Inn of the Wandering Dragon

and I am pretty sure what Chalk's holiday wish list will include: toy mice, lots of petting and catnip. I took this as he was being an inquisitive goof while I was getting decorations up. He is always so helpful with the Christmas tree, attempting to run off with an ornament or two to stuff into some corner or crevice. Once the tree is done and sitting on the bookshelf he knows it's off limits so he has to get his mischief in while he can.

Or at least that is the idea. After some careful examination I have once again embarked on another detox. The reason is simple - my eating habits had taken a real tailspin so this is my kick in the tush to get myself back into the habit of preparing better meals. It is comprised of the usual elements: no processed foods (dairy, flour, refined sugars), lots of fresh veggies, whole grains, lentils and lean meats like poultry and fish. So far I have been on this for a week and aside from the odd chocolate craving (what girl doesn't?) I have been doing really well. I have not been having the difficulty this time around that I sometimes had in the past.

My girlfriend and I made our yearly trip out to BC for the Renaissance Faire again. The weather was excellent and other than a few hiccups (flat tire, some unexpected work in setting up etc) the trip went quite well. We were not sure what to expect given that it was at a new location (Thunderbird Show Park) but overall I think the crowd turnout was decent. From a vendor perspective we both did exceptionally well, and I heard some other vendors comment the same.

It seems the sleepy town of Stellers Grove will have pressence of royalty to liven things up. King James of Scotland and Queen Margaret are making a brief stay and durring that time any who wish may present themselves to the King and Queen to be made a Knight or a Dame. Of course, you must make a declaration of the good deeds you have done to be worthy of this honour. These declarations ranged from "I promise to be nice to my cat." to "I fought the HST" (this caused a huge cheer) to "I made breakfast this morning" (the King was rather dubious about that one).

While this shot was taken during the pub sing, it is easy to imagine the pirates - err sorry - the Privateers to be plotting some mischief...

I recently ordered some henna supplies in anticipation for the summer events coming up. One of the new things I'm doing this year is - if the customer is so inclined - adding some sparkle to the finished designs. Kids LOVE this! Adults, well that depends on the event and the mood I guess but you should see the kids eyes light up when I ask them if they like glitter. The plus side to this is that they are often more careful with their design so there is less chance of smearing before the paste is dry.

I really haven't felt like I have had all that much to write about lately. The irony is that I have been quite busy so one would think I had a pages of stuff to write about but that is not the case. I don't generally write about work and to be honest that has been taking most of my time (working two jobs will do that to you). My time outside of work has been filled with the usual events and goings on like birthdays, weekend markets (where I henna) and wedding related stuff (I get to be a bridesmaid in September). In fact much of my days seems to run along the line of simply moving from one commitment to another before falling into bed for a time and then getting up to do it all over.

What can I say? This was some late night doodling to use up the remains of the paste. I'm quite pleased with the stain thus far and I might work some colour into it this weekend if I set some time aside.

My new (to me) camera arrived recently which has me very happy. :) Naturally, I had to test it as soon as I unwrapped the box. Doesn't he look impressed?

I now have a full time job. In theory the work is similar to what I have done before but as everyone knows the different people, processes and set up will all pose their own unique challenges. I'm looking forward to it in truth, and after my first week I'm thinking I really shouldn't have any difficulty with this - aside from figuring out mystery people's shorthand!

Yes, the cat is bouncing off the walls, the sun is out, the snow is gone (temporarily) and I have been attacking the pile of spring cleaning. Thanks to this my allergies have also gone through the roof! Oh joy, oh bliss...

Sign up has already begun for the next dance session. It looks like our student recital will be around the end of May or begining of June if they can settle on a date. So we have two months left to master our choreography and I could not be more happy about that. At this point, I need the two months!

It would appear that this time of new beginings has other offerings in store as well. I have had one interview and was notified today that I will be moving to round two of the interview process which has me feeling a bit better about things job related. I will admit that I am not resoundingly passionate about the product I will be looking after but I know I can do the job well and at this point a steady income is more than welcome. We shall see how things turns out.

I have also decided to get out and sell some henna. I will be setting up a table at a floating weekend market and with luck this will provide me with some good opportunities. At worst I get some practice selling, at best I do well and have a little extra cash. (maybe enough to pay for the next henna conference?) This is win-win in my books. I am also trying to co-ordinate a monthly henna practice / meet up for henna enthusiasts. So far I have a few people interested and I think if it does become regular then we might snag a few more participants. Meeting new people with common interests is always a good thing!

And now, I think I will get back to my henna play...

Have you ever had one of those days where you had a great idea, only to discover you are about two years too late in getting your hands on the materials? The key material, as it were, stopped being produced back in 2008. Now I have done a bit of research and there is an acceptable alternative. I just have to track it down - and this is the key bit - for an affordable price. This project is something I am thinking of for the summer so I have time to dig around. With luck I will have something to show for it a few months down the road.

In the meantime I have also taken up the task of designing the wedding invites for a friend of mine. I have a pretty good feel for what she wants and there is just one or two bits I need to figure out. I plan on making two or three mock ups and see what she thinks. I'm hoping to have a good start on that by the end of this week.

And I have purchased a camera! I am actually buying it off of someone who haunts the henna boards more than I do. The money is sent, and they will be popping it in the mail shortly. Despite the freindly reminder e-mail to the girl who has my old camera, I suspect it will be a very long time before she actually gets around to sending it back to me.

A few months ago, I and a few others in my previous belly dance class were told point blank by the instructor that we would be moving onto the intermediate level in our next class. In other words, we had been booted from the nest! We find ourselves now in the intermediate / advanced class and our brains and bodies are learning to deal (we hope) with a whole new set of challenges.

It is not simply a matter of learning new moves or steps, there are a few of those, but now we are being called upon to layer those moves with the existing ones. Do you remember that game as kids where you had to pat your head and rub your belly at the same time? This is like that except we are trying to pat our heads, rub our bellies, spin in a circle and hop from one foot to the other all at the same time! And as performers - do not let your face tell the world how confused you really are. (which part do you think is most challenging?)

I am thoroughly enjoying myself! I am finding it a real challenge which is good as I realise I have been playing things a little too safely for a while now. We all need to stretch ourselves or we become stagnant. We are learning a new choreography that we will hopefully be able to present to an audience later on this spring. I am looking forward to that!

Yes, that is what came across the intercom during my aborted flight from L.A. to Sacramento. Since I was not paying attention prior to that statement I am not 100% certain of the specifics. Suffice to say I believe there was a problem with the landing gear, so the pilot chose to turn around and return to L.A. for repairs. The fact that we were stuck on the runway for a bit after landing due to the steering mechanism being disengaged would support this.

The crew chose the safest route, and we all made it with nothing more than the inconvenience of our trips delayed (and misdirected baggage). So I have another funny anecdote to add to my travel stories, it almost ranks as high as "I'm sorry miss, but that airline no longer exists." But that is another story...

A week has passed since I returned from the Spring Fling and it already feels like another world away.

I enjoyed myself thoroughly and amassed a small pile of notes, handouts and photos that I am now starting to go through, well not the photos just yet. I left my camera behind by mistake so I am patiently waiting for it to arrive in the mail. You see, sleep at this kind of event is minimal at best so some things had to wait until the brain is less fuzzy in order to really sink in! But with rest I can now go through and start to apply these tips and ideas to my own practice.

Practice is exactly what I need! I have been both humbled and inspired by the artists at this event. So I will work in my sketchbook, and on whatever bare skin I can. I have ideas for cards, gift boxes, candles and other paraphernalia. I can copy what I see well enough but I now have hopes of developing a style of body art I can confidently call my own. I know that I can do better with this medium and that is what I aim to do.

I am starting to get excited about this, in two days I will be flying to California to meet amazing henna artists and have the chance to learn a thing or two from them. I have as much 'blank canvas' as I can offer since I have refrained from decorating myself. I have figured out what to pack - in my head anyway, I still need to complete the physical packing. Of course I will be taking my camera and extra batteries along with my sketchbook. Everything else (henna wise)will be provided. :)
This will be the first time in a long time that I have taken a trip by myself and I really hope that it will be as refreshing and invigorating as I have imagined... After the craziness of the past year I truly feel I need it!

Back in November / December I re-arranged most of my art supplies in anticipation of my friends arrival for the holidays. The idea was to keep stuff out of sight and out of reach for a certain busy toddler and the plan worked well. In fact it is still working a little too well since I am having issues finding materials and items!
So tonight the plan is to re-arrange things back to some semblance of usability...
Maybe then I can get some printing done.

I have registered for my first henna conference!

Yes, there is such a thing, in fact there are more than a few of them every year hosted by henna artists across North America with most of them in the US. Spring Fling is a regular event in California and will run for three days. Some of my favorite artists will be in attendance presenting on different topics. I do not know at this point what all the topics will be but they can range from demonstrations of different cultural styles to business practices to learning techniques. Yes, the attendees will all be practicing on each other and I have already warned my boss that I will be returning from this trip highly decorated!

So now I am torn, do I indulge and decorate myself, or do I leave as much blank canvas as possible? Decisions, decisions...

Does anyone else find it a little creepy that you can give a donation to charity only to find the receipt in your mailbox the next day or at worst the day after? Any letter I send is definitely not getting to it's destination that quickly! It brings to mind images of Olympic calibre letter carriers, braced in the blocks and ready to sprint the instant the envelope is placed in their hand. Or maybe in their teeth like a hyped up superdog?

This happens to be one of my favorite motifs although I'm not completely sure why. It was some relaxing practice for carving the speedy cut. This stuff cuts like butter, I would not attempt this image in regular lino at this stage of the game as that stuff is much harder in comparison.

There is also the issue getting used to the ink, how much ink on the block is too much and how much is not enough. You may be surprised to find that the block looks like it has good coverage only to find out it doesn't. The resulting image can be patchy and broken up.

Haha, groan I know (at least to me since the technique is relief printmaking and I am getting some relief... I'll stop now). :)


Yesterday I bought a new brayer, not exactly in time for the christmas cards I wanted to make but it just means I will have it ready for the next round. I decided to play with a block of speedycut (or something like that) and this is what I have come up with: (pls ignore the camera flash)

And after mucking around with some pastels, this is roughly the direction I want to take it in:

It is one of my "singing gargoyles" from my trip to Toulouse a couple years ago. It has been a long time since I worked with multiple colour registration so this should be a fun project to play with. I shall keep you posted!

"Go forth and do the right thing, and embrace your invisibility cloak. Most of the best stuff you ever do won't be cited, sourced or flashed in neon. That's not the point. Living brilliantly IS!"

After a crazy three weeks of holiday festivities and entertaining the dust is finally starting to settle. The tree has been taken down, the decorations are put away for another year and Chalk has his food dish returned to it's rightful place. As he is presently reminding me that it is dinner time I can safely say that things are getting back to normal.

We had a lovely visit with our friends from overseas as well as local friends who we do not see very often. For a brief run down of events...

Tape is a wonderful thing! From wrapping presents to preventing toddlers from making long distance calls to making the microwave easier to use, tape has played a larger role than usual this year. It's a good thing I stock lots of it!

Chalk is still working out the delicate balance needed with toddlers. When is it good to stand your fuzzy ground vs. when is it good to keep your ears, tail and toes free from harm? Overall he did well and I'm happy to say there was no claws involved. Teeth? Yes, in a gentle way that did not leave a physical mark but allowed clear and definite communication.

Christmas gatherings with friends and family made up the bulk of the visit when the boyfriend and I were not working. Of course a stroll through Zoolights was in order and despite the cold the numerous fire pits and interesting people resulted in a good time had by all. We even managed to spend some time at Heritage Park for "Once Upon a Christmas".

I enjoyed a lovely production of the Nutcracker with one of my friends on Boxing Day, which I think is a much better way to spend the day then to fight the crowds at the malls. Thanks dear!