uh what day is it?

Missed yesterday's post because Uly was still clingy and by the time I got free time my brain was crispy. When he was napping I worked like a maniac to clean after the rearrange of the living room.
That's not creative per se but a necessity.

I don't think I took any pictures yesterday either. It was just work and mother kinda day.

Today was essentially a repeat although Uly is finally feeling more like himself. But I had to run around and take him to an appointment and do the school run.

I did take a couple pictures today. I need to teach myself more about camera settings. But the experimenting is also teaching me.

I would like to do a montage of the different ways the living room has been arranged but I'm not sure i have pictures of all of them.

I also still want to post a montage of my hair cut experience.

I may end up using this space as a kind of to do list if I'm not careful. But sometimes thats an essential kind of reflection too.

I definitely want to get either my novel closer to complete this summer or a poetry chapbook published. I know what would be easier but I'm not sure what would be more satisfying. I am depending on the Follow The Buffalo workshop to implement some of the discipline I'm lacking.
Maybe they would want to do a farm retreat. Although they may not be around much in th summer.

sorry this is a boring post but I am working hard at doing it everyday.

Day 6

hi! missed day 5 post because i had a Minas' poetry reading and then a migraine.

Today i haven't taken a pic for the day. wait! I just got one of our cat will post it tomorrow. no I'll just do it now.
but I did rearrange the living room so I'll take pics of that tomorrow.

Really! using my word for the year-effortlessness. It seems to help me just take the little steps I need to get things done rather than getting nothing done because I can't see beyond the big picture. I got a lot of poetry event stuff done today in 10 minute increments. Seems pointless at first but it really worked. woot!

It was refreshing to have Carm help me with the rearrange. Things got done more tidily.

Could write more but I'm tired. Need to chill a little.

day 4 i think

Today was a long day. Its still a long day. Uly is ultra clingy.
Tried to do what I could today while he was asleep. I chose practical stuff. I can see my desk.

Anyway. I took a couple pictures-here they are.

Tried to do new recipe again but all my meat was frozen.

I can't recall anything specifically creative I did today.... oh wait I further edited my poem and posted it to my critique forum. So that's a good thing.

The kid fussing and no grandparents tonight so short post.

Day 3 of creativity?

Well at first I didn't think i did anything creative. I was going to just use my daily photo. But then I realized I painted a rock with my daughter. My motivation was quality time for her and I see now it helped my personal challenge. woot.

Today was a little tough. Another day of Uly being a sick little guy and therefore my 2nd skin. I don't like feeling so helpless. But I just tried to spend time and make him happy that way. He's snuggling with his grandpa now watching Blues Clues.

I feel like my major goal is finding a system for getting poetry stuff done. The event planning and getting press out is such a huge task because I don't have a habitual system. I waste time looking for stuff always or crisis management. It will require a major information organization. And that thought overwhelms me. automatically. SO then I try to remember my word for the year. Instead of a resolution at New Year's, I took the suggestion of a Facebook friend and just picked a word to act as a kind of signpost throughout the year. I chose effortlessness. I thought that resonated with me. Thats ultimately what I would like undertakings to feel like, and daily chores to feel like-effortless. So, when I feel spastic or like my to do list is overwhelming I remember my word. So far, it does seem to be making a good impression on my psyche. I'll try to find the blurb about it and post it here for you.

Day 2

Tough being creative today. Uly was awake most of the night throwing up. So today I dragged a bit and was his shadow.

While he napped a blissfully long nap, I got some overdue laundry folding done. I'm going to count the extra attention to "correct" folding as my creativity because usually I just fling into a drawer willy nilly. Today I tried to remember how my mother in law showed me to fold patiently. I got frustrated pretty quickly but I did try to stick with it. I even rollered off all the fuzz on pajamas rather than pretend it wasn't on there.

I think creativity can be defined as stretching a little, trying new things as well as "traditional" artistic pursuits. Maybe creativity and zen have attention in common. its important to pay attention.

I took a picture today too. Its an effort to pretend its spring. I have a hard time with dreary drizzly winter anyway and the blahs of winter with the sickies just makes me want spring. Summer even.

The in laws are here which is why this post is possible.

oh! AND I tried another crockpot recipe that turned out well. Pulled Barbecue Chicken. Here's the link:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/search.php?id=586

Cretive 2009 Day 1 officially

Trying to do a photo a day and/or something else creative each day. Today I combined them and took a photo of the new recipe I tried today. Its turkey and squash soup. I really enjoyed it!
Here's the link if you want to try it. A light but warming dish.
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/search.php?id=664

I think cooking is creative. I'm a messy cook so I don't always want to undertake a new recipe. Sometimes cleanup is more effort than the meal prep.

The camera seems to be working more consistently. Happy about that.

The rainy weather, is making me crazy, I think this is only second day in a row but feels like longer.

Yesterday's creative endeavor was notes for a poem. Today I edited a bit. It might be a keeper.

I also did a lot of emailing for PIB today..getting ready for "Who Do You Love?" Should probably post the flyer here...

need to begin a Flickr for just me, have one that's been absorbed by PIB.

Must get the clothes on to the porch tonight for Purple Heart. did it!

Christmas stuff may have to wait until tomorrow to be packed.

(crap can't upload my photo. Will try again later) yay it worked later!

Got a lot done at the farm yesterday when I grabbed stuff for Purple Heart. Still so much to do. If I work steadily two days a week I should be able to have a room for us if we wanna stay overnight. woo hoo.

oh! I'll find the site that triggered the Creative Day 2009 and link it here.

self image

I wanted to attempt to map the impressions I've had since somewhat radically changing my hair. Going from long and a naturally occurring color to short and artificial color combined with facial hair removal and/or waxing.

I've always KNOWN that first impressions are like an imprint. I also know that its difficult to go against the grain of how a society imprints certain impressions.

I'm no different than before the hair change excepting maybe a hair less self consciousness but I am definitely getting treated differently. Its a positive change. But it strikes me peculiar.

Its like being my own anthropology/sociology experiment. I just don't have a control group/clone.

I have real experiment to perform soon. I was in a tiny italian restaurant and I noticed that my waiter paid much closer attention to two other female customers. I don't know if our ages differed but I would say they were more coiffed. I was almost anti-coiffed ( is that a word?) SO now I will go back and see if the waiters' attention alters since I have joined the coiffed ranks.
I think it should be a good comparison. I was outgoing and conversational with him the first visit but I felt our interaction was just professional or perfunctory. With the pair of other girls he seemed sincerely engrossed in the conversation.

I also, uncharacteristically for me, arranged an appointment to try on vintage gowns for an upcoming special event I'm hosting. Was it the hair that gave me the confidence or the way the proprietor interacted with me differently becasue of the hair-Or both?

Even the waxed eyebrows make a change...I had very thick dark brooding eyebrows. Now I have "normal" feminine eyebrows though they feel slightly transvestite to me and a little on the permanently surprised scale. I AM able to apply eyeshadow better, or more specifically, there is more surface area FOr eyeshadow and I do like that.

The most consistent comment is that it makes me look younger. I would have thoguht long hair was youthful. I wonder if the waxed brow isn't some of the age removing?

I definitely!! feel like I need to sass up my wardrobe now!

I'll try to keep updates of interesting hair related occurences.....