chat

I'm not one to chat much....but I was feeling like there was something I needed to do (writing this post today) ..... still getting used to this blogging....not sure what it is for, except something vaguely about growing myself, which means to me.... What does it mean to me? It means "what am I interested in?" What is getting my attention and pulling me along with it?" Where are there places that I want to go? Things I want to do? Etc. How can I provide for myself the nourishment that I desire in order to live a happy, fulfilling life?

I'm open to comments, questions, etc. I think that's what has kept me from blogging earlier - what readers might say. But the benefits outweigh the risks. I would rather be heard from, even if someone disagrees with something I say or doesn't like it. It's like riding on a rollercoaster. Or what I did today: I addressed a class for an absent instructor, relaying a long message. That was thrilling really. A minor thrill, but still a thrill. I have always been moderately shy in groups - at least til I got to know people on a one-to-one basis. But I did it and didn't get nervous and try to run out of there. Woo-hoo! They even asked me questions before I left. It really was different from what I always expected I'd do or even from what I have done in the past (I substitute taught elementary, junior high, and high school briefly). That right there is a place that I have grown much since I taught which was probably 10-15 years ago. What things can you remember that were once hard for you, or which you used to avoid, but now you can do it no prob?

jury duty

I had jury duty today. It wasn't as bad as I expected - last time I was part of a jury pool of 200 or so. This time it was in a small building on 6th St. with about 20 of us. It just took time. And the case involved a minor caught with alcohol. Didn't get how young, but I think they were driving age. I was so glad that I wasn't picked. Civic duty or not. I could be out there in the world spreading joy and love and doing better for humanity than deliberating on the guilt or innocence and level of fine for the defendant. There are people that are good with that. But I'm not. I'd rather be out and about. Don't coop me up too long in a windowless room under fluorescent lights with a bunch of suits staring at me and everybody else wanting to get out of there. To be fair, the room had a wonderful skylight that changed the lighting in the room whenever the sun came out. That was delightful.

No pictures this time - they would just show me running around trying the find a parking space and then trying to find the building. But that last one - running out of the court when we were dismissed - that was a keeper. ; )

Lazure painting

I learned how to do lazure painting this weekend. Well, not totally, but did learn the 3 steps - base coat, color coat, and dry brushing -- and used them on my friend's front door entranceway. She was in the process of painting her living and dining room area, plus the entranceway. They already had done the dining area a shimmering yellow, and a friend painted the bottom area a blushing reddish while I was there. It really gave the dining room a very nice warm blush. Reminded me of Casablanca. (Very different from those stark white walls they had.) They were going to paint the livingroom blue, going to green, going to yellow, I think. When I talked with her last, they had started painting that, so we'll see how it comes out. If I can remember, I will take pictures and post them here later.

A friend who had learned lazure painting -- Jenny Meadows -- managed the enterprise. Here is a picture of her work. She is not a professional lazurist - just someone who enjoys painting with that technique.

didn't go to concert

Dear blog,

Didn't go to concert. Was a great idea, but as often happens, ran out of time and energy. Drat! But I still got to listen to them via the video link. You can too!!

I am going to learn how to do lazure painting this weekend. A friend of mine is getting a group of us together to help paint her walls lazure. Here is a photo of what it looks like (from this website: http://www.lazure.com/murals.html). Would love to learn how to do it myself. Will soak up everything I hear this weekend.

This is a little weird, but am just learning how to update my blog on a regular basis, so need them training wheels....

Ciao!

hey

Dear blog,

how are you?

Cuidado,
Lauradeanne
--
con mucho gusto

This is how I learned to email a post to my blog. It's simple!

Traditional Gypsy Guitar concert - March 22

Vadim Kolpakov (from Moscow Romen Theater) is a virtuoso guitarist who has been steeped in the Russian Gypsy tradition from childhood. He plays the Russian 7-string guitar, sings and dances. The New York Times acclaimed Vadim’s virtuoso guitar playing. He has toured extensively in the USA, the Russian Federation and Europe. In 2004 he founded the Boston, MA Russian Gypsy group: ViaRomen (ViaRomen.com). Oleg Timofeyev holds an M.A. in Early Music Performance from the University of Southern California (1993), and a Ph.D. in Performance Practice from Duke University (1999). Since 1983, he has been performing early music on original instruments of the plucked family (lute, guitar). In 1989 this interest brought him to the U.S. where he studied with Patrick O’Brien, James Tyler, and Hopkinson Smith. Timofeyev has recorded two CDs "The Golden Age of the Russian Guitar" which met with rave reviews. He is preparing several more discs of little-known Russian music of the 18th and 19th centuries for release with his group TALISMAN. Watch a video from a recent performanceCREEES

New York vacation pictures

These are currently at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauradeanne

Thanks. I will tranfer them as soon as I can.

Pictures to show

What I want to create is a site with lots of pictures - both personal and others from out there in the world. Here are a couple of my favorite latest.....
http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/actphotos/darfur05/life/index.htm

Gregg and Michelle

Here is Gregg and Michelle sitting on my couch at our recent get-together. Not my best picture, but now I know to use higher-quality picture setting. Plus get lots of photos, not just one or two.

Beginning

I am here. Again. And this time I'll be more witty, more conscious, more apropros..... or so I think. I think the main thing with a blog, at least what I think with my blog, is to keep it going. Keep adding commentary. Keep adding photos. Tell friends about it. But make it a part of my everyday life. Before, I started one that fizzled out and I think it was because I was holding it as something special. Something special that I had to "look up to," had to do my best with and on top of that, had to be inspired with. So that those plums - those juicy plums of inspired thought - would just tumble out of my mouth, or my hands, as the case may be. Not this time. This time I will focus on maintaining. That (sometimes) dull, though consistent maintaining of communication, of a relationship even (gasp) with you, my loyal readers, with what's "out there" in cyberland. So, with that in mind, let's get going. Let's explore the strange new world of growing yourself.