A small place

Just got back from a road trip, which this photo has nothing to do with. I'll get to posting the photos and the trip stuff a little later.

I'm just feeling tired and worn out, like I was feeling before I left, and this sense of feeling very, very small is something that I haven't been able to shake. Everything seems to take double the effort; like I'm really not being heard. Like I'm really. Not. Being. Heard. Like I'm getting that backhand wave-off from everywhere. It seems like it's been going on for months and it's really wearing me down.

I miss being 20 minutes away from the water. I miss the long walks in the early morning fog. I don't have a new sanctuary yet. I'm feeling very ungrounded.

I'm just feeling

really

small.

Lookit the Wendees!

Wendee Holtcamp and me, a coupl'a weeks ago. A kindred spirit of the wendee variety!

What, certainly you ought to have expected me to go searching for blogs written by other 'Wendee's ? [rolling my eyes]

In between a lot of zooming around on all sorts of great exotic adventures, TheOtherWendee was in town from Texas, for ... well, you can go read. [TheOther] Wendee (you think it's weird for you to read? Let me tell you... And besides, I don't talk about myself in the third person. That'd be kinda weird. I mean, really. And confusing. Especially here, with TWO Wendees!)
left out our wandering through Old Town Pasadena, where she got some exceedingly cool surfer-girl shoes ... probably right before her month of shopping-celibacy. :)

... and our browsing through the BarnesandNoble ("Research! Yeah, 'research'!" Did I mention TheOtherWendee is a freelance writer?). We both love book stores... and magazine racks .... mmmm.

... and the valet parking attendants that probably thought we were insane; upon retrieving my car, watching TheOtherWendee unload the trunk, to repack her bag to squeeze in the new shoes, AND pulling out her camera to take this photo before we speed off to the airport! "No, lady, you canno' stop 'ere. " I thought, "What? Because the car is blocking the driveway while it's still running?" "No, you have to go." Me: "Huh? What?" The other valet gestures to the driveway out to the street.

All the attendents smirk and go, "Nah, jus' keeding! Let me take the picture!"

But this is an at-arm's-length self-portrait. [TheOther] Wendee's waving them off, "No, we have to take it. It's kind of a ... uh ... tradition". The valet guys look at each other and shrug.

You have to figure we probably looked like we were up to no good to begin with, anyway.
Oh no. Not the Two Wendees... Nope. No mischief. None. At. All.

Fun! >:)

And lastly, back to work!

I’ve been ...

- Workin’
- Keeping up with helping edit the new students’ resumes.
- Finishing up final sketches and renderings with my other class and wondering if I can find nice cookies (Tony just perked up) or something to bring for our last class.
- Researching and calling around to secure sponsors for our local chapter’s event.
- Enjoying hearing Karen and Robin’s comments about the group show at Lori’s house, and then running into Gaylord (who was my instructor in school) the next Monday, who was talking about it, and then finally realizing Lori is married to Gaylord. Small world.
- Wishing I could find a way to be in Hawaii this weekend to help host the Alumni Luau with my classmates. I’m sending warm thoughts to the rest of the piquant gang out there; have an extra one for me at the post-luau wrap party, ‘eh?
- Making the mental note to not stray so far from what makes me tick again to pass up on a hectic whirlwind 2-3/4 day trip to Hawaii to be with all those great, warm, funny people. Auwe!
- Hoping that Jen’s ride is going well. Jen couldn’t make the luau either, but had a very gallant and heartfelt excuse. She's awesome. Look at that smile! Go Jen Go!
- Thinkin’ that I ought to finish up the work stuff and get to the painting part of it all.
- Planning the next trip to celebrate summer vacation.
- Really enjoying my new usb wireless broadband card and direct connection to the internet for my desktop. Yay :)
- Cruising around LinkedIn.
- Thinking about adding the FridgeDoor toBlogHer and wondering, "Is this blog more about Art and Design? Or about Life? What category do I fit in?" and then starting to think, maybe it's really about procrastination. Hm. Let me think about that ...
- Missing the design gals and thinking that it’s been way too long since I’ve heard from them.
- Listening to “Getting Things Done” and thinking I need to write down my lists. ALL of ‘em. And get the stuff out of my brain.

- and noticing that the agapathus along the walkway have bloomed.

Been spending a lot of time at my computer and in my study. Can you tell?

This isn't quite what I had in mind - at least the colors. I wanted to paint in the fun stripes of my jammies and the warmth of the cherry desk. Mental note-to-self duly, uh ... noted.

But, I need to get cleaned up, pack a lunch and get out the door - - going to watch plein air painters work their magic today. Sounds like a lot of the bloggers are up and outside today and this weekend. Hope you all get out to enjoy some of it, before it gets too darn hot! Have a good one.

hugs,

-w