Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Thinking of Cheri Blum


Just recently, I was thinking of one of artists that I always found to be so incredibly inspiring. As a muralist, and lover of Italian frescoes I simply adored her work. . .The seemingly time washed background textures that she created on her canvases was only one of the elements of her work that I so appreciated. She was truly gifted and her work continues to inspire me even though she is no longer with us. When I read about her untimely passing in 2003, I broke down in tears. To this day, I miss looking forward to seeing new work from her, but will always treasure the inspiration that she left behind.




Her hydrangea paintings were my favorite. I have tried time and time again to create something as beautiful but Cheri was no doubt, in a class of her own. I am sure she is greatly missed by all that adored her. Hopefully I'm not violating any copyright laws by linking to this photo.

Monday, November 5, 2007

No more excuses. . .I HAVE to walk now.

So, there I was. . . Walking through Walmart with Mr. Muell, pushing a cart full of stuff that I didn't really need, when suddenly I saw it. At first, I thought it must be bathed in the white light of the Holy spirit because it just seemed to beacon me toward it. . . As I approached the seemingly blessed object, I realized that the white light was nothing more than ultra strength florescent lighting. Still yet, I decided that it must be a sign. For I HAD to buy that treadmill. It was on clearance, which further drove the point home.

Mark and I checked out the treadmill and it seemed to be a fabulous model at a more than reasonable price. We looked beneath the pedestal that it sat upon but to our disappointment, Walmart had sold out of that particular model. With heavy hearts, we began to walk away in pursuit of other unnecessary sundries. (For example, I later purchased a whiteboard for my office. Did I REALLY need that? NOPE but it sure looks cool hanging in here, just in case I get the sudden urge to doodle, erase and doodle some more.)

Just as we were about to walk away, we began to scan the attire of stander's by in hopes that one of them would be wearing a blue "Walmart" apron. No such luck. . . It seems that you only see them when they have the isle blocked with something and they need for YOU to move so that they can get by. lol Anyway, after playing the Walmart version of "Where's Waldo", we finally found someone that could help us. To my delight, she offered us the display model while cautioning that the manual had gone missing at some point. HUH!!! I didn't care. I didn't even ask for a bigger discount. I just want to be able to take a brisk walk while I watch Judge Judy.

Later in the afternoon, we finally arrived home with the object that would help us to recover from our couch potatoasitis. Mark positioned it perfectly in the corner of our living room, plugged it, turned it on and . . .NOTHING!! NOTHING!! It did not work. Oh, but he was determined to NOT return this big piece of equipment to Walmart for a refund. He's too smart for that and he doesn't give up without a fight. He took it a part and looked at the onboard computer so that he could be sure that everything was plugged in where it should be.

Yep, according to him everything looked fine. A little red light was on and that told him that the unit was getting power. . . "SO what's the problem? Why isn't the motor turning? Why won't the computer display come on?!!!" He shouted. After an hour of frustration in trying to figure our what was wrong with the seemingly cursed treadmill, he decided that it time to consult Google. After much research on the model number, he found out that there is a key that has to be plugged into a slot in the treadmill in order for it to work. It's this little do-hicky thingamabob that exists as a safety feature. I think it keeps people from being flung off of the belt incase they decide to step onto it when it's moving at break-neck speed.

I bet the little key thing was in the packet of paperwork that was lost, that I coincidentally said I didn't think I needed. Actually, my statement to the Walmart employee that sold us the treadmill was, "No paperwork? Who cares. . .I'll take it!!" Luckily I have a pretty smart husband. He rewired the panel so that it works without the key.

After all of that drama, here I am writing about it instead of getting my morning exercise. lol