In photos….

Background…. Sunday night the family room ceiling began to leak… big rain storm… it was 10:30 at night… so scrubbs and I, being the strong independent women that we are…. got on our wellys, our rain slicks, got out our flash lights and a ladder and looked on the roof to see what was up… long story short… 2 hours later… we fixed it. no more drips and a rain gutter that has relieved pressure and was shooting out water like a geyser!!!! 

Here is some proof that we did it….

scrubbs shining the light down for me…

cleaning out the rain gutter…

shaking the gutter pipes to within an inch of their lives and finally relieving pressure… creating old faithful (wish we had a shot of that)

the wet aftermath…

I am wearing blue jeans though they are so wet they appear black! I was absolutely soaked-a-fied!

mud in hair and face…. eye makeup running…

and in all of this… the dogs got out too so we had 2 very wet and muddy small ponies to contend with as well…. a very entertaining and productive Sunday night.

I don’t even know where to start…

so many things have happened and so many stupid things have gone wrong!!! I honestly don’t know where to begin… some of it is pretty funny after the fact… sort of…

but since it is nearly 2:30am… and I am very exhausted… i will just show you some of the pics from today’s race… the Monster Mash. We finished in just over 30 minutes… pretty good considering my lungs are still not 100% and I am still having troubles with asthma… still not as good as pre-strep throat times… and it is surprising to me how long it takes the body to get its strength back after stuff like that… but I am glad that the sisters and I did it… its a Halloween race so people dress up and lots run with their dogs… Gus will never know how close he came to running in a race with me today…. and I almost ran AS him. 

see if you can guess who we are supposed to be….

Pre Race

Post Race

he he he

the first thing she said when she saw me was “FurZ, can I wear your crownd?”

cuties x

Waaallliaaaam Waalllaaaace!!! How many times do you think we heard people yelling “Freeeedom!!!!” at us today??? 

….. stories to follow

… also lots more Monster Mash pics in Albums if you want to see them…. Clllllaaaaaasic Sue shots!

Natalie got a job !!! So miracles can happen to those of use who are impatient and apply for everything under the sun?? I am super happy for her!! I am not going to lie and say that it doesn’t hurt… a lot… to see her get, once again, something that I wanted really, really badly (not the particular job… but a conservation job where she will be working with well known and respected professionals and researchers in our field)… it seems that is one of my tests for this year… to not only not be getting all the things I want so badly but to see everyone around me and everyone I love getting those things…. but I will say… i LOVE Nat so much that I cant be anything but pleased for her… it was the same at her wedding… watching her marry a wonderful and adorable Englishman… it was a moment when I could have made myself ill with jealousy but all I could feel is happy for her cos I love her.

And truly, it is a MIRACLE to get a job in our field right now… so i am so so sooo pleased.. and also she gave up a dream job to go to Houston… so it is poetic justice or karma or somat that she should get a great job… yay Nat x

Here are some pics from the trip to the coast this Saturday…. 

anyone who thinks these dogs are not big… think again!

Sue and her Sandy friend

it was a wee bit chilleeeeyyyy

I honestly can not look at this pic without cracking up…. nice face Sue !!!

Getting ready to head to the coast… took us quite a while to get the sand and slobber out of the car!!!

The following is a recent post to the conservation dislist….

“I am in the process of establishing a conservation studio for paintings and works on paper. It is envisaged that the maximum number of staff will be four….. 

 I would be particularly interested in information regarding space requirements, layout suggestions, experience, advice and recommendations of any kind relating to establishing a new studio. I have in mind a separate dirty room/workshop area and storage area. For the conservation studio, I have in mind a office space for computer work and administration. There should also be a spray booth for varnishing. How large a space does this usually require? I envisage an area with a fume hood and chemical storage, two easel work stations, consumables and paper roll storage, some artwork storage, space for photography (this could be a dedicated space or with blackout curtains to cordon off space as and when needed), sink, small fridge, small suction plate, several work tables on wheels for flexible use of space, and a wet area for washing or wet treatment of works on paper and silk. There will be a microscope, mount cutter, space for framing and other common work. Is 1000 square foot sufficient for what I have in mind? For paper conservation, will I be needing a special washing sink, or are trays sufficient? What other equipment is often in use for paper conservation?”

the preceeding is a real life post to the conservators distribution list from a former classmate of mine. It is basically a textbook description of a conservation lab…. so what the heck is her question really??? It seems to me that she still has the inability to think for herself…. And this girl got a first above me??? I CANNOT BELIEVE IT!!!

my friend responded to be about this post by saying “Jenn… how close to th tearoom shud I put my coathangr, shud it b actually in th tearoom or shud it b outside??? Wot brand of microwave shud I get 2warm up my quiche?? Bahaha” & I said… “If I were to put a toilet instead of an outhouse in my studio how far should it be from the floor?? Or would a 2×2 hole in the floor suffice? And wot do I do if I fall in???”

Seriously it makes me angry just thinking about it… & i can hear it in that horrible accent! I “envisage” me putting my fist thru her visage… Funny how one post can bring up such a rich source of pure unadulterated RAGE!!!! Thank goodness she lives in Malaysia. and UNBELIEVABLE that someone is funding her to create a studio…. she may be “book smart” but she is an idiot!!!

and she proved it to every conservator who reads the distlist…. ask any conservator who has opened their own studio and I bet they would say what I would… you make the best use of the space you have… until you have more space and then you make the best use of that space… of course you “envisage” the ideal spray room and separate office area.. and all of the other ideal things she envisages… but you work with what youve got and what you can afford… seems like she is also trying to brag a bit….. (insert rude British insult here)…. 

grrrrrrr……

I would just like to say thank you to Bosie….

We went and saw one of my favorite bands of all time…. and it would not have been the same without her, by myself or with anyone else who wouldn’t have gotten up and danced their arses off like she did with me… we were seriously sat with the biggest losers… musta been old school cos they didn’t even get on their feet until ‘rooster’ came on… LOOOOOsers!!!! It took me about 1/2  song before I found us an area where we could dance and I could bang my head (shaking about my super awesome hot long rocker style hair LOL) We had an amazing time and I will post pics and videos later…. Deftones…. AWESOME!!!! Alice in Chains…. uber AWESOME!!!! So thank you my sister…. who says your soul mate has to be some dude????? I am beginning to say… I DONT!!!!!

Thank you for bringing a bit of light and some laughs into a heart and life that doesn’t feel much like laughing and feels pretty dark at the moment…. you save my life most days xx i love you xx

X

Last week we took Ella to get her first pedi!!! She LOVED it!!! And she was so cute. Mom and Dad you would be amazed how articulate and grown up she is becoming… sigh. They are growing up too fast… but it is fun to see and experience too…

The before shot… I hadn’t had a pedi since Nat’s wedding… can you tell???

Beansie’s cute feet barely touched the water… she was the hit of the whole place… and she was mesmerized by the whole process.

It tickles!!

Beans and Mom xx

Beansie’s toes were her favorite color… purple… with sparkles and FISHIES!!!! X

The after shot…. much better…

I love my Beansie x

Scrubbs comes for a visit tomorrow!! And i am sick…. AGAIN!!! it is starting to feel like that first year in England again… getting absolutley everything that is going around… so tired of being ill blah.

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Ok…. you know I LOVE this authoress… but I could NOT pay attention to this interview AT ALL…. can you see why?? I cannot take my eyes off her GORGEOUS nude coloured platform Christian Louboutins…. seriously….. does the same thing to me a Chris Cornell’s voice… and that says A LOOOOOOOOOTTTT!!! love those shoes….

Mel… if you missed this interview it is all on YouTube xx

yeah… I dunno what the h is up with Xanga… but my embedding isnt working lately … grrrrr….

if you want to see it go to YouTube and look up Oprah interview with J K Rowling…. Xangas really doing my head in

Had a crazy and great day in Bend… we saw 7 or so venues and I think I have found the perfect one!

We got back to Eugene JUST IN TIME for me to throw on my running clothes for the race Boizie and I ran tonight… I am still feeling the effects of having been so ill… we ran the 5k in a bit over 30 mins Ive got to get back to where I was before the strepsies

Also… especially for gran and grampa…. Ella knows how to spell her name, spell dad and mom and write her name… here it is

pretty good and pretty cuties x

and for me….. it has been one year… one long, difficult, painful disappointing year… so much has happened, so much still happens… maybe someday it will all feel like a bad dream, but not yet, not quite yet. xxx

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….been super busy…. and tomorrow headed to Bend for work. At least it is an AMAZING drive…

I am ready for the weekend already… and yet the weekends have been just as busy as the weeks lately. But…. I do have something to look forward to this weekend…. I got offered a ticket to the Stanford game!!!!!

I would gladly give it to one of my bros but since none of you will be here… I will don my girl jersey, put on my sparkly face Os and yell as loud as I can for all of you “OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DUCKS!” and look for me on TV!!!! x

I guess you really did it this time..
Left yourself and you’re open.
Lost your balance on a tight rope.
Lost your mind trying to get it back.

Wasn’t it easy in your lunch box days?
Always a bigger thing to crawl into…
Wasn’t it beautiful when you believed in everything?
And everybody believed in you?

It’s some things you can’t speak about….

 But tonight you leave it all again..

 You wouldn’t be shattered and on the floor now…

If only you were seeing what you know now… what would happen….

Wasn’t it easy in your firefly catching days?
Everything out of reach…
Someone bigger brought down to you…
Wasn’t it beautiful running wild til’ you ran out of speed?
Before the monsters caught up to you….

It’s okay…
Life is a tough crowd.
39 is still growing up now…
Who you are is not what you did.
You’re still an innocent.

Time turns flames to embers…
You’ll have new Septembers…
Everyone of us has messed up too.
Life changes like the weather,
I hope you remember…
Today is never too late to
Be brand new.

It’s alright….
Just wait and see your string of lights are still bright to me.
Who you are is not who you’ve been…
You’re still an innocent.

Lost your balance on a tight rope…
It’s never too late to get back.

“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all.  Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle.
The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.”

Ayn Rand

“Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure…than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”   
Theodore Roosevelt