I have moved my painting studio down into my main work area. I feel excited about painting and I have it set up so I can do the work in an organized manner with all of the tools I need around me. My studio is a working studio. It is not a fluffy office with things I only want my perspective clients to see. It is all me. My works in  progress. Ideas for new work. A library of inspiration books I am creating. Sayings I need to see often. It's busy. A reflection of my mind I suppose. I will accept it and move onto painting.

I am not a TWIGH mom...A mother who is into Twighlight as much as her daughters. I bought Twighlight for Liv last July because I love the cover. Never heard if it. Just thought the cover was really cool. Read the back and thought Liv might like the teen love thing. Since she's not going to have any of her own until she's 30 if her dad and I have anything to do with it. We took off to Mendocino art center in August for a mother daughter watercolor painting trip. Out last trip alone together until? She's in Switzerland. She started the book on I-5 and I swear I didn't see or hear much of her until after she finished the 4th book. It totally ruined my agenda for this great connection time. On day 2 of the watercolor class, where I was already in resentment land about this junk mail of a book and cursing myself for getting it....It was then that the other two older wemon sitting with us noticed Liv reading the book. Yes even in the 500 dollor workshop she's reading the flippin thing. They began sharing with us that it was there literary book club book. One was a retired teacher. That their book club loved it so much. It was a perfect analogy of the anatomy of romantic love with out sex.

So being the Oprah book club snob that I am , I decided to put my condemnation before prior investigation aside. Twighlight, a worthy page turner I found it to be for story content. She hit the nail on the head for the emotional life of a crush. I wonder who the boy was Stephanie Meyers was remembering? The book brought to mind my crushes. Most faded away, a couple grew into real love.

I spent the rest of our trip on the coast looking for the sequels, found them at Safeway, no less, and she was in them until she devoured them all. I'd like Stephanie Meyers to refund me the 1500.00 I threw down on that trip.

Today I take Jane to see twighlight. She's 12 and has read them all twice. Yuk kind of. I am concerned about the obsessive nature of this but isn't that the anatomy of romantic love for the teen girl. It was and is for me.

I am turned off by all the twigh moms lusting after the very young actor. It’s ikky Yes he's cute. Is he the perfect man like I keep hearing? Well if he were over the age of 26 he might be in the category of man. I have never met a MAN under 26. Selfless protective considerate compassionate has dominion over his pleasure centers and discipline. Meaning he can put what matters most first. Cares for loved ones without a score card. Real men are extremely hard to find. Vampires might be easier to find. Being an ex fashion model agent makes me a little jaded just because a boy is in a Nice fresh innocent sweat package doesn't make him attractive it makes him new. I am leaving the new ones for the teenage girls. I like my men bearing the evidence of the temperance they have learned along the road of life. And that means beat up.

My Family came over on the Mayflower fleeing England for religious freedom. I am an American with mixed bloodlines, carrying the blood of royals, lineages’ to Mary Queen of Scotts and to King Kamehameha. I have the blood if the Pennsylvania Dutch , the English , Scottish, Hawaiian and Blackfoot Indian. I am a redhead with freckles. I look white, but I am a mutt and so are my children. Their father is half Indonesian part Dutch and English. My children look Asian. I believe in the constitution in it’s purist form. I hate bigotry I think it is ignorance and pure stupidity in it‘s purest form. I believe in the creed of Live and Let Live.

I am excited that Barack Obama is our new President Elect. I am beyond glad that the majority voted for change and equality. I am grateful to have a smart, kind, eloquent and diplomatic leader in the greatest office in the world. And I am glad Hope prevailed. More that him being a mutt like me, I believe he is a good man with a good heart and I want to live my principles. Live and Let live. I am prouder now of being an American than ever.

And yes I cried. I remember John ,Bobby and Martin Luther. I was raised in the generation, in my childhood, were the commitment to outcomes was more important than principles. And hope was a bad word in the political sector. In San Francisco I grew up knowing the best days were behind us. It’s here again.

He will make mistakes I am making mistakes. I am trying to accept my own humanity and so I will not expect perfection from him as I try to do with myself. We are human. I am Human and I do not get to say this Human or that Human does not get this or that because of the color of his skin, religious beliefs or sexual preferences. In America we agree to disagree and live and let live. It’s what our constitution promises, thank you Thomas Jefferson for your perfect words and John Adams for your oversight and Ben Franklin for your perfect editing of it. The perfect balance of the original Democrats and Republicans working together. It’s a crazy world we can’t prevail with a split we have to figure out a way to unite again.