I went to Starbucks today,

and there, because it is my birthday, I was going to order an espresso truffle to celebrate.
The lady in front of me inquired, "Who is the birthday girl? Because I would like to buy her drink."
Magic exists.
Expect greatness, and somewhere, you will surely find it.

I had a wonderful day-
especially after that.

Media

One of my favorite movies of all time is "African Queen" starring Katherine Hepburn and Humphry Bogart. Little did I know, when I first saw the movie, that Katherine Hepburn was Spencer Tracy's mistress for many years. Or that her brother killed himself while playing "make believe" with Katherine when they were young because they felt it was so real. Or that she didn't talk for months after his death, and her only escape was finding that make believe world once again in acting. Of course, all this really doesn't make me love her movies any more or less. I adore her art form, and although her life is intriguing, I enjoy her for what she presents on screen.
Thinking back to that time, there was not near the amount of paparazzi to capture all this gossip from her life that there would be now. Many actors' lives were kept much more private. What mattered was who they were on the screen and how beautiful they made life appear. While letting all guard down on stage and film, pouring their emotion into their fake lives, they could live less vulnerably off set, without being barraged by innumerable cameras.
Oh, how things have changed.
I had always thought that it was a "normal" happening for actors to be attacked by the media at all times. Because it is so rampant, I merely thought it was part of daily life for most actors, yet fifty years ago, this was not the case! There weren't 100 rag magazines telling you lies about every Hollywood marriage that was failing. It simply wasn't done.
Then it hit me. This is a sick addiction we have. We are obsessed with the people we know nothing about. How could this go on? We love the art people create, the stories they tell. Their faces are what we see. The characters they become entice us. They are beautiful, charismatic, and often brilliant. Yet, They are artists, not showcases. Why can't we embrace the stories they tell, and leave their lives a mystery? Must the author be read as much as the book?

a rift, a raft

Do you ever feel like an Island? You are just one person unable to touch those around you?

Or are you more of a raft afloat at sea, trying desperately to run aground, but you can't reach the islands because all they know how to do is be alone?

I wish things didn't have to be either way.

Are we all islands to somebody?

This upcoming school year, I will be going to school and doing things that are really completely new to me. Nothing will be the same. That might sound like an exaggeration, but it's not. I'm changing schools, the people I see most are graduating, and my schedule will be greatly altered. I never thought I would really be afraid of something new. I try new things all the time. I love new experiences! And so far, I have fought my way into new places with ease (to some degree), yet I'm still scared. As Keane says "Everybody's changing and I don't feel the same."
I have lived in the same house, gone to the same school, attended and worked at the same church my entire life. Major change has never come my way. Now, it is waiting at my doorstep, and I am constantly in knots over the future.
Through all this, I feel like everything around me is untouchable. I can't grasp on to the people and places I know. I am a raft, and oh, how I wish I weren't at sea, chasing the white whale.
Stagnant waters are dangerous. You can't drink from them, and the only things that grow from them are bacteria and fungus. We all must head into the current, dive deep, and avoid the rocks and eddies along the way. We all must take on our challenges.
I hope I'm a strong raft.

That Face

When I decide to paint somebody, I always look for the face that says who they are. I often times watch people specifically to find that one look, whether it is disgust, curiosity, or just a quirky smile. Besides tone, temperature, and overall makeup of a painting, I try to bring that person to life in the picture (Well, obviously). In a way, I want their personality to scream out of the painting.
I find it easier to see these "character faces" with older people. Maybe it is because they themselves already have an idea of who they are. Maybe it is because they have more lines.
This was just one of those faces.
Comical. Oblivious. A bit Sad.
Perfect.

I did this painting last year. I didn't get to spend much time on it, so I would like to do it again someday.