Scattered Thoughts . . .

I hate cars.  I hate driving cars... it is boring beyond belief. I have always (even in my early 20s) found myself constantly fighting to keep myself awake because it is so unbelievably boring. As a result, I've always preferred having a driver. Driving a car is just a boring, mundane, menial task that I prefer to avoid. I even hate today's car models! They all look the same... either a boring box or a boring wedge or they look like a giant funky sneaker. Even the limited edition runs of classic car models have been morphed toward today's styles of boxes, wedges or sneakers. I hate maintaining cars. When I was younger... as a teenager and in my twenties... I worked on cars, repaired cars, rebuilt cars, even occasionally lent a hand in a racing pit crew. I had aspirations of someday building a replica of an antique car or truck. I don't have the energy nor desire to do any of this today. It is just a drain on my energy and my finances. And besides, I don't even

I've been trying to hone my skills with my digital pen and graphics tablet over the past couple of days. I have to say, this is not helping me get any rest though! Last night I started on what I thought would be a little test project. It is something I've always wanted to draw and paint... an old rural gas station... some dramatic lighting. By 3am, I knew I bit off more than I could chew for a "little test project". My intention was to just sketch out some ideas. The sketches developed quickly and then I was adding background and foreground (although, for me, the foreground could use something more)... and filling with color. Before long, I was having difficulty keeping my eyes open! The problem with a project like this is that I've learned that once I get my creativity flowing, I really need to allow that flow to continue for as long as possible. Coming back to an art project later rarely works well for me.  The next time I sit down and try to start that

'Slit Drum Sculptures' by Jerry Geier Back just a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about our trip to Shelburne Farms with the grandkids. While we were at the farm, we came across these wooden sculptures out in the middle of nowhere on the farm. We had no idea what they were and subsequent internet searches provided no clues... until now. I finally found that these particular sculptures were handcrafted by Jerry Geier. These sculptures are called "Slit Drum" sculptures. They are drumming percussion instruments of the Pacific islands and (I think) of certain African tribes. I'm still not completely certain of their history but at least I have figured out what these sculptures at Shelburne Farms represent. This particular piece of art is named "Convergence". Here is a link to the artist...  Jerry Geier . Below is also a video I found on YouTube of a larger slit drum called a slit gong. Had I know that these sculptures were drumming instruments,

I wrote earlier this morning that I was thinking I would need to keep from wandering from the house. I just wasn't feeling "right" at the time. I was exhausted from lack of sleep. I was in pain from the effects of Systemic Mastocytosis and extensive spinal injuries. Common sense was telling me I needed to stick close to home. Well, when Sheila arrived home from work she reminded me that I needed to drop my car off at the mechanic's garage this evening. Unfortunately, my health had already begun to crash. Rather than getting a much needed nap this afternoon, I spent much of the afternoon in and out of the bathroom. Ooooo... fun time, let me tell you! Now I definitely needed to wander from the house to drop off the car. Regardless of my health, I really needed to drop my car off for this appointment. I haven't driven my car at all in about two months because it needs some work and even before that I had only driven less than 3000 miles in the past year. The car

I've managed to get out of the house for a few short periods in the past few days... and that was really nice... today, however, I'm back indoors and I'm not so sure I'll be wandering outside today. I'm really worn out today... exhausted... and my spinal injuries are really bothering me. The pain started yesterday after overdoing my physical therapy the previous day. I knew I had overdone it while I was still doing my physical therapy! By nightfall, I was in considerable pain throughout my spine as well as having bone pain in my legs. Yesterday was a bit brutal so the only thing I accomplished was preparing and cooking baked ziti with garlic bread for the kids. Needless to say, sleeping is not going all that well. Last night, my sleeping problems due to spinal and bone pain were compounded by being cold all night long. Although the room probably was slightly chillier last night than usual (I removed the air conditioner from one of two windows in the room so we h

We had a very nice day the other day... sunny and in the low 80's... but I still wasn't feeling well enough to get anything accomplished on the house. It was a perfect day for mowing the lawn and getting some landscaping chores accomplished but I was not well enough for that either. Sheila and I briefly discussed my overall health just this morning. I was telling her how I am feeling a bit like a prisoner in my own home after having such a long bout with consistently poor health. Since returning from the lake three months ago, the only times I have wandered away from our tiny home have been to pick up dinner at the grocery store in town, our trek to Shelburne Farms with the kids last weekend, and a couple of visits to Arvad's for a meal when I was feeling too miserable to even prepare a meal. This has left me feeling a bit anxious, bored and in need of a change in scenery.  We both agreed that we are due for a change in scenery. The weather is finally cooling down so my

This time of year, we are always wishing we had the time to head to the lake again. Actually, I have time... it is energy that I lack! Regardless, it would be nice to spend some time at the lake house again before the snow flies.  I like paddling around with my photography gear when nobody else is out on the lake... early morning is the most pleasurable for me. It is quiet and there are far fewer bugs than an evening trek at dusk!  When I'm in the mood for wildlife photography, I know I need to set aside a lot of time because most of wildlife photography involves being still and quiet while patiently waiting for a photo op to present itself. You just sit quietly and observe... you need to be aware of your surroundings to ensure the best backgrounds in your photos... you need to find the best location to take advantage of the angle of the light... you need to constantly and carefully jockey the boat around to stay pointed in the correct direction... and you wait... you carefully

I am getting ready to start building a Georgetown-style townhouse (sans window shutters) that I designed... a dollhouse townhouse, that is! I don't think little Miss Mackenzie is able to read just yet so I am probably safe writing about one of my Christmas projects for this year.  Not long ago, I asked Kenzie if she would like a nice dollhouse to play with whenever she visits and her eyes lit up, a big smile came to her face like the Grinch thinking about a nasty thought, and she scrunched down with her little hands on her thighs like she was going to suddenly spring up and jump for joy. I suddenly realized that I had just inadvertently committed myself to building a nice dollhouse for Christmas! Fortunately, I already had an idea formed in my mind. I started sketching and kept things very simple which is difficult for me. My projects always seem to evolve into more detailed projects with many fine details. My sketches have remained quite simple though which is good news fo

My health crashed again last night due to some typical Systemic Mastocytosis issues affecting my blood pressure and gastrointestinal tract so I had to take some emergency medications to help stabilize my body.  Today I am recovering. One of the emergency medications I had to take makes me extremely drowsy so I must recover from this drowsiness and avoid all potentially dangerous activities such as using power tools and driving because this drowsiness also affects my cognitive abilities (of course, my mast cell issues also affect my cognitive abilites). I also need some time for the medication to balance out my body allowing my health to recover. On days such as today (and I have far too many of them which is why you are seeing a flurry of blog entries lately) , I try to indulge in some art therapy by working on photos... sometimes painting... sometimes working on model railroading models. Today, I chose to work on some photos. As I mentioned yesterday in a blog post, I am trying

Move over Canon... move over Nikon... even Howard Stern had better watch out... there is a new 'King of all media' that goes by the name of Sony. Sony televisions... stunning (I should know, there is one in our living room). Sony video cameras... remarkably amazing as claimed by wedding videographers and cinematographers around the globe. Sony cameras... perhaps the most finely crafted piece of artistic machinery I have ever had the pleasure to hold and use... simply amazing.  Just look at this camera. It is rock solid yet operates like a fine precision watch. For me, this camera series is the leader of the pack of all cameras and is so finely crafted that it is like artistic engineering machinery. Even the well known Hasselblad has begun using Sony cameras rebadged as Hasselblad cameras! That is saying something! Move over Canon and Nikon... there is a new kid on the block who is making you look old, worn, tired, crotchety and unwilling to evolve further... and one of