12 March 2010 journal page
Some Blog Love-Jr_nal
Old Sweet Song's burst of color
April is National Letter Writing Month!
I love this blog, Michelle My Belle (Found via Carla's blog)
Dolan Geiman over at Not Paper
I really want to try to bake this bread.
New tape over at Tapeswell
Visual motifs in Stanley Kubrick's films
Tristan's school break is next week so I signed us up for Carla's drawing class. I took a class with her a couple of years ago at Art Unraveled and had a ton of fun doing it. Anything that gets you drawing or being creative is a GOOD thing.
Reading
One Day A Year
Watching-
Kung Fu Season 3 (yes, it's taken us several years to watch all of the episodes, but it's a series that I didn't want to end.)
In the news, and on my mind-
Poverty and Health Care in America
An American liberal looks at health care systems around the globe
Health and health care services in the poorest U.S. city
One thing that I am a firm believer in, is keeping things honest and real. Everything I blog about is something that interests me and that I think might interest others. I am not a believer in keeping things all sparkly, shiny and pretty. When I go to a blog, I want it to be as if I am in conversation with the writer of the blog. Yes, I want to see their art. I want to see their messy studios (not the prettied up versions you see in the magazines). I want to "talk" to them and to see what's brewing and stirring in their brains. What makes them unique. What makes them tick. One thing I've been disheartened with lately is blogs that say that they won't talk about politics (or what I call, "real life events") because they're not "interested" in them, or worse, they say that "they don't know enough to be able to comment on things or to form an opinion". If you're breathing, you have an opinion. I think in the time that we are living in now, it is more important then ever to sit down and talk with others-both in person and in cyberspace about what's going on in the world, in our countries and in our communities. Talks that are just that-talks. Not a left vs. right issue. Not a right vs. left issue. Not attacks. Not fights. Talks. I honestly believe that if we throw away all of the labels and finger pointing, most of us do want the same thing: Education, Work, Health Care, Friendship, Love and a good Quality of Life. How do we open up to these discussions if no one wants to talk about them or if we're all too busy labeling and attacking each other? How do we "talk" if we keep things pretty and not get down to the stuff that happens every day-both the good and bad? How do we open our blogs to be just more than fluff?
Food for thought.
Comments
the issues of life warrant that! ;)
My friend and I were having a discussion about Obama, and how he hasn't done anything. I've never really cared about presidents because they never really influenced my daily life. But to her comment, I said, "If it weren't for Obama and his subsidy, I wouldn't be able to afford my COBRA health care. So he's done something to help ME." And that's how I see it. I have been helped. YAY! Isn't that how it's supposed to work? I voted for the guy TWICE (once for senate, being a Chicagoan, and then for prez) so I'm gonna let him do his thing. I have faith. *shrug* Let's all just simmer down, sit back, and stop telling other people what to do based on religious beliefs.
:D My two cents. Or more, considering how long this comment's become.
It's just... out there. And sometimes, people might not agree and for some reason that just doesn't sit right with me. I'd like to think I'm a fairly reasonable person. Am I so crazy?
I used to have posts. lots and lots of posts. I had that blog for maybe 9 or 10 years but it only goes back a few months because I purge purge purge.
Have fun Mommie time in class with Tristan! It looks like fun, and keep us updated on how much fun you two are having!
XOXOrly
1. Some bloggers present a false view of their world, leading others to think that their life is fluff and wonderful and that nothing bad ever happens to them. That their art is perfect. That their home is perfect. That their life is perfect. This leads others into thinking and believing in the "I'm not good enough." complex.
2. We need to be able to talk about things. It doesn't matter what it is. If something bothers me and I want to talk about it, I should be able to. If you don't want to read it, skip the post. If you do want to read it and engage in conversation, I'm here. Too many people are not able to fully communicate with others. They are too busy attacking and yelling. We need to learn how to sit down and have a rational, decent and human conversation in this country instead of using labels and name calling.
Since Howard died I have been spending a lot less time visiting blog or posting on my own. His departure from the mix really pushed me to ask myself what I actually do with my time and how I can best work to live the principles of my personal belief system. In my particular case, since my blogs don't have many readers, I have felt I was a lot more effective acting in the world. But that might be a fallacy in terms of what I actively choose to present of myself here at the keyboard.
Recently I posted about the raging intolerance in the world and how it has often led to me keeping quiet about certain key subjects that are of global importance because I'm so unwilling to activate someone else's Attack Dog mode. In the daily world I'm pretty lucky that way; even if my work colleagues, personal friends and family don't agree with me they respect my right to hold a belief and speak of/act upon it. Thus the internet freaks me out with its displays of quasi-anonymous intolerance. WHY?!!? I get quite depressed and overwhelmed with an inability to come up with an intelligent answer to that question.
All that said, I do very much speak my mind from the heart here online and that's why I focus so much on the healing power of art-making rather than just skimming past everything but The Pretty. And occasionally I feel utterly driven to take the lid off - usually about racism, poverty and my ongoing struggle with intolerance-of-intolerance. I generally don't even have pictures in those posts. What you wrote here is encouraging me to do that more frequently. Thanks for that :)