Julie's Path to Enlightenment: Day 1 & 2

This past Thursday I was out at Sonny's Bar & Grill in Belmar to celebrate the wonderful Matthew Siciliano's (of Gaming Chronicles fame) birthday. It was the day after my meltdown about having no inspiration for painting (see previous post) and I was on the prowl for something to insight passion in my soul. How was I to do this? 

In a previous conversation, Pat and I had talked about how I needed to find a different hobby. He offered to take me fishing with him on that beach at like 6 in the morning. This didn't much interest me at first, but as I was tormented by my current slump all day Thursday, I showed up at Sonny's considering asking Pat to take me. How would I know if I liked it if I never tried? So I asked Pat and he said he would. I just needed to get my license. 

As I was consuming my drink of choice (Stoli O and cranberry), I thought that maybe I should try lots of new hobbies to see what I can glean inspiration from. Megan, Pat and I bounced ideas around. I mentioned bike riding but my bike kept breaking. Pat suggested I take up "bike repair", then I could buy a cheap beach cruiser and fix it up myself (and I so desperately want a beach cruiser cause I would just look so darn cute riding it in one of my many dresses). I also spoke to Bill who was just full of wonderful hobbies, specifically my favorite being the burying of  - and documenting of the burying of - random objects in my yard. Thus deciding this, the trying out of different hobbies began yesterday.

First course of action, I got my fishing license. Yup, I am licensed by the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife to fish effective 04/09/2010 through 12/31/2010. I also have a 2010 Striped Bass Bonus Permit. Holla!

Friday night, everyone seemed to be ill or unavailable so to further my trying new hobbies, I decided to partake in my brother's hobby: drinking forties and watching Cops and 1000 Ways to Die (hilarious show btw). This was a pretty solid evening. I just mellowed out, and saw the truth in everything. I was starting strong on this path to enlightenment.

I woke up this morning feeling cheerful and ready to take on the day. What would I do? What way would I expand my mind? One word: DIRT.

This all started at about 9AM. Good thing I didn't want to sleep in because bright and early a huge truck pulled down my driveway and dumped a heaping pile of top soil to be spread out in our backyard. 

About 4 or 5 years ago I started on a campaign to get a pool. I pestered my dad about it constantly and to my utter shock, he eventually gave in and bought us one. When the pool people put it in, they put it in about 2 feet too high on the lawn, causing us to have the weirdest, most uneven backyard. And today, my dad was going to spend the whole day outside trying to fix their error. I decided to help.

Normally my dad's hobbies of slaving in the yard are pretty awful, yet today it proved very entertaining. It helped that Ellis and I were working together. We were shoveling dirt into a wheelbarrow and then carting it wherever dad - or "the slave driver" as Ellis called him - told us too.

My favorite line of the day was when Ellis and I asked how much longer we had to work (although I'm sure I could have walked away at any point since I totally just walked out and asked to if I could help). Ellis asked, and my dad's reply was "Let's go look at this dirt".

Bemused, Ellis and I followed our dad out front, then stood and started at the pile of dirt. This yielded no results. My dad just walked away. We were getting loopy too at this point because Ellis got some whey protein and started throwing it on the dirt pile and me. I then climbed the dirt pile and started dancing while Ellis sprinkled whey protein around me. Dad walked back and was not amused. Back to shoveling we went.

While I was out working the land, I did gain some inspiration. After I posted my first blog about my painter's block, I got a message from a girl named Steph who went to my high school and played soccer with me. After reading my last post, she had an idea about adding Horton from Dr. Seuss to my paintings Thing 1 and Thing 2, whose names were inspired from Dr. Seuss. I had no desire to touch those two paintings again because of the contempt I currently feel for them, but I loved the idea of doing something from Dr. Seuss. As I was outside it hit me which one... THE LORAX! 

I have always loved the story of The Lorax, just as I have always cared about doing my part for the environment. What could be more perfect? Janna and I have many times talked about doing something with plastic bottles, trying to make them into art because we hate that they are so prevalent in society and are so bad for the environment! This just clicked. Outside, enjoying the beautiful day, getting inspired (and my dad paid me).  

I also made Ellis a tuna fish sandwich.