So much going on . . .

No clever pix to post or art done this week - so much going on.

Where to start? Good news first.

Well, a lovely lady named Leslie has earned the prestigious title of being my official Best Etsy Customer and also earns all the gold stars that goes with said title. She has inflated my head to a point it is hard to hold up! She has bought 4 pieces now and is so complimentary - it has been a very good thing for me in a rough "real world" (not art world) week. Actually, I have sold more in the last couple of weeks than before Christmas which has surprised me, delightfully!

More good news - just before Christmas while my daughter, mom-in-law and I were sitting in the mall eating those yummy big pretzels (covered in salt and butter with cheese on the side of course) when a young man kept walking by us and checking out my daughter. She is 15 and very very pretty I must brag (gets it from her dad) but this guy was a little old to be checkin' her out - like early 20's. It was kinda creepy. Finally he came up to us and asked if she would be interested in being a part of a new reality show on ABC that mismatched teenagers that had lenient parents with strict parents and vice verse (however you spell that). Of course, we said "of course!" not expecting to hear anything more. Well they actually called yesterday and want her to start the application/interview process which she has. Now, which kind of parents do you imagine we are? Hmmm - this might either be interesting to read your guesses or possibly boring because it is more obvious than I realize.

We spent the whole day at a soccer tournament today. Why do soccer tournaments happen when it couldn't be a worse time? We still have more of the tournament tomorrow and Saturday!

Bad stuff. There are 2 kinda big and bad things going on in my life, completely out of the blue, having nothing to do with art and that I cannot talk about in public. I am not going to jail or dying or anything but it has been a stressful week. One has to do with something going on at my last job which I stupidly couldn't keep my mouth shut about in defense of my good friend and I guess I have stirred quite a pot. I don't like stirring pots, almost always avoid that but every now and then you have to stand up for something or someone you believe in no matter how difficult it is or what comes of it. I am already convinced that I sent bad kharma into the world despite my conflicting intentions to stand up for what I thought was right and what needed to be said - I am having lots of bad luck since Tuesday when it all started. I have upset a few people and may have caused a couple of problems but that's not why I got involved. I don't like upsetting people one little bit. I got involved because it was one of those times that somebody needed to say something up front and out loud instead of whining behind backs in record numbers and doing nothing about it. It has been eerily quiet today regarding that matter so I am waiting for the other shoe to drop and find out how much trouble I am or have caused.

The other, better of the two but still not fun thing not going well, has to do with my daughter and it is not that big a deal but she would be embarrassed if I was sharing her personal biz on the blog - just something that is a royal pain in the behind right now, I mean the last thing you want to deal with in the midst of everything else. I'll tell you someday when she won't care anymore.

Anyway, I am cruelly sort of telling you about things that I cannot really tell you about because things seem to be kind of piling up around here and I am pretty overwhelmed. Next Wednesday two significant things will take place for my family. One, the actors union will be meeting and possibly deciding to either continue with their effort to gain a strike authorization from its members or they will decide to accept the contract offer they've been given and end the standstill. As you may have read before, my husband works in the movie industry and last year's writers strike wiped out a big hunk of our savings. An actors strike could be far worse as we have not yet recovered from last year and hurt so many more people than just us - thousands upon thousands of people will be in big trouble if a strike happens, not to mention the state of CA and city of LA and all of its nearby suburbs. So, say prayers that the actors do the right thing for right now and avoid a strike.

The second thing that will happen that day is that my dad will be meeting with his cardiologist to find out if he is healthy enough to have surgery to fix a 6 inch long aneurysm in his aorta. Of course the best thing that could happen is that he finds out he is candidate for the surgery and that it goes well. It is very serious surgery that is required that will leave a 12 inch scar on his chest and abdomen just to give you an idea. There is some risk that he would not survive the surgery, develop an infection, or pneumonia after the surgery or not have lungs strong enough to be taken off the respirator that will be needed for the procedure. He is 79 years old and just so you know, my mom died quite suddenly 12 years ago from complications of surgery that was required from years of having diabetes. If he finds out he cannot have the surgery it is not good either because the aneurysm cannot not have problems forever. If he can have it, there is much to be concerned about. In addition, if he does have surgery I will need to fly there, possibly within a couple of days of next Wednesday and I am terribly afraid of flying. I have not flown since my mom died. I am already very nervous, losing sleep, and have a twisted stomach over it. I have to do this, I want to do this - my dad is so good to me and I love him so much, I am just petrified of flying. So this whole situation needs a lot of prayers too and good wishes if you don't mind.

Last, to end on another good note, I just want to mention how touching it has been to get so many comments on the post I made about my son. Thank you, you lovely commenters! I am a bit embarrassed by all the comments and how sweet they have been. I am no saint and I don't think I am all that strong of a person (ask my hubby and go back and read all of my whiny art making posts!). You all would do what you had to do if you had to do it - I did nothing special or beyond what any mother would do. And, my husband and whole entire family has done more than I can describe for all of us, especially Shawn. I did nothing alone by any means. My husband's sister had just as much and actually more to deal with with one of her three sons and she has been my role model. Someday maybe I will tell you their story.