So Much Depends Upon a Red Wheelbarrow

so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens
-William Carlos Williams

J

Abstract Painting

One of my New Years Resolutions was to paint more because I used to paint all the time. So, for the last three months I have been doing a lot of abstract painting - extremely abstract. No brush, no paint, no canvas - I just think about it a lot...haha. Abstract, indeed! Finally, today I pulled out my kit and a practice canvas board and just painted. It was really nice. Russell was napping and I had to be quick so I didn't plan or do any rough sketches first - I just let my hand do whatever it wanted to do. I did not expect to create any grand masterpiece, and I definitely didn't, but it was relaxing to reconnect with an old hobby - like reuniting with a childhood friend. I'm already starting to think about what I'll do next. Russell, expect to be ignored in the very near future.

J

A New Love

I have just recently discovered a television gem that has somehow eluded my notice for the last six months. It's a show on History Television (right there is a sign that it's gotta' be great) called Ancients Behaving Badly. It is an eight part series that applies a modern analytical approach to some of classical history's most infamous rulers. The show seeks to investigate historical figures like Nero, Julius Caesar and Genghis Khan and applies physical testing, archaeology and a modern knowledge of the sciences from toxicology to ballistics to re-appraise their lives in order separate fact from fiction. I have always loved history - even the boring parts - and this show consistently keeps me glued to the screen. So far I have seen episodes featuring Julius Caesar, Caligula, Hannibal and Attila the Hun but am greatly looking forward to Nero, Genghis Khan, Cleopatra and Alexander the Great. I am crossing my fingers that after they are finished with the more sinister Classical "bad boys (and girls)" that they'll move into the Middle Ages. Here's hoping!

J

Check Out Those Lashes!

-J

Remember the Alamo!

So it turns out that Ken, the goober and I are going to be heading off to Texas for six months at the beginning of May! Ken needs to go there, Houston that is, for work as part of his training rotation so, naturally, Russ and I are going along for the ride. I wasn't terribly fond of the idea at first but now I'm actually excited to go. It's only six months and it will be interesting to compare the differences/similarities between Calgary and Houston. I mean, it's not like we're going off to some far-off foreign country right?

Quotes I associate with Texas off the top of my head: "I'm an oil man;" "...black gold, Texas tea;" "Remember the Alamo!" "All my exes live in Texas...; "If I owned Texas and Hell, I'd rent out Texas and live in Hell;" "Everything's bigger in Texas;" "Saskatchewan is much like Texas except it's friendlier to the United States." That's all I can think of right now.

I'm sure I have a lot of misconceptions about that big ol' State but six months of living there should educate me. Plus, the apartment we're staying in has a dishwasher!!

-J

Idiosyncrasies

I love getting to know more and more about my little guy's personality every day. As of late, his favorite sign of affection is touching his forehead to mine and then shaking his head back and forth so our foreheads rub together. I absolutely love it! Instead of kisses, which would be accompanied by a shower of saliva, I get a forehead massage.

I have also noticed a trend in his food preferences. Squash is the new carrot here at the Conrad house and Russ can't get enough of it. What a weirdling.

His favorite place to sit this week seems to be crouched underneath one of the kitchen chairs where he will then proceed to repeatedly hit his head against the underside of the chair above him while attempting to stand up. Intense whining ensues, wherein I rescue my afflicted son only to repeat the process ten minutes later. I am constantly saving my little dude in distress but that suits me just fine.

I wonder what he'll start doing next week? As long as he doesn't express an intense interest in manhandling the odorous contents of his diaper, I think we'll be just fine (knock on wood and cross your fingers).

J

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

New Beginnings for the Young Women in my ward was on Saturday (I'm the YW President) and I am just so relieved it's over...haha. I had this "bright" idea about a month ago that for the event we could take pictures of the girls/leaders in Wizard of Oz costumes and then superimpose them onto different backgrounds, create a slide show, add some music and audio and that would be that. How hard could it be, right? Little did I know that it would take so much bloody work!!! For the last month it has been like a full time job putting together a 10 minute slide show!! In the end, it turned out pretty well and I received many compliments, which I needed, because I have to believe that all that work was worth it. It is long, so be prepared, but here it is:


J