Work Before Play - a RightBrain/LeftBrain conversation about semantics

 RB  (tugging on LB's skirt) Hey. Hey.

  LB (busily scribbling on a notepad) Hmmm. yeah, inaminit

  RB  Watcha doin'. Hey. Hey. I'm feeling funny.

 LB  Yeah, yeah, be with ya in a minnute.

 RB  No. Now. I'm getting scared. What are you doing?

 LB  (Looking up from the notebook) I'm making a list of everything we're going to do on this vacation! It's a great list! Lookee!

  RB  Waaaaaaa! You don't love me any more.

 LB  (Looking shocked) What? Of course I love you - you're the other side of me. What's wrong?

 RB It's our VACATION and you're making one of those awful TTD lists! I want to play!

 LB  Well, yeah. sure. I'm writing that on the list. See? Here? Number 8 ... PLAY

  RB  You're crazy. You can't schedule play. Play means you aren't responsible for anything. Play means fun.  Play means you don't have to accomplish anything!

 LB  So. So? Where on this list does it say we have to accomplish anything when we're playing?

 RB I know you. You will say No Play before ticking stuff off that list. I know you. this will be nothing but chores and werk and werk and chores.

 LB  No it won't. Look at the rest of this list. See?

1. Clean House
2. Work on the kitchen cabinets - organize those last 2 messes
3. Work on the spare bedroom - one hour a day minimum 
4. Work in the garden
5. Work out
6. Read
7. Draw 
8. Play
9. Visit Mama

  RB  Yeah. I see that you want to work almost all the time. Werk in the kitchen werk in the garden werk out. wekr werk werk I hate this list.

 LB  What? Don't you like a clean house? I thought we'd agreed that house cleaning is really just caressing our favorite possessions - the ones we bought or collected and brought into our lives.

 RB  Well. Yeah. I do love all our stuff. I just wish there wasn't so much cleaning to do.

 LB  Yeah. I understand that. But we live with guys. And dogs. On a farm. Down a dirt lane. It's just the way it is - there's cleaning to do and we have to do it.  Besides - it only takes a few hours a week. You know that.

 RB  (sighing) yeah. I know. but it's #1 on the list. what kind of vacation is that?

 LB  Oh. well. Yeah. I see. but don't you want to start this vacation in a sparkly clean house?

 RB I guess so.

 LB  Let's see how things go today - we can put this off till tomorrow

 RB  Thanks.  But there's still too much work on that list.

 LB  Well - don't you want to work in the garden? Don't you want to have that spare bedroom ready for summer guests? Frances and Audrey will be here in 3 weeks.

 RB (sighing again) Yeah. I do want them.

 LB  so - if you want it - you gotta go get it.

 RB  I just wish you didn't have so much work on that stupid list.  I feel like the whole vacation will be nothing but work. I'd rather go to work where I don't have to work so hard.

 LB  Oh. Hmm. I see. Hmmm. Yeah.  Okay - how's this for a Better List?

1. Start with a beautiful, sparkly clean house
2. Play in the kitchen cabinets - toss out all that crap we hate and create beautifully functioning organized spaces for everything we want. Never be ashamed if someone opens a cabinet door again.
3. Begin the transformation of  the spare junk room into an oasis of organization and calm - maybe even take it over for our bedroom - it's bigger than the one we use now. Sit down with those boxes of family photos and letters and decide how we will store and share them. Own that space. Make it ours. Retrieve it from the Lord Of Chaos and Shame. 
4. Dig the soft crumbly earth in the garden and nestle those little vegetable plants in their new homes where they can grow delicious food for summer meals that we'll serve out on the porch.
5. Give our body the exercise it longs for - stretching, moving, lifting - everything that makes it feel vigorous and thriving.
6. Read
7. Draw
8. Play
9. Visit Mama

 RB Ooooo. Yeah. That's a MUCH better list

 LB  (smiling) Well good. I'm glad you like it. Man – this is going to be a fabulous vacation.

 RB  One thing more, though. Can you put Play first?

 LB  (laughing) You betcha! Love you

 RB Love you more

I May Be Shallow - But These Shoes Make Me Look Tall

No doubt about it - I love me some cute clothes. And shoes? Don't get me started.

Not that I have thousands of pairs of shoes but I do have maybe 20. For winter. And the same for warm weather.  I've been working hard at Not Buying Too Much New Stuff - but I've also been shopping for a new summertime purse. The one I had last summer is worn out already! Alas - everything I like is by Kate Spade, at about $300 - and I just can't bring myself to spend that kind of money for something I'll carry only till September.  I'm not sure I'd even be willing to part with that kind of money for a classic 1980's Coach bag - after all - what's a classic anymore?

Anyway - while looking on the major on-line accessory shops (think Zapos, Amazon, Overstock) I discovered drool-inducing shoes.  In particular I discovered these shoes.

Zapos had them in every print or color (there are about 10!) and I just had to make them mine. Of course - I have triangular feet - so lots of times I need a wide width and these didn't come in wide - but I took a chance. Return shipping is free with Zapos so they're worth taking a gamble on.  The UPS man delivered them to me yesterday, at work, and the minute he was out the door I was ripping open the box and trying them on. Not only do they fit - YIPPEE! - they were the perfect match for what I was wearing. So. They got their first exposure yesterday.

If I had the money I think I'd buy a pair in every print - still might go back and get the blue/green stripes. So cute.  And those black & white print oness that make me think of Audrey Hepburn? Yeah.  I just wish they'd use the fabric in these shoes to make some cute summer purses - in classic shapes - not too big, not too small.

Well, yeah. A girl can want, right?

So - here's the link - just in case you were curious:
 
(oh man! I forgot about those turquoise prints - I want them too!)

And here are some cute quotes about shoes:

“I like Cinderella, I really do. She has a good work ethic. I appreciate a good, hard-working gal. And she likes shoes. The fairy tale is all about the shoe at the end, and I’m a big shoe girl.”
— Amy Adams

“A pair of shoes can change your life. Just ask Cinderella.”

—	-Anonymous

Yeah yeah, I know. I've been AWOL. Been busy, been uncreative, been feeling overwhelmed about Callie - who is all fixed now - there's a post in the queue about that - and another with lots of photos about a cool place to hike - I promise - after the 18th I'll get them finished and posted. I promise. Next week. At Tara.