Hold on to what is good even if it is a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe even if it is a tree which stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do even if it is a long way from here.
Hold on to life even when it is easier letting go.
Hold on to my hand even when I have gone away from you.
- Pueblo Blessing
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Friday, Oct. 15, 2004 - 4:51 a.m.
WARNING!!!! if you know me personally, you may read my diary, but if you do, you take the chance of hearing things you don't want to know, misunderstanding what I've written and being hurt by it. If you are unsure if it is ok to read, save yourself and me the grief and heartache, and ask first!!! Please note that this is a DIARY, ie my subjective feelings, hearsay, suppositions, and outpourings of ranting of the moment. It does not represent objective news, the whole of what I think of a topic or someone, or even a thought-out representation of any of the above. Keep that in mind. Thanks. * Here is a Diary Etiquette Read Me.
Bright Boxing Toasters and Watercolor Day
Hullo hullo!
Now I really don't know why I bother to write nice funny entries with pictures, really... I got a total of TWO comments on the last three entries combined (thanks Radiogurl and Onewetleg).
I swear I am just going to moan and groan and you will all be nice and cheer me up. So better than bucking up and being ignored. (yes, that is me complaining)... I had a wowza 186 pageviews in the past two days and I get TWO comments? sheesh.
Go back and read the previous three entries if you've missed them. thanks
Anyhews, I have finished coloring in the wacky drawings for my US client... you can click on the thumbnails to open a larger (not much larger, but larger) image in another window. The first one is the colored version of the Boxing Toasters sketch I put in the other day's entry.
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| Copyright 2004 Wench77 Don't Steal the stuff eh! | |
Well, today I got up at 11am eeeek! I know that sounds silly to say, but it is two to two and a half hours earlier than normal, and I had about 5 hours sleep. zzzz. I managed to return some business calls before running off to my first watercolor class. One of the calls was to my accountant. Regarding the darn income tax people who have turned me over to a collection agency. I have paid $5000 of the $6000 plus they are demanding of me (the latest check only three weeks ago), but they seem to think I am trying to duck out. Huh??
They "revised" the income tax return my accountant sent in, and she sent them back a correction letter way back in June. I have been patiently awaiting their response ever since, with a new revised (ie back to including the credit they "deleted") $ figure, so I could pay what I owe, and not more. Sigh.
My accountant finally got hold of them to ask what's up, and they DID get her letter (but didn't inform us) and crazily enough applied the credit we carried over from 2002 TO my 2002 report... and want to give me a refund of $126 for 2002. BUT we had carried the credit over to 2003 which is permissible, giving me a refund of over $500. Hello income tax people?!!! Do the paperwork like we send it in unless it is WRONG, please do NOT retroactively revise how we apply credits we are allowed to carry over. AAGH. So now I have to watch the mail for this supposed $126 refund check which will have a statement with it, and get it quickly quickly to my accountant, so they can stop telling me I owe them $$. Stupid poops. I don't mind doing my share to help out society, but hell, don't cut out credit where it is due.
After that I went to my watercolor class... I figured out I can get there by biking and then bus, instead of an hour on the subway. And then on my way home I realized that all the rest of the year I will be dragging watercolor paper, all my painting shit etc, including water jars and palette, and that will NOT work on the bike. I'll have to bus it the whole way. I guess this will be a good time to read.
Weirdly enough as I was waiting at the bus stop, there was a plastic bag with some garbage and an old hardbound book, which, being me, I fetched out of the trash. It is a tiny (5" x 7") Harper Perennial Classic edition of "Main-Travelled Roads" by Hamlin Garland. Originally published in 1891, this copy 1956. I will comment on it as I read.
So far I am more than amused by this assessment from the foreword:
"....for with all our love and veneration for publishers, we have never regarded them as martyrs to literature, and we do not believe they would now be issuing so many volumes of short stories if these did not pay. Publishers, with all their virtues, are as distinctly made a little lower than the angels as any class of mortals we know. They are, in fact, a tentative and timid kind, never quite happy except in full view of the main chance..."That speaking of the fact that they were notoriously not interested in publishing collections of short stories, such as this book, and have suddenly decided it is all the vogue (the writer suggests it may be due to the success of collections of short stories by Kipling). Yup. "a tentative and timid kind"... hehe. The number of times I have been asked to make changes to a drawing cuz they thought it was too provocative, or chancy or whatever. Sigh. Sales sales sales. Though I must admit there are a remarkable few who actually take chances. I would add that the company The four hundred coups (I am not spelling that out for fear of googles) for which I will illustrate the dog book seems to be one of the rare chance-taking ones, and it pays off for them. They have published for example, "Petit zizi", which is a book about a kid fearing his dick is too small to get the girl he wants (in about grade three! She wants hundreds and hundreds of babies and he had been told a petit zizi won't cut it). Now do you know ANY english publisher who publishes shit like that??!!
Anyways, I find a coolshort stories in the garbage. And go to my watercolor class. I think it will be cool. Funnily enough the place is anglophone, the talking all happened in broken french (anglophone teacher) and the second language of preference in the class ends up being Spanish! Funny! There are three spanish speaking students out of seven. Two of the students have been with her before, two haven't touched watercolor ever, a couple have touched it, and then there is me.
Interestingly enough it seems I know more than I think I know. I always feel like I have made up what I do and it isn't really legit though it works... I last did watercolor in a classroom setting when I was 13. eek! I did ceramics and lithography in university and post-university which has NOTHING to do with painting. But as she was talking about paper, paints, did a technique demo, I realize I do most of that, but didn't have the fancy vocab for the techniques. Cool.
I'm going to have to shell out $100 or so for materials, but I am quite excited about being back in a classroom setting with exercises and feedback. We are going to work from life, from the model, abstract all kinds of stuff. For next week I have to do some texture studies of fallen leaves (curly mangled ones not the flat perfect red mapleleaves that fall to the sidewalk here). And we have to bring textured stuff to class next week. This is great. I don't do enough "texture" in my work. yay!
I do fear that I talk too much in the class, sigh. I really should be teaching instead of taking classes. I swear. I really underestimate myself... I think "oh I couldn't teach without a teaching diploma".. blah blah... like feeling like I don't know how to paint without a painting class. But I see how prepared the teacher is (or isnt... she hadn't made photocopies of her handouts for us yet, she hadn't brought brushes etc for the demo and had to borrow from a student)... and I think, she is a highly esteemed teacher who knows her shit and has been teaching for 35 years. She is not perfect... I could do this.
Not to say I could teach this particular class.. I could not. But I could teach, I see that now. yay!
So, I am excited about the watercolor class and will keep you up to date. It will be easier to share online than choir or flamenco! stomp stomp!
After class I forgot that I had things to do and hung out chatting with a friend who has a furniture shop down the street. And then at 6pm thought DANG!! I was supposed to put the last coat of paint on the front steps and balconies today that my Dad started. Totally slipped my mind. So I managed to paint in the dark... I was thinking of leaving it til tomorrow but they are predicting rain for the next three days, and then highs of 4-5� Celcius! youch! That is JUSt above freezing. Can't paint below 10� Celcius. So tonight it was. Now it's done. YAY!!!
Well, I have to retouch a page of comics, scan and upload it, so I can get to sleep. Take care y'all, and please leave a comment! It makes my breakie so much sweeter with comments from my diaryland friends! Thanks ever so much!
Hugs to me and you
Me, wenchie.
Here is my horoscope for Thursday, October 14:Hmm, they are playing the "morning radio" music now... I love that... it also makes me think of our Diaryland radio personalities Dangerspouse and Radiogurl. Yay!! hello you two!.There's high drama on your schedule for the next couple of days, so prepare yourself. Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially for someone as fond of theatrics as you are. Still, you might want to warn your dear ones.
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previous meanderings - future past
Goodbye Michael. May your next life be kinder to you. - Thursday, Jun. 25, 2009
Taking Care of Your Cows - Thursday, Jun. 25, 2009
Saint Joseph robs the cradle and eats spaghetti - Sunday, Jun. 14, 2009
sticky notes and broken irises - Friday, Jun. 12, 2009
The FOODCOMMANDER - Monday, Jun. 08, 2009
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