I am in love...

with this painting by Graydon Parrish. Tonight I swung by the new AMOA exhibit, Chuck Close - A couple of ways of doing something. I thought the tapestries were impressive, but otherwise the exhibit didn't really capture my attention.

However, AMOA is doing this great thing where they highlight their own collection now (finally!) plus works from people's private collections. This painting, tucked in a corner, literally took my breath away. It sounds cliche', I know, but it did. This image does it no justice at all, and I even debated putting it up. Just trust me on this one - it's amazing. At least it was for me. (And frankly, that's what's so great about art. It makes no difference what a piece means to anyone else but you.

Disappointed....

I have been a cranky bear lately.

But my boss just turned it all around. We were having a conversation about the ways we deal with difficult people. He's really into astrology and birthdays, plus he's known me for 6 years, so he very accurately described the 2 ways I deal with people who make me mad.

1) I step back, take a deep breath, and mechanically think through what's upsetting me and address it calmly and rationally.

or

2) I lash out with the most evil spiteful things I can think of. I'm not fond of this method, but it happens. Passive aggressive much? Luckily, I'm usually able to lash out at a nurturing friend in place of the person upsetting me. (Sunday night for instance, Mike was privy to an entire evil Erin tirade. Mean Mean Evil DF! He just laughed at me, which made it better.)

Anyway, bossman and I were talking through this and we determined that #2 is actually okay, as long as it's followed up with the following: "I am disappointed that I have to deal with you."

I love it. So much so that I nearly fell out of my chair laughing so hard about it. Thanks to this little conversation and a purely beautiful saying, my week has officially turned around for the better.

I declare it so. Cranky bear begone!

Rain Gauge / Obscurist (i.e. no creative title tonight)

So, I think it's now a proven fact that my mood is the my best known indicator of the weather.

Erin is happy = Sunshine!
Erin is moody/grumpy/hibernating/sad/etc = Rain!

As soon as it starts raining, such as tonight where I have no idea rain was coming, I send a text that says "OH! It's RAINING! Duh!" and get a "We should have known!" response. Seriously, if only I can tune in to how in tune I am.

*************

And in other news... I just learned about the 12 most annoying types of Facebook users, and I'm issuing a blanket apology to my friends because I have been such an "Obscurist" lately. (Defined: The Obscurist. "If not now then when?" "You'll see..." "Grist for the mill." "John is, small world." "Dave thought he was immune, but no. No, he is not." [Actual status updates, all.] Sorry, but you're not being mysterious -- just nonsensical.)

Sorry about that. Kinda. I promise in time it will all become clear. Maybe.
Mwa ha ha ha....

Just sayin'

Funny thing: Even when things don't go my way... or don't turn out how I thought they would or should, I'm still all smiles lately. Just sayin'.

Cruisin'

One of the perks of co-owning your own business... you get to play with your own custom built cruiser bike. Okay, it technically lives at Tim's house. But sometimes I get to play with it too. :)

Get Out There AND Enjoy It!

At Shabbat dinner last night, Lara & her darling roommate Pam asked everyone at the table to share their highlight of the week and/or lesson learned from the week, plus their favorite fictional character.

Favorite fictional character - easy. The Cheshire Cat! I love that sneaky smiley cat. ;)

Highlight/Lesson from the week - happens to be the same lesson I've been learning all year. You have to put yourself out there, AND you have to have fun doing it. Had I not called Lara yesterday, I wouldn't have realized she lived a 5 minute walk from where I was staying. Had I not decided to stay for Shabbat dinner, I would have missed out on meeting wonderful people and enjoying quite possibly one of the best homemade meals I have ever had. (Holla for Lara's Challah!!!)

It would have been easy for me to say "I haven't seen this girl since in over 9 years... too much time has passed and it will be awkward. What will we have to catch up on? Might as well stay here." Luckily I didn't. It was as if those 9 years disappeared and we were as close as we were when we took the above picture at age 16. (We both look the same, by the way!) I am so happy to have reconnected with my dear friend, and to have met new ones. Plus, hearing Lara & Pam sing the prayers was beautiful - I had goosebumps!

Over the past few weeks, I have been doing things that I think are utterly crazy - the things that could have my stomach in knots, causing sleepless nights and panic. But instead - I am putting myself out there with the sole intention to have fun and enjoy the experience.

Says the Cheshire Cat. ;)

Random Shabbat Dinner

In all the random things in my life.... I have further proof that you have to put yourself out there.

By calling up my long lost friend Lara... who, mind you, used to be physically attached to my hip as we transversed Israel together; and whom I spent bringing in the new century with in the middle of New York City.... I am now going to have my first Shabbat dinner in over 10 years.

I'm supposed to be celebrating my annual girl's weekend with Annie, Jenna & Rachel... but as life throws you curve balls, I'm not there this weekend. Instead, I am about to dive into some spiced apple challah with the girl who looks just as she did when we were 16. She is every bit as beautiful, inside & out, and I am every bit as grateful to be a part of her life, even if only for this evening.

Shabbat Shalom!

TMBG! TMBG! YIPPEE!

I just created my own They Might Be Giants Pandora station. Every song I've heard is one that I love! Pandora is so smart.

So now I can get TMBG all the time. (and all these other wonderfully funny brilliant songs that Pandora picks for me. wow. i might just be in love!)

Life is so good.

Stepping up to the Plate

Back in May, I wrote how one of my dearest friends told me this:
"Please do not back out now. You can't hit the home-run unless you get up to bat and swing."

And I wrote: "Gotta remember this one, it's so simple but so true. ... Batter Up!"

Thanks to his encouragement, I picked up my bat and stepped up to the plate. Low & behold, I made contact! When I told him I got a run, he just smiled knowingly and said "I told you so." (Thank heaven for friends like this, the ones that stand up for you when you're not sure your legs will hold.)

I've been meaning to write about this year - but I've been too busy living it lately. It has been amazing... just when I think things can't get any better, they do. What I've learned this year is that I won't get anywhere without putting myself out there. It's scary stepping up to bat, but it's scarier to think of all the opportunity I could be missing out on if I don't swing.

I could write a novel about my year: my lessons, my triumphs, my adventures... and it's only August. Or, you could just take a look at the giant smile on my face and get the point. What a damn good year. By the way, someone would have to tear the bat out of my hands at this point - there's no way I'm going to stop swinging.

Once Only

(Another poem from the book I'm reading...)

Only Once

All which, because it was
flame and song and granted us
joy, we thought we'd do, be, revisit,
turns out to have been what it was
that once, only; every invitation
did not begin
a series, a build-up: the marvelous
did happen in our lives, our stories
are not drab with its absence: but don't
expect to return for more. Whatever more
there will be will be
unique as those were unique. Try
to acknowledge the next
song in its body -- halo of flames as utterly
present, as now or never.

~ Denise Levertov ~

My New Saturdays...

It's 7:50am on Saturday.

Pick any Saturday for the first 6 months of this year, and I would have been on my bike all morning. But not anymore. Now I sleep in on Saturdays. I do the crossword puzzle, I drink coffee, I check email and blogs and I rest. I meet friends for brunch, I go to the library, I work a bit and I feel fantastic.

I don't run. (Phew!) I don't bike. I maybe hit the gym if I feel like it, but with no pressure at all.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I love this life. I have so many big, fulfilling projects to work on. I have so many wonderful people around. I am so appreciative.

Yaaawwwwnnn.... Hmmm, maybe I'll even go back to bed now.

All the Cool Kids Wear the Monkey!

Alright people... you have until this Wednesday PM to order our first edition Grease Monkey Wipes gear! I know you want to!

Go here to order:
http://www.greasemonkeywipes.com/store.html


Yup, all the cool kids will be sporting the monkey. :)

So Much Happiness

My mom noted today that I sound happier than I've sounded in nearly 2 years. That's a little scary! I mean, what have I been doing for the past 2 years!? I'll at least give her that I'm definitely pretty damn happy right now.

I'm reading a beautiful little book called "110 Poems of Love and Revelation" and had to share this poem by one of my favorite poets. (I feel like ETG put this up once- if not, it's certainly something that she would!)

So Much Happiness
By Naomi Shihab Nye

for Michael

It is difficult to know what to do with so much happiness.
With sadness there is something to rub against,
a wound to tend with lotion and cloth.
When the world falls in around you, you have pieces to pick up,
something to hold in your hands, like ticket stubs or change.

But happiness floats.
It doesn’t need you to hold it down.
It doesn’t need anything.
Happiness lands on the roof of the next house, singing,
and disappears when it wants to.
You are happy either way.
Even the fact that you once lived in a peaceful tree house
and now live over a quarry of noise and dust
cannot make you unhappy.
Everything has a life of its own,
it too could wake up filled with possibilities
of coffee cake and ripe peaches,
and love even the floor which needs to be swept,
the soiled linens and scratched records…

Since there is no place large enough
to contain so much happiness,
you shrug, you raise your hands, and it flows out of you
into everything you touch. You are not responsible.
You take no credit, as the night sky takes no credit
for the moon, but continues to hold it, and share it,
and in that way, be known.