Find me over there...

I'm now at www.jolieguillebeau.com/blog

Coming soon...

a whole new site...

The switchover is in process, so be patient for a couple of days. If you see an error message, you'll know it's because I'm a doofus.

By request...

When Chris is gone, I get a lot of reading done.
And since we've moved and I don't know anyone, I spent even more time reading this month.
And to this, that you can only spend so many hours of the day painting, or on the internet, and well... let's just say, I'm really glad the library is right across the street.

So Portland's library system has this neat little feature that keeps up with the books you check out-- I love it. It's much easier to remember what I've actually read.

So, in March of 2009, I read 28 books. Now, before you freak out-- some of those were children's books because I'm re-reading the entire Ramona Quimby series to celebrate moving to Portland (Ramona's hometown). Those take less than an hour each, so it's really not as much as it sounds like. I promise. Though, it's a lot-- even for me.

Anyway, these are the books. Some are worthy of further discussion and some aren't.

Beverly Cleary Books:
Ramona the Pest
Ramona the Brave
Ramona and Her Mother
Ramona and Beezus
Ramona and Her Father
Ramona's World
Ramona Forever
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Ellen Tebbits
Otis Spofford
Ribsy
Henry Huggins
Socks

These were all pretty quick reads-- 20 minutes to an hour. They're written around a 3rd grade level, so they weren't any big brain stretch. But it was nice to find the references to Portland and reread books I loved as a kid.

Speaking of children's books. I also completed the entire Harry Potter series this month. I'd never read any of the Harry Potter books, and so I requested them from the library, and read all seven while Chris was away. Though I technically started in February, so I can only count three of these in the total for March.

I also went through a Jane Austen phase this month. I love Pride and Prejudice, so I find myself drawn to the modern sequels--even though I know I'll probably hate them when I'm finished. That was true of the Pemberley Chronicles, yet I still read the whole series this month. I can't recommend them though.

Now for the "real" books I read.

The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
A historical account of WWII in Warsaw, Poland. An amazing story, though I was tempted to skip parts in the middle, because it got a bit repetitive.

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
Amazon has been recommending this to me for months, if not years, but I never took the bait, because it seemed so sad to read an unfinished work by an author who was murdered in Auchwitz. However, I finally checked it out from the library and found it to be lovely and moving without being too depressing. I should have listened to Amazon earlier.

Salt by Mark Kurlansky
More useless facts for my eventual takeover of the world via Trivial Pursuit. Or just more useless facts. But I like them. Do you know where Salzburg got its name? I do, now. Those little moments of "Aha!" made this book worth the read, though it got a bit tedious near the end.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Another book I had been meaning to read for awhile. The story of one man's work to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It's inspiring, but a bit rose-colored in its perspective. If you want to read a book about one guy trying to save the world, then read Mountains Beyond Mountains.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
A good quick read, though a bit eerie. I liked it, but it's not very memorable.

Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors
Another quick read, this time about the building of the Taj Mahal. The imagery was lovely, though again I doubt I'll remember this book a year from now.

And my favorite book of this month: The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.
Geraldine Brooks is my new favorite author. I loved March and Year of Wonders. People of the Book doesn't disappoint. It's a fictionalized account of the history of the Sarajevo Haggadah, which is a real book with an intriguing story. I loved every word. And reading the acknowledgements, I found a small connection that made me happy. The author was able to see the Sarajevo Haggadah under restoration in 2001, thanks to the help of Jacques-Paul Klein, who was working as the Special Representative for the UN in Bosnia at the time. Later, Mr. Klein was appointed as the head of the UN Mission in Liberia, and met with Chris several times while we were working in Liberia. It was just a small detail that made the book a little more real to me.

I'm ending March with a knitting book, and The Audacity of Hope, another book I've been meaning to read. Perhaps I'll run out of things to read in April and this won't be quite so long. And if you requested book reviews on my blog, be careful what you ask for...

Vote Hope

Shutter Sisters Dream Assignment: Picture Hope from LittlePurpleCow Productions on Vimeo.


Jen Lemen has a new hope-full scheme up her sleeve. It's awesome. Go vote for it and help her fulfill her dream.

Vote here. Hurry!

Stone Soup Challenge

I joined the Stone Soup Challenge last month. I thought it was a neat idea and planned to blog about it, but promptly forgot to do so and moved on with life.

Wednesday (after my post requesting help) I made my first Etsy sale in almost a year. I had almost given up on Etsy, because it just didn't seem to be worth the effort and I wasn't willing to spend hours a day promoting my Etsy shop-- I'd rather be painting.

But Mary found my work on Etsy because of the Stone Soup Challenge and made a purchase. On the day I requested help from the Universe. Coincidence? I think not. I'm taking it as a sign to keep going. Maybe I can make a real career out of being an artist-- even in this economy.

(An aside: Hey, Universe-- this doesn't mean you're off the hook. One sale doesn't convince me that I still don't need a second job, but thanks for the encouragement. Keep it up!)

So today I used the proceeds from my sale to support another Stone Soup Artist. I can't wait to see what arrives in my mailbox!

Intention: Donuts (and a Job)

Hello out there...

I've decided to stop whining and actually ask for help. This goes back to intentions. And also, pride. My pride doesn't really like me to ask for help. And donuts. Wait-- not donuts, I was just thinking about donuts, because of the vegan experiment. Vegan donuts are not very good, by the way.

Ok, away from donuts and back to asking for help.

Dear Universe:

Here's what I'm asking for. A job. A job that's fulfilling and fun with cool people. A job that allows me to have a little structure to my days and get out of the house occasionally, but doesn't take too much time from painting. A job that provides a reasonable income and maybe even health insurance, but doesn't require me to wear pantyhose. A job that provides all of that for less than 25 hours per week. A job that challenges me, but doesn't leave me too exhausted to paint or wander. And offers flexibility for the occasional travel with the husband. Ideally, this job would provide me with artist connections here in my new city, too.

Here's what I'm offering: me. I'll give this job all my very best effort when I'm there and I'll even think about creative ways to make my job more fun, my co-workers lives better and I'll show up with a good attitude at least 95% of the time. I'll be my usual friendly, smart, creative self. I'll enjoy this job. I'll do a good job. I'll be willing to learn new things and even like it.

If you've got an offer, you know where to find me.

Thanks in advance,
Jolie

P.S. And if it's not too much trouble, can you make sure that there's a Bavarian Cream donut for me this Sunday? It's the 3rd week in a row that I've been really excited about having one on my non-vegan day, only to find that someone has bought all of them before I get there. Of course, they're there Monday-Saturday when I can't have one... can you do something about this for me? Please?

Change

I just saw the protosite for the new site design for this space-- I can't wait. Changes coming soon here!

What if the Hokey Pokey is really what it's all about?

Ok, so not really, but I'm starting to wonder.

I'm a bit discouraged this week. Still no job here in Portland. But do I want one? I don't know. I do want money-- and health insurance, but couldn't I get that from painting? Well, only if someone one actually buys the paintings. But that isn't really happening right now...

I'm feeling undervalued. Our society doesn't really care about painters. They value mathematicians and physicists. And engineers, and other science-y people. And lawyers. No one needs a still-life painter of toys.

Also, I know that there are more than five people that read this blog, but only two commenters were willing to put themselves out there-- I'm not sure what to think of that. I don't want to guilt you guys, but I don't want to expend the energy on this if it's not working.

This year has been a year of transitions. It's made me a bit introspective. Between losing my community, my house in turmoil, and the subsequent move to Portland, I'm a little lost. What am I doing? Who do I want to be? Why am I whining to you? I should go paint.

Trust Will Lead the Way

Trust Will Lead the Way
Originally uploaded by jenlemen

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

This is so fun...

I got this idea from Jenica. Not my sister, just to avoid confusion. My sister is also Jenica, but she's blogless.

Anyway, I thought this was fun, so I'm playing too!

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make for you!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year.
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a song. It may be a self portrait or maybe even some creation I haven't yet dreamed up. I may draw. I may bake you something and mail it to you. It may not be big or impressive. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure! (Nor I at this point...)
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? The catch is that you must offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. (Or if you're blogless like my sister, then choose 5 people that you think need a little extra love and email them with the details.) The first 5 people to post a comment will win a fun homemade gift by me! Let's keep the chain of love going around!!!

The Road to Hell...?

I've been thinking about living with intention lately. I throw that word around a lot. I intended to go to the grocery store, but got distracted with painting, so now we're eating random frozen vegetables with the pasta I found in the back of the pantry. Or I intend to give my neighbor a piece of my mind the next time she says something snarky. I intend to go to Antarctica one day. I intend to write a blog post (with pictures! Ha!). I intend to lose weight. I intend to make a living as an artist. I intend to be more disciplined. I intend to stop taking rejection so personally. I intend to call my sisters more often. I intend to paint more and play on the internet less. These are all things I intend. But does that mean I'm living with intention?

We all know that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Whatever that means. Is it the idea that the intentions without action lead to misery? If I intend to lose weight, but continue to stuff myself with Quarter Pounders and Girl Scout Cookies, then not only am I betraying my body in unhealthy ways, but I'm probably berating myself for betraying my intentions as well. I'm more miserable because I intended to act differently.

So if that's true, then I need to figure out what I'm doing to follow through with my intentions or even give myself permission to let some of my intentions go. Some days, I'm better off giving up the illusion that I'm going to go to the grocery store. If I've planned to have "Random Pasta" for dinner, then I can enjoy painting more fully and enjoy dinner more because I don't feel guilty that I didn't do something I've intended.

With that in mind, I'm rethinking my intentions. I'm letting go. I'm choosing the intentions most important to me right now. And I intend to tell you about them soon.

Friday Fun...

Big adventures today...

After yoga class (yay for ankle recovery!) I came home, made myself lunch and decided to celebrate my finished painting. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I decided it was perfect weather for an adventure.

I bought an all day bus pass, and discovered that I can get to Ikea via public transit in less than 30 minutes here. I love TriMet! Chris is not going to be happy about this.

The sky was so pretty and from the train, and the clouds lifted so that I could see both Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood. (I believe now, Havi. It exists. Though I was starting to doubt, since I had only seen it once.) I remember reading a Ramona Quimby book that talked about Mt. Hood and thought about how much fun it is to live in places I read about as a little girl. I'm rereading the entire Ramona series to celebrate living in Portland.

I bought some candles and researched desks, rugs and floor lamps and decided that Chris must return to Ikea with me soon. I'll lure him there with the promise of Apple Strudel-- that always works.

From Ikea I took the train downtown to Powells City of Books (I love it there! Even more than Ikea) to hear Molly Wizenberg. She writes the blog Orangette, she lives in Seattle, and she's just written a book, A Homemade Life, and like her, it's lovely. I sat and listened to her read and realized this is what Chris is going to do and it's going to be awesome. I can't wait to see him there. But first he has a lot of writing to do.

Finally, (and maybe the best part of the day) I met Amy of Angry Chicken. I've read her blog for ages, even though I don't sew (except for that one quilt) yet.I really love her ideas and her aesthetic. Just go look-- you'll see. She's awesome. And as for sewing, notice I said yet. That's because I made my very first apron this week. And I'm looking on craiglist for a good used sewing machine, because I want to make more. Much more. Amy's blog (and book) have inspired me to learn to really sew. Not just the one quilt.

Now I'm home. And I've lit my orange candle from Ikea and the cat is purring in my lap and my husband is on the way home (sort of-- he's flying from South Africa to Hong Kong tonight, then 24 hours in Hong Kong, then he flies to LA, and then he's actually on the way home) and I have half a vegan chocolate chip cookie left for breakfast tomorrow.

Days like today make me wish I could bottle gratitude and store it for later. Oh wait, I can. Someone remind me of this post the next time I'm whining.

Mash Tun Portland

My work is on display at Mash Tun, 2204 NE Alberta Street, here in Portland until March 30th. Go see it!

Update...

Chris and I have been working today to set up the office/studio. Last week when we moved in, we automatically took our bed to the larger room and all our other stuff to the smaller room, but after a couple of days we thought since our bed and nightstands are the only furniture in our bedroom and we're trying to cram my easel, my desk, his filing cabinet, his desk, the printer and bookshelves in to the smaller room, then why not switch rooms? So we did. It meant we had to move the bed last night and I never want to move the filing cabinet again, but now we have twice the space for an office/studio and our bed still fits nicely in the smaller room.

In that process I had to move a big stack of paintings and I realized that I had a few that weren't posted here. So, a painting update.



I painted this in early December. It was in the Fat Tiger Show, but somehow it didn't make it here.



This was January's big painting. I think it made it on to the blog, but not in a completed form.



And this was my painting this month. I played with the Fisher-Price Little People for hours at a time when I was a kid, so these were an obvious choice for my next painting. They are the people from the Little People Airplane Set, a pilot, a "stewardess" (because that's what they were called in 1981) and the luggage cart. I found them on eBay. I'm still looking for the airplane-- I want to paint the complete set. Meanwhile, I'm going to go finish setting up the studio, so I'll have more to show you soon.

(By the way, this is my 102nd post-- I let that milestone slip by in the midst of all the moving...)

A reason to stay...

We have a few small sprouts in the the plants on our windowsill-- and I've found something new to love about Portland.

The Waffle Window is three blocks from my house. A reason to stay.

Fulfilling a promise...

Pictures as promised.
My house:


Libby enjoying the view from the dining room windows.


My current station-- the comfy chair with the laptop set up on the ottoman.



The view of the living room-- we need more bookshelves, and a rug.



The view from the left side of the kitchen near the dining room chairs.



The view from the right side of the kitchen near the barstools.

What do you think? More importantly, when are you coming to visit?
My house:

Roots.

The English teacher in me is really in to metaphors. This is something that annoys Chris. I'm always using metaphors in conversation and he listens with the little bit of patience that he has acquired during our marriage (believe me, he has way more than I ever thought he would), until eventually he says, "What are you trying to say?"

And then I read him a poem. He LOVES that.

When we arrived in Portland Sunday, and unloaded the truck, and began to make order of all the boxes, we then made our way to Fred Meyer to get groceries. I never went to Fred Meyer in Seattle, because it wasn't on a bus line for me, but the one here is less than two blocks away, so I think I'll be there a lot. So far I've actually been every day since we moved to Portland. It could be dangerous.

Sorry-- back to the subject. At Fred Meyer, there is a garden center just past the produce section. So while Chris was choosing bananas, I wandered over to the seeds. I thought it would be cool to have a plant that we started growing on our first day in our new home. Chris just rolled his eyes, but I bought the seeds and soil.

So I brought them home and put the seeds in the soil and put them in a sunny window.
And I realized -- METAPHOR! Chris had to listen to my ramblings again... "See Chris? It's like us-- we've been transplanted, but we don't have any roots yet!"

So this is where I am now:



Hopefully roots will come. And our new life here will slowly sprout.

Upside down...

That's the way my world has been for the past few weeks.

But it seems that things are turning around. Of course, that may be because we've completely re-arranged our world.

Chris and I moved to Portland, Oregon this week. Surprised? Yeah, a lot of people are. We didn't mean to keep so many people in the dark, but we weren't sure that everything would come together, so we were pretty quiet about it.

And then, everything did come together. So we're here. Which means I missed saying good-bye to a few people. But I hate good-byes, so maybe that's ok. Unless you are one of those people, and then it's not. And I'm sorry.

Portland is great-- our new house is amazing. But I have to say, I don't really feel like explaining myself to a whole new group of people. You know, "Hi, I'm Jolie. An artist. Who paints toys. Who lived in Africa. On a ship. Yes, a ship. Well, it's a hospital ship... Oh, that's my husband. He travels a lot. Yes, I'm ok with this. Well, he's trying to go to every country in the world. Why? Umm, well... because he's... because it's... well we have these goals..." You see my problem. I don't really want to explain this crazy life we live anymore.

I guess I'm just mourning the loss of my peeps in Seattle. My wonderful, hysterical friends that took me to get a nose ring on a Wednesday evening, and helped me procrastinate my painting, or were always up for sushi when Chris was away, or cried (and cussed) with me when my world there turned upside down.

Sigh.

I can see that we're here for a reason and it's going to be marvelous. (Except for the snow, but it's snowing in Seattle, too.) I'm glad to be on a new adventure. I actually really love moving-- making a fresh start in a new place, going through all my stuff, getting rid of things I don't need, unpacking boxes and putting things away in a new place. Chris was freaking out about loading the truck, but I was pretending it was a game of Tetris-- if you got the boxes in the right place, then you scored extra points and your stuff didn't get broken on the drive down. (See? I can't even explain myself to me...)

And once those boxes are unpacked, I'll even put up some pictures of our new place. (I know, I know, but I really will.) It's going to be so pretty, I can't wait to show it to you.

Feast of St. Brigid

Today is Groundhog Day and the Feast of St. Brigid. To celebrate, we're having a (silent) poetry reading. Learn more here.

Jane Kenyon is one of my favorite poets. I keep a book of her poems on my shelf next to my easel, because reading her work is like taking a deep breath on a hectic day. It offers a quiet reflection, and a puddle of peace in the chaos of the world. Read for yourself.


The Suitor

We lie back to back. Curtains
lift and fall,
like the chest of someone sleeping.
Wind moves the leaves of the box elder;
they show their light undersides,
turning all at once
like a school of fish.
Suddenly I understand that I am happy.
For months this feeling
has been coming closer, stopping
for short visits, like a timid suitor.

Jane Kenyon

The Year of Self- Discipline

So every year, Chris and I go on a cruise in December. We spend the week getting warm and remembering the Anastasis, and most importantly we plan out our goals for the next year. Chris has an elaborate system, but I just have a notebook and a pen. We break things down in to categories and talk together about what we want to accomplish individually and as a couple. This is kind of like Mondo Beyondo-- which I also do every year, but perhaps more detailed (for my OCD side).

Each year we take on new ideas and we each look for a theme in what we're working on. For example, 2006 was all about completely new ideas, a new place to live, each of us were starting our school programs, and my journal for the year was titled "New." 2007 became more about finishing well and following through. 2008 for me was the year "to go pro" which was more about transitioning from the attitude of "art student" to actually thinking of myself as an artist. So, it was about selling my work, setting up shows, finding my own studio, keeping up with this blog... stuff like that.

So this year for me is The Year of Self-Discipline. This means I'm going to attempt to acquire some. For a long time, I've coasted along with life and my issues, and I've started to realize that this is an area that is holding me back from the things I want to accomplish with my life. It's my greatest weakness. Eating, Exercise, Finances, almost every area of my life could use more self-discipline. And so one of my first steps is to post my goals here so that I'm accountable to someone. (Unless no one is reading?)

Ok, so I have eight roles or categories and several things that I want to accomplish in each category. I'm going to summarize so that this post isn't quite so epic in length. The roles for me are in order of importance. I'm a total geek and have made myself a little visual diagram for this stuff, because that's just how I think, but you'll just have to settle for words here, because I can't figure out how to upload my diagram...

1. Wife: Call me old-fashioned, but I still think of this as the most important aspect of who I am. My first priority is always going to be Chris. There have been times that my lack of discipline has affected our relationship. I've made goals for this, but I'm going to leave them between the two of us. He'll keep me accountable on this one.

2. Artist: So this one is second for a reason. Because it's easy to put this behind everything else. But if I don't paint then I get crazy and can't do anything else well. I also have to figure out how to handle the business aspect of selling my work. And actually sell my work. So I have to make this a priority over friendships, family, work, the cat, everything. That way, I know I'll make myself paint-- I have to. I want to be a real professional working artist by the end of the year. (Whoa. That's scary.)

3. Creative Learner: I realize that's a bit vague. I put lots of things in this category though. Knitting, cooking, reading, crafty stuff... the things I do for myself. Painting used to be in this category, but it became so important that it got its own category. So, my goals here are things like make homemade marshmallows, read 52 books, make a skirt and a laptop sleeve with this fabric that's been laying around here forever, knit two more sweaters, learn more French. Things that keep me sane and well rounded.

4. Health Nut: Ok, so this is really where the self discipline kicks in. This is one of my weakest areas. I start exercise programs really well, but rarely stick with them. And while I've made serious changes to my diet in healthy ways, I think I could do more. So, first, I'm focusing on physical therapy. I have to get my ankle back to pre-surgery status, then I'm going to gradually work my way back into a sustainable exercise program (and STICK with it). I was doing pretty well until just before I had surgery, so hopefully I can find that happy place again. And secondly, since I've been a vegetarian for 5 years this year, I'm going to celebrate by going vegan for at least 4 weeks. I'm sure we'll talk more about this one and I'll explain the process further.

So, this post is growing and I still have 4 more categories, plus I have to talk about last year's progress. Why don't I stop typing for the time being? Meanwhile, what are your goals for 2009? You don't have to be as detailed as I am here, but I'd love to hear about them...

Update continued...

So where were we? I was tired last night, but I'm ready to continue updating you on the Cliff Notes version of my life right now.

So we returned to Seattle and to our house. During the cold weather, a water main had broken two floors up in our building and six units were damaged. Lucky us, our unit was one of them. We were expecting minor damage, but we were not prepared to find our bed in our kitchen or all the carpet pulled up or the drywall cut away. Our bedroom looked like this...



A month later, we're still dealing with this-- new carpet is in, but there are still a few things left to be done. It's been the most frustrating thing...

Ok, so what else to tell you? Let's me consult the list...

Ok, so my ankle is better. I saw my physical therapist for the last time Thursday-- not because she thinks I'm ready to be done, but because my insurance coverage for physical therapy has run out. So, I'm working on my own, but I really am better.

Now, as for changes coming soon... as part of the Guillebeau goals for 2009 our lives are changing a bit. I'll keep you posted on those. And another goal involves changing this site... so I'm working with a designer (Hi, BJ!) to make jolieguillebeau.com a more professional site representing my work. I'll talk about this more when I tell you about my goals for the year.

Finally, Plinky. It's fun. Go look. I think I still like Twitter best, but Plinky is fun. too.

January.

Ok, I figure you guys deserve an update. I can't promise it will be coherent, but since we're well in to 2009, I want to say something about my life at the moment. So I'm going to make a list of things I need to tell you.

1. The vacation was fabulous.
2. Christmas with the family was lovely.
3. Our house is a disaster.
4. I've made my goals for 2009 and I should tell you about them.
5. Some things will change around here soon.
6. My ankle is better--that's a good thing.
7. Have you heard about Plinky? It's fun.

Ok, that's a good place to start...but I guess you need details too.

So, mid-December we left for our annual Guillebeau goal-setting vacation. We went on a cruise to the western Caribbean-- we love to cruise because it reminds us of living on the Anastasis, but with better food. We had a great week on the water, though we didn't explore much because I was still not very good at walking. We returned to Miami on the 21st, and I got to see an old friend from the ship who was sailing out that same day for her wedding cruise (Hi, Lynda!). It was great to see her and meet her fiance and give her a big hug to send her off.

From Miami we flew to visit the family for a busy four days of Christmas, food, photos and fun. We had a great visit, but after two weeks we were ready to return to Seattle and settle in to normal life again and start working on all the goals we set on the cruise. (Speaking of goals, I think I'll leave mine for a separate post. Otherwise, this post will be so very long.) We had missed all the crazy snow that happened in Seattle, but we discovered that the weather would have a lasting effect.

That's a good stopping place for the moment. Stay tuned...