Speechless

While I was doing my grocery shopping at Super Target today (a horrifying experience worthy of it's own blog entry), I spotted this dress hanging on a rack at the edge of the women's clothing section.

It made such an impression on me that I took it upon myself to find it on Target's website, just so I could share it with you all.

Seriously, what a miserable throwback to the mid-80's! I think I had one of those bubble-type skirts in 4th grade. Throw a strapless top on the thing, and use a gaudy blue and green plaid, and you get this concoction.

Who is the target audience for this article of clothing? I don't even know any 13 year olds who would think this was cool.

It's just plain foul. That's all there is to it.

And you too can own it for the bargain price of $39.99!!

Snail Mail

I checked the mailbox last night on my way home from Steamboat, and found inside the self-addressed stamped envelope that I sent in with my entry to the Oil Painters of America National Show. Talk about nerves - I haven't been so nervous to open something in a LONG time!

It reminded me of when I was a senior in high school and I would check the mail for responses from colleges. I always looked for a big, fat envelope from the colleges at the top of my list because that would mean that they had sent an acceptance letter along with a bunch of fun info about the school. A thin business-sized envelope signaled rejection in a few sentences - heartbreak.

Getting a response about an art show is kind of similar. When you enter an art show, you typically send slides of your painting(s) with your application, and enclose an SASE for the response. If you're declined, they send your slides back in the SASE. If you're accepted, they keep the slides on file and send you instructions for delivering your painting.

So, of course, the first thing I did when I checked the mail was feel the envelope for my slide. And it wasn't there!!! Sure enough, inside was my acceptance to the 15th Annual Exhibition of Traditional Oils - wahoo!!!

I'm totally psyched. This is one of a handful of big shows that were on my "goal" list for the next few years and I didn't even think I'd get accepted this year. But I did, and I'm totally excited because this means that my painting is going to hang in the same gallery with some of the most amazing painters alive today - how cool is that? And it gives me something of substance to put on my resume - finally!

The show runs May 5 to June 13 at the Dana Gallery in Missoula, Montana. I'm hoping to get up there for the opening, but it'll be tricky - Nate's graduation for his MBA is the day after the opening, and that's a definite no-miss event, so we'll see what we can swing.

Either way, I'm excited - I feel like a lot of my hard work last year is finally starting to pay off!!

Young Lady?

Our procurement manager just got on the elevator with me and said something that involved referring to me as “young lady.”

I don’t even remember what we were talking about, because as soon as he called me “young lady,” I felt like I was in elementary school and being scolded for drawing on a desk* or something, rather than standing in an elevator at my very grown-up type of job.

I know the men I work with are old enough to be my father, but I just can’t believe someone just called me “young lady.” I’m going to retreat into my cube now and spend the rest of the day feeling like I’m about 10 years old….

On another note, as I was typing this the word “young” started to look really weird to me, to the point where I started to wonder if anyone would know what I was talking about. I hate those moments where perfectly normal words start to look like they aren’t English just because you look at them too long.

* Not that I ever did such a thing.

Sigh...

I just spent the last eight days in all day meetings, and feel like I’m finally able to come up for air. A few random thoughts:

****

You know you’re working late when the cleaning people come and turn the lights out on your floor of the office, leaving you to stumble through a maze of cubicles in the dark to turn them back on. What’s worse is when you don’t know where the light switches are for your floor of the office, and have to spend five minutes fumbling around the walls trying to find them.

****

My Canadian clients have just notified me that people in Canada like to drink tomato juice mixed with beer.

My entire family is Canadian and I’ve spent plenty of time in Canada, but this is one thing I had never heard of, and I’m completely disgusted just imagining what this must taste like.

Now said clients are determined to get me to try this nasty concoction next time we end up at a happy hour together (note to self: don’t accept any happy hour invites from clients in next few weeks

****

Sometimes engineers just don’t know when a joke shouldn’t be taken any further (as in, when it’s not very funny in the first place, and probably shouldn’t be continued).

I’ve been facilitating an eight-day meeting at work - it’s me and 10-15 other engineers every day, and of course I’m the only female and I’m at least 10 years younger than the youngest man in the room.

So, one morning we all show up and everyone gets situated at the big table in the conference room. Everyone’s all pumped up with coffee and ready to go.

Some engineer decides to break the ice with a bad joke – “Here we are again, the knights of the round table.”

(See – not so funny, eh?)

Everyone chuckles.

Then everyone turns to look at me at the head of the table.

Apparently it dawns on them that I’m female, and don’t resemble a knight.

Awkwardness ensues.

Finally, someone decides to save the moment with the following statement (drum roll please…):

“And Stacey’s Queen Guinevere.”

OMG.

Have you ever heard anything that made you want to cringe more? And I had to plaster a smile on my face and laugh. Seriously.

****

It’s amazing how two extra hours can mean so much when your life has become out-of-control busy. I finished up a long meeting a couple or hours early today, and I feel like I’m in heaven. I just want to sit back in my chair and let out a huge sigh of relief. I’m going to leave the office on time for the first time in weeks, and I can’t wait to get home during daylight and go for a run. Yay - I’m excited just thinking about it!

Sometimes the stressful times make me appreciate my usual daily habits that much more…

Silver Lining

Grrr....

I'm cranky this month. Work is out of control busy, and I'm not too excited about it. I managed to finish a painting this weekend though, which is better than nothing, right? And I rode my bike yesterday for the first time in ages, which is a good step in the right direction. So it's not all that bad I suppose!


I think it's kind of ironic that I painted this and titled it "Silver Lining", considering that my entire focus for the past two weeks has been trying to find the positive in a not-so-positive work situation.

Title: "Silver Lining"
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 16x20"

Edited to add that my sister has informed me that she thought this looked like a cheesy-religious-god-light type of painting on first glance (she said it much more nicely, of course). In my defense, it looks a lot better when you can see the brushwork etc. - it's not all smooth. There's a better picture on my website. Honestly - I try not to paint anything that could resemble a Kinkade painting in any way, shape, or form.