.something to photograph.

.Spring in Rhode Island...

.The Big Takeover.

.not that you need another article on the financial crisis, but this is a good one.

The Big Takeover
by Matt Taibbi
(excerpt from the article)

The most galling thing about this financial crisis is that so many Wall Street types think they actually deserve not only their huge bonuses and lavish lifestyles but the awesome political power their own mistakes have left them in possession of. When challenged, they talk about how hard they work, the 90-hour weeks, the stress, the failed marriages, the hemorrhoids and gallstones they all get before they hit 40.

"But wait a minute," you say to them. "No one ever asked you to stay up all night eight days a week trying to get filthy rich shorting what's left of the American auto industry or selling $600 billion in toxic, irredeemable mortgages to ex-strippers on work release and Taco Bell clerks. Actually, come to think of it, why are we even giving taxpayer money to you people? Why are we not throwing your ass in jail instead?"

.Full Text available here: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/26793903/the_big_takeover

.milly.

.another day, another painting.

.i think color is great.

{click on the image for more detail}

.6 hour painting.

.I have been out of town every weekend and finally I had a night to paint. So last Friday, with a glass of wine in hand (or three..hehe), I completed this one in 6 or 7 hours. I was in the zone.

.His hand is just hanging out there, not sure what that is all about, but one day I'll get these arms and hands right. BUT, at the same time, I like the ackwardness of it. Is he going to tap on the glass or does his head cocked to the right and arm out mean he is getting ready to wave at me?!

.optimism.

.March 10th 1989 - March 11th, 2009.
.SP500 Index (top): 149.64%.
.Japan's Nikkei Index (bottom) -76.73%.

.even if we lost all of that 149% gain tomorrow, at least we had periods of false hope & optimism...while not always rational, clearly that is part of being American and hopefully this attribute will pull us out of this mess.

...excerpts from DEAN WITTER's memo to his firm...

May 6th, 1932

A very interesting book could be written on mass psychology and the effect thereof. That everyone is influenced more or less by the opinion of others is obvious. There was no reason for the unwarranted heights which the market reached in 1929 except universal over-optimism - there is no excuse for the present market value of good bonds and stocks today except undue pessimism. In 1929 no pessimistic comment could survive. Today an expression of confidence in the future of the country is unpopular. Strangely, the peaks of 1929 and the low quotations of today are both due to the same cause, which is lack of intelligent and sound analysis. It is strange that such divergent conditions should come within such a short period and should be due to such identical factors...

There are only two premises which are tenable as to the future. Either we are going to have chaos or else recovery. The former theory is foolish. If chaos ensues nothing will maintain value, neither bonds nor stocks nor bank deposits nor gold will remain valuable. Real estate will be a worthless asset because titles will be insecure. No policy can be based upon this impossible contingency. Policy must therefore be predicated upon theory of recovery. The present is not the first depression; it may be the worst, but just as surely as conditions have righted themselves in the past and have gradually been readjusted to normal so this will again occur. The only uncertainty is when it will occur...

Does anyone think that present prices will continue when confidence has been fully restored? Such bargains exist only because of terror and distress. When the future is assured the dollar will long since have ceased to have its present buying power...

It requires courage to be optimistic as to the future of the country when nearly everyone is pessimistic. It is, however, cowardly to assume that the future of the country is in peril.

No sucessful policy can be established upon this unsound theory. It is easy to run with the crowd. The path of least resistance is to join in the wailings that are now so popular. The constructive policy, however, is to maintain your courage and your optimism, to have faith in the ultimate future of your country and to proclaim your faith and to recommend the purchase of good bonds and good stocks, which are inordinately depreciated...

~ Dean Witter, 1932

.so, i know i haven't blogged in a while.

.i just wanted to wait until i had something meaningful. and i think i have finally conquered this painting. what do you think?. {click to enlarge}.

.the light balls.

.chicken wire: CHECK.

.Christmas tree lights: CHECK.

.window screen: CHECK.

.cost?: $20 for a 3ft circumference ball. That is what I call economical.

.PPS WINTER BASH 2009.

.light sculpture I made for the front. I realize it is very strange.

.The PPS Winter Bash 2009 went down last night. I think it was a success, but you never know. Next year, I think we should have a DISCO!! Holla.

.Do you see the chicken wire light balls in the background??.

.sparkly diamonds & fluffy snowflakes.

.darkly diamonds and snuffy snowflakes. aah, hmmm. twist of fate I suppose?.

.underconstruction.

{new blog tag from ArtSparker. This gives you free will to tell ME what you really think without feeling like you are going to offend me. I know the painting stinks right now! So help me!! Tell me like it is. I'm a big girl, I can take it. Ha!}


.well, I don't know what to say about this one. In the words of Daman Wayan's {on In Living Color} "HATED IT!!!" The problem is, when you try to paint someone you know it ends up being a big F.R.E.A.K.I.N.G. project because I know what they look like and they know what they look like and to capture the likeness is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The smallest brush stroke can change the person's persona altogether. So, before I paint over this madness, I am asking for constructive criticism.

.I need some R.E.A.L feedback... HOLLA! {click on picture to enlarge and see up close}

.writer's block over man.

.NAME: Milly.
.DATE: 1/20/2009, 7 days from the beginning of my artist's block.
.TIME: 10:48pm.
.PROBLEM: averted.


.{above is a close up of the image below}.


{this is still underconstruction, but it's coming along...the texture is setting in...acrylic & spackling paste on canvas}.



.a finally, this last man is my "writer's block over man". On the way to Hotlanta I sketched this with crayons and colored pencils. He's delightfully colorful. I think his last name is Morris and I captured him from a photo in The Economist. seriously. haha!!

.So, thanks for sticking by me during these trying times....I am painting again like a crazy lady. Happy Inauguration!.

.example of painter's block.

.this is what happened under the spells of painter's block. The far RIGHT image is the end product. SUPER. {click to enlarge}

.ordinary.

.NAME: Milly.
.DATE: 1/14/2009.
.TIME: 1:10 a.m.
.PROBLEM: painter's block.

.most paintings take me a few hours and it just happens... it's exciting, things flow, the paint paints...it's GREAT. Where are you?. Wherrrrrrrrrre? F%#*&?*.

.impatience.

.this is me checking my blog and getting really excited and clearly overzealous to check all the comments from my wonderful vistors. Sometimes the colors are quit intense!!! Anyone else experience this strange phenomenon of color blog blending? haha.

.mad skiers.

.there is nothing like skiing down an open slope (this was taken at MAD RIVER GLEN 2008)...the loud sound of your skis on the snow, then you duck into a tree run and a HUSH falls over you like you cupped your hands over your ears.

.Last year, a good friend of ours gave us a trip to a Vermont Bed & Breakfast as a wedding gift. What an aweseome, awesome present. I want to go again right now!

.play on crayons.

.one of my crazy sketches....crayon style.

.{click on the images to see up close}.

.ding dong ding dong.

.Look what I woke up to on New Year's Eve!! S.N.O.W. awesooooome.



.ding dong the wicked witch of 2008 is dead. Hopefully Belinda will be hear for 2009.

.thai chix cakes.

.VOILA. Thai Chicken Cakes!!.

.those are the obscure ingredients behind the cakes...so easy to make once you have the strange ingredients...like Fish Sauce and Sweet Asian Chili Sauce. And Danny found the SAKE!! oh yeaahhhhh.

.sake bombs.

.Perfect compliment to my mom's Thai Chicken Cakes?. Best Sake EVERRRRRR.

.GO DORES.

.Vanderbilt wins 1st bowl since 1955 over BC.
.When? the day after my birthday.
.Where? Nashvegas.
.How? by kicking a$$ and takin' names!!.

!HAPPY BIRTHDAY MILLY!

HOPE YOU HAVE A BLAST!

.goodness gracious milly?.

.ummm? miss winter?. sorry, this is a scary creation of mine...

.{click on the image for detail of miss winter}.

.bows & beers.

.beers for me and bows for danny. HAHA.

.the evil rain gods have melted my snow. WHY? It's so unfair.

.les vacatione.

.les Arcs.


.Saint-Tropez.


.Xavier's house in les Arcs.

.COTE D'AZUR, August 21-31st, 2009. Fantastique! Thanks MOM!!! Joyeux Noel!.

.bee bee bee.

.Merry Christmas to everyone!!!!!!.

.{photo taken in my mother-in-law's famous garden}.

.happy meets happier.

.#3......S.N.O.W..................................

.i JUST took this picture 20 minutes ago....right outside my house. omg.

.little background, Dan & I met in Lake Tahoe, CA when we lived out there skiing...so there is NO day like a SNOW day. omg. so excited. i can't even deal. LOVE!!!!!!!

.MOM!!!!.

.so all night I've been staring at this box my mom sent....pondering, thinking, watching, wondering if it's more wedding presents that people have dropped off on her doorstep in NC (even though Dan & I were married 1.5yrs ago) OR maybe it's some old stuff of mine, like high school yearbooks, that she doesn't want to throw away but wants me to finally claim. And part of me was thinking, I shouldn't open the box until Christmas, but then I remembered that we decided to not exchange gifts this year.....so of course it couldn't be presents.

.WELL I WAS WRONG!!!! IT's PRESENTS!!! and LOTS of them. MOM!!!!!!.

.I guess I should've known better, my mom can't resist giving her children gifts. She's the best. Always thinking about us. And mom Meyer....same way, she already broke the no gift rule as well. Yall are so bad!! So yesterday, my husband made me happy and today I was reminded of how much my mom loves me...and I didn't need presents to know that, but it was just a sweet gesture and I love her for it. (mom, if your reading this....don't cry).

So this is what made me happy today and it is #2 in a series of 5 days of blogging about what makes me happy each day.

!!!!!!!! love you mom. xxoo

.to be happy.

.I've been tagged by DolceChic. So what does that mean? Well, “for 5 days you have to post something that made you happy that day and tag 5 people to do the same.” I'm pretty excited about this, not going to lie!

.So, today, December Sevententh, Two Thousand & Eight, my happiest moment was when Danny came home from work. So this is for you Danny!.

{.This is one of my more favorite moments. Those are rose petals all over him. HAHA. We wanted him to sleep well while we cleaned up the crazy party from the night before.}

.So who am I tagging? The blogs I frequent & love...in no particular order. Who will follow the rules? My $$$ is not on my friend at FOR.TOGG.ROW.FEE......Maxxxxxxx. Just do it. It's fun.

* ArtSpark Theater

* FOR.TOGG.ROW.FEE

* Faboolosity

* grrl+dog

* 14 Karat Blonde

.snowdrops & Pollock.

.inspired by Heidi's Moody Mondays, I wanted to take more artsy photos. So last night we had our first real snowfall and thus the perfect opportunity to capture the falling snow in a meaningful way and all from my front stoop. I love the last photo and how the buildings are crooked, sort of throws you for a lO0op.

Thanks for the inspiration Heidi.

.zero bound.

.in light of the FOMC's meeting today, the current fed funds target of 1% & the prospect the Fed will cut rates to 0.05%, I thought I would post a blurb from a 2001 Bernanke speech on deflation:

"Sustained deflation can be highly destructive to a modern economy and should be strongly resisted....Nevertheless, I hope to have persuaded you that the Federal Reserve and other economic policymakers would be far from helpless in the face of deflation, even should the federal funds rate hit its zero bound."

Source: http://www.federalreserve.gov/BOARDDOCS/SPEECHES/2002/20021121/default.htm

.sparky.

.this one neighborhood in Greensboro, NC (my hometown) actually puts these chicken wire light balls in the trees and it looks so cool at night. It's a bit of an eyesore during the day though with all the wires. For mine, I opted for the upstairs window. The neighbors may be appalled that I used colored lights, but I am not concerned!!.

.tis the season to decorate.

.the tree and some trimmings {click for a closer view}... Bows have always been a favorite in my family, my mom always had them on our tree. I prefer colored lights, but for now, my husband prefers the white lights, so until we have kids I suppose I can compromise! My tree is always somewhat of a hot mess though, never a theme....too many ornaments from when I was a kid to hang.


A before/after of my front stoop + the Munroe Diary box, I think I should put a bow on it :).

.wow, I feel like I have been neglecting my blog...I was out of town all week, ugh. I should have more time to post this week.

.Happy Holiday's to you all!!!