Thursday, June 26

Polaroid SX-70 Advertisement



Includes a "how to" segment and a "how the camera works" segment. Pretty nifty.

I posted a couple other old commercials over at mad orange loves..., a new spot for some of my favorite finds.

Sunday, June 22

A bad photo of our new bookcase.

a bad photo of our new bookcase

I am so in love with our new bookcase. It is the perfect size for the spot under the big window in the hallway. I have been *dying* to put plants in front of the window and now I can!

It's the small things in life.

Friday, June 20

It's been a bad week for sleep.

I haven't slept more than four hours a night
in four nights.

Last night I slept for about two.

I feel pretty damn hopeless right now.

Yesterday I saw my acupuncturist again. She's a lovely woman
and I enjoy the time spent with her
but
I am starting to think the treatments are having a detrimental affect on me.

Nothing seems to help.

My insomnia has gotten worse
not better
since the first time I saw her.

Just my luck.

Last night I was so exhausted.
I thought that my body would just crash by default.
But I was awake until after 3:00 AM.

And I don't have much on my mind. I am not ruminating at night.

I don't know what is wrong with me.

But it's not good.

Wednesday, June 18

This just made my day.


Well Trained, originally uploaded by jimheid.

Not feeling so hot today
due to the usual sleeping issues,
but this pola makes me smile.

I love it.

Best thing ever.

Tuesday, June 17

Sunday, June 15

Happy Father's Day!

me and my dad, oct. 1970

A Happy Father's Day
to my dad
and all the other dads out there.

We went hiking with my dad today,
one of his favorite things to do.
Ours too.
It was the most peaceful I have felt all week.

Saturday, June 14

The Farmers Market

was quite pleasant this morning.

I took my Polaroid SLR 680 along
but did not see anything
that inspired me to take a shot.

Bugheart always has such beautiful
and inspiring photos
from her trips to the Farmers Market.
(Which is not the one here.)

Maybe next time.

We bought some lovely treats though.

A bag of mixed greens,
kale,
swiss chard,
beets and onions,
and sweet cherries
that are fire engine red!

Grass-fed beef, pork chops
and bratwurst!

We had a sample of the bratwurst
and it was divine.

Homemade raspberry rhubarb pie
for dessert tonight.

Spinach and feta quiche for breakfast
one morning this coming week.

Yum.

Saturday, at last.

Since I work on Saturdays, there is no TGIF for me.
Instead, TGIS!

This morning we are going to the Farmers Market
which I am very excited about! I heard that they
have happy pig now along with
the grass-fed beef and French chickens.

Then, my last day of work for the week.
What a relief 5 o'clock will be today.

Tomorrow, a hike with dad. He's easy to please
for Father's Day.
Not to mention, Will and I need need a little
communing with nature.

Hope you all have fun weekend plans!

Friday, June 13

I'm getting tired of being at work.

I usually work part-time and this working full-time thing is starting to get to me. Fortunately this is the last week of it.

It's not that being here is so bad.

I work in a pretty nice environment. There is
lots of light and
a nice breeze blowing through the place so no need for A/C.
At least not yet.

But I am having trouble being patient with the annoying people today
which is the main sign that I need a break.

The people who stand at the door and ask,
"May we come in and look around?"
drive me bonkers.

Um, it's a gallery. Isn't that the point?

Sometimes I want to say, "No."
Just to see what they do.

But I just smile and say, "of course."

flickr faves

6/13/2008
1. theyalwaysdie, 2. Buh buh buh buh buh..., 3. little china boy., 4. beachgrass, 5. it's moo, 6. a perfect friday afternoon in brooklyn, 7. Superior (Polaroid 680), 8. Orai, 9. Untitled, 10. between green, 11. Untitled, 12. Joshua Tree (Polaroid 600)

Created with fds flickr toys.

Thursday, June 12

Someday I might take a picture of something other than cats & flowers.

But I am not making any guarantees.



Rocky oftentimes takes his morning nap on this set of rugs that we have in our back hallway. I think the colors of the rugs suit him. Such a pretty boy.

Wednesday, June 11

On a lighter note...

roses!



I've never had roses before. And I actually did not plant this bush. It was here when we moved in. The previous tenants had planted it in one of the front beds which was not a great idea considering that it is a climbing rose bush and in the front, there was nothing for it to climb. So earlier this spring, I transplanted it over to the side yard, in front of the fence. And then we had a couple more freezes and I was sure that I had killed the thing. But no, it pulled through and now it is blooming. So pretty!

Yes, these are things that make me happy.

Also, I fell asleep last night! And I slept for 6 hours! I am feeling much more human again.

Tuesday, June 10

This breaks my heart.


, originally uploaded by Buzz McKinnon.

Oh Mr. Bones! May you rest in peace. We always loved you like one of our own.

Here's one of my favorite pictures of Mr. Bones.

mr. bones

No more sad news, please.

If only I could sleep as serenely as the cats.

Just lay down in the morning sun and go to sleep.



But alas, it is not so. And in fact, I had another bad night. A night of not being able to fall asleep at all which actually stresses me out more than the waking up during the night. Because then I think it is going to happen every night and I end up totally psyching myself out. I have no idea why I couldn't sleep last night. I was totally exhausted from the previous night, for one. I followed my usual bedtime routine, started falling asleep while reading, turned out the light...and then no sleep.

It's frustrating.

Perhaps I am just stressed about the week ahead and the fact that I will be alone at work so there is no opportunity for relief if I start losing my mind. Or something like that.

Oh well, all I can do is keep going.

And now I have to run. Literally.

Monday, June 9

I couldn't sleep last night.



Well, I fell asleep in no time at all, but then I woke up at 2:50 and could not fall back asleep. Too many things started going through my head. Bad news from one of my favorite people ever that still has me reeling. I just couldn't stop thinking about him. And then my twitchy husband started twitching quite a bit. I felt like I was in the middle of an earthquake. Well, not really, but it does shake the whole bed and since I already couldn't fall asleep, it was driving me nuts. Next time we have a wad of cash, we're going to invest in one of those beds that does not move.

So I've been tired and rather short-tempered today. Fortunately I've been by myself for the most part so no one has really had to put up with my mood. I've done a little of this and a little of that and actually accomplished a fews things. I still have too many piles though. Things to mail. Craft projects to finish. Polaroids to pin up. Polaroids to put into my album. Clothing that needs to be ironed.

All-in-all I have been feeling better. I don't sleep through the night, but since following some of the suggestions of my D.O.M., I seem to have more energy during the day. The two main things she asked me to do: eat breakfast and take calcium magnesium at bedtime. And a banana does not count as breakfast. So I have been eating breakfast and taking the calcium at night. Hopefully eventually my system will find a new track and I'll actually sleep through the night. We shall see.

I am sure reading about my lack of sleep is rather boring, but since I have so much trouble with sleep, I think about it a lot.

Back to work tomorrow. I have another full work week so here's hoping for some good rest tonight!

Saturday, June 7

Today work has been like

Chinese water torture.

drip
drip
drip

Or like listening to fingernails scraping a chalkboard.

I kind of feel
like
plucking my eyeballs out.

But no, not really.

I did finish my book
but these slow days
always kind of feel like wasted days.

flickr faves

Late again! It's been a busy week. A happy weekend to you!!

6/7/2008
1. a gust, 2. untitled, 3. land.5, 4. Untitled, 5. Untitled, 6. Untitled, 7. Reala debut, 8. bargain tuesday, 9. yangtze river., 10. Untitled, 11. day 57 v2, 12. Untitled

Created with fd's flickr toys.

Thursday, June 5

for the love of light


the book, originally uploaded by Matt?!.

If you are a Polaroid addict like me, you might want to consider pre-ordering this new book.

I don't know why I thought that catnip

would survive in our garden with two catnip lovin' cats roaming around. I planted it in the morning and by evening...

rocky + catnip, part 1 - the discovery
The Discovery

rocky + catnip, part 2 - the rolling around in ecstasy.
The Rolling Around in Ecstasy
(and crushing the plant)

rocky + catnip, part 3 - the bliss
The Bliss

rocky + catnip, part 4 - coming back for more and crushing the plant with his body
The Return and Total Crushing of Catnip Plant

Good thing he's cute otherwise he might have gotten in trouble.

Wednesday, June 4

A Birthday Flower



Happy Birthday Christine!!

If you were in Santa Fe, I'd pick a peony for you. A picture will have to do.

Tuesday, June 3

Insomnia & Polaroid Silent Auction

Two totally unrelated subjects for this post!

The Polaroid Silent Auction is happening at SPACE Gallery in Portland, Maine on June 6th. You can preview the prints here. Lots of awesome work. I am delighted that I was invited to submit a print (although they spelled my name wrong). Pretty neat-o and I wish we could be there!

As for the insomnia...well, it's kind of gotten better the past two weeks in that I have been feeling more rested and less irritable even though I still don't sleep through the night. I don't know what that means really, I guess that I am "managing" my insomnia.

I went to see a Doctor of Oriental Medicine yesterday and it was a very positive experience. I've never actually had a massage before nor acupuncture and both left me feeling very relaxed. Plus we talked a lot and I have some new paths to follow as far as working out the insomnia issue goes. So of course I proceeded to have the worst night I've had in a long time last night. Arrrggghh!

My insomnia is typically not staying asleep as opposed to having trouble falling asleep. But nope, not last night. Could not sleep for the life of me. I just kept getting more and more agitated and I swear I felt like I'd had a dose of speed or something. Finally I got up and took a Valium and even that took forever to relax me. I had a big day at work today and being exhausted sucked. The dark circles under my eyes look fabulous too.

So I don't know, it probably is just a fluke that I couldn't fall asleep rather than being directly related to the D.O.M. experience. I guess there was a part of me that hoped for a miracle...that I would sleep through the night. Alas. The suggestions that were given to me all make sense, but they are all things that will help me over time, not instantaneously.

I am keeping the hope, for sure. And crossing my fingers that I sleep tonight.

P.S. We really need someone to house/cat/garden sit for us in July. For a week. If you are not a complete stranger to me and have some interest in spending a week in Santa Fe, let me know. We can't fly you out here, but once you're here, you'll have a nice house to stay in, two cats to keep you company, satellite television and a wireless internet connection. Oh, and there's all that art stuff here too. And hiking.

(Not that I really think this request will work considering that about five people read this blog! But hey, you never know.)

Monday, June 2

It's getting better

even though it looks like a piece of rawhide. (And it still stings.) Frightening.

It's getting better.

I am still seriously annoyed at myself for letting this happen. Stupid. An open invitation to skin cancer.

It could have been easily avoided
but no
I was being vain about tan lines. I always end up with a zillion different tan lines from hiking, running, gardening, daily walks...and so I decided to even things up a bit.

*Sigh*

My father has had numerous patches of skin frozen off (or whatever they do) and a couple of skin biopsies so my paranoia about skin cancer is no laughing matter.

When he was young, he was a lifeguard for a couple of summers. No sunscreen. Later in life, he was an avid outdoors man...hiking, back country backpacking, mountain climbing, marathons. No sunscreen. I don't think he started wearing sunscreen until he was in his 50's.

And he's still bad about wearing his hat. I bugged him a bunch about it last summer and he said, "I don't want to look like a dork."

He's 68!

And so stubborn.

My sister and I were recently talking about how when we were young, no one was particularly concerned about skin cancer. I played outdoors all the time and no one ever told me to wear sunscreen. Spent hours at the pool covered in tanning oil, not sunscreen.

I don't think I started wearing sunscreen until my early 30's when I started getting age spots on my face.

Now I am pretty good about always putting sunscreen on my face and upper body. And I even wear my dorky hats when I am going to be out in the sun a lot.

But now I've seared my back. Lesson learned, I suppose.

I don't think I've ever had a burn this bad.

As you can tell, it really freaks me out.