Okay, my pity party is over. Thanks for putting up with that.
I am sitting here going through photos and adjusting color etc. and wanted to write.
Here is a shot of what I do for work, when it's available. This is a Victorian tea table (or is it a Bistro table?) in the warehouse that I do repairs and touch ups in. Trade Winds is a furniture designer right here in Charlotte and this is where they import their stock from overseas. When things get damaged I fix them and touch them up good as new.
This table had some shipping damage and I fixed it and "viola", my job is done.
I'm lucky to have this job because it flexible to say the least and allows me to work when I'm able to. That and the people are really nice. In fact they're about the nicest people I've ever worked for, come to think of it.
My friend Jason hooked me up with them. We went to high school together, limping along equally and painfully in math class in tenth grade and then with equal enthusiasm and talent in the last few years.
A quick interruption: here is one of the best examples of why art doesn't have to be good in Charlotte, it just has to be big.There are a few more examples I have yet to photograph...coming soon.
Here is the Fabulous Mr. Jason standing in front of a piece of his art on my mantle that I bought five years ago, wearing one of his incredible hat sculptures and holding his Steam Punk Octopus sculpture.Not only is he adorable, he's also an awesome elementary school art teacher, absolutely hilarious, and a fantastic working artist who produces on a consistent basis.
We were friends at West Charlotte; we both drove old VW Beetles, hated Math and loved Art and we were both sassy as Hell. We still laugh at memories of our confrontations with our preppy obnoxious rivals and dreaded Economics teacher. Actually, me, Jason and the afore blogged about Dana Nagle were all in 11th grade gym class together! Ugh...high school! So glad that's over. If not for friends like Jason and Dana it would have all been for nothing.Look at him, can't you just see him breakin' down how dumb your outfit is in about 15 seconds?
Lately I've had a few chances to spend time around people closer to high school age. Here are Lindsey on the left and Kerrie on the right. This was taken earlier at Timi's fifth birthday party. Timi is the little short princess and Kerrie is her big sister, they are both my friend Dee's girls. I'm more used to hanging out with five year-olds than eighteen year-olds. They are all so much fun to be around.I was telling someone recently that the older I get, the broader the spectrum of different aged people I am friends with; it's wonderful. It seems like when I was younger I mostly wanted to have friends around my own age. When I was twenty I thought people who were thirty were so grown up; I thought that by that age growing up would just "happen" to you, like magic. Like you just wake up one day and you are an adult.
Now I know I'll never feel any older than I do right now. I may have older people health problems, but I probably won't think of myself as old. Does anyone ever?
I clearly remember being Timis's age, in fact I remember my fifth birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's. But I remember thinking "I'll never be seven. It will never get here". Much less eleven or 13 or 18; you may as well have asked me to explain the infinite nature of the very universe as tell me "When you're eleven you can go to the movies with Brandon by yourselves". Useless!
Parents always say things like "The time will fly by", balderdash! I am still quoted on my response to that useless saying with "Time never flies until it's already flown!"Now that is true. Actually, both are true. How's that for a brain twister?
Right now I am being very un-Zen-like and wanting to believe that the time will fly by; I do not want to live in the moment. I feel CRAPPY at the moment and I just want it all over with!
In a few days when I have my health back these past few miserable days will feel like a distant memory. The time will fly by, but not
until
it's already
FLOWN.
