An Interview with the Artist from Two Perspectives

Another week gone by. The video was a lot longer than the one you see below, but data issues necessitated cutting it way down. So you will have to bear getting the info I edited out in written form instead.

I didn't make a grand walking/hiking journey, but I think going to Venice should count!






My food project was called "The Junk Food Switcheroo". The goal was to switch fruits and veg for junk food this week. I did great until my birthday...gotta have cake! But I figured the point was to focus on increasing plant consumption, so my new food creation for the week focused on that. I took lots of onions and onion seed and then mangoes, mini sweet peppers, tomatoes, red lentils and indian spices and made a DECLICIOUS dish! I served cilantro and parsley chicken on the side which was also very tasty!




As you may know, I turned middle-aged this week and to celebrate, my parents took me to a Harlem Globetrotters game. It was a realization of a childhood dream. I wanted to see them so bad as a kid. In fact, I used to practice in our driveway for hours so that one day I could be a Harlem Globetrotter myself. I even took time to decide on a nickname for myself when I got on the team. I discovered in practicing that I wasn’t so good at making baskets or dribbling or even ball handling, but I was super good at getting the ball when it rolled or bounced away. And since my mom always called me her “Golden Girl” because of my coloring, I decided that the perfect nickname for me would be the “Golden Retriever”.

Naturally, I realize the implications and that it isn't exactly desirable to be named after a breed of dog, but I don't think the thought occured to me as a child.

I'm not even going to report my run/walk/hike mileage this week because after a solid four days of running, I sat around the rest of the week! I'll repent, I promise.

And now...here is my weekly project and the long awaited "Interview with the Artist"...

Okay, I'll be BOLD.

I am going to tell you the exact dimensions of my dream: A book that I have written and illustrated made into a movie in which I act a part and in which a song I have performed makes some kind of appearance.

Yep, that's it without regard to practicality or reality. Who knows if I'll ever get there. And really, who cares? Maybe along the way I'll find something I want even more.


So here we go with week #1!

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I only had a few days to prepare a project this time around, so I assigned myself the task of writing a limerick and illustrating it:






















This week I made a 12 mile journey to Elsinore and back. The highlight of my week was the trip back. I heard a rumble of a motor behind me and some guy pulled up in an ATV. I may have known him, maybe not. He asked, "So how far are you going this time?" I grinned and said, "Just to Joseph". He laughed and told me he had never walked that far in his whole life. Had he seen me walking already? Was he someone my parents have told about my love of walking? It didn't even matter. I told him he was missing out. And I meant it. There is nothing so amazing as walking in this little valley, one of the prettiest I have ever seen. Seeing the clouds descend, delivering snow over the mountains. Seeing the sun break from behind the clouds and the view shift and change with the light. And most of all...praying for the rain and sleet to stay in that dark cloud above me just until I get home...



I didn't have a "food" assignment for this week, but my new food creation for the week was Sunchoke, squash, and sweet potato gratin with a side of Bulgar pilaf. It turned out fairly tasty.




My total mileage for the week: 27.

An experiment in personal development...

For years I have been at a standstill. I have to finally admit it: I am 33 years old and I haven't completed a single goal I have set for myself. I have accomplished a thing or two, but only incidentally. I remember reading a note my senior year in high school that my freshman self had written talking about all the things I wanted to accomplish by the time read it again. Not a single one had been done.

I have amazing behavioral inertia. I attended a seminar on effecting change based on the book "Influencer: The Power to Change Anything" and one of the quotes the trainer posted struck me: "Your world is perfectly organized to create the behavior you’re currently experiencing."

So how do I reorganize my world? I've been thinking about different strategies to overcome my inertia problem. I don't want to tell you all the details, but one strategy I have decided on is keeping a regular blog. I have set down a few key areas I want to improve/change and each week I plan on making a status report.

This report will contain a short written report as well as pictures, videos, stories etc that represent my progress towards my goals. I welcome feedback, but don't expect it. I hope, however, that you will find an item or two to be amused by. Let's see what I can make of myself by the end of the year!