In General I'm Perplexed by Avid Sports Watching

Perplexed In Particular

I'm not a good spectator. As much as I try to understand it I'm still perplexed by the way some people can spend hours watching sports that they don't play or have never seriously played and have no intenton of ever playing. I understand some watching but hours and hours day in and day out. Where's the joy? Are they learning something? What's the enjoyment? Why should I care that U of L is playing UK tomorrow? Someone explain this to me.

In General I'm Perplexed by Exhibitionism

Perplexed In Particular

Tonight while at Have A Nice Day Cafe I was perplexed by the sheer number of women, early twenties through forty-something, who were rubbing their butts up against miscellaneous men. I got over people dancing with themselves by looking in the mirror but grown people "clothes burning" with strangers, in public? that perplexes me.

CPN Affiliates Consensus Organizing Institute -- I'm impressed by the words, let's see how the action flows.

Purposeful Pieces

The results are in from my unscientific survey. I need to focus this blog so that I feel the need to update it more. Or of course there's the "retire this blog" option. But it's not the blog. It's my lack of purpose for this particular blog. I started a new blog a few days ago called Nightly Notes and I'm excited about it like I use to be about this on. I'll have a pause in my day and think I'll update the blog later. It could be the newness but I'm going to say it's the fact that Nightly Notes are focused therefore I don't spend any time thinking what should I write. I get to write - which was one of the main reasons I started blogging; to get in the practice of writing freely and effortlessly. It has helped me more ahead on the novel. Written words aren't as "precious" as they once were I know that I can edit, delete, leave it, explain it later, examine it later, talk with someone about it later. When I blog I can just actually write.

In that instant of writing "write" I decided that this blog, at least for the next seven days, will be about things that perplex me. That'll be fun! Ready? Here I go . . . .

Why Am I A Stranger In My Own Neighborhood

I am perplexed by the fact that I am so out of touch with the things going on around me. I went to a neighborhood meeting today. I haven't been to one in perhaps five years! I should be ashamed to admit that considering the fact that my neighborhood has so many problems. But in the back of my mind has always been that oft quoted admonishment by Sydney J. Harris, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem, . . . ."

I believe this. I've always believed this but I'm not a joiner, a people person, a good neighbor. I'd so much rather be alone with a good book or working on some art than dealing with other people and their problems. Hell, I have at least three probems of my own that I don't want to deal with. Plus, I'm very judgemental - have I blogged about my judgemental streak before? Anyway, I know when I'm wrong and I'm deep into self-assessment and correction. So I'm going to be useful. I'm going to find a group that's actually doing something or has the potential to do something and I'm going to help. Good intentions - I'm sure there's a quote about good intentions being following by a reality check.

Maybe this other Sydney J. Harris quote will explain me, help me, put me on the right path: "An idealist believes the short run doesn't count. A cynic believes the long run doesn't matter. A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short run determines the long run." If only I could be a realist 80% of the time. My problem is that I alternate evenly between being an idealist, a cynic and a realist. I can see so much that's wrong and I want to change it at its core but that's not how the world works. I'm out of step and out of tune with so many people around me. I can hear it in the things I say and the things they say and I can see it in the looks we give each other. I guess I'm going to have to bury all of that and just be useful. Useful to who? To what?

Save me from too many questions!! For tonight it'll have to be enough for me to know that there is no one perfect solution to any one of the hundreds of problems surrounding me but if I isolate one problem I can do something about it. That I'm sure of. At least at this moment I am.

welcome to meli made this young business woman/ artist is working it!! She is an inspiration. Check her out and buy something.

six degrees of separation test Is it really a small world?

What A Concept!!! Where was this book in the late 70's when I needed it? Teenage Job Skills Improving Your Job Skills as a Teenager

Spray Paint Art --- Creating a Worldwide Art Revolution! Who knew?

Follow-Through

#18

It worked out that I was out and in the area during the 2-1/2 hour time window that the Family Farm Project is set up. So I went. I liked what I saw; farmer's market type setup (surprise!), with little notes 3 eggplant, 5 tomatoes, 2 squash, 1 watermellon etc. It was funny, colorful and rather surreal and there were these wonderful sunflowers. But sunflowers don't came in your 1/2 bushel a week :-( I like veggies and flowers. However, the sunflowers and other things can also be purchased retail. The other things come from cattlemen and a winery! So what kinds of things do you think they might be?

I like the concept of family farms taking subscriptions for the fruits of their labors and delivering it downtown. It's so city mouse/ country mouse. Well, next week I'm paying my fee - even though this is like week 15 of 27 - and I'm filling my little basket. It'll have the added benefit of giving me an excuse to be in a certain place at the same time every week. Why is that I good thing? long story. Also next week if my follow-through engine is still operating I'll post a listing of my basket's content or maybe even a picture!! I finally, finally got the camera's software and the computer to work out their difference but then yesterday I had to wipe my hard drive and reinstall the world so I'm afraid to see if I can upload pictures. Yes, I'm actually afraid; somethingphobic. It took me alllllllll day to get the computer back up and toooo many days to get the printers USB drivers to join the party.

W.O.W.

24 Multipurpose Women Looking Over Louisville

W.O.W. doesn't technically work out to be "24 multipurpose women looking over Louisville" but I just spent time with 24 women as a member a focus group and it was . . . WOW. Plus if you were there WOW makes even more sense.

You weren't there? Well, let me summarize with a list of 24 (one per woman :-) things associated with that meeting that could be fodder for future Multipurposewoman text:

1. I hadn't met half the women before (an indication of the extent of my self-imposed isolation)
2. the half I had met before I hadn't seen in a while
3. I've had "conversations" with some of the previously unknown women via e-mail
4. emergent behavior - I spent some time finding out about this social science theory before the meeting, found out more at the meeting and am interested enough to purchase a book suggested by the hostess
5. women need and deserve studio space
6. women need, desire and deserve quiet space
7. women need community of kindred
8. Glass is a media not a restriction - the Glassworks Gallery has an amazing array of art (I think I got in an artist's date!)
9. glass and rusted metal work well together (at least for Patrick Martin - see the show in the Marta Hewett Gallery June 28 - August 27, 2002)
10. if you're seven floors up you can see far AND clear
11. 24 women have 24 views of being female
12. 24 women have 24+ views of what an artist needs
13. fiber artists have bolts and bolts of fabric (and that's how it should be!)
14. some artists are more organized than others
15. it's nice to have 3 bathrooms in your living space
16. women don't always want to have children underfoot
17. Kentucky Theater serves as a meeting place for artists across all disciplines to network and find ways of working together. Every Friday from 5-7 p.m. (No Cost)
18. there's a Family Farm Project that delivers fresh produce to downtown Louisville once a week - I'm calling tomorrow to find out more
19. some women have soft voices
20. some women have soft voices that they sometimes make less soft
21. business cards can say a lot about a person
22. business cards can just provide contact information
23. a strong facilitator is a blessing
24. a lot of women don't get to do art until their 40's and after
25. some women look damn good at 54 & 78 and in between and beyond
26. I'm living in the midst of multipurpose, active women who are in their 50's, 60's and 70's
27. I need to get my act together and start interviewing the women I bump into - a mini interview on a single topic will be a good start. It's been rolling around in my mind but it always rolls out of reach while I'm over thinking it
28. I am blessed - I have studio space that I like (I could use more space but I'm the type who can/will fill every available cubic foot)
29. I am blessed - I have the computer and I'm not afraid to use it
30. I am blessed - I have reliable transportation
31. I am blessed - I do what I love and I usually get paid for it
32. I am blessed - I get invitations to spend time imagining the near future with multipurpose women while eating good food and drinking wine as I look over the city

Maybe next time I'll tell you what the meeting was about! And if this urge of blog stays with me I'll write about seeing Martin Lawrence Live! at the theatre last Friday. I took notes. It was more interesting than I'd thought it would be.