Dancing for Socrates

Characters are key to a good story.

And when one shows up unexpectedly, sitting in the corner, watching…it adds a little magic to the evening.

I went to my ballet class last night, brought a book (study, study, study) as I can’t NOT show up too early for some reason (bet my boss would appreciate if the same applied to my 8 AM work morning), rolled my ankles around and stretched a bit, and caught a glimpse of an old gentleman sitting in the studio watching the class before mine. He looked like he belonged – comfortably occupying the corner of a pew that appeared in the studio a month or so ago (a prop for one of the upcoming performances I suppose). When my instructor came out at the end of the class I inquired. “That’s Socrates. He’s been watching classes all day.”

I’d figured it was a student’s grandfather. Socrates? Socrates. In the flesh.

My instructor later elaborated – apparently he’d been in the heart of theater and dance scene in his heyday – in NYC of course. He loves ballet and wanted to watch. I don’t know more than that.

I know – it sounds like it could have a real creepster component. But…really not at all.

Socrates, I’m glad to have danced for you.

How Many?

Working on my 1,000,000 leaves project again. I've been neglecting it. I haven't counted this one yet: Anyone want to let me know how many leaves there are in there? :D

Peter Pan

I was watching Peter Pan (the one that came out 2001-ish) and, before I fell asleep in the middle of it, two beautiful lines caught me by surprise. (I love Wendy.) (That's: "We shall build a house around her" [the lost boys, re: Wendy] and "Please be our mother" -"I haven't much experience" "Do you tell stories?" -"Yes" "Then you're perfect" [the lost boys and Wendy] in case you can't read my handwriting.) Fitting that I had my new green ink out at that moment.

A Pretty Good Week...

It’s been a pretty good week.

Back from a week off – and nothing (too terribly) dramatic was awaiting me at the office. Except the chaotic lack of order which is forever my workspace. Can’t seem to shake that…

I ordered my first study book for my AREs. I am oddly excited about starting to study (my inner nerd is surfacing)…

Ate some frog legs last night. They were surprisingly tender and very tasty.

And my friend Casey’s store, Wanderlust, was featured in the NY Times travel article “36 Hours in Key West, Fla” – and guess what! The “whimsical watercolors of Key West houses” at the 1 p.m./Saturday stop are my little note cards!

Great way to wrap up the week. And great motivation to paint some more!

Happy Friday!

Resolved in 2011

Balance

+Creative Process

-Processed Food

+Activity

-Idleness

+Restfulness

-Anxiety

+Giving (make time for volunteering)

-Dwelling on the (-)

+Take (at least the) first of AREs

-Putting off studying

Enjoying the moment,

seizing the day,

and taking the ups

and downs one at a time.

(And figuring out how to make my blog to let me single space paragraphs...help!)

Juicy

Healthy start to 2011: Yum. (Oh, Krystyna, you white liar [nibble nibble on the last of the holiday sweets...])

The First

A lovely slow morning, the first of the year. Breezy, balmy, and the clouds rolling in – there’s a twinge of cool in the air. Barefoot in the yard, picking a sweet, juicy tangelo. Indulging my love of books written for children and adolescents. Stacking up my quarter-a-copy books from the Friends of the Library store – on deck is Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast. Dreaming up dreams for new cards for 2011 – everything seems so light and airy right now. Can I capture that in my paintings and keep it throughout the year? What does 2011 have in store for you?