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Thursday, 31 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 31 May, 2007 |
Wednesday, 30 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 30 May, 2007 |
Tuesday, 29 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 29 May, 2007 |
Monday, 21 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 21 May, 2007 |
Friday, 18 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 18 May, 2007 |
Thursday, 17 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 17 May, 2007 |
Wednesday, 16 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 16 May, 2007 |
Tuesday, 15 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 15 May, 2007 |
Monday, 14 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 14 May, 2007 |
Sunday, 13 May
 sewmanycats Originally uploaded by frykitty. The Spousal Unit and I had a wonderful time strolling through the Laurelhurst Art Walk yesterday. Several dozen artizans gathered at homes around the neighborhood to sell their wares.  We wandered from home to home, buying this and that. I grabbed some amazing citrus bath salts, and some doggie treats for a friend's dog. I was wowed by the pottery of Barbara Atlas, and nabbed the bowl pictured above, for its brilliant glazing. I loved all of her work--it's bright and lovely, yet it has a dark, Tim Burton/Edward Gorey edge. At the last house we visited, Bill, who is darned picky about photographers, bought a compelling, almost abstract print from Karen G. Di Milia. Karen tries to photograph the light, and mostly succeeds. One portrait caught my eye that was lit like a Rembrandt. The light drew me in to the photo, whose simple subject of a man reading at a counter was made beautiful by this talented photographer. Also at the last house we got a big surprise--a celebrity encounter! I got to meet someone whose picture I've used as an icon on countless sites: COOKIEBUNNY!  I was beside myself to actually meet and pet The Cookie Thief herself, Desdemona the bunny! The story of the photo: Desdemona's person, Arlene, was hosting a meeting of an Oregon rabbit club, and the bunny was doing her usual rounds of the guests, getting pets and oohs and ahs (she is a *lovely* bunny, and friendly, and soft as a whisper). Desdemona then spotted the plate of cookies in front of the couch (we saw that couch!). Ken Sypher, the photographer, realized the inevitable result, grabbed his camera, and whipped 'round the other side of the couch to wait. Thus did Bunny become Legend. And boy howdy, are we ever going to make the Laurelhurst Art Walk an annual event. A big thanks for a great day to the artists (esp Stacie!), the neighborhood, and the bunny!
~~ | Cat Connor | 13 May, 2007 |
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 13 May, 2007 |
Saturday, 12 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 12 May, 2007 |
Friday, 11 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 11 May, 2007 |
| [Comments](1)
I always wake up with a song in my head. This song either entertains or tortures me while I shower and have breakfast. Today, well, Drops of Jupiter. Gah. So I go through my morning routine ("tell me, did you sail across the sun..."), water the plants ("one without a permanent star..."), hop in the car and decide, in desperation, to turn on the radio, hoping for a cure. "...and did you fall for a shooting star..." *cries* So I've been meaning to begin writing about something pretty personal, though important to me, but it's such a big subject I've been putting it off. I figure I'll dive in a little at a time. I've always thought of myself as the "absent-minded professor" type. I often walk into a room and forget why I was going there. I used to lose things constantly, and fly into a frustrated rage trying to find them. This led to a lifetime of building organizational skills and routines. I'm more or less an expert. I don't lose my keys because they go in the exact same place, every time. I have trouble prioritizing. I've been in trouble on many jobs because I was working on something the boss didn't see as important. I have a hard time estimating how long things will take. Well, that's an understatement--I just have no idea how long it will take me to do something. If I'm asked for an eta, I give a doe-eyed guess, and am always wrong by an order of magnitude. Worse, I have trouble getting started on things. Sure, I get them eventually, but very often I'm frozen in place, unable to begin the things I want to, paralyzed by guilt and fear and anger, knowing that if I could start, I would enjoy it. When I do begin things, I begin a dozen things at once, and finish none of them. I finally decided that craft supplies were like toys, and I could play with them as I chose, and not have to finish anything. Of course, this tendency to be full of big ideas, yet finish nothing, is a much bigger problem at work. There's more, but that's a good start. Sounds like pretty much anyone, doesn't it? I think we all have problems like this from time to time. As always, the measure of a problem is how much it interferes with your life. In my case, it was absolutely ruinous, especially the inability to begin things. Miserable and frustrated, I finally brought the problem to my therapist, who had been successfully treating me for depression. I went to him knowing that this was the last Big Thing that was triggering depressive episodes. I figured there was really no help, and that I had some nebulous fear of success or failure or was missing some Pillar of Self Esteem. But that's not what he said. He gave me a worksheet to fill out, and looked at it for a few minutes. Then he turned to his computer to type something in, and said: "Let's see if you can guess what I'm thinking. What do you think is wrong?" I floundered and spewed half a dozen things I'd read in books on depression and procrastination over the years. He turned around. "What do you know about ADD?" My jaw hit the floor. "Nothing," I replied. So we talked about Attention Deficit Disorder. We discussed my school history, which was full of "Cat isn't living up to her potential" and "Cat daydreams" and "Cat is very bright, but doesn't complete her homework." He was already familiar with my family history--a long line of self-medicating depressives, going from job to job, trapped in their own inability to use their talents. He recommended I read Driven to Distraction, which he said was very helpful for people new to ADD, and he prescribed Ritalin. Driven has been an astonishing eye-opener. If you even suspect you or a loved one may suffer from ADD I recommend this book and a trip to a competent therapist. ADD is not a joke, it's not a symptom of modern life, it's not something everybody has. I wasn't sure about it myself until I started learning more. And the Ritalin, well, frankly, it's been miraculous. Suddenly, I have a brain. I begin things. I finish things. I enjoy myself immensely. I used to wonder how the hell everyone else got so much done; now my envy is replaced by action. At 42, my whole life has opened up. Where I saw a lifetime of puttering a futzing before, now I see...everything. And that's enough writing for now. I have things to do.
~~ | Cat Connor | 11 May, 2007 |
| [Comments](1)
Thursday, 10 May
I'm not much of a gardener, but I have to admit there are few things nicer than being in the front yard in the early morning, with a thousand birds singing, and the world smelling like joy. Just for five minutes, to water the new hosta and hellebore I put in a few days ago. I hope the neighbors didn't catch me talking to them. "Want some water? You look like you want some water. Ooh, doesn't that feel nice?" Yeah, well, the more I anthropomorphize the plants, the less likely I am to kill them.
~~ | Cat Connor | 10 May, 2007 |
Wednesday, 09 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 09 May, 2007 |
I have been eating for stupid lately. The extent of my vegetable intake: v8 juice. Criminy. So I made myself a little flowchart that should make my tummy happier:  Of course, I'm sipping a diet coke as I type. Yeesh. I have too much to do this summer to feel crappy because of my poor diet!
~Enough about me...~ | Cat Connor | 09 May, 2007 |
Tuesday, 08 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 08 May, 2007 |
Sunday, 06 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 06 May, 2007 |
Saturday, 05 May
Went to the OPA Ceramics Showcase on Friday, and talked to potters about how they did things, and grabbed several inspirational pieces...  I purchased this cup from Craig Martell, who used a variety of slip and glaze decorations. This piece inspired me to make some slip at the studio today and play with it on a few green pieces.  This "singing bowl" by Carol Lebreton is a hollow shape, filled with something that makes a beautiful, raspy, rain sound when gently turned. The bowl is a feast of texture, with an earthy mottling on the outside, and a deep, varied, glass-like finish on the inside. I was bummed that Carol was not around, as I would have loved to ask her about her glazing.  This small platter by Leslie Green was very difficult to photograph. Leslie uses a raku glaze, along with a clear glaze, and a coat of silver nitrate, to achieve a marvellous sheen.  I admit I bought this bunny by Michael Fromme because, well, it's darling. The more I look at it, the more I love its robust, lively form.  Finally, I couldn't pass up this monster by James DeRosso. This monster is only a few inches tall, but fills every bit of it with whimsical menace, if there is such a thing. DeRosso also makes much, much larger monsters, which I longed for, but couldn't afford.
~Crafts~ | Cat Connor | 05 May, 2007 |
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 05 May, 2007 |
i have dyed my hair
~Enough about me...~ | Cat Connor | 05 May, 2007 |
Friday, 04 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 04 May, 2007 |
Thursday, 03 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 03 May, 2007 |
Wednesday, 02 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 02 May, 2007 |
Tuesday, 01 May
~Links~ | Cat Connor | 01 May, 2007 |
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