Tagged!

(279)
I have been tagged by Marian Fortunati and asked to share some "unusual" things about myself.
Unusual? That is the assignment? oh gee, maybe you should grab some caffeine and try to stay awake... but here goes:

1. Years ago, my sister got concert tickets for us to see Paul and Linda McCartney--the only concert I ever attended when the audience knew the words to every song---so great. Later when Linda passed, synchronicity played a role in my travel plans, allowing me to be in London on the evening of her memorial. Like thousands of others, I stood outside St. Marins in the Fields and caught a glimpse of Paul and others as they waved hello and filed into the church. Lily of the Valley was Linda's favorite flower so her family had bouquets all along the facade of the church and the invitees were given one as they departed. There were extras, and one of the security guards offered a bouquet to me...lovely.



2. I received my first "art award" was when I was in the 5th grade. The class was was given a huge double bar of Ivory soap (I'm quite sure they no longer make those), and asked to carve something from it. I was so enthralled with Renaissance art at that age, and had just read about how Michelangelo observed a huge piece of marble that no one else wanted, and was able to visualize his sculpture of David within its boundaries. So I studied the shape of my soap bar and tried to imagine what would fit inside my rectangle (about 4"x7" not quite 2 inches thick)--and then I "saw" it. An opened book, lying flat would fit perfectly in that space, and was my "best of show" win. It was the first time I had considered sketching "within the envelope" to find a shape.

3. Although I took art classes in college, my major was psychology, and working with a white lab rat was a requirement for graduation. Let me just say that when a rat bites you, he doesn't let go immediately...and may I also add that when your rat is then running loose in the classroom, lying down on that nice cool science table to keep from fainting can be a godsend. Just in case you were wondering, such an event requires a new round of immunizations. Nightmares? why yes-- for years actually.

4. I first saw the Rolling Stones when I was 8 months pregnant. And a few years later, when that "baby" grew taller than me, we went to hear Mick and Keith again....



5. About 12 years ago, I was liberated by the sudden realization that I do not have to watch the evening news. Who knew? With apologies to John Mayer, I am not "waiting on the world to change" but hoping to follow Ghandi's advice to "BE the change you wish to see in the world." What in the world would we do without that daily dose of horror, you ask? Why not fill your head with what is good in the world instead?...perhaps with words by people who have have something uplifting to say about life like Deepak Chopra, Dwayne Dyer, Mattie Stepanek, Maya Angelou, Elie Weisel, Sarah Ban Breathnach, Eckhart Tolle, just to name a few- So many adults are up in arms about the negative effects of video games, but does the news not also desensitize us to violence? Clearly my news avoidance is "unusual" considering that 24-hour news stations are so very plentiful. (how many are sponsored by anti-depressant drugs?) Go ahead. TRY it-- try a news fast! It will feel weird at first, you will swear that you NEED to "know what is going on in the world" but soon you will realize that for every single sensational, negative story they have chosen for you, there are millions of unreported, inspiring and uplifting ones all around you. Millions!

6. I am ambidextrous in both writing and painting, but I didn't discover that fact until I had an injured rotator cuff.

okay, that's enough...still awake? If so, I'll stop there and TAG these fine folks...can't wait to learn more about them:
Diane Bronstein
Lorrie Drennan
M.E. Bailey
Vicki Shuck
Kellie Hill
Jennifer Woodburn
Paula Cravens
Mary Duvall

The rules for tagging are these:

1. put a link in your posting about the artist that tagged you.
2. write 5 -7 unusual things about yourself.
3. tag 5 - 7 other bloggers and let them know.