Moving Time

After over 2 1/2 years and 700+ posts here on Blogspot I'm making the move over to WordPress just like I mentioned a post or two ago. No beefs here; just time to try another platform and learn something new.

You can find the new blog at http://norm54.wordpress.com and linked on the right sidebar. It is called 'Unmerited Gifts'.

In the newspaper business when an edition is wrapped or the paper ceases business they do this:

--30--

See you at the new digs......

Catching Up On Kudos / Credit

A couple of weeks ago I posted about being prompted / inspired to return to lending my hand to some form of artwork or another. I've been fortunate here in getting to see, and know a little bit, some very talented writers, photographers, artists and hobbyists. The prompt to action has been brewing for quite awhile and I've gained that inspiration through seeing the work of various people - Kel at 'the xfacta' through her 'Art Attack' challenges, Robin at 'Bountiful Healing', Lea at 'Lea Kelley Saying Thank You For...', among a number of others.....

In this post, http://constantchangeisthenorm.blogspot.com/2009/05/small-beginning.html I singled out QuoinMonkey's series on mandalas over at 'red Ravine' for getting me going on them. I downloaded some and have spent a bit of time using my new art supplies colouring them in - getting used to the materials and working with them and the colours again; tuning my eye and hands in.

The other person I credit with providing that nudge into action is QM's partner at 'red Ravine', ybonesy, with her series of posts regarding the evolution and process of a brilliant graphic she produced. yb periodically attaches what she refers to as her 'doodles' to her posts but these posts took it all to a higher level. The initial one that really caught my eye described the process, her inspiration and the materials she chose - you can see it here in 'The Making of a Painter':
http://redravine.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/the-making-of-a-painting-painter/
A couple of weeks later the finished project appeared here - scroll down to 'The Other':
http://redravine.wordpress.com/2009/04/14/this-that-the-other/
...and a few days later a variation on the theme:
http://redravine.wordpress.com/2009/04/19/flower-power-haiku/
Powerful stuff to be sure.

Thanks again QM. Thanks ybonesy. Thanks to everyone who has provided positive example and encouragement. I needed that!

Oh - come see the new me over at http://norm54.wordpress.com

Switcheroo

I've done some prep work on a new blog at WordPress (which I haven't properly named as yet, or I'll keep this name) but you can see it at: http://norm54.wordpress.com/

Let me know what you think of the set-up and please, any tips or hints you might have are always appreciated.

I'll likely continue to post here while I work the bugs out there (or do dual posts) for a while anyway.

BTW, this is the 700th post here at Constant Change!! Woo-Hoo!!

Whazzup??

Well, today will be a long one -- I was up early to cut the lawn before coming to work. By dinner time I was ready for a nap but showered and dressed for work instead. There are another few hours to go before I can leave for home again.

It's a quiet night here - the house population has dipped again; less than 15 guys... and the phones have been still. Since I completed my assigned work I've:

-caught up on all my blog friend's posts;

-played around with some of my new art supplies; did a mandala with oil pastel; checked out the selection of conte crayons

-listened to some Susan Tedeschi (Hope & Desire), Jeff Beck (Official USA Bootleg '07) and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss (Raising Sand).

For some reason I wasn't expecting to like 'Raising Sand' much; preconceived notions, I suppose. By the time I'd heard 4 or 5 songs I was getting sold on it and once it was over I wanted to hear it all again with fresh ears. T-Bone Burnett's song selection and production for this album are flawless. This unlikely vocal pairing of Plant and Krauss sounds effortless and yet is hauntingly beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpjnaGOeHH4&feature=related

'Please Read The Letter' video link.

Hamster-On-The-Wheel Mind

Much as I had cheerier things on my mind to write about tonight, I'm stuck.

Back before Christmas my friend, mentor and fellow group member Terry found out he had been diagnosed with and was then treated for an aggressive form of prostrate cancer. This was in the weeks leading up to he and his wife leaving for their winter long vacation in Florida. He was also informed at the time that the cancer had spread to his bones but that it was a much slower growing form of the disease. Since arriving home a couple of weeks ago he has had further tests and he gets those results Wednesday.

Earlier on tonight he was asked to speak at our home group meeting and gave a really good, thoughtful AA talk. Toward the end of it he began talking about this diagnosis and the fact that he has a timeline which has been given him leading to his ultimate demise. Best guess given the initial results: 2 to 4 years tops. Given that he has had months now to think about it I'm not surprised he was able to speak about it in such a straight-forward way but it certainly choked me up to think of this world without him in it.

The gist of the end of his message: no one leaves this earth alive..... do live to your potential each day..... continue to be of service to others; it allows you to shift the focus off your self.... retain your sanity through active practices toward maintaining your sobriety..... you determine how happy you are with your life.

I wish tonight I felt as balanced and unflappable as he sounded. I so hope his news is good come Wednesday.

What Horizon?

While running a few errands yesterday I took a brief time-out for a walk through (the appropriately named) Lakeview Park. It has among other things a beach area, volleyball nets, soccer fields, ball diamonds, a bandshell, a few relocated historic buildings, b-b-q's and picnic areas... it covers quite an area. This top shot is looking east along the north shore of Lake Ontario.

The colour of the water was almost a perfect match for that of the sky and with a bit of haze rising from the water the horizon was pretty much obscured. This one is facing a little west of south approximately between Rochester, N.Y and Niagara Falls which would both be about 35 - 40 miles distant on the south side of the lake.

Last night and today we've had bands of heavy rain and thunderstorms passing through. It's supposed to clear today through the afternoon. I've invited Mom over for an early Mother's Day dinner - there's a roast out thawing and heading for the oven later on. There's a trip to the store soon to pick up some fresh fruits and veggies and some sweets for dessert.

To all you moms who check in here - enjoy your day Sunday!!

Inukshuk

The mysterious stone figures known as inuksuit can be found throughout the circumpolar world. Inukshuk, the singular of inuksuit, means "in the likeness of a human" in the Inuit language. They are monuments made of unworked stones that are used by the Inuit for communication and survival. The traditional meaning of the inukshuk is "Someone was here" or "You are on the right path." Credit to 'The Inukshuk Gallery' for the quote.

More and more over the last 25 years these stone symbols have become more popular and crept into the common consciousness. You used to see them rarely while driving on northern roads and usually on the horizon where they would catch your eye. Now they pop up all over. Their original intent in the far north was as a sort of assurance that someone had passed this way before - keep going. The one above was made by one of our clients from some simple building materials he had at hand - keep going.

The inukshuk has been adopted as the official symbol of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

Find Your Own Path

Time is short this morning again. Yesterday was spent grubbing around in the dirt while sorting out a couple of garden areas - not so interesting to write about perhaps. Soooo.... here's another shot stolen from my daughter's Facebook page which I just love. It's her son Z walking the independent walk. (Hmmm... now if I just had some airfare, I'd surprise them with a visit.)

Oh, while on an errand yesterday I stopped in to an art supply store carrying yb's material list in my grubby hand. I checked out all they had to offer and came away with a different assortment of materials. A variety pack of conte crayons, another pack of oil pastels, a kids watercolour set and another basic set of markers. I could have spent hours there and spent a whack of money but I tore myself away. The clerk and I had quite a long chat and reviewed yb's list - he explained some of the features of those pens - good guy.

Anyway - brand new day but wet today. I might get some time checking out those new toys afterall. Later.....

Colour Splash

Gotta love springtime for the colour!! Yay!!

Boo!! Right after this I started in cutting the lawns for the first time this year.

Hey!! It beats shovelling snow.... I ain't complaining.

That Kind Of Day......

These have all likely appeared here before.... but hey!!, I like 'em. I hope they suit you too.

..... and it's a pokey day; a little running around town doing errands...

... and trying to clean up around the house; I'll get to the yard work if I can fit it in.

Tonight at my home group meeting I've asked my g'friend Audrey to speak for us and I've invited Lynda to come hear her. I've mentioned Audrey before; she's 88 now and is coming up soon on 52 years of sobriety. You know, before the days of detoxes and treatment centres and therapy.

That'll be my day. What're you up to??

Resources Exhausted

Having attended PJ and Tina's re-wedding ceremony and reception before coming to work for the night I find myself feeling played out and muddy headed tonight. Actually it's the third day in a row where I've had less than 5 hours sleep so it's not to be unexpected, I suppose. I'm hoping I can devote today to regaining some energy and simply enjoying some time around the house with Lynda and the pets. It's been a good week but a busy one - time to wind'er down.

I have a couple of posts cogitating about my brain but they aren't ready to spill out here as yet. See y'all on Monday sometime. (Weather depending; the lawn is due for it's first trim of the season.)

Recovery Tale

Friday May 1 one of my fellow group members completed 2 years clean and sober. Later on today he and his wife will renew their wedding vows. When PJ arrived here for treatment he was looking for help in stopping his coke addiction; it wasn't until part way through his stay that he realized his dependence on weed and alcohol were also impairing his daily functioning. By the time he arrived here his marriage was completely off the rails... he had spent a year couch-surfing at friend's places, until he eventually ran out of friends to use. PJ was seriously in debt having spent everything he had earned and racking up his credit cards to the limit. There were also some large sums owed to some not-very-nice-people who had fronted him large quantities 'on the cuff'. He was no longer employable; he was messed up.The last couple of loving things his wife did for him were to allow him to crash in their basement on the condition he called us to seek treatment. That he did and was allowed to stay during his 5 week wait for treatment.

PJ didn't exactly dive right into the Tx experience; he had his doubts; he balked; he argued. By the time he left though he had seen the evidence in others and was beginning to see some in himself. He decided to give the recovering life a shot - try it for 90 days and if at the end you decide you like the result stick around. If not, your misery will be refunded.

So, treatment over, PJ returned to his old home but under the same conditions; under the same roof as his wife and kids but living separately. He devoted himself to attending lots of meetings, chose to join the same group as me; looked around at and found himself a sponsor; worked together on getting through the step work; and got into being of service at the group level. At home he began to get more involved in the kids lives, their activities and school work - being a father to them once again. He and Tina began to spend more time together and revisiting their past problems; hashing things out. They started 'dating' again and exploring where the relationship might go. A little over a year ago Tina started to accompany PJ to our meeting once a month or so and she was happy to attend his one year medallion presentation.

About 6 weeks ago PJ sprung the news about renewing their vows on me and asked if I'd care to attend. When the big lump in my throat subsided enough for me to answer him I told him I'd be more than happy to. See, he'd been party to what had happened between Lynda and I - the separation, buying the townhouse, the move, those times. He also witnessed that reunion, the move back home and what has transpired since. PJ was watching, witnessing and was affected by what happened. Enough to give him the hope that it could happen for them as well.

God bless them both and their shared future. I plan on getting up early today so I can make it to the church for the service and on to the reception they've planned.

Today is also the sobriety date for our group's resident 'old-timer' Terry C ., who is celebrating 27 years committed to his ongoing recovery from alcoholism. My mentor. As I'm chairing our next meeting I get to make the presentations on behalf of the group recognizing their contributions to the group. A pleasure and an honour.

A Small Beginning

Funny, ain't it?? How when you've been away from something for a very, VERY long time (like drawing) a blank piece of paper can be SO daunting!! A couple of weeks ago I finally got out my pad of paper, pencils and a batch of markers and thought 'What the hey!?!?'. I started in drawing some flowing sinuous lines, then traced, & double traced and mirrored some of them to get this product below.

I bordered the pencil drawing with grey marker to strengthen the lines and also so it might pick up when photographed. Over to the left I was checking out the various coloured pens and found the pen barrels aren't a very good representation of the actual pen colour.

Each area filled in above has two or three colours in it done in varying ways; crosshatching, pointillism, random squiggles. Is it any good?? Well, no not really.... but it broke the barrier against doing the next one at some point. It also told me I need more and better colours to choose from and probably a different medium. The pack of oil pastels that I picked up at the same time as the markers and paper have taken a mysterious disappearing jaunt. I know I didn't want to leave them in the car but what have I done with them....???? Ah well, back to the store.

Okay, mandalas. First off kudos to QuoinMonkey over at red Ravine for tweaking my interest. I had been following with interest her monthly installments regarding her year long journey and practice. Doing a search over at their site brought the lot of them together here:

http://redravine.wordpress.com/?s=mandalas

If you scroll back to the bottom of the page you can follow the evolution since January 2008. Contained on her pages were links to on-line sites where you can download and print a variety of designs.... so I did, and this is the first one I tried. BTW, I spent that entire night following links and going off on associated tangents including labyrinths, mazes, sacred geometry..... you name it. Anyway, I've been totally impressed with QM's work and her writing on the subject. A big shout out to QM's partner Liz who also contributed some of her artwork to the posts - she has a great eye for design and use of colour.

So, once again, is this any good?? No, I don't expect so but it was fun to do and play around with colour choices (which were pretty limited). I was drawn to the strong geometrics of this design and was satisfied with how it came out. There will be more in my future, I'm sure. I'm looking forward to doing some designs of my own and am thinking of using them as colour studies. We'll see.

There is a maritime Canadian artist by the name of Christopher Pratt who has done an ongoing series of minimalist landscapes using the tri-field 'land, sea, sky' theme. Considering the narrowness of the theme there is a considerable variety in his output. I can't find those particular paintings but to see a page from an online gallery of his fine art work click on this link:

http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/301/ic/cdc/pratt/pratt2/www.ic.gc.ca/pratt/art/gallery10.htm

Just move the cursor over a title to see a thumbnail; click on the title to see a large version.