TGIF

Okay I am at work listening to Kool & the Gang - Ladies Night. I just took video of one of our veterinarians giving a bath treatment to 2 kittens with ring worm. Unfortunately the files are too large and I haven't found a way to download them and/or get them to the Veterinarian who needs them for her blog :(. They are beautiful kittens. I am laughing at my self in the chain of events because at first I was all uptight about taking the video of the kittens because this is not my forte (video I mean). Meanwhile after thinking about it I was excited to see the kittens and the process and thought wow how many people get to do this during their work day? and now I am just annoyed that I don't know how to work around the technical difficulties. Ah finally figured out a way around it with some help from a gadget guru ; ) Both elevators aren't working at my job so I was going to go run an errand & go to Home Dept but I am thinking maybe not to go because if the elevator is still not working when i get back then I'd have to walk up 6 double flights of stairs and will probably pass out although I have not been doing my zumba so that would prob serve me right LOL.

So I was wondering if I should sign up to do freelance work illustrating as a side job for some extra income. I would love to do this kind of work but am concerned if my work is on par for it and whether I will be able to follow through or not. I think I would love to have an occasional illustration job here and there. I found out through some friends who are still very active in doing their art I just would want make sure I can follow through and that I am not just taking on extra expense without making profit and/or being able to make the time commitment. Well something to think about but it could be rewarding work in that it would get me doing my passion of creating art again and yet also making some extra cash in the process.

Thinking about my toddler's upcoming birthday and debating if I should do something like have art farm come w/ exotic animals and rent out the community room in my building. The other kids I would invite are all older than her. I also have to think of the expense and if it makes sense.

I am looking forward to seeing my friend Lisa and her family this weekend and going to a friend's opening gallery reception for a photography exhibit:  http://rivaa.com/event/quality-light

Education, Dreams, Hopes and Aspirations

New dawn and a new day. I went his morning for a tour of the UW Success Academy. I was concerned as it is co located with a formerly "problem" zone H.S. Brandeis High School which is now 5 schools in one building. I had been to orientations w/ Eva Moskowitz when they were still looking for a location for the UW school. It's unfortunate that she's still having to fight so hard to just do something good in the school system. The school was I believe supposed to be a K-5 school and is currently just K-1 :(. I like that she is so passionate about what she does and the rigor of the education along w/ the structure. The fact that a good percentage of the learning is done through interactive smaller groups and that the individual scholar is frequently assessed. I also like that they are always looking to improve, it is all so refreshing. I hope and pray by the time Brooke is of age that she be chosen through the lottery for this school +  that perhaps by then Eva will have made some more progress against her opposition and been able to grow the school + have more locations. Also she mentioned wanting to possibly do high schools as well but as she is tired I hope and pray she doesn't burn out before she is able to do so. She is trying to provide world class education for those of us unable to pay $50,000. tuition. Her students have a high success level and are on similar levels with those in Trinity, Chappin, Hunter gifted and other wonderful private schools that I couldn't afford to send my daughter to. They are having a hearing on Tuesday night at a location where she is trying to have a school in Brooklyn.  I hope and pray that Eva Moskowitz is able to continue her success with the success academy charter schools and admire the work she is doing.

Thinking about how I can revolutionize my life and stay motivated and persistent enough to make major or even minor changes in my life. Yet I haven't even necessarily defined what those changes are necessarily. So baby steps right...I want to stop being so negative, I want to enjoy my life more, I want my life to be more rewarding and enjoyable and want that to positively effect the upbringing of my daughter and people I meet. Not quite sure yet how to make this all possible but know my old ways and habits aren't working. I get motivated in little spurts to exercise or eat better but am not consistent enough especially for the kind of results and change I am looking for. I have to be more diligent.

I have been so tired lately and unmotivated. I started trying to get in the habit of taking my vitamins again. I again did not eat lunch today but ate a big breakfast. I don't like being so tired all the time. So here's to positive change and new beginnings.

So I want to overhaul my life but feel like i don't have the energy or where with all to do so. I want to feel like I am making a positive difference in life even if it's on a very small scale.

Some of my former coworkers are having a get together this Saturday night and I would like to go but not sure if I will be able to. Also a friend is having a gallery opening reception at The Octagon Gallery on Roosevelt Island this Sunday and I would like to go to that as well.

End Slavery, Dance and Revolution

Well today is human trafficking awareness day. A shame that there is such a thing needed and yet there is. Joyce Meyer Ministries has outreach programs called "Hand of Hope" who are trying to help those suffering. Hand of Hope posted on facebook: "Today is Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Choose to make a difference in the world, stand up for justice and fight to end slavery!.." Check out a link to this site: http://www.joycemeyer.org/articles/hoharchive.aspx?tag=Human_Trafficking

On another note my daughter went back to Ballet Hispanico this morning and although she still needs to adjust to these classes it seems she is doing better than when we initially tried and she wasn't quite ready yet. I am hoping it goes well. She appears to be enjoying it. My sister was kind enough to send me this picture of her in class while I am at work.

I started the day thinking about things I am not happy about and need to change and not sure if I have the where with all and ended up thinking perhaps what I need more than anything is an attitude or perspective adjustment. I saw an advertisment on TV for "The Revolution" last night  where they have a team of folks help you be the best person you can be and live a more rewarding life. I felt like boy that's what I need is a revolution. My husband laughed as he thought of revolutionaries but I explained this is not a joke and I am sure he could use a revolution too!

Today I ate a whole box of Fiber bars and I am afraid am going to pay the price now. My lean cuisine salmon and rice didn't taste right so I threw it out and ended up eating french fries... needless to say it's probably going to be a bumpy night LOL

Conundrums

Here it is Tuesday, January 10, 2012, how the heck did that happen?!

I was trying to compose this post on my blackberry on my way into work and late as usual, without much success may I add. Typing on this blackberry is whack and I'm considering getting an  iPad or galaxy tab or something so I can do this on the go. I actually feel like my commute is really the only time purely for me. So my husband and I were looking at the Galaxy tab vs. the iPad. I can not really justify this expense though as we are struggling to make ends meet and I am not sure how I am putting my daughter through school and keep hoping for some miracle. I have back slided with my eating and exercise and therefore am up 2 pounds again :(. I ate my breakfast and somehow I am still yearning to eat more, ugh. Listening to Louis Armstrong. My boss called me questioning me about why an exhibit was not installed last night at the job when it actually was. My boss was out sick yesterday and I am sure has other things on her mind, however it kind of make you want to be like WTH?!  But I need to work on not taking everything personally....so breathe Lynne. I sometimes find it more difficult than others to "let go" in general but also when it comes to leaving my daughter. This morning she was just so darn cute even though she had me up at 1:30am this morning! Anyway today is Save The Eagles Day. So I wanted to share a link: http://www.eagles.org/.

I forgot to mention a few things I wanted to share. I was watching The Africa Channel on TV last night and there was a program about a film, the show aired originally in May of 2011 so I guess this is outdated but the film looked intense and noteworthy of checking out it was: "The First Grader". it is a story that although heart wrenching needs to be told. Check out the trailer: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/movies/thefirstgrader/first-grader-trailer.html 


My co worker and I were speaking yesterday about prejudice and it still existing and she was telling me about college fraternities having what they called brown paper bag tests and if your skin was darker than a paper bag you were not admitted. It is a disgrace what the small minded people do to their fellow man.  In addition a cab driver I had coming into work yesterday who is from West Africa told me that the large companies are causing a lot of injustices to the people along with the government. Surprisingly he told me that the chocolate companies are so corrupt as they are the large companies in power and with money.I found an article from the BBC to share on this subject: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15681986. Of course being a spoiled native New Yorker my first thought was wow does that mean I have to give up my addiction to chocolate? You wouldn't think you were contributing to such an injustice when buying a chocolate bar! Actually not buying chocolate doesn't help the situation as this is that areas main resource and means of income.

Child workers - including those working with pesticides - often have no protective equipment

I found this article also http://allafrica.com/stories/201009170951.html which points out that Hershey chocolate company seems to be one of the worst offenders. Some of the other chocolate companies have taken measures to try improve the situation it appears where as Hershey which is one of the biggest companies has only made 1 chocolate bar which is certified as fare trade and haven't taken other measures to help ratify the situation. These children are used like slaves and in human trafficking. This makes me think about these kids here in our city streets selling chocolate bars to raise money and it probably unknowingly perpetuates this awful cycle!

OK so here it goes another Monday. I am tired. I didn't do great eating wise or exercise wise this weekend but here's to trying to get back on track. Anyway just wanted to share some things that caught my attention and were of interest and hope you enjoy them as well...

Nature and Art

A friend from college, Mike Dubish, posted a link on facebook to this article about grains of sand which caught my interest. It just made me think are we all like grains of sand? Seen one way to the naked eye or passerby, perhaps often overlooked but when looked at more closely or magnified "delicate, colourful structures each as unique as a snow flake"? Check out the link, these grains of sand are from all around the world and beautiful. http://www.blogger.com/goog_2068711109



Some other things on my mind are some of my favorite flowers and/or plants which some people may not find pretty but I find extremely beautiful. Protea are some of my favorite blooms and can be seen at the following links: http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/king_protea.htm, or  http://californiaprotea.org/. Protea are native to South Africa and Australia.

In addition I love pitcher plants and have a drawing I did of some a while back (see to the left)

I found an interesting article about some research being done on these pitcher plants: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804081545.htm

In addition there are the heliconia, which I also did a drawing of (see to the right)

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliconia 

Then to get back to the exotic or carnivorous plants, is the raflessia which gives off the scent of rotting flesh to attract it's prey. It looks like something from a sci-fi movie. Check it out (below left).

This picture of the rafflesia plant was taken from an Interesting site: http://www.familyadventuretravelworks.com/borneo%E2%80%99s-giant-plant-%E2%80%93-the-rafflesia

Mike Dubisch and his wife Carolyn attended School of Visual Arts when I went and are currently working on a comic which has been "nominated for "Best Comic" at ThisIsHorror.com- Suitable for all ages, full color graphic novel- fully funded project your purchase is guaranteed to go through. You can support them by donating at:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/837620246/the-people-that-melt-in-the-rain-graphic-novel

(above image a pencil drawing page from The People That Melt in the Rain by Dubisch)

Okay so it's 3:33am...and I've been up for an hour already. Thinking about all kinds of stuff, like...the phoenix, upheaval, guns, knives, archery, martial arts, education, art, hackers, motherhood, resilience, goals and baby steps to name a few.

The Phoenix
The idea or anaolgy repeats itself of myself being burried, oppressed by life's daily chores and responsibility and motherhood and being a wife and have lost some of the parts of me that were fun or interesting. However I don't believe they are truly lost but rather just buried, repressed. The phoenix is a dramatic symbol but one I think many women can look to as a rising up from whatever may be holding us back. I also like the idea of the archealogical dig foor uncovering and discovering those lost aspects of "self".

Guns, Knives, Archery and Martial Arts
When I was young my father belonged to agun club, owned a few guns and also did realistic illustrative paintings and carvings of guns. He would get gun Magazines as well and collected knives. I was a bit of a tom boy and shared some of these interests with him. I took archery once in camp (Although I wasn't very
good). I also have  shot 22s + an M16. My father also taught me to whittle wood as he used to do so and did carpentry work when I was young so I've always loved working with wood.I never took martial arts but wanted to and was tHinking I'd like to teach my my daughter these things and more. but also want to make sure what age may be appropriatte to start and in what doses. I would like my daughter to be A strong well rounded woman who knows how to take care of herself and never feels she has to rely on a man to take care of her. I was tinking back to how I'd like my daughter to be like Lara Croft.

Education
I have been toying with the the idea of trying to further my education and possibly go for a masters degreee considering early childhood education with a specialty in the arts. Thinking about my daughter's education and how I can't afford to send her to any of the schools I'd like to. Trying to figure out where I will end up sending her. Have been researching schools and going to open houses for her but still feel lost & clueless. Currently I have her in a gym combo class for scoialization and exercise. I am going to try to start her back at ballet lessons at Ballet Hispanico. We attempted this before but she wasn't ready and was to clingy and disruptive in class. The end of this month she will be starting gentle seperation classes, to prepare her for school.

Exercise & Lifestyle Changes
Since I have been up since 2:30am, I decided around 5:30 to do something productive and did my Zumba total body stretch and then the Zumba mix DVD. It was a lot of fun, I really enjoyed it. They used a variety of instructors in this DVD from different parts of the world in different cultural garb and it made me so happy!

Goals
Ok so I have some possible mini goals that I would like to work on (please don't judge me LOL):

1. Take an accessory design class
2. Take a basic sewing class
3. Learn to drive & get license
4. Lose weight
5. Exercise
6. Eat Healthier
7. Be a good role model to my daughter
8. Clean House
9. Clean Office
10. Start creating designs again
11. Start doing art work again
12. Get more organized
13. Save money
14. Figure out plan for putting my daughter through school
15. Improve my relationship with my husband
16. Get my husband's photos into an art gallery

http://dailyworth.com/posts/1045-The-Secret-to-Success

A New Day....
So today is National Bird Day and being that I love birds of prey I figured I would start off showing a drawing I did of an owl.

I have found owls beautiful and intriguing since I was a little girl. I would actually like to do some sort of art series on birds of prey but just never got around to it. My husband also has some beautiful pictures of birds of prey on his photography web site.Yahyia's photography. My father also used to make owl rock sculptures and mixed media paintings when I was a child. I found this really cool site for those of you who are interested in owls as well: http://nyfalls.com/wildlife/Wildlife-birds-owls.html. There are is also a place to visit if you feel so inclined: http://theraptortrust.org/. Another place I loved and have unfortunately found has closed is: http://www.fieldtrip.com/ny/47586957.htm.. Also  a possible note of interest is: http://wildbirdfund.com/wildlife-rehabilitation-center/ a bird rehabilitation center scheduled to open on the upper westside however this has been pending for quite some time. In addition there is an annual birds of prey show that takes place in Central Park on the upper east side of the park which is a great experience an informative. Also on a different subject for those of you interested in exotics there is a reptile show this weekend: http://www.reptileexpo.com/nyfirst.htm

Weight Loss / Lifestyle Adjustments
Okay so the weight has not been flying off of me but I am trying to persevere in some of the lifestyle changes I am trying to make, eating better and exercising all the same. This brings to mind a recent post I came across on facebook that I would like to share from PBS: http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/blogs/make-your-new-years-resolutions-reality and another resource about resilence: http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx from this last site I would like to share their list of 10 ways to increase your resilience, please see them below:

10 Ways to build resilience

1. Make connections. Good relationships with close family members, friends, or others are important. Accepting help and support from those who care about you and will listen to you strengthens resilience. Some people find that being active in civic groups, faith-based organizations, or other local groups provides social support and can help with reclaiming hope. Assisting others in their time of need also can benefit the helper.
2.  Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable problems. You can't change the fact that highly stressful events happen, but you can change how you interpret and respond to these events. Try looking beyond the present to how future circumstances may be a little better. Note any subtle ways in which you might already feel somewhat better as you deal with difficult situations.
    
3. Accept that change is a part of living. Certain goals may no longer be attainable as a result of adverse situations. Accepting circumstances that cannot be changed can help you focus on circumstances that you can alter.
    
4. Move toward your goals. Develop some realistic goals. Do something regularly -- even if it seems like a small accomplishment -- that enables you to move toward your goals. Instead of focusing on tasks that seem unachievable, ask yourself, "What's one thing I know I can accomplish today that helps me move in the direction I want to go?"
    
5. Take decisive actions. Act on adverse situations as much as you can. Take decisive actions, rather than detaching completely from problems and stresses and wishing they would just go away.
    
6. Look for opportunities for self-discovery. People often learn something about themselves and may find that they have grown in some respect as a result of their struggle with loss. Many people who have experienced tragedies and hardship have reported better relationships, greater sense of strength even while feeling vulnerable, increased sense of self-worth, a more developed spirituality, and heightened appreciation for life.
    
7. Nurture a positive view of yourself. Developing confidence in your ability to solve problems and trusting your instincts helps build resilience.
    
8. Keep things in perspective. Even when facing very painful events, try to consider the stressful situation in a broader context and keep a long-term perspective. Avoid blowing the event out of proportion.
    
9. Maintain a hopeful outlook. An optimistic outlook enables you to expect that good things will happen in your life. Try visualizing what you want, rather than worrying about what you fear.
    
10. Take care of yourself. Pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Engage in activities that you enjoy and find relaxing. Exercise regularly. Taking care of yourself helps to keep your mind and body primed to deal with situations that require resilience.

Additional ways of strengthening resilience may be helpful. For example, some people write about their deepest thoughts and feelings related to trauma or other stressful events in their life. Meditation and spiritual practices help some people build connections and restore hope.

The key is to identify ways that are likely to work well for you as part of your own personal strategy for fostering resilience.