Art & The Office

After the boys left Friday night, J & I headed back over to the plant so that she could polish up the presentation that she's giving at the national sales conference this week in Chicago. I sure wish I could have gone with her. Aside from the fact that we hate to be apart (as evidenced by how I spent my weekend), I am also exceedingly jealous because she is staying at a posh resort. Since we have the boys, I need to stay here with them, so no lounging about a swanky hotel room eating bon-bons for me. No spa treatments. No swims or hot tub soaks (although I could...and should...avail myself of the hot tub here) for me. Anyway, while she worked, I read the book I chose for our first book group meeting at church, Wayne Muller's Sabbath. It's a terrific book I highly recommend to anyone who doesn't get enough down time.

After she finished, we had dinner at El Rodeo. She had a combo plate with an enchilada, a burrito and a chile relleno. I had chimichangas, not the healthiest choice. I justified the choice by the hour-long 2 1/2 mile walk I took in the freezy brr Friday afternoon. We got some churros to go and I was pleased to find them perfectly crisp, nothing like the limp and unappealing ones many Mexican places pawn off on unsuspecting gringos. They weren't as good as the churros from the 24-hour Latin food stands in Miami, but they were damn close. The ones my dad used to get me in Miami were served piping hot and crisp, in grease-splotched paper sacks that inevitably sifted sugar out the bottom flaps. There was no cinnamon on those, either. We stopped at the bookstores on the way home for more vampire books for J. I saw several art books I was interested in, but I am not allowing myself to get any more until I have made more use of the ones I already have. I am also not buying fiction I can find at the library.

Saturday morning, we were up bright & early, lugging art supplies to the car. I found a group of women who get together once a month in New London to play with art. They invited us to come play with them, so we did. We had a blast! J was a bit complainy on the way there, thinking that I was dragging her to some weird thing. Once she saw some of the amazing art these women had produced, she was singing a different tune. She told me she'd be happy to go back. The group meets in Jan's studio. J & I need a studio. When spring comes, we will start looking for a house to rent once the apartment lease is up. Perhaps there will even be something with room for a studio. One of the women in the group, Lena, brought microscope slide mailers for us to alter. I had so much fun and was very pleased with the results of mine. It's got a Valentine-y theme and I am planning to give it to my ma. J's was really good, too. Lena also brought a very good cheesecake. I wished I had taken more than half a slice. We were given gifts, as well. Someone had some Valentine-themed clip art for us. Bert gave us all little bottles of paint, Bridget gave us markers and graphite pencils and some tickets to add to our collages, Dee Ann gave us each an artist trading card she had made. We're doing a charm swap for the group, which should be fun. We will each make 10 charms & then Deanna will teach us how to make copper-link bracelets for them to go on. I had no idea what to make, but then realized that paper beads would make cool charms. I made scads at my mom's one year and they are quick, easy and fun to make. I am also signed up to do a tip-in swap on the theme of seasons. 25 tip-in pages. I want to do 6 of each season & then maybe one that represents all 4 seasons. Or I could do a "Mud Season" in honor of Jeanie's life in Vermont! I'll be doing a recipe-themed round robin soon, too.

After our art adventure, we picked up a trio of lesbian movies at Blockbuster and headed home. J made dinner, rigatoni with meat sauce, while we watched the first one. She didn't like it, but I thought it was interesting. It was a movie called My Brother's War about a woman who disguised herself as her brother during the Civil War and ended up falling in love with a woman. She got so annoyed with the teenage girl in the next one that we switched to "Without a Trace" on t.v. It was refreshing to see a crime drama that doesn't rely on strip club scenes and scantily clad nubile co-eds. Watching CSI, you'd think that 75-90% of crimes involve someone who either works at a strip club or frequents one. I'm going to finish watching the other movie tonight. It's a French-language one called Same-Sex Parents about a teenage girl who is outed as the daughter of a lesbian. The other one we got is about grown women who discover that their mom's lover is a woman. I wanted to rent Amelie, which my mom recommended to me & which they have had until very recently. Now, they only have it to sell, but suggest that if I join their online program, I can get it. No, thanks. My favorite movie that I've seen of late is Bandidas, with Salma Hayek & Penelope Cruz. It's a fun one!

Sunday morning, I got up for the early service, leaving J tucked in bed. I stayed for Sunday school and a chat with Randolph Collie about New Mexico and Native spirituality. He is such a nice guy. I know he feels iffy about gay marriage, he proudly wears an American flag lapel pin and he is just as sweet to us as can be. He knows that we're gay. When he saw me at church, he broke off his conversation & exclaimed, "There she is!" and gave me a big hug & kiss like I was his granddaughter or something. He's the same way with DeAnn & Adrienne, the other lesbian couple at church. Just sweet.

Once home, I snugged in with J for a little bit. Then, we went to her office so that she could do some more polishing on her presentation. We were there for several hours, then came back home & hung out here. When the boys got home, Boot couldn't find his money. He ranted about how Pie or I probably stole it. If not that, then J or I probably threw it away over the weekend. Just nuts. This is par for the course. We had planned to do something special with both of them, but Boot was so cranky that we just took Pie to get a leash for Storm. He wants to start walking her in the spring. I am not sure she will walk on a leash & am, frankly, opposed to making her try. However, I am leaving this one up to Pie & J. She didn't seem to mind the harness last night. We also spent ages looking at housewares and we bought Pie a beautiful cake stand that was on sale. He just loves all things like that. He was drooling over a dish set and some quilts. He would have a ball in Sur La Table or Williams-Sonoma. I can't wait until he is old enough to take Home Ec. He is going to LOVE it. After our shopping trip, J made chicken cordon bleu for dinner, then got all packed for her trip today. I hate it when she's gone.