Back to Paradise City

Yes, it finally happened...  Stefan bought a house in L.A., so we are moving back to the place I once called home.  We'll finally be leaving Indiana for the almost perfect California weather WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe it.  Now I just have to finish the house here (painting, etc.), wait for the school to finish for the year (mid May), stay for the 500 race (end of May) so June will see my ass running out the door heading west.  I will be driving across with the kids and hopefully my friend Christina.  I also hope she'll be ok w/the kids in the car for that long.

I assume we'll be back to Indy sometime in July for our daughter's birthday and to finish the big move. 

Yay.

What a trip part 3

On the way back to shore Jim showed us an infamous sailboat that had very recently gotten stuck in the sand (remember my comment about the 4 feet of water?  This is a place where you only get a foot deep for every mile sailed).  It is a tragically funny tale about a man spending too much on a sailboat he will never be able to sail in *those* waters...  I personally thought he should leave it there and turn it into some kind of rental room on the water for those romantic souls, but changed my mind when we were told the next day that the boat had started to sink because it had tilted to one side. 

We finally made it back to the house.  I swore I would never go on one of those rides again, but as I sit here typing this I wish I was out on Jim's boat, waiting and looking around for something to happen.  Full of anticipation:  will the fish bite this time?  Will we be needing rescue?  Will this boat start back up?  Is the guy on that boat saying hello or flipping us off?? 

Later on I had to go out for some things to a more "metropolitan" area, so I asked Jim if he needed anything.  He said (dramatically overacting): "Love and understanding!!" 

I want to thank Stefan for introducing me to James Rosenquist, just one of those people...

What a trip part 2

As with the previous visit, Jim took us on the traditional/ceremonial fishing boat ride, and as before, in the spirit of tradition I suppose, we caught nothing.  Without any doubt though, the best part is watching Jim rig up the fishing poles.  I believe one of them was used by Christopher Columbus when he took time off to go fishing after reaching America.  The other two I don't know about, but added to the fact that we could see the bottom of the ocean (all of 4 feet deep), I was sure we went out on the boat not to fish, but for something only obvious to Jim that we will probably never figure out. 

The boat's motor by the way (and again following tradition), died a few times.  Additionaly, I noticed the fuel gauge was on empty.  This didn't seem to concern Jim at all, and at least the kids weren't crying (*they* were wearing life vests).  I, on the other hand, felt like crying when I started to think about how we would get back to shore if God forbid something happened or how we would call anyone if in need of help as I saw no radio, no horn not even fire for smoke signals...

Eventually, Jim bent over to pick up a small plastic package that held an even smaller air horn.  As Jim quickly opened his Dollar Store find (pure speculation on my part but with good reason, given that it's Jim's favorite store and from the way the horn looked it's a pretty safe assumption), I didn't feel much better.  Mostly because when he let our son blow the horn for the first time it failed...  as a matter of fact it failed a few more times.  Finally, the sound came out of it and it was as if the horn was actually calling for help for itself, begging to be put out of its misery...  After a while, the horn blew more steadily and we all re-joiced.  Actually we just laughed, really, since the mighty sound of the horn could not even get in the way of just plain conversation and even less catch someone's ear to come to our rescue...

What a trip

It was a shitty trip, with one exception:  Nevermind, two exceptions:  I finally took the art class I referred to in "Artsy and Fartsy" and we got a chance to go back to visit my husband's friend, artist James Rosenquist.  I didn't know this, but for those of you that know about art, James has just finished his Retrospective at the Gugenheim Museum.  This just so impressive.  But the best thing is getting to know Jim, or I should say trying to get to know Jim...

I met Jim through my husband quite a few years ago, but everytime I see him I get to know him a little more.  He is truly wonderful, funny, very creative, amazingly talented, and just great fun to spend time with.  Conversation with him may often go the way of a boomerang:  it starts to get away from its point of origin, almost too far to be recognizable and after making a huge circle it quickly and surprisingly returns to where it first started, thus completing a very fulfilling trajectory that makes all the sense in the world.  So while his mind is like a maze, his lifestyle is very simple and extremely uncomplicated.  His home is by the water on stilts and the town he lives in is like a small country village, where everybody knows everyone else and they all seem to either love to fish or just love the water, I suppose like in other small towns by the water.  Anyhow, while there one can hear the sounds of silence, the water is very calm and there are hardly any disruptions anywhere, you can even hear the bugs flying around...

So upon arrival at his place we show up with:  his & hers laptops, his & hers PDAs, his & hers cellphones (which didn't have a signal the entire time we were at Jim's) and so many gadgets spewing off wireless signals that any alien flying by would have gotten a hard-on. Jim, on the other hand, had an old model cellphone that I never saw on him, two hybrid cars, and some boats that many people would take pity on. 

CONTINUED...

That's what friends are for

Back to life:

One of the things that kept me from hanging the husband by the balls is the way that he surprises me from time to time.  He has a way of making me feel more loved than I ever have and if you haven't figured it out by now, the sex is great. 

We had another problem in between all of this:  One of his closest friends knew all about the affair and didn't say much about it -- I don't mean to me, but to my husband.  I would think that as a friend, if I decide to go off with a nude dancer 20 years younger than me, my friends would have some advice ready to dispense as fast as a kleenex.  The worst part is that this friend of his was someone I trusted, someone I loved and most of all someone I thought truly cared about me and my family.  I know I sound foolish to the average person or that I should know by now that bond that men share, but this was someone who always insisted the kids and I should try to come around often while they worked, because of that whole family vibe and how it wasn't fun unless I was there...  (or did he say it the other way around?)

As a new page turned in my book, I got a better grab of something that dwelled in the far back part of my brain for years and I will share it here:  What is wrong with the way things are is that no one is willing to call things for their face value.  The friend didn't have to tell me about the affair, but let's really think about this:  Had he shown a certain dissaproval or even made some sort of threat my husband would have most likely listened and not made such a huge mistake.  After it was all said and done, he would have probably been thankful.  People these days are too indifferent, but not out of correctness, but out of fear, or politics.

I heard a great quote, but I don't know who came up with it:  "The average dog is a better person than the average person"

Back to the surprises my husband springs up from time to time.  When the whole thing with the friend blew up (I let the friend know how I felt), I told him how there was the chance we'd probably lose a group of friends due to the "conflict".  "So?" he said, "I've realized I never have fun with them anyway unless you are there!" 

What a gem.

f ART

here is what I painted, and given that I have never taken any sort of art/drawing class the teacher is very impressive... to get me to do that!

www.joanwillies.com