HeatherWind

12:38 am: Rumors of my demise have been exaggerated...
I had no idea it's really been so long since I last posted.

Yes, true believers I do still live and I am still working. I've been very sick of late and suffered some major technological setbacks with my computer equipment, but long story short the situation has been dealt with and I'm doing my level best to catch up on so much lost time.

I am truly sorry to all those that were worried in my absence - your concern and faith in me is deeply appreciated and I love you all.

And so we start anew...

08:38 pm: A time for goodbyes
As many others around the globe are doing as well, my husband and I are in mourning for the late great Steve "Crocodile Hunter" Irwin tonight. I know it's been posted time and again the freakish events that led to his untimely death, so I won't reiterate it - but it's still staggering just the same.

We loved his infectious enthusiasm and passion for his work - he wasn't just another token tv thrill seeker testing how many times he could cheat death by pissing off a deadly animal. He actually cared for each and every one of them, and it showed.

Truth be told, while we grieve for his passing at such a young age, we also can't help but think that we're glad it wasn't a croc in the end. That would have been a tragic irony after all he's done to protect them. He died doing what he loved to do, lived large, and left a lasting legacy on the world and inspired a generation of kids to become interested in animals and science. That's far more than many can say when they leave this life. I will always remember his bright-eyed expression of wonder and engaging personality.

If anything, I grieve more for his wife Terry and they two little ones - the youngest being barely old enough to retain great memories of his Dad. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

I can just envision Steve in the Summerlands even now, cavorting with animals long extinct from our world, gleefully exclaiming "CRIKEY! Isn't that one GORgeous!"

11:27 am: Boycott ABC on 9/11!
I have just read a very disturbing review concerning the upcoming ABC miniseries "The Path to 9/11", and in light of this I am heartily encouraging everyone to not only boycott the watching of this show and network on "Patriot Day", but for them to please spread the word to others as well.

Apparently this bit of right-wing conservative fluff plans to make sure the entire 9/11 debacle is blamed solely on The Clinton Administration. Yes, you read that right. The Bush crew had *nothing* to do with it and had *no* idea it was coming, and it's all Bill Clinton's fault. To which I call extreme and utter bullshit.

Visit Truthout.org for a very enlightening report by professor and author William Rivers Pitt entitled Clinton, 9-11 and the Facts, and spread the word. After 5 years of lies and propaganda, it's time we let them know we're not interested in their distortions anymore.

That link again: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/083006J.shtml


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Thought(s) for the Day:

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

05:25 pm: Kudos to Claim Jumper!
My family and I decided to have lunch at our local Claim Jumper restaurant to celebrate the confirmation of my new job.

We'd only eaten there once before, when my mother-in-law came to visit last May, but the food was fabulous, our service was stellar and even with the hefty price tag we came away very sated, loaded with leftovers and satisfied we'd more than gotten our money's worth. It seemed a great way to treat ourselves (especially with their heavenly Green Tea Creme Brulee for dessert!).

I'd ordered Quiche Lorraine and salad for lunch, as I really looked forward to seeing what they could do with such a classic recipe. After it arrived and I took a few bites I noticed something not quite right - it had a strange fishy taste that shouldn't have been there, and after offering a bite to Clint he noticed it too. It wasn't the Lorraine they brought me, but the *crab* quiche, and this posed a big problem:

I'm allergic to shell fish.

It's not a severe allergy, but it's bad enough that my breathing was impaired and I felt very nauseous. Thankfully I keep allergy meds on hand for just such an occasion (Clint has allergies too so it's an insurance policy for both of us) so I caught things before they got out of hand, but needless to say I was not feeling great. I don't know if our waitress miss-keyed the order, or simply grabbed the wrong one, because while I was trying to get back together in the ladies room the manager quickly arranged for a fresh Lorraine to be made for me, and when it arrived I noticed it looked very similar to the crab quiche. I ended up taking my new quiche home after only a few bites - it was delicious, but I just didn't feel up to finishing it there.

Regardless, the manager, Tracy, was incredibly kind to us. He apologized profusely, and made sure I was okay and that my part of the meal was free - which would have been fine in itself. But to my surprise he also offered Clint and Duncan's desserts free, *after* they'd already been ordered. He just took the check and printed a new one with those removed.

Now, as far as we're concerned, offering my lunch free was simple compensation. Offering the desserts free as well was in excess, but appreciated. But what happened next blew me away.

Two days later I got a phone call from the restaurant's Guest Services manager, following up with me to ask how I was feeling? She mentioned that her father has a similar allergy, and was genuinely concerned. By the time I got off the call I was truly impressed by their tremendous customer service. They could easily have left off with comping the meal and we'd have been satisfied, but the fact they took the time to follow up like that just impressed me no end. THAT is excellent customer service!

If you find yourself in Lynnwood, Washington near Alderwood Mall and want a great meal for the money I highly recommend Claim Jumper!

04:15 pm: First Day Recap
Today marked my first day at my new stock clerk job, and BOY am I feeling it! I knew I'd be tired, but DAMN.

It was an awkward situation as this morning's "buddy session" (training shift) called me in early enough that Clint hadn't gotten home from *his* job yet. Thankfully one of our amazingly kind neighbors not only took Duncan for a few hours, but even gave me a ride to work! Yay!

I'm not the only new hire that started today, so already I've made a couple of friends that are in the same position I am (even if they are about 15 years younger than I am to boot! LOL).

I discovered that our department is not relegated to just one 10-aisle section, but also covers the candy aisle - which means I got to run all over this massive store restocking candy at ALL of the check out counters, on top of doing the shelf-climb game. Up and down, back and forth - I knew I needed exercise, and by the gods I'm getting it! My feet are still screaming at me over it.

But the people are really nice, the job isn't insanely demanding, and the hours - though hideously early - allow me a little bit of conscious time with my fellas too, so that's a happy thing. It feels good to be steadily, gainfully employed again.

I would post more detail, but the simple fact is I'm knackered and have to be back to work at 3am tomorrow morning. I think I'm going to buy stock in ginko biloba now.

07:26 pm: Confessions of a Sudoku Addict
Yes, my name is Gen, and I am an addict.

I am addicted to an insidiously evil, masochistic and insanely fun number game that is sweeping the nation faster than Meth: Sudoku!

Here's how addictive this is: in the spanse of ONE DAY, I have not only made a large dent in the Suddoku puzzle books my mother-in-law sent us, but I have even gone searching for online free play versions (at www.websudoku.com by the way). It's sick I tell you!

The concept of the game is deceptively simple: Fill in the boxes so that each of the nine rows, each of the nine columns, and each of the nine 3x3 sections contain all the numbers from 1 to 9.

This is where the evil begins.

Sudoku is like a crossword with numbers - or a flattened Rubik's Cube. Often times you think you're on a roll, sorting numbers in a section only to find yourself stonewalled until you sort out another line or set. But gods help me I can't get enough of it!

I have a large whiteboard on my wall that I use for everything from experimental design to helping Duncan with his math homework, and now my Uber-geek has kicked into overdrive with it. I copy the puzzle onto the whiteboard so Clint and I can do them together. It's terrific because he's great at crosswords and looking for column and row patterns, while I'm great at spotting set patterns in the 3x3 sections.

As much as I thought the SIMs was addictive (and it is, but for a different reason) so is Sudoku. If you love logic puzzles I highly recommend it, but do so at your own risk!

09:38 pm: GO TEAM OAR NORTHWEST!
I just saw a local news report about an amazing crew of 4 young men from Seattle that are representing the US in a race to cross the North Atlantic sea by rowboat. Yes, you read that right - ROWBOAT.

Granted, the rowboat is a 29 foot fiberglass vessel with a teeny tiny crew cabin at the back for poor weather (so tiny, if the 4 of them are in there at once they have to sleep on their sides, stacked like sardines), but that doesn't mean their effort is any less impressive.

This incredible team left New York for Falmouth, England on June 10th on the first-ever Atlantic Ocean fours race – a journey of 3,100 nautical miles. They have been at sea racing against the elements and three boats from the UK for the last 67 days, and at last check they are currently only 140 miles from the finish line!

That's right, true believers, Team Oar Northwest from the University of Puget Sound in Seattle has not only survived this insane, glorious journey, but they're in the lead to boot!

They named their boat the James Robert Hanssen, to honor the memory of the father of crewmember Jordan Hanssen, who passed away from asthma. And it is for him that they also decided to team up with the American Lung Association.

Even more than to just win the race, they are hoping to raise USD $300,000 by the time they reach England (donations can be made from the team page at http://www.oarnorthwest.com/ ). Every donation of $100 or more allows the donor to leave a personalized message for the team on their homepage.

I don't personally have the funds to do so, but I was so blown away by their incredible achievement that I decided to do the next best thing: put the word out!!

So please take the time to visit <a href="http://www.oarnorthwest.com/><b>http://www.oarnorthwest.com</b></a>, for current news of the team's progress, current race standings, the team blog, amazing photos and much more. Let's make our home team as proud as they've made us! We wish you fair winds and calm seas boys - gods speed!

05:41 pm: Yet another med rant
I still maintain the majority of the ads I have seen for miraculous diet pills are pure, concentrated, mercenary evil, wrapped in extremely tacky packaging.

But there is something even worse - at least in the "pros vs. cons" department. I just saw a commercial for a drug called Humira, that is supposedly intended to help with rheumatoid arthritis and degenerative joints (both of which are very prevalent in my family).

Underlying the visual message of Baby Boomers dancing at a child's wedding, walking a flight of stairs and celebrating their supposedly newfound mobility is a voice track listing off the possible (and even FATAL) side effects of this wonder drug.

An older woman with a soft, motherly voice advises patients to tell their doctor if they experience any problems, and that the drug can diminish your body's ability to fight off infection, so you shouldn't take it if you have any pre-existing health problems, infections (gods help you if you catch a cold). Then in a quick "oh by the way" manner she slips in that one of the possible side effects is TUBERCULOSIS. That's right, TB being tossed off as a SIDE effect! Sure, you've got your mobility back - and you can use it to head right into quarantine!

Call me crazy, but if it comes down to taking your drug and risking a deadly debilitating and highly infectious disease, or just busting out the Advil and Tiger Balm and taking a hot soak, I think I'm gonna have to opt for the latter.

Why do the pharmaceutical companies in recent years continue to trot out products where the potential downside far outweighs the possibility of their meds helping you? I know it's more profitable to treat symptoms rather than seek a cure, but for the potential liability they set themselves up for you really wonder if they aren't simply batshit insane.

Of course, I'm not health professional - I just try to avoid them like the plague, along with the questionable meds they toss out to a desperate guinea pig public.

02:37 pm: I've been hired!
The interview went amazingly well this morning - so much so that even in spite of my availability issues (I can't work past 3pm on weekdays because of Duncan's upcoming school schedule, nor early morning on weekends because of Clint's graveyard shifts) they offered me the job!

It's working as a stock clerk in the health & beauty department, averaging 20 - 30 hours a week. That may not sound very glamorous, but even with the freaky god-awful early morning shift (3am - noon predominantly) it's a union job, at an hourly wage far higher than I expected and definitely higher than I've ever earned in past, with insurance and benefits after 6 months that we dearly need. With a potential average bonus of $800 a month for the household I can most assuredly handle that.

I did an on-site drug test at the end of the interview (using a weird nasty tasting mouth swab of all things - I've never done that before!), so all they're waiting for is the results of that and my background check before I can go to orientation.

I don't expect problems with either. So tentatively, I have a new job!!

09:23 pm: Crossroads
This summer has provided two major crossroads for me so far:

1) The decision to change my artistic use-name, and

2) The decision to seek outside work beyond freelance art.

It's that second crossing I'm facing right now. For the first time in 11 years, I am seeking a part time job outside my home, and yes, I'm scared - though determined. I am still continuing with my artwork and operating the business, but it's finally time I faced the simple fact that commission work is not consistent enough to pay the expenses and neither is my husband's paycheck alone.

This has been an incredibly tough pill to swallow - not because of any pressure from my family (outside of my mother-in-law occasionally suggesting I need to go get a "real" job), but my own pride. I'll confess I fought a terrible feeling of failure, that somehow I just "couldn't cut it" and this was a horrible step backward. I could hear my demon of self-doubt (the same little snarky bastard holding my muse hog-tied and wrapped in duct tape) chanting "don't give up your DAY job bee-yotch! Bwah HAA!"

But I came to a realization as I went out for a walk alone to clear my head: I really need to get out of the house. I'm a very gregarious "people person" that needs contact with other human beings beyond email, and the more time I spend cooped up in the house the more stagnant and frustrated I feel. I start looking at my art table and office not as something to look forward to, but of "I have to do something with this NOW to help pay the rent" and if a print I slave over doesn't sell then I feel even more frustrated, no matter how nice the image turns out. It shouldn't be that way.

So it's my hope that by getting a part-time job will not only get me out of the house and socializing to a degree again, but in the process of getting back a steady paycheck it will take the performance pressure off my art so I can actually look forward to drawing again and still help Clint.

I have my first interview tomorrow morning - please wish me luck!

10:20 pm: A Big Fat Rant
It has often been said that "where ever there is a deep human need, there's money to be made."

Never is this more shamelessly, obnoxiously apparent than in these late night commercials for diet pills. You may have seen them - some skinny lizard woman with bad hair asking in a voice laden with false pity, "when is a diet pill worth $153 a bottle?" To which I say, NEVER, YOU MERCENARY BITCH. That's right, $153 for 30 days of pills, with gods only know what kind of side effects, that desperately overweight people are willing to pay because our society has programmed us to believe anyone with more than 3 percent body fat is a beached whale that should want to die rather than be seen as fat. They do this by dropping buzz words like "stubborn BELLY fat" and "morbidly obese" - not just obese, *morbidly* obese. A fat so big as to deserve morbid fascination by skinny people who stage-whisper to their friends "shoot me if I ever get *that* big".

I freely admit I am a "plus-size" woman. Sure, I could blame it entirely on pregnancy and hormone backlash from when I stopped nursing, but really that's not entirely the case. I eat a fairly healthy diet, but work a very sedentary job, and that takes its toll. Yet even if I were at the supposed "ideal" weight for my height (112 lbs. according to the diet sites, to which I laugh loud and derisively) that will never diminish my broad shoulders and childbearing hips. I come from a long line of big breeders, and I'm cool with that. If I have any complaints over my curves is that unlike the majority of other women in my family, I stopped growing at 5'4" when the others average 5'9" to 6 feet, so they're a bit more pronounced for me. Even before I got pregnant and put on 40 lbs, I was still technically overweight for my height, but I was healthy and happy at a size 10 and looked great - and that's my goal now, even in this day and age where a size 10 still counts as "plus".

But if there's one thing I can't stand is unscrupulous merchants preying on desperate people who are willing to do anything to be "normal". Because of that, I don't care how fabulous the pills are - I wouldn't care if they turned you supermodel skinny overnight, brightened your teeth, washed your car, walked the dog, gave you a winning lotto ticket and the best sex you've ever had - I wouldn't buy the pills out of sheer principle.

It's about time all of us "People of Size" rebel - physically, vocally and most importantly financially. To quote the classic Revenge of the Nerds: "I've got a message for all you Beautiful People: there are a lot more of us than there are of you." If we feel the desire to lose weight it should be on OUR own terms and because we want to be healthy, not because we've been beaten down and made to feel we've no worth to society unless our bones are protruding from malnutrition so we can finally join in on the laugh at someone else's expense for a change.

And here's a question I'd love to hear from the tech sector on: one of the main rationales Hollywood gives for demanding starlets turn into sticks to get work is because "the camera adds 15 lbs." If that's really true, why in this age of amazing technological advancements can our techies not seem to come up with a camera that actually shows the person for their true weight? We can make a camera the size of a credit card but can't make it accurate? Or is it conceivable that maybe, just maybe, the distortion isn't as great as they claim and it's just become a default standard since the heyday of Twiggy to no longer allow people - men or women - to be curvaceous?

That's just my take on it of course, but I'd wager I'm not alone. Sing out!

07:29 pm: A sign of the times...
So at the moment my business is in a lull, to the point I've actually started putting in applications for part time retail / cashier work to help complement my husband's income since my commission work and print sales have been so sporadic. It's been a huge demoralizing experience, as I have not worked outside the home in over 11 years - not exactly an enticing attribute for employers, particularly when I can only work certain hours in the day to balance Clint's schedule and get ready for Duncan's school schedule in a month.

Clint is due for his yearly review at work, including being eligible for a raise, and he intends to cash in his vacation pay so we can get caught up on bills, because really where would we go anyway? But his boss is currently implementing cut backs at work, so Clint's more than a little nervous about asking for a raise, no matter how much he deserves it. He's the best and most reliable worker they have, and the boss knows it.

I'm still waiting for payment from a commission client, which if it doesn't come in before the 5th we'll be short on rent, so I'm more than a little stressed right now. Clint doesn't complain, and he isn't forcing me to look for outside work - he completely supports and believes in my art, and if anything that just makes me feel worse for not being more productive. I'm not abandoning the business - just looking for supplemental income till sales pick up. I'm hoping the revamp to my website will perk things up a bit, but it's going to take a bit to get it all coded, and in the meantime things are feeling pretty desperate.

On an amusing note, the truest sign I have no real life right now is that I've become a publicist for my cat. That's right, Keiko was chosen at Catster.com to be their "Cat of the Week" (see her page here: http://www.catster.com/pet_page.php?j=t&i=195363 ) and since then my inbox has been inundated by requests to be online friends with her, personal congratulation messages from fellow members and notes of virtual gifts (or "rosettes"). My cat, who doesn't touch the keyboard and has no idea what any of this is, has suddenly become the prom queen. I'm not sure if I should laugh or envy her! LOL

At least someone in the household has a social life these days. :D

01:55 pm: Adventures of Photobucket.com
My hubby was surfing around Photobucket.com, when he found one of my images - Spirit of the Season - listed in a member's gallery with favorite images.

That, I didn't mind, and I was actually flattered - until I saw Photobucket's happy little "Order Prints" button down below, which put a whole new spin on the situation. The last thing I need right now is yet another site trying to profit from unauthorized prints of my work.

This is one of the few times when I can honestly say I don't believe the person meant any harm or tried to claim the image for her own and profit from it. I tried to find contact info for her there, then looked into Photobucket.com's FAQ to see how they resolve this kind of thing, and the more I looked at their site the more concerned I got. Not only does Photobucket basically not care what gets posted or verify the original sources, but if you want to report the infringement of one of your own images you have to jump through a ridiculous set of snail mail hoops to prove it's yours before they even consider removing it, and in the meantime they can happily keep collecting profits from the sale of that image in a variety of formats.

To make matters worse, some other girl on the site has claimed my name - HeatherWind - as her user name. She has no artwork posted on the site, just photos, but now my artwork is being credited to another user that once again I have no way to directly contact yet. If I really wanted to be a bitch about it I can pursue legal channels to have that name changed, as I am the trademarked owner of it, but I would rather not be that extreme, especially as she is apparently not an artist nor claiming any affiliation to me or my studio.

So I thought, okay, I'll set up a Photobucket gallery of my own ( as HeatherWind_Art )as a means of damage control, that way the link will be properly credited, and maybe I can use this as a secondary source of income. But unless they have it buried deep there is no mention in Photobucket's FAQ regarding how you can profit from the sale of your *own* image. So if I'm interpreting this correctly, any image you upload to them becomes their royalty-free property to profit off of as they please.

I contacted Photobucket about this and asked directly if any compensation is given to the artist for sale of merchandise created from their images, and have yet to receive a satisfactory reply. They said ALL of their member galleries have the Order Print button standard, and the printing is handled by an outside company - yet still no mention of any profit to the original artist.

Needless to say, I am NOT a happy bunny about this. I'm not mad at the member that posted my image - I'm mad at Photobucket for what appears to be a great way to rip off artists, as if the internet needs any other new ways to do so.

12:35 pm: WELCOME HOME DISCOVERY!!
I cannot begin to express how insanely giddy I was to learn that the Space Shuttle Discovery and her brave crew made it safely home today - I'm still choked up just thinking about it.

There is a tiny optimistic spark deep down in my heart that hopes someday in light of this calmer heads will prevail in our current Administration, stop their warmongering overseas, and remember there are better things at home to put those warchest funds toward: caring for your own people, improving our home infrastructure, and fostering a new Age of Discovery through the space program - and not for the purpose of military gain either.

A tall dream, I know, but sometimes hope is all we have left in these crazy days.

Welcome home Discovery - we need more miracles like you. :)

10:25 pm: A High Recommendation!
I just finished reading author Dan Brown's novel "Angels & Demons" - the first in the series of novels featuring the character of Robert Langdon, immortalized onscreen by Tom Hanks in The Da Vinci Code.

My first impression? DAMN but this is a good book!

Clint and I saw The Da Vinci Code in the theatre before either of us had read the book (Clint's reading it now, as a matter of fact), and being history buffs and conspiracy fans we both really enjoyed the concepts it suggested - for my part as an artist, and Clint having grown up devout Catholic.

My Mother-in-Law gave us several of Dan Brown's books during her visit here (after she'd finished reading them herself first :) and we are well and truly hooked. It has been a long time since an author has so thoroughly gripped me as in Angels & Demons, throwing you into the action right out of the gate and never stopping till the final page. I actually had to remind myself at several points that the events of the novel take place over the course of less than a day, and Brown's concepts and research are just astounding! I really came to like and respect the character of Robert Langdon, and look forward to more novels (and hopefully more films!) featuring him.

If you like a well-spun tale of high adventure in exotic locales steeped with history and mystery, I definitely recommend Angels & Demons!

10:30 pm: I've been docked!
I recently upheld my yearly tradition of donating a braid of my hair to Locks of Love.

I went to our regular salon, but although our regular stylist wasn't on shift at the time I decided to just go ahead and have it done anyway.

Thanks to that impulsive act, my hair has now gone from lower back length to barely shoulder length, because the stylist apparently either had no concept of how to measure, or was simply incapable of understanding enough English to absorb "no shorter than *this* point, thanks." When I got home and measured the braid I discovered that instead of the 10 inches I'd asked her to take, she went ahead and took 12.

While I don't begrudge getting it cut in the least - Locks of Love is a terrific cause that I'm more than happy to support - this is nevertheless the shortest my hair has been in over 20 years and right now I'm still in a bit of shock. It's now at that transition length where it's too long for short hair styling, but too short for long hair styling, and it's been so long since I've had my hair this length that I'm at a loss as to what exactly to do with it.

Here's a current pic. Bear in mind this was taken *after* I'd just tried to brush it down - without the extra weight there's nothing to hold it down, so my hair has gone kinked and fluffy. One good breeze and I look like a deranged Cocker Spaniel! LOL

I keep reminding myself it's all for a good cause and it will grow out in a few weeks, but this is definitely going to take a bit of getting used to. Oh well, at least it will be short for summer...yeah...that's the ticket! :)


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Thought(s) for the Moment:

It looked like the sort of book described in library catalogues as "slightly foxed", although it would be more honest to admit that it looked as though it had been badgered, wolved and possibly beared as well. -- (Terry Pratchett, The Light Fantastic)

06:41 pm: Unwinding
So my Mother-In-Law went home Wednesday afternoon, and all things considered this was one of the more relaxed and even enlightening visits we've had with her. It's been nearly 2 years since she's come up to see us, so we pretty well expect that for the week she stays not to make concrete plans and be willing to go on a moments notice.

I also find myself fanatically cleaning the place - not only before but even during the visit, seeking to maintain the cleanliness standard I'd set before her arrival. I know it's an irrational habit, but I do it anyway.

We visited new restaurants that we likely wouldn't have discovered (or could afford on our budget even if we had known) on our own, to the point that we can happily live on the leftovers for at least the rest of the weekend. Less cooking for me - yay!!

I was also able to handle the silent times much better than before. When she comes to visit, Marge often likes to simply curl up on the couch and read quietly. Initially that used to really worry me that I'd done something wrong and she didn't want to socialize, because in *my* family prolonged silences usually meant something was wrong and someone was mad at you. There was always noise going on, and I was brought up to be a proper host, seeing to the needs of my guests as much as possible. But Marge is a high school teacher who is surrounded by noise and chaos on a daily basis, so when she goes on vacation, she just likes to relax and enjoy quiet. And she (like her son) can be so stoic and hard to read sometimes that I'm never quite sure if I've offended her somehow. Thankfully Clint was able to translate that for me, so this visit I was better prepared to just sit and let her relax quietly while I worked. Even after a decade, she and I are still getting to know each other.

Anyway, in the end it was a fun visit, though Clint and I were more than happy to sleep in the next morning after he took Duncan to school, and just decompress. Come Monday we're both going to jump back in to Phase 1 of the South Beach diet, not only because we both slacked off terribly over the winter holidays but I know we both ate a LOT during her visit - it was a time to splurge. But for both our health's sake we're going to make a more concerted effort this season now that the weather is gradually warming up.

And in the meantime, I'm working on updating and upgrading my studio website and graphics to reflect the new name change and image. I still haven't heard a peep from my folks about my planned trade name change, so I have to assume at this point that either they're just not checking their email (a possibility, though Dad does usually check at least every few days) or they just choose not to comment on it. Que sera sera.

Just for fun, I saw this quiz on a friend's LJ, and thought I'd give it a twirl:

You scored as Fantasy Goth. You are a Fantasy Goth. You may or may not actually be a goth, but "normal" folks see you as one of those weird kids, and you are probably considered a geek by quite a few. </td> Fantasy Goth 88% Anything-Goes Goth 71% Old-school Goth 67% Industrial/Rivet-Head 58% Understanding Outsider 54% Cyber-goth 54% Perky Goff 50% Ethereal Goth 50% Romantic Goth 42% Death Rocker 33% Confused Outsider 33% What subcategory of Goth best fits you? created with QuizFarm.com

10:53 pm: Gods bless Seattle
So my Mother-in-Law is here for her semi-annual visit, and that includes one family day out. It so happens that Duncan requested a trip to the Pacific Science Center down by the Space Needle, and after a fun tour there Grandma & Duncan went up to the top of the Needle (it was cheaper for just the two of them rather than all of us - I was surprised how much it is just to go up to the observation deck now: $14 per adult, $7 for kids and $12 for seniors. Since Clint and I had both been there before, we left it to Grandma & Duncan as neither of them had been before).

But that wasn't the really funny part.

It turns out, to our collective surprise, that Memorial Day was the final day of the (in)famous annual Seattle Folklife Festival - a celebration of cultural diversity, music, food, dance and more than a few (hundred) kiosks of henna tattoo stands, massage shops, jewelry & art, music, Vegan support groups and hemp products, in all their many diverse forms.

Now, Clint and I have wanted to visit Folklife for years, because many of our friends have gone and raved about it, and deep down in a lot of ways we really are a couple of Hippies at heart. So when we walked into Seattle Center and saw the signs up for the festival we were both feeling pretty giddy.

Until we remembered who we were with: his 60+ year old mother, and our 10 year old son, neither of whom were prepared for the sudden crowds of grunge disciples camping by the outdoor stages. Now, while Clint and I do not imbibe recreational pharmaceuticals, we both know folks that do on occasion - nothing serious though, so really so long as it's not in front of us or our child, live and let live. We didn't want to go to the festival for that kind of activity anyway, as for us it's all about the music and multi-cultural experience.

But there we were with his Mom and Duncan, and the first thing I thought was, "DAMN! We're finally at Folklife, and not in any real position to enjoy it!" and Clint quietly replied, "I'm so torn. On the one hand, it's cool my Mom can see Seattle during one of the festivals which a lot of tourists don't often see. But on the other hand, this is one of the festivals where Seattle flips back the cape and lets her beautiful freak flag fly (I loved that description). I really don't know how she's going to take this."

It turned out that Marge took it pretty well in stride - or at least stoically. When I tentatively asked her later what she thought, she simply said "Well, I guess I'm just too old for this." And Duncan, it seemed, was a little too young. Sure, we saw many toddlers in strollers or riding in backpacks, but as we don't live in Seattle proper and haven't exposed Duncan to a lot of that kind of happy in-your-face alternative lifestyle in action, he got distracted pretty easily. At one point as I was guiding him through a particularly thick knot of people on our way to the parking lot I stopped to enjoy some truly kick ass African / tribal fusion music (I'm sorry to say I didn't get a chance to see who the band was). And the first thing my darling offspring does is grab his nose and loudly ask, "EWWWW! What's that SMELL?!?"

Well son, let's think about that...a lot of grass (both the smoked and the park-lawn-churned-under-many-feet kinds), cheap stanky cigarettes, a thick layer of pungent clove cigarettes, mixed with more than a few hundred sweaty, unwashed, dredlocked, partially leather-clad and often-pierced bodies of indeterminate genders milling, moshing and rolling about in the grass (the under foot kind) - many of whom are now looking at us with no small amount of amusement as I hurriedly shuffle you out into open road as fast as parentally possible. Sure, I felt like a total old fart at that moment, but the last thing we needed was to have our son return to school Tuesday morning telling his class about the family outing at Folklife and how he learned first hand the definition of "contact high".

Deep down, Clint and I did think it was all more than a little funny, and I think he was also secretly hoping to scandalize his Mom a bit. But in the end we did have some terrific quality family time - as a unit, for Duncan & Gramma alone, and especially for Clint and I as we snuggled on a bench together sharing a waffle cone of mocha almond fudge ice cream under the Space Needle while Duncan & Gramma played tourist above us. When we finally all made it back to the car we spent a good half hour (and several precious minutes of my cell phone time calling for directions) hunting for a favorite restaurant none of us had been to in years: F.X. MacRory's down by Mariner's Stadium (pardon me...Qwest Field).

Not-so-amazingly, we all had a pretty good appetite...and the food was worth the wait. Then after dinner we spent another *hour* trying to find our way OUT of Seattle back to I-5 North. Clint and I hadn't been downtown in ages and with all the construction and one-way streets it really became a bit of a joke by the time we finally found the freeway entrance again. At least the weather was nice though, and his Mom was laughing about it all too since she was driving.

Needless to say, we're all pooped - but I had to stop by and share our Seattle experience. It's days like this that almost make me wish I still lived there...though at the same time I have to wonder if it's the atmosphere I miss, or my youth when I was still free and adventurous enough to fully embrace it. Maybe a bit of both. Seattle's too pricey for me these days, but it's fun to visit now and again and take a swim in the cultural waters - before driving home in our middle-class family vehicle, and tuck our tired 30-something parental butts into our suburban bed.

Life is good. :)

10:01 pm: Happy Birthday HeatherWind, and a welcome name change!
It's HeatherWind Designs' Birthday!

May 27th marks the 7th anniversary of the day HeatherWind Designs officially opened, and what an amazing journey the last 7 years have been! I wish to sincerely thank once again all of the friends, family and fans that have not only helped me to make this possible, but who continue to support my work. You've made it all worthwhile!

It seems only fitting on this special milestone birthday that I make a very formal announcement:

After much deliberation, I am officially changing my use name on all my artwork from Amy K / A. K. Brown to that of my SCA name, Genevra. No surname, no titles - simply Genevra.

My studio name of HeatherWind Designs, my URL and my triskele logo will remain the same as before, but from now on you will see more artwork with the updated name in use. And for those of my existing clients and fans that have purchased prints before now, you're more than welcome to send the print back to me and I'll be happy to update them.

Onward and upward!

01:58 pm: A change of name - part 2
Based on the responses I've gotten so far to my question of whether or not to change my professional name, the issue has become not *should* I change it, but what exactly to change it TO.

A friend suggested this morning that rather than Genny Brown, I should simply use the name "Genevra" as a single name, and I'll confess that at first I really balked, fearing it might be too pretentious even for me! But after giving it some thought I'm becoming more and more intrigued by the idea.

Factors I have to consider in this name change are:

* Between "Genny Brown" and "Genevra", which name suits my current style of art and keeps best with the image of my studio?

* Which name has a more appealing sound and is likely to be more memorable in the long run?

* Which name can my studio grow with over the next 10 years or so? (A point in favor of Genevra - I may be "Genny" at home, but will I feel like a Genny when I'm 45?)

* Not all my art is high fantasy - the bulk of my commission work to date has been RPG portraits and game illustration work, so which of the two names better covers a broad range of SF / RPG *and* Fantasy art?

Lastly, between the two, I can sign artwork "Genevra" more easily than I can "Genny Brown" or "Genny" or "G. Brown" - I've tried writing them all out as if marking a portrait and trying to come up with a new signature glyph, and of the lot I think Genevra is more versatile.

So based on the current list of pros & cons, what are your thoughts? What other factors can you think of that I may have missed?

As I've said before I will still be maintaining HeatherWind Designs as my studio name to help bridge the change, so will it be HeatherWind Designs: the Art of Genny Brown? Or - HeatherWind Designs: The Art of Genevra?

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Thought(s) for the Moment:

"I would rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not."