The gift shop at the Akron Art Museum is now selling four designs of my notecards: three blimp images and my representation of the Akron Art Museum.
Also, Hazel Tree Interiors’ current exhibit of local artwork includes three of my pieces, “Guardians of the Night”, “King” and “Baby Elephant Walk”.
Karen Starr of Karen Starr Redesigns (located in Hazel Tree Interiors in downtown Akron, the former Norka Futon building) is looking for artsy people in Northeast Ohio to come up with “unconventional Christmas trees” to sell for the five weeks or so before Christmas. The display will be unveiled the Saturday before Thanksgiving (November 19). I love the idea and think it will be a fabulous complement to the more “traditional” Christmas tree festival at the Knight Center. Click here for more details.
So what was precious at 9:15 last night was driving me crazy by 8 the next morning. My “maybe” answer didn’t settle the issue for long, and at 10 or so last night, while I was in bed, my younger daughter came in to ask impatiently if she and her sister could have their adventure tomorrow, and where could they go. Then this morning while getting ready for school, the insistent requests continued. I told them the first step was they had to draw a map of the neighborhood and the route they would take. That gave them pause for a minute until my younger daughter said, “We’ll just go on Google Maps!”. I then started asking “What if” questions, like “What happens if your sister gets a bloody nose (she gets really bad ones)?” “I won’t!” my daughter insisted. It kind of went on like that for a while. The bus couldn’t come soon enough!!!
My two daughters, who share a bedroom, just came up to see me a few minutes ago to ask me an important question. My older daughter was the spokesperson. “One day,” she asked, “could we go on an adventure, just the two of us?” pointing to her younger sister. Apparently, instead of sleeping, they were planning this big excursion. Their destination: a walk around the neighborhood. They started reciting their packing list: two bottles of water, flip flops, a coat … “Maybe, when you’re a little older,” I answered, to which they both got huge grins, squealed, and said to each other “Maybe! Did you hear her say ‘maybe when we’re a little older? Maybe!!!!!’”. Then they floated back down to their bedrooms. Although my feelings were hurt because I wasn’t invited (and I love an adventure!) I had to smile because it was just so precious!!
I watched the film “Caramel” last night. It’s an award-winning film made a few years back in Beirut, Lebanon. The story is basically a “chick flick” about the lives and loves of several women with a beauty salon as the focal point. I didn’t know anything about life in Beirut, and it was interesting to see women there aren’t any different than they are here (for example, who hasn’t waited anxiously by the phone to hear from that certain someone –usually the wrong someone?) The movie could have taken place in a beauty salon in Akron, but with a few crucial differences. Like, we don’t have armed guards walking about, interrogating us if we’re seen in a car with a man. And we don’t have to pr0ve to a hotel clerk (with an ID card) we’re married in order to book a room. And we don’t have your legs waxed with caramel (at least not that I know of!). Anyway, the movie had humor, sweetness, a touch of melancholy — and a personal view into a place and culture far away.
As my family members go buggy trying to catch all the gnats flying around our house, I had to look up to see what the purpose of these annoying little creatures is anyway. FYI: it’s to be food for birds and to help clean up rotting foods by eating the rot. That’s super, but why do they have to be so irritating??
My BFF and I saw this musical a couple years ago at Cleveland Playhouse. It’s a really fun show for a girls’ night out (as I recall the few men in the audience seemed really uncomfortable, so don’t even bother trying to coerce a husband or boyfriend). I won’t be going again, but I have a discount code for $10 off each ticket: PHS. It’s at Playhouse Square October 25-November 6.
instead of firearms? That way when her Akron house was robbed earlier this week, I wouldn’t be worrying about the AK-47 assault rifle, two .38 caliber pistols, seven rifles and four shotguns now floating around town. Or maybe they’re not even in town anymore because they were traded for something even worse? I know very little about guns, but that just seems like an awful lot to have sitting around your home. Kind of makes you wonder what’s in your neighbor’s house.
A few years ago I met another mom at a McDonald’s PlayLand; she invited me to join a group she ran for preschool-aged kid and their parents. The mom was a teacher who had quit work when the first of her four children was born. Basically, she organized “field trips” for preschool-aged kids several times a month during the school year. After running the group for 10 years or so she had it down to a science. I took my kids on many of the outings, which were either free or just a couple bucks, and we went to so many great places in the area (i.e. a steel drum-making factory, popcorn factory, nursery, supermarket, music store, car repair shop, pizza shop, shipping company, pet store, vet’s office, bagel store, chocolate factory, library, pretzel shop). (This doesn’t include the dozens of places I couldn’t go to, for some reason or another.) For the most part, the places did a really good job of keeping the tours short and sweet, involving the audience, and sometimes giving a treat afterward. Sure, the kids were often bored, but the parents were fascinated (especially me!). When the group’s founder went back to work, two other moms took over; I went the first year they were in charge but I’m not sure what’s happened since then. I sure hope it’s continued. It was such an awesome idea! Best of all, I didn’t have to run it or organize it; I could just enjoy it (how often does THAT happen?).
The multi-award-winning Italian movie Cinema Paradiso was first released in the US in early 1990. I saw it at the now-demolished Village Theatre in Fairlawn. Twice. (One of those times, I recall, I dragged my BFF to because I was so moved by this film and felt compelled to share the experience). I also rented the movie several years later, so I could share it with my husband. Perusing the foreign films at the library last week, I saw the film, re-released in 2002 with the “Director’s Cut” — an additional 51 minutes which had been edited from the original. That’s like an extra third of the movie! I was so excited to watch it … and so upset after I did. It was a completely different movie. The original was a beautiful story of a boy’s friendship with an old man and their shared love of the movies. The director’s cut takes that story, but adds a whole huge element of the boy (now a middle-aged man) finding out what happened to his lost love. That would have been fine (though weak) but in addition to that, a secret about the old man is revealed, which now known, totally ruins the original story. I am NOT happy about this.