A funny thing happened

after class on Thursday.

Not!

 

                                    Same school, not the courtyard in question.

     You may remember I mentioned that my Photo Shop II class was canceled and that I would be taking Digital Photography Using Photo Shop II at a different school. 

     Thursday was actually my second class at the new school, I stayed after class for a few minutes to get a little help with the M3P player I hope to be transporting photo files back and forth to class with. By the time I was finished everyone else was long gone and the halls were deserted, normally I like to walk out with the crowd.

     This particular school is built like a fortress, completely surrounded by walls with doors, no open sidewalk entries or exits as far as I can tell. To make a long story short, I ended up going out the wrong door when I was leaving. The door that I did use lead out to a small courtyard surrounded by buildings with lot's of doors and a small section of prison like fence.

     Immediately I realized that I was in the wrong place, and looked around for an alternative exit, the school is all but deserted this time of day. I realized that there was no exit so I would have to go back the way I had come, no big deal, right? ...  Wrong!  

     That door was locked from the outside, Oh No! I told myself not to panic I would just try another door and go through a different building hoping that I would not get to lost. I began trying all of the other doors, (there were plenty of them) ummm ... none of them were unlocked, why would they be at that time of day? Not good!

     OK ... permission to almost panic! I reached for my cell phone wondering who would roll their eyes least, when I would tell them whatwas going on. I was not prepared to either scale that fence or to camp out all night under the stars at the school. I also knew that no matter who I called, by the time they could get there no one else would be around and we would end up having to call 911.

     Determined not to have to go through that entire ordeal alone, I dialed Mandy's cell phone and just before I hit send, I tried the very last door I could find and much to my delight, not only was it unlocked, but it lead right out front to the parking lot that my car was in. I met up with Bob the instructor there, he had temporarily forgotten where he had parked his car. I told him not to worry about it, mentioned what I had just gone through and we laughed a little. (I also remembered at that minute that he had given me his business card with cellphone # on it, last week.) I wonder if I would have thought to call him if in fact that last door had been locked, I also wonder if he would have sent someone to rescue me? Hmmm ... grateful not to have to find out!

                                                        

Hoya

   The Details ...

     Hooray!!! Jeanette is brilliant, she knew that my pentagonal shaped mystery blooms are called Hoya. This plant has been around here for so long that I had all but forgotten what it was called and where it came from. The minute I saw this comment --> The plant looks like a Hoya to me.
Comment from jeanno43 - 4/28/05 7:19 AM,  I remember it being called Hoya and I remembered that it came from an orchid show. Thanks Jeanette!

     Of course I looked the flower up right away and it seems that their are over 200 different varieties of Hoya, some are vines like mine, some are succulents and some are woody shrubs, but all have beautiful flowers similar to the one's you've seen posted here.

     If you would like to se for yourself you can go to the --> Hoya Pages. After seeing all the different types available, I so want more!  

     It seems that some of you still have questions about how and why to back up your journals so I am posting the links again that were the most helpful to me. Here --> Patrick has posted a new entry with some real answers from AOL. Here --> John Scalzi has posted his views on the recent incident if a journal being deleted without investigation of a complaint. Here --> Freepeace  gives step by step instruction on how to back up your journal. Hope these links are as helpful to you as they were to me.

                                                      

                            

Pentagons

  

   They're back ... I posted photos of these last year. This is one of my favorite flowers, each year I anxiously await it's first signs of bud. Does anyone know what they're called? The small plant has vined it's way up and around both of the cypress trees in the yard. For a long time they only bloomed towards the top of the tree but now have worked their way back down to eye level in several places.  

      Keeping very busy ... I've been working, building, learning, practicing, achieving, thinking, stumbling and trying out the unknown. I've also been reading, writing, creating, dreaming, emerging, succeeding, procrastinating, balancing, sleeping, changing, and not going to the gym.

     BTW ... this weekend I will be backing up. Yep, backing up Dancing in the Rain. With so much talk about deleted journals, I want to have a back up just encase. For news about steps being taken to prevent this kind deletion screw up from happening again you can visit Patrick <-- or John <--. If you want instructions on an way to back up your own journal you can visit Freepeace <--.

                                               Happy Thursday all.

                                                     

  

Photos, Arbonne and Quick Bartering Between Friends ...

                

     My Friend Sheila is going home for a visit and asked if I would print some enlargements of a family photo for her to take with her. I said yes of course, she's one of my closest friends and does plenty for me, including giving Mandy a job in the Law Office where she works. BTW ... thanks for that Sheila, Mandy loves that job and she is loved back big time there. For that I am quite grateful. However ...

     When she asked for the photos, she left out the part about moving her family out of one photo and placing them into another, she also left out the part about needing them the next day, yep ... in less than 24 hours! I know, I know ... in some places you can get 1 hour service. Anyway ...

     The photos above are what she gave me to work with and the photo below, (the one that never really took place) is the one she got 4 enlargements of, overnight and on time. They are now with her on their way to Maryland. (BTW... the red eye was actually the most difficult part.)                                                               

      I did get some good Photo Shop practice out of the deal and I did get to spend a little time looking at their adorable faces (I love those faces). I also got an unexpected surprise ... a bottle of Arbonne Shampoo and Conditioner (I Loooove Arbonne Shampoo and Conditioner and she knew I was out.) At $22.00 abottle, I'd say we both made out OK in the world of quick bartering between friends.

     In other news ... there have been fewer entries here lately because we are soooo busy at work right now and I've got classes a few nights a week, where I get lot's of information I need to explore . I've also had less time for visiting your journals as well, I miss that and will be playing catch up as I can. (I have 266 unread alerts in my in box right now.)

                                       Meet my new butterfly with a window in his throat!

Okay Robbie ... interview me.

     I've noticed that a lot of you have been interviewing each other here in J-Land. I've never been one to play these question games, but when I read about  Bahbah Wahwah <-- click over at Robbies Ruminations, I agreed to play along.  

So here goes, starting with the rules because every game has got to have them you know.  Leave me a comment saying “interview me.” The first five to leave a comment requesting to be participants will be interviewed. I will respond by asking you five questions. You will update your blog/site with the answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions. (Write your own questions or borrow some) Fun and easy right?

1.    Who or what is it that you miss late at night? Lol Robbie, you must be referring to a note that I left for a friend in a recent entry called Shards of thought and pieces of truth <-- Okay, he's cute, he's single, he's amusing, worldly and wise, we've known each other for 7 or 8 years and he's one of my closest friends. Because of hectic schedules we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like but we are use to talking together nearly every day, sometimes until 4 am. With my new schedule at work that's changed a little, (okay, a lot) ... I'm doing well these days to stay up until 11:00.

2.    You are required to give up one thing for a year. And, you must do it. There will be no way that you can cheat.  There will be no way I can cheat, so let's make it count. I don't smoke, don't drink or do any drugs (not even prescriptions). Hmmm ... okay, maybe I should go with pizza. Yep ... that's it, white pizza with mushrooms and artichokes, from Mama's. I lurve white pizza! 

What's the one thing that you know you just couldn't give up?  That's easy, journaling. I don't think I could give up journaling, what would I do with all of my spare time? 

3.    A new round of Survivor starts next season and you are a participant. Survivor? Cool!

Actually, you are the only participant, sort of. The only participant? Oh! Guess that would mean none of the back stabbing, alliance stuff, darn! This sounds more like Tom Hanks and Cast Away!

 The catch this year is that they will allow you to take five things with you: a CD, a book, a food item, a companion (pet, person, or stuffed something or another perhaps) and a clothing item. The catch? They must currently reside in your house. What do you take? They allow me to take 5 things ... well, I've been on enough survival missions in the Everglades with Civil Air Patrol to know that what I would really want to bring would be things like; waterproof matches, a compass, a good knife, strong twine, a large sheet of visquine, dry wicking socks and t shirts, water purification tablets, feminine products and shampoo, but we are talking reality TV and luxury items, right?

CD - MarcAnthony or Jewel because I don't mind hearing them over and over again.

Book - My black leather journal of course, freshly filled with a brand new blank book with gold guilded pages.

Food item - I would choose a giant sack of Brown Rice, wouldn't want to try to survive long on that gummy white stuff they supply, yuck!

A companion - Well, even though my friend from question #1 could use some time away even more than I could, he does not reside here so ... I would probably choose my daughter Mandy, (she resides here on weekends) she's strong and very resourceful plus, I wouldn't mind sharing the prize money with her. Ah, Rob ... I do get the million dollars, right?

Clothing item - I would choose the wicking socks and t-shirts but I don't happen to have any in the house right now, so ... guess I'll go with clean underwear, that would defiantly be a plus!

4.    You've talked about years ago having lots of artsy friends. When you lived that life, what path were you on and how is it different from the path your life took? Do you think you'd be as happy now had you followed that path instead? Truth is, I think I am still on the same path. I probably knew everything I really needed to know about life when I was 18. When I see a photo of the girl that I was then, I see a girl that held the whole world in the palm of her hands. Part of me wishes I could go back and tell her what to look out for along the way but I have a feeling that even if I could, she would likely just say, they are my mistakes and I have to experience them for myself.

     Without our mistakes, our successes would not be nearly so sweet, right? I am a firm believer in destiny and that all is as it should be:)

5.    You have a great first name! When they are young, it seems most people hate their name. What was the name you wished your parents had given you? I was named after my Grandmother, we shared the same first name and last. Occasionally there would be a kid that would say something like "that's a boy name," but knowing that my elegant, graceful, Grand Mother that would get down on the floor and played jacks or even jump rope with us until she was really old, had the same name ... I never worried much about it being such a boy name. 

     Mostly people would just say "Oh that's such a unique name, how did you get it?" Being told that you are unique as a kid does take a little getting use to but my unusual name always made me feel kind ofspecial. Never really wished for a different one, glad that my parent's gave it to me!

                                           

14 non stop hours, out with the girls ... whew!

 Because of time restraints, it feels like my postings here at Dancing in the Rain have become bare bones journaling and photo about the events, large and small that take place in my life.

     Thank so many of you for continuing to visit and for leaving your comments behind, anyway. We've all watched as so many other writers here in J-Land have stopped writing or posting all together at times like this, times when life just seems to get in the way. I really don't want to do that, so I keep posting what and when I can.

     That said ... here are the photos from my weekend!

 

     Mandy and I were out bright and early on Saturday morning, to meet Mary Lou for breakfast at Stingers.

    Stingers is a hole in the wall beach bar, cafe/grill, package liquor, pizza parlor kind of place that serves breakfast outdoors on Pompano Beach. It was a great place to start out a day of fun in the sun.

     The mouse in the photo above was staring at me through the package liquor store window that our table was shoved up against outside on the patio. He was kind of cute, in a maybe not at the breakfast table kind of way, right?

    

     The Royal Vista Resort was right across the street, Mary Lou is a "Fairfield Employee" so we are considered friends and family at all of the resorts listed on that colorful pole :-) YaY!

    

     I guess we picked one of the windiest days of the season to hit the beach, you can sort of see by the jet ski flag how strong the wind was blowing and how rough the sea was. Sitting on the beach felt a lot like getting sand blasted so ... we moved up to the pool area where we spent most of the day.

    

     At around 3:00 or so we headed to the Swap Shop in Ft. Lauderdale, one of Mandy's favorite places. You want it, they've got it. Rows and rows of stuff from every corner of the world, at night it's a Drive In Movie Theater and during the day there is a Circus 365 days a year. Have I ever mentioned that I love the circus?

 

     The Swap shop is kind of a one stop shop for fun and entertainment, all day every day they also have amusement park rides. We did not go on the rides but did get a few colorful photos.

 

     Our Swap Shop expedition took the rest of the afternoon, and then we went to the mall. Yep, shopping after an exhausting day in the sun ... how much fun can one bunch of girls take? Mary Lou's Mom was with us at the mall, so our group of gals ranged in age from 18 to 80. I love day's like this. When we were finally so exhausted that we could not walk another step, we headed across the street to Big Louie's for some really great pizza and something cold to drink.

     When you only get one day weekends, you've just got yo make the most out of every single minute!

                                              *** Coy ***

Reality sets in ...

 

This is a sky flower I see on my way to work every day! Beautiful but can be quite invasive!

      The good news is ... Mandy does not have Chicken Pox, Thank God, and thank all of you for asking!  After playing phone tag with her for a couple of days she finally said that the mystery spots that she was so panicked about the other night have disappeared. I asked if telling me that was just her way of stopping me from calling all day, every day to check up on her. She assured me that they are gone, I'll find out in a few minutes because she's on her way over.

     The baby is all grown up ... Mandy is 18 now, she moved out in October, she has a job that she likes with my friend Sheila in a law office and shares an apartment with 2 of her friends. She's still the baby to me, but ...

     I filed a new w4 form at work today and claimed single with no children living at home for the first time in 23 years. We also had open enrollment this week and as of May 1st Mandy will no longer be covered on my health insurance. The Law office where she works will be offering her a benefit plan of her own now. Yay and Yikes!

     Reality Check ... Coy, you are officially single without children living at home! Free, Single ... I've been so busy raising children and going through divorce that I forgot to make plans for this time in my life!

     I wonder ... what happens next?

                                  *** Coy *** 

Not much to say tonight

  

 Totally exhausted ...  Late day at work today, we are in the middle of our busiest season. We had open enrollment for our benefit package, (have I ever mentioned that I hate change)? Dentist visits scheduled. Enrolled in photography class at a new school tonight, since Photo Shop II was canceled. Mandy called, might have Chicken Pox "AT 18" , had dinner with my Mom at Olive Garden. Sharing a photo with you from my back yard (taken this morning), and ...  going to bed early!

                                            Good Night

                                            *** Coy ***

Amryllis Revisited ...

     This time we get up close and personal.

     After posting my Giant Amaryllis entry last week, I ran across THIS in Stephen's Sometimes Photo Blog and thought I would try it myself.

     Although my results were not near as great as Stephen's, I thought some of you might appreciate a closer look!

     Aint' Mother Nature Grand?

                                     *** Coy ***

Aimlessly Wandering ...

     Today was a pretty quiet day, this was the first weekend in months that I did not have somewhere to go and something to do!

     Late in the afternoon I hoped in my car and headed out with nowhere in particular to go, (yes even with the price of gas this week).

     When my kids were growing up, this is something that we would do all of the time, we called it Aimlessly Wandering <-- click. Today was my first shot at trying this alone.

     There are not many back roads around here and most streets do not lend themselves well to pulling over long enough to take a photo and my quest for exploring imperfection has lead me today, to the Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi.

    Thanks Louts Martinis <-- click. I never heard of Wabi-Sabi, until you left this comment -->  Hey!  I see what you mean.  "Paint more, Write More, Dance More" ~ YES!  And yeah ~ it is OK to fail, an issue I wrestle with all the time; it's not a mistake, it's a learning process.  And then there's that whole 'wabi sabi' thing.
Admit it ~ you miss the black leather journal  ;)
Comment from txsguinan

      According to Leonard Koren     <-- click

     Wabi-Sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. It is the beauty of things modest and humble. It is the beauty of things unconventional.

      I did get a few shots that I liked today and a lot of good ideas. I will need to take Mandy with me next time, we are very accustomed to one of us dropping the other off with camera in hand, long enough to get a shot or two and then circling around for the pick up.

     We started doing this years ago when my son was in a photography class in High School. Odd I know, but just something that we do! The photo above is one that I took today, I think it is a good example of Wabi-Sabi.

     Happy rest of the weekend to you!

                                  *** Coy ***

Perfectly lovely ...

     in a slightly flawed kind of way!

                                                                                             *** Coy ***

You won't find any

Crocus, Tulips or Daffodils here, but ...

     the Giant Red Amaryllis by the back door won't let you forget that it's spring!

     I love this time of year ... even here in Sunny South Florida with our mild winters, spring is still a time of reawakening. Mother Natures brilliant colors remind us how great it is just to be alive.

                                   *** Coy ***

Chickens, Clowns and Classes ...

     I've spent a lot of time this past year, trying to reconnect with the artsy side of me. Like most Moms, when I was busy raising my kids a lot of things had to be put on the back burner and now that Mandy has moved out, I'm sort of playing catch up.

    I've spent a lot of time and energy learning how to create this journal, I knew absolutely nothing about the web when I started here a year ago and I'd had to learn completely by trial and error.

     My digital camera has rekindled my love for photography, there's a lot to be said for the instant gratification that one gets from being able to shoot, download, edit, upload and post from home.

     Taking Photo Shop classes is starting to affect the way I see things, the way I post things. I'm so looking forward to the intermediate classes that start on Thursday!

    Dreamweaver class started tonight, it was so awesome. I have not had the luxury of time needed over the years to take classes, this one is going to be so much different that the Photo Shop class.

    The classes are held at a local High School, it's part of a community enrichment program that the school system here offers at night. Tonight's class was filled with quick, knowledgeable people more my own age, 30's and 40's, as opposed to the delightful beginners in my Photo Shop class who were mostly artsy folks in there 60's &70's. BTW, that's a photo of my school that you see in the collage above.

     The web design class may prove to be a bit of a challenge, it's possible that I may end up having trouble keeping up with the crowd, but not tonight:-) My experience here with journals is paying off and I'm really looking forward to getting familiar with the program.

     In the 2 hours that the class of 18 or so spent together tonight, there were already bonds beginning to be built and ideas being bounced around, I've missed that. We even had an opportunity to discuss the further needs of an advanced class. It looks like we are leaning towards marketing as the next course the instructor may create for us after we complete the basics here! Should be interesting.

     The classes that I am most looking forward to taking part in however, are the ones that will be offered at the face and body painting convention I'll be going to at the end of May. I have never had any real art instruction although in my sister's party decorating business we find ourselves surrounded by creative mediums of every kind. 

     The clown you see above is my friend Karen. She is not in full costume and makeup in that photo but it's the only clown photo I can find of her right now. Karen teaches Clown University, she has helped many of the clowns in this area to get started by teaching them to apply their makeup, create there costumes and personalities and of course, to face paint. If I do decide to take up face painting after the classes, I doubt that I would choose to dress as a clown,  but you've gotta admit ...  those shoes are pretty cool!

     Karen and I work together and we are both going to the convention, I'm so looking forward to the costumes, the paint instruction, the ball and mostly just spending a full 4 days away from home with such a large group of artsy folks.

     Oh yeah, the silly chicken above is a bubblegum egg laying, wind up that I gave to my friend Dave at work yesterday. Dave is Jewish and I thought he might appreciate such a novel little Easter treat, yep the chicken walks around ejecting colorful egg shaped gumballs from his butt ... anyone care for a cackle berry?

                                        *** Coy ***

They say that imitation ...

is the greatest form of flattery, so ...

    there is one notorious J-land artist who might know exactly what that feels like once he takes a look at the windmills in the mind of this wild eyed, slightly troubled guy wearing his bow tie and hankie in the midst of bright and cheerful yellow colored surroundings.

     Have you ever written a story, created a character in a play or painted a picture solely from your interpretation of someone else point of view? That's what I did today (I know, I need to get a life).

     I've been playing around with colors & collages for a few day's now and after exchanging E-mail about different perceptions of art with a friend that views the world so much differently than I do (sort of), I was inspired to create the gent you see above.

     All in fun,  this is my interpretation of colors and thoughts through the eyes of my friend! I have nothing more to say today, my one day weekend is almost over.

                                      Good night all

                                        *** Coy ***

      The Glinka colored flower in the pocket should be a hint to the identity of the mystery artist <-- click.

    Addendum, You guys guessed right away that the mystery artist was Albert. Michael also mentioned this looking like a self portrait of Dali, the self part won't work but can you see a slight resemblance?