Draw me a picture of my heart

And paint it with the color blue

Sketch me a dagger

Piercing my heart and call it you

Write me a poem and call it love

Then send it to the angels above

Probably them, they will see

How you truly inspire me.

Written by Pat 2003

 Robyn, I saw a pic of you recently, surrounded by your artsyletters wares. What exactly have you created in this new venture?

 Thanks so much for having me, Cathy!  I’ve been busy drawing, printmaking, conjuring up collages with altered pages from old books and fun vintage finds, and packaging note cards and bookmarks – making “art for your literary side.”

 Last weekend, I did my first art show in a couple of decades here in Gainesville, Ga., and it was a blast.  My hubby and daughter helped.  (Son was on a school trip, or he would have been recruited as well!  But he had to stamp my logo on shopping bags this summer.)

LOVE this idea! So what’s the inspiration for your artsyletters?

 I still love writing, of course – poetry, fiction, nonfiction – and speaking, but I needed something to supplement the income from that, which can be, um, sporadic.  I’ve always had an entrepreneurial bent and actually had an art business in my life B. C. (Before Children).  Now I’m recruiting those aforementioned pretty-much grown children to help with this new endeavor!

 Wait – is that laughter I hear about my supplementing an income by selling art?  O, ye of little faith.  Quit laughing.  I can still hear you.

 Actually, once the idea to make art celebrating the reading and writing life emerged, my muse wouldn’t let me sleep!    It seemed like a perfect way to tie together all my interests.  I’ve rekindled passions from earlier in my life such as calligraphy and illumination, and for once I’m glad I’m a pack rat and kept so many of those resources.  A trip up to a Highlights Founders workshop last year re-ignited a love for printmaking, and I find myself making pictures with all kinds of vintage books and other fun literary props. 

 My new obsession with altered page collages has me picking up any intriguing piece of metal off the side of the road and paying perfectly good money for old typewriter keys and parts, letterpress blocks, and the like.  I keep widening my “territory” to encompass new antique shops, in addition to discovering new vendors on Etsy!  By the way, stooping to pick up little bits of abandoned treasures (old junk) here and there is a great way to make family members walk faster, in the other direction… .

 I’ll be adding more items in each category in my shop and have really appreciated the positive feedback I’ve gotten so far.

Such a great gift for a writer! (Or anyone who loves letters, really.) How do we get our grubby little paws on them?

 Bring any paws and tails and anything else right on over to my Etsy shop AND, just for you and your wonderful blog readers, I’ve set up my very first COUPON CODE!  If you see something you like, type in CATHY2012 when prompted at checkout, and you’ll receive 15 percent off.  This will be good through October 31. :0)

 Also, I’ve set up a new blog just for this adventure, artsyletters.  My plan is not only to feature my own work, but to set up a weekly discussion with interested creative types about art and creativity.  The site is up, but look for that first creativity-themed post next Wed.  And maybe a give-away?? :0)

 I have an artsyletters facebook page, and next time my daughter’s home from college, we’ll get Twitter going, too!

 Oh, and for each purchase, I’ll donate a small percentage to literacy charities.  Being able to read is a priceless gift, and I’m happy to celebrate it with all these fun creations.

 Thanks for helping me spread the word, Cathy!

Thank you for dropping by today, AND providing a coupon code. I’ve got a feeling I’m going to wear CATHY2012 out!  As for the rest of y’all, get some shopping done over at artsyletters! (I told you it was really, really fun!)

As a society, if we could master just the “love-thy-neighbor” thing, all of our feeds would be drastically changed; wholly different from what they are now.

I have read a lot about Jesus, which makes me uniquely qualified to perceive you as a poor follower.

The only place religion should exist is in the heart, there is NO place for it in society. Jesus said that.

Pilate didn’t crucify Jesus. Jesus lost the popular vote.

What happened to Jesus’s body? I dunno, maybe Pilate took it.

Mary (not his mother) was his most dedicated disciple.

For the record: I’m Agnostic. That means I don’t care. I don’t care about the existence, or non-existence, of a higher power. In my personal philosophy, that same apathy applies to what you believe. But this is my blog, so there.

From memory:

There’s too many kids in this tub,

There’s too many elbows to scrub,

I just washed a behind I’m sure wasn’t mine.

There’s too many kids in this tub.

What can I say about Obvious State aside from the fact that I absolutely adore it? Well, that you’ll adore it, too. Evan Robertson, the mastermind behind the literature-inspired fine art illustrations, describes Obvious State as follows:

The best thing about paperbacks (apart from the smell, of course) is that when a little jewel of a sentence grabs you, you can underline it. If you’ve only ever read a book on a screen (hey, it’s not far off), then let me explain: Underlining something in your book is the original “interactive” media. Think of it as a hyperlink that redirects to your own thoughts, and like a hyperlink, it can leave the rest of the story behind and open up a new window of ideas, insights, musings.

 

That’s the spirit of this series of illustrations. I took little snippets of text and ideas from some of my favorite authors (with some notable exceptions that I’m saving), and let the words be a springboard for an illustration. The illustrations incorporate and interact with the text and hopefully add up to something that engages the mind as much as the eye.

From Capote to Hemingway to Wilde you’re sure to find a quote that speaks to you. So head on over, browse the genius and make your pick. Trust me, your walls will thank you.

Maybe we should all just go back to an embryonic state where we are equal. That would be fair, and boring, and we would die listless and unchanged together. Life would be absolutely meaningless, but totally equal. Our kind would cease to exist, greater powers would absorb us, but, no one would ever suffer a moment of insecurity, or a thrilling triumph. Yea.

Myriad methods exist for fitting in, as well as standing out. What is of greater concern: those trying to boost the oxygen level of the blood for a race, or, those using psychotropics in a massive effort to make sense of life itself? I guess its easier to prove the oxygen thing…

Maybe a sleeping Olympics? Why become contestants if we are equal? What type of industry might this contest create?

What other “peak performance” objectives are relevant to the way we define ourselves? ie, “Worlds best Mom”, or, why is a child’s intelligence so important to some parents?

The only thing “Anti-Doping” (can you believe its a committee?) represents is jealousy, fear, and power. True addicts are self-destroying first, winning is contrary to their goal, and, influencing others to: persevere, focus, train, breakthrough, follow through, remain committed, take the heat, and a billion other worthy human pursuits, is more foreign, and farther away, than that Rover on Mars.

Why so pristine? Kids programming [these days] Sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It sucks. Its a nightmare. Just admit it.

Finally hung it on the wall.

Hi! My name’s ” “. Nice to meet you, thanks for interviewing! Seriously, I love cock; I have done things with cock you wouldn’t imagine! Maybe I’ll tell you about it sometime, wink*wink. I think you’re a good fit, and everything will go well as long as you understand and acknowledge that I am the authority on cock. Well excellent! We would like you to be here Monday at 10am..

Saturday..

..is one of the days where people go out and have fun. But today was different. It’s rainy and most people try to go home as fast as they can. Last night’s news reports about a storm entering the country.

As I alight the train, I was accompanied by dozens and dozens of people rushing their way through the exit and carefully going down on the slippery wet stairs. I joined them while watching my steps so I won’t slip.

Outside the train station was more people in every direction. I don’t really care what they are up to. I, then, saw a familiar face through the crowded sidewalk. He’s on different direction to where I was going. I suddenly realized who that person is and what he has been in my life.

I swerved through the crowd trying to get a good sight. But I was too late, I am almost at the corner of the street to my destination. Desperately, I maneuvered and managed to, at least, be close enough to tap him and say “hi”. But I didn’t. I got scared. I don’t have the courage to even look at him. I know what he thinks of me. I know his negative emotion towards me. On that millisecond, I tried to sense some urge from his presence to turn back. There was none.

Did he recognize me? I guess not. I look different now. And even if he did, it won’t matter. What was in him before was now gone. Even if I try to bring it back. There was no more.

Nobody cares,

Nobody picks me peaches and pears.

Nobody offers me candy and Cokes,

Nobody listens and laughs at me jokes.

Nobody helps when I get in a fight,

Nobody does all my homework at night.

Nobody misses me,

Nobody cries,

Nobody thinks I’m a wonderful guy.

So if you ask me who’s my best friend, in a whiz,

I’ll stand up and tell you that Nobody is.

But yesterday night I got quite a scare,

I woke up and Nobody just wasn’t there.

I called out and reached out for Nobody’s hand,

In the darkness where Nobody usually stands.

Then I poked through the house, in each cranny and nook,

But I found somebody each place that I looked.

I searched till I’m tired, and now with the dawn,

There’s no doubt about it-

Nobody’s gone!

-Shel Silverstein

 ~      ~     ~        ~      ~     ~

“Life will never be the same” Juliana whined. Her complaint went unanswered because she was alone. Totally alone. Her older sister, Janet, was working which left Juliana in the house, alone, after school, for the first time. She felt betrayed. No one was there to help her with her homework, or prepare a snack, or make her laugh as she went though her routine of playing back the school day. Instead, she could feel the darkness of the winter evening surrounding her. As Juliana spread out her books on the kitchen table, she chose to join in the darkness of the descending night.

Her first assignment was science, something about plants. It began with one line “Choose a plant and write why you think its beautiful”. Juliana got up and looked out the window. All she saw was concrete and fences. Beautiful – huh – plant, you gotta be kidding, she muttered. There isn’t even a dandelion out there. Then something took over her, and she responded to the rebellious spirit rising in side. “I’ll show that teacher something about beauty.” She went to the computer and began her search. No adjectives, or broad search, just right to the proper name, Dandelion.

She hadn’t reached a point where she had expectations on what she would find, yet was instantly amazed by the hundreds of sites that popped up. Maybe something in her had hoped for sites promoting weed killers. Instead, there were choices for medicinal, edible, poems, and artwork. She went through one site after another, amazed at what this common weed, what many people considered a nuisance, offered. She took the information she found most interesting, saved it, and began putting a file together. Pictures, words, definitions, scrambled together. Then, Juliana got a large poster board and began to create a response to the assignment. A salad recipe, a picture of coffee, medicinal benefits, and quickly filled the board. At the center, she pasted the headline:

The Beauty of

No Ordinary Weed

Just as she stepped back to admire her work she heard her sister walk up beside her. “I thought you might miss me” she said.

Juliana stood tall, pleased with what she had created, content with her project.

I’ve been editing this post forever.

Got a spider bite; pretty good one too. Necrosis in the upper dermal layer of about 1/8in radius. Clear puncture very near center, very superficial. Treatment w/exfoliation. I have a bit of psoriasis, it almost fooled me! Was “warned” by a scorpion once, sweeping the floor, it got me in the arch; foot swelled out of my shoe. Serious power for tiny (even if they’re huge!) things.

Two cannibals eating a clown; one says to the other: “Does this taste funny to you?”

Abandon John Mayer? No. Never. Don’t even ask.

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Lenovo IdeaCentre A720

I thought I’d have some fun and do an anthropomorphism remake of Lenovo’s blog post about the IdeaCentre A720 (which was published back in May 21st), titled “A Thrilling Desktop Remix: IdeaCentre A720“. All I really did was replace some words in order to make the post sound like the IdeaCentre A720 is speaking. Other than that, a lot of the stuff from the original post remains the same.  I hope that you enjoy my remix of Lenovo’s post as much as I did (I found it pretty entertaining, if you ask me). Take it away, IdeaCentre A720: 

What’s not to like about me the IdeaCentre A720, a gorgeous new 27″ all-in-one PC? From my slim profile and fascinating adjustable angles to my 10-finger touch capability, I’m a PC bound to captivate as well as to shake up people’s ideas of what makes a desktop a desktop.

From the moment people first saw me at CES back in January–Lenovo employees played “Bugs” and made fun of their colleague Kevin Beck’s piano-playing–they knew there was something special about me, something different (dare I say tablet-like?) about the way they related to me.

I’m slim, I’m huge and I’m beautiful. My specs are fantastic–up to Intel Core i7 processor and 1TB hard drive, tool-less design, Dolby Home Theatre v4, 1080p LED display, optional Blu-Ray and integrated TV tuner, etc. But two things seem to resonate with people the most. The first is my 10-finger multitouch capability, which helps you go well beyond the pedestrian pinch-and-zoom you’re accustomed to on other devices.

The second thing that stands out is the remarkable way I can lean and fold myself to virtually any angle you require. Straight up like a traditional PC monitor, all the way down like a gaming table or somewhere in-between. With all this accordion-like flexing, it’s no wonder everyone chose to associate me with some dubstep-inspired dance moves.

Those of you who work on laptops all day know what they bring to the table, but we also become keenly aware of what laptops are not. If your laptop is your hard-working daytime self, I – the A720 – promise to be your nighttime antidote–nothing but movies and games. Of course, if you have kids, good luck prying me away from them long enough to enjoy me.

What would you do with a giant, touch-enabled all-in-one PC like me – the IdeaCentre A720? Do you think it would change the way you interact with your computer? Leave me a comment below–I’d love to hear from you.

Brian, the Lenovo ThinkPad R500

In this installment of “A Computer’s Life”, I am personifying a ThinkPad R500 named Brian. The picture above is a stock image from Lenovo, and I’m using it to represent him. This is how Brian would be like if he were human (in other words, here’s a short biography of him):

This is Brian Gallagher. He’s 31 years old. He is the stepfather of Ethan, whom he adopted when Ethan was 12. He has a fiance named Meredith Stewart. His father is Matthew Gallagher, a psychologist in North Carolina. His mother is Sharon Gallagher, a psychiatrist in North Carolina. Brian is an only child from Greenville, North Carolina.

Brian is a coach specializing in training people in creative fields to become better at what they’re doing by helping them work with the techniques related to their profession and with motivation, as well as helping them improve their lives in order for them to work more effectively. His approach is very radical and has been praised by many – including clients – for helping them become more focused on what they’re doing and being more consistent with their work. It has a fun a relaxing nature, which feels almost second-nature. He is running his own business along with his fiance, Meredith. He is considered one of the top coaches in his field.

Brian has a fun, charismatic, and friendly personality. Everyone loves being around him, and clients love working with him – he makes everybody feel great. People can always count on him to cheer them up and make them feel better when they’re feeling down. He and Ethan really get along and Ethan just loves him – he can count on Brian to give him great advice when he needs it, and he can always come to Brian for anything.

Ethan, the Lenovo ThinkPad T60

In this installment of “A Computer’s Life”, I am personifying a ThinkPad T60 (with a 14.1” screen) named Ethan. This is how Ethan would be like if he were human (in other words, here’s a short biography of him, as well as a short semi-autobiography of me – that’s right, that T60 would be me if I were a computer):

This is Ethan Turner. He is 22 years old. He has two siblings, a twin brother and a younger brother. He has a step-father named Brian Gallagher, a coach specializing in training people in creative fields to become better at what they’re doing by helping them with techniques to related to their profession and with motivation, as well as helping them improve their lives in order for them to work more effectively. His step-mother is Meredith Stewart, who does the same thing as Brian. Ethan’s biological parents gave him and his brothers up for adoption, when Ethan was 12, because they were just too dysfunctional to raise them. He was born in Fountain Valley, California and was raised in Santa Ana, California.

Ethan is a new and emerging artist (in music and design), entertainer, entrepreneur, and brand. His genre in music is hip-hop – he raps, writes, and produces – but he wants to work in other genres as well a bit later. His specialty in design is graphic design. He’s been entertaining since he was little and seems to be a natural at it. He plans on starting an arts and entertainment business named ThinkLab, which is going to function as a record/entertainment company and design firm. In addition, he advocates for Lenovo because he loves the company and really believes in them. He may not have a lot of work out there (he is just starting out) but he has big plans and has the creativity, drive, and motivation to succeed on a big scale.

Ethan can be just like his friend Ryan – quiet a lot of the time and a little shy sometimes, but likes to socialize as long as he’s engaged. Like Ryan, he generally prefers to let his talents and actions do the talking. But don’t be fooled by his silence, Ethan loves to get loose and go wild – especially when it comes to entertaining people (he loves this and has been doing it since he was little) and when hanging out with friends and family. He loves to have fun and seems to have a love for life – you can almost always see him with a smile on his face. In addition, he is always being nice and respectful towards other people, which is something that they really love and appreciate.