Maiziemom

I get lots of enjoyment from the small, seemingly insignificant things in life. I don't need or want fancy things.

For years now, I've subscribed to the concept of old to new. I enjoy thrift-store shopping, reveling at (but don't buy) the items in antique stores, and getting a good buy at a yard sale on a sunny Saturday morning.

Malls are places I don't want to be. I prefer farmer's markets to supermarkets. Etc. About as close as I get to retail stores are the crafty ones...

I enjoy browsing through used bookstores and the remainder shelves of large bookstores. I like to lazily look through the Sunday paper, even if there's not that much to read. I love to read magazines (UTNE, New Yorker, Harper's, Atlantic Monthly, The Sun) whenever I can. New Year's resolutions seemingly always include reading a book a week, but I don't stress about it if I don't.

Though I am no athlete, I enjoy moving my body whenever I get the chance (and whenever good company allows). At different times in my life, and sometimes according to season, that means different things. I like to try new things and have taken African dance classes, Salsa dance classes, archery classes. I have weight trained at a gym. But more likely it's running, or walking the neighborhood with my dog, morning asanas (yoga), riding my bike along the trail, weekend hikes, or the occasional rock climb on an indoor wall with a girlfriend, or rafting when summer rolls around and the Salmon river or Bitteroot calls.

I like taking the occasional road trip and enjoy the quirky towns that are found in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Montana. I like the idea (but never have) of staying in a fire lookout, high above tree lines. I like to camp but don't have the gear. My idea of camping is NOT an RV. But I do have romantic ideas about seeing the states via one of those VW vans like one of my best girls did.

I know what I know about art via lots of contemplation done in local art galleries, via reading about artists, via trying my hand at it. I dabble in painting, photography, collage, and bookmaking. Is it art? Who knows, but there's something therapeutic about getting ones hands messy, about moving from analytical to something more intuitive.

I love to cook (and yes to eat). I'm a firm believer in the medicinal value of food. Food CAN comfort. And food is a good way to share a part of yourself. I love to experiment with food. I love to host dinner parties and to let the wine and conversation flow. At different times in my life, I've been carnivore, but now I'm vegetarian. I'm a drip-coffee drinker. I like Chai and indulgent cocoas.

I probably am more into savory dishes than sweet things, but I do have a soft spot for Cookies and Creme candy bars and anything peanut buttery!

I am a writer and a watcher of documentaries and independent films. And if I had to write down a list of things I do before I die, two of those things would be to 1) publish a novel and 2) to produce a documentary. There's such beauty and rawness and power when one person believes that another's story should be told--regardless of whether Oprah picks it for her club or whether the resultant movie does big business at the box office.

I am a poet. I've won an award for my efforts and my chapbook was published. I'd say that 1/3 of the books on my bookshelves are poetry.

Volunteering used to be a big part of my life and needs to be again. Likewise, I like to be green when I can (i.e. recycling and doing my part not to mess up the planet even more), but one can always do more.

I love animals and sometimes wish my living space was bigger so I could have more furry friends. Right now, I have a 15-year-old cat, Maizie, and a 2 year old German Shepherd/Pitbull cross named Zeke.

I like to listen to NPR on Saturdays because of its folk music. I also like Praire Home Companion and This American Life. I also like their series, "This I Believe."

In younger days, I participated in drama. Now I prefer to sit in the audience. However, I'd not be adverse to the idea of participating in a monologue or dramatic reading.

I've studied religion--all sorts--and keep coming back to an inability to do the things organized religions prescribe.

I love music and the kinds I listen to vary. Radiohead has gotten me through runs and workouts. I've cleaned house to Rage Against the Machine and Nine Inch Nails. And yet I like Classical too. I'm a big fan of reggae and its lifestyle philosophies. Probably, though, I'm the biggest sucker for accoustic-y, folk-y music--from Bob Dylan to Lucinda Williams to Greg Brown to Nancy Griffin to Patti Griffith to Whiskeytown. I like Etta James and Nina Simone (who wouldn't want a little sugar in their bowl?). I like old country. Alternative too...

I'm not a big TV watcher. I do own one, though, and use it to watch lots o' movies. Lately, I've developed an interest in catching up on all those TV shows I don't watch, so I will rent the series and watch a bunch of them, marathon-style (and then I realize why I don't watch TV...and then I do it again...).

Hmm...what else? In terms of things related to crafting, I would say that you'd be able to tell that my favorite color is red because I have so many papers and embellishments that color. I do tons of rubber stamping. The majority of my images are abstract. I think the majority are stamps that look like stitching or swirls or alphabets. I do have lots of animal and humans stamps too. I'm really into finding old black and white photographs and using them in my work. I also have been having a good time with finding books for 10 cents and using the text and images within those books for my collages and ATCs.