The EAGLES kicked axe!

Sign I painted for one of Dr's friends, an artist study, gifted so's not to infringe on copyrights.


And, my apologies for not getting around to everyone's blog if I don't manage to do that this evening.

Translates to, I really want to peruse y Cruz all ya all's blogs, but I was up until 2:30 this morning and I'm whipped.

(I tried to sleep on the way home but um, the girls were singing...and the Eagles they aint, not that their singing was bad, but you know? I need my sleep, and how. So, see? I may pass out typing, from being pooped and well MY own writing bores me, so, see? I've had to swipe the drool at the corners of my lips already...)

Please forgive me if I pass out, I really need my friend fix, but I'm a female private part. (So's I don't get fired for using the word pussy if the powers that be, at work, were to stumble on this.)

These photos of the band suck, my camera is a piece and I was feeling so guilty for taking them that I just wanted to do it fast and not be detected. (Hanging my head in shame.) We were told NOT to take pics.

Everyone else was taking them...I can hear my mother saying, "If everyone else was walking off a cliff would ya do that too?"

Maybe.

They were FABULOUS. It was worth every tired moment today.

Hey, hey, my my

Purple hair. Yes I'm going through my second childhood. I do what I want. Dork that I am.

Now these last three pics, they pretty much say it all, but you know what a wind bag I am, and yeah you know I'm going to say someting.

Dear Lord what were we thinking? Simpering away like that. We look like we're saying"

SEE?

HERPES.

RARRR.

Sexy beasts.

I look like Aunt Bee, 'nuff said.

Goldie looks like she needs to wet her damned parched lips.

And Becca, well she looks like, "Look I got ta boo boo, owie..."

And she's probably going to kill me for posting that pic. Goldie was here Becca, it was her idea, kill her too. K? Her only stipulation was that if I posted one of them I had to post all of them. So, there ya go, Goldie's fault. These were taken the last time the three of us went out...spent too much money, got sloshed...we were sick for three weeks after. Drunk texting took place, and drunk dialing, and pretty much drunk everything except driving, we had a driver.


Becca asked me to post, a month ago, and this will probably be post dated as I started it then and this is now, and she really likes it when I mind her, so I usually do, mind her.

Well she does.

Life is changing in so many ways
I don't know who to trust anymore
Just need someone to keep my house clean
fix my meals and go away...

Thanks Neil, but that's not quite right, I trust the people who I love, and the people who I don't trust I'm cordial to but don't really share much.

My house, Neil, is most times clean, not now, but most times, and I really don't have much focus for meals lately, I eat to refuel.

I'm embracing sharing my space with people, sort of, or at least being with people more. I'm forcing myself to get out amongst 'em, and it's been fun sometimes, sometimes not so much.

I realized, not too long ago, that I had been spending my time like this:

Get up, exercise, work, eat pain pills, ignore the drunk guy, and get through. Oh it wasn't all pain and avoidance, but a lot of it was.

Tomorrow night I'm going to see the frappin' EAGLES in Columbia, AND I'm going to drag my arse out of bed the next day and go to work. Those of you who know me know that I rarely do anything if I have to work the next day, but this is THE EAGLES. Oh I'm all over it.

It's another tequila sunrise...

Little crooked boxes

Okay so I haven't finished the painting down there yet, the one of my Becky's Randy, but I will it's only a matter of sitting down to do it, and yeah I muffed it up, took it from good to worse, but that's all part of MY process. Heh, and eventually I'll bring it back to just right.

Um, blowing the cob webs out of the corners of this blog is going to be a bigger job than I anticipated, but me and my new legs, we're up for it. Only now I have to figure out how I managed to hit everyone's blogs, like I did before...because now I seem to have the attention span of a small child, or a gnat. I love that spelling, it moves me, and makes me say gaaa nat every time I type it.

Ga nat
Ga nish
Ga nosh.

And the other day I went into work to grade artwork for the next grade check, and at the beginning of each of my classes I went in and spoke to the kids, while doing that I had an epiphany of sorts, no shit I did, and I thought to myself, as I was speaking even, and YOU know I rarely think when I speak, I thought, self, this is where YOU are supposed to be, this is your little piece of utopia, this feels good, I've missed this, happy dance!

Now see, I thought that spending time away from work would be just what I needed, and I'm sure it was to a large degree, since I needed some healing and all, but NEVER have surgery in the winter. See? See that painting up there? Um that's the result of Lori having surgery in the winter and being stuck in the frappin house for way too long.

I rarely do abstracts, but I do like to break up the monotony once in a while, so, yeah I dabble, but this one, this one represents my feeling the oppression of these four walls. And yeah the entire piece is eyeballed; not a straight line in the mess, but I sort of like it that way. If I ever have surgery again I'm having it in the summer.

Oh yes I am, then I will carry my healing bod electric to the river, let the current carry any negativity away, and feel the sun kiss my healing body.

If you can avoid it, never have surgery in the winter, that's what I'm sayin' or you may end up painting some crooked boxes of your own.

love you, miss you, and I mean that! Lori

Big daddy

Big daddy. Oils, two feet by three feet, on masonite board.

I'm not quite finished with this painting yet. The top one is the result of four hours of painting, and the bottom one is the result of six hours of painting.

Now all I have to do is go back in with oil pastel crayons and finish this beautiful man's image.

(Miss ya man, sure wish you were here, damn it.)

Oh, I almost forgot, the other day when they were wheeling me into surgery, I had talked to my sisters and my brother Tom about helping me out in one particular and important way, I asked them, while I was under the anesthetic to please tell me that I was a strong woman, that I would heal fast and that all of my pain would be manageable and soon gone.

So as they were wheeling me back to anesthetize me, Tom asked the nurse if they would be able to see me after they doped me up good, and the nurse said, "No, this is the last time you guys will see her until she comes to." So Tom, not wanting to go back on his word, started yelling, "LORI, REMEMBER, YOU'RE ONE BAD ASS MOTHER FUCKER, AND YOU'RE GONNA BE JUST FINE!!! NO PAIN BABY, AND YOU'LL HEAL FAST TOO." Gaaaaa I love my little Tommy.

I managed to make it to some of my favorite blogs, I think it was yesterday, or maybe the day before, and the rest of my favorite blogs, I'll get to you soon, I'm just a little dopey, and tired, okay a lot dopey, but all of that junk will be out of my system soon, because pain, it's going to be a thing of the past. Oh right on....

love a, love a, love a, and snuffle sniff,
Lori

I am pain FREE in my legs and butt a kiss

I am grateful
and I am healing well.

It's difficult to describe how I feel with words. The magnitude of, the significance of, the importance of the effects of this surgery...have me dancing, okay not really but walking, I'm walking a lot.

~~My legs and
my butt a kiss
are pain free.~~

Yep they are, and yeah I have a hellish beastly incision on my back where my doctor cut through my muscles and hacked off part of my vertebra in the lower lumbar section, and yeah it hurts but this kind of pain, it's temporary, and therefore, nothing. I dismiss it, I let it free fall to the floor where it can't harm anyone. This nothingness of pain, it takes it's leave more each day and is replaced with hope and spunk.

Sisters Becky and Crystal and brother Tommy, they've been taking care of me. Loving me, soothing me, and waiting on me. I don't know what I'd do without them, and I don't want to know.

They loaded me up on the day of surgery and drove me to the hospital. They made me laugh. Crystal rubbed my head and made me cry, then she put part of my hair in little braids and made me laugh again. They threatened to "FIX" me up after surgery, and take pictures, especially when the nurses told them there was a possibility of my face swelling up the size of a basketball...It didn't thank God, or you'd be seeing that pic on Becky's blog I'm sure.

They waited in that hospital for thirteen hours. I was scheduled for surgery at nine am, but they didn't take me back to actually operate on me until seven thirty pm. Then at nine twenty pm when my surgery was complete, they refused to let my siblings go see me in recovery. At eleven pm Crystal told the nurse that they had been there for what seemed like forever, that they needed to get Tommy home because his back is all muffed up and she wasn't leaving until she got to see her sister, and she meant it.

The nurse let them in. Apparently, from what they tell me as I don't remember ANY of it, I was extremely maudlin without the booze and proceeded to profess my undying love gratitude and affection for them. I kept holding their hands and trying to hug them, and the nurses too, I guess...Well at least they know I'm crazy in love with them.

Life is a-frappin good, in fact it's amazing.

Pie Fight anyone?

This is Chris on youtube, a friend of mine and Becky's, actually one of Becky's best friends in the world, having a pie fight with two of his granddaughters. Gotta love Chris.

I do what I want

Me: Will you be able to pick Sam up from gamers hideout or do ya need for me ta pick him up?

Him: (It's his weekend with Sam) Well, der, I told him he could stay all night.

Me: Wait a minute, we decided that Sam wouldn't be staying up there all night during the school year, it's too hard on him and ME when I get him home Sunday night and he's been sleeping all day, he really doesn't want to have to go back to bed four hours later or go to school the next day. What the hell?

Him: I know I fxcked up. I'm sorry...(he's drunk)

Me: I'm picking him up in an hour...

Him: Okay, go a head and drop him off at my house, I'm not there but...

Me: Oh what the hell? Pppp. I'm not gonna drop my 11 year old kid off at your house at one in the morning if you're not there.

Him: He'll be fi-----(this is where I cut him off)

Me: I'm taking him home with me and George, you do whatever, and damn it I'm not looking forward to going up there and telling him that he CAN'T spend the night, and again I'm the bitch and you get to be the cool guy...you dumb ass. (I know I shouldn't a been name calling...)

I tell Sam he's going home early, he tells me he's not, (big shitty smirk on my face here)I tell Sam he will be going home early or I will be DRAGGING him out of there in front of all his friends.

Sam went home early.

The ex called me ten times, after the forth call, I didn't answer his calls anymore, I'd already heard it all...ad naseum. What the hell?

Just, oh what the hell? I'm so glad I don't have to look at him in my house and that's all I've got to say about that.

I DO WHAT I WANT. I do, I am, I will, and I like it. I'm really enjoying this phase in my life. I do what I want, and I don't have anyone hanging around telling me what to do and what not to do. I am all over this I do what I want stuff.

We have a cool arrangement with Sampson, he stays with me for a week and then with the drunk guy for a week, only I pick him up every day from school and get to hang with him every afternoon. It's the best of both worlds, I do all the driving except for in the morning when I know the drunk guy wont be drunk, Sam gets to hang with both parents, and no child support is exchanged. It's a pretty decent situation until somebody doesn't hold up their end of the deal.

Like I should be surprised. I'm not really.

The Dr comes down and works on my house when Samps is at his dads, when he's not hunting. Another hunter, and hunting season lasts ad naseum and, oh, an extra day after that too. Heh.

My surgery is scheduled for the sixteenth of December. I'm really looking forward to not having pain in my legs, I am not looking forward to not having sex for four weeks. Yeah I said it. And yeah I may delete it.

I am forty-eight years old and I do what I want.

I want to post, but I keep thinking, where would I start? I can't seem to get it to gush, so I'm going to leave you with a song that makes me smile, mostly because it reminds me of some of my kids who graduated in 2004, what a group, man I miss 'em...

and it makes me bop.

And I just dig it.

peace and love to ya

Engage transmission sequence:

I was feeling sort of run down, old, tired, crooked jawed, crooked nosed, and well, dusty, so I had Samps take a pic of me to see how bad the visual really was.

Not as bad as I was feeling, thank God/Goddess.

Forty eight may not be so bad after all.

Who knows?

We've finished a beautiful loving weekend at Becca's putting in her new windows and fixing her roof. Okay I only picked up the trash in the yard, Dr and nephew David did all of the real work.

It was a Crown Royal weekend, but not for me, nope Merlot is still my choice of brew.

End of transmission.

Another post...

October 11, 2008...the pix were saved earlier...
Hey, it's Saturday morning,

cold in here,

because I'm too cheap to turn the heat on,

not till I can see my breath, that's my motto,

and besides, I have all kinds of good smelly candles,

they put out heat...

NICE BIKE,

NICE BIKER,

too.


Um yeah.

Could be called a RUB, for rural urban biker...

but urban s not really right, not quite.










Check out the cannon on that guy...

I know, pretty cheesy, but in a thoroughly tickled with ourselves kind of way.

Laughing is underrated.

I'm alive, not just because of the man with the cannon, but for several reasons, a multitude of reasons.

I feel like I just got up, but I'm not bummed out about it, it feels good to be awake.

It feels good to wake up.

Been busy, but I'll be back around to check on you all tonight, I hope.

School has been busy, productive, right on, and fabulous.

I have less than twenty six kids in each of my classes this year, so compared to all of the other years, this one is a frappin' breeze, and we are really getting things done.

Life is good, hell life is great.

This first pic is of an instillation, kind of a changing art wall, that the kids in my advanced art class made last Friday. I am so proud of their efforts, I think it turned out really cool. They are doing huge pastel resists of it, while first focusing in on specific areas with a view finder. I'll post some of the results soon, you know I will.

Now this pic of my green chalk board, yeah I still have a chalk board in my room, and yeah it's ancient and way out dated, but I like it just fine, anyway one of my kids altered the message I had written on it with what you see here. (You'll see my original message below.) Now while other teachers would likely think the alteration was disrespectful and maybe even get angry, was I? Well of course not, I thought it was funny as heck. Man a live I love kids, they make me laugh everyday and I am totally convinced that I have the best gig in the world, and that's pretty right on.

Yeah here's the original message.

We've been doing live figure drawings in my advanced drawing class and my advanced art classes, and I have been really impressed and pleased with the results. My gaaa I have the most talented kids in the world, yes I do, right here in po dunk USA.

Did I mention that life is good?




Here are a few of the pieces that have come out of those classes. They are incredible, but of course I really don't have to tell you, you can see for yourself.































Yeah these last three drawings are of me. In my advanced drawing class I let the kids take turns modeling because I want them to know how difficult it really is to sit still for and extended period so they will appreciate the model, but in my advanced art class we only spend a small amount of time with figure drawing, just two weeks, so I model for them, that way the emphasis is on everyone drawing.

I am so pleased with these drawings, and flattered too, as they really idealized me for sure.




































And I've found some time to do a little work myself, just to keep my spirit healthy, and my hand and eyes working well.

I probably need to get on another piece or two, I'm feeling that painting jones again.









I know, enough with the Venus, but I love her. Doesn't everyone? Well if they don't they should...Man I'm a pushy broad.













Dear Zilla, that is the coolest wine opener I've ever seen, and I thank you so so much, and apologize for not thanking you properly before now. You are the greatest!

Homecoming 08

I've had the most right on day today...

During homecoming the kids dress up all week, and some of the teachers too, in celebration and to show their school spirit, and today was rock star day, so one of my kids, who is in my art history class, advanced drawing class and advanced art class brought his electric Gibson guitar, and his bacon and eggs pocket amplifier, and he played for us.

I sang, poorly, some Tedd Nugent, and Lynryd Skynyrd, and then the kid with the guitar started playing Hot For Teacher, and another kid started singing, and dancing, and ended up in the trash can head first, I'm not sure how that happened really because I was posing for the class when it happened but it was funny.

Then they started doing AC/DC's Highway to Hell, only every time they were supposed to say hell they would look at me and I'd say, HECK.

Then, and this is the BEST part, our new vice principal heard the guitar playing and came in and started singing Black Sabbath War Pigs with me, yeah I was singing that rather poorly too, and he took over the guitar and jammed for about thirty minutes. Talk about building rapport, the kids just dug the crap out of that.

What an absolutely awesome day I've had. My only regret is that I didn't take my camara today.

love a love a love a,
Lori

My boy...aunt Becky took this, I love it.

I just wish he wasn't mad at me all the time.

Nice for a change, and I'm all about change.

What Ange a my love said: Good for them.

Pain in the purse

I went to the doctor today. Yeah, yeah, I'll try not to bore you to tears with all that went on.

He wants me to go to a neurosurgeon, in regards to my stenosis. Wants me to let them go in and scrape off some of the bone on my spine so I wont have constant pain anymore.

Of course that will require that I have another MRI, the last one ended up costing me almost two thousand dollars, even with my crappy insurance, so yeah, I'm freaked out.

But if it could really help me...I'll do it, I'll be all over it, I'm already there.

It's only money.