Come...and Dream with Me

  For those who don't know me personally, I am a military wife.  As such, most weekends when I have free time, my husband is away.  Most would find this highly depressing and lonely but I have always been a loner.  Not saying that I don't enjoy hanging out with people from time to time.  I just can entertain myself, usually by using books or a good art project.  Though, being stuck in the house does sometimes create a bit of cabin fever.  I usually rectify this by seeing a movie.  I find it nice that I don't have to go with anyone if I want to go see a movie.  If I want to treat myself to a meal somewhere, I notice that it is increasingly hard to go alone.  This is because a lot of places do not have a bar to sit at and if there is a bar, there is always that person who doesn't understand that you are not interested.  These annoying people should be happy that I do not stab them with a fork for disrupting a decent meal.  At the movies, it's a dark room where it's frowned upon to speak while the movie is playing. No one bothers me.  I don't bother them.  It's a win-win situation.
  For today's movie, I went to see Hugo.  I know.  This is a kids movie and trust me, every bit of it is very kid friendly.  I do not have children but I would say that it is good for all ages but a seven year old would probably grasp the concepts a little better.  For those who plan on going to see it, no worries.  I have no intention of ruining the movie for you.  It is a wonderfully imaginative movie with mystery around every turn.  It is easy to empathize with the characters and their experiences.  Not to go all painterly on you but I found that Martin Scorsese used the 3D element of the film like a medium to his canvas.  Most directors use the 3D element like an extra color on their canvas, throwing it in here and there just for the extra money.  But Martin Scorsese didn't use it in that way.  You can tell throughout the whole movie that he planned every angle, every prop and every scene around the 3D.  I also highly enjoyed that it showed scenes from the silent film era.  I love old films and I was pleasantly surprised that they had a scene from Harold Lloyd's Safety Last!  Bringing in video from older films gave more depth to the plot.  One of my favorite lines from the film was said in one of the last scenes.  It was..."Come...and dream with me".
   As an artist, I tend to just pour myself into my work.  I am transfixed on whatever I am doing.  The phone may ring several times before I even notice.  Even my neighbors' annoying dog that she doesn't take care of properly doesn't seem to bother me as much when I am painting.  And, as an artist, I am putting my imagination and inspiration out there for others to see.  Sometimes, the viewer sees what I saw.  But, 7 out of 10 times, they don't.  They see something completely different.  For the longest time, it bothered me.  Made me believe that maybe I wasn't a good enough artist to convey the message I wanted to.  After a while I got over it because, like the actor said "Come...and dream with me".  We may be looking at the same thing but see something different and that is okay.  It is okay because we are sharing the dream.  Art just helps us be able to dream on the same canvas.

To the End and a Beginning

Cheers!
  We are at the end of 2011.  It marks the end of some things and the beginning of others.  For myself, this was my last complete year attending Leeward Community College.  I have spent the last three years working on my AA and at the end of this month, I will have completed my requirements.  I plan on taking one more class, however.  I don't need it to graduate but it will help my painting skills. I am very thankful that I have such a wonderful art professor who encourages me to go further with my art
  As my college life draws to an end, I have noticed something that is a little disheartening.  Over the last three years, I have gained some weight.  Not a lot but enough that I wouldn't consider myself as fit as I once was prior to attending school. So, my goal is to start working out.  I don't plan on just jumping into the gym and working for hours on end for unreasonable goals.  That is how a lot of people burn out.  So, I plan on starting small.  Starting next week, I will work out at least 30 minutes a day.  Doesn't sound like much but going from nothing to 30 minutes is a start.  Then, I'll add 5-10 minutes a week.  I admit, I am inspired by a fellow military spouse named Lindsey Roeske.  She has been working out and watching her progress makes me want to become a healthier person.