girl at large

still love my barns...

Midwestern Landscape Study I
Midwestern Landscape Study II

i got quite a few holiday cards from Wisconsin this year...and with all this cold and rain we've been having no wonder i'm thinking about scenes like these...

motoring to Menton

Christmas Day, sunny, in Menton

Mom and Bert sailed (motored) to Menton for lunch with Aunt Peg and Uncle Natale...Ruby and i took the warmer (though slower!) train over.

Bon Fete!

me and my sister, Christmas 1977, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, wearing our new Sesame Street Big Bird winter stocking caps--one of which came to a disasterous and somewhat violent end a few years later whilst atop my little brother's noggin. bad dog. very bad dog.

no one who lives there ever calls it Chi-town, trust me

to me, Christmas will always be Tea at The Drake, munching Frango Mints til you're sick, window displays down the Magnificent Mile, peeling obscene amounts of potatoes for mom's famous dish-to-pass, staying in Mies Van der Rohe apartment buildings, clothespin angels on the tree, shopping at Water Tower Place (and pretty much ignoring the actual Water Tower), taxi cab rides, lunch at The Athenian Room, new pajamas for Christmas morning photos, visiting with Grandma for a bowl of left-over soup (it's not soup left over, it's soup MADE from left-overs and always delicous), breakfast at Nookies, picking up a few "vintage" finds at the White Elephant resale shop, visiting the penguins and the diving polar bear in Lincoln Park Zoo and trying to keep track of all the family's comings and goings (there are so many of them!)....Christmas to me will always be in Chicago.

getting out there, phase two

had my first outing last night as a result of last week's speed dating experience. had a very good time! turns out the fellow's roommate is a gal i'd met when i first arrived and she had a friend in town so we all four went out for drinks and dinner in Antibes. the gal's friend is from Louisianna! ha! small world. the "Fellow" (funny, gracious, charming and sooo gentlemanly) is an airplane pilot--mom's comment as i walked out the door--"Ask him if his landings are smoooooth!" you can imagine the hand gesture. god help any man i bring home.

c'est fini

i've finally finished the portrait of my brother-in-law and his sister for my sister Margaret (a Christmas gift to her in-laws). i must confess, i'm not crazy about it--working only from photos is not fun, and i'm not a portraitist. i'm taking another weeks course at the art house in La Colle sur Loup in February however--an intensive week focused on portraiture so maybe there's hope. i'm just so much better at drawing naked people.

jello jiggling

news late last night of the earthquake in California yesterday made me a little nervous for members of the clan out that way, but so far everyone i've heard from is fine. Aunt Anna missed feeling the jolt--like most Californians she was in her car at the time. my brother Thomas thought he was getting sick. Affable Dan had a brilliant response to his first earthquake--"I love new experiences!"---that's what i love about that kid, his endless enthusiasm.

A Christmas Tale

a number of years ago i was living in Madison, Wisconsin, going to night art school and working as a personal banker (glorified teller). it was a crystal cold winter, the trees sparkling with ice, fields brown and bare, charming red barns visible just behind my beige-box post-divorce apartment complex. my first year out of retail in what felt like a decade, i was blessed with my own personal Christmas miracle--two days off for the holiday AND a rumored holiday bonus. talk of the bonus was rampant between branches--would it be bigger than last year? would it be cash? would it be a percentage of salary? after weeks of drooling anticipation (and count the chickens before they hatch over-spending), the day finally arrived. Joe the Money Guy (he delivered the actual bags of cash and coin in a Brinks truck as well as inter-branch mail and paychecks, he was beloved) rolled his handcart into the lobby.

loaded with hams. hams. of the 20 pound variety.

what the hell can a single girl do with twenty pounds of honey-baked ham? i was driving into Chicago for Christmas with the family. well, i'll just bring it with me for the family. maybe they can find a use for it. there are lots of them. they eat.

my dependable econo-box loaded with gifts, sandbags and the ham, i headed out in the morning freeze. three or four miles into the three hour journey, the roll-thud-roll-smack-thud of a ham on the loose in the back seat was more than i could bear. it wasn't keeping time with Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer on the radio. so, i put The Ham in the empty front passenger seat and strapped it in (safety first!). by Waukegan it was turning into a 'Wilson' and Tom Hanks in Castaway moment. the bemused toll booth operators were very accomodating. no extra charge for the ham.

i gave The Ham to Grandma Mickey, she of the Depression-era eating and feeding habits. she made good use of it i hear--the entire neighborhood was sussed for ham sandwiches well into the spring thaw.

she sent me a check a week later for $20. on the memo line: 'Christmas Bonus'.

Miss Savannah, what went wrong?

this just in from RyDog, who confesses that despite all, he misses Savannah...
Savannah Beauty Queen Shoots Boyfriend and the
Miss Murdering Savannah update.

i remember watching the news when i first arrived and noting that there were more murders (reported at the END of the evening news) in my first week there than in the entire five years i had lived in Madison.

retail savant

i've been working on my resume (cv) this month and have come to realize that i've spent far, far too much of my life in retail and it's time NOT to return. how to jazz up the qualifications? after a little research and help from sis, it's looking like i'm actually quite highly qualified in---

Cash Management (making change)
Inventory control (counting how much stuff has been pilfered by staff)
Purchasing ("Ok, that's 2 Big Macs, 1 McFish, three Diet Cokes...")
Research and Development (reading magazines)
Data Archiving (that's a beautiful way of saying Filing)
Customer Relations (not as sexy as it sounds)
Telephone Reception ("Yello. Nope, closed on Sundays. Sorry.")
Marketing (sticking flyers on windshields in the parking lot)
Shipping and Receiving (unpacking boxes)
Staff Supervision (telling other people to unpack boxes)
Scheduling (telling other people when to unpack boxes)
Merchandising and Display (putting stuff from boxes on shelves)
Refuse Management (taking out the trash and empty boxes)

well, lucky me.

look this way

Antibes (Abstracted), acrylic on paper, 22" x 16.5"

i keep painting things that that look better when viewed from the side. have i developed a periphial-vision specialty?

zapper

in a desperate attempt to find something to watch other than CNN or ITV News, i spent a few annoying minutes clicking through every single satelite channel, noting the ones that actually had reception. (the satelite dish is too low to get a proper signal and some other problem i'm not up on has severely limited the English-language television channels available). i've found the religious stations (3), the Spanish station, the shopping channels (18!), the Motor channel, the Travel station, more news stations (2) and ...(drum roll)..Reality TV. Reality TV has a line-up of shows with names like Inferno!, Rescue 911 (remember that one?), Disaster!, The Tube, Surf Crazy and What Went Wrong?. what was i thinking watching edu-snobby, good-for-you-like-cauliflower-even-though-it-tastes-like-feet PBS all those years? now this is quality programming! gotta run...Cheaters is on.

p.s. yes, yes, i know i should be watching French tv for the practice, but sometimes it hurts my brain.

mystery meat

Duncan left behind vast quantities of meat in the freezer. now, i'm more of a pasta and salad person at home, preferring to let the professionals handle the subtlities of 'medium' vs. 'medium rare'. but i'm also on a budget, and looking into the cold box i see in my mind that standard-yellow $25 check Grandma Mickey sent me one cold, poverty-stricken student-era Christmas--on the memo line: "buy meat". the guilt is overwhelming--i can't let all this cello-wrapped, portion-divided frozen meat go to waste. so, the adventure begins. recipe: defrost on radiator, shoo dog and cat away from radiator, unwrap, pop in world's-smallest counter top oven and wait to see what comes out! i'm sure that last night's was chicken--very nice with pasta. i'm fairly certain that tonight's was lamb. i think. anyway, it was very nice with salad. tomorrow looks to be...well, we'll see, won't we?

FYI: the radiator de-frost was Duncan's method, highly UN-recommended if you want to avoid death by salmonilla (thanks Maria)--i'm sticking to the safer day-ahead-of-time refrig. method these days.

if i could sit on Santa's lap

let's see, what shall i put on my Christmas list?

1) one skin cream that actually DOES what it says it does (for that jolly red glow)
2) a cure for fear of heights, speed and sporting equipment (St. Nick must have mastered all that on the sleigh, right?)
3) a washing machine (don't ask)
4) pair of chocolate brown leather boots, of the "Leave 'em on baby" variety (sometimes i am a naughty girl)
5) a sibling translating dictionary (for all those "What EXACTLY did she MEAN by that?" moments)
6) a Boy of my very own (preferably not of the elf variety)
7) a job (complete with wages; making toys would be ok)
8) an isight for everyone i know and love (Santa's up on the techie stuff, yeah?)
9) nicotine patches in fashion colors (for those long haul flights)
10) a painting patron (aka: 'sugar daddy'--in combo with item 6 certainly ok)

domesticity

it's happy home-making week for the Mikkelsen Kids--my temporary roomie Duncan went off to his new life and wife in Australia this week leaving the Cannes apt. all to myself (!) and my brother Thomas moved into his own place in LA after more than a few weeks living with a friend-of-the-family (aka: weird stranger). poor kid has not a stick of furniture (how can that be in this family?!?) but he's got a balcony for enjoying the California sunshine. i have sponge-elbow from days and days of serious cleaning, but the results are lovely! though it's a temporary thing, i'm finally feeling like i actually have a homey space of my own. this has been a great year, but i'm getting too old for the living-out-of-a-suitcase thing. i'm too domestic at heart--i need my co-ordinated linens, designer broom and professional toaster. and a coat rack! my kingdom for a coat rack! don't laugh.

another holiday rant

there seems to be a general concensus that if you are at a loss as to what to give someone for Christmas, the best option is to find an item (the more useless the better, a knick knack in need of frequent dusting is tops) that resembles and or pays homage to something they already own and enjoy. prime examples: Dogs (poor bastards that have pure breds), Cats (prime example: crystal kitty cat figurine from The Old Man for 21st birthday), unique Cars (vintage, pick up, VW Bug, Mini, etc), Boats (mom does not need sailboat tea towels, i promise you), Horses, Cabin. or if they have a hobby--nothing beats a fridge magnet about their favorite pastime: Sewing, Painting (love that little painting palette notepad circa 1992), Fishing, Golf, etc.

i'd say these gift items should be made illegal and dumped en masse into the Atlantic, but then what would the people of Hong Kong and Taiwan do?

when in doubt, just send a card. really, it's the thought that counts. besides, i can't see to find my fridge handle anymore.

Holiday-rage

it is not necesary to stand THAT close to me in line!!!! (deep breath) i've grown accustomed to the French idea of personal space, mainly, that there is no such thing. but today, at the post office i nearly lost it! and then, this guy starts telling me how to use the damn machine, the machine i've been using for a year! that i'm using just fine without your help buddy! i'm just waiting for it to finish printing the damn stamps. and no, i can't just get a book of stamps because these are going international and take a funny amount, i know this!! back off! danger! you're standing too damn close! and telling me what to do?!?! (another deep breath)

so, in these moments, when i just want to be left alone to finish my business and i have a cold and my nerves are shot and sending 48 Christmas cards (of which i'll get a return percentage of close to ZILCH) to my friends and loved ones in three countries seems more than i can bear and the guy is now literally STANDING ON TOP OF ME (excuse me?!? please don't put your package on the scale ON TOP of my letter!?! can you NOT see me?)---i do the naughty thing---pretend i don't understand and go into english. and you know what?! the jerk was ENGLISH! so much for queu-ing up nicely mate.

holiday spirit, French style

i was walking Ruby out along the ramparts the other day in Antibes, though there was a nip in the air the sun was out, when i paused to let Miss Ruby do her sniffing thing. From behind me came a person on a bicycle--you can sense these things--always fond of bicyclists (next painting subject maybe?) i turned to get a better look. this is what i saw: an older lady, probably over 60 with that blonde-white hair all French ladies of a certain age seem to have, wearing a bright red wool coat--the kind with princess puff sleeves, a nipped in waist with brass buttons and a big swirl of a drop to the ankles--this volume of red fabric was caught up in the wind behind her. Her bike was an old-school type with big white wall tires, cruising handlebars and wicker baskets front and rear. and in the back basket? wrapped Christmas presents and a bunch of evergreens.

did i just see Madame St. Nick?!? of all times not to have my camera.

a few days previous, again in Antibes, i was walking through the square--now complete with Christmas train ride for the kiddies and various vendors selling various kitsch--and noticed a rather tall, thin man selling animal shaped mylar balloons. he'd made an attempt to dress festively, but i must say it was the worst Santa costume i've ever seen--too short for his long arms and legs, he was much in need of padding for that 'jolly fat' look and he'd given up on the cottonball beard by just letting it hang down round his neck on his chest. just when i was thinking this was amusing enough-- a little boy, 3 or 4 years old, spotted "Santa", pointed, smiled and exclaimed "Ho! Ho! Ho!". only this kid was French so it came out "Heau! Heau! Heau!"

i had to struggle to keep from laughing out loud, you should have been there, it was so funny.

feeling stuffy, but still a little slutty

the one good thing about having a cold---i went to the singles night (speed dating in English) tonight--and was so stuffed up and high on cold pills that i had no time or consideration to be nervous--and had a seriously good time. and The Sweater didn't let me down--'old reliable'..of course, in my state, i didn't notice til too late that most of the evening one or the other of my boobs was hanging out. ha!
much better stock of boys this time--some of them even could be said to be 'men'!

hmm...wondering what will surface in the 'match' emails to come.....

miracles do happen

i just got a home made birthday card from The Custard. and a birthday email from The Old Man. and a birthday/Christmas package from The RyDog. i've heard of it, it's sometimes in the movies, i've been told it happens; that the (hetersexual) men in your life do occasionally remember these things, but i don't think i've ever really seen it before in real life. well, wonders never cease!

bday resolutions

step one of year 31: Get Out There

action taken: am signed up for local English-speaking singles night this upcoming Wednesday. (hopefully, it will not result in a repeat of last year's disaster date!: "Um, you've got a sandwich crumb in your beard there." "Oh, I'll get it later." Later?!?!....)

preparations: must launder The Sweater pronto.

results: pending

my favorites!

homemade German Chocolate Birthday Cake from Mom (and a lovely chocolate brown leather handbag, not pictured because it's lost somewhere under the mountain that is our coat tree)! a gooorgeous ring from Miss Maria! a Guide to French Cheeses book from Miss Liz! kisses from Miss Ruby! what more could a girl want?!

Happy Bidet to me!

it's my birthday. alot has changed since last year. who would have thought? i've gotten out of that horrible job situation, tied up loose ends and moved from Savannah to France, lived (happily!) with my mother again, learned to love Uncle Bert for his unique Bert-ness, sailed on the Mediterranean, visited my sister in London without bloodshed, made new friends and maintained old trusted friendships around the world, learned passable French and found that indeed i can paint (and really enjoy it!). so, what next? who knows! here's to another great year! clink clink

p.s. only one thing lacking on this birthday (and the previous three)--is it weird to wish for a reliable provider of good nookie for your birthday? is that wrong? (and no, i'm not going to order anything that arrives in an unmarked brown paper package).

i can too change my stripes! besides, it's all about polka dots this season.

seems the most shocking thing i can do these days is say something like: "I might take up ski-ing.", which i said to Maria, Phil and Mom when we all ran into each other in the lane earlier today. i think Maria hurt herself. What?!? Don't look at me like that!?! I just might you know!. huh.

well, ok, my definition of 'ski-ing' would technically be sketching, reading and crocheting whilst sipping spiked cocoa in the chalet--but it's a start!!!

(and i remember the days when i shocked folks by piercing my nose and dying my hair purple...ah, those were the days. how old am i going to be tomorrow?!?)

couper et discuter

Madamoiselle Hair Girl is such a sweetie--she loves doing my hair, mostly i think because i never care what she does with it--i let her do something different every time. of course, short hair is easy that way--no matter how different, it is still pretty much the same. or it grows out to the same thing in a week or two anyway! Monsieur Hair Guy is a serious chatterbox--it's good practice for me to sit and listen to him rave on about politics, religion, etc in french. today's listening was a lecture on the state of capitalism in the 'new' Russia. the poor guy in his chair only came in for a trim!

old before my time?

am tuckered out with yet another cold--don't mind sleeping in, having a stuffed up head and feeling groggy, but couldn't it at least be the result of a hangover?

as Duncan so kindly pointed out to a mutual friend--"That attractive young American girl living here is sitting on the sofa, with the dog and blankets and cushions and the tele on and she's knitting. On a Friday night!" something's wrong with this picture!

doggy daycare

Miss Ruby is in creche (with Miss Jill) today...on my way to pick her up, wonder what kind of trouble she got into...

i stayed out of trouble today--just a little digging around in pottery group. good stuff.

the great American soul-crushing Mall

when ever i dislike a job (or miss having one!), i shall think of Pretzel Boy and immediately feel better. (warning to those with sensitive dispositions--lots of f**ks and c**ksuckers in that rant link). my suckiest job duties and the stupid things people say in the wonderful world of retail:

measuring men's OUTseams for rental tuxedos: No, I'm not going to measure your INseam, and no, I haven't heard that request a thousand times before. ha ha. and no matter how much you suck in your stomach and thrust out your pelvis, I am not going to look up and eye your 'package'. nice try buddy.

bank teller: Certainly Sir, you're so funny and clever, I'll give you a million dollars right now! Here you go! Have a nice day!

steaming clothes in the back room of JCPenney: still have a scar of a row of steamer head dots on leg. not a funny way to initiate the new girl. though that putting the tagging gun through my finger, now that was a laugh riot.

massing out Christmas ornaments, the overnight shift: i am waaay over the glitter makeup thing.

selling high-end kids shoes to yuppie brats and their toddlers: me, squatting on floor, wrangling three year old boy into $100 Italian dress loafers: "Ok, Billy, here we go." uptight mother: "His NAME is WILLIAM. WILL-IAM." poor bastard.

selling high-end shoes to PC-paranoid yuppie Madisonions: pedicures people! pedicures! and no, there is no such thing as recycled Italian leather mules. unless you try the Salvation Army down the street--just follow the scent of patchouli.

cleaning apartments: here's a tip folks--your cleaning lady is on to you..being nice and tidy and clean the first visit when you are getting a time/cost quote is not cool. not when with every week after you become more and more slovenly. clearing bathtub drains of pube clogs is extra.

interior design consulting: just because you bought one chest of drawers (the cheapest we sell) six months ago does not mean you can call me at home at 8am on my day off and ask me what color toss pillows you should buy--cherry red or tomato red. get cherry tomato red for all i care! you're calling me (at home!) from ANOTHER STORE for crying out loud! how did you get my home number anyway?!?

handling bridal registry shoppers at housewares store: You're going to the wedding and you don't know the name of the bride OR the groom? um, no, the computer can't "tell me that". and knowing the first name of the bride's stepmother's first husband isn't a big help.

doing it properly

Duncan is instructing me on the finer points of English cuisine. apparently, i've been doing it all wrong all these years--ROASTING carrots and BOILING potatos when in fact i should have been BOILING carrots and ROASTING potatoes. who knew?

busy bee

click on thumbnail for larger image, click on title name for purchase details
Centre Ville, acrylic on linen canvas, 20" x 29"
Rooftop Study, acrylic on heavy paper, 16.5" x 22"
Square One, revised, acrylic on linen canvas, 32" x 40"
Winter Night Boats Study, acrylic on heavy paper, 22" x 16.5"
Evening Windows, revised photo, acrylic on heavy paper, 20" x 20"

i thought it ended with the SAT's

my sister is in the process of being career counseled (by a professional). she took a series of questionaires/tests to help identify what she is naturally geared towards and what her ideal working circumstances might be. the list she received this week of careers she's well-suited for includes: Fish Farmer, Politician, and Hypnotist. huh.

i took one of those types of tests a number of years back (in part to assess my trustworthyness when applying for a job at a bank) and the results said not only should i not have anything to do with the visual arts but also that my visual abilities were so bad i should have my eyes checked. huh.

meteo

only one clear, relatively warm day this entire past week. and we're in for another few days of rain and storms...F9 winds (between a Gale and a Storm according to MeteoMan Bert) expected tomorrow, flooding in the south the next few days.

check out this recent satelite image: France is obliterated!

according to the locals, so far i've spent my 'year in France' during the one year in memory that contained the coldest winter, the hottest (and deadliest) summer and now the wettest fall. huh.

Thanksgiving shindig

sweet potatoes...gone.