Hey OT! Thanks for checking in love--listen you're in that pile of peeps too--the ones who really helped me get over my pity party--so thanks.
The art is going well, thank you for asking. My work is in a show in Indianapolis and also in NYC right now and it's getting a lot of press, so that's good. I'll be going to teach in Maine in June at a one week camp for miniature artists--I can hardly wait. I've gone there for 5 year but always as a student--this will be my first time as an instructor.
I'm still making things for the movie and will hopefully be going to the premier early next year.
I'll be applying for one of the grants you recommended next month (they still don't have the applications available) so I'm keeping my fingers crossed about that--it's a lot of money and could really make a difference. I hope to use the money to write a book of pattern--upscaling my miniature patterns to full scale so my designs can live on and be knit by many.
I'm 7 CEU's away from completing the requirements for my RT license and I am SO uninspired. I never want work in a hospital again, but being the Capricorn that I am I really feel I need to have it as a back up option.
I'm being asked by knitting shops and museums to give presentations and so this is a new facet to the artists life that provides some additional income and gets me out there networking and meeting people. I'm a pretty outgoing and vivacious person so the speaking gig suits me pretty well. However, I do get a little intimidated when I'm around other artist types because they are always so much more knowledgeable than me, better trained (which isn't difficult as I was never trained as an "artist") and have been in the biz much longer. I find I still go to that place of "Oh crap, am I a real artist or what?" But, I'm learning to accept me for who I am and not try to pretend I'm anything more than what I am. I am an artist becuase I am creative and have original ideas, so that's all I need to know. Besides, after living with Mitch for so long, I have very little tolerance for art snobs who require you to have the proper pedigree before they will give you the time of day-blech.
All in all, life is good. There are no significant others in my life right now--I decided the dating thing was just not working out for me and I got tired of getting my hopes up only to discover they just aren't who I am looking for. Some day I hope to meet someone very special, but for now I feel okay on my own--friends and family are strong and provide a good support system for me. I won't accept a date with anyone unless I feel there is real potential there.
I think about moving out west sometimes. Where there the ocean and mountains feed my soul. I love Oregon and in fact my mom and I want to go out there together this summer and maybe look at some property. It would be a huge upheaval for the children and I don't think I'm ready for it quite yet, but then again, what am I waiting for?
That's about it. Mitch and I speak very seldom--only when we have scheduling issues to work out. I am the primary parent and he sees them once a month or so, though it will be much less in the years to come--he will be in Berlin for 6 months come 2009 and then living in Maryland. This summer though I will have significant blocks of free time and have scheduled a scuba trip for a week in July.
I still feel sad sometimes. Something happened with the screen saver on my computer and it switched to being a slide show of all my pictures and suddenly I was confronted with tons of old pics of my family--the babies when they were born and me and mitch juggling our little brood and it brought me back to better days. I loved him so very much and I know he adored me as well. He treated me like a princess, I swear. He thought I was beautiful and he wrote notes for me every morning, cooked dinner every night, he brought me flowers and gifts and he made me things and he called when he was traveling and wrote me and he was a good husband for so long. He also made me laugh and I made him laugh. I do miss him and all that we shared together. But I know that I would never have become who I am now if all of this had not happened I like myself so much better than I did when I was in the marriage.
I wonder if I will ever find anyone who meets my standards. Mitch had so many great qualities. Sure, he was an arrogant snob, but he loved me and no one I've met or dated has even come close. They must be out there though, right...?
Anyway, I'm good and I'm lucky and I am, for the most part, quite happy.
