Unique designs from Nervoussystem on Etsy!

I came across this shop with the help of a recent featured treasury on Etsy. I find this ring in particular to be quite lovely, but upon inspection of the rest of the shop, I find it hard to pick a favorite design. Take a look here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/nervoussystem?ref=seller_info

I'm not a big ring wearer, but I think I will have to figure out my size and order one of these fantastic designs! I love the sculptural feel and the process used to create it is very unique. If and when I do order one, I'll post a new pic of the ring on my own finger!

A few of my favorites...

Sitting on the stoop, enjoying the final moments of today's sunshine, a film came to mind. "In The Mood For Love" by Kar Wai Wong. It's one of my favorites. This lead me to the creation of a short mental list of a few of my other favorite films of all time. Here are a few videos that I found on YouTube, to share with you.
In The Mood For Love


One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest


Casino


Space Is The Place


The Graduate


Papillon

Egon Schiele is speaking to me...

Funny how certain things in life find their way to you in synchronicity. The most recent visitor is Egon Schiele, a figurative painter from the early 20th Century. He was a protégé of Gustav Klimt. I became aware of Egon Schiele when I was in art school, as part of my art history studies. As most overview art history classes go, his subject was only just touched upon. It wasn't until later years that I had a boyfriend who loved his work and I became more familiar with it, myself.

Recently, I came across a thoughtful and inspiring blog full of vintage photographs called Le Clown Lyrique: https://leclownlyrique.wordpress.com/. I got caught up for several hours scrolling through hundreds of photographs. One in particular stood out to me. "Egon Schiele’s Death Bed" by Martha Fein, 1918.

This photo inspired me to look up more information about him and lead me to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egon_Schiele. What an amazing life that was so creatively productive, yet cut short so tragically early. I encourage you to read some of his history.

Then, today, I came back to a friend's playlist on Youtube. One of the songs that came on is by The Rachel's. It's called "Family Portrait" and is a tune off of their album entitled Music For Egon Schiele!

A beautiful song that invokes a somber, yet thoughtful feeling. This song could so easily sit side by side with Martha Fein's photograph...a beautifully sad pair.

I'm glad to be reminded of Egon Schiele and to remember to appreciate his work and inspiring creativity.

Alternative to Surgery for ACL knee injuries in dogs...

If any of you know me on Facebook, I'm sure by now you are tired of reading my posts about my dog, her injuries and my pleading for help. However, now 3 weeks into her injury and 2 weeks into knowing what her injury is, I've been able to do quite a bit of research into the injury itself, the surgery options and the non-surgical options available. I will be taking Shuka to vet #2 Saturday morning for a second opinion on the injury and what options I can look at as possibilities to help her. I have also contacted vet #3, a holistic vet, and am looking at the possibility of using acupuncture and herbal/homeopathic medicines to help her heal in a more natural and non-invasive manner.

From what I've found on the internet, ACL injuries are quite common. They are also quite expensive, especially if you go with the TPLO surgery commonly recommended by the typical vet. Through my research, I have found a brace called A-TraC that oftentimes works very nicely to help keep the knee stabilized while the ACL heals. I have already started giving her supplements to help keep her joints healthy and strong. I found this article that talks about alternatives to surgeries: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/13_2/features/Canine-Ligament-Injury-Options_16198-1.html?zkPrintable=true The holistic vet is suggesting "Prolotherapy" which sounds intriguing, but I'm worried it might wind up being just as expensive as the surgery. I am also still awaiting the delivery of the ThunderShirt, which is scheduled for Saturday (which can't get here soon enough!). I can't rule any option out just yet and I am thankful to each person who has helped guide me to another possible answer to help Shuka to extend her life in a healthy and happy way. At this point, I am unsure what the next couple of weeks will bring concerning this situation, but I am doing my best to stay positive.

Shuka has been a good companion to me through many tough times. She's been my watch dog, comfort giver, bed hog, food beggar, walking buddy and dependent. She loves me unconditionally. I do not know what kind of life she had before she found her way off the streets of South Central Los Angeles, into the shelter and then into my own life. Even though the idea to adopt a black lab was not mine, I am glad that she has been with me for the past 7 years. Her shelter dog issues have been trying at times, as her separation anxiety is right now, but it's not her fault and I hope that I can find a way to help her to live out her final years in a more peaceful state of mind.

ThunderShirt for Dog Anxiety

Two weeks ago I brought my dog in from a day in the back yard. She was limping. I thought maybe she jumped and twisted the wrong way or something and hoped after a couple of days, she'd be walking normally again. Unfortunately for both me and her, she was still limping pretty bad 5 days later so I took her to the vet to find out that she has a torn ligament in her knee. I was faced with the option of a $2700 or an $1800 lesser surgery, neither of which I can really afford. Not to mention, if she did have the surgery, I'm not sure how I would keep her from jumping around when I get home or running around when I'm not at home, because of her issues with separation anxiety. I thought I might be facing a tough decision, until I spoke with my parents and the next day, my dad called me back with a long list of things to try on her...one of which is the ThunderShirt. Mine is ordered and will hopefully be arriving early next week. I'm so anxious to try this out to see if it'll keep my dog from going crazy with excitement every time I come home and will hopefully keep her from impeding her injury from improving because of her jumping around. From all of the information online, it seems to be a pretty amazing thing and I am crossing my fingers that it will even help a little bit! I'll update you once I receive it and have a chance to try it on her!

Old Cars of my past! ...and Scooter!

I grew up as the daughter of a car guy. My dad has been attending the Pomona Car Swap since the 1960s. He's been part of the classic car subculture before the classics were considered classics! He's had cars as old and varied as a 1929 Studebaker Touring car and 1960s & 70s American Muscle cars to numerous custom and sooped up Volkswagens, including several Bug limo's, one of which was his daily driver when I was in Jr. High and that I got picked up from school regularly in! He's had Jag's, dune buggies, Porsches, Woodies...if it was flashy or unusual, even better! So, with that said, I am no stranger to the underside or engine compartment of a car, which is good to be familiar with when owning a classic car. As part of my personal trip down memory lane, here are a few pics of classic cars I have owned and driven.
1968 Mustang California Special http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Special_Mustang
1970 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Convertible http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karmann_Ghia
1969 Volkswagen Sundial Conversion Camper Bus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Type_2_%28T2%29#T2
...and finally, my 1980 P200 Vespa scooter.

Well, hope you enjoy old cars as much as I do! Even though I drive a modern car these days, I know one day I'll have my hands on the wheel of a classic again!

Sorry for my Absence! Here's a tribute to my birthsign: Taurus