I am up way to early on a Saturday so I figured maybe I should do a blog update because I haven't done one in a while. I'll start with the girls cuz they are the reason I'm up so early. With the sun up by 5 am these days I cant sleep in til 10 am. I have to let them out and feed them. I feel sorry for them . They have been penned up for weeks now. They took it pretty well at first. I noticed over the last week that they are starting to look a little stressed. Confinement does not agree with them as they were raised free. I am beginning to think that Hawk and Eagle danger is the lesser evil. The philosophical argument of 'freedom from' vs 'freedom to' has begun running in my head. A happy life? Or a safe life? They are not happy! Can I give them any less than what I desire myself? Can I trust that , like myself, they will learn to duck and hide when danger is present? I'm really leaning towards let them be happy and free and if something happens..... then they learn to be more aware.
Plumbing! We received a water bill of 250 dollars 3 months ago. OMG! I went into action and bought a faucet to replace the old leaky one in the kitchen. It took me 5 hours to get the old one out. Much screaming, expletives and bleeding knuckles happened before I finally finished. But before Jimmy came home from work, the job was done and a shiny new faucet was installed .....by.....ME! By 8 pm I had running water in the kitchen again. The hot and cold water ran out of the correct sides and the dishwasher still worked. After that I worked on the toilet innards to stop minor leakage there. It all paid off. A few days ago I opened the newest water bill and it was $47. I almost cried with happiness. The cheapest water bill we had had since we moved in was $70 (yes , I thought that was normal). While I was under the sink, I also learned how to hook up an ice maker, which will come in handy in a couple of months when I buy a new fridge because the one that came with the house is itty bitty and in poor repair. Yes, I am all puffed up with the pride of accomplishment!
Work is another story. Learning , learning, learning. When I discovered, last summer, that the state of Washington had regulated me right out of a job... I got depressed. I sat around for weeks feeling sorry for myself. My options were to pour more money and a year of my life into an education program for a job that would never pay more than 'just barely a living wage'.... or do something else. 15 + years of experience and a BA were not good enough for the state so.....
I'm doing something else. I got an agent and I am now doing some acting and voice-over work. Last week I put a mini recording studio in my computer room. I did it so I can audition for VO 's from home. My agent is amazing and up until now has provided free studio time, his free time and some much needed mentoring. Last month he suggested that I am now in a good place, knowledge wise, to be able to do the recording and auditions on my own. God bless the man for trusting me! Nobody tell him, but I think I might have a 'show crush' on him! If any of my performer /actor friends out there have been thinking of doing PAID work and wondering who the best agency in town is. Give me a call or send me an email and I will wax poetic about the best agency in town and what to expect from them. I've been with them almost a year and they are pretty amazing!
The new studio is scary and intimidating. All new terms and software to learn. To give you an Idea of what I'm facing... The software for this process needs 2 GB...CPU. My laptop couldn't handle it so I had to move to the computer room and use the big PC. I talked to one of the other VO artists at workshop last night and she told me it took her months to learn the software completely. Yes! My eyes are rolling back in my head and my breath is coming out in gasps. But I can do this (she says with desperate bravado)!
And in my spare time (hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!) I have been painting and repairing various pieces of furniture that I have collected. Pretty cool pieces, I might add. Almost all are vintage pieces. I couldn't make up my mind about them. At first I was going to strip and refinish and leave bare beautiful wood. Then, I decided to paint. Then, I couldn't make up my mind about what colors. Feral Jane talked me into getting brave with color. She said I don't have enough color in my house. She's right . The only color in my house is in whatever paintings are hanging on the wall. I tried her suggestion and I like it. My sea green area rug now sports a 1940's vintage, carved coffee table in translucent hunter green. My living room is taking on a Titania's bower, hobbit-y, 'I live in a forest' look to it. Thank you Feral Jane for reminding me that I am an artist.
The garden: Slugs! DEATH TO THEM ALL! Whatever it takes. Whenever I have to do it. THIS IS WAR!!!!!!
Plumbing! We received a water bill of 250 dollars 3 months ago. OMG! I went into action and bought a faucet to replace the old leaky one in the kitchen. It took me 5 hours to get the old one out. Much screaming, expletives and bleeding knuckles happened before I finally finished. But before Jimmy came home from work, the job was done and a shiny new faucet was installed .....by.....ME! By 8 pm I had running water in the kitchen again. The hot and cold water ran out of the correct sides and the dishwasher still worked. After that I worked on the toilet innards to stop minor leakage there. It all paid off. A few days ago I opened the newest water bill and it was $47. I almost cried with happiness. The cheapest water bill we had had since we moved in was $70 (yes , I thought that was normal). While I was under the sink, I also learned how to hook up an ice maker, which will come in handy in a couple of months when I buy a new fridge because the one that came with the house is itty bitty and in poor repair. Yes, I am all puffed up with the pride of accomplishment!
Work is another story. Learning , learning, learning. When I discovered, last summer, that the state of Washington had regulated me right out of a job... I got depressed. I sat around for weeks feeling sorry for myself. My options were to pour more money and a year of my life into an education program for a job that would never pay more than 'just barely a living wage'.... or do something else. 15 + years of experience and a BA were not good enough for the state so.....
I'm doing something else. I got an agent and I am now doing some acting and voice-over work. Last week I put a mini recording studio in my computer room. I did it so I can audition for VO 's from home. My agent is amazing and up until now has provided free studio time, his free time and some much needed mentoring. Last month he suggested that I am now in a good place, knowledge wise, to be able to do the recording and auditions on my own. God bless the man for trusting me! Nobody tell him, but I think I might have a 'show crush' on him! If any of my performer /actor friends out there have been thinking of doing PAID work and wondering who the best agency in town is. Give me a call or send me an email and I will wax poetic about the best agency in town and what to expect from them. I've been with them almost a year and they are pretty amazing!
The new studio is scary and intimidating. All new terms and software to learn. To give you an Idea of what I'm facing... The software for this process needs 2 GB...CPU. My laptop couldn't handle it so I had to move to the computer room and use the big PC. I talked to one of the other VO artists at workshop last night and she told me it took her months to learn the software completely. Yes! My eyes are rolling back in my head and my breath is coming out in gasps. But I can do this (she says with desperate bravado)!
And in my spare time (hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!) I have been painting and repairing various pieces of furniture that I have collected. Pretty cool pieces, I might add. Almost all are vintage pieces. I couldn't make up my mind about them. At first I was going to strip and refinish and leave bare beautiful wood. Then, I decided to paint. Then, I couldn't make up my mind about what colors. Feral Jane talked me into getting brave with color. She said I don't have enough color in my house. She's right . The only color in my house is in whatever paintings are hanging on the wall. I tried her suggestion and I like it. My sea green area rug now sports a 1940's vintage, carved coffee table in translucent hunter green. My living room is taking on a Titania's bower, hobbit-y, 'I live in a forest' look to it. Thank you Feral Jane for reminding me that I am an artist.
The garden: Slugs! DEATH TO THEM ALL! Whatever it takes. Whenever I have to do it. THIS IS WAR!!!!!!
