I’m feeling like this photo (via Elegantly Wasted) tonight, sexy and oh-so-pretty, the perfect way to head into the weekend.  Primed and ready to indulge in beauty this the weekend.  Saturday morning includes working out with Marines for 2 hours, so after that I’ll let you know but in the meantime while you dust off your dancing shoes and head to the clubs and the fab lounges I’ll be spending my Friday night creating dreamscapes.  I leave you with this, my  two favorite R.E.M. songs, Nightswimming by artist Ingrid Michaelson which I had the pleasure seeing her perform at Carnegie Hall. She was stunning and brilliant!

“Maybe that’s what life is . . . a wink of the eye and winking stars” ~ Jack Kerouac

The other night I watched part of Yes Man, which had come highly recommended, little did i know  Zooey Deschanel costarred with Jim Carey in the film or I would have watched it much sooner!  She is absolutely one of my favorite artist, teaming up with other favorite artists M. Ward and Sufjan Stevens in various musical projects, besides her gorgeous eyes and style, she is an absolute classic! If you’ve not heard her work in She & Him, be sure to check it out.

Anyway, in the film (though I didn’t see the whole thing so I don’t know all the details) she had compiled a project of art photography while she was running.  I do a lot of running.  So I got to thinking perhaps I should give it a whirl.  This is my first piece titled “Two Dog Night”!

 

 

All I ever needed to know in life, I am learning training to be an Officer in the Marine Corps.

Rule No. 1 “There’s no crying in baseball!”

Look life is tough, really tough, some days it seems as though the bottom is darker than ever and there is no such thing as light, it hurts in ways you never thought it was possible to hurt, and its harder than we ever imagined it could be, do me a favor, suck it up!  Most things worth doing in our lives are difficult, they force us to stare our human weakness in the face, spit in their face and rip off the band-aid.  As Americans who suffer little the extremities of life in deep physical turmoil we are left untested, we desire the comforts of life and when we are tested it takes every fiber of our moral beings just to face it.  Life is meant to be enjoyed but it’s also meant to be lived each day to the fullest so as to know the greater joys, the joy most of all of sacrifice.  This trial, this test of sacrifice requires complete denial of self for the greater good total dedication to protect the things you love regardless of personal cost.

Rule No. 2 “Moment by Moment!”

Often I freak myself out by focusing on the future or the past, instead of taking captive every moment and using it for the big picture.  Yesterday I had the pleasure of talking to a Catholic priest, who came to my dad’s shop to get a custom stock made for sport shooting, and he said most often he has to remind people the focusing on the past causes shame, and focusing on the future causes fear, but living in this moment [which is all we really have] is freedom in God’s grace to do God’s will.  Everyday of this journey for me has been filled with one struggle or another, my knee pain which started 6 years ago (almost crippling me over in pain at times–now completely gone), weight loss (which proved harder than ever to do–now down  20 lbs. and dropping), building arm strength which I’ve never had (now able to do pull-ups with less weight assistance than ever in my life), each new hurdle and challenge cause me to focus on that one thing, while balancing life, to the fullest, and that has caused a joy and freedom I’ve not know until this point.  I’m learning and I will continue to learn (as I face challenges like the one above) that all I have to do right now is get through this mud puddle because a moment only lasts a little while, failure and success forever.

Rule No. 3 “It’s Not About Me!”

One thing that I’ve experienced in this short time of training is that when you do well, there is no lack of congratulations and support from your fellow service members or recruiters.  Each step of the way, though there hasn’t been a you can do it attitude of back slapping, but when something has been well done, there is a gulf of praise.  This happens SELDOM in the civilian sector, there is a good job sometimes when you don’t work for a boss with a chip on their shoulder, but in the military (so far) everyone has been supportive in my personal success in ways I’ve never experienced and that support and that camaraderie has pushed me to make greater sacrifices and work harder than I have in my life to reach this goal.  It’s not about my success or their successes it’s about the team as a whole being as strong as humanly possible and when that person adds strength to the team and makes the team stronger as a whole, we all get better.  This also differs in the civilian sector, when someone is stronger, because we are so individualistic there is jealousy and comparison and frustration, not a realization that if they are strong, we are all stronger!

So, as I continue to go through my Pre-OCS phase of being an Officer Candidate for the USMC, I’ll keep you posted.  I have not posted much lately because I’ve been so involved and focused on this I feel I have little to add to my “classic disposition” art blog.  But this is my journey of being a “Classic” which to me includes being a strong-willed and determined woman in whichever way life asks them to go!  Oh, and if you want to see what current Officer Candidates are doing in OCS, click on this link:  Future Marines Currently in OCS It’s a great way to see what these men and women go through!

 

As we move from the summer’s heat, temperate fall in its last grip, like a leaf flapping in the wind once more before it falls in and gives way to death and winters chill, we are watching the days slowly darken, and make way for darkness, the chill of winter and grounds of white.  These days are filled with golden leaves, blustery stormy days, mittens, scarves and pumpkin filled homes, and we expectantly wait to take the next step towards that time of year that keeps us bustling on chilly white blanketed grounds.

Soon, it will be twinkle lights and cups of cocoa and Bing Crosby on the horn, those days stand all waiting to be enjoyed with family and friends.  So as we enjoy these last few days, waiting to embrace laughter and your “tall dark and handsome man” of snow.  Enjoy the movement, the moment, the ability of the world to flow from day to day and season to season with seemingly little effort stop in wonder for all God has done in all the changing season of your life. Embrace the wonderful changes coming your way and think of new ways to open your heart to those God brings into your life for this season, or perhaps for a lifetime. ;)

 

halloweeen

MUUUUUUUAAAAAHHHHAAAAA HHHAAAA HHHHHAAAAAA

Yes it’s that day when ghosts and goblins come out to dance with witches and black cats, BEWARE, or a witch will cast her evil spell and turn you into a pumpkin! I love this holiday for it gives us a chance to step out side our dull adult lives of duty and good behavior and dare to be someone different.  A game of masquerade, perhaps a beautiful ball gown with feather perforating a black masks, a super hero

cape with tights, a tutu with frilly pink and ballet slippers, for a one night we put aside all our daily tasks and let our imagination and by extension our appearance be entirely mysterious and unknown while we celebrate the harvest of autumn’s change and the full moon tonight.  I think often we forget going into a store what hard work people put in to harvest those crops, this holiday used to be a great celebration of our agricultural heritage swiftly being over turned by pasta-in-a-box with chemical thyme and peppers.

These people and we do today enjoy treats of all things yummy and delicious and tricks that teach us to laugh at ourselves, stopping for a moment to stop taking ourselves so serious.  We know there are days ahead of cold and doldrum but today, be a child, imagine and remember all those delightful memories of childhood and days gone by of silliness and most of all the ability to be light at heart. Be thankful for the harvest of summers harvest, for imagination, for adrenaline rush of scary tales  when we truly believed and let our imaginations go wild.

I wish you all a Happy All Hallow’s Eve.

hemingwaycat

Meeeeooow!!! One of my all-time favorite short stories is Cat In The Rain by Ernest Hemingway. Matter of fact, he was known for his cats, apparently even a book has been written on this subject. A week ago while perusing for a doggie I discovered the coolest cats on the planet. They are called polydactyl cat aka a Hemingway cats. Polydactyl cats have opposable thumbs! Yes they can grab your hand with their paw just like a human can, only fuzzier. These curious felines can have up to 7 toes on each foot, they are quite curious creatures. This is your random fact for the day! :)

Polydactyl_cat

afghan

This is not a test, I repeat this is not a test! So sit up straight and pay attention. Though most of us are desensitized by media over stimulation of war photos and action, so much so that the twin towers falling seemed to most Americans the newest Jerry Bruckheimer stunt, we forget real people, friends, (citizens, good ones at that) are DIEING! So while your busy bitching that you can’t get the new car you want, or go to Starbucks as much, our soldiers (politically induced or not) are spending their days fighting a war, a real one.

convoy

NY Times featured an article today on the state of the war in Afghanistan. Check it out: Stanley McChrystal’s Long War

alldressedup

Evoke began my day and thus it has continued to remain today. Today, while listening to Visage, Fade to Grey, I found these amazing blogs on my search for a cool photo for my a new site I’m blogging on…

ilikethisonealot

I swear I next time I get my friends all in the same place we are doing a down and dirty life photo shoot. This blog is just a collection of photos and videos, whomever it is, loves M83 which is got to be my all-time favorite running music, (though to be honest I’ve not really delved into this area of music much) and they like Olivia Bee, whom I just blogged on.  I mean the girl has vision and her photography is filled with SO much life. So, if you get a chance peruse this site, and check out the list of blogs followed, they are all super funky and super cool.

sacrifice

Eastside Bride

This girl probably has the coolest wedding site I’ve seen, though I don’t go looking for them, she seems to have her head on straight and has a great sense of classic style mixed with artistic funkiness. She posted the photo above, from this great photographer Stephanie Dangoor. Check out her series above on the White Dress. She is a London law student with a passion and eye for this classic art. Lovin it!

Which again brings me back to my bride-to-be Evoke… Who’s doing the ish right now on style and ettiquette of the wedding day, and like all things there are no rules, well maybe in the Naval Academy but they are there to break remember?

Just when I thought I’d cried my last tear over the loss of Lipstick Jungle my favorite star of that show join forces with Ugly Betty’s Rebecca Romijn, in ABC’s new com-drama Eastwick. Now, one thing is for certain, Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday (though Christmas is a close second) it is a mysterious, luscious, filled festival in gorgeous golden tones, fresh air after the hot summer, yummy candy, fun mascarades, twinkly lights! But most of all harvest and pumpkins and everything yummy. As such I’m obsessed with a charming noreaster seaside village, namely Salem, Massachusetts and drive there any chance I can get, this I assume is Updike’s “Eastwick” though to be shamefully honest I’ve not read Updike’s classic tale.

Anyway, enough about me. Rebecca Romijn but more importantly Lindsay Price (Lipstick Jungle) joined forces to become two of the three witches of Updike’s classic tale. The show is really charming if you like these types of chick-flick-mock-u-dramas, it is cute, mysterious, luscious in color everything that Fall, Gaelic and Halloween should enrapture. Most importantly, Lindsay is back and she’s just as charming as ever, only this time instead of Joe Bennet’s fashion-designer-sex-kitten she’s a tough, sexy librarian type who’s gutsy investigative reporting-slash-seductive witchcraft combine for a slightly different take on Victoria Bennet. Eastwick is a great way to take enjoy your evening as you approach this holiday season! So check out this John Updike 1980’s movie-made-tv-show remake, Eastwick, Wednesdays or online at ABC.com!

My good friend Sharon Denney says I always find the great finds on the internet, but as i’ve been spending less and less time on the internet, she’s out found me… he he, that and… she actually knows the two guys who composed the score for this lovely little film short. The two guys are Alf and Peter Bishai, two rather classic and charming New York men who clearly summed up this film’s music to a tee, both played the love game themselves at one time and won.  They also won here! Alf is a musical composer who teaches at NYU and Peter his brother, is a film director himself.  Watch it on the link below and hey vote for them while your at it!

THE LOVE GAME!