I have made no secret of my love of all things French. Having been the language I took in high school, French-Word-a-Day serves as my surrogate language continuing education program. And I eagerly await any opportunity to flex ma langue française. My comprehension skills not being what they once were I prefer to correspond through emails to artists and vendors I am purchasing from online.  Translation and communication I can muster.

Sadly France is still one of the few European countries I have yet to visit. Quelle horreur! It will be done at some point as well as Florence. Though being raised in Philly where plenty of true Italian food exists I have not suffered. And having had a real life Movie moment seeing the notorious “Gentle Don” I’ve been closer to true Italia then one would need. Even at 7 it was enough to scare this little girl from a second playdate with his granddaughter. But honestly it wasn’t Angelo that scared me. It was other members of the familia that would soon play a role in his untimely demise. It was a life best witnessed on a movie screen.

Anyhoo…..back to French. Like I was saying I look for opportunities to speak française whenever I can find them. So last week I got a misdialed call on my cell phone while at work. Looking at the area code I could tell it was an international call. The man was speaking French though his accent sounded different. But in this rare moment, I could not switch gears quickly enough from my task at hand to respond appropriately and it became a missed opportunity to use my French skills. My replies ran through my head.

Je ne comprends pas ce que vous dites (I don’t understand what you’re saying.)

Qui êtes-vous? (Who are you calling for?)

C’est une erreur de numero( You’ve got the wrong number) 

Selma n’est pas ici (Selma is not here)

After the call I looked up the country code and realized the call was coming from Togo, South Africa. Simultaneously CNN broadcast a piece on people hacking your cell phone. After which I was just paranoid. Sad I know. This man from Togo just needed to find his beloved Selma (the story teller in me thrives).

So as we head into the long Labor Day Weekend I’ve made far too many plans, set too many goals, more than are humanly possible to accomplish. This is a regular occurrence for me. Perhaps I should try a new approach- one in which I don’t continuously fall short. That would be novel.

The Toile project has hit another glitch, this time partly of my making. My client decided to go with the quails and nix the snails as this is the true representation of their company’s name, meaning a group of ladies or quails. So we picked images we liked. Last night while sketching and trying to get different views of the quails in order to create a few new vignettes I realized we chose and I had been drawing males. This does not bode well for the group of Ladies concept. I should have been clued by the fact that the images we chose were so colorful. I know in the aviary world the males are the ornate ones, they do the dance; earn their way into the nest. Tisk Tisk. So now I have some major revisions necessary even on the finished drawings. Yikesabee!

I watched one more Ted Talk this week by Adam Leipzig- How to Know Your Life Purpose in 5 minutes. In order to figure out this mystery he says you need only answer 5 basic questions.

1. Who you are
2. What you do
3. Who you do it for
4. What those people want or need
5. And what they get out of it. How they are changed as a result.

He assures us in the course of the video that it is simple. I responded to the friend who sent me the video “I can only answer the first question- who I am. Beyond that forget it. No wonder I feel purposeless.”

She replied she felt the same. So it turns out it was not so simple for either of us. So being the smart ass I am. I replied to her, and for her, as follows:

1. Playwright
2. Writes screen plays with spectacular dialogue
3. My friend DCT (so she’ll get off my ass)
4. To see me reach my fullest creative potential
5. Feel like she’s an accomplished Muse.

To which she responded mine was the inverse of hers. “You are DCT, muse to driven creatives who want to bring great new ideas into the world, helping them bring their ideas to life! Though, I actually think that in addition to being a muse you are actually a hell of a creative yourself!”

You’ve got to love friends! Especially when they take your terrible personality traits like “masochism” and paint them lovely calling it “tenacity of spirit”.

So enjoy your long holiday! My something extra is a film I absolutely plan to watch this weekend. It comes very highly recommended by a friend. And this week’s Blast from this Blogs Past is an NYFA student and designer. Next Thursday many NYFA students’s will be showing their designs inspired by the Japanese Fashion exhibit at SAM. So if you’re in Seattle check it out. It will be a fun show. So Til Monday…

 

Blast from This Blogs Past

• Tuesday Talent- Lady Konnyaku

 

The Weekend Reading List

• The Power of Vulnerability: 5 ways to come alive to your authentic self ~ Amber Rae’s response to Brené Brown’s Ted Talk.
• Are You An Introvert Or An Extrovert? What It Means For Your Career ~ People who meet me think I’m an extrovert. People who know me can tell you I’m truly an Introvert.
• What I’ve learned from the PA Turnpike ~ Hannah is younger then I am so the music would be different but otherwise I could completely relate to her Turnpike Wisdom.
• Why Professional Martyrdom Is A Shitty Career Strategy And How To Fix ~ A little tough career love from Amber Naslund

 

Something Extra

The Intouchables trailer