Sighing Heavily, Screaming Silently

I never get headaches. Never say never I'm told, and that must be true as I squint my eyes against the glare of my laptop screen and the gentle throbbing in my right temple.  It's like Chinese water torture.  Drip, drip, drip over and over onto the exact same spot.  In my mind, I'm screaming at the top of my lungs to ease the irritation and somehow interrupt this continuous annoyance.  I become aware that I am sighing heavily.

I have a dentist appointment tomorrow.  Several weeks before Easter, I awakened to sharp pain in one of my right bottom molars.  The pain was radiating everywhere and was so intense that I had a difficult time pinpointing exactly which tooth it was.  I had it narrowed down to 2 or 3 teeth and the pain seemed to originate below the gum line.  I had eaten popcorn and assumed that one of those papery kernel pieces had worked it's way between tooth and gum.  As I have often done throughout the years, I decided that I could heal myself  just by believing I could.  I used all the great tricks of the ancient ones; warm salt water rinses 3 or more times a day accompanied by baking soda and peroxide paste.  The pain resolved itself and I felt triumphant right up until I discovered the source of the pain was not a popcorn kernel but a broken tooth! 

As the weeks have progressed, what began as what felt like a small crack now feels like the Grand Canyon running through the middle of my tooth.  In my mind, I recall my mother's voice saying, "Angelia, STOP using your teeth as tools!"  I tried. Really, I did, but sometimes those tubes of acrylic paint need a little help.  I wish I had treated those molars with a little more respect.  Now, I must come face to face with my arch nemesis: THE DENTIST.  I'm going to a new dentist tomorrow.  He was recommended to me by my son's girlfriend, and I'm going to try my best not to embarrass her.  I'll give him my best smile and warmest handshake, but really, I'll be screaming silently and sighing heavily.

Green (The Color of Compliance)

Yesterday's Daily Inspiration was about walking around your yard and really seeing what you looked at. I was amazed at just how many different textures, tones and shades of green I found! The beautiful, rich green of new grass twinkling in the sunlight was magnificant, and the rough, gray-green of the back fence was a stark contrast to the cool, smooth blue-green of my plastic pots.

There was also my large barrel of ivy next to the driveway, greening ever so beautifully after laying dormant all winter . . .

And the long, narrow leaves of the Dianthus beginning to come back to life in preparation for its abundant hot pink, red and white varigated blossoms all summer long

Looking at all these different green items made me think of St. Patrick's Day and it brought back memories of being in elementary school. I remember the teacher standing in front of the class reminding everyone to "wear something green tomorrow for St. Patrick's Day". I also remember thinking that I may be a lot of things but Irish isn't one of them!

How many more times would we all be indoctrinated into compliance throughout our lives? Wearing green for St. Patrick's Day seems harmless enough, but it was just one more instance where "the hive" mentality was shoved down our throats. God forbid we should come to school wearing blue or red and draw attention to ourselves by being "different". Remember what happened to anyone who wasn't wearing green on St. Patrick's Day?  Everyone looked accusingly at the guilty parties, but not so much because they weren't wearing green, but more because they did not comply with the actions of the hive.  Is it any wonder that there is so little tolerance towards people who think differently or look differently or speak differently than the hive dictates?  Indoctrination into compliance has been beat into our psyche for all our lives.

In what other ways have you been indoctrinated into compliance?  What other rituals or activities do you mindlessly take part in because that's what "you're supposed to do"?   Just something to think about.....

The Making of "Mardi Gras"

I thought you would like to see the creation of one of my paintings.  I meant to take more pictures, but I kept forgetting! As I look at this photo, I realize that I've added a few more details in the way of highlights, shadows, and last but not least, my signature!  Enjoy "The Making of Mardi Gras"

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

A Girl's Gotta Laugh

Well, there's a first time for everything and today, I entered my first greeting card contest.  I saw the contest, hosted by Hallmark Greeting Cards,  posted on Ovation TV Community Forum.  The theme of the contest is "A Girl's Gotta Laugh" and the criteria is 1. It has to be funny 2. It has to be sendable to many women 3.  Has to be cohesive - that is to say words and artwork are relevant to each other.  Here's my entry:

Click on image to enlarge

The left speech bubble reads "Will this make my butt look big?"  The right bubble, "For you"

The inside of the card simply reads: "We're not alone!"   I'll let you know if I hear anything from Hallmark!