Today I got told if I don't like this country then I should move to Europe. I haven't heard that statement in thirty years. The last time I heard it I was in college and having a debate with student from the MidWest about the Viet Nam War and the draft. I guess my liberal socialist views are still as volatile as ever though I never thought that being opposed to war and the damage it does and wanted to help those who need assistance were that radical. But I guess in today's American climate it is considered un American.

When I responded to this remark, I was told I was being self-righteous, condescending and offensive. I thought I was too old for this. Why did I let myself get dragged into all this new political shit??

This is already turning into a very strange day. Work is the polling place for the homeless and people are climbing over each other to either vote or get Social Services. I thought I would hide upstairs in my cubicle. BUT they are refurbishing some cubicles and we have drills and hammers going. On top of that, they are preparing for the fund raising dinner on Thursday and the color copier is going non-stop and giving off fumes that have given staff headaches for days. Now they want to know what I am going to do with the furniture that is being displaced.

Could be a good day to put on my headphones and just do mindless data entry.

On a good note...I GOT A NEW iPOD TOUCH!

I do have a good weekend to look forward to. I am off work at 3 on Friday and don't have to return until Tuesday morning. We have Veteran's Day off! Duh! Cowboy Mouth on Friday night in Petaluma. I hope ryuutchi got the tickets. And Cowboy Mouth show on Saturday in San Francisco. I got those tickets in my bag. Definitely going to be a good weekend.
I have the tickets for Saturday's Cowboy Mouth show.

It be Cowboy Mouth time. I need to buy the tickets for the show on Nov 8. Who is going? Let me know so I can get the tickets on Monday.

New CD Fearless is out! But I haven't gotten it yet! Its coming.

New website is awesome and they are even selling some new t-shirts.

I love Cowboy Mouth

In other news I am through with Jury Duty. He was guilty of the DUI no doubt about it. So why did he waste the tax payers money

ARTWORK
Well the VooDoo Shoppe 12X12X12 are done. All the quilts are completed and I am just waiting for ryuutchi to complete the photography and up loading of the pictures.

I have finished the last top that was on the dress form and my first piece from John Marshall's beautiful Japanese silk, its a scarf. Now I still have about 8 yards of this 14" wide fabric. I've have begun a large stash bag to hold all the VooDoo Shoppe quilts and have two other scarfs started.

My donation to the SAQA auction is now up on their website. Its on page 6. And I have an idea for a new Cowboy Mouth (well really a Fred LeBlanc) quilt that is banging around in my head.


MUNDANE WORK
I'm back working full time. I have a second 1/2 time position with my organization. Now they knew in May that this position was available. But would they confirm it....NO and would they let me keep my benefits....NO So now they have to redo all the paperwork to reinstall my benefits. But I was not qualified to be their HR person!!!

So now that I am working full time I have to find the time for all this sewing. OH Yeah, they have asked me at work is I would create a piece for their annual silent auction.

It has been one month since my employer decided that instead of laying me off they would provide me with a half time position. So I now work from noon to 4 or there abouts. I would prefer if I could work in the mornings and then have the afternoons to myself but I am trying to work around this.

I have disciplined myself to get up at 8 and go into the studio. I don't know if it is the schedule or that I am just in a creative place but I have completed 9 of the VooDoo Shop quilt and #10 will be completed by this evening. I have the designs for 11 and 12 in my head and hopefully by the end of the summer this series will be completed. In the mean time I have also completed two jackets and a blouse. I have a blouse sitting on the dressform waiting for me to complete it and I have promised ryuutchi that I will make her a jacket. There is lots of left over fabric from the VooDoo Shoppe series that I would like to make in to bags.

Life has taken a definite down turn. I will be losing my job soon. Don't really know how I feel about that other than paralyzed. I can't seem to think or do anything. I haven't even walked into the studio in two weeks. I seem to be walking around in a state of borderline depression.

Yes I have a roof over my head, food in the frig and a wonderful man who loves me. But I have never had to really depend on anyone else to pay my personal bills and it is making me feel uncomfortable. The feminist in me demands that I pull my own weight. So how do I do that as an unemployed woman approaching her senior years. The prospect of having to apply for jobs and go on interviews is turning my stomach. I expected those days to be over.

I don't yet know when this job will actually end. Perhaps everything will look better once I have that date.

Boy I really do feel like blowing up a wedding!

Well the Shekinah quilt has been rejected by the Woman Made Gallery in Chicago. Out of 195 submissions they only chose 25 and mine was not among them. Oh well I guess I just keep on keeping on and eventually get invited to something else. They tell me that after a while you get immune to the rejections but right now it doesn't feel so good.

My work is on display! I have finally gotten it out of my studio and out to the world. And I am finding more places to get my work shown.

First, the soft sculpture box is now on display at the Latimer Textile Center http://www.latimerquiltandtextile.com/html/current_exhibits.html
the interesting thing is that this show which I was honored to be in just because it was an invitational event by someone I consider a mentor has turned out to be quite the talk of the art quilt community. There is a CD-ROM of the participating pieces that will raise money for the Latimer Center and Habitat for Humanity. So I can officially say that I am published.

The second soft sculpture box which I made for the San Francisco Jewish Community Library's "Israel at 60" art show came out better than the first one. I used a stiffer stabilizer and it stands up much better. Of course I did less intense beading on this one. I used my "burned" fabric to depict pomegranates, figs and trees and they are outstanding if I do say so myself. This piece is now at the library and goes on display April 1. Opening reception is April 13, 2-4pm if anyone wants to come see the show and talk to the artists.

I am also participating in the online Count Down To Peace Calendar
http://pages.suddenlink.net/w2la_design/peace/index.htm
I'm June 7, 2003

I have found a new organization, Women's Caucus for the Arts, that I believe will be much more of a fit for me. True feminists who are actively getting women's art out into the world. They get my work and don't worry about if my corners are crisp or if my binding is done correctly or that I put my backing on after I finish quilting. I have joined the Northern CA chapter which includes members from SF and the East Bay as well as further north. I missed their last big exhibit as it opened just as I joined but I got to attend the opening and was blown away by it....WOW! Women On War. I have already said that I not only want to participate in the next exhibit but I want to work on setting it up. This will give me a great opportunity to learn about curating exhibits, something I think I will like doing. In the mean time I have submitted a piece to their exhibit to raise money for UNICEF.
http://wcaartwavesinternational.blogspot.com/2007/12/stitched-then-burned.html

And finally I got my meeting with Cowboy Mouth and although I don't think they understand what I was doing I got feedback from them and permission to use any lyrics that they own. The means I probably can't use the songs written by Poppy but that's OK there is plenty for me to use. I have now completed 6 quilts. Five are based on the original CD cover, one is of a New Orleans lamp post because Fred tells me that they are very important in representing the city. this one has a line from Crazy Bout Ya. I am going to do at least one more based somewhat on the original art work but it will vary in that I want to see if I can add a New Orleans balcony to the picture. After that I have another design with multiple lamp posts and several with just masks.

I also started a vest that I will be giving to Barbara as a 70th birthday gift. and I want to do some panels with the "Landscape in Decay" work on it. Lots of silk flowers and leaves.

Knitting wise I have made two purses, well one was knit and one was crocheted. I knit a pair of fingerless gloves that I love. I will definitely do more of these. I am now knitting a scarf that looks like a cobweb of tubes though it really isn't. It is taking a long time as it is thinner yarn then I am use to working with and therefore goes much slower.

I have submitted two of the Cowboy Mouth quilts to Quilting Arts Magazine's challenge for their 2009 calendar. There will be so many entries that I am sure that I don't have a chance but what the hey! I have also submitted my Shekinah quilt to the Woman Made Gallery in Chicago for an exhibit that they are doing that is open to Jewish Women. We will see!

In three days, ryuutchi will go to the Oakland airport and get on a plane to LA where we will attend a rock show ont he Sunset Strip. After the show we have to find our way (without a car) back to the home of our adorable friend jhyanmar and then to LAX for the return flight to SF. We will be attending the concert in SF the following night bring a group that totals about a dozen. I am hoping for a meeting with the band in San Francisco. I have quilts to show them that I have created based on their CD cover but I have not heard if and when that will happen.

But I am feeling guilty because the 'old man' is going in for an angiogram on Wednesday and will have to stay overnight in the hospital. So I am feeling like a "bad wife" for being excited about my trip and not showing concern for his health. I feel like to be a "good wife" I should give up my trip and stay home and worry about him. Now ryuutchi ,his daughter, says I'm bring silly cause he will be fine but she has a stake in all this since it is her trip too.

Now I know he has had this procedure three times before and was fine each time but this weekend I learned about three separate acquantances who were admitted to hospital in the last week with pneumonia, one was released after several days, one died unexpectedly and one is dying. Is this and omen? I am worried about this and and feeling conflicted.

I want this week to be pure fantasy. I want comixologist's arrival in California to be uneventful and that there be a good visit with the real family and that we all be able to join with her for an all Cowboy Mouth extravaganza with no down moments. I want to be happy and excited and be able to:

throw my hands in the air, find my heart, find my soul, and scream as loud as I can, and dance like my life depends upon it,

I want to not care about what's buggin me, ....... I don't want to give a damn about Wednesday and I don't want too worried about Thursday.

BUT, I can't. This is the man that I have lived with for 40 years and I should be caring about him and his health.

So what do and how to act?