Since I have to go to Target and TJs anyway, gonna totally cheat on my Y and go to the Parkville one since it is on the way.

Loki is obsessed with my toes, since Pooch (neighbor's cat) was licking and rubbing on them while we post-market coffeed. Nice spending 3 hours just marketing and hanging out.

Off to swim and shop!

I'm trying to write my column before we have our cookout this evening and I'm hoping the rain clears up by the afternoon.

Owen just tweeted to Wil Wheaton and suggested he act in a film called "clash of the dinosuors."

Perkins, enjoy the beach! Sleep, drink and have lots of fun!!!

The neighbourhood art store nearest me just became the art store of my heart. Despite being a franchise of a nationwide chain, they managed to have a very distinctive air. I suspect the owner's Caribbean. Slightly accented black guy playing lots of reggae-I-don't-recognise. And the chick behind the counter was really nice and sweet.

I really don't need that, because I have a massive weakness for art supplies. At least they didn't have the expensive stuff I was looking for. I suspect the cheap stuff I got will do just as well, at least for now.

And the Post Office stop was quickest evar. Back to tennis and bread. Man, my yeast is totally broken.

Pix, I'm glad your mom was able to help out like that. It's so great to be taken care of sometimes.

I started a group to work through The Artist's Way so I'm meeting with them in a couple hours. I've been less than perfect with my exercises this week due to RSI pain and depression, but any progress is better than none.

I grabbed some "Made in China" crayons that were laying around the house for the grandkids to use with morning exercises. They suck. It's one of those times you realize Crayola is the brand name with crayons for a reason. So I'm going to try to nip to a toy store this am and pic some up. It's hard to know where to buy certain things because my hometown, like many, has lost a lot of locally-owned business in the last 25 years. Or the practical suppliers have been replaced by boutiquey-gifty places.

I can't think of an art store near me that's not a massive chain. Same with bookstores. I'd love to exercise the option. But the franchises are run by individuals--I've worked at one, and it was still a small business within a big business. There were individuals there too.

Oh! I have all these new pens to play with. At least I was able to hold off buying new paper. My craving for new paper is shameful. I blame my mother. She used to have a three foot wide roll of paper in her bathroom cupboard for us to peel off of, and it just fueled my expectation of paper on tap.

Why the fuck did she have that? Cool idea, though.

I used to get endrolls from the local newspaper printer for cheap.

My mother was kinda disdainful of the visual arts. She wanted us to be musical or sporty. She never encouraged me in drawing until I was in university--and then she overdid it. So she went from throwing away every drawing I gave her (no scratchings on our fridge door, nosirree) to framing shit on our walls that I really really want down. I now officially hate every drawing I've ever given them but one, but I can't convince her not to put it where people can see it. I'm horrified every visitor looks at them. Why'd she have to change?

I have one independent bookstore in walking distance and several more in biking (all mainly used, but carrying some new). I have one independent art supply in walking distance. I guess hosting a granola college trumps being a small hick town.

Yeah, I can't think of one, either, ita. Even in Berkeley we no longer had an independent art supply. It's all either Blick or Utrecht. Down here we lost PAS Graphics back in the early '90s, I think.

We've got some butcher paper here and it's what I'm using for my morning exercises.

It's a little work, but for cool paper for collage and sculptural stuff, you can soak a milk carton in water and peel off the thin plastic on either side. You get thick nubby paper. I used it as material for making a headdress for H'ween once.

Damn, I have no idea where I'm going to be able to go to get my costuming on this H'ween. *pout*

Last night's discussion prompted me to look for a watercolor of the Arlington veranda I painted in HS, which would fit well with the print and poster I already have hanging on the north wall of my living room and would allow me to finally have artwork of mine hanging in every room. No sign of it, though I turned up stuff I don't even remember creating and a bunch of posters belonging to a former roommate.

I hope it wasn't destroyed at some point. I think Mom would have it on display if it were still at my parents' house, and I know I didn't give it away to anyone else.