Getting organized with my Z-Palette!

In the midst of a chaotic house hunt/move I feel the need to get myself organized in any way possible.  So I decided to start in my own personal space and I'm loving my Z-Palette.  I have a feeling this is the first of many!  I'm using makeup that had been hidden away in the abyss that is my train case.  They come cute colors and solids, but per usual for me I started with black. ;)  Speaking of colors...what on earth is that lavender doing in there?  So not me, but I'm trying to break out of a rut this summer. 

The films can wait.

On a Sunday afternoon I would rather be painting than watching films for work.

(c) 2013 Shannon Jones.  Do not use image without permission from owner.

momento

The person who gave me my swell (early) birthday gift of a new camera is the same person that brought back in his pocket this beautiful weathered shell from the Gulf Coast. I'm enjoying the camera but the shell means more to me.

happy tears

Well, it has been a very long time since I last dusted off this blog with a post. So what more fitting subject for this entry than swallowing your pride and breaking the ice...again.

Back in early June I was working on some family archives stuff and went off on a tangent. I was asking Mick about his dad's family, a line that we don't have beyond his Irish grandparents. So I decided to ask George, Mick's dad, about his family -- parents, brothers, sisters -- and when we got to "little Eileen" (his baby sister) he told me that she lived in Florida. I guess I had never heard this before. So I got some clues from him, did some research and found her current phone number and address. I encouraged him to call her but since it had been several years since they corresponded he said that he felt "ashamed" and just didn't know what to say after so long. Hearing this, I suggested writing a letter to break the ice and give her his phone number so that she could call him if she'd like. He and I sat at his dining room table and went through his late beloved Rose's stacks of stationery. I let George pick out the card that he wanted to send to his baby sister. He and I sat for some time composing the letter, being so careful to select just the right words and of course including his wit. That gentleman can turn a phrase like no other. So after we finished editing and I transferred it into the card, he signed it. I mailed it the next day, crossing my fingers and hoping that the letter would find her.

After about 10 days with no phone call I was very tempted to call the phone number I had found and see if she had received the card. I was actually a little afraid of what I might find out if I called...so we just waited some more.

Today, after almost a month, George received the call that he'd been longing for. Little Eileen called him and they had a nice long talk about "Pop" and their mother. They decided to stay in touch and we may even be making a roadtrip to South Florida to visit her very soon.

I'm sharing this, not to brag about a good deed or anything, but for the same reason I encouraged George to not let another day pass before reaching out to his sister. Back in 2004, after having fallen out of touch with my oldest and soulmate of a friend Jenny, I decided to try and find her. Well, I did, sort of. I googled her to see if her address was listed but I didn't find her address, I found her obituary. She had passed on a couple of months earlier. I was devastated. I still cry when I remember sitting there in the middle of the night with no light on in the room except the glow of that page staring me in the face. After years of not being in touch and meaning to, I missed her by a couple of f'g months. I have never forgiven myself for that. But instead of beating myself up about it I have used that lesson nearly every single day of my life since seeing my beautiful Jenny's name in that obituary. When you are saying goodbye to someone you never, ever know if it might be the last time, so make sure they know that you love them. If there's someone that you've wanted or needed to get back in touch with, don't let your pride get in the way...do it! Don't waste another day.

A Cane in the Lane

Driving home today I saw a cane laying in the middle of the road. I wondered how it got there. Did the person using it brave the infamous Central Florida traffic and wig out halfway across, tossing the cane and making a run for it? Did some old lady find herself with a case of road rage and, using the only weapon she had in the car, fling it out the window at a fellow driver? Was someone healed as they made their way across the road, throwing down their "crutch" and reveling in the fact that they could sprint across the road for the first time in a long time.

I wonder if it will be there tomorrow or if someone else is using it to complete their journey.

2009 FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL - Call For Entries

CALLING ALL FILMMAKERS! 2009 Florida Film Festival is now accepting submissions. Submit through withoutabox at www.withoutabox.com/login/1139 or via paper application at www.floridafilmfestival.com DON'T DELAY!

ENOUGH!

ENOUGH is ENOUGH! McCain and his minions need to stop telling flat out lies about any and everything!!! Argh!