Thursday, September 30, 2010

09.29.10

1. My finger has stopped bleeding, although it still looks like some strange creature's mouth opening and closing when I bend it.
2. Seeing Jason's lovely children.
3. A perfectly ripe avocado.
4. I think I figured out how to subsume some of my rage at the lesbian mafia gardeners.
5. An especially nice late afternoon for painting tables and
6. Biking.
7. Target paperwork is almost done! Eleven documents, probably thirty pages, to fax tomorrow.
8. I did my LLC filing.
9. A pleasant chat with Alex about daytrips to do with his parents. He liked the notion of the Driftless Area and thinks his dad will too.
10. A midnight snack of Austrian chocolate-hazelnut wafers.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

09.28.10

1. Feeling relative rested after a long sleep.
2. Getting the must-dos done before work.
3. I think my one-year Betty review went well.
4. Tom and Bud certainly like my work. They are very odd, but nice.
5. Beautiful afternoon weather with just enough daylight to paint a shelf or two
6. And bike to BLB along the Greenway at my favorite hour, sunset.
7. The highly amusing "Teen Show" edition of Salon Saloon.
8. Hanging for a little while with Kirsten and gabbing with Tam and Andy.
9. Asking Miles, who was sitting with a friend at the sidewalk section of BLB, if he was "heading to NYC as soon as humanly possible" as the CP writer said Bill Powers suggested he do. He quickly replied no. I said "great, see you around" and biked away.
10. A brisk bike ride home along 28th Street. Not too trafficky or bumpy.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

09.27.10

1. Taking a sick day to rest all morning and catch up on life.
2. My kind clients who let me reschedule.
3. Lots and lots of Yorkshire tea. Also Lemon Echinacea Throat Coat tea. Mmmmm.
4. The nice folks at Welna Hardware I. I wonder why the ones at II aren't quite so helpful and friendly...
5. My excellent primary care doctor: I got a PT order, Sudafed Rx, mole removed and flu shot!
6. And she got hired on to stay after her residency. Yay. Continuity of care.
7. Target's contractor agency called. Finally. Provided I can pass the drug and background check, I'll start freelancing sometime around October 11.
8. Acupuncture definitely works somehow. I needed help with allergy and energy and both seemed better after.
9. Asparagus. Kind of silly in September. Thanks, Mexico.
10. A satisfying evening of completing paperwork tasks.

Monday, September 27, 2010

09.26.10

1. Breakfast at Common roots with Alicia.
2. Her crazy stories.
3. Remembering I wanted to stop by the MIA and see the current MAEP show on its last day, because it was really lovely.
4. Finally getting my kitchen shelves installed and
5. My dishes moved onto them. They look great.
6. Getting a start on putting books on the dining room shelves.
7. Realizing I need to sort them more, but not getting too fussy about it.
8. A pleasant sunset bike ride.
9. Annie's Mac N Cheese embellished with yogurt instead of milk, dill, and fresh cherry tomatoes.
10. Falling asleep at 11 PM.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

09.25.10

1. Seeing Janet, Juliet and Laura at their book sale.
2. Finding a few decent books and one very valuable one.
3. My first screenprinting class with Dan L. at MCBA.
4. He let us keep a print--it'll be a good gift for Katie since it has swimmers on it.
5. Taking a few more baby steps toward reestablishing a little order in my kitchen and dining room.
6. A pleasant drive with Rich.
7. A nice show at Rochester Art Center.
8. Free locally brewed IPA at the opening.
9. Good company and decent tapas afterwards.
10. No trouble falling asleep at 2:15 AM!

09.24.10

1. A pumpernickel bagel.
2. Markell’s cute redheaded kid.
3. My shiny nylon 1970s pants.
4. A guy in hilarious blue stirrup sweatpants riding in the bike lane down Hennepin Ave.
5. Seeing Duane Ditty for the first time in about ten years.
6. Yummy Brasa food at Soap Factory’s $99 sale.
7. Reconnecting with Judith Yourman there.
8. Some pretty art on the walls.
9. A delicious abbey ale at Town Hall.
10. A couple of funny Louis CKs before bed.

Monday, September 20, 2010

09.19.10

1. A lot of good "almosts."
2. Almost done my slumlord-level repainting of my front screen door.
3. Almost done my new kitchen shelves.
4. Almost done one side of the kitchen/cellar door.
5. Almost knowing how to skim coat.
6. Remembering that the perfect is the enemy of the good.
7. Another lovely late afternoon ride on the Greenway. Alone. Fastish.
8. A gorgeous fat moon rising in the darkening sky as I headed home.
9.A delicious take on the last bit of leftover pesto: add leftover Italian sausage chunks from yesterday's breakfast, top with mozzarella and romano and heat well. Yummy.
10. Feeling good and tired after a few days of hard work.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

09.18.10

1. A hearty egg and sausage breakfast with Rich.
2. Painting and sanding and painting and sanding and painting...
3. A pleasant bike ride with Marcia. Still looking for someone who bikes at my pace, though.
4. Decent work and a bubbly crowd at SooVac.
5. Meeting Jaron and Melinda's baby. She seemd so comfy and happy.
6. An intriguing video installation at Midway and a
7. A nice chat there with Broc about the piece, 1419, and the flaws of HD.
8. Seeing Jane and Janis for the first time in about two years.
9. A quick stop at NE Social before heading home. An odd but pretty place.
10. The rapidly changing clouds around the moon.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

09.17.10

1. A day with no appointments.
2. Hot oatmeal on a chilly morning.
3. Helping Rich "slash and burn" edit his artist statement for his Jerome application. I think we cut over 50% of it.
4. Getting my Jerome in despite last minute technical problems on their end. I really didn't stress or agonize much about my application at all, for a change!
5. Finishing sorting through a hige pile of mail and papers in my stuffio.
6. A delicious Rich Barlow stir fry dinner.
7. Another good espisode of Mad Men.
8. Laughing at Louie. I really like the weird humor on that show.
9. Relaxing at home.
10. A really good night's sleep!

Friday, September 17, 2010

09.16.10

1. Packages are in the mail!
2. Getting my lovely sharpened pruners and loppers back from Welna.
3. Refi looks likely. I'm stunned.
4. Keeping a calm head when I got on the wrong highway at rush hour on the way to my appointment with Maren.
5. Discovering that 35 to University may actually be faster than 94 at that hour.
6. A strange but productive session with Rich and Cathy.
7. Feeling good about my Jerome application without spending hours on it.
8. Eating a late dinner at the same time as Kate and getting some of her yummy beets and greens.
9. Precious: good if a bit heavy-handed.
10. How normal/healthy it made me feel.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

09.15.10

1. A slow morning with time to catch up on an hour of busywork.
2. Lots of Yorkshire tea.
3. Jason's really adorable kids.
4. Getting his schedule clarified.
5. A good DBT session.
6. I know so much about sleep hygiene and other healthy skills I could teach the class.
7. Laughs with Rachelle about "You Go Girl."
8. Actually getting errands done after DBT, for a change.
9. Four packages are ready to go in the mail tomorrow.
10. Actually lying down on the sofa and watching a movie (well, half of a movie, the rest tonight I think!).

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

09.14.10

1. Successful exchanging and shopping at Home Depot--I really and truly got every item on my list.
2. I had made a list!
3. Surviving a particularly offensive day of Bettying by using "opposite to emotion action."
4. Gorgeous clouds in a sort of puff-stripe combo.
5. And a crescent moon amidst them.
6. A leisurely ride on the Greenway and a few gear shifting lessons for Kate on her new Zebrakenko. I get to try it out next time!
7. Kilz primer in a spray can. A good base before oil paint on my swanky new kitchen shelves made from
8. Two super sturdy $3.99 plywood boards from Welna II.
9. I got my beloved old office chair back from Morgan. I hope he likes the Mad Men chair.
10. Free wood on the curb!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

09.13.10

1. Yorkshire tea. Lots of it.
2. Tons of great (not free) help from Dan!
3. I have a fabulous new 4-bike hanging rack on my porch.
4. The screen door has a lovely plywood panel instead of corrugated cardboard.
5. No more rotten wood under the sink.
6. And many other lovely tidbits of work I can never quite do, or finish!
7. Getting a peek inside the five beautiful old storefront buildings at Chicago and 38th at their open house.
8. Help with exchanging tubes and removing old grips from the kind gentlemen at Freewheel.
9. An impromptu dinner of moros y cristianos with Alex and Kate.
10. A hot bath with the last of my lavender AND vetiver oils.

Monday, September 13, 2010

09.12.10

1. Tea, tea and more tea. Yorkshire tea, of course.
2. Yummy scrambled eggs to fortify me for a busy day.
3. A gorgeous late summer day.
4. An interesting artist's talk with George and Alec at the Walker.
5. George loved the raspberry jam I gave him.
6. Alec wasn't too bothered by my request for him to sign his books and was impressed (surprised) that I had the first edition of Sleeping. He asked if he should sign it to me, and I said, of course, assuring him I was not going to sell it online (there is one on Alibris for $1400!).
8. Some good progress on my painting projects.
9. A lovely bike ride, late in the day as usual.
10. Nice and sleepy after a full day.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

09.11.10

1. Sleeping till 9:30!
2. I have a usable dining room table again.
3. And an almost-usable studio.
4. Once again, hauling help from Alex!
5. My old Porter Cable random orbital sander.
6. Bin Primer Sealer.
7. A couple slices of Luce out of the freezer.
8. San Pellegrino Limonata.
9. A nice evening of seeing art and artists and a fire with Rich.
10. I didn't have to listen to, or watch, or hear while out and about, ANY stupidity about the World Trade Center and Pentagon bombings anniversary.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

09.09.10

1. Lovely cut flowers from the garden, even late in the season:
2. Small sunflowers.
3. Anise hyssop.
4. Pink yarrow.
5. Red amaranth.
6. Zinnias.
7. Nasturtium (good on a salad later!)
8. Cosmos.
9. Rosemary (OK, it's not really a flower...).
10. And Max hasn't chewed on them or knocked them over yet!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

09.07.10

1. A slow morning, which I needed.
2. My first client put the wrong key in the lockbox so I couldn't clean his swanky new house. Boo hoo. Gonna do it next week and charge for the wasted hour. No more unpaid cleaning work!
3. Free money, coming soon.
4. A nice ride to St. Paul and back on the Trek, with its
5. New handlebar grips
6. And cushy new seat--at the proper height! What a difference.
7. A perfect nectarine.
8. That delicious 70% cocoa chocolate from Aldi. I hope they have it again soon.
9. The vast amount of helpful info about techy geeky photo stuff on the web.
10. Being able to use the world's easiest long hairdo: wash it, sleep on it wet and put it in a messy curly ponytail. Super short was easy, too. Hmmmmm.

09.06.10

1. Yorkshire tea.
2. Finishing my Mobius entry.
3. Remembering everything I needed to bring to the shoot with Robin.
4. Getting two very nice portfolio shots and a couple copy shots of artwork done in six relaxed, congenial hours of work.
5. Leftover caprese pesto pasta for lunch.
6. A stop at that crazy Brooklyn Center thrift store = three Xmas gifts, two pairs of work pants and and several underpriced vintage items to sell.
7. Watching a guy doing an entertainingly wacko dance at a bus stop.
8. Getting home just in time for my evening ride.
9. Learning I need to start that ride earlier and take a spare tube. Made for a nice walk home from Nicollet Avenue.
10. Clothing hooks are up in the dressing room, so it's almost usable again.

Monday, September 6, 2010

09.05.10

1. Help from Rich moving my enormous flat file to his studio.
2. Realizing I kind of like my funky old kitchen and don't need to slick it up--by visiting IKEA to look for shelves and a cabinet.
3. Came back with some crazy red brackets and a piece of pine from Home Depot. Total $22.
4. A bizarre ADD-ish afternoon and evening in which I actually got a lot done, just in a fragmented and disorganized fashion.
5. Help from Alex moving a few more things. My studio is looking spacious and calm!
6. A beautiful sunset as I biked west on the Greenway.
7. Three cats, two raccoons and countless rabbits crossed my path as I rode.
8. More of my homemade pesto with Paul's cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.
9. All of my art books are off the dining room table! In fact, the house is almost back to normal.
10. Insomnia that was productive, amusing (ahem--silly cat videos, thanks Eliot!) and didn't last long.

09.01.10

1. Handing in my Soap Factory $99 sale piece ON TIME.
2. Little by little my paperwork pile gets smaller.
3. A bag of delicious tomatoes from Paul and Millie’s garden.
4. A detour around the closed Franklin Avenue bridge turned into learning a new, quicker route to DBT.
5. Laughing with Rachelle at the shoe salesman story.
6. Gorgeous weeping clouds across the late afternoon sky.
7. Just enough time to ride before dark.
8. Crickets chirping along the Greenway.
9. An after biking snack of pistachios, delicious 70% cocoa chocolate from Aldi and a Pink Lady Apple (I can’t wait for the local ones to be in season, though!)
10. Realizing my old Powerbook had the VLC program that the MacBook wouldn’t install, so I could watch the episode of Mad Men I wanted to see before bed.

Friday, September 3, 2010

09.02.10

1. Yorkshire tea. Yum yum.
2. A productive meeting with Rich.
3. A nice new bike seat for $15 at Freewheel.
4. Chatting with Barb Nei at the Concordia cell phone photos opening.
5. Watching a crazy, fierce, sudden downpour from inside the gallery.
6. I liked my own photos best at the show.
7. Seeing Cate Vermeland, who was so very proud of the show.
8. A lovely, quiet evening at home
9. With a delicious grilled dinner
10. And watching Mad Men with Rich.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

08.31.10

1. A good night's sleep.
2. Perfect AC temp at Eve's.
3. A fascinating Fresh Air about digital overload, or "your brain on gadgets."
4. Buying meat (!!!) at Everett's. Their own bacon, some smoked turkey for sandwiches. Next time: fresh Italian sausage, if I call head a day or two.
5. Six packs of San Pellegrino Aranciata and Limonata in cans at Whole Foods=beer alternative.
6. A nice chat with lovely new housemate Kate.
7. A delicious burrito with black beans and roasted red pepper for dinner.
8. Finishing my blank sign mini-banner for Soap Factory. It's adorable. I hope it sells.
9. A nice farewell to AOT on Nicollet with Take Acre.
10. Natural sleepiness.