Mission Happiness

What do I do in my spare time now?  I look at wedding venues.  I told my fiance tonight that at some point we have to decide we’ve seen enough and just pick one.  Easier said than done because 1. we’re new to London, so the activity is also a newbie’s crash course in learning about the city, 2. there is such a gap in cost from place to place and 3. I just keep finding more cool places.  Granted, I’m getting sick of trekking all over the city and the outskirts (which requires getting on a train) in the cold February rain/sleet.

Maybe feedback will help.  Below are the three current contenders.  The toughest part is being at peace with the rain options for the ceremony when all of these places have drop-dead gorgeous garden/grounds.  The hippie in me wants to get married under a tree or next to a rose bush.  But lets be honest, it’s rains a lot here.  London could water the world with it’s surplus from drizzle alone.  Can I get married in wellies (that’s British for rain boots)?

Fulhman Palace

Pembroke Lodge

Horniman Conservatory

I have officially lived in London, England for 15 days.  My first visitor came on day 12.  Not bad, huh?  My aunt Pat from Houston was in Brussels, Belgium with my uncle on business and came over for a quick 2 day visit.

Since my stuff from the States still has not arrived, we went shopping (Pat’s calling in life) for a third pair of pants as my other two pairs I’ve been wearing for the past 2.5 months are getting a little old.  We may have also purchased just a few other things (essentials I assure you).

The highlight of the trip for me was the Van Gogh exhibit at the Royal Academy for Art.  The exhibit focused on the artist’s letter writing and sketches.  I discovered my newest favorite Van Gogh painting, “Hospital at Saint-Remy.”

The painting is of the psychiatric hospital he checked himself into.  It’s interesting that his best work (in my humble opinion) was when he was seemingly most tortured in the last few years of his life.

While Van Gogh’s story is rather depressing, the exhibit was inspiring and has further encouraged me to keep my sketchbook out.  Getting out and about with Pat to new places reminded me that I doubt I will ever run out of things to draw and paint here.

It’s so very simple.  Of course people will pay to make crafty stuff and be social.  I’m sure I’m not the first person to press my face against the window of The Make Lounge and maybe drool a little (it might have also been at the cupcake decorating workshop in session inside).

This small business is entirely too close to my flat.  I might have to talk to my fiance about reworking our budget to account for a monthly DYI 101 class.  Eh hm, you can also buy gift certificates for friends on their website.  I think it’s time I started celebrating my half birthday.

Have you ever heard of a private art gallery exhibiting paintings by a world renown departed artist (usually reserved for a museum)?  Me either.  Well, I found one such gallery exhibiting the work of Claude Monet.  The artworks were on loan from private owners (or property of the gallery owner).  It’s really a rare privilege to see these paintings not shown to the public otherwise.

I’m reading a book about the lives of the Impressionist painters, including Monet.  This made the exhibit that much more personal.  He, like myself, had a hard time convincing dear dad to stand behind a career as an artist.  He also preferred to study at come-and-go-as-you-please studio owned by another artist instead of following the assumed path of study at the prestigious École des Beaux Arts.  Yeah! Who needs ‘em anyway?

I was amused by Monet’s sometimes light-hearted brush work, seemingly for paintings I assume were studies.  Up close, the lines look like child’s play.  At a distance, the swiggles seamlessly form cohesive landscapes.  I can hear my college painting professor telling me as he stood over my shoulder, “Get out of your chair.  You can’t see what you’re painting when you’re that close.  Hold your paintbrush like a sword, at arm’s length.”  I still sit while I paint, but I’ll admit, he was right.

My first few days living in London has made me appreciate these new amenities in my life:

• Kings Cross tube station.  It’s uber clean and bright.
• Lastfm.com.  Pandora, when are you coming to England?
• Radiators.  They warm my bath towels.
• Cloth grocery bags.  They’re environmentally friendly AND hold more weight without breaking, which is important now that I have to carry whatever I purchase to my flat.
• Writing dates DD/MM/YYYY.   It just makes more sense.
• The frequent use of the word “lovely.”
• Not being charged for in-coming calls to my cell phone.
• Free museums.
• One and two dollar coins (although I hate that the British have a coin not only for one pence, but also for two pence)

It’s the little things, right?

My fiance laughed when I teared up and told him the photo box he decorated scrap-book style and gave me for our anniversary was the best gift I ever got from him.  He probably finds it humorous because he likely spent $10 on it, a negligible amount relative to what he spends on other gifts for me.  The point is that I L-O-V-E handmade gifts.  It’s right up there with snail mail on my top 10 list of favorite things.

The latest example is the flash drive a friend gave me as my going-away/birthday gift.  The card said not to look at the contents until I was on the plane to London.  Unfortunately, that did not happen thanks to the two months worth of luggage that had to be repacked.  I found it in my checked suitcase as I was unpacking in my new home and plugged it into my laptop.  Low and behold, pictures from years ago of us and some of her miscellaneous favorites.  I especially like the one of her and I in stocking caps at a wig/costume store.  How about the one of the tacky birthday cake we made for ourselves that says, “Happy Birthday Jesus and Hitler’s Wife” (long college spring break story)?

I laughed, reminisced and asked myself, “What the hell?” a few times.  Those are the best gifts; smile makers.

I appreciate responsible individuals.  I also appreciate when they’re responsible nature rubs off on me.  Having said that, I’m sick of being asked “Do you have your passport?”  I just got back from 3 weeks of travel in Western Europe and I can’t tell you how many times I heard that question.  Luckily, the only thing I lost on this trip was an adapter, a few socks and some sleep.

I’ve decided I’m getting old.  This adventure through Germany, the Czech Republic, Spain and South France wiped me out (or maybe it’s because my birthday is around the corner).  It was well worth it though.  After seeing a million stunning cathedrals, historic buildings, winding roads and vineyard after vineyard, I’m ready to paint (and sleep).

Yes! Score one for Ashley.  It’s official, my brother is engaged to the coolest chic, which now fulfills my life-long yearning for a sister.  Last night the families celebrated and told funny stories about the bride and groom to be (I should be tame, that could come back to bite me in the rear).

There’s an endless list of things I love about Valerie, but I’ll just highlight one that is the most painfully obvious to me: I no longer will be the only tall woman in the family.  We probably even have the same impossible-to-shop-for-inseam.  Yeah, I know it’s a shallow observation, but give the 6′ tall girl a break.

YEA!  Go Paul!  I’m so excited for them.

What a whirlwind the past few weeks have been.  I just got back on Sunday from nine days in London.  The next morning I (re)packed my suitcase for New Bremen, Ohio.  What’s in New Bremen you ask?  Not much, which is the point.  A friend has property there and a phenomenal setup for artists to work in.  I would call it an artist residency center, but the place isn’t advertised.  I talked to a farmer yesterday who leases some of the land.  He told me, “There aren’t artists here that often, only people [my friend] invites.  Usually they’re a pretty big deal.”  I tried not to blow my cover and tell him that standard did not apply to me.

This is my second day and I’ve made good progress on four paintings.  I hope to finish three of them and at least one other work in progress I brought with me.  I’m also trying to wrap up three books I’ve been lingering on for far too long.  Oh the things I never get to at home.  I guess it would help if i could kick my jet lag and stay up past 9pm.

I would be a sloth.

• Advantage #1: It’s to your advantage to be slow moving.
• Advantage #2: Who doesn’t like climbing trees?
• Advantage #3: Women pay fortunes to get your natural hair color.
• Advantage #4: Being a vegetarian does not equal anemia.