Gingersnap

The Yellow Trolley Chronicles Set in fictional Montgomery, Ohio, The Good Girl is about shy artist, dreamer, library aide, devout church goer, and avid bus rider, Josephine Huffman, a young, African American woman destined to go places. With low self esteem, a horrible upbringing, and addictive thirst for living vicariously in romance novels, her world takes a downward spin just as she’s on the brink of discovering her true worth and enjoying a sweet, blossoming companionship with Mick, a trolley bus driver who sees something special in her. The Bad Seed has Josephine taking art to places she always dreamed of. Finally attending art school in a new city and learning refreshing aspects about her beloved subject, she finds herself torn and isolated from peers and faculty while struggling to find creative identity. With studies not being difficult enough, commitment to an abusive, tumultuous relationship has her tasting darker sides of life, but a fiercely determined heart...

While little Olivia dreamed of salmon treats and chasing mice, the UPS man delivered a large heavy box to our residence.  "I don't know what's in it," said the man in brown. "But it is heavy!" Oddly enough, I didn't have to sign for it and admired that big box for a bit. A good friend of mine had thoughtfully purchased a cat tree for Olivia, but I didn't expect for it to be so huge... And one that must be built. I'm not a construction, hands on genius, but thankfully Rob was there to help assemble the big tower of cat scratching and infinite play time. With very basic instructions, we were good to go. Except the manual at times left off things that we had to figure out on our own or we had to use judgment. A bit of easily resolved frustration. Leaving things out of the equation- mainly the fuzzy cylinders and two medium sized scratching sticks, not everything was going to be screwed into the cat tree. We "finished...

Not just in heart and spirit, Meano was to be forever immortalized in art. Yes, I've drawn and painted him several times over the years, but this was different. I was asked and approached to create a piece about a wonderful, good dog friend. With him being gone, I wanted to make it even more special, invoking every last aspect of love. I had been given free reign on size and medium. On black matboard, I began layering the oil pastels on thickly. (I only use my Holbein! Best pastels ever!) Yellows, oranges, browns, greens, reds, and blues built up a joyous, tongue dripping, rich butter faced dog. For hours, I worked in various places- bedroom floor, living room table, in my friend's classroom, and at Starbucks. Such an honor, hearing compliments by family, friends, and strangers as I progressed. I wanted the pastels to stand out, but couldn't leave the background black. Didn't want to think of him in a dark, miserable place lacking sunshine and positive energy. Doggy Hea...

(Miami Valley Regional Transit Authority Trolley Circa 1996) As a kid, I loved riding the yellow bus. No. Not the school bus. The Dayton RTA trolley. Is it was always an adventure, especially around the holidays when Santa sat in the back seat handing out candy canes to eager children. Those days are long past. As well as the original trolley design. People frown heavily on public transportation- saying that it’s the poor man’s ride and that things are better efficient with a car! While there are pros and cons of every way of transport, I will always enjoy a good bus ride. With new environmentally friendly buses (they have trolley hybrids now!) and a cost effective way of saving money, buses, trains, and subways are certainly wonderful way to travel. Sometimes they can be late. At times very early. But I truly love buses and appreciate the people driving them. I especially enjoy long journeys and going the distance on buses I’ve never boarded. That of which I can do more of since recei...

And the infectious spooky delight of Hauntfest 2011 at the Oregon District continues.... Oh look! It's a a She Smurf! She was soooo adorable! Rob fit right in! Hahaha! Arrgh! A pirate! I found out! The reason for Patrick's apparent dumbness is..... Beer? All Jedi knights and light sabers rejoice! Rob is the villain in this sordid tale. Withholding screams! Another one of my classmates! I didn't spy any Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, or Ravenclaws at all! *cough* Losers! *cough* Best costume! Hands down! I am soooooo going to be a duck next year! Absolutely serious about this- yellow catsuit, feathers, and all. You'll see in 366 days....(it's leap year next year!) Rob was dying to be captured with his boyhood hero, Bumblebee! Just kidding! Heehee.... "....heroes in a half shell turtle power!" It's everyone's dream to be sooooo big time, you wind up on Star Magazine! Am I right? Always a first time for everything right? Squeezed a boob that wasn't my o...

It was a lovely day to end the weekend. Why not end birthday weekend with Dayton Mall, Target, and larabar shopping? Glad that my friend Asia H. was completely free- after all, she's traveling all over the country listening to refreshing upcoming bands and meeting new inspirational people every weekend! Ha ha! :) I thank her immensely for spending time with me. Much obliged! First stop- Auntie Anne's- easily one of the best pretzels, I've ever had the honor of tasting! Not surprised at all at the long line. But it's well worth the wait. Today, I'm not getting the 69 cent cheese sauce that comes in that tiny plastic sealed container. No way Jose! I'm eating my warm pretzel- hot from the oven, no gimmicks allowed. They're sooooo right! I couldn't handle myself at all! Buttery, unsalted, hot, and delightfully fresh from the oven, my mouth nearly swooned with every bite of this decadent heaven. There is nothing like a freshly made pretzel! Looked around at a...

Started my day like no other! Good ole cleansing deeply penetrative, oatmeal pomegranate facial mask by Befine Natural Products (totally would give Burt's Bees a run for their money) pre-shower! Gotta love it! Gives your hands a sweet lil warming sensation before you slather it onto every inch of a dirty, rough from sleep face. Yes, that's my own duckie towel! Soft, adorable, and overall nice to laugh at. It doesn't belong to a baby or toddler. Mine! Mine! Mine! Hahahaha! ;) Birthday or not, no way am I posting a "before" pic. The way I look first thing in the morning is top secret, vaulted, highly classified information! Mrs. Rogers knows me so well! This is why I love her. The chocolate candle smells so deliciously sweet that I was bound to eat up that entire jar of wax, but thank heavens for those two Reese Cups stopping me from inflicting bodily harm on myself. I doubt anyone would want to spend their birthday in an emergency room due to candle consumption.......