Today was a bit of a departure for me in a few ways. First of all, I had a lunch date with a friend and former classmate from my graduate school days, someone I haven't seen in quite a while. After making sure my garden was well watered, I showered and dressed to meet her. I chose to wear white, one of my favorite summer colors and one that, in spite of its association with purity, makes me feel very sexy. That's another way today was different...I felt sexy, something I haven't felt for too long a time. I felt it and it showed.
I traveled into Manhattan to meet my friend and we had lunch at a hidden little Spanish restaurant on 14th Street. It was truly a jewel filled with old world ambiance and good food. It felt like stepping into a different world for the time we were in there. As we were leaving, we noticed a sign saying the place had been established in 1868. We were incredulous and curious so we turned around and went back inside to inquire. The owner himself answered our questions but what was remarkable was what came afterwards. After his explanation, he introduced himself to me pointedly to which I responded with my own introduction and shook his hand. He commented on my beautiful name and lovely earrings and held my hand for just a touch longer than was necessary. The old bird was flirting with me!!
I am so out of touch with the whole mating scene that I was taken by surprise. When my girlfriend and I left the restaurant, we were talking about it and she said, "We're getting up there in age. Take your compliments where you find them. Let the old man flirt. It's okay." You know, she's right. Let the man flirt. Even better, let me enjoy that I'm being flirted with. I guess if I'm not too old to feel sexy, I'm not to old to be flirted with or to enjoy it.
I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around a paper specialty store, looking at the beautiful imported and handmade papers available there. Then I came home to my family, my dog and a dinner that needed cooking. My sexy day was over but the memories still lingered.
On another front, my husband, who had been laid off on Memorial Day weekend, came home with some great news. He had interviewed a week ago with a local employer and today he filled out the necessary paperwork to become its newest employee. I don't have to tell you in this economy how great this news is. I told him we should celebrate.
Hmmm, maybe my sexy day isn't over just yet. :)
Ballo ergo sum,- Gitana, the Creative Diva
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Time to Catch Up.
I have been crazy busy since my last post. As I mentioned then, I was creating paper flower arrangements for my daughter's high school's graduation ceremony. In the midst of that, several other projects came up. You can read about them and see some pictures here in my artist blog. Seems I've been running on a treadmill, expending a lot of energy yet staying in the same spot. Since the spot I'm staying in is home, I don't have a problem with that.
My newly graduated daughter has moved to North Carolina to live with my older daughter and her family and will be attending a nearby college there. The quiet in my house since her departure has been downright deafening and I'm still getting accustomed to the lessened workload in laundry, cooking, dishes, etc. Less work, more quiet...I can used to this.
In the middle of all my activity is my husband's inactivity, an inactivity that stems from his having been laid off on Memorial Day weekend. Yes, we have become part of the latest statistics in this bad economy. Perhaps inactivity is not the proper word to use here because the fact is that he has been hard at work looking for another job since his feet hit the ground but the market in his field, electrical construction, is very soft and jobs at his level are not to be found. We're holding our own for the present time but that may be short lived. Now we have two children in college and no income. This is not a pretty picture. I guess my flurry of income producing activities couldn't have come at a better time.
To be continued...
Ballo ergo sum,
- Gitana, the Creative Diva
My newly graduated daughter has moved to North Carolina to live with my older daughter and her family and will be attending a nearby college there. The quiet in my house since her departure has been downright deafening and I'm still getting accustomed to the lessened workload in laundry, cooking, dishes, etc. Less work, more quiet...I can used to this.
In the middle of all my activity is my husband's inactivity, an inactivity that stems from his having been laid off on Memorial Day weekend. Yes, we have become part of the latest statistics in this bad economy. Perhaps inactivity is not the proper word to use here because the fact is that he has been hard at work looking for another job since his feet hit the ground but the market in his field, electrical construction, is very soft and jobs at his level are not to be found. We're holding our own for the present time but that may be short lived. Now we have two children in college and no income. This is not a pretty picture. I guess my flurry of income producing activities couldn't have come at a better time.
To be continued...
Ballo ergo sum,
- Gitana, the Creative Diva
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Oh My! How Time Has Flown!!
I just read the date on my last blog update and realized I haven't written a post since early February when I decided to volunteer at a local senior citizen's center. Now, four months later, I have become a fixture at the center where I not only run an hour long crafts session once a week but also stick around to do many of the organizational tasks that the director and her small staff can't get around to. I have spent untold hours cleaning, clearing and organizing the crafts cabinet and storage closets and discovered lots of great materials that were being neglected simply because no one knew what was there or how to find it. The director and I have made several visits to Materials for the Arts, a organization that collects donations from private donors and commercial concerns and makes them available to non-profit groups, schools and theater companies. We have been able to score some great finds there that have been put to good use as crafts materials, office supplies, and storage. In short, I've been having a great time putting my organizational and creative skills to use in an environment where I am welcomed and appreciated. You can see the projects I have completed to date with the seniors at my artist blog, The Creative Diva.
As if I needed something else to do, I am also volunteering to decorate the auditorium of my daughter's high school for it's very first graduating class of which my daughter is a part. The mission of the school is that of environmental responsibility and sustainability so all elements of the celebration must be eco-friendly. To that end I am making paper flowers out of used and recyclable paper with which to create floral arrangements to decorate the front of the stage. Of course I've never done this before so I'm dead in the middle of a steep learning curve but so be it. When the flowers are done I'll be posting photos on my artist blog so I hope you'll come over to check them out.
After my daughter graduates, she'll be attending college in North Carolina and will be leaving sometime in July to get settled into her new role as an adult. In the meantime I will be settling into my role as a mother hen with one less chick and I'm looking forward to the quiet in my chicken coop.
Another news-worthy occurrence since my last post is that my son returned to college after a few years of not knowing quite what to do with himself. His first attempt was not successful because he frankly didn't want to go to school. After dropping out, going to work, getting laid off and spending a long time unemployed, he finally decided he was ready to take another stab at college. I'm happy to say that he seems much more settled and comfortable this time around and I hold great hopes for his success. In due time he, too, will be leaving the nest whereupon this old bird will be doing the empty nest happy dance. Oh yes, I'm looking forward to an empty nest in spite of everyone telling me otherwise. I've lived the last 30 years mindful of my responsibility to the needs of others. I'm ready to finally live for myself. But until my nest is completely empty, I still have to contend with the droppings.
Somebody, hand me a shovel, will ya?
Ballo ergo sum,- Gitana, the Creative Diva
As if I needed something else to do, I am also volunteering to decorate the auditorium of my daughter's high school for it's very first graduating class of which my daughter is a part. The mission of the school is that of environmental responsibility and sustainability so all elements of the celebration must be eco-friendly. To that end I am making paper flowers out of used and recyclable paper with which to create floral arrangements to decorate the front of the stage. Of course I've never done this before so I'm dead in the middle of a steep learning curve but so be it. When the flowers are done I'll be posting photos on my artist blog so I hope you'll come over to check them out.
After my daughter graduates, she'll be attending college in North Carolina and will be leaving sometime in July to get settled into her new role as an adult. In the meantime I will be settling into my role as a mother hen with one less chick and I'm looking forward to the quiet in my chicken coop.
Another news-worthy occurrence since my last post is that my son returned to college after a few years of not knowing quite what to do with himself. His first attempt was not successful because he frankly didn't want to go to school. After dropping out, going to work, getting laid off and spending a long time unemployed, he finally decided he was ready to take another stab at college. I'm happy to say that he seems much more settled and comfortable this time around and I hold great hopes for his success. In due time he, too, will be leaving the nest whereupon this old bird will be doing the empty nest happy dance. Oh yes, I'm looking forward to an empty nest in spite of everyone telling me otherwise. I've lived the last 30 years mindful of my responsibility to the needs of others. I'm ready to finally live for myself. But until my nest is completely empty, I still have to contend with the droppings.
Somebody, hand me a shovel, will ya?
Ballo ergo sum,- Gitana, the Creative Diva
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Something Else To Do
Since I'm at home most of the time, I've been feeling a bit isolated and out of touch and I knew that I had to get myself out of the house and in contact with people. But because of health issues that seem to crop up at the most inconvenient times, I didn't want to commit myself to anything that would require a fixed time commitment like a part time job. My husband, who knows I'm a sucker for volunteering to do things for others, found a little article in the newspaper touting NYC Service, a website sponsored and maintained by New York City that contains listings of volunteer opportunities all over the five boroughs. I checked it out, created a profile and searched the available volunteer opportunities to see if any struck my fancy. I came across an opportunity for a crafts instructor at a local senior citizen's center and sent an email to indicate my interest.
Fast forward to the present. I met with the center director who gave me a quick tour of the facility and showed me the kind of materials available for use. I have never worked with seniors before. Some of the members have visual impairments (blindness, macular degeneration)and/or mobility limitations (arthritis, etc.) that impose restrictions on the types of activities they can participate in and I have no experience whatsoever in dealing with limitations of any kind. Furthermore the available craft materials left much to be desired with respect to the type of crafting I have been doing of late.
In spite of it all, I am inclined to accept this opportunity. I have learned that the process of working through challenges and pushing one's limits is the quickest path to releasing one's creativity and inner talents. I've been scrounging the internet and tapping my crafting buddies for projects and ideas suitable for seniors and am scheduled to revisit the center in order to observe the crafts class that is currently running to see if that will give me any ideas. I haven't even told the director that I'm in yet and I'm already planning my next move.
To be continued...
UPDATE: February 2, 2010 - I have visited the senior center again, this time to observe the crafts class and talk with some of the members to get an idea of what they would like do in terms of crafting. I came home with some of the center's crafts materials so I could start creating projects to do with the seniors and am scheduled to conduct my first crafts class with them at the end of this week. Okay, so I've jumped in with both feet. Hope this swimming hole isn't too deep.
Check out my artist blog, The Creative Diva, to see the project I'll be doing with the seniors this week.
Ballo ergo sum,
- Gitana, the Creative Diva
Fast forward to the present. I met with the center director who gave me a quick tour of the facility and showed me the kind of materials available for use. I have never worked with seniors before. Some of the members have visual impairments (blindness, macular degeneration)and/or mobility limitations (arthritis, etc.) that impose restrictions on the types of activities they can participate in and I have no experience whatsoever in dealing with limitations of any kind. Furthermore the available craft materials left much to be desired with respect to the type of crafting I have been doing of late.
In spite of it all, I am inclined to accept this opportunity. I have learned that the process of working through challenges and pushing one's limits is the quickest path to releasing one's creativity and inner talents. I've been scrounging the internet and tapping my crafting buddies for projects and ideas suitable for seniors and am scheduled to revisit the center in order to observe the crafts class that is currently running to see if that will give me any ideas. I haven't even told the director that I'm in yet and I'm already planning my next move.
To be continued...
UPDATE: February 2, 2010 - I have visited the senior center again, this time to observe the crafts class and talk with some of the members to get an idea of what they would like do in terms of crafting. I came home with some of the center's crafts materials so I could start creating projects to do with the seniors and am scheduled to conduct my first crafts class with them at the end of this week. Okay, so I've jumped in with both feet. Hope this swimming hole isn't too deep.
Check out my artist blog, The Creative Diva, to see the project I'll be doing with the seniors this week.
Ballo ergo sum,
- Gitana, the Creative Diva
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