#50 - Back to the basics please

Well, the sense of accomplishment continues.

I'm finally where I started this blog in the first place:  going through the late Vault Goddesses' boxes and blogging about them.

Let's begin, shall we?

The box in question.  Let's discover what treasures this one holds.

Well, it's a virtual cacophony of goodies, starting with the "Rub 'n Buff."  

I dearly recall this miraculous art cream that creates a "gilt" look on just about anything.  The Vault Goddess used this extensively, particularly on wooden picture frames. I'm sure to find a use for it (if it's still viable).

Once we remove that, it's a collaboration of miniatures, judaica and odds & ends.

My absolute favorite item is the teeny blue princess telephone, already wired as if someone is in the process of answering it:

 Then this box - wish I could find the original contents:

I get to add these to my labeler collection - with bonus reels of embossing tape, which is hard to come by these days:

Now, here's where the true emphemera comes it:

And then, as always,  fun to find the internal workings of what was probably an adding machine at one time.  Perhaps these parts can be extrapolated and used in a mixed media art piece:

This has been a good Vault spelunking exercise.  I have saved the best for last.  

Just insert a "DON'T" in front of this one:

A good word to keep in mind these days.

#49 - The word of the day is:

Ok, so it's a bit messy (gluing outside the lines and all) but I must have made this many, many years ago in my old basement makeshift art studio. That place eminated the smell of old paper mixed with mud. After all, it was in the back of the tandem garage in San Francisco.  Not much sunshine there.

Create - it is the operative for today, and really, for my existence.  I've always believed that my life's purpose is to create things.  So, here we are.

The alternative word of the day could be "ACCOMPLISHMENT."  Finally got some very pressing issues taken care of so I can go off and be the creative being I am (though I'm enjoying being a domestic goddess for once in my life while on funemployment).

I'm going to continue on the organizational journey.  New art is in process and it feels so right to be doing this now.

Sidebar:  I really wish that companies would be more responsive, especially if you've actually taken the time to go onsite and interview with multiple people.  Even a gentle "I'm still interested"email I sent garnered absolutely NO.RESPONSE.WHATSOVER. Well, it's good to discover the company's flaws BEFORE you end up there.

Onward ho.

Let's create something today. Join me, won't you?

#48 - Death and Taxes (and Theatre)

The weekend was filled with all of the above.

Sung to the tune of "Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!"

Still have bouts of missing the Imperial Man when I see things of his (and there's way too many of his things waiting to be unearthed in my house).

Then, seeing a show again, and auditioning as well.

But mostly, dealing with the taxes for the little art biz.  Wanting to get that done, and get the forms that need to be filed, filed.

Life slogs along in fits and spurts.

#47 - It's only a paper (new) moon

Working hard on taming the paper tigers in the jungle of my house.  But first, Happy New Year!

I often vacillate between feeling a deep sense of accomplishment and completion of tasks, to not knowing which way to turn.  And I can't stand the feeling of starting one thing, and getting caught up in another all together.

As it's a new moon today, I believe there's a reason there's no moonlight to shed on the changes going on.  This is a Virgo new moon, which is all about organization, which is what I'm doing.  Of course, we know that one small shift creates a paradigm shift in many other things.  It's just simple physics.

Speaking of paper, I wish we'd found more this in the Imperial Man's cache:

He was a very talented artist. This is just one sample of these intricate doodles he did;  this one happens to be on the front of an envelope.  He also colored part of it in.

Missing him today.  Later, it will be a dive back into the paper world around me.

The mission of it all - getting organized (aka "getting one's shit together").

#46 - Finding your way while on funemployment

So while I'm on funemployment, I have this daily "TO DO" list I created.

It's the same list everyday, I just fill it in differently. I make sure to:

• clean something inside (like the bathroom, or mopping the hall floor)
• work outside on something (hello again, my garden...)
• make some artistic something (ok, I include cooking in this category)
• write something (like this blog)
• donate/purge something (self-explanatory and the hardest of these things to do)
• walk/dance/exercise something (love to do this one), AND
• organize something (probably the easiest of things for me to do - it's the Aries in me).  

Seems simple enough.  Of course, one thing NOT on that list is what I do first thing in the morning everyday once I get up - job search.  LinkedIn, job boards, county job search.  Gotta follow the funemployment rules.

I think it's time to start setting timers for these activities, because I need to really dig into the Imperial Man's stuff, once the art biz is cleaned up.  That's the most important thing today.  That and making Eggplant Parm for dinner.

Funemployment is really hard work.

#45 - Horsing around

So happy that I went to see my maid of honor, horsewoman extraordinaire, at a local horse show/exhibition/contest (what is it really called, Deb?).

 

She thought she'd done poorly but then was awarded a 3rd place for the jumps I saw, and won Champion in her class!  Awesome to be there with her.

All I can say is:  What an expensive hobby!  And industry.

Man, the closest I ever get to horses is this one that was at my sister's house:



It reminded me of a friend I had in middle school. Anita was obviously a horse gal and had a room FILLED with these little Breyer model horses.  I recall how in awe I was, and how scared I was of horses.  Then and not as much now, but still.  I can't imagine riding one.

Ok, enough horsing around.  Back to the great ebay trek.

#44 - Out of my head

This is how I'm feeling these days:

 

Often running around like a squirrel with my head cut off - I'm a bit out of my head for sure.

One of the challenges about funemployment is finding focus.  Yesterday I had focus for a good while in the afternoon, since the morning was taken up with a mandatory EDD/Joblink meeting ("you've been randomly selected...").  Then I had to update my resume, which really was reimporting the whole thing into the system. But I got it done.

On another note of focus, I DID take that small role, and know about 3 people in the cast, so I'm sure it'll be a fun ride for 10 performances.  A fairly small commitment for the holidays.

Ok, time to find a head to fill that body (let's focus now and continue on my journey).

#43 - Are we opened or closed?

Finally all the boxes are now at home and snuggled all safe in the room.  Barely enough room to move around but we'll change that alright.

Yesterday, I totally screeded (yes, that IS a word) and moved the compost biostack bin.  Opened it, found the pitchfork (missing among the weeds for a bit), and stack by stack, moved the pile, sifted the good from bad and ended up with a wheelbarrow of some decent stuff (more of the "gold" was at the bottom of the pile, but that's always the way it is) as well as a full stack level of open space for the kitchen food scrap waste.

We had thunderstorms this morning and our cat was totally freaked out.  Poor guy was searching for spot to burrow into in the closets.  After an hour and they were gone, he reappeared.  Sometimes I feel like doing that too;  finding a spot to burrow into and just hibernate.

I do want to be open to new experiences, like making a decision on whether to take a bit but very funny, potentially show stealing part in a show.  So, I may do it because I want to get cast by this director in another show in the spring.  Is that a good reason to be open to it?  In any event, had my questions sent to the artistic director, who forwarded them to the director.  Time will tell if he's open to it or closed.

Waiting to get those exceptionally bright lights to start the great photo montage.  Also, ebay is offering free fees for listing 50 items in the next 3 days.  Maybe I need to be open to that.

You know what they say:  when one door closes, another opens.

I'm open to that idea.

#42 - Take two a day

Wow - the things you uncover when you're cleaning up:

These were the labels I lovingly glued to each of the little take-out boxes for the guests that were filled in Jewish fortune cookies and little candy bars that had been labeled for the event.

Can it really have been that long ago?   Where does the time go?

#41 - I see the light

So the rest of the boxes will be arriving, and I get a sense finally of how much stuff it'll be.

A bit daunting for sure.

It is making me take a long hard look at EVERYTHING I have to root out that which no longer holds value for me.  And I am more determined than ever to release, let go and sell that which I can. But first, I have to have a way to really photograph these things, so I've created a DIY light box.   Actual cost:  $2.17 for 2 pieces of $$ store posterboard and a "mattress" cover of white plastic, and at home - a box, some packing tape and "voila!" - instant lightbox.

Unfortunately, the "lights" I'm using aren't quite bright enough.  Need to get a pair of incandescent small lights.  That's part of today's to do list.

Almost time for "lights, camera, ebay."

#40 - Incoming

Well, boxes have started to arrive, though not all at once.  Fedex, when you say it'll come on Thursday and then leave a note on Wednesday saying you tried to deliver two packages, well, it's no fair.

Then again, interviews have been incoming too.  Had the first one yesterday - I mean, how can I enjoy my funemployment if they want to hire me?

It's a strange thing to ruminate on what one will do with everything that's arriving, both things and potential jobs.

My tasks over the next few days will continue to be making room for the things that are incoming, both physically and in my mind.

Let's see how much room we can make for it all.

#39 - Rollin', rollin', rollin'...

Well, vault spelunking does have its charms.

Part one of the great migration of the toys and collectibles is complete.  Twenty-five boxes.  Rolling along in trucks (probably much like this one but actual scale).

Having found loads of miscellany, or as the Imperial Man himself would say (but not think about this stuff), some of it is "a bunch of crap."

Yet, I've packed it up as I see there is some value in the items.

You know what they say - one person's trash is another person's goldmine.