Newstand-November 19,1935

Newstand-November 19,1935, originally uploaded by picassoswoman.

Yuletide Greetings To All My Readers

    It's hard to believe another year has passed us by. I am excited to say that there are good things on the horizon for the Van Nest / Lower Morris Park area. I think we're finally getting a bank on Hunt & Morris Park. I'll never forget what one of our firemen said to me when the bank on the corner of White Plains & Morris Park closed, he said this is the icing on the cake for our neighborhood, the swan song. Nothing spells out the demise of a neighborhood than no banking presence. I hear that CB 11 and Senator Klein were monumental in this process, so kudos to John Fratta and Senator Jeff Klein.

    Also, on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 there will be a meeting at St. Dominic School; if you are a part of Lower Morris Park / Van Nest, and your a no show, don't you ever let me hear you belly-aching about "How bad things have gotten down here". It takes a village, not a village idiot. The new organization is the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance. Worse off neighborhoods than ours have come back from the brink, if they can do it, we certainly can.

    Be the change you want to see in the world!

Toys for Tots at CB 11

    Don't be a Scrooge or you'll be scrooged when Santa looks to see if you've been naughty or nice. Community Board 11 is accepting toys for Toys For Tots. I'll be taking a walk over to Toys - R - Us today, you go too, there are a lot of good sales now. What better way to take your mind off your own whoas than by helping those who can use a little Holiday cheer.

Morris Park Looks Nice Bedecked w Holiday Lights

    The Christmas lights look nice. Thanks!

Banksy Maid

Banksy Maid, originally uploaded by wokka.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

I do hope that you are all well and having a great time with family and friends. To all you old timers, I hope you come back to your old neighborhood and do some shopping, and spread a little cheer. I hear of some FaceBook reunions trying to happen, and I hope you consider staying local (so I can crawl home LoL). :-/

Fair Thee Well Deja Vu ...

... but we'll be seeing them again. Yeah, the names will chance but the game remains the same.

  It's amazing how you approach (what I hope to be midlife, or better) mid-life and start to question your own path, mortality, and place in this whole big ball of wax. I guess it really wasn't meant to be, me helping Van Nest through Art. Notice how I said "Van Nest" and not Morris Park. The truth is, I gave up on Morris Park a long time ago.

  Yay! You finally closed down a bar that shouldn't have been allowed to opened in the first place. The bar was opened under the false premise that they were going to be a Bar & Grill, with an emphasis on the Grill part, yet no food was served there to my knowledge. When I went up to the guy who looked like he was in charge, as they were getting ready to open, he told me they were opening a Diner (yeah, some of us actually still ask).

A Pumpkin A Day Keeps The Doctor Away

My Thoughts Turn To Halloween, Apple Cider & Donuts

 There's a nip to the air, and the trees are starting to change color; it's my favorite time of the year. This was the first time in a while I was able to add a few rubber stamps to my Halloween collection. It will be a year in January that I'm gainfully employed (time sure does fly by).
 As many of you know, I was raised Roman Catholic (and still willing to fight for St. Dominic when the need arises) but adhere to Wiccan ways. This is the season to remember all those who have gone before us (especially in the year that just passed). It is also considered Witch's New Year. The veil between the worlds grows thin now. Dreams of those who have passed are not unusual at this time of the year.
 The farm we use to go to is now closed, the land sold to make yet another strip mall (or whatever). I use to enjoy getting fresh made donuts and hot apple cider, can't forget pumpkin picking and hayrides too. I was glad to hear they did Farm Aid once again. We have no reverence for the land that feeds us anymore. I miss the community garden at West Farms but I had no time for it this year.
  I was able to do some Halloween crafts, (which are much more enjoyable when your not trying to make money off of them). It's been a year since I've sold anything on eBay, things are bad all over; I don't know how the White House is able to say the stimulas is working cause it's not working for anybody I know. I do hope you have a Happy Autumn and take time to smell the apple cider and pumpkin spice; life is short.

Blessed Be On Mabon

  It is the Wiccan Holiday of Mabon. I wish all who believe a very abundant Autumn and hope the Dark of the Year is as Bright as can be. Brightest of Blessings, Merry Meet and Merry Part, and Merry Meet Again!

Happy, Healthy New Year!

To all my Jewish friends and coworkers, I hope you have a Happy New Year full of Peace, Joy, Health, Wealth & Happiness. Brightest of Blessings!

Time & Money Management

  Had to scale back on a lot of my interests, now that I work I just don't have the time. I even had to rethink blogging, FB & Twitter (which take up more time than people realize); and for the last time "No, I don't want to play Mafia Wars" (nor Farkle). Hah! It also made me rethink my artwork and what direction I'll be taking it (now that I ruled out doing and Arts & Crafts Center for Morris Park). I will probably be looking more toward Fine Art, Printmaking & Photography.

  I haven't been doing much dyework either, but will try to get some done before Halloween (when I get orders for kids going as hippies). I find the dollar or two you make on a tie-dye really just isn't worth my time. I do it just to keep my hand in it. I've been trying to airbrush more, but can use some new equipment soon. Until then I try to make do. A new computer is also on my want list but the software I need for my graphics business is not in the budget (neither is the computer). Haven't ruled out a good silkscreen design on some kind of dyework shirt.

Public Works of Art Project's are needed. Try to tell all the people who are out of work, losing their homes and uninsured, that things are getting better. I'm just not seeing it. I haven't sold anything on eBay since October. I see many of these Depression Era prints coming up on the Antiques Road Show and the prices have certainly appreciated (depending on condition of course).

You Only Have Yourself To Blame

This is a good article to read for those voting in the Primary tomorrow!

  For 20 plus years I tried to make a place for people (not just your children but everyone interested) to do art, printmaking and other creative stuff. I gave up on you Morris Park, you only have your selves to blame. We should have found a way to make Our Lady of Solace an Arts & Crafts Center and a store / cafe were the work could be displayed and sold. As well as exploring ways to sell the works online and make the place self-supporting. You keep voting in the same do-nothing politicians, and you never question where the millions of dollars go (that Congressman Crowley claims he gives Morris Park and Van Nest, on his web site). I have a job now, and am able to pay my rent; it's just too bad I had to leave the neighborhood to make a living for myself. When I tried to take a stand against neighborhood associations and exactly what it is there doing in regards to this issue, I pretty much stood alone. I really don't feel sorry for you people whose kids get screwed up on drugs in this neighborhood; you reap what you sow. So there!

French Dyed Steamset Silk Scarf

French Dyed Steamset Silk 2, originally uploaded by Deadicated.

New York History: Did You Know ...

  Did you know Henry Hudson's crew had a mutiny and set him adrift in a little boat somewhere in the open Arctic waters in 1611. Henry Hudson, the 1st European to sail up the Hudson. Hudson, his son Robert and crew members that were loyal to him, were cast out; the mutiny was led by crew member, Robert Juet.

  Did you know that in 1778 a chain was stretched out across the Hudson near West Point, this stopped the British from going up the Hudson and cutting off the colonists from New England.

The Great Chain was constructed by the Stirling Iron Works of Warwick in Orange County (home to Orange County Choppers).

Super Spirograph Arrived Today (eBay Booty)

  My neighbors got me on a Spirograph kick, when they bought one on eBay a few weeks ago. It brings back a lot of childhood memories, I had one as a kid; have no idea where it disappeared to. Probably got tossed out to the curb when my landlord decided to take back his storage bin that my father used for over 50 years. Along with a loom, much of my portfolio from printing school, a vintage adding machine, stuff from my father's boat, and my childhood Teddy Bear too (to name a few). No use crying over spilled milk I guess. I was never told when he planned on emptying out the bin, so it all was thrown out. I guess when you get right down to it, he did me a favor cause you can't take it with you.

  So I've been playing around with the Spirograph, the old ones work better with an ultra-fine Sharpie, and the new ones work well with the colored ball-point pens I bought at Staples. It's good therapy. I guess I can use the finished product as doo-dads for greeting cards and scrapbooking.

WordPress Blog Lock Out

    Yahoo decided to upgrade WordPress because of security issues that had become apparent to the WordPress community. Since Yahoo did the upgrade (for security reasons), they made it so secure that I can't Log In to my own blog to post anything. I love my Blogger, and am grateful that it has been steady all these years. I have had very few problems with them, and all were fixable. I've been with Blogger since before Google bought Pyra out. I love blogging because I can look back and see what I was up to or about a few years, months, weeks or days ago; it's not all one big blank. I suppose I could keep a journal or diary (and still may do that). Probably in the form of Scrapbooking, since I have all the rubber stamps / pads, hole punches, software ...

    I have AdSense on my blogs and me being shut-out is very inconvenient. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not rolling in dough from my blogs. As a matter of fact, I haven't even reached my Payout Threshold; but a gal can keep on trying. Most blogs don't make money, certainly not a well written one. Mine is a real yawn most of the time. LoL It's always been a way to keep in touch, as is FaceBook, Flickr, Twitter ...

    All of which I love, except for MySpace, not so much.

Woodstock `69

Woodstock `69, originally uploaded by Leper Messiah.

Bought A Vintage Spirograph

144-45-1 Spirograph, originally uploaded by Deadicated.

Outer disk 144

Inner disk 45

Hole 1

  I bought a 1971 Vintage Spirograph on eBay, ya have to love a toy that holds it's value. LOL

  So I've been experimenting with various markers, pens and mechanical pens. What a blast from the past, and there's no telling how I'll incorporate it into my art, scrap booking and stuff I design for Zazzle.

  The orange one above was done using the new Spirograph and ball point pens from Pentel and Staedler.

Little Red Lighthouse, Fort Washington Park, New York City

Little Red Lighthouse, Fort Washington Park, New York City, originally uploaded by jag9889.

Little Red Lighthouse, a children's book on Amazon.

MTA Local Buses # 39 & # 22, You Stink

  It is totally unacceptable for a person to take an hour to get home from the Metro North station in Fordham. You totally suck big donkey wang, local MTA buses. Local politicians should do something about these bus lines. They cut services, while more and more people are utilizing the service. Why post a schedule, when you have no intentions of sticking to it.

Naomi Rivera you are the biggest "Do-Nothing Politician" that has come our way in a long time; your a disgrace, and you should step down. You Rot!!!

Staycation: A Tourist In My Own Town

  I Love NY! I feel like I live in the greatest city in the world (one of the greatest cities). There is always something new, and always something old. We (Anglo) go back to Dutch times, the oldest example is a farmhouse in Brooklyn that dates back to 1652. Last year at this time I was playing Tour Guide for my family that flew to NYC for a vacation. They wanted to see where their people came from. I wound up taking a tour with them on a mini-bus. It took a few hours with a stop off at The South Street Seaport. We also went to Ellis Island, if you go, get there early (the earlier the better). It really "Brought it all home", ya know, the sacrifices our people made to get here; and we as Americans have that shared experience in one way or another. So there are plenty of things to do if you so choose to take a Staycation.

  You can eat on-the-cheap too, Papaya King on 86th & 3rd is a fave of mine; I get "The Special" 2 dogs and a medium drink for $5.00. John's Pizza is also do-able, I took my cousin and her children (from Nebraska) for real New York pizza for under $25.00 (no alcohol). Have Dim Sum at Ruby Foos (share a few appetizers). You don't have to spend tons of money to have fun. Hit the Broadway Ticket Booth in Times Square or South Street, go around 5:30 PM (the best time to go believe it or not). You can take in a show for at least half price, maybe your job, hotel or travel agent has 2'fers.

  If you take the express bus to 23rd and walk to the West Side (as far as you can go without falling in the Hudson), you'll come across a great walkway that pretty much goes around Manhattan. Have kids? There are areas along the path where you can buy ice cream, kayak or enjoy parks with really nice sprinkler areas. There are restrooms and fountains along the way as well.

anime / manga eyes

anime / manga eyes, originally uploaded by Deadicated.

If your thinking of making a living from your art, you have to practice, practice, practice ...

Point Bonita Lighthouse

lighthouse, originally uploaded by Deadicated.

  Every once in a while I have to look back at my older works to remind myself that I'm an artist / photographer 1st. Perhaps a God given talent that was a gift to me by the powers that be. The wheels are turning and I have a few ideas on how to make good on a promise to give back to the community.

Guy at the Light

Guy at the Light, originally uploaded by Deadicated.

This photo got quite a few hits (for me) considering I didn't post it to any group.