I'm going to have to quit drinking so much coffee because when everyone else in the house is fast asleep, I'm not. And I think it's from the caffeine in my morning cups of coffee. Last year I had weaned myself off the stuff, and then Michael and I went to Panama.
Panama has the BEST coffee. We even toured a coffee plantation and I was amazed with that small little bean. I even learned that the first coffee plant was smuggled out of Arabia, and eventually ended up in Panama and other far flung places. It's funny, too, that the floaters, the coffee beans that float when they are washed, are not so good, and these beans are sold to the mega coffee makers, like Folgers and Maxwell House!
But, I digress. I want to talk about my Zuma game and how it has helped me get to the next level. Playing Zuma for me is a way to let my mind wander and wonder about trivial things. I may have described this game to you before, but I'm gonna tell you about it again, just in case. I am in no way promoting the sale of this game by the way, just letting you know why I play it.
I shoot colored balls out of the mouth of this funky looking frog. The graphics are colorful and humorous and the balls are different colors, and while one ball is in the mouth of the little froggy another one is in his hind end, so I can see both balls and determine which one I want to shoot because I'm shooting at other colored balls. If I see two balls of the same color and I have one of those colors in my frog, then I shoot and they disappear. Of course I get points for this, but best of all, if I beat the clock, I get another life.
When I first started playing this game, I would sit here for a very long time trying to figure out what to do. The first level wasn't too hard, and the second level wasn't hard either. But when I'd get to the third level I just couldn't seem to beat it. grrrrrrr I hate when I get beat by a stupid game, especialy after I watched Grandma's boy. In that movie these really nerdy guys sat around and created games like Zuma.
The only way to beat the game was to get serious about winning. At the end of the level that kept whipping me was this monster like face that would eat my frog, and I hated when that happened. I wanted to kick that monster to kingdom come.
When my daughter told me I was addicted to the game, I had to agree with her! I was caffeinated, I'm sure. But I wanted to explore why I just had to play this game whenever I could, so I began to listen to my inner dialogue while playing, just to see what the heck was so appealing to me.
I heard things like, "I'm going faster now"
"I'm playing better"
"I'm learning what to do next"
"I like being a winner"
"I can't win them all"
"Stay calm"
"Shoot straight"
"I love feeling successful"
"I love it when it plays out like that"
"I love this game"
"I hate this game"
"Wonder why they all can't happen like that"
"Sometimes I have to stop and take a break"
It's amazing that after I heard what kind of things I was telling myself while playing this silly game, I realized it paralells what is happening with my art work. Those who are in my art circles know that I have been learning how to get to the next level, and by God, it's working! I'm in the Gallery, I'm in an art show, and I'm continuing to draw and teach drawing classes. Wow! This time last year I was on medication and coming out of a year long bout of depression.
I have finally beat the Zuma game. The first time was incredible, I was so proud of myself! Imagine me sitting at my computer monitor at 1:30 a.m. chuckling to myself, "I won, I won!" The next game I played I won again, and each game since then I've aced.
I think it's good for me to play Zuma, especially when I see how it relates to the other good things in my life right now. Hey, we all know I've had some bad patches in my life, and who really knows what the future holds? I can hope and I can pray, but living in the moment and enjoying a game feels fun and feeling fun helps me to feel young.
Giving myself positive affirmations is also therapeutic. It's been a struggle at different times in my life to say them and really believe them. I used to put post-it notes all over the mirror in my bathroom, to remind myself that I am worthy, that I am lovable. It seems like all these years later I've found a way to use these self-esteem tools, they haven't rusted at all, and it's my guess that it's all gonna help me reach the next level. Zuma!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The next level
By request from one of my faithful followers, is my first blog for 2011. It is incredible how fast the time is flying by, the holidays are over and the new year has begun, with a BANG!
Last blog, I was accepted at the Art Gallery of Viera, as a working commission artist, and I thought that was big news. I don't know if I ever shared with you that being accepted into a gallery has been on my bucket list for a very long time, but I never knew "how". I learned more about "how" during my art salon meetings last year. www.artgalleryofviera.com
Check out my web page at the gallery!
The art salon meetings prompted me to look at what I can do already, not what I'd like to do. Which got me thinking about drawing. I took lessons years ago and drew a few really nice things, which have hung on the walls in my house all this time.
So, it was researching graphite artists that inspired me to draw again, and the picture I took of Annabelle had so much feeling wrapped up in it, that I knew when I looked at that particular photo that it was 'the one'. The Earrink drawing is now hanging in the Pizza Gallery in the 'Face to Face" portrait exhibit, along with 3 others. www.pizzagalleryandgrill.com Another thing on my bucket list! Yes, I could die tomorrow and be happy that I've finally accomplished two major things, but I hope I don't...
...Because, I've got a series of drawings in mind that I want to do. Men in Hats...yes, any of you readers that are men, and have a favorite hat that you love to wear, and would let me make a drawing of you in it, just let me know. I have 4 photos to start with, but I need more....many more. How many makes a series? Enough to have my own show that's how many I need!
Oh, by the way, I almost didn't make it to that 'Face to Face' show. It seems like I had it in my mind that the art drop off was on Jan. 3rd, from 8 to 10. So on Jan. 2nd, around 10 pm I was dressed in my pajamas, and checked my email before going to bed. Thank God I did because there was an email telling me that the drop off was over and why hadn't I brought my art in? Was there a misunderstanding?
Misunderstanding?! I called Jamie on his cell phone and assured him that I'd temporarily lost my mind, and that I would bring my work in right away. I hung up the phone and I started shouting and running around the house, trying to get my artwork in the carry all and out the door. I got there in the nick of time, even if I did still have my pajamas and slippers on! Whew, that was a close one. But things on a bucket list need to get done, even in pj's.
Okay, I told my girlfriend, Jean, that I would blog about something that happened at Christmas many years ago. We were living on the 5 acres in Canaveral Groves at the time. I used to call it the ranch, until my daughter said, "it wasn't really a ranch" and I had to agree with her. We had a couple of barns and a couple of horses, but that didn't really make it a ranch...anyway, Michael and I were preparing ourselves for an empty nest soon. The girls were just about ready to leave the house and start out on their own.
I don't know if that might be the reason, preparing for a big change, but what I do know is that Michael started to hoard cans of spinach. Popeye spinach, Publix brand spinach, Del Monte, it didn't matter what kind, he just started buying cans of spinach. Like 5 at a time, twice a week. He would eat the spinach, but he was buying more than he was eating.
What makes it more interesting is that he didn't want anybody else to eat his spinach. Eat anything, except his spinach.
So Christmas comes, like it always does, and the day before somebody ate Michael's spinach, and he had a mini meltdown about it. I don't know about you all, but when Daddy has a melt down, everybody knows it, even if they aren't in the room at the time. The word of Dad's meltdown swept the family totem pole like wild fire. Those were the days before texting so they actually had to talk to each other! Ha
The kids gathered all his cans of spinach, wrapped each one in a tissue and put them all in a Christmas bag, with a bow on it. When Daddy opened his bag and began to unwrap all those cans of spinach, his face was alight with pure joy! More spinach to add to his collection! Yeah!
I can't remember who told him, but when he found out that they had wrapped up his own cans of spinach, it was a sad and pitiful expression. He stopped hoarding spinach after that.
I don't know about you guys, but that story still cracks me up! Maybe you had to have been there, I don't know. You tell me!
Okay, it's starting to get late, and I don't want to have any of my readers nodding off because of my long winded tales, so I'll just tease you about the upcoming blog, which will be titled "The next level II".
You see I was going to talk about my Zuma game and what I've found out about myself while playing it, but I had to catch you all up on what's been happening. Oh, and by then this really unique art experience/photo shoot should have happened, and I can spill the beans about that too! So I'll see you soon.
Last blog, I was accepted at the Art Gallery of Viera, as a working commission artist, and I thought that was big news. I don't know if I ever shared with you that being accepted into a gallery has been on my bucket list for a very long time, but I never knew "how". I learned more about "how" during my art salon meetings last year. www.artgalleryofviera.com
Check out my web page at the gallery!
The art salon meetings prompted me to look at what I can do already, not what I'd like to do. Which got me thinking about drawing. I took lessons years ago and drew a few really nice things, which have hung on the walls in my house all this time.
So, it was researching graphite artists that inspired me to draw again, and the picture I took of Annabelle had so much feeling wrapped up in it, that I knew when I looked at that particular photo that it was 'the one'. The Earrink drawing is now hanging in the Pizza Gallery in the 'Face to Face" portrait exhibit, along with 3 others. www.pizzagalleryandgrill.com Another thing on my bucket list! Yes, I could die tomorrow and be happy that I've finally accomplished two major things, but I hope I don't...
...Because, I've got a series of drawings in mind that I want to do. Men in Hats...yes, any of you readers that are men, and have a favorite hat that you love to wear, and would let me make a drawing of you in it, just let me know. I have 4 photos to start with, but I need more....many more. How many makes a series? Enough to have my own show that's how many I need!
Oh, by the way, I almost didn't make it to that 'Face to Face' show. It seems like I had it in my mind that the art drop off was on Jan. 3rd, from 8 to 10. So on Jan. 2nd, around 10 pm I was dressed in my pajamas, and checked my email before going to bed. Thank God I did because there was an email telling me that the drop off was over and why hadn't I brought my art in? Was there a misunderstanding?
Misunderstanding?! I called Jamie on his cell phone and assured him that I'd temporarily lost my mind, and that I would bring my work in right away. I hung up the phone and I started shouting and running around the house, trying to get my artwork in the carry all and out the door. I got there in the nick of time, even if I did still have my pajamas and slippers on! Whew, that was a close one. But things on a bucket list need to get done, even in pj's.
Okay, I told my girlfriend, Jean, that I would blog about something that happened at Christmas many years ago. We were living on the 5 acres in Canaveral Groves at the time. I used to call it the ranch, until my daughter said, "it wasn't really a ranch" and I had to agree with her. We had a couple of barns and a couple of horses, but that didn't really make it a ranch...anyway, Michael and I were preparing ourselves for an empty nest soon. The girls were just about ready to leave the house and start out on their own.
I don't know if that might be the reason, preparing for a big change, but what I do know is that Michael started to hoard cans of spinach. Popeye spinach, Publix brand spinach, Del Monte, it didn't matter what kind, he just started buying cans of spinach. Like 5 at a time, twice a week. He would eat the spinach, but he was buying more than he was eating.
What makes it more interesting is that he didn't want anybody else to eat his spinach. Eat anything, except his spinach.
So Christmas comes, like it always does, and the day before somebody ate Michael's spinach, and he had a mini meltdown about it. I don't know about you all, but when Daddy has a melt down, everybody knows it, even if they aren't in the room at the time. The word of Dad's meltdown swept the family totem pole like wild fire. Those were the days before texting so they actually had to talk to each other! Ha
The kids gathered all his cans of spinach, wrapped each one in a tissue and put them all in a Christmas bag, with a bow on it. When Daddy opened his bag and began to unwrap all those cans of spinach, his face was alight with pure joy! More spinach to add to his collection! Yeah!
I can't remember who told him, but when he found out that they had wrapped up his own cans of spinach, it was a sad and pitiful expression. He stopped hoarding spinach after that.
I don't know about you guys, but that story still cracks me up! Maybe you had to have been there, I don't know. You tell me!
Okay, it's starting to get late, and I don't want to have any of my readers nodding off because of my long winded tales, so I'll just tease you about the upcoming blog, which will be titled "The next level II".
You see I was going to talk about my Zuma game and what I've found out about myself while playing it, but I had to catch you all up on what's been happening. Oh, and by then this really unique art experience/photo shoot should have happened, and I can spill the beans about that too! So I'll see you soon.
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