This picture is of more work going out. On the right is "Bonnie". Bonnie's owner, Christine F., was the winner of my gift certificate at the Scituate Animal Shelter fundraiser. On the left is a print of "Sweet D". The original hangs in my bedroom in honor of that beloved cat of mine. It's the one portrait that I did that looks most like him.

Saturday went out to do some errands in Harvard Square and walked by a cat rescue C.A.R.E on Massachusetts Ave. that I had never seen before. With 3 grey tabby kittens in the window, I had to go in! Oh they were so cute. I've been thinking of getting Luna girl a friend, but she's a bit under the weather and I'm still trying to figure out her issues and think that if I were to get another cat, the last thing I want is 2 sick kitties.... Besides, I think J would not dig it. But I spoke with the organizer there and gave her my card letting her know that if they were ever to have a fundraiser that I'd be glad to donate my gift certificate for a 5x7" painting. They did have an all black girl who was about 2 years old and she just started purring the moment I walked up to her cage.... aw!

But enough about the kitties. I have to get an email newsletter out and I'm thinking of doing custom orders for Christmas cards, but I don't want to do it through Kinko's anymore because I don't like their big stupid logo on the back of my card. Is there anywhere out there that I can order cards on line that work out to under a $1.00 a piece and has a minimum that's less than 500 cards? I don't have the room for that kind of inventory!! Let me know!

Spring?

With the coming of spring means new new new. For me new work, new shows and hopefully new friends, new contacts, and new orders.

I've dropped off my piece at the Allston Library for their annual show of Allston Brighton artists. The exhibit runs the whole month of April with the art opening on the 28th of March 12-4pm. The Honan Allston library is located in Allston on N Harvard Street and you can check out the site at http://www.bpl.org/ .

I've submitted my application for the Somerville Art Beat and am thinking of doing a show in Worcester called the Sprinkler Factory .... But it's a 3 day and its also Mothers day weekend. I haven't decided yet. But better get on it because the dead line is coming up soon!!

I worked on a painting of my nephew as a baby this past week. It's almost done (didn't paint this weekend, ended up going to Chester with Jason). But I don't know if I'm crazy about it. I also am teaching myself to use Adobe's InDesign program. Here's something that really got me upset this past week. I went to Kinko's to get some computer work done (remember, I don't have a computer at home and do all my things at the office and all my "art design" stuff on the Mac at Kinko's) ANYWAY - they don't have Macs anymore!!! I was like WHat the F*????? So I go to the counter, which is on the 1st floor and

I ask the woman there, "So I see that you don't have macs for rental anymore. Is this a thing for just this branch or is this for all Kinkos?"

and she replied," No, we have Macs."

"Um, no you don't."

"Yes, we do." with attitude (God, I hate Kinko's)

"No. You don't. There is a machine up there, disassembled. And there's a sign where the Mac was that says 'We are no longer going to have Macs for hourly rental.'"

"Oh, well let me ask." So she goes and asks the manager, and he said he wasn't sure about any of the other Kinkos' but this one wasn't going to have Macs anymore. And then another associate chimed in that yes, it's true for all Kinkos - No more Macs. And then (get this) the manager says to me, " It's the trend. Design people are all using PCs. No ones uses Macs anymore" Which is such BS.

So I walked out of there FUMING. I'm thinking how am I going to make my magnets??? How am I going to design all my letters, mailings, postcards, business cards???? And that I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get my own system; Mac OS - that will need internet, Quark & Photoshop, Scanner & Printer..... Big $$ and then my mind starts to think about how much money I didn't earn last year or how nothings been going on since Christmas and oh woe is me!!!

So I went to my friends house that night. And he's a PC Guru. And over a glass a wine, I told him my dilema. We went on line and looked at Quark and it's PC equivalent: InDesign. We read some reviews and articles about it and it seems that InDesign is much more user friendly, available on both PC and Macs and it outshines Quark. So the next day, I went to my computer at work and downloaded the 30 free trial of InDesign off the Adobe website on to my computer here. And have been playing with it ever since. I've been able to do all the things I needed to do that other night at Kinko's so I just emailed the files to my self and will eventually have to go to Kinko's and just print them out. I really wish I could just break the cord with them, but can't just afford to yet. At least I won't have to talk to anyone there, knock on wood. BTW the Kinko's that I refer to is in Harvard Square.

Happy Spring!