The Bootstrap Post

This is a book that Diahn left with me when she came for a visit. It's one of the ways in which she inspires me. It's by Danny Gregory, who also wrote, Everyday Matters, a virtual Bible for sketchers and artists from all walks of life. It proved to be such an inspiration that now it has it's own Superblog, a community for artists that issues weekly challenges. Pretty cool. It makes me wish I were an artist.

I do think there's an artist in all of us. What is an artist afterall? Someone who takes the simple, mundane, objects and emotions of everyday life and shines a light on them...so that you see the beauty. Beauty comes in all forms and if it moves you, if it takes you somewhere, it's beautiful. So, although I'm not a painter or a sketcher, I'm an artist. One of my favorite forms of expression is poetry. I love packing as much emotion into the smallest of spaces.

I've been in a very weird place lately and have been feeling extremely, well, for lack of a better word, dull. Dull in the routine of my everyday life and dull in a mental capacity. I've blamed it on everything from diet to the hectic pace of my life but I don't think that's the problem. I read a book a couple of years ago that talks about how we're created in the image of God, who is the great creator, which means that the drive to create is in everyone of us. And if I believe that, and I do, it's one way that I can feel closer to God. Which in turn, always fulfills me. Nothing else comes close.

Who knows, maybe I'll pick up a sketch book and start an illustrated journal. Maybe there's a poem in all of this that's waiting to be written. Or maybe, just maybe, I'll finish that book I started. Maybe, I'll wake up early tomorrow and take a brisk walk with the sunrise.

Time to move.

Sweet Louisiana Nights

Dino was here.

She came all the way from Arlington, Virginia, just to see me for a few days. That really makes me feel loved. We had a wonderful time. Unfortunately, due to work and a sick daughter, we didn't get to do all the things I had planned, but we still managed to have fun. She brought her camera of course, so although I do not have one solitary picture to show as evidence, you can see her photos on her blog. I don't think we got a picture of us together. Sixty-six hours goes by so quickly.

Thursday night, we went to a Shreveport Captains game. The weather was perfect! You just can't have a bad time at the ballpark. Good clean American fun, complete with a heckler, a colorful, yodeling beer vendor and an angry mob...well, it wasn't exactly a mob...just one rather large angry woman in a purple shirt who "tattled" on the heckler. Party pooper.

Friday night, I went to Mudbag Madness with two of my favorite people, Diahn and Crystal. Just us girls. Robert doesn't like crowds. Party pooper. After a quick dinner under the tent of Natchitoches Meat Pies, Red Beans and Rice, Gator-on-a-stick and fried crawfish, we headed down to the front of the stage to get up close and personal with Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Experience. We hooped and hollered, danced and cut-up like we used to in our younger days. Crystal fell in love with the lead guitarist from Thibodaux and got to talk to him. He was cute already, but when he opened his mouth to speak, his voice was deep and low and he had a heavy, heavy Cajun accent. Massive sex appeal. Massive. And then more fun girlfriend things happened as Dino and I went along for the ride with C to meet mysterious, Thibodaux guitar-playing man. All good, clean fun things, but too long to go into here. Highlights: Dino was mad at me for exactly 10 minutes, we also met the guy from the band, I think his name was Andre, who played the washboard, C feel more in love with Thibodaux guy, and we almost got our noses pierced.

Good times, good times.

I haven't been writing much lately, but I feel myself inspired this morning. That's one of the things that Dino leaves with me always. A little inspiration.

And we all need that, right?

Bookworm

My mother's day was very sweet. I woke to a lovely vase of flowers on my dining room table, two cards from the girls, a beautiful painting from my oldest daughter and a gift card from Barnes & Nobles. And then, later in the day, my daughters treated me to a movie. A complete chickflick, "Ghost of Girlfriends Past". It was a great day.

I promptly hung the picture in my living room and yesterday, ventured out to B&N to spend my loot. I don't know why people say gift cards are so impersonal. They make me so happy. Unless it was a gift card to Wal-Mart, which even then, I could probably find something I needed or wanted. But for years I've been dropping hints at birthdays, Christmas, Mother's Day for a gift card to Barnes and Nobles. No one's obliged me. "So impersonal," they say. Oy-vey.

What could be more personal than walking around a beautiful store filled with books, drinking a delicious cup of Starbuck's brew, wondering what to buy? It doesn't get much more personal than that for me, folks.

I finally settled on two books that couldn't be more opposite. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Duma Key by Stephen King.

I've been wanting to read the first one for quite a while and I have to say, so far, it's wonderful and inspiring, to say the least. The second, what can I say? It's summer and time for a good ole' summer read. I haven't read much of Stephen King's work lately. When I was younger, I read everything I could get my hands on. I kind of outgrew his writing and the plots and the cheesy, over-the-top endings. But last year I picked up one of his books and was reminded that sometimes it's nice to read a book that you can't put down because the story grabs you, ridiculous or not. And I still think his characters are pretty three-dimensional. You love them or your hate them, but you can always see them so clearly.

Happy summer reading, all.

So...what are you reading?

MIA

Hello, dear blog. I'm sorry that I haven't written lately, it's not that I don't care. I really can't say why I've been so silent lately. But, I miss you.

I must confess that I've been a little preoccupied with your evil cousin, Facebook, but you shouldn't worry. She doesn't have enough depth to keep me captivated. She's just been a nice diversion.

I promise to do better, give me a little time. I'm in search of inspiration...and time, always time.

Who knows, maybe I'll bring you some nice pictures and a new header when I return. You're looking a little, neglected, shall we say?

We shall say.

'Nite.