One of the things I love about my job is that I work with artists. When one of my artists has an opening or a premiere, I am thrilled to see how far they have come in achieving their goals.</p> <p><a href=” alt=”" />Individual Artist Initiative program at the Queens Council on the Arts. A world premiere of her Chant for Prepared Piano and Voice performed by pianist Margaret Leng Tan in the Sculpture Garden of Manhattan’s Museum of Modern Art at 7:00 pm on Thursday, August 27, 2009.
Vivianexpressed a desire to develop skills in how to obtain more prestigious commissions and we paired her with Donna Walker Kuhne, to work towards that goal. There were approximately a dozen artists who were accepted into this program and over time, they became a community. One of their gatherings actually took place in a Chelsea gallery where one of the artists was having an opening so 1) she would not have to miss the meeting and 2) they could be there for her.
Artists who spend a lot of time creating work often come seeking marketing and other career skills. I know that this growing group of artists that have come through the Individual Artist Initiative have gained some great knowledge and a great community of support to cheer them on.
You need both.
If you are in the city this Thursday, do join us for a great evening.
Why is that?
I can’t understand why we appreciate things from a point of loss. Being a local in the Rockaways can lull you into having sand in your shoes all year round for granted and today, boy! did i miss it! All area beaches are closed today because of Hurricane Bill leaving us up on the boardwalk gazing longingly at the water and the boogyboard perfect waves crashing on the shore.
That kind of loss is tough on a hot afternoon in August. But the weight loss I am experiencing on the Lemonade Diet is exhilarating! So what if I am walking around dazed, hallucinating about food, and hoarse from the cayenne pepper destroying what is left of my voice? There is less, less, less of me and I appreciate the absence!
WHAT KEEPS ME GOING
I am an all or nothing person. Either I eat nothing, or I eat everything. I either think about food all the time or I think of other things to keep me from thinking about food all the time. Don’t get me wrong – I fully get that there are amazing health benefits from doing a Master Cleanse. I just need more motivation. And that is the reason why on Day 8 of the Lemonade Diet, I find myself gratefully focusing on things that usually fall by the wayside each time a refrigerator appears.
I am spending more time:
writing
learning how to use my new Canon G10 camera
discussing horror movie plots with Sky
dreaming and scheming
focusing on my blog
creating new knitting patterns
not looking at my slow cooker
looking forward to getting on the scale in the morning
Hopefully, this list will get me to Day 10. I am sure you have some tricks to keep your eyes on the prize. Feel free to shoot them my way to help me burn even more calories mentally.
I am one of those people who remembers by knitting.
Usually it is because I am often carrying around something to knit and eventually, my memory of things are triggered by what I make.
AN EXAMPLE OF STUFF I TEND TO RECALL, NO PARTICULAR RHYME OF REASON
“Ah yes, all of those Friday evenings we spent together at Sky’s breakdancing class at Broadway Dance Center in July 2009. I was knitting a summer tank top in a fabulous wasabi green cotton on # 3 bamboo circular needles in a crazy mix of garter stitches and yarn overs for an airy openwork feeling. It was unusually cool for July. Seth got a new phone. I am longing for figs from Sophie’s back yard.”
my wasabi green cotton summer tank
I finished this tank last night after coming home from dinner with friends. So in addition to the above, I will also remember having a wonderful time with our friends Hal and Madalyn at Aureole in Manhattan where my daughter Mikki is working as a hostess.
Hal is also a board member of the Queens Council on the Arts and an avid golfer. At one point during dinner he said, “I am going to be using you in my new project. It will include great place for some exhibitions and I’m thinking about working with Queens Council on the Arts to to give local artists the opportunity to show their work .” It also involves a street closing, huge potted plants that talk and move around and a few other out of the box details that sounded really fascinating especially after two bottles of wine.
Now my green tank will remind me of an unseasonably cool string of summer Fridays, of breakdancing, Seth’s new smartphone, fresh summer fruit, a great dinner and an exciting showplace for Queens artists on the lot of Kaufman Astoria Studios in Astoria, Queens.
HOW I MADE THIS
For all of you who want to know how I made this tank, I will be writing up my pattern and posting it soon under Nonprofit Knitwear. I am not a big fan of anything complicated and frustrating and difficult to knit while taking public transportation so I think that you will find all of my patterns simple to follow and to build memories upon.
OK, up next, I am designing something between a scarf and a necklace that I think will look absolutely wow in a steely blue yarn that I got at LionHeart Studios with my friend Stefanie a while ago. It is an extremely fine fiber made of wool and stainless steel. Knit on # 4 or #5 needles it produces an intriguing lace that holds it shape sculpturally. I have strung about 300 silver beads on it and intend to knit them into the piece in a sparse, random fashion.
That is what I say to myself in the mirror each time I am beset by the temptation to go off my diet. Seth quickly assures me that he loves me no matter how much of me there is. Mais sans doute, love is a pretty powerful incentive to focus on while doing the Master Cleanse, otherwise known as the Lemonade Diet. This is my third Cleanse and today is Day 4. The novelty of not using my teeth makes me smile. I really look forward to standing on the scale every morning. I think my voice is sexier now that the cayenne pepper has burnt out all of my vocal chords.
I have lost 12 -15 pounds on each Cleanse. I have gained more control over my obsession with all things deep fried or chocolate in the name good healthy eating habits. Actually, all I did was replace the pleasure of unrestrained eating with the indescribable joy of seeing a lower number on the scale each morning. Nothing tastes as good as looking thin.
Seth is very supportive of me. We did a Cleanse together last year and he hung in there! My boys think I am insane. Many people think the daily regimen is rather severe including my endocrinologist who is also a weight loss doctor. He checked my daily metabolism and discovered that my body burns about 2,400 calories a day – that is just sitting around, breathing, doing nothing. Throw in my daily 5 mile run and I am a calorie burning machine! I should be losing weight by the minute but I’m not because of my hypothyroid condition and Hashimoto’s Disease. The really annoying reality is that I have to run , eat like a monk in love and all that will do is barely maintain my weight from increasing. It is only when I go on the Master Cleanse Lemonade Diet and follow the Law of Five Things that I lose weight and maintain focus and clarity.
And what is the Law of Five Things? It is the secret to my success that helps me through each day.
THE LAW OF FIVE THINGS
1 Make one thing your focus While I am on my Master Cleanse Lemonade Diet, the one moment of my day that my life revolves around is when I get on the scale in the morning and see a lower number. Of course there are other great internal benefits happening during this diet but I know myself pretty well and the only way I can consistently fight off temptations is to focus on the prize.
2 Share what you are doing Doing this diet is not easy! Find someone who can cheer you on. Seth is my personal cheerleader and all of you are my booster squad. Let me be truthful, I run into a wall around Day 5 and Day 6 where it is a struggle to keep myself on track. I am hungry, cranky, not especially pleasant to be within 200 yards of. These are the times I need to write about what I am going through hoping that some of you have also gone through this and can offer some advice and moral support. Let’s help each other!
3 Treat yourself well I drink my lemonade from a beautiful crystal goblet that is part of a set we inherited from Seth’s grandmother. All of the ingredients I use are organic and fresh. Join a knitting circle. Demand foot massages if you need them. Don’t you think you deserve the best for yourself?
4 Stretch your mind, stretch your body You will find yourself with more time on your hands now that you are not reaching for a second cup of coffee and a doughnut so maximize this experience by doing some physical, mental and spiritual exercise. I am a runner by obsession so I get out early and knock out 5 miles along the beach every morning before the morning has a chance to overtake me. It gives me the gift of time alone to think, not think, meditate and simply enjoy the beauty of the beach in the early morning. Give yourself this time for your body and soul!
5 Celebrate yourself You are already a winner for making the choice to do this diet. You are more focused, healthier, aware and slimmer than before all because you put your passion and purpose in line to achieve your goal -a healthier and happier you. Congratulations!
One year, Uncle Bob designed blue T shirts with “hsiung” written in Chinese. I am thinking that we should do washable tattoos next year or -
T shirts that clearly identify us zum beispiel (for example in German):
1. Hi! I’m # 2 daughter of # 1 sister
or
2. Hi! I’m the yang gwei dz (crazy foreign devil in Chinese) married to # 1 daughter of # 1 sister
I’m a big believer in clarity.
Anyway, this is the video I created with a Flip video camera and Windows Movie Maker – both extremely easy to use. I read a great review of the Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 for $100 that uses Carl Zeiss optics which are used in most of Sony’s CyberShot digital cameras including the one featuring 12.1 megapixels that I always carry with me. The pictures I take in close ups are very sharp. The Pro 9000 also has a 2 megapixel sensor that translates into 720 high definition video. It can be used on desktop monitors and clip on to portable screens too.
Today, I going to spend some time with a Canon G10 digital camera that Seth gave me for my birthday. When I was in college, my photography teacher told us to take notes on settings as we shot so that we would remember how to improve and recreate the shots we liked.
I think that’s cool – using a trusty low tech notebook and pen to learn digital photography.
Anyone have any advice on how to shoot great pix with this camera? I am sure all of you know more about this than I do. Got a reunion to shoot next year and I want to be good with this camera!
I write for love and money. It is my everyday passion. What's yours? 
