as if I should be ashamed I’m dyslexic. Many people seem shocked I would expose such a “defect.” I believe this is because of misinformation and backward ideas about dyslexia. So, let me clear a few things up. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dyslexics are not stupid, dimwitted, or slow. In fact, <b>most people with dyslexia have higher than average</b> <b>IQs</b>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dyslexics are not lazy. Most people with dyslexia are bored in school because they’re brighter than average and/or the information is being presented in a way that is not understandable or interesting for them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The term “learning disabled” is misleading (and offensive, in my opinion). The fact is dyslexics are not disabled at all. Our brains simple absorb and process information differently than others and because of this, conventional education and teaching methods do not help us learn<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">They</span></span> can, at times, hinder our success. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The fact of the matter is that individuals with dyslexia have some advantages (you might even say gifts) that “regular” folks don’t have. I recently read an interesting New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/opinion/sunday/the-upside-of-dyslexia.html?_r=1&emc=eta1">article</a> on the subject. The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/opinion/sunday/the-upside-of-dyslexia.html?_r=1&emc=eta1" target="_blank">article</a>, by Annie Murphy Paul, revealed some of these advantages. One such advantage is the ability to absorb the “visual gist.” In other words, “see the bigger picture” and not get lost in the detail – allowing for more rapid absorption of all the information in a scene. <o:p></o:p></div>
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One of my favorite passages from the article discusses one of two studies preformed by astrophysicist, Michael Schneps (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/opinion/sunday/the-upside-of-dyslexia.html?_r=1&emc=eta1" target="_blank">you really should read this article</a>):<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="color: black;">“In the second study, Mr. Schneps deliberately blurred a set of photographs, reducing high-frequency detail in a manner that made them resemble astronomical images. He then presented these pictures to groups of dyslexic and nondyslexic undergraduates. The students with dyslexia were able to learn and make use of the information in the images, while the typical readers failed to catch on.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: black;">Given that dyslexia is universally referred to as a “learning disability,” the latter experiment is especially remarkable: <b>in some situations, it turns out, those with dyslexia are actually the superior learners</b></span></i><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">.”</span></i></div>
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Dyslexics can also see patterns, connections, and similarities more easily than others. We are highly creative and often possess superior reasoning skills. So, I guess my point is – We’re not stupid or mentally challenged. We just absorb and process information differently. We even possess some extraordinary skills. Maybe it’s time to stop treating dyslexia as a disability and find ways to unlock and celebrate the hidden potential of today’s dyslexic students. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s a great video about famous people with dyslexia including <b>Albert Einstein, Charles Schwab, Henry Ford, and Richard Branson</b>:<o:p></o:p><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/l_qGJ9svUbM" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b>Other famous dyslexics:</b><br />
<b>Steve Jobs</b><br />
<b>Erin Brockovich</b><br />
<b>Thomas Edison</b><br />
<b>John Lennon</b><br />
<b>The list goes on and on...</b>Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-3176624188092320092012-02-16T21:08:00.001-08:002012-04-16T13:50:40.163-07:00Beans' New Hat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDV8Pq6NdwqvKXQh6FrwIQkxfHvmHt4PNzlTsoLU7LovY5XktwnwCNidUup9MHR-Qvng_cupIHnqhEP8PeLGhsI5G9s8WeuCpiP3UniCUchi8fBkPEkMSAdVAv2wiKJ47Zfb6zjyXdR-l/s1600/photo(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDV8Pq6NdwqvKXQh6FrwIQkxfHvmHt4PNzlTsoLU7LovY5XktwnwCNidUup9MHR-Qvng_cupIHnqhEP8PeLGhsI5G9s8WeuCpiP3UniCUchi8fBkPEkMSAdVAv2wiKJ47Zfb6zjyXdR-l/s200/photo(6).JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Beans just got an adorable new hat!! I ordered it from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeanTownHandmade" target="_blank">Beantown Handmade</a> - one of my very favorite Etsy shops. The shop's owner, Anne Burton (check out her <a href="http://beantownhandmade.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>), named Beantown after her Boston, who is named Bean (no 's'). So how could I possible resist ordering Beans one of her fantastic crocheted creations. But alas, Beans hates the hat...well at first she did, anyway. She's always enjoy sweaters and costumes in the past -- she gets so excited when I pull one of her sweaters out of the closet. So, I thought for sure she'd take to the hat immediately. But as you can see from the photos she wasn't the happiest camper at first. <br />
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She went from embarrassment (you can tell from the low slung head)....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEroJTjWCw7rY-Ww0htLO5XjRFaN699QTR9JHWTB0bacprX3SmgSBvX78gT4n9RchAsvSoQbx9Lbxka25SlGIazlyRISdr6eibspM9fGoJzRDUIxeWdbftYij0RfbaD9g0necu3QVu5H0Z/s1600/IMG_3123_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="dog clothes " border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEroJTjWCw7rY-Ww0htLO5XjRFaN699QTR9JHWTB0bacprX3SmgSBvX78gT4n9RchAsvSoQbx9Lbxka25SlGIazlyRISdr6eibspM9fGoJzRDUIxeWdbftYij0RfbaD9g0necu3QVu5H0Z/s400/IMG_3123_2.JPG" title="boston terrier" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> and shame....</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMqOqLBZy3ObfRtPxTKR8Dlf4MynFpXmKhYleZOX4mfsq9SKfwoxHp22JAgS1nYfRjAEsXa7h_PVul95Ztso8AicesQr6wQBkt7NNVqD6Am2bti3CifnB5CvlBNeROwS4XBg-GF30rt3ap/s1600/Photo1(2)_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMqOqLBZy3ObfRtPxTKR8Dlf4MynFpXmKhYleZOX4mfsq9SKfwoxHp22JAgS1nYfRjAEsXa7h_PVul95Ztso8AicesQr6wQBkt7NNVqD6Am2bti3CifnB5CvlBNeROwS4XBg-GF30rt3ap/s320/Photo1(2)_2.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to sadness (sigh)... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4gOYdL-C77R4YB1RN9kyym6-O-l38s_L9rX1KMpSN20KUey_XAup08exmUqZmTNGA7Cd8M3DGBC7vO6LUmsH7BFkkqSmdLSf-s7rFgQYX7CaJZhuXg1IeIUfB9Y5Ai-bg6Vg5_iL1neW/s1600/IMG_3158_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4gOYdL-C77R4YB1RN9kyym6-O-l38s_L9rX1KMpSN20KUey_XAup08exmUqZmTNGA7Cd8M3DGBC7vO6LUmsH7BFkkqSmdLSf-s7rFgQYX7CaJZhuXg1IeIUfB9Y5Ai-bg6Vg5_iL1neW/s320/IMG_3158_2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to resignation... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4659E5hhQcl8qdPASXWNxEVwKtFiwEDeOquhyphenhyphenLZtXqpACarE0IB-XrJWuwG5JYfrD3mox3iOpFGg4X8-04fYa4-YGTjv5fwXiM5id6o-1Z-oEuhiXj4I88hA9Rvfmk8Ss1GPaORbNhWaU/s1600/IMG_3148_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4659E5hhQcl8qdPASXWNxEVwKtFiwEDeOquhyphenhyphenLZtXqpACarE0IB-XrJWuwG5JYfrD3mox3iOpFGg4X8-04fYa4-YGTjv5fwXiM5id6o-1Z-oEuhiXj4I88hA9Rvfmk8Ss1GPaORbNhWaU/s320/IMG_3148_2.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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But she sure looks adorable!! I think in the end she liked it OK. And when it's really cold out side I think she'll like it even more. Beantown has some pretty great sweaters too...next time I'll get her one of those.<br />
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Check out this fun video about Anne, Bean and Beantown:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/32805323?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=ffffff" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/32805323">Handmade Portraits: Beantown Handmade</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/etsy">Etsy</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-73876279218650892962012-02-13T20:02:00.000-08:002012-02-13T20:03:36.281-08:00dear golden | vintage: a kiss is a (vintage) kissI don't really believe in Valentine's Day and Charley and I agreed early in our relationship not to celebrate it. It seems to me that it's just a holiday that either leaves you feeling disappointed (that your partner didn't make a grand enough gesture) or lonely (because you're single). But I'll put aside my cynicism for a minute so I can re-blog this delightful entry from one of my favorite blogger/vintage clothing retailers, Dear Golden Vintage. I just love these vintage photos of kisses...especially the last one. Happy Valentine's Day. <br />
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<a href="http://deargolden.blogspot.com/2012/02/kiss-is-vintage-kiss.html?spref=bl">dear golden | vintage: a kiss is a (vintage) kiss</a>: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0X9zrRvSFnArCo6vDnvqTq2C3E6ImuUSkP03SCygYsTja5vT0iQS3kM8eZfjftbvjR0AQvAlzBxTTZwdoWkxcMblcfD-TTxec1WsgdhOCw3eVjnnXgDfk9yDypbj0ZUtXsWhlae3aCJDz/s1600/244320348504635249_8ZyLUkFx_f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0X9zrRvSFnArCo6vDnvqTq2C3E6ImuUSkP03SCygYsTja5vT0iQS3kM8eZfjftbvjR0AQvAlzBxTTZwdoWkxcMblcfD-TTxec1WsgdhOCw3eVjnnXgDfk9yDypbj0ZUtXsWhlae3aCJDz/s400/244320348504635249_8ZyLUkFx_f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1u-yT_Plyht-vrrNKLWFb0ifcnVcRlyD6TvY9AxXQrqUjQmiCqC04VdNiBYU_g4ceXZKh7qyDk9fXn3jNEBpGGifGWOZ7ImVGTC3Ygsub2odN4hEAsjZkEK3lu8ADluEiVSPJlYzjYyi/s1600/37788084343254313_o9FkaE80_f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1u-yT_Plyht-vrrNKLWFb0ifcnVcRlyD6TvY9AxXQrqUjQmiCqC04VdNiBYU_g4ceXZKh7qyDk9fXn3jNEBpGGifGWOZ7ImVGTC3Ygsub2odN4hEAsjZkEK3lu8ADluEiVSPJlYzjYyi/s400/37788084343254313_o9FkaE80_f.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYlkdHP14NjKU0yp2dQClwvKebSMRvl8xlsj-yAY5u2WfJYYRPe2dxRxsqBkFfymlkWdZXyWvFcQ6IwNeoSObby8RxLlhYNyGhI7jleaoR56iR00_t_u9nY6rUH3qFlKcxL1XuJv_h3mn/s1600/18999629647803572_lDt48YpJ_f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYlkdHP14NjKU0yp2dQClwvKebSMRvl8xlsj-yAY5u2WfJYYRPe2dxRxsqBkFfymlkWdZXyWvFcQ6IwNeoSObby8RxLlhYNyGhI7jleaoR56iR00_t_u9nY6rUH3qFlKcxL1XuJv_h3mn/s400/18999629647803572_lDt48YpJ_f.jpg" width="332" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-vqcZ753nSugTinq0nRV0n2Zc3a20FTtuDY0EVUa-Uh89VjX7JNy0OYChde7dqjvjHL-93kS5PA9sza1U1iwylsJAVdExHwQ7eMkmj0-izwGNy4UrKWYywk9tqZz61xEOUMMV7S_ovSV/s1600/244320348504635252_uQAHTUPf_f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-vqcZ753nSugTinq0nRV0n2Zc3a20FTtuDY0EVUa-Uh89VjX7JNy0OYChde7dqjvjHL-93kS5PA9sza1U1iwylsJAVdExHwQ7eMkmj0-izwGNy4UrKWYywk9tqZz61xEOUMMV7S_ovSV/s400/244320348504635252_uQAHTUPf_f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7XR5ycUb70727oAgPBCzovueSbzdFf_ORJlWzEO2QyVog04lbN1rACFV1AoX2sR6emmJM9u-CQaEiaZ_Vu6Ob6tACUThhCcHbXiLKOTEG1RiND8PCgFcfhvENeuUkzKODEOPuLvAQ4Ot/s1600/171910910745640242_AramqRL1_f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7XR5ycUb70727oAgPBCzovueSbzdFf_ORJlWzEO2QyVog04lbN1rACFV1AoX2sR6emmJM9u-CQaEiaZ_Vu6Ob6tACUThhCcHbXiLKOTEG1RiND8PCgFcfhvENeuUkzKODEOPuLvAQ4Ot/s400/171910910745640242_AramqRL1_f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Symbol;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/171910910745640242/"></a> </span></span>Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-63530329973160123472012-02-10T10:48:00.000-08:002012-02-17T09:35:57.574-08:00Dear God, I’d like a New Body. The One You Gave Me is a Lemon<div class="MsoNormal">Seriously. My body is a broke down lemon. I’d like to trade it in...</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I have a very strong immune system. I hardly ever get a cold or the flu. But every other system is bunk and it seems like one thing after another is breaking down<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">First, I suffered with undiagnosed Endometriosis for 7 years. By the time I was diagnosed, I had a large <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_cyst_of_ovary">endometrioma</a> (tumor) on my ovary. That diagnosis lead to the discovery that I had a bifurcated uterus. Result: Surgery<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Next, <a href="http://the-artists-wife.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html">my gallbladder went kaput</a>. For 6 month I was horribly sick and unable to eat – I lost almost 15 pounds. Result: Surgery <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now, my brain is broken. For the last few months I’ve been have terrible and frequent migraine headaches. It had escalated to the point that I was having some amount of head pain about 75% of the time – so I went to the doctor. She diagnosed me with hormone related migraines, but sent me for an MRI to rule out tumors, MS, and aneurysms. Unfortunately, one of those things was not ruled out.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I have two small aneurysms in my brain. Apparently, they are very small so they are not likely to require any radical treatment, like brain surgery. But it’s still very freaky – that’s my brain! My doctor referred me to a neurosurgeon, so I’ll know more after I see him. For now I just have to stay calm and not run a marathon – or participate in a weight lifting competition. Oh well. <o:p></o:p></div>Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-2260850008924019852011-12-17T15:00:00.000-08:002012-12-03T10:28:32.413-08:00Handmade Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gRzgP3nFzyQ/Tu0XGwy4MlI/AAAAAAAABRI/PZkzf2ttaaY/s1600/IMG_3070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gRzgP3nFzyQ/Tu0XGwy4MlI/AAAAAAAABRI/PZkzf2ttaaY/s200/IMG_3070.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This year I wanted to do something special for our Christmas decoration. When I was a kid, crafts were always part of the holidays. We made ornaments out of clay, crocheted snowflakes, and made angels to put on top of the tree. This year I decided to continue this tradition and make as many decorations as I could. With a little inspiration from HGTV and Pinterest.com I completed three projects.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Christmas Ball Wreath</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I found a large wreath form in the back of the storage room that is under our stairs that must have been left behind by the previous owners. So, I thought, instead of buying a wreath for over the fireplace, I should make one. I purchased inexpensive plastic ornaments from Target and wired each into place. The end result is lovely. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MGVdO0B1Nc8/Tu0XQkqAMwI/AAAAAAAABSw/lnmkK0jl1vM/s1600/IMG_3101_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MGVdO0B1Nc8/Tu0XQkqAMwI/AAAAAAAABSw/lnmkK0jl1vM/s400/IMG_3101_2.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Book Trees and Glitter Deer</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Inspired by a <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/266539/table-decorations-glittered-deer" target="_blank">Martha Stewart</a> project I found on Pinterest,</span><span style="font-size: small;"> I made some glitter deer. I found some great vintage plastic deer on Etsy and covered them in bronze glitter (Martha Stewart glitter of course). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bdSFbhMTM1g/Tu0XOt309cI/AAAAAAAABSY/OHE8jhxLnfc/s1600/IMG_3092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bdSFbhMTM1g/Tu0XOt309cI/AAAAAAAABSY/OHE8jhxLnfc/s400/IMG_3092.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">My little glitter deer needed a habitat, so I made them some pine trees. Inspired by a Christmas special I saw on HGTV, I made the trees from old books I picked up at the thrift store and Styrofoam cones from the craft store. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0lsiBMtMIzc/Tu0XKG7GoUI/AAAAAAAABR8/Uu-OhS82jDE/s1600/IMG_3090_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0lsiBMtMIzc/Tu0XKG7GoUI/AAAAAAAABR8/Uu-OhS82jDE/s400/IMG_3090_2.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Together with the glitter deer, the book trees make a lovely vignette for the top for the wood burning stove. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Winter Diorama Centerpiece </b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The blog <a href="http://fromthetortoiseandthehare.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-jars.html" target="_blank">The Tortoise and the Hare</a> originally inspired this project (I found this on Pinterest too), but I really wanted to do something more with it. So, I created a diorama in a glass cake stand I never use. I purchased small sisal Christmas trees and bleached them to create a vintage effect. Then I covered them in flocking and iridescent glitter. I placed them in a winter landscape I created with white glitter craft felt, fake snow (the kind used in the little Christmas villages) and more glitter. The finishing touch was tiny glitter deer. I found these tiny little deer on Etsy too and I covered them in a silvery teal glitter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iJ1WPWRXZMo/Tu0XVo7ad5I/AAAAAAAABTQ/cnm4naGcWcg/s1600/IMG_3112_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6W5cBLmQNfk/Tu0XHOZwm3I/AAAAAAAABRM/HOhm1g5KDDA/s1600/IMG_3071_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6W5cBLmQNfk/Tu0XHOZwm3I/AAAAAAAABRM/HOhm1g5KDDA/s400/IMG_3071_2.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iJ1WPWRXZMo/Tu0XVo7ad5I/AAAAAAAABTQ/cnm4naGcWcg/s1600/IMG_3112_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iJ1WPWRXZMo/Tu0XVo7ad5I/AAAAAAAABTQ/cnm4naGcWcg/s400/IMG_3112_2.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mYePW56007M/Tu0XH40zisI/AAAAAAAABRY/4S68wopBpjg/s1600/IMG_3072_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mYePW56007M/Tu0XH40zisI/AAAAAAAABRY/4S68wopBpjg/s400/IMG_3072_2.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Lovely! </span></span>Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-1337333233893354652011-11-21T19:07:00.001-08:002012-12-03T14:45:41.057-08:00Vegas: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly…and the Beautiful<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3RuEgjVbpVYWbLnyWqK3Ug8g6jM2wsV49ruXouh5_1fBLXCzofRjnWQ9oXxcVv0nusn6w-JfoKpFQgl9g31PQypVYd2QkotepWLKcY2GMdSHsgmJKMHHSU7Unjg6FD9-hVvZfLdQvfpO/s1600/IMG_0074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3RuEgjVbpVYWbLnyWqK3Ug8g6jM2wsV49ruXouh5_1fBLXCzofRjnWQ9oXxcVv0nusn6w-JfoKpFQgl9g31PQypVYd2QkotepWLKcY2GMdSHsgmJKMHHSU7Unjg6FD9-hVvZfLdQvfpO/s320/IMG_0074.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Charley and I recently returned from what’s becoming our annual Vegas mini vacation. Charley typically has a show in November at </span><a href="http://www.codagallery.com/palm_desert/index.php" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">Coda Gallery</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> in Palm Desert, California. For the last three years we’ve stop in Las Vegas for a few days on the way home from California. Here are the details of this year’s trip. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">The Bad and the Ugly</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">On the first evening of our trip Charley and I had the most memorable meal of our lives…and not in a good way. This meal was easily the worst meal either of us have ever been served. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">We arrive in Vegas pretty late and we were too tired to get all cleaned up to go to a nice restaurant. We thought about room service but thought it might take too long for the food to get to our room…we were starving. Charley had been to a Mexican/Cuban restaurant that was just a short walk from our hotel several times and had liked it. It was casual and quick, so we decided to give it a try…big mistake! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I had eaten Cuban food several times when I lived in New York and loved it. So, I ordered off of the Cuban menu and Charley followed my lead (he’d only order from the Mexican menu in the past) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I also order a margarita and this is where the meal started to go bad. We really should have walked out after I tasted that horrible margarita. It was truly disgusting. It was made from a syrupy mix instead of real juice, but that’s not what was so bad about it. It tasted less like a margarita and more like was comes up after you’re had a few too many margaritas. I’m not kidding. It was that bad. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Then our food came and thing went from bad to worst. My food was bland and mostly tasted like old Crisco. Charley’s food was the worst. He had some kind of tamale thing that tasted to me like bile (vomit was a taste theme with this meal). He thought it tasted like chemicals and burnt hair. It definitely didn’t taste like food. We decided someone must have been given a very bad perm in the kitchen which resulted in contamination of our food…or the kitchen staff was trying to poison us…I don’t know what we ever did to them. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">The Good</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">After that meal things got much better and we even had some great meals. We eat at the Bellagio’s famed gourmet buffet, where I eat two heaping platefuls of delicious pasta, cheese, meat, and seafood (including sushi) and finish my meal with a third plate of desserts. The desserts where amazing and between the two of us, we eat nine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">We also eat breakfast at </span><a href="http://www.hashhouseagogo.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">Hash House A Go Go</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> twice where we consumed various forms of eggs Benedict piled eight inches high…so yummy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Number 3 favorite activity from this trip: The Shark Reef aquarium at Mandalay Bay, which was small but fabulous. My favorite part was the jellyfish. They were so beautiful and graceful. Here a little video I took with my phone: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Number 2 favorite activity: Neon Boneyard. The Neon Boneyard is part of the <a href="http://www.neonmuseum.org/">Neon Museum</a> and is where many of old Vegas’ sign now reside. Starting next year the Boneyard will be open to the public, but now you have to make a reservation for one of the few tours they offer. I’ve wanted to see the Boneyard for years (I can’t resist the kitsch), so this was a very exciting opportunity. Here some of the photo I shot of this very cool place:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">The Beautiful</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Number 1 favorite activity: Cirque du Soleil LOVE. LOVE, which is based on Beatles music, was absolutely extraordinary. The dance, acrobatics, costumes, and lighting came together with the music to create something that was truly beautiful to the eye and moving to the soul. You must see this show if you ever have the opportunity. It was stunning. I wanted to see it again immediately after it was over…I literal would have gone right back in to the theater to see it again if I could have. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">It was a great trip…minus the Cuban food. I’m already looking forward to next year’s Vegas trip.</span></div>
Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-91556879705899139702011-11-19T15:09:00.000-08:002011-11-19T15:11:48.404-08:00Charley's Latest Show<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Charley currently has a show at </span><a href="http://www.codagallery.com/palm_desert/index.php" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">Coda Gallery</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> in Palm Desert, California. I flew down there last weekend for the opening and then the two of us drove back through Las Vegas, where we had a mini vacations (more stories to come).The opening was successful and so far eight paintings have sold…I’m so proud of my talented husband! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Here are some photos I took at the opening:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-36553571440373239432011-11-08T15:58:00.000-08:002011-11-08T15:58:44.562-08:00Are the End Times Near?<div class="MsoNormal">I’m not a religious person, nor have I ever read the bible, but lately I noticed some things I find very disturbing…could they be signs of the imminent apocalypse? (I’m only kidding, of course.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Sign #1 – Forever Lazy</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Have you seen this new product? Its name says it all…a clear sign that the human race is going in the wrong direction. Are we really so lazy that simple tasks like operating a thermostat (or blanket) or pulling down your pants to use the restroom are too complicated? Are there really people out there that are thinking, “Oh man, I wish I didn’t have to work so hard to keep myself covered with this blanket”? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If we can’t be bothered with using a blanket, can being too lazy to eat be far off? At the very less, if this product catches on, birth rates will plummet…nothing says, “Let’s get it on,” like a brightly colored, oversized, fleece onesie. My favorite scene in this ridiculous infomercial is the couple sharing a romantic moment on the deck…I’m pretty sure that date isn’t ending in the bedroom. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Sign #2 – Pajama Jeans</b> (and the wearing of regular pajamas in public) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Again, are we really that lazy? I just have two things to say about pajama jeans (and the general trend to wear pajama pants in public):<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><ol><li>If I managed to put on pants this morning, so can you, and</li>
<li>If your jeans are really that uncomfortable and hard to put on, try buying the next size up.</li>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><b>Sign #3 – The existence of these: </b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkt8PnBd8_PAm7wSxkxK_brEUIkfHirvvFTjXgBIT8Q1rfNZC0FLW5TGLVqVBTq44GzUkhkEPKl1AuwbAHhsNZRHv-v9aKGygcLAB27LRPkOV9wxm4YENN5ceNSFIxygP51rQhaFpNnUx0/s1600/nordstrom.com+2011-11-8+16-36-19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkt8PnBd8_PAm7wSxkxK_brEUIkfHirvvFTjXgBIT8Q1rfNZC0FLW5TGLVqVBTq44GzUkhkEPKl1AuwbAHhsNZRHv-v9aKGygcLAB27LRPkOV9wxm4YENN5ceNSFIxygP51rQhaFpNnUx0/s320/nordstrom.com+2011-11-8+16-36-19.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Enough said.</div>Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-9817655749913347022011-11-07T12:24:00.000-08:002011-11-08T08:59:46.325-08:00The Work of Andy Goldworthy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7k2jgUzqTbd8CSyFbIAmtkju4Qj1cmEA9w_sCxDiWm9i2uI6HqUX88TC-3B_19a8wj7rRUThJSD1LtUMv6Oue0GI74FmdpiOvv82Ff8Aw7Ityqd6eJ-k0rO7fEloh-j4bSCdUCZYaAQN/s1600/3670_Andy_Goldsworthy_photo_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7k2jgUzqTbd8CSyFbIAmtkju4Qj1cmEA9w_sCxDiWm9i2uI6HqUX88TC-3B_19a8wj7rRUThJSD1LtUMv6Oue0GI74FmdpiOvv82Ff8Aw7Ityqd6eJ-k0rO7fEloh-j4bSCdUCZYaAQN/s200/3670_Andy_Goldsworthy_photo_1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Recently, Charley introduced me to the work of an amazing artist – sculptor, photographer and naturalist, Andy Goldworthy. His work is so moving, so breathtaking, I had to share it with you.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Andy Goldworhty uses natural, found objects, like leaves, flowers, sticks, rocks, and even ice to create large scale sculptural installations in nature. His work is made from nature and becomes part of the natural environment, where is subject to nature’s forces and often only lasts in the photographs he take of it. The end result is magical and, for me, very emotional. This is what he says about his work and process: <span class="apple-style-span">"I enjoy the freedom of just using my hands and ‘found’ tools--a sharp stone, the quill of a feather, thorns. I take the opportunities each day offers: if it is snowing, I work with snow, at leaf-fall it will be with leaves; a blown-over tree becomes a source of twigs and branches. I stop at a place or pick up a material because I feel that there is something to be discovered. Here is where I can learn."</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIo8wlZJf1GPL-ZqYsplJOiqLsQLkadTgJhrd2VJlwoEkD58sV8s2JU01RqhRwNsVU6LNiyrTyIxvnp8mQ2zBeZ0vN0V_pFBgw1Ox22z7gZ0MkcgLgJyP5kQ3nNSiYIQSio92LXS0o1D3/s1600/AG+Ice" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIo8wlZJf1GPL-ZqYsplJOiqLsQLkadTgJhrd2VJlwoEkD58sV8s2JU01RqhRwNsVU6LNiyrTyIxvnp8mQ2zBeZ0vN0V_pFBgw1Ox22z7gZ0MkcgLgJyP5kQ3nNSiYIQSio92LXS0o1D3/s320/AG+Ice" width="251" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9EeOlioe2gQPA-6cNgnxZ3kmZnGOzovMisGRQUzOnYlQ17ZOSMC_kY7DFN8lnXPBgBww5n1yViwcWo-LqY6FpkqsSHB6UdXzKR8J7jLT3nXtin4_8H-f4sDqM1us6YYojbrKVjkcAdcc/s1600/AC+Stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9EeOlioe2gQPA-6cNgnxZ3kmZnGOzovMisGRQUzOnYlQ17ZOSMC_kY7DFN8lnXPBgBww5n1yViwcWo-LqY6FpkqsSHB6UdXzKR8J7jLT3nXtin4_8H-f4sDqM1us6YYojbrKVjkcAdcc/s320/AC+Stone.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh053hPIsi94sk-jS3coEsdGRCxyLXX0OkGABK_MS0ozdn7NPZv4SrTPauGHZDkR7Cu4YHCSnJZ9oq-V7i08a16wUE6CzG6JrOO9KNCqDY1VvnugaU8rZ2cZfVznlD_2AN5ubVt9s41k5xy/s1600/leaves" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh053hPIsi94sk-jS3coEsdGRCxyLXX0OkGABK_MS0ozdn7NPZv4SrTPauGHZDkR7Cu4YHCSnJZ9oq-V7i08a16wUE6CzG6JrOO9KNCqDY1VvnugaU8rZ2cZfVznlD_2AN5ubVt9s41k5xy/s320/leaves" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span">Charley and I watched an amazing documentary about him and his work called “Rivers and Tides.” It is available for streaming from <a href="http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Rivers_and_Tides/60027273?trkid=2361637">Netflix</a>, and I highly recommend you watch it. Here’s the trailer: <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</span></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AT3lveJmjY8" width="420"></iframe>Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-67119113898327864432011-10-30T14:59:00.000-07:002014-01-22T12:54:48.425-08:00Journey from Consumer to Producer Begins...<b>Step one: Sewing Classes</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXaTArG-h3dg2LAyHTyZWAkpkMEnWTFz56RJDfeMN1I9SaqC5BMoX0PTBxnFyhnzVCIRvOG2AI2y2OhKTk17-_wVbw_0zUOLjbTkRl-dJFmWWERyC5iIEROmxAlmx7bbJ88lBkhjPb5KJL/s1600/apron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXaTArG-h3dg2LAyHTyZWAkpkMEnWTFz56RJDfeMN1I9SaqC5BMoX0PTBxnFyhnzVCIRvOG2AI2y2OhKTk17-_wVbw_0zUOLjbTkRl-dJFmWWERyC5iIEROmxAlmx7bbJ88lBkhjPb5KJL/s320/apron.jpg" height="320" width="153" /></a>I've made an early New Year's resolution. I'd like to produce more and less of a consumer , but first I need to acquire skills to allow me to do that. So for the next year I will learn skills like sewing and food preservation.<br />
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Three weeks ago I started my first sewing class and last week I finish my first project! I made an apron! Now I'm working on pajama pants. Next I'll make a simple tote bag. The best part of my sewing class...the school is called the Finishing School...I'm finally getting finished. <br />
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I will post more sewing projects soon and I'll keep you posted my journey from consumer to producer over the next 12 months.Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-61431281576793799442011-10-27T15:10:00.000-07:002012-10-29T14:45:26.878-07:00Ballet West's Dracula<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last week I attend the opening night of Ballet West’s production of Dracula. Originally staged by Ben Stevenson and the Houston Ballet, the production had a lot of buzz around it, and I was extremely excited to see what was sure to be a fantastic spectacle…and what a perfect way to get in the Halloween spirit. </div>
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Sadly, I was a little disappointed. This was my third time see seeing Ballet West perform. My first impression was not good. I saw Swan Lake back in 1994 and I hated it. I thought the dancers were mediocre at best. My second impression was much better…it was quite good in fact. Last year I saw their tribute to the Ballet Russes and I loved it. I thought my first impression must have been result of my youthful ballet snobbery. But Dracula did not impress me overall. Don’t get me wrong, some things were great…but some things were really bad. Here’s my review:</div>
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<b>The Story: B<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The story was a little thin…but most classical ballets have a flimsy plot. So you can’t really fault it there. </div>
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<b>The Music: A++</b></div>
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The music, composed by Franz Liszt, was wonderful and the orchestra was fantastic. That may have been the best part of the evening. </div>
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<b>The Choreography: C-</b></div>
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The ballet was choreographed by Ben Stevenson (former Artistic Director at the Houston Ballet). For the most part I found the choreography to be an interesting mix of classical and contemporary ballet and I found it refreshing. But…and this a big but…some of it was awkward and just plain awful. </div>
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In the third act, Flora, Dracula’s head wife had a solo and it was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen on a stage (and I’ve seen some weird things including bad performance art). It reminded me of a combination of bad interpretive dance and the Mad TV character <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnwzRAw7HnM&feature=related">Stuart</a>..."Look what I can do!” I actually cringed on several occasions. </div>
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<b>The Costumes: A+</b></div>
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The costumes were wonderful. I especially enjoyed the gowns worn by Dracula’s wives and how the flowing skirts were incorporated in the choreography. </div>
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<b>The Special Effect: A-</b></div>
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This is one of the elements I was most excited about. This ballet incorporates a lot of aerial work…Dracula and his wives can fly! And it was very cool, but the rope work was at times a bit jerky. The lighting and dry ice were dreadfully creepy…great! </div>
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<b>The Dancing: B-</b></div>
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I have two thought about the dancing. First, I think the dancers might have been struggling a little with the unusual choreography. And second, I think they needed more rehearsal. The Corps de Ballet seemed to be out of sync with each other on several occasions and a few of them even seem to forget the steps…really not good. There were also several noticeable stumbles. </div>
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That being said, a few of the dancers really stood out in a positive way. Katherine Lawrence danced the role of Svetlana, and she was lovely. Aidan DeYoung dance the role of Renfield and I think he stole the show. </div>
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<b>Overall Grade: B</b></div>
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Now that I’ve expressed my opinion I have to ask you to take it all with a grain of salt. As an ex-ballerina I may have some snobbery left in me. And my background may have skewed my opinion of the performance. Growing up in a major metropolitan area I had the opportunity to see, take class with, and even perform with the worlds most talented dancers. And for a short time, I was privileged enough to train at one of the worlds best (and most famous) ballet schools (The Bolshoi in Moscow). So, my expectations are always high…maybe too high.</div>
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All-in-all it was a good night and I had a great time. I will definitely attend more Ballet West performances. </div>
Johannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987349372661855916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379145016923242878.post-56441800501205961652011-09-28T14:30:00.001-07:002011-10-28T12:26:27.840-07:00Etsy Shop<div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657527876589086418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMTkbJaQ6rGfl5ByMx5-KiHcX2zBeR7IAEbPre8XGgPqoSbL5ai61bcaOI6MtxW2lgUA7lYEpRB4kNdcHrUp71LWpLnYN2wmvImvEnbNvLhGuRVGZ4Fomcj12MadUmjXncpz3vIikhVMd/s320/Yellow+Flower.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 240px;" />I haven't posted lately because I've been busy getting my new Etsy shop up and running.I'm selling handmade (by me) and up-cycled jewelry made from deconstructed vintage jewelry and other vintage artifacts...and I have hopes of expanding to handmade knitwear and resin jewelry soon.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Please check it out: <a href="http://www.the-artists-wife.com/">www.the-artists-wife.com</a></div><div><br />
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