Desiderata

This morning as I was missing Shane really hard, I stumbled upon these images. They are by a Korean artist whose aim is to depict real love. I have to say--it's some of the most real and familiar imagery about love I've ever seen. The series is called "Love is" by Puuuung. Original source and artist page .

I was talking to Shane last night about what it's like working at Bergamot Station (the arts complex where my gallery is located) and the topic of potential new friends came up. There are about nine people I can think of off the top of my head that I would like to be friends with that work in the other galleries. I've been working at this location for almost 5 months and in that span I've started to say hello to these people by name, casually chat them up at the cafe, walk with them to get the mail or go to the bathroom and other common workplace niceties. It might sound silly, but I'm starting to seriously consider how we make friends as adults. It's definitely something worth pondering for a minute. Growing up, friends are handed to you on a silver platter in the form of neighborhoods, soccer teams, classmates, etc. Now, that silver platter is work; but when you work at a place where it's just you and one other person, you've gotta start looking for a b...

It was one of those nights I'll remember fondly for quite some time. After a very long day at work I took a much needed shower; mostly an attempt to escape the boiling heat that had taken over California. After that luxurious, cool shower, I chilled out with a cold beer, slathered on lotion and popped on a tank top and shorts and headed to counseling. It was a great session. We talked about the fear and embarrassment associated with discussions about money--namely that of negotiating salary. We have a plan of attack that I'm really excited about. We'll see how it all turns out (more on that later perhaps?). When I got home I cooked some spinach tortellini in a brown butter sauce. Delightful. Katie came home and shared the meal with me. We sat in our living room with the wide glass doors open, fan spinning around on high, as we sweat in the 80 degree weather at 9 pm. Instead of watching TV or a movie, like we usually do, we talked about this and that, our days, our memories,...

My sister is 22 today. She is a mother. She is hilarious. She is brave. I love my sister more than I can say. My relationship with her has been unique and difficult and completely rewarding. Growing up, we were very different (and in a lot of ways that hasn't changed). When I wanted to talk things out, she'd rather say what she meant and leave it at that. I liked to have tons of people over, she preferred more intimate gatherings. I guess you could also say she does what she wants, and I do what's expected of me--it's been something I've always envied about her. We used to fight like crazy, as most young sisters do; arguing about clothes, the loudness of my music, about who had more popcorn... As we got older, and each of us scrambled through adolescence, we became more sympathetic to one another as young women. There was a dramatic shift in our relationship a few years back, though it's hazy and can't be confined at a definitive moment. Our relations...

The headline of a recent Huffington Post article reads "The Questions That Will Save Your Relationships", which is fine, but I don't think they will save them, they will just make them better. Oh sensationalist journalistic headlining; I'll let it slide...this time. That being said, the article is worth reading, even if you just read the bolded questions. The writer offers some great jumping off points for reframing the generic"How was your day?"question into more specific, loaded and attentive questions for your significant other, family and friends. I like, it I like it, I like it. I'm already thinking about how I'll integrate this into my life. For Shane: What exciting thing happened at the studio today? What have you done to clean up your room? For Amanda: How did Forrest make you feel loved today? What moves have you made to get that business started? For my mom: What's something exciting that's happening in choir? Did...