Random Stuff!

Deb Silva tagged me for 7 Random Things - thanks Deb - I could use a little push to write a proper post, anyway!

1. Well, let's see.. I'm lefted handed. This may not be very random - and I bet many of you out there reading this are left handed. With apologies to right handers (and pretty much everyone - possibly EVERYone in my family are righties, so I love righties!) I do connect left handedness with creativity. This may be an.. urban legend or something! but in a Children's Book Illustration class I took several years ago I looked around the big table we all sat at and I think all but two of us - inluding the instructor - were left handed.

2. I went to a Catholic school and grew up as "the only Catholic" in my family. I thought of school because many people think that in "strict" Catholic schools they don't "allow" left handedness but there was no such enforcement at my school, Marymount  -- on 5th Ave. in NYC, across from the Metropolitan Museum.

My father was a Boston Irish Catholic, but was pretty much non practicing as an adult. My mother's family was Episcopal NY/CT from way back (like.. 1600's..). My father died when I was young, and even before that I had always had much more involvement with my maternal grandparents, spending summers with them at their farm in Westbrook, CT, going to church with them most Sundays at their sweet New England little Episcopal Chapel, but.. all school year we had full on Catholic Mass and communion every Friday morning with the incense and the 6' tall crucified Christ.. I always thought this was strange! and I think the ritual and symbolism definitely added to my sensibilities as an artist. See that green oxidized roof on top? The front right hand part had a playground area behind it, with swings and monkey bars; the left back corner had nuns' apartments with clotheslines outside where they.. dried their underwear! Of course it was scandelous - and most likely sinful - to giggle at nuns' underwear - but of course, we did!

3. Well now - here's a random fact I just found out while looking for a photo of The Marymount School - Pratt Mansion, which houses the school, can be rented out for events and film shoots. The main lobby was used as Roger DeBris' house in The Producers! This is so amusing... that scene in The Producers with all the assorted drag queens dancing down the big marble staircase - is the same staircase I went up every day to kindergarten, first grade, etc. Haaa.. this is hysterical. I wish my Mom were still alive to laugh about this with me!

The white door they show in another pic, at the bottom right of the stairs, was the nurses office!

4. Ok.. I better come up with some quicker facts! Some of my favorite flavors are marzipan and almond flavored things, avacado, lime, cilantro, peach, and spearmint. I love spearmint tea.

5. Some of my favorite flowers are pansies, lilacs, lily of the valley, cosmos, zinnias and dahlias.

6. I have a soft spot for silly domestic British novels. In the 80's I went thru all of Jonanna Trollope, Mary Sheepshanks (great name!), and yes, even Rosamunde Pilcher - what used to be called "Aga Sagas"! I loved them.. especially if there was a family sitting around a "scrubbed pine table" by the crockery filled dresser, eating toast soldiers by the Aga, etc etc... I kind of burnt out on them tho, and couldn't find any more! Recently there's been a wave of Brit Chick Lit, most of which I can't stand and doesn't at all have the cozy domestic feel of the Sagas, BUT.. I weakened and bought Notting Hell - it's sort of between the two. Yes, lots of high end brand names and shopping bs mentioned, but also kitchen descriptions (!) and kids eating beans and fish sticks by the - yes - Aga...

Usually I read "good" books! haa :-)

7. Ok, lastly an admission -- I love Sims2! I don't play it often, because it's addictive - and when I do play it it's usually a several day obsession (not playing it straight for several days! but ALL my downtime!) What I particularly love is building houses.. ohh how I love this! I'm probably a would be.. residential architect or more likely, interior designer.. trouble is my houses are often either too big, or too nicely proportioned to work well with the game. Sims are dumb and can get stuck in hallways or bathrooms with one door, for hours! I even had some Sim passerby walk past one of my houses, go over to admire some flowers by the front door and get "trapped" in a dead end space and.. well.. he died there! The Grim Reaper came and left a headstone in my front yard flower bed! It is als absurdities like this that amuse me! (8th random fact? I have a streak of dark humor in me! a big streak!)

Actually playing the game can be a bore tho.. it's too much like real life with people needing to eat, sleep, clean, feed the babies, clean up after the pets, etc... boring! But every time a new one comes out for Macs - I want it! (tho it uses up way too much hard drive space!) The newest one is called Seasons. You can plant flowers, it rains! In autumn the leaves change color and fall off the trees and you can rake them! And it snows! Ooh Ahhh.. I can't wait!

Ok.. well.. that's it! If you read this far you not only know a lot of random stuff about me, but also that I can be very verbose!

It's a gorgeous day out there.. I hope you enjoy it! Tomorrow I will reply to comments and respond to Ashley's Thinking Blogger award - thank you Ashley!

Ooops - I forgot to Tag 7 others! Ok, I tag Kim, Tammy, Kari, Julie, Lilia, (3 of my Spring Secrets Sisters!),  Dawn, and Cerri.

Comments

[kim]

Hello from a fellow left hander! Used to read lots of Aga sagas too! thanks for tagging me, but I was tagged last week!
Kim x

[Julie Fredericksen]

I didn't know "The Shell Seekers" was just a silly domestic British novel. It's still one of my favorite books ever. I had to read all of Pilcher's books after SS. Hadn't heard the term Aga Saga before! Can't stand chick lit though - either British or American.

[sue]

I still love the 'aga' sagas there are a lot of great British writers out there! In Canada we have a show called Coronation Street which is set in England,i've been watching it since I was a child [long time ago]
I also love playing Sims 2 and I love the decorating part and the gardening as well,I also have the pet sims which can be a little harder as they are demanding lol

[Zabrina]

So we do match at number one, two as I went to a Catholic owner primary school. Oh the owner was so very Catholic as my Dad is too. And number four. I love avocado, cilantro must be on my salads, peach and mint. Love it all!

[Gypsy Purple-Chamara]

I enjoyed this...also a Sims2 lover....

[Tammy]

Oh, see, I'm the one who looks the other way, stands behind the person next to me, that sort of nonsense when teams are being picked...never works though, does it? Give me a couple of days, I'll see what randomness I can muster. Love #6...reading list, please! :)

[deb silva]

LOL - i love the thing about the guy getting stuck and the headstone in the flowerbed - how very Edward Gorey - I'm working on a "killer quilt" right now~ should be lots of dark fun.
oxooo

[Sue McG]

OK I'm giggling about the nuns knickers :) Mea culpa!