Spring Cleaning Solution

Last evening I walked into the kitchen to get a snack, as I do each evening at that exact moment, as it was snack time-8:36 p.m. Jennifer was standing at the sink, washing a few dishes, which by the way, she is very good at, and we started chatting about something or other, I don’t recall what exactly. As I was speaking she looked to her left at the counter and said something that sounded exactly like “Oh shit”. I stopped talking and watched for a moment as she stepped over to an empty gallon-size plastic water bottle, picked it up to about eye level, held it at a slant, and then looked at me. Did you drink this?
We had bought a few jugs of spring water, it now being springtime, at the market to hold us over since we were out of our usual filtered water we get from the Water Lady in Hillcrest. We go through a lot of the stuff since tap water is used only to bath with around here and even though we get 40 gallons at a time, we were out.
I looked at that bottle and then at her, said “Yes, I did” immediately felling nauseous. My minds eye at that moment replaying the film of me pouring the contents of that bottle into the coffee maker earlier in the day-three times.
I said to her “Oh no, what did I drink? Have I been poisoned? I don’t feel so good, I’m dizzy, everything is spinning around, I can’t feel my legs. So this is what it’s like! I can see the Light! It’s beckoning me! Oh no, I didn’t want to go like this! Everything is fuzzy, I can’t...see...anything...........help meeee”.
Jen was laughing so hard her eyes were shut tight and she was drooling into the sink. She attempted for quite a while to explain and I was finally able to make out a few words after asking her repeatedly what I had ingested out of that jug. “Half gallon of tap water...heehh, ½ cup of white vinegar...hehh, heeehh, 6 drops of Jasmine essential oil, heehaaaaaaaa...”
She was finding this way too funny for my liking. I said “No wonder the damn Silk soy creamer kept curdling!” I made three pots of coffee and almost threw out the creamer since I thought it had gone bad. I ended up using that whole half gallon trying to make one cup of drinkable coffee! I finally just drank some with a whole bunch of extra sugar since I was getting fed up and my caffeine craving was in sincere need of quenching by then. It tasted funny and I thought the beans had gone stale or something. I remember commenting that I REALLY wanted to get an airtight container for the beans, as they weren’t staying as fresh as I like. They were only three days old for Chrissake!
I asked her why she had chosen that particular solution, whereby she informed me proudly that it was a “cleaning solution” she had recently invented and it “worked really well, didn’t leave a sticky residue, and left a pleasant lingering aroma”. Well, I can now say this very same thing about my farts. I think I shall make this part of my regular diet! We may be on to something here. As a matter of fact, this morning I let out a silent one while installing a hands-free kit into my customer’s car and he asked me what brand of cologne I was wearing. I could not bear to repeat the tale of the mistakenly ingested potion, so I quickly made something up. “Jasmine Wind..” I said, keeping the straightest face I could muster. “Ah..., it’s very nice” he replied.
I wish I could be there to watch as he asks the girl at the men’s cologne counter at Needless Markup if they carry it.
I later suggested to Jen that she somehow mark any bottles that she might use in the future in such a way as to suggest their contents, as I wouldn’t want to go back to using plain old pure filtered water again for my coffee.

First art show a success!

This past Saturday, the 11th of November, I was in my first art show, assisted by my cute, smart and courageous wife, Jennifer and our good friend Michele. We spent the last six weeks preparing for it and accomplished and learned an enormous amount of things. We have a new website (GregsStudio.com), a new logo, new business cards, a merchant account to accept credit cards, a show display setup, a (so far short) mailing list and about sixty or so art pieces for sale. We did not bring in much money at the show but learned a great deal about how to set the space up more efficiently, connect with customers, hand out more business cards, ask people to sign the guest book, what people liked about my artwork, what to display, what to leave home, and much more.

I am so thankful to Jen and Michele for their tireless support during the preparation for the show as well as their help in setting up, standing on their feet for six hours and then breaking down. They both took turns entertaining Zander as well. (I did buy them both dinner at Mama Testas to show my appreciation!)

Naturally with each new experience brings new ideas and challenges for the future. I honestly was quite tired after my recent expenditure of energy and put no thought into that for all day Sunday and half the day on Monday. I did feel quite rested after this break and was able to reorganize the studio in anticipation of future creations and begin thinking about what direction to go at this point. They include a new design for the “Manifesting Mirror”, finding local and distant galleries to sell my art, solicit on-line stores to do the same, do more writing for both this blog as well as the website, and a few more things as well.

All-in-all it was a positive experience and we are looking forward to the future we will create. Stay tuned...

Jennie

When the day winds down and the energy smoothes to a long, slow wave
I get a clearer sense of who you are
how you are
what you are
about
My body and being
smile in that knowing
And I am reinforced by the love that is possible in the world
Because you show me that
every day
in your actions and you intention
My pinnacle of existence rises at each moment
when I know I am loved
It’s a beautiful day
to be with you

Jennifer Quotes

As I was walking out of the bedroom a few minutes ago Jen said behind me “Go write something in your blog”. Without hesitation I said “okay”, and spent the next 30 or so minutes trying to decide what to write about as I meandered around the Web and it struck me to share with you a few things that Jennie has said to me through the years. Not just ordinary things one might say in normal conversation, no these are a bit different. So different in fact that a few years ago I decided to start a Word file named “Jennifer quotes” so that I could look back at them whenever I, or we, needed a good laugh. And it always works.

I never quite know when one of these gems will jump from her lips, it is always unexpected, and much of the time she doesn’t even know that it’s happened. She’ll usually continue speaking until she notices the smile forming on my face or until I interrupt her and ask her to repeat that last statement. She usually knows right away what I’m talking about and will smile herself in anticipation of what she could have possibly said, knowing that it will no doubt be funny. She’ll look at me and say “what, what did I say”? So I’ll repeat back to her what she actually said, sometimes unable to get it out before I start cracking up, which is usually followed by her laughing so hard that her eyes water and close up tight, then by her exclaiming in a high-pitched voice, “I can’t see!”.

A few nights ago she added a new one to the list. I had found a picture of myself from about 10 years ago, my hair was longer, I was sporting a Vandyke (mustache and goatee), and was wearing a white T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the edges of my shoulders, making it kind of look like a wife beater T-shirt. I showed the picture to Jennifer thinking she would think that I looked as cute as I thought I looked, but she didn’t and went on to say that I looked dirty and greasy and had none of the qualities that would attract her to such a guy as she saw in that photo. Then she told me “That looks like a picture of a guy who would have five kids by six women!” When she saw that telltale smile on my face, she knew she was in trouble. We had a nice long laugh on that one.

Sometimes she’ll mix her metaphors or just get them wrong completely. One night while I was waiting for her to finish making dinner she called out to me to ask "Honey, dinner’s almost ready, are you willing to make the table?” I said sure, I'd be willing, but I doubted there was enough time before the food got cold.

After dinner that same night we were discussing the possibility of her starting a new job or perhaps creating some kind of business on her own. She explained that although she was perhaps a bit fearful and anxious at the prospect, she exclaimed "I think I’ve got to take the chance and just stick my foot out there!” which of course had the vague correlation with the metaphor regarding sticking one’s neck out.

One of her better ones was uttered a few years ago while we were discussing the performance of a friend who had a gotten a job with a rather large company and Jennifer was wondering if this person would have the ability to survive as a salesperson there. She told me, rather admiringly that “He got salesman of the year the first month he was there!” I think I peed in my pants right there at the table.

This is one of my favorites and I think it is actually the first one I entered into the Jennifer quotes file when I started it. While explaining how she had observed how a co-worker at her last job would inefficiently rush around all day and not really get much done, Jennifer told me that “He was running around with his head cut off like a chicken!” It was at this time I believe I started wearing Attends whenever conversing with her.

And here are a few more jewels I’ve collected through the years.

“I’ve tried everything under the book!”
“I’m way above my head now!”
“Honey, I think the drain is plogged!”
“She got the highest grade in that school in that class!”
“Not so fast, we’re not out of the water yet!”
“Oh Greggie, we can cook the chicken now, I dethawed it!”
“The kitchen is quite large for a bathroom!”
“Honey, my cups leaking I must’ve over spilled it!”
“Enjoy your lunch while you eat.”
“You speak audibly!”
“I wanted to say something short and sweet and to the point so they would give me minimum hackles.”

Great stuff.

I'm glad I could share some of these with you; I really like staying active and continually writing. As Jennifer would say, “At least you’re not sitting around twisting your thumbs!” Gotta love her.

The Start of Something Big

Yesterday I called “Big Tom” to inquire about an art show he is producing at a place called “The Center” in Hillcrest. I had gotten his name from an artist Jen and I met the week before at the 1st Annual University Heights Arts Open. After a short phone conversation we agreed to meet at the center for me to check the place out and decide if I’d like to sell my artwork there. I did, in fact, rent a space for the show on the 11th of November, so off I am on an exciting journey to put myself out there as an artist and see what the world has to say about my stuff.
This will be my first art show as an independent artist and I’m oddly not worried about how I will be received. I am confident that response will be positive and will inspire me to move forward. I can see a wonderful career ahead of me and I know this is something I’ve wanted to do for quite a long while now.
I am practicing going with the flow and find it very helpful, for in the past I would have already started stressing over the details. What the display would look like, colors I might use, lighting, tables, and on and on. Now I will simply create it with the intention of having fun and not how others will judge me. I will do what I can with the time and money available to me, and it will be great. I can visualize people who will come by my space and stop to look and chat and laugh. They will be smiling and joking and in a good mood and I will be part of the reason. I am already having a good time there!
I counted close to forty pieces I already have to bring and plan on making a few new ones as well. (Of course, the mystery mirrors will be on display too). I will bring at least 6 with me and will sell all of them.
I played in the studio today and got a lot accomplished. Usually I stay out there much later but decided to take the night off, actually stopping at 8:30 so I could spend time with Jen and Zander. Tomorrow I will be back at it and looking forward to it.
I love this time of year for the gorgeous weather and the energy I feel as I move forward with excitement and joy. It is a good season. See you at the show!

On The Verge of a Manifestation

I’ve been listening to CD’s of a seminar that was given here in San Diego a few weeks back and I am enjoying them immensely. They (Abraham) the spiritual entity which Esther Hicks channels, made a comment to a young girl who had gotten up to speak after saying she knew that she was going to be called upon. Abraham asked her if she recognized the feeling she had just before she was chosen to stand and ask her questions and she said she had. Abraham explained that was the feeling one gets when they are on the verge of a manifestation.

It has happened to me before and I recognized it when it happened again tonight. I was in the studio continuing to make a new item that will soon be offered for sale to the public and I got that very feeling she described. I had been creating away (notice I didn’t say working), wondering how it would be accepted and decided to think in the new way I had learned.

I imagined people really liking it, recognizing its value and the energy I had infused into it, which would benefit all those that had one as well as the people they would come in contact with. I thought about all the orders we would get and people waiting patiently for them because they had heard from friends and family about the power of the mirror. (That’s a hint as to what they are). I could see me and Jennifer and Michele (partners in this project) busily filling orders from the website and from word of mouth and enjoying letters we received from people who were sharing their stories of personal manifestations. I also imagined many other items we would create and all of them selling very well too. The best part of this vision was me being at home all day, every day with my family, creating happily in my studio, making great money, and never having to hop into my van to go service anyone, as I had been doing for the past 21 years.

I really love this feeling and know that it has happened again because of my power to create through deliberate intention. I have been focused on my path for quite a while now and am happy to see benefit in my life from it. I choose things that best serve me and discard those that do not. I have formulas that I use in different situations which allow me to be proactive rather than reactive. I choose thoughts that allow me to be free rather that right and, through intention, disallow anything negativity from entering my experience.
And, quite importantly, I recognize things that I did in my past that caused me pain and I am now able to heal, without judgment or remorse or guilt. I very simply think and live how I want my life to be and in so doing I get into alignment with my Source and thus I heal without even trying. It’s actually way easier than I thought. What was stopping me most was conditioning I had accepted throughout my life that I thought was in my best interest. I realize now that my experience is unique, no one knows what goes on for me and this is true for everyone. So I make decisions that feel right to me and in so doing I find peace and hope I inspire others to do the same for themselves. I flow downstream, I’m always on the verge and it feels great!

Two Points For Zander

My son, Zander, just over 13 months now, curious and mobile, likes to be with me wherever I am around the house, even in the bathroom when I relieve myself. I share all experiences with him, as I want to allow him the fullest exposure and participation with life that I can. He is fascinated by the stream of liquid that magically pours forth from my body and he stands there and stares with that cute, quizzical look on his face, wanting so badly to reach out and touch that funny looking string coming out of Daddy.He really likes the flush part too and yesterday while watching the tank slowly fill, then just as slowly start to empty, tossed one of the two socks he was holding right into that bowl just as the water was at the part where it runs out and starts sucking air. It was a smooth and perfectly timed shot so as to make it into the city sewage system without so much as a second in which to allow Dad to retrieve it. Boy, he was quick. I saw the arm move and the sock hit the bottom of the bowl just as the last few ounces of water glugged out of sight. I laugh-shouted out loud “Oh no!” and Jennifer, folding clothes in the next room, came right in when she heard me crack up. Zander, thinking how fun it was to see Mommy and Daddy having such a fun time over his slam dunk, immediately threw in the other sock, which of course got Jen and I laughing even harder. Zander laughed too. The bowl was filling by now so I was able to grab a pair of needle-nose pliers from my toolbox and retrieve the now-orphaned piece of hosiery. It may just have well gone down with its partner though, since you can’t do much with a single sock besides use it to put wax on the car. Come to think of it, I probably should have flushed it down too and let some homeless rat or alligator get a complete pair. Jen said it was the best pair he had, that none of the others fit quite as well, so off to Socks-R-Us we will soon go, with fond memories of our first toilet fatality.