No thank you!

So I’ve tried to give this whole dating thing a go.  I knew before when I was married that the world was full of losers and I would laugh at them and say to myself, “I’m so glad I don’t have to put up with them”, “I wouldn’t want to be single”. And you know I was so right!  I’m in no way saying that men are all losers and I am in no way a man hater.    If there was some type of machine where you could create exactly what you want, the world would be a nice place and everyone would be happy.   Unfortunately I don’t feel like test driving models, as a friend of mine said; “You have to kiss the frogs to get to your prince.” Really? But I don’t want to!!

I joined Eharmony because their commercials are so awesome and the couples look so happy and in love.   Those people at Eharmony are just sitting there taking our money and laughing at us.  I closed my account after 1 month.  Let me tell you why;

First of all, if you aren’t familiar with Eharmony let me explain to you how it works.  You fill out a questionnaire that takes about 15 minutes.  They ask you all kinds of questions about yourself, your view on life and what you are looking for in a partner.  Fair enough, sounds great, I was in!  The first week I had quite a few ‘matches’ as they call them.  These are the partners that would be best suited to what I was looking for.  First guy I spoke with was quite nice.  After about 2 weeks of emails back and forth, we decided to meet for lunch.   He was a very nice guy, has a daughter, great job, funny, good looking.  The lunch date is going quite well so we decide to go for a walk and get some fresh air.  We sat under a tree talking, laughing and we talked about our kids.  Next think I hear is ‘So would you be interested in a threesome?’  I heard a big record scratch in my head…WHAT?!  Are you kidding me? What happened to the nice date, the nice conversation and just the plain niceness?  “NO I’m not into that but thanks for asking…” - maybe that’s why I never heard back from him….

The second date is exactly the same as the first- except we had dinner.  Again, same question comes out and this time I laugh my head off.  Really? Are you kidding me?  These are the guys Eharmony is matching me with?  And in their questionnaires there were no questions about your ‘extracurricular activities’ so I have no idea what happened.   Account deleted. 

 So that’s my input on dating.  There were 2 others but they were quite boring and no need mentioning.   I will gladly keep you updated, although I am pretty sure I will be taking a break from this circus of online dating, unless I meet my Prince Charming today.  (cue the laugh track)

Drenched in watercolour

Silly photos

A few bizarre photos from this weekend.  I like taking random photos of people or sites...

 

This was so short, really it looked much shorter in person and so bright!

 

What a funny guy!

 

                              

 

I think they will like that shot, both smiling very nicely.

 

 Cool set up but no musician was about.

Fears

This weekend I conquer red 2 fears.  The first one is driving downtown; the second was my fear of heights.
I've driven in many large cities before but for some reason downtown Toronto was always daunting to me, for some unknown reason. 
Yesterday, not only did I drive downtown but I also went up the CN Tower... The drive was so easy, it makes me wonder why I had this fear for so long and it now seems quite silly.  The thought of going up the CN Tower would always make my stomach curl;  heights + me = bad.  The experience was quite an adventure, once I got the ticket, you had to line up and get scanned and go through security.  Then there was the wait for the elevator, which only took 58 seconds.  Once you were up, it really didn't feel like you were so high.  The view was spectacular!

 

A view from the glass floor down onto the Rogers Centre.

Serene

 

I feel very serene today...it is my birthday and no I'm not looking for comments or 'hey everyone look at me' type of behavior.  I'm 39- and I am so happy to be this age.  I told myself that this year was mine and believe me, it's been a roller coaster of a year and it's only in the 8th month.  I'm almost scared to look around the corner but I'm also excited.  Excited to see what life brings.  So many people feel down when they get older, as they approach 40. I say bring it on!  Only you can make the changes in your life, only you have the power to do so.  Don't rely on fake happiness- if you want to do something or change your life then do it.  Each day you are here is a gift and you may not have the chance to do so tomorrow.  I see so many people who don't want to make that change and they stay in the same rut- so I say this is my year- and my year starts now.  After 8 months of craziness (apart from my trip to Italy), I am ready to completely start over; serenely.

Russian Dolls

I have been in love with Matryoshka dolls since I was a child.  This is my newly acquired set- bought on Etsy.
These originate from Yoshkar-Ola (Yoscar-Ola), a Russian city and the capital of the Mari El Republic. The name literally means Red City in the language of the Mari. These dolls are sometimes referred to as Marijaha dolls. The dolls are tightly nested and painted in bright, primary colors.
The colours are so vibrant and I love the little wee one! 

A Present

Life is interesting- it is full of emotion, full of adventure. I want to embrace it with open arms. 

I’m not one that ever needed to have a partner. I could easily be alone however sometimes it’s nice to have someone to share things with.  For grown up hugs.  A grown up kiss.  Don’t get me wrong, I love kisses from my daughter- her little squishy lips and she gives the best hugs ever- it’s always nice to have random hugs from her- whether I’m brushing my teeth, getting dressed or making dinner, she will come up and give me a hug.  It’s beautiful!  Or to hear; “Mama you are the best mother in the world”, that's so freakin’ awesome! 

I’m glad I am raising such a lovely little spirit- she is the apple of my eye. I get excited seeing what she is creating (no peeking Mama) or when I think about the future and how she will be- what will she like? Will she have a sense of adventure like me and want to travel and see the world? Will she live with me forever (like she keeps saying she will)? The future is so unknown.  We need to be happy and embrace life it as it comes.  Seek new adventures and find little things to make you smile. 

Life is a gift, open it up and enjoy it. 

Lonesome Highway....

 One of my favorite songs by Shane MacGowan.  I'm sitting here alone; Lulu has gone off to the cottage for 2 weeks.  It's very quiet- no pitter patter of feet, no music, no cartoons...  I miss her already and it's only been 8 hours.  Mama has to pull up her socks and get busy with a project or I will lose my mind!

New Painting

 

It's been a long time since I've created anything and now my juices are flowing! I've been writing non-stop and I'm about to start another painting.  I'm back and it feels GREAT!

The Paintings of Sandro Ramani

http://www.sandroramani.com/

If you wish to purchase any of these, contact him on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1073379602897&set=a.1073320801427.2013919.1478392029&type=1&theater#!/profile.php?id=1478392029&sk=info

Cinque artisti per superare i confini con il linguaggio universale dell'arte

Ancora una volta è l'arte la prima disciplina pronta a superare definitivamente i confini culturali, sociali e politici di un territorio. Tanto più se ci stiamo riferendo alle nostre terre, l'Italia e la Slovenia, e alle rigide barriere mentali - di entrambe le parti - rimaste intatte all'ufficiale caduta del confine del dicembre 2007 (con l’entrata della Slovenia in area Schengen). Jasna Merkù, Stefan Turk, Simon Kastelic, Sergio Pancaldi, Sandro Ramani, assieme all'organizzatrice Monica Zaulovic, hanno voluto scommettere ancora una volta sul potere della creatività, come strumento fondamentale per superare le resistenze e promuovere il dialogo. Con questo sogno hanno dato vita a “Rispecchi- Arti”, una mostra a dieci mani per cinque personalità del nostro territorio artisticamente molto differenti, unite dalla necessità di cancellare le ultime tracce di confine con il linguaggio universale dell'arte e un'affascinante “pluralità” del colore. Una mostra collettiva per ribadire l'incredibile potenziale di un popolo che porta con sé diverse lingue e diverse culture: ricchezza inestimabile e preziosa occasione di crescita individuale. Il percorso visivo proposto dagli artisti invita i visitatori a perdere l’orientamento autocentrato, per aprirsi alla scoperta di infinite possibilità di rappresentazione. La sensazione sarà quella di rispecchiarsi nelle tele, nelle tavole di legno vivo, nella semplice carta dipinta, nella sconfinata contrada dei colori e cogliere il proprio riflesso per, finalmente, vedere. La mostra inaugura venerdì 8 luglio, alle 18.30, presso al Castello di San Servolo, Capodistria (SLO), sede dell'esposizione.

July 2

Took a walk today to clear my head- the weather is perfect, a cool breeze with the sun peeking out now and then.

I made a big wish....!

Day 11- Miramare and Barcola at night

My last day in Italy....drove to Miramare since it was a place I wanted to see. It was always in the background- no matter where you are on the coast- it was there.  So regal, so solid and so beautiful.  The grounds were breathtaking, many different kinds of trees intermingling -palms and pines.  The castle itself is bigger than life- just stunning with the details in the stone work; the presence is huge.

http://www.castello-miramare.it/eng/home/home.php

Spent the evening walking the waterfront at Barcola, the sun setting on Trieste. 

 

 

Day 10- Trieste

We spent the morning sketching- and relaxing.  Then decided to walk downtown to the water- it was a gorgeous day, not too hot and perfect for walking.  I love Trieste, the way that it's layed out.  It's very hilly- so your legs are getting a constant work out and not to mention the gorgeous architecture.

Irish Stew of Sindidun

Ditch

I was sitting on a wall, neither drunk nor sober
My body wasn't mine but my brain was still working
Two bloody little diamonds were trying to look around, to realize
What really happened that last October
Couple of pairs were pacing the street
And I was jealous. I hate him!
Few minutes later I was punching the bricks,
'twas not his head and I was bleeding

Chorus:
I hate the bastard who took her from me,
Lovely girl, from my sweetest dreams
For once she was all my life but now she’s a bitch
I’m taking the shovel and I’ll dig ’em a ditch!

Many hours have passed and I was still there,
Trying to crawl so tired from fighting
I couldn’t hide myself from looks of other people so curious,
So I closed my eyes and waited
Does she feel the same, shame and weakness, and cries?
Or is she just blind?
I’m not laying there, I left the place
With all my faith and all my happiness behind. Author: Bojan Petrović


This song is from 2008 and the singers English is much improved since....great song!

Day 9- Palmanova

Since we (well me) got up a little later we decided to forgo the beach.  There would be no parking at all- so we went to Palmanova to the outlets there.
http://www.palmanovaoutlet.it/
Lots of great shops and we both walked away with some things.  Shirts and board shorts for Sandro, a bikini for Lulu and some shoes and bowls for me.

That night we ended back up at the Celtic Festival- and saw a GREAT band from Serbia; Irish Stew of Sindidun.
http://www.irishstew.net/
 They had everyone moving, dancing and singing.  Because of the Bora the night before, their gig was rescheduled for that night.  Our luck I say! I can't wait for their album this fall.
 Once they were done, another band came on called Paddy Murphy- but I wasn't too impressed- they had some really great songs- and then total opposite on the next one. I guess I expected more - since the article really made them seem like this fantastic band.  I guess I was expecting them to sound like The Pogues, which no one can compare.

Day 8- Venice

We decided to take the train to Venice on Friday since the weather had cooled down considerably.  We took the bus to the train station, got our first class tickets- thinking there would be a huge difference between first and second class.... oh no, this is their way of saying 'screw you, we just got 10 extra euro out of you muahahahaha'  There is no difference and we would find out on the way back when we decided not to buy first class. Sometimes the air conditioning doesn't work, and the trains aren't reliable.  The wonderful toilets that I refused to go in after Sandro came back and told me he fixed one that was leaking water all over the floor.  Fixed some tube above the toilet- way to go Sandro, I see a future for you working on the trains. Forget your great job helping people and painting, you belong on the rails!
The train was 2 hours, a great way to go since you don't have to worry about parking and it was relaxing.

Last time I was in Venice, I was 16 and didn't remember too much.  I believe the only place we saw was the Piazza San Marco so going back was a delight! We strayed from the hoards of people, going off and finding little lanes here and there.  Taking fabulous photos along the way. 

We came across some fabulous works by Jan Fabre- beautiful sculptures- you can find more of his work here;
http://www.janfabre.be/Pages/index.php

 Stopped for lunch at a little restaurant with a garden in the back.  The garden was beautiful and had a canopy of grapes and flowers over the eating area.  The pizza's were fantastic; Sandro's was eggplant and zucchini and mine was ricotta and spinach.

 Once we headed back on the main paths, we were amid thousands of people.  We decided at this point to start taking photos of interesting people, since we had our 'tourist' shots.  We had a great laugh and here are some of them....

Add caption

What on earth is that from? YIKES!

We headed back to the train around 4 and once we got back in Trieste, we got ready and headed out for the Celtic Festival.  Unfortunately, Trieste had a bad Bora (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bora_%28wind%29) that day, so the stage and all the tents were not set up for anything.  It was really chilly that night as well, due to the Bora.