August 2009 Blog Posts (7)

percussion a go go!

I used to be in an all girl percussion band, long ago. Here are some of the things I just gave to a friend who has a recording studio. I actually made the gourd shekere myself. I took a workshop and cleaned, cut, scooped out and beaded the shekere at Fareta Dance Studio in NYC.

Added by April NYC on August 29, 2009 at 5:59pm — No Comments

Everything must go-go!

I have a lot of memories attached to my clutter. I think it would be cathartic to photograph what goes out of my life. Then I'll record where the item is going, the trash, the thrift shop, yard sale or passed on to someone else.

I am an artist, photographer and professional graphic designer. I sew and crochet things I have designed myself. All of this activity has a wide wake that I'm ready to deal with.

Why document this activity? Many things have stories and I may have kept them… Continue

Added by April NYC on August 29, 2009 at 11:12am — No Comments

50 Ways To Leave Your Clutter

My very good friend Ann Mehl wrote a terrific blog about clearing the clutter:

50 Ways To Leave Your Clutter

I recently took a bag full of clothes and accessories to http://www.bottomlessclosetnyc.org/ and I was surprised at how liberating the simple exercise was. Especially when times are tough, I think that we hold onto our “stuff” because it makes us feel a bit more secure. Closets full of “stuff” and a garage full of “stuff” can create the illusion that we… Continue

Added by Gail Blanke on August 27, 2009 at 1:21pm — No Comments

Plastic bags tip

Don't trash them, recycle them at the supermarket in your town that takes them. PGD

Added by Pamela G. Daves on August 23, 2009 at 10:33am — 2 Comments

ALL THIS SIGHING AND MOANING DOESN'T WALK THE DOG

The other night as I lay in bed, I heard this big, fat sighing sound. Actually, it was a sigh with a little moan at the end. When Willa, our Golden Retriever, jumped up on top of me (she weighs 70 pounds) and started licking my face, I realized the sigh came from me. Willa was worried. She was relentless in her licking. She started with my neck, moved up to my cheeks, my ears, my eyes and was about to start all over again when I said, "Look, I'm OK, I really am. It was just a… Continue

Added by Gail Blanke on August 18, 2009 at 5:00pm — 1 Comment

IT'S NOT THE CRITIC WHO COUNTS

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the Teddy Roosevelt quote: "It's not the critic who counts. It's not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled - or how the doer of deeds could have done them better. No, the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena...who strives valiantly and comes up short again and again...but whose name shall never be among those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

It seems like the world has turned critic… Continue

Added by Gail Blanke on August 8, 2009 at 12:25pm — 1 Comment

If you have been waiting for a sign, this is it

Gayle encouraged me to share this real life story with you:

A few years ago, I was driving on the expressway into Chicago. As I passed a church, I noticed it had a banner hanging that said, "If you have been waiting for a sign, this is it."

When I arrived home later that day, I began making plans to record the music CD I had long hoped to do. I did complete the CD, and it has led me to places that I never expected: travel to amazing places, friendships that I cherish,… Continue

Added by Joan Hammel on August 5, 2009 at 2:44pm — 1 Comment