04.29.10

1. Some helpful ideas from Maren.
2. Enough time for a quick stop at Surdyk's for their Belgian sale.
3. A nice chat with my client Dave on his last day.
4. A nicer chat with my client Erin--I especially appreciated her question "How do you force creativity?" when I said I was in a crunch to make work for the Weisman.
5. A lovely little recycled notebook from Target.
6. A Lagunitas IPA and fries at Town Talk.
7. Sitting under an awning there as a five-minute thunderstorm passed by. I love the smell of that kind of storm.
8. A brisk walk through Powderhorn Park over to Chicago Avenue to check out a new community garden.
9. A hot shower and scrub.
10. Good advice from Rich on making up my mind about entering an art competition.

04.28.10

1. One I remembered from Tuesday: a really crazily bright full moon.
2. Max purring as he lay on my tummy in bed.
3. The audiobook of Daniel Pink's "Drive."
4. A good talk with Rachelle about cleaning work.
5. A timely and useful DBT class.
6. Bulk shampoo and lotion from the Seward Coop.
7. A nice., low-key walk and stretch at the Y.
8. A fun chat with Alex.
9. Chris Rock's movie "Good Hair."
10. Natural sleepiness and fairly uninterrupted sleep.

04.27.10

1. I found subs for several days of Bettying.
2. A couple of unexpected hours of paid gardening work for one of my sweet little old lady clients.
3. I finished "Crime." That's a record: three days!
4. A can of sparkly San Pellegrino lemonade.
5. A good adjustment at the chiropractor.
6. Delicious Farm Girl Saison from Lift Bridge.
7. Salon Saloon was very funny this month.
8. An interesting chat with Scott and Rich after the event.
9. A goodnight kiss and a sweet parting look from a tired man.
10. A good thing that comes from insomnia: sleepiness the following night.

04.26.10

1. Having enough wisdom to realize I can't do all 100 items on the list Margarita suggested for ten days in a row. I need to keep looking for good things in the world, not just in myself.
2. A trouble free 4.25 hours at the troublesome (read: bitchy and fussy) client's house. I get paid for 5 but I was fast and efficient.
3. Driving along Wirth Parkway between my two jobs. It's gorgeous with budding trees.
4. My roller girl client Tara. She has such honest, positive energy.
5. Interesting reading in Vogue and Harpers on the treadmill.
6. A really good yoga class with Micehlle at the Y. Can I make it one of her 7 AM classes someday?
7. EO lavender conditioner.
8. Edamame.
9. Rereading a couple essays in Larry McMurtry's "Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen" when I couldn't sleep.
10. Finally falling asleep at 3 AM. Relief.

04.25.10

1. My pinky fingernails (I know it's weird, but I've always liked the way they look).
2. My hands.
3. My sense of humor.
4. I know how to do a lot of things myself that plenty of people don't, like paint a room.
5. Or knit a sweater.
6. Or make an excellent black and white photo in a darkroom.
7. Or a color one, in a darkroom.
8. Or a color one on an Epson printer.
9. And mount it on a piece of aluminum to hang.
10. I can make platinum prints too, at least I could a few years ago.

04.24.10

1. I choose to see beauty (thanks to Margarita for the idea for this list and the first entry on it).
2. My curly hair.
3. My laugh.
4. My sense of color.
5. My sense of composition.
6. My memory for names.
7. My memory for faces.
8. I can speak Spanish.
9. And French.
10. I make excellent lasagna.

04.23.10

1. A long but good day of photo assisting with Rik.
2. Many amusing moments on our shoot at a private high school in the St. Paul suburbs.
3. Enjoyable chats with the PR director and the art director about Catholic school and DC and artmaking.
4. Milky Way midnight.
5. A new bottle of lavender oil.
6. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
7. A quiet evening at home with Rich.
8. Annie's Mac & Cheese doctored up with yogurt, cheddar and spring onions.
9. Ginger chews.
10. The season finale of Mad Men. I think I'll need to get Alex to download the new shows in the fall!

04.22.10

1. Having the sense to take a mental---and physical--health day.
2. A quick birthday hello to Eliot.
3. A long and productive meeting with Margarita.
4. A massage with Bernadette.
5. Chiropractic.
6. Having the sense, or the nerve, to turn down work from Pearson.
6. A mouse from Mike and a good chat at Luce.
7. Acupuncture.
9. Catching up a bit with Jessica afterwards.
10. An unexpected dinner of catfish poboys with Morgan and Joann.

04.21.10

1. Surviving a really rough day.
2. Grape Nuts.
3. Yorkshire tea.
4. Being skilled enough at Bettying to do it quickly even when I'm sick.
5. Fresh Air podcasts.
6. A powder blue vintage TR3.
7. An appropriate and timely lesson at DBT.
8. Kind words from my classmates.
9. Alessi Pesto.
10. Falling asleep watching a DVD.

04.20.10

1. A perfect poppy seed bagel from Common Roots.
2. Yorkshire tea, as always.
3. Bonus: it was on sale for $3.49 (way cheap) at Kowalski's when I stopped there for cranberry juice. I bought three boxes.
4. I finished each of my three clients' jobs 15-30 minutes early! Hooray for efficiency.
5. Kirsten from Gardening Matters has offered to mediate between me and the lesbian mafia at a mandatory meeting before our May 8 garden work day.
6. String cheese.
7. The nice lady doctor at the urgent care clinic in Edina.
8. Six kids doing jumping jacks on a front yard on Bloomington Avenue.
9. Azo, Cipro and Oxycodone = kidney infection relief.
10. Even better: sleep.

04.19.10

1. A good meeting with Diane and Corinna at the Weisman.
2. I think my work will fill the space fine--but I still need to finish six new pieces by June 1!
3. Rik Sferra wants me to assist him one day this week = $200. Maybe $250?
4. A trouble free four hours at my client's house.
5. "Dose" is done!
6. Lasagna out of the freezer for an early dinner.
7. The "live knitting performance" by Oliver Herring at Bethel.
8. A Furious at the Craftsmen with Rich afterwards.
9. A somber and strange episode of Mad Men.
10. Affection and company at 11 PM on a weeknight. That is usually a quiet and solitary time for me.

04.18.10

1. Super yummy French toast with three kinds of homemade jam.
2. A good start to my next embroidery.
3. Lasagna for lunch.
4. My tiny community garden plot is ready to be planted.
5. I think the surliest of the gardeners is starting to *get it* after a little talk today.
6. A brisk walk in PoHo Park as the sun slowly set.
7. A good stretch afterwards.
8. Quesadillas with provolone, spinach, spring onions from the garden, and guacamole for dinner.
9. I'm almost finished “Dose.”
10. A nice bath with vetiver oil.

04.17.10

1. Another balmy and beautiful spring day.
2. A good adjustment at the chiropractor.
3. A big bag of pretty fabric from the Textile Center garage sale.
4. Acupuncture.
5. Talking with Chip and Trish at the Art-O-Mat event at Chambers.
6. Riding my bike downtown and Uptown.
7. Seeing the Walker's two new shows.
8. The funny kids I chatted with about Lacan and graffiti at Common Roots.
9. Several productive hours of embroidering.
10. The lilacs I cut still smell fabulous in my bedroom.

04.16.10

1. Three mugs of Yorkshire tea.
2. Another pleasant day of substitute teaching at SPA.
3. An iris in bloom in the backyard (a good thing or not? It seems way too early!).
4. Lilacs in bloom down the alley..
5. A surprise bag of fresh bread on the porch, from my new neighbors.
6. Rich's delicious stir fry.
7. A nice but brief chat with Mara at the IFP event.
8. Lovely work by Molly Roth at Art of This.
9. More Mad Men.
10. Sleepiness.

04.15.10

1. Waking up next to my honey on a (very early) weekday morning.
2. Not caring that it's tax day because mine were done a month ago.
3. Another bizarrely warm day.
4. Feeling knowledgeable and capable in the classes I taught.
5. There IS such a thing as a free lunch.
6. Having a bit of time to poke around that strange neighborhood off West 7th in St. Paul near Jon Whitney's show.
7. The St. Vincent de Paul thrift store down there.
8. Two blank signs, too.
9. Enjoying an Avery IPA at Frost's while embroidering at happy hour before Rachel's opening.
10. Early and easy to sleep.

04.14.10

1. A beautiful orange pink sunrise.
2. A late start to work and a slow morning.
3. Warm damp air like in late May.
4. Music on the iPod speakers while I work.
5. Sincere congratulations from my client on my Weisman show.
6. Art Happy Hour on the roof at Bedlam.
7. Allen Brewer's well thought out artist's talk at Chambers.
8. A delicious chile relleno and tamale at Salsa a la Salsa.
9. Treme!
10. A nice night at Rich's.

04.13.10

1. Thunder and lightning (even though it woke me up repeatedly).
2. The friendly folks at TC Moulding.
3. Podcasts.
4. Bubbly water.
5. More unseasonable warmth.
6. Long days.
7. A lovely talk by George Slade at the photo center.
8. Nice chats with Larry Marcus, Linda Brooks and Marc Norberg afterwards.
9. Hanging out for a bit with Morgan when I dropped off his laptop.
10. A movie in bed. Early.

04.12.10

1. An easy "interview" with the SPA principal. I'm all set for subbing Thursday and Friday.
2. When he asked if I could do any other subjects besides photo, I said no to drawing, painting and ceramics, but then added that I can do Spanish, which seemed to make him very happy.
3. Both Bettys jobs were pretty painless and mindless today.
4. I figured out the fast way to get home from Near North at rush hour. Under 20 minutes, no highways.
5. A really good yoga class at the Y.
6. A Vogue for reading on the treadmill.
7. Cheap food from Aldi.
8. Moros y cristianos y huevos duros.
9. Alex gave me Treme and helped me figure out why it wasn't playing right.
10. Another long hot bath.

04.11.10

1. Oatmeal for breakfast.
2. A nice long block of time to embroider.
3. I'd say "Dose" is more than halfway done.
4. Car Talk.
5. A nice walk and stair climbing in the park.
6. The last of the leftover lasagna for...
7. A lovely dinner with Morgan and JoAnn.
8. The fire pit!
9. A long hot bath.
10. Traction.

04.10.10

1. A much-needed visit to the chiropractor.
2. I finished Savage.
3. I figured out how to remove the mark my embroidery hoop made on it.
4. A small amount of progress on Dose. I'm learning to be less perfectionistic, I think.
5. Running into Xavier and Tina on my walk in PoHo Park.
6. A delicious dinner of Florentine sauce with Italian sausage on gnocchi.
7. The odd spectacle of hundreds (maybe just many dozens?) of bikes at the Art Crank opening.
8. A pint of Rush River Small Axe and a nice chat with Rich at The Sample Room.
9. Finding an old VHS tape Eliot made me of "Fishing With John" and other sundry oddities.
10. Not letting frustration and weariness allow my demons grab too much space into my life.

04.09.10

1. I finished my business planning class and it wasn't too too boring.
2. I think I even learned a few useful things in it.
3. Sharing some of my yummy Zotz candies with the woman sitting next to me--she really got a charge out of remembering them from her childhood.
4. I found someone to cover my work next Thursday so I can substitute teach at SPA.
5. Beautiful spring weather and an outdoor seat at Lucia's at happy hour.
6. A nice walk around Lake of the Isles.
7. Running into Rich's SCSU colleague Keith Christianson walking, who is a really lovely person.
8. More Mad Men.
9. Kindness and true affection.
10. Sleepiness.

04.08.10

1. I slept six hours straight.
2. One day done of my two-day business planning workshop, which means
3. I'm one step closer to my "free money."
4. Serious progress on "Savage."
5. Joel at First Tech called to advise me to wait for a new generation MacBook Pro.
6. So many delicious things at Northern Clay's Ice Cream Social.
7. A nice chat there with Lauren H-B.
8. An easy and delicious dinner of (leftover, of course) lasagna, salad and
9. Fresh hot bread, an almost successful third try ta that no-knead recipe.
10. Three episodes of Mad Men!

04.07.10

1. The clackety clack of the morning woodpecker.
2. Tea that's sweet and bitter at the same time.
3. The minty hot feel and smell of Tiger Balm.
4. Bubbles in sparkling water.
5. The infectious laughter on Car Talk.
6. Tangy chewy ginger candy.
7. A gorgeous sunset over the Mississippi River on Franklin Avenue.
8. Hard beads of hot water in my shower.
9. Creamy black beans with lots of spices.
10. The soothing chill of an ice pack on my back.

04.06.10

1. A pumpernickel bagel for breakfast.
2. Lots of Yorkshire tea.
3. Ordering frames online. So easy!
4. I'm getting a NEW mattress.
5. Clementines--in April. I still think of them as an early winter treat.
6. Brett the Bike Dude.
7. A good Harper's during a good treadmill walk.
8. Cashews.
9. Bell's Oberon is in the stores. It must be spring!
10. A long hot mineral salt bath for my very achey back.

04.05.10

1. A pleasant ride to Rochester with Christian.
2. Crepes and Linzer torte for lunch.
3. A tour of the John Gossage show at RAC from Kris Douglas.
4. A pile of free books from their store!
5. Maintaining my calm and patience over embroidery mistakes.
6. Meeting Rich and Bridget for a bit of Furious and a look at the mural.
7. My community garden meeting was mostly positive and productive and not too painful.
8. Lots of yummy food at the potluck, including roasted asparagus.
9. A delicious ripe Bartlett pear.
10. Traction.

04.04.10

1. Sleeping late.
2. Waking up next to the man I love.
3. Katie and Matt's undisciplined but sweet and amusing young cat.
4. A delicious grapefruit with my eggs and English muffin.
5. Brown Cow cream top yogurt with a spoonful of homemade raspberry jam.
6. Two quiet and productive hours embroidering in the backyard.
7. A pleasant early evening walk in Powderhorn Park.
8. A lady playing accordion in the front yard of the tiny old alley house near the park.
9. Leftover lasagna.
10. The last episode of Extras.

04.03.10

1. Another warm beautiful day.
2. Eggs and an English muffin for breakfast.
3. A strange looking Easter bunny in front of the dollar store by Michael's. Giant bunny costumes always make me crack up.
4. An Indian (!) orange Fanta soda from the halal market before the talk at Franklin ArtWorks.
5. Getting my car reasonably cleaned up from a long dirty winter.
6. Yummy lasagna (and lots of leftovers).
7. The Spoon show.
8. Mayor R.T. Rybak's somewhat silly proclamation after the show of "First Avenue Day" on the club's 40th anniversary.
9. The weird phenomenon of Skoal Kodiak.
10. Falling asleep watching Mad Men.

04.02.10

1. Oatmeal with cranberries, walnuts, banana and cream.
2. An offer to do a couple of days of substitute high school photo teaching.
3. Getting a good start on my next embroidered piece.
4. An interesting Science Friday program about poison.
5. Thunder.
6. The rain stopped in time for the first ML baseball game at the new stadium. I am looking forward to going to one.
7. Rich made an extra delicious stir fry with shitake mushrooms and sweet potatoes and broccoli.
8. Four art openings!
9. Chatting with Andy McCormick at Rogue Buddha.
10. Drinks with Morgan and JoAnn at NE Social.

04.01.10

1. Summer weather on April Fool's Day.
2. A good meeting with Maren that eased some of my anxious mood.
3. OK, last time for a while: an extra delicious veggie slice and a yummy pint at Luce.
4. Three cute scooters that arrived as I sat down.
5. Both of my favorite bartenders were working,
5. and Tom gave me a box full of chocolates for Karla.
6. Parallel Lines on the car stereo and the windows down.
7. A really bizarre and interesting graffiti tag.
8. A small scoop of insanely rich Ben and Jerry's from Alex.
9. Fantastic Mr. Fox. It WAS fantastic.
10. And a much smarter way to spend the last 90 minutes of the day than Photoshopping.

03.31.10

1. I started my next embroidery--and didn't freak out when I realized six hours later there's a run in the silk. It'll be easy enough to redo. I'm getting smarter about this stuff.
2. Daffodils are in bloom.
3. Lots of plants are coming up, actually.
4. There are even buds on the lilacs.
5. 75 degrees on March 31. Wow.
6. A good DBT class.
7. 7th Generation on sale at Cub, plus I had coupons = half off my highest Two Bettys supply expense. How should I blow the $20 I saved?
8. Ginger chews.
9. Ginger ale.
10. Not having to do Pearson scoring at 10 PM. What a relief.