One of my dearest friends found me yesterday! She and I haven't spoken in almost 10 years, and she found me by searching online, thanks to my Google account!
She was an exchange student from Germany at our high school and we became very close friends our senior year. We hung out all the time, and when she moved back to Germany, I actually was able to go and visit her and we had such a good time. We were close and kept in touch, but because of life and crazy schedules, we eventually lost touch.
I was married at the time, but recently changed my name back, and created a Google account so old friends could search for me. No one knew me by my married name, so I made sure people could find me by the name they knew. And lo and behold, my friend found me yesterday after almost 10 years! I was thrilled and about fell over when I realized it was her.
If you are searching for someone, or hoping someone can find you, be sure to create or update a Google account. You can put your name and city you’re currently living in (just so people will know it’s you) but don’t have to put anything personal like address or phone number.
I would definitely recommend doing this to anyone looking for a long lost friend!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Intervention and Alcoholism
This has been one of my favorite shows for awhile now. For those who don't know, it's a reality series on A&E profiling addicts, their families, and the steps they take toward intervening. It's on Monday nights at 9 pm.
Last night's episode followed an alcoholic named Bret. He had two children who were just distraught over his alcoholism, and at the intervention they were sobbing and pleading with him to go to treatment.
He finally ended up going, after much arm-twisting and yelling. It turned out that he had esophageal cancer, which is caused by excessive alcohol use. He discovered this in treatment and obviously it was very advanced by the time they figured it out. He ended up dying at the end of the episode, but was sober, and his family took comfort in that fact.
I've seen many moving episodes of Intervention, and what I love about the show is that it is real and you really do get involved in the person's life, and you want them to get well. I was very attached to Bret's story and his family, and was sobbing at the end. It just reminded me so much of my grandpa, who died 10 years ago.
He was an alcoholic, though I never knew that as a kid. My family is Italian and we Italians do like our wine! He just took it too far, and in recent years my mom has told me more about his struggle with alcoholism. She said he was never so proud as when he got his AA coin, and was so happy that at the end of his life, he was sober.
As someone who has had their share of excessive drinking, I can say with certainty that when you're out drinking with friends on Saturday night (or in my case, every night), you don't think about the long-term effects. I knew that it was bad for you but figured I was young enough that I never had to worry about anything.
I started drinking as a means of escaping reality when I was very unhappy years ago. Then I started hanging out with more and more friends who were drinking, and it was really fun. I can't tell you how many pictures I have of me with drinks in my hand! I always seemed to take it farther than every one else, though, because I drank each and every night, whether I was with people or not.
In recent years, I've gotten really into wine, and would drink every night. It started giving me worse and worse headaches, and in the morning I would wake up with bad kidney and liver pain. I also take a lot of medication for headaches and other health problems and finally came to the conclusion that I could no longer keep mixing all these things.
Last night's show really brought all that into focus for me. I still occasionally have a small glass of wine, but it always brings about an immediate, severe migraine, so it's gotten to the point where I can't even enjoy it anymore. I have full bottles of wine in storage and in the fridge! I was sober driver for 4th of July! These are monumental accomplishments for me.
So if you have time, check out Bret's episode on http://www.aetv.com/intervention/index.jsp You can also see what his family has to say about him. If you think you might have a drinking problem or know someone who does, you can check out http://www.aa.org/?Media=PlayFlash or call 1-800-662-HELP. I was told recently about the book Recovery Without Religion which offers a non-religious take on recovery.
Last night's episode followed an alcoholic named Bret. He had two children who were just distraught over his alcoholism, and at the intervention they were sobbing and pleading with him to go to treatment.
He finally ended up going, after much arm-twisting and yelling. It turned out that he had esophageal cancer, which is caused by excessive alcohol use. He discovered this in treatment and obviously it was very advanced by the time they figured it out. He ended up dying at the end of the episode, but was sober, and his family took comfort in that fact.
I've seen many moving episodes of Intervention, and what I love about the show is that it is real and you really do get involved in the person's life, and you want them to get well. I was very attached to Bret's story and his family, and was sobbing at the end. It just reminded me so much of my grandpa, who died 10 years ago.
He was an alcoholic, though I never knew that as a kid. My family is Italian and we Italians do like our wine! He just took it too far, and in recent years my mom has told me more about his struggle with alcoholism. She said he was never so proud as when he got his AA coin, and was so happy that at the end of his life, he was sober.
As someone who has had their share of excessive drinking, I can say with certainty that when you're out drinking with friends on Saturday night (or in my case, every night), you don't think about the long-term effects. I knew that it was bad for you but figured I was young enough that I never had to worry about anything.
I started drinking as a means of escaping reality when I was very unhappy years ago. Then I started hanging out with more and more friends who were drinking, and it was really fun. I can't tell you how many pictures I have of me with drinks in my hand! I always seemed to take it farther than every one else, though, because I drank each and every night, whether I was with people or not.
In recent years, I've gotten really into wine, and would drink every night. It started giving me worse and worse headaches, and in the morning I would wake up with bad kidney and liver pain. I also take a lot of medication for headaches and other health problems and finally came to the conclusion that I could no longer keep mixing all these things.
Last night's show really brought all that into focus for me. I still occasionally have a small glass of wine, but it always brings about an immediate, severe migraine, so it's gotten to the point where I can't even enjoy it anymore. I have full bottles of wine in storage and in the fridge! I was sober driver for 4th of July! These are monumental accomplishments for me.
So if you have time, check out Bret's episode on http://www.aetv.com/intervention/index.jsp You can also see what his family has to say about him. If you think you might have a drinking problem or know someone who does, you can check out http://www.aa.org/?Media=PlayFlash or call 1-800-662-HELP. I was told recently about the book Recovery Without Religion which offers a non-religious take on recovery.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Welcome My Newest Rescue, Sabir!
All of my pets, for the most part, have been rescues, whether outright or cast-offs from other people. Through the years I've managed to acquire a dog, two cats, multitudes of hermit crabs and goldfish, and most recently, rats! I love all of them and enjoy sharing them, especially the dog, with other people. I never miss an opportunity to let strangers know that she was a shelter dog, with little hope of being adopted.
A couple weekends ago, we attended the EFBC's Twilight Tour. It's an exotic cat breeding center who works in conservation and awareness. They keep rare and endangered cats and breed for zoos and other centers, NEVER for the exotic pet trade. Here is their site: http://www.cathouse-fcc.org/ Absolutely an amazing place to visit if you get the chance!
Anyway, we were all hyped up after the visit and I was on a high, determined to set out and do whatever I could to help save these exotic cats. (I'm hoping to donate some artwork for fundraising). I got a call when we were in Bakersfield, about an hour and a half away, from my mom, frantic, saying there was a tiny kitten crying up in her tree!
We rushed home and I was panicking. There was a little kitty who needed saving! We arrived home after midnight and I ran to get the ladder, ready to climb up and be a hero. It turned out the kitten wasn't stuck, just freaked out, and a chase ensued as I ran through bushes and through yards, trying to find him.
My first glance of him was a tiny, fuzzy white kitten, covered in dirt and spiderwebs. He was definitely feral, as he wouldn't let us near him. He was also thin, freaked out, and very confused.
My mom has several outdoor cats that she leaves food out for, so it seems all the cat in the tri-county area somehow make their way to her yard. No one else was as worried as I was about the kitty, and I will admit, the fact that he was a Siamese AND a white cat really tugged at my heart. I have a special love for white Siameses, as that's what my first cat Snowflakes was. I still wonder if the other semi-feral Siameses in this area may be descendants of his.
So I ran around, back and forth, at at this time everyone else had given up and gone to bed. Armed with a flashlight, I ran through bushes, getting stuck in several rosebushes. The little guy was quick! I finally saw a white fluffy thing under a bush and thought, Aha! Got you! and reached for it only to see that it was a dead bird.
Finally the little kitty ended up back in our yard and climbed inside JD's truck, underneath! I have never seen the underside of a GMC Sonoma, but I got to that night. By this time it was past 2 am, and the poor little kitty was just beyond frightened and tired out. I very carefully reached up under the truck, grabbed him, and ran inside.
He is a lilac-point Siamese, and was about five weeks old at the time I found him.
The smallest room in the house is the office, so it became the kitten room. The little guy quickly made a bed inside our bottom drawer.
He was most definitely feral, barely letting us touch him. For the first few days we had to very slowly and carefully grab him, slowly letting him get more and more used to us.
He went to the vet and aside from fleas and dirty ears, was in pretty good health. I have assumed he's from the trailer park across the street from our neighborhood, where many stray cats come from. Sadly, there is a busy road between us and there are often dead cats out there. Recently, I saw two kittens that I'm pretty sure are probably relatives.
Our first family portrait.
I had no intentions of keeping the kitten, but after the long struggle outside to catch him, I became ridiculously attached and of course he's going to stay with me. I finally settled on the name Sabir, the people whom the region of Siberia was named after. The kitty looks nice and icy and Arctic to me.
We have really been working to socialize him and he's coming around!
He doesn't always run and hide when we come in the room, a huge improvement!
I discovered he shares my love of strawberry ice cream!
Like the lynx he reminds me of, he's a good little hunter.
And he loves his toys!!
Let me close with my plug to always spay and neuter your animals, whether they are indoors or not. In seven years, one cat and her offspring can make hundreds of thousands of cats. For every lucky little kitten like this one, there are thousands who are not as fortunate. If you're considering getting a new cat, please consider shelters and rescue groups. Though pet stores say they don't get their animals from puppy and kitten mills, that often is the case.
A couple weekends ago, we attended the EFBC's Twilight Tour. It's an exotic cat breeding center who works in conservation and awareness. They keep rare and endangered cats and breed for zoos and other centers, NEVER for the exotic pet trade. Here is their site: http://www.cathouse-fcc.org/ Absolutely an amazing place to visit if you get the chance!
Anyway, we were all hyped up after the visit and I was on a high, determined to set out and do whatever I could to help save these exotic cats. (I'm hoping to donate some artwork for fundraising). I got a call when we were in Bakersfield, about an hour and a half away, from my mom, frantic, saying there was a tiny kitten crying up in her tree!
We rushed home and I was panicking. There was a little kitty who needed saving! We arrived home after midnight and I ran to get the ladder, ready to climb up and be a hero. It turned out the kitten wasn't stuck, just freaked out, and a chase ensued as I ran through bushes and through yards, trying to find him.
My first glance of him was a tiny, fuzzy white kitten, covered in dirt and spiderwebs. He was definitely feral, as he wouldn't let us near him. He was also thin, freaked out, and very confused.
My mom has several outdoor cats that she leaves food out for, so it seems all the cat in the tri-county area somehow make their way to her yard. No one else was as worried as I was about the kitty, and I will admit, the fact that he was a Siamese AND a white cat really tugged at my heart. I have a special love for white Siameses, as that's what my first cat Snowflakes was. I still wonder if the other semi-feral Siameses in this area may be descendants of his.
So I ran around, back and forth, at at this time everyone else had given up and gone to bed. Armed with a flashlight, I ran through bushes, getting stuck in several rosebushes. The little guy was quick! I finally saw a white fluffy thing under a bush and thought, Aha! Got you! and reached for it only to see that it was a dead bird.
Finally the little kitty ended up back in our yard and climbed inside JD's truck, underneath! I have never seen the underside of a GMC Sonoma, but I got to that night. By this time it was past 2 am, and the poor little kitty was just beyond frightened and tired out. I very carefully reached up under the truck, grabbed him, and ran inside.
He is a lilac-point Siamese, and was about five weeks old at the time I found him.
The smallest room in the house is the office, so it became the kitten room. The little guy quickly made a bed inside our bottom drawer.
He was most definitely feral, barely letting us touch him. For the first few days we had to very slowly and carefully grab him, slowly letting him get more and more used to us.
He went to the vet and aside from fleas and dirty ears, was in pretty good health. I have assumed he's from the trailer park across the street from our neighborhood, where many stray cats come from. Sadly, there is a busy road between us and there are often dead cats out there. Recently, I saw two kittens that I'm pretty sure are probably relatives.
Our first family portrait.
I had no intentions of keeping the kitten, but after the long struggle outside to catch him, I became ridiculously attached and of course he's going to stay with me. I finally settled on the name Sabir, the people whom the region of Siberia was named after. The kitty looks nice and icy and Arctic to me.
We have really been working to socialize him and he's coming around!
He doesn't always run and hide when we come in the room, a huge improvement!
I discovered he shares my love of strawberry ice cream!
Like the lynx he reminds me of, he's a good little hunter.
And he loves his toys!!
Let me close with my plug to always spay and neuter your animals, whether they are indoors or not. In seven years, one cat and her offspring can make hundreds of thousands of cats. For every lucky little kitten like this one, there are thousands who are not as fortunate. If you're considering getting a new cat, please consider shelters and rescue groups. Though pet stores say they don't get their animals from puppy and kitten mills, that often is the case.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Recent Artwork--Sketches and Paintings!
I am venturing into the non-profit world by donating my art services to some worthy foundations. I have been interested in helping out The Mountain Lion Foundation for some time now, and they're interested in using some of my artwork on their website and newsletters.
Check out their site here:
http://www.mountainlion.org/index.asp
I have been doing mostly watercolor paintings lately, a departure from my training in acrylics. I was never formally trained in watercolors so I don't know any particular techniques, and like everything else in life, just do what looks good to me!
Young mountain lion (sub-adult):
Adult mountain lions:
There are those who say digital art isn't real art at all. I say it is if you're able to do it on the computer and "for real" with paint or pencil and pen! This was done in Illustrator and is part of a larger piece which is still in progress.
Mountain lion cubs. This is my favorite painting so far! I'm hoping to donate a giclee print of this to be used in a silent auction in a fundraising event.
Some ink sketches, something I haven't done in many years!
And finally, a few other creatures that I love and am inspired by.
Harbor seal painting:
Hooded fancy rat. These are intelligent and very clean pets, and can be trained just like dogs! Mine don't know that yet, however!
Enjoy and please share with a friend! I plan to have giclee prints available of some of these if you're interested. As always, thanks for looking!
~Jenny
Check out their site here:
http://www.mountainlion.org/index.asp
I have been doing mostly watercolor paintings lately, a departure from my training in acrylics. I was never formally trained in watercolors so I don't know any particular techniques, and like everything else in life, just do what looks good to me!
Young mountain lion (sub-adult):
Adult mountain lions:
There are those who say digital art isn't real art at all. I say it is if you're able to do it on the computer and "for real" with paint or pencil and pen! This was done in Illustrator and is part of a larger piece which is still in progress.
Mountain lion cubs. This is my favorite painting so far! I'm hoping to donate a giclee print of this to be used in a silent auction in a fundraising event.
Some ink sketches, something I haven't done in many years!
And finally, a few other creatures that I love and am inspired by.
Harbor seal painting:
Hooded fancy rat. These are intelligent and very clean pets, and can be trained just like dogs! Mine don't know that yet, however!
Enjoy and please share with a friend! I plan to have giclee prints available of some of these if you're interested. As always, thanks for looking!
~Jenny
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Always Take the Scenic Route!
I learned this from my dad long ago. Freeways are boring and back roads are where you find cool stuff. And in the famous words of Clark Griswold in "National Lampoon's Vacation," "getting there is half the fun!"
We travel over to the Monterey Peninsula pretty often. I go as often as I can, since I don't have a 9 to 5 job holding me back. Oh, and I go on job interviews there once in awhile. I always bring my furry best buddy Rylee with me. Like me, she's always up for a good car trip.
Here are some fun things I've seen on my recent ventures. Enjoy!
JD and Rylee in the car.
I love seeing this because I know I'm getting close!
One of those really great off-the-beaten-path places, Frog Pond Nature Preserve in Del Rey Oaks, CA. You could drive right by and not know it's there.
Tiny blooming flower at Frog Pond.
We stopped at a little pet store in Marina, CA and they had some big empty 55 gallon tanks to give away. I may just have a little car but I made it fit!
I love the Laureles Grade. It takes you from Hwy 68 over to Carmel Valley. It's a steep, winding road and I think the summit is about 1200 feet or so. It permits an amazing 360-degree view of Carmel Valley and the Salinas Valley.
(I stood on my car to get some of the panoramic shots).
I call my cat Roxy "Foxy" and when we drove by this place (a well-known vegetable producer in Salinas), I had to take a picture.
This cracked me up. It's a man's store and it's called Dick's!
The remains of this farm equipment was lying off on the side of the road. Don't know what it was but we took a picture anyway!
We found this cool little natural foods pet store in Carmel Valley. They had a great selection of sea-creature pet toys!
This beautiful wool-felted stingray is meant as a dog toy, but I see it as art.
One of our favorite beaches, Carmel State Beach. Dog friendly!
Jellyfish.
JD playing with Rylee.
She doesn't understand why you shouldn't drink saltwater.
Me!
This says it all!
We stopped at a gas station on the way home and saw this little guy eating out of a coffee cup on the ground.
That's all for now. As most of my friends know, I take pictures constantly. I have several other trips that I've photo-journaled that will be posted soon!
Bye for now.
~Jenny
We travel over to the Monterey Peninsula pretty often. I go as often as I can, since I don't have a 9 to 5 job holding me back. Oh, and I go on job interviews there once in awhile. I always bring my furry best buddy Rylee with me. Like me, she's always up for a good car trip.
Here are some fun things I've seen on my recent ventures. Enjoy!
JD and Rylee in the car.
I love seeing this because I know I'm getting close!
One of those really great off-the-beaten-path places, Frog Pond Nature Preserve in Del Rey Oaks, CA. You could drive right by and not know it's there.
Tiny blooming flower at Frog Pond.
We stopped at a little pet store in Marina, CA and they had some big empty 55 gallon tanks to give away. I may just have a little car but I made it fit!
I love the Laureles Grade. It takes you from Hwy 68 over to Carmel Valley. It's a steep, winding road and I think the summit is about 1200 feet or so. It permits an amazing 360-degree view of Carmel Valley and the Salinas Valley.
(I stood on my car to get some of the panoramic shots).
I call my cat Roxy "Foxy" and when we drove by this place (a well-known vegetable producer in Salinas), I had to take a picture.
This cracked me up. It's a man's store and it's called Dick's!
The remains of this farm equipment was lying off on the side of the road. Don't know what it was but we took a picture anyway!
We found this cool little natural foods pet store in Carmel Valley. They had a great selection of sea-creature pet toys!
This beautiful wool-felted stingray is meant as a dog toy, but I see it as art.
One of our favorite beaches, Carmel State Beach. Dog friendly!
Jellyfish.
JD playing with Rylee.
She doesn't understand why you shouldn't drink saltwater.
Me!
This says it all!
We stopped at a gas station on the way home and saw this little guy eating out of a coffee cup on the ground.
That's all for now. As most of my friends know, I take pictures constantly. I have several other trips that I've photo-journaled that will be posted soon!
Bye for now.
~Jenny
Friday, June 26, 2009
Mountain Lion Paintings
I've been busy painting this week, after being inspired by visiting a wild cat breeding center this past weekend (expect a photo-heavy post on that soon!!). I follow updates from the Mountain Lion Foundation. Check out their website here: http://www.mountainlion.org/index.asp
They do some amazing work and I am hoping to be able to donate some artwork to them. Mountain lions, like so many apex predators, are often feared and misunderstood. People fear them because they see these sensationalized headlines about attacks on humans. However, those are very few and far between. I've spent much time in nature and the outdoors and mountain lions exist all over California. I spend every free moment looking for them and I've NEVER seen one (I have heard one, though). They are shy, secretive cats that are a rare treat to glimpse in the wild.
Here are a few practice paintings that I've been working on.
Mountain lion cub:
Mountain lion mama:
They do some amazing work and I am hoping to be able to donate some artwork to them. Mountain lions, like so many apex predators, are often feared and misunderstood. People fear them because they see these sensationalized headlines about attacks on humans. However, those are very few and far between. I've spent much time in nature and the outdoors and mountain lions exist all over California. I spend every free moment looking for them and I've NEVER seen one (I have heard one, though). They are shy, secretive cats that are a rare treat to glimpse in the wild.
Here are a few practice paintings that I've been working on.
Mountain lion cub:
Mountain lion mama:
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
An Update on Random Things!
Sorry I haven't posted in so long. I have lots to say, so that's not the problem! I have a couple trips and photojournals to post on here, so stay tuned over the next couple days for those.
I've had headaches and sinus problems for years, and over the past week, ended up in the ER for a horrible migraine that got progressively worse through the night. See my Facebook page for a lovely gruesome photo of my injured, IV-pricked, bruised arm!
I had the pleasure of visiting the absolutely amazing Exotic Feline Breeding Compound in the Mojave Desert of California: http://www.cathouse-fcc.org/. They had their summer Twilight Tour on Saturday and it was every bit as wonderful as I'd hoped it would be. I took almost 400 photos on that trip, so they will be posted soon!
I had to euthanize my two new goldfish over the past couple days, so that was upsetting. I had hoped to bring them both back to health but wasn't able to, unfortunately. Rest in peace, Pumpkin and little blue fish.
I've had headaches and sinus problems for years, and over the past week, ended up in the ER for a horrible migraine that got progressively worse through the night. See my Facebook page for a lovely gruesome photo of my injured, IV-pricked, bruised arm!
I had the pleasure of visiting the absolutely amazing Exotic Feline Breeding Compound in the Mojave Desert of California: http://www.cathouse-fcc.org/. They had their summer Twilight Tour on Saturday and it was every bit as wonderful as I'd hoped it would be. I took almost 400 photos on that trip, so they will be posted soon!
I had to euthanize my two new goldfish over the past couple days, so that was upsetting. I had hoped to bring them both back to health but wasn't able to, unfortunately. Rest in peace, Pumpkin and little blue fish.
The highlight of the last week was rescuing a tiny kitten! He is a beautiful lilac-point Siamese, and he showed up crying in the middle of the night in our yard! It took a couple hours, but I finally was able to grab the little guy. He was feral, dirty and terrified. I'm sure he was abandoned, one of the hordes of kittens born in the low-income neighborhoods nearby. Two have been hit on the busy road by our house and I cringe to think of this little guy crossing that road. One of our kitties was killed there in 1995.
The kitten is so adorable that I'll dedicate a whole entry to him, but for now, bask in his kitten adorable-ness!
Finally, I tore a ligament in my thumb yesterday, and am in a splint. No sculpting for awhile. I hope I'll be able to paint left-handed!
See you all soon, and thanks so much for reading!
~Jenny Swartzbaugh
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
