Do you remember when I Went Away? Specifically, when my friend and I shopped at Coldwater Creek, and we both oogled over this fabulous sweater until one of us gave in and bought it? Of course it wasn’t me, because (gulp) I don’t spend more than two dollars on anything I own as far as clothing is concerned.

Coldwater Creek has been sending me catalogues for over 10 years. I have sighed many the happy dreamy sigh thinking “some day, over the rainbow…” I’ll wear such wonderful fabrics with such beautiful patterns, so earthy and oh-so-soft. Some day.

Some day is now 5-7 standard shipping days away! BAAAHAHAHAAA I did it! I did it!

I bought the sweater (in turquoise). OH, and a dress, too!

Blah blah blah degenerative disc … blah blah comes with age .. motherhood .. blah blah .. no visible compression .. blah blah physical therapy.

The end.

It is. It’s entirely too early to be awake, but I am. I was up just before 6AM, hubby getting all dressed up in his studly uniform for a weekend of drill. We’ve got birthday dinner plans for him tonight, so I’m hoping he’s home in time for his steak & potatoes! 😉

I’m working today, and it’s raining, so it’s a great day to be working! Right now I’m (writing in my blog) uploading my photography to my new gallery, then for the remainder of the day I’ll be finishing up another custom blog graphic.

The MRI yesterday was really wierd, by the way. It took a half hour, that’s one noisy piece of equipment! I should have the results Monday, no later than Tuesday. I also saw my chiro lastnight and with the pain I’m having now in my back he mentioned “herniated disc”. Not official, but that’s what he said since my pain is shifting, becoming stronger on the left right where the nerve bundle comes out from the spine, and dull pain moving down the right leg now instead of the left. Hey at least I don’t walk like Egor anymore, all hunched over and dragging my leg behind me! Now I kindof stand up straight and just have wierd spasms every now and again. Jeez it sucks to get old!!

With that, I’m going to get back to work! Hope your weekend is off to a great start!

I know a few of you have been waiting for my new gallery layout to go live. Well it’s allllmost ready, so I’ve decided to show you and see how you like it!

There are a few more things that need tweaking, of course, it won’t go live until it’s all done. I’m going to work on it for a little while this afternoon as I wait for the mailmain to bring me that ONE piece of mail that will tell me if a jury thinks I’m any good, which for some reason always gets me in a tizzy.

Anyhoo, tell me what you think about that new setup! I’ll be in there doin’ stuff while you’re looking.

Forwarded to me by an Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran (my husband!):

Did you know that 47 countries have re-established their embassies in Iraq?

Did you know that the Iraqi government employs 1.2 million Iraqi people?

Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 schools are now under construction and 38 new schools have been built in Iraq?

Did you know that Iraqs higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers?

Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in January 2004 for the reestablished Fulbright program?

Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational? They have 5- 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a navel infantry regiment.

Did you know that Iraqs Air Force consists of three operation squadrons, 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transport aircraft which operate day and night, and will soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and 4 bell jet rangers?

Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando Battalion?

Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers?

Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produce over 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?

Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going on in Iraq?

They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals, 83 railroad stations, 22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities and 69 electrical facilities.

Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?

Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary school by mid October?

Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq and phone use has gone up 158%?

Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consist of 75 radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations?

Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004?

Did you know that 2 candidates in the Iraqi presidential election had a recent televised debate in their country recently?

(The e-mail goes on to say “Of course you didn’t know! Because the media won’t tell us! …”)

More importantly, this information (and so much more that I don’t have time to read right now) can all be found right here: DOD July 2005 Report to Congress, Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq PDF

I think it’s important to spread the word. Support the war or not, there ARE good things happening that people don’t know about. They go completely ignored by the media because drama, destruction and hatred sell, unfortunately. Trackbacks are MORE than welcome!

That room makeover last weekend was most definitely back breaking work! So much so that I’ve been in major pain since Saturday afternoon’ish.

The earliest I could get in to see my chiro was yesterday, and he spent a good amount of time adjusting me and trying to find the source of the problem but the surrounding muscles and tissue is pretty swollen. He had me back this morning, and since the adjustment yesterday didn’t eliminate my pain, it was time for an x-ray.

My back is messed up. It’s better than I thought it was, but it’s not nice. See this little red circle? See that nice little sorta triangular “space” there? There’s padding and fluid and nerve endings right there. Well as per my x-ray today, I have about 1/8th the “space” in that spot. My lumbar (L-5) and Sacrum are scrunched together. My pelvis is out of whack by about 4 cm, too.

So getting up and sitting down? Standing up straight? Lying flat on my back? Not so very nice the last few days. I’ve done okay though, only screaming out in pain a few times. I’ve had to reschedule some things because now my chiro is going to see me daily to adjust my pelvis and sacrum to free up the nerves in there that are sqwashed.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so old.

I’m sitting here (very very still I might add) working on my new gallery layout, and it really, seriously kicks some major butt. I love my designer (guess who!), she is a CSS genius.

I’ve given a lot of thought to what friendship means to me lately, and this is how I see it.

I am fortunate enough to have some very, very fabulous, warm, caring, thoughtful people in my life. Some friends I talk to a couple of times a year, some a couple of times a month, some a couple of times a week, and some a couple of times a day. I think this is very normal, healthy even! I’m not necessarily closer to those who I talk to less frequently, I love my friends, am grateful for them and think about them very often.

I have shortcomings, yes. I’m very aware of them, and do try my best to be the friend to others that they are to me.

I am fairly certain that my friends know how much I love them. How much I appreciate them. That if I knew how to do more or be better, I would, and that I’m slowly but surely making progress. I care, and they know that. I cry with them, I worry with them, and even if I don’t say it often enough, I love them so much I would move heaven and earth for them if I could.

I relate things to things I’ve been through. I think a lot of us do that, and I think that’s healthy too. I believe that’s what makes friends close, similar experiences like that. When you can relate to someone and what they’ve been through or what they’re going through, you form a bond. I believe that the truest form of friendship is to understand the other person enough to know that they are who they are, and love them because of that.

I learned a long time ago that things aren’t going to go my way, that friendships are each different, unique, and totally priceless. Each person has qualities that are so different from mine and I love that about each of my friends. I learn from them, my life is enriched by their outlook, by their responses, by their friendship. I may not agree with them all the time, and I love that too. It is all a learning experience, a wonderful one at that.

I have learned over the last couple of years that (take note, this comes from a professed conservative!) differences make the world go round. We click with people because of our similarities, sure. But it is our differences that trigger learning, teach us how to truly love without judgement, and show us how to truly behave in a way that accepts differences with (more) open arms. You can have your opinion, and I can have mine, and we can be friends anyway because I love you and respect you as an individual.

I think about friendship a lot. Why? Because I’d love to be a better friend. At the same time, I’d like it very much if the people I loved knew I loved them, and I’d love it even more if they accepted me for who I am and how I know to be a friend to them. It may not be perfect, and I may not be what you expect, and I may never get to my e-mail, I might not call you back in 20 minutes, I may even ignore the phone if I’m painting.

That doesn’t mean I love you any less, that just means that I have a life too, that I’m an individual, an odd artsy-fartsy individual, with feelings and lots of love and caring that I show better through paintings and creativity than any other medium on the face of the planet.

We all have our own ways of showing people we care. I just wanted to spill my guts about this right now, while it’s fresh on my mind.

Another of the little 4×4’s I’m (finally!) working on.

I started several 4×4 paintings a couple of months ago and I’m finally getting back to them! I just finished the underpainting on this polish chicken, and will work on a couple other underpaintings tonight as well. You can have a look at my project calendar to find out what I’ve got planned!