Tag: links

another hot Saturday

I think it was Thursday night that I finished reading and editing the fifth book in the Neverending Saga. I left some places with big circles around them marked as “fix this” because I either wanted to seamlessly delete stuff or rewrite it. Which I did as I input my edits yesterday, then printed it. Weird thing; with all that cutting, I lost a page yet I added 400-ish words. Math is weird.

Taking a break before I revisit the sixth book and make decisions about the seventh. I understand blogging about this is boring. Sorry.


Today I worked on a couple of paintings, and because I was so preoccupied yesterday and today, I didn’t realize some calls or texts weren’t reaching my phone. Sorry about that, too. Tom was nice enough when he got home from his volunteer gig to take my phone to our carrier storefront (second time he’s done this; same problem), and this time, it seems to be fixed.


As is usual with me, I over-poured paint. I had too much left over to be willing to waste it. Sometimes I’ll cover my palettes with tape for later, but I finished what I was doing and probably won’t paint again soon. Then I remembered I had several packages of 2″x2″ canvases–TINY! So I unwrapped those and used all the leftover paint to lay down base coats for some future project.


Clean palettes; wee canvases ready when I figure out something to do with them.

A story about art. I only started exploring this kind of creativity in the early 1990s, first painting T-shirts, then doing ceramics. And along the way, I did some pretty awful stuff, and if I could, I’d take it back!

In time, I began to share some stuff on my LiveJournal/then my blog (which linked to FB and Twitter, two outlets I no longer really use), and people wanted to buy it, which was shocking. Then I’ve gotten some commissions over the years that I was happy to do, and there were times payments for those might be all the money I made for a month or longer. I’ll always be grateful for people who likely didn’t know they were helping me pay vet bills, power bills, etc.

I’ve also gifted a lot of my art, and that can be weird. Some people never acknowledge receiving it, and it’s awkward to be like, Uh…did you by any chance receive a package from me?

I remember the first time someone told me a recipient had thrown away a painting of mine. Yikes! I’d rather have a gift I created returned to me than go to a landfill. I could either repurpose the materials or maybe find it a better home. I’m not sharing this to shame anyone–I seriously doubt anyone who’s done that reads my blog these days.

I appreciate every kind word, every purchase, every gift acknowledged. I create because it makes me happy, whether it’s writing or painting, and while I wouldn’t have turned away wealth or acclaim, that’s never been a motivation for anything I’ve done, so that’s a good thing, right?


Anyway, as I looked at the wee canvases, I was reminded of a mixed media piece (titled “The Kids Are All Right”) I did a dozen years ago for a friend who IS one of those people who expresses gratitude and shows kindness (as well as being someone who has made me laugh my ass off since 1977). So maybe these will end up as part of a larger piece similar to hers; who knows.

They could work for either bottle caps or wee Spirograph flowers.

When fandoms collide

Recently, a Beach Boys-related account I follow on Instagram posted this commercial from 1987/88:

In late 1987, I was enjoying my job as a tech writer/editor and planning a wedding. I don’t think I owned a TV, nor was I Barbie shopping, so this mash-up of two of my favorite things (Beach Boys and Barbie) passed me by until I saw the Instagram post that immediately sent me scouring online sellers. This arrived late last week.

It’s not often a Barbie in an opened box comes with all the accessories, but this one miraculously did. For example:

Barbie’s sun visor and “flying disk” (probably couldn’t use the Frisbee® trademarked name) were still in their unopened plastic wrapper. They came with instructions for how to apply “labels” to both. And yes, the labels were also there.

In the same sealed package that held Barbie’s beach bag, hairbrush, socks, sneakers, and sunglasses.


The box also contained the original additional materials: a way to join the Barbie fan club, the World of Fashion that catalogs other Barbie accessories for sale, a disclaimer about Barbie’s earrings being unsuitable for small children, and a Barbie comic book sharing “The Treasure Map” adventure of Barbie and some of her friends!


This was already quite a wonderful find, but that it included the playable (at 33 1/3 speed) record (with some extra Barbie punch-out photos) was fantastic! The song probably featured no Beach Boys other than founder Brian Wilson singing all the parts (and doubtless playing most of the instruments, too), and Brian’s writing credits were shared with his manipulative, controlling therapist of that time and the therapist’s fiancee (later, wife). There’s a lot of history packed into that little record. I haven’t tried to play mine because I don’t want to risk damaging it.


Here’s a look at those treacherous earrings. I’ll get the rubber bands out of her hair (those things harden and eventually crumble, and I use less harmful plastic bands–they may weaken over time, but they don’t damage/stain the doll’s hair).


This provides a look at Barbie’s pink camera, still strapped around her arm. The cellophane tape that secured things inside the box, like the camera, has long since lost any adhesive quality, so it’s amazing this camera never fell out and was lost (since the top of the box had been opened). Somebody kept this on a shelf for a long time.


Other dolls were sold in the California Dream line, and here are some fun facts about them. (No reason to discuss the well-known Ken; and I have several similar to this one from 1981 and 1991.)

California Dream marked the debut of Teresa, Barbie’s Latina friend. Teresa still continues to be one of Barbie’s most-often recurring friends and has been represented by more Mattel “friend” dolls than any other except Christie (also shown here), Barbie’s African American friend who was introduced in 1968 and after many versions, was discontinued in 2005/06. In February of this year, Mattel produced a 55th anniversary Christie. I have at least seven Teresa dolls and many AA/Black dolls (Ashi, Shana, Nichelle, Nikki, and Barbie), and my Christie dolls are 1981’s Sunsational Malibu Christie and 1992’s Glitter Beach Christie.

Barbie’s longtime best friend Midge, seated, first appeared in 1963 and hung around until 1967, then re-emerged in 1988 with the California Dream Midge shown here. Midge later married Alan and began having children in the controversial “Happy Family” line. In 2013, Midge appeared again as a teenager who moved to Malibu on the webseries Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse, the whole “Happy Family” line possibly one of the first toy products to be “cancelled” over consumer protests. 😉 I have at least six Midge dolls, but the only Happy Family dolls I own are Midge’s parents, called only “Grandma” and “Grandpa.”

Tiny Tuesday!


“She’s An American Girl”
acrylic and glitter on 4×6-inch panel canvas and 8×10-inch back-stapled canvas, 2013

Wishing you a safe and satisfying Independence Day. I’m thankful for all we have, hopeful for a better world ahead, and grateful to artists who remind of us of both. Here’s a favorite song/video, and a favorite interview.

Mood: Monday

Name that mood.

title unknown, circa 2020
street mural in Torremolinos, Spain
©Nesui, urban artist based in Malaga, Spain (on Instagram, he’s nesui.src if you want to see more of his work)

I’m not yet finished with this book, but it’s a much faster read than I’d expected it to be (at 750ish pages). Set in 1969, published in 1971, it captures the mood of a time and generation (or three generations). Based around six characters from around the world, one narrator, and a very large supporting cast, and in that way, there are similarities to the Neverending Saga, though the writing styles are quite different. I feel like I’ve traveled–am still traveling–all over the world (including the Spanish coastal town of Torremolinos, where this art can be found).

I can imagine my character reading it when she was twenty-one, her age at that time roughly corresponding to the six main characters (which is why I decided to read it). She would be reading with very wide eyes.

It’ll have such a tiny mention in her story, but these are the paths I like to take in understanding who I’m writing.

Tiny Tuesday!

It’s June 20, the release date of the movie Jaws in 1975. Since I’m homebound post-surgery, Tom has been doing the errand running, and last week he picked up this tiny tin of mints for me.

I was delighted! I’m not really a fan of horror films, even less so as I’ve aged, but I loved Jaws and it began my fascination with sharks (the movie regrettably did them a disservice). I also liked the Peter Benchley novel it was based on. I saw only the first sequel, and though it was silly, true confession, I watched it in the theater with altered perceptions, so I enjoyed it on that level.


Here’s the back of the tin. The tiny mints are cherry flavored (I laughed that they are Amity Island Sours), and they’re in the shape of shark teeth.

As for the tagline on the front, of course YouTube provides a clip.

One of my favorite accounts on Instagram is The Life of Sharks. Now and then, Christian Talbot and Sophie Hodge provide a cartoon with a good Jaws reference, and here’s one with backstory on Captain Quint, the shark hunter in the video.