The Art of the Day is: Storytelling
I spent last night with a bunch of storytellers, at the annual
Share the Fire conference, which happens to be in Nashua this year.
Storytellers are a very interesting sub-group. They are the bright dressers at Art Fairs and Renn-fests. They thrive and revel in their individuality. They wink and nod a lot. They run the gamut from "off the grid" to "prim librarian" in their personal style and grooming, and they almost all seem to like very comfortable shoes. Now, I realize that this is a New England sub-group of a sub-group, so there may be some regional bias. It is a very good place to hear New England regional accents. If you listen you can tell the difference between Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, along with British, Scottish, Irish, Southern, and New Yawk.
These are people who are propelled toward a punchline.
The most interesting thing is that if you are there, you are accepted as one of them. Makes you want to spin a joke into a tale.
The Art of the Day is: Having a good cry
Sometimes, for no apparent reason, you wake up or lie down and start to think about stuff, and end up bringing yourself to tears. You may be feeling sorry for yourself, or somebody else, or be trying to decide whether or not to say something, and the feelings just well up. Part of you is mad to have old feelings hanging around, and part of you is glad to express your feelings. At the very least it's a "what's up?" moment to yourself, and at it's best it's an "aha!" moment, when something clicks into place.
Some good cries seem seasonal or cyclical. Aha! what do you still need to learn, do about that, or is it just about honoring the memories? Someone reminded me that all of us are historians, especially once we've reached a certain age. At the very least we've formed an opinion.
The Art of the Day is: Ambiguity
"AMBIGUITY (Fr.
ambiguit y , med. Lat.
ambiguitas, from Lat.
ambiguus, doubtful;
ambi, both ways,
agere, to drive), doubtfulness or uncertainty. In law an ambiguity can be patent or latent,
Patent ambiguity is that ambiguity which is apparent on the face of an instrument to any one perusing it, even if he be unacquainted with the circumstances of the parties.
Latent ambiguity is where the wording of an instrument is on the face of it clear and intelligible, but may, at the same time, apply equally to two different things or subject matters."-
Encyclopedia Britannica 1911.
When asked if I was being ambiguent on purpose, intentionally and obviously trying to obscure or confuse, or just confused and unclear, I fear my answer must be ambiguous. I don't know if I know, or I know I don't know.
The Art of the Day is: Foiling the weather
Just because it's gray and dreary, cloudy, cold and raining doesn't mean I have to be down and dreary. This is the whole idea behind yellow rain slickers, and red boots. OK, yellow rain slickers are so someone can see you in a storm, but red boots are just for fun.
Cheerfully,
The Red Queen
The Art of the Day is: Getting it.
As in "Eureka, I get it" "All of a sudden, this makes sense to me!" "Epiphany!!!" "Some cog in the wheel of the world fell into place and I saw it, and I appreciate it."
Just don't ask me what "it" is.
The Art of the Day is: Cleaning out the car
Sometimes art is a necessity, or am I lowering my standards as to what is an art?
I think not, because the car is another place I tend to collect things, and by sorting out the collections I'm making choices, and evaluating objects for their value and potential. Art is all about making choices.
The Art of the Day is: Juggling
Lots of stuff to do, most of them unrelated.
Definitely a Red Queen Day.
Today is Bach's Birthday.
The Art of the Day is: Useful Mondays
Monday should be an art unto itself. Depending on how Monday goes, the whole rest of the week could follow, or I suppose if it is really crummy it can serve as a foil to the rest of the week (another art: the art of giving yourself an out).
So far my Monday has been less than stellar, but not quite do-over. The key as far as I can tell, is to keep positive. I positively refuse to get angry with that silly old woman who almost made me hit that Jeep in order to avoid her.
Happy Birthday to the Twins.
The Art of the Day is: Validation
Giving it, and getting it.
Atta boy!
You got it!
Have I told you today how much I appreciate you?
Well, I do.
You were here, let me stamp that ticket for you.
You've arrived.
Ain't life grand.
The Art of the Day is: Orientating
from
One Look Dictionary| adjective: positioning with respect to a reference system or determining your bearings physically or intellectually |
The Art of the Day is: Punny, Very Punny
OK, I was out of town. I was in Florida, doing major family visiting, chauffering, hanging out with Aunts and an Uncle and listening to stories. I also visited my friends Lynne and Harvey, and Harvey cannot resist a good pun. Today I'm also working with a punster. They are all arround me!
The Art of the Day is: Getting from here to there
The Art of the Day is: Matching colors
The Art of the Day is: Moving right along
I drove through some snow squalls today. Short, intense and miserable little snow storms. Cloudbursts, really. And then they are done.
I went through some emotional stuff last month. Short, intense and miserable. Outbursts, really. And then they are done.
The Art of the Day is: Merry making. Making merry?
Today is the Jewish holiday of Purim, a cross between Mardi Gras, April Fools Day, Halloween, and maybe Boxing Day. People dress up in costume, act in ways they normally wouldn't, send each other treats and overdo things. In the calendar year it turns the corner between winter and the promise of spring (although in Poland they used to "burn" snowman effigies, not a lot of spring there).
It's a kid friendly, ritual rich, not terribly religious (not Biblical in origin) celebratory event.
I intend to go with the flow.
The Art of the Day is: Turn around being fair play.
Well, it took them the better part of the day to get to looking at the car, and the upshot was that I had not done any serious damage, nor broken any belts, but did manage to "pick up some debris" which they cleaned off for me. I got to spend the better part of the day taking over my cousin's dining room table and doing paperwork for work. I ended up getting home at about the same time I would have had I gone to Vermont.
Both my cousin and I get a headache when a storm front is moving in. Both my sister and I needed to replace our ovens this year. "Think what you have gathered from coincidence".
The Art of the Day is: Flexible scheduling
An example: You are driving to Vermont, and you hear your car's engine change pitch, going from a higher whirring noise to a lower one. You pull off the highway and check the tires. You turn the car on and off (you try to look under the hood, but you can't get the inner latch to release). You remember there is a service station off the next exit. As you are pulling off you see a dealership for your car, even better. You explain the problem, and sign a form for them to check it out.
Then you get to wait to find out what's wrong.
Then you get to wait to find out what's wrong.
Then you get to wait to find out what's wrong.
(to be continued).
