A New Angle of My Art Piece

Justin, a friend of Tarja's took this lovely photo of my work and just sent it. I really enjoy the lighting of this piece. Justin, thank you!

Art Debut in The Pearl - Part 2

Jonney, Sarah, Kerry and Kate from NW Earth Institute came out to support my show and that made me feel really special and really proud to work for an organization that is so supportive. What a team! One of the photos shows Jonney striking the stereotypical art viewing pose. Love it!

These are photos of some of the other pieces in the show. I was really impressed by the show of talent displayed that night. A few of my friends commented that they thought my piece was part of the gallery itself. So did the gallery owners! Nice.

Art Debut in The Pearl

November 6, 2008

Another momentous evening...

The Tide Turns

November 4, 2008

I'm still letting the juiciness of that momentous evening marinate....it's been a week since that fateful evening and it's now hard to relate to the elation I felt as the results came in and as the reality of our president-elect set in. This by no means suggests that my elation has waned. It's just a general feeling of shock...I'm no less than stunned that the American people got their acts together and finally voted with their HEARTS.

I came into work at around 7:15a so I could leave early and watch the results come in. There would never be another day like this and I didn't want to take it for granted. I called a couple of friends to see if they wanted to go out and celebrate, and when I didn't hear back from anyone, I resigned myself to thinking I'd celebrate at home.....WHAT?!?!

On a whim, I called my friend, Eric and convinced him to go out, despite his readiness to head home because of a cold. I said we could celebrate with one drink and not stay out for long but that we had to go out and do something! First we tried a cute little pub called Laurelwood and we discovered it was already shut down for the evening, we agreed to head over to the east side off of Burnside to try the Doug Fir Lounge. That turned out to be a really good choice as it was crowded. Obama hooting filled the room and came in waves. Then there was a real celebratory shouting that was a response to 3-4 people running by the lounge's front window....naked! Ahhhh, Portland.

Last week Obama promised his children they would be getting a new dog, his criteria being that it was allergy-free and, as Obama himself said, “a mutt, like me.”

Halloween Madness....

October 31, 2008

Max and Negar and Negar's sister
Two of the funniest costumes and performers of the evening
Back at Macleay Gardens for Halloween party #2 with Amy, Darren, Martha and Bernie at Meg and Maladin's

A Hidden Treasure

October 31, 2008

For the first time in probably a year, I caught a cold and it was a nasty head cold with flu-like symptoms like an achy body and chills. I surrendered and took the day off of work and relished almost every moment of it. What a gift for my body. My body was definitely speaking to me and sharing its wisdom...that I needed some rest and that's exactly what I did for a full day. I sat and read and slept and drank traditional medicinal tea (Throat Coat has got to be one of the best teas around).

Needless to say, when I was invited to a Halloween party that Friday, I was on the edge of not going, but after I spoke to Negar, I quickly changed my mind. She sweetly said that if I grew tried and groggy that I could rest upstairs and rejoin the party or just stop by for a short while. I had eagerly awaited dressing up for Halloween, which I hadn't done in years, and the prospect of meeting new people is always appealing to me, so I peeled myself up and started scrounging for a costume...

Then I remembered that I had kept a costume from when I was 17 - a hand-sewn doublemint gum gown with foil and all in tow...Hava and I had worn matching doublemint costumes as a play on the twin theme and boy was it cutsie! I smiled at the thought of being a stick of gum again...this time in my 30's! My smile grew even larger when I pulled the costume's opening over my head and it fit! And the irony of advertising a product after years of teaching media literacy.

Everlasting Autumn Continues...

Some neat shots through the front window of my car...looks like I caught leaves mid stream, but in actuality, this was what I witnessed pre-wiping of my windshield. ;)

Everlasting Autumn

Crisp red, golden, orange leaves fall lightly...
Gentle breeze against my face...
Fall permeates the air
Rain-sodden leaves beautifully litter the pathway...
Autumn is here....

Mama Jean and Chuck Bless Portland

Jean and Chuck Panella have the magic touch. Jean was able to pick Charlie up and place him on her lap. No one I know, even my parents who have the closet connection with him are able to pick him up.

Mt. Tabor

One of the promises I made myself was that I would make a visit to one natural spot....a park, a trail, a hike, a river...at least once a month. That seems a skimpy promise, but fortunately, we're surrounded by exquisite beauty in this city. This weekend's visit was to Mt. Tabor, an extinct volcanic cinder cone.

Sweetness of a New Year

September 29, 2008

Bringing in the sweetness of a new year with new friends at Colonel Sumners Park in SE. My friend, Yael invited me along on a spontaneous Rosh Hashanah potluck in the park where I met Ruthy, Eleyna and Sarah Hope, all brilliant and fun women. We all connected immediately. By the time we got everything together, we were running a bit behind for 7:15p services at P'Nai Or Synagogue, but it all came together beautifully.

The real treat of the evening was spotting a Jewish version of Apples to Apples (who knew?!) in the basement where refreshments were being served. We squealed with delight and all spread across the basement floor as everyone else from services schmoozed away. It was a riot. Then we ended up at that same park dancing and running around like giddy kids. We were so loud that someone shouted out their window to be quiet!

Bridge City

Beautiful Bridges on a beautiful day - this is a view from the Broadway Bridge with the Freemont Bridge off in the distance.

October 1, 2008

Eric and I have started playing Scrabble, a game I haven't played in years. The Portland intellectual climate, abundance of coffeehouses (our favorite is Palio in SE, off of Hawthorne), and sheer quirkiness of this town have made this transition into Scrabble world an easy one. Though Eric continues to beat me and rub it in my face! There's even a Scrabble Meet Up group here. This photo reflects his playful rubbing. The fun thing about being an underdog is that a rebound defeat is all the sweeter when it happens. Watch out, Eric!