Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Trying to Figure People Out


I can't remember the first time my mother told me the saga about Henry VIII and his six wives. I  know the impression it left on me - and continues to leave upon me!  Fascination.  Utter abhorrence for sure, and yet utter fascination.

Certainlty Henry VIII was the king of England at that time, and because of this thought he could do anything he wanted.  His first wife (Catherine of Aragon) refused to give him a divorce and name their only child (Mary) a bastard, so he sent her away; cut off her pension; and separated her from Mary. The pope also refused to grant Henry a divorce and even excommunicated him, but Henry was like Fuck you, Pope!  I want a divorce, and if I have to start my own church to do it I will! Henry founded the Church of England, divorced Catherine, and married Anne Boleyn.

Attempting to bully his first wife into freeing him from their marriage and allowing her die from pneumonia, penniless and alone, was pretty terrible.  It certainly wasn't the worst thing Henry ever did, though.  Like a spoilt child, Henry got anything he wanted.  If one of his wives was unable to give him a son or simply started to annoy him, he would get rid of them and marry another woman who took his fancy.  Anne Boleyn refused to give him a divorce and sign a document stating that their daughter (Elizabeth) was illegitimate.  Henry's advisors, fearing his displeasure, made wild  accussations about Anne's so-called "adulturous" pursuits.  I put the word adulturous in quotes because there was never any proof that she'd had sex with anyone except Henry.  Several men, including Anne's own brother, were tortured until they "confessed" to being her lovers.

Being a kind, faithful, empathetic person, it is almost impossible for me to wrap my mind around those who not only malign people's reputation but also torture these same people in order to get a better truth for the king's warped mind.

And Henry, he started out being utterly devoted to these women, especially Catherine and Anne whom he spent years with and had children by.  How did he U-turn his thoughts and feelings into hatred and death?

(To be continued ... )

Monday, June 29, 2015

Back to Work!


My mind is focussed upon the commissioned portrait I'm working on.

Shhh ... the wheels of my mind are turning.



Sunday, June 28, 2015

Pride Weekend 2015



Pride Weekend 2015 is almost over. It was a wet one, with lots and lots of rain.  And, it was louder than other years, especially on Friday night.  All of the windows in my apartment were shut tightly, and yet the music sounded as if it was right inside.  I couldn't get to sleep that night either because of the music and strobe lights, which lasted until 3am.

But I'll stop my bitching.  It was just one night where it was unbearably loud anyway.

I feel very regretful that I didn't get to go out and join the festvities this year.  It was just the pouring rain; work that I had to finish; and, partying with good friends at my place on Saturday night. (Woo-hoo! That was so much fun!)

Hopefully, next year I'll be able to join in on the Pride celebrations ....

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Proud to be a Gray Gay Cat



My name is Hershey ...  King Hershey, actually.

I'm beautiful, gray, and gay ...


 And  very proud of it all!

Happy Pride, fellow felines ... and humans!

Friday, June 26, 2015

It's Pride


There's loud, raucous music emitting from my building's parking lot.  Joyful people outside are dancing; screaming; laughing; and, singing along to the music.

My apartment is vibrating in time to the beat - Mom used to call it the Church St. beat!

My cats are hiding in the closet, trying to get away from the noise and craziness.

It's definitely Pride Weekend.

 Woo-hoo!  Let the partying begin!

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Pictures From the Underwear Show


I had a fantastic time last night at Cafe California! 


We all supped on delicious food and tried our best to win the door prize, which was sponsored by Iceberg Vodka, by having drinks with said vodka.

Unfortunately, nobody at our table won the gift basket.





It was fun, of course, to watch all of the guys dance around in sexy underwear and different kinds of costumes.



And, although Mom wasn't there physically, I swear I could hear her chuckle and say, "Bottom's up!"

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Getting Ready for the Underwear Show


This evening, I'm going with Lucy, Danielle and Meaghan to see the Underwear Show at Cafe California. It should be fun!

This morning, after my shower, both cats laid on my outfit. It was like they were saying, "ah yes, I'll look fantastic in this silver dress." The boys are going in drag for Pride!

In the end, I won the fight, and I will look fabulous!

Look out guys, here I come!




Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Too Many Things on My Mind


I'm sorry, but I have too many things on my mind to write.

Here are some cool pictures, though:




Monday, June 22, 2015

Pretty Good Monday


I had a pretty good and busy day.  Emails and texts were exchanged, schedules and plans were solidified.  Food, toothpaste, and kitty litter were purchased.  Two parcels and a Lorazepam prescription were picked up from the Drug Mart.

I was going to paint tonight, but I should work on my finances and get them out of the way.

All in all, it was a pretty good Monday ....

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Thinking About You, Dad


I've been thinking about you all day, Dad. As with all people, you had many facets to your personaliy.  As a father, you were kind; fair; loving; and, sometimes even jovial.  I remember feeling safe and happy as you carried me through the Carlsbad Cavern.

At work, you were serious and single-minded.  However, success at any cost was never your thing.  It was only important for you to do the best job you could and to provide for your family.

Besides Mom, Bruce, and I, the things you loved most were: tennis; going on vacation; and, photography.  Oh yes, and fish & chips every Saturday evening ....

Happy Father's Day, Dad!  I love you!








Saturday, June 20, 2015

An Unexciting Market Day





Maybe I should have stayed home and taken the day off.  My illness had all but disappeared in the morning, though, and I thought: Ok, I'll go to the market, make a million dollars, go home and nap for awhile.

Unfortunatey, I barely got over the $45.00 mark.  Sheesh! The market was deadsville, man. Deadsville!

But there's always next Saturday ....

Friday, June 19, 2015

Ew


Ew!  I feel god awful! I feel feverish, sneezy, achy, and drained of energy .... I think I'm getting sick.  I'm too busy to be ill!

Ew ....

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Doing the Etsy Thing


I was going to rant and rave about the world news, but maybe I'll do that later. I feel like I need a Lorazepam badly!

Right now, however, I'm going to put these paintings on Etsy ....





Sometimes I dream that the beauty and power of art is able to eliminate racism; sexism; ableism; war; greed; and, basically, just all of the ugliness of human nature.

Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Another WEIRD Dream


Last night I had a crazy dream.

 It started out with Lucy and I visiting Mom in the hospital. Thankfully, my mind didn't let me dwell upon the memory of my mother's death ...

A doctor came into the room.  He gave me a hug and a kiss and told me: "It's good to see you again." Lucy started yelling at him, telling him that she thought that he was sexist & ableist pig. Taken aback by her sudden outburst, I told Lucy to please calm down, I want to hear what the doctor had to say about Mom's condition. But then my brother Bruce came crashing into the hospital with his TTC bus! He hugged me and said, "It's good to see you again, sis!"

Someone stole Bruce's bus, so he and I began chasing them!

And then my wheelchair took flight ....

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Monday, June 15, 2015

My Monday Afternoon Excursion in Pictures


As always, I like Mondays because I get so much done.

Today, I bought frames for two of my paintings.



And then, I went on a shopping spree, buying all sorts of Doctor Who swag. (David Tenant is still my favourite doctor!)

On the way to the Drug Mart, I bought red wine to have with dinner





I had a brief frappuccino break, and then I bought groceries for my dinner at Loblaws.


And, after dinner, I did more work on my puppy painting. It's 99% finished!

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Many Friendly Visitors at the Market


I was going to write a long post about how well I did at the market today and how happy I was to see some old friends. However, I have suddenly become nauseous and need to go to bed.

 Here are some pictures from today anyway ....




Friday, June 12, 2015

A Rainy Day


I don't have much to say except:  "Rain, rain, go away -
                                                       Come back another day!"

My cats have the right idea ....



Thursday, June 11, 2015

Save the Independent Living Fund Part II


When I watched the video of the cast of Coronation Street advocating saving the Independent Living Fund, I got all choked up and even cried a little.

Why did I feel such strong emotions tied to this video?  Well, first, the fact that they gave their time and support to speak out against this terrible injustice.  Plus, they spoke respectfully and knowledgeably about what was at stake if the Independent Living Fund were to be cut at the three week deadline.

It's rare to see anyone from the general public talk about or even comprehend all of the pitfalls and indignities people with disabilities face on a daily basis.  I have wished for years that people were more educated about this sensitive subject.

I keep talking about the cast of Coronation Street being in the video, but there were also many people with disabilities, too, advocating for themselves and others like them in Britain.

I think that listening to these people (my peers!) was the most poignant and touching.  I understood the frustration and anger they felt ... and the fear as well.

Growing up, I had this fear that hung over my head for years.  I was afraid that I would grow up, my parents would eventually die, and I would end in an institution like Participation House. This was before on-site attendant care and before Direct Funding.  In my mind's eye, I was looking at a life of dependence; little or no freedom; and, no self-determination.  It was not a bright future.

Attendant care and Direct Funding did come along, though, and I lived on my own, got married, and started my own art business.

That's how it should be.  Everybody should have their independence and a chance to live their lives the way they want.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Save the Independent Living Fund


Two years ago, people from DPAC (Disabled People Against Cuts) came to Ontario to tell of their plight. During the space of time since the departure of DPAC from Canada, Prime Minister David Cameron and the Conservative Party of Britain have continued pushing for the dismantlement of the Independent Living Fund.  To lose this funding would mean utter disaster for disabled people in the UK who rely on it in order to live a full, satisfying life.

For two years now,  I've read the daily messages on DPAC's Facebook page. I feel empathy for these people.  I share their torment and frustration when their peers die by the thousands because of cuts to government programs.   I cheer and feel hopeful when media put its focus upon this terrible situation, or when support comes from different sources.

Today, when I read that Coronation Street stars had made a video in support of people with disabilities who are in this terrible, scary situatuin ( coronation-street-stars-join-ilf-campaign ), I felt many different emotions .....

To be continued  .....

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

So Many Emails, So Little Time


It was emails, emails, emails today.  I'd reply to one and three more would pop up right afterwards.  Even now, I can see that two more emails have appeared in my inbox.

There was no bad news, which was good.  Lots of shifts were switched around by my employees, and I took note of each one so that I'll be able to do the payroll correctly at the end of the week.

A couple, who I met at the Riverdale Art Walk on Sunday, emailed me and commissioned me to do a painting for them.  There were also several emails that had leads to possible art shows, which I'll look into later.  Oh yes, and I also got an email from Luc Sculpture saying that I had sold a painting.  Yay!

All in all, not a bad day at all.

Monday, June 8, 2015

At That Age


I remember as a kid listening to my parents and grandparents talking at the dinner table.  They would talk about people they had known or events they had experienced - thirty, forty, fifty years ago!

This blew my young mnd, to have lived so long that you had memories going back fifty years.

Over this past weekend, at the Riverdale Art Walk, I realized that I am at that age now myself.

An old neighbour of mine, whom I hadn't seen since the 60's, came to see me; chat; and, buy my art. It was great to see her, and her visit brought back a lot of fond childhood memories.

Fraser, who I've been friends with for thirty-five years, visited me at the RAW as well.  Way back at the beginning of our friendship, Fraser taught me how to relax by using biofeedback. And, when Rob and I got married, it was Fraser who photographed our special day.

Funny how time flies when you're having fun ....

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Second Day at Riverdale Art Walk









I had a cool, great, fantatic, brilliant time this weekend at the Riverdale Art Walk!  I'll wrrite all about it tomorrow.  Right now, I  have to compose a speech and then go to bed.

Sheesh! Someone please clone me!