A new livejournal name

Hey everyone.

I’ve been loving this journal for a while now. It looks good, I can customize it easily. I enjoy it. My only complaint is that wordpress does not have a very good way of socializing and finding other people of similar interests. The comments are very non-streamlined and there is no way to “reply” to a comment. I hate that. I hate that I feel like I’m standing on a podium high above people, hoping they’ll stop to hear what I’m yelling down, with no way of actually communicating.

That’s why I’ve returned to www.livejournal.com  I am still keeping this one for now, but my heart just isn’t in it like it once was. I need the socializing. My new journal is houseofstories : http://houseofstories.livejournal.com/  

If you have a livejournal, feel free to add me. If you don’t, the journal is open to the public so anyone can read it. I encourage you to create a livejournal though. It makes keeping up with people a breeze! I love having mini-conversations in comments.

Make sure to say hi if you head over. I look forward to talking to some of you!

-Sommer

Just a little bit of music.

When I lived in Boston, my roommates gave me no end of heartache when it came to chiding me for my taste in music. My taste was never good enough, and more than once was proclaimed the reason for my datelessness. Really. My musical tastes.

I always sort of liked things I liked, with no real knowledge of why I might like them. I especially become wrapped up in songs that play at the right moment in time, as a pre-destined soundtrack to my life. That is why there are a few artists who are a sincere pleasure as well as a deeply painful thing to listen. POE is one of those. Oh I love her, but her music got me through a tough time in my life. A dark time.

Anyway, I’m still somewhat new to the life of an iPod owner, so I decided to throw up a list of my next randomly chosen songs. Yeah, there is a wild difference between some of these, that is for sure.

1. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds  -  Crow Jane
2. Rasputina  -  When I was a young girl
3. Black Tape for a Blue Girl  -  The Lie Which Refuses to Die
4. The Damnwells  -  What you get
5. Linkin Park  -  Shadow of the Day
6. Hole  -  Use once and destroy
7. Ben Folds Five  -  Battle of Who Could Care Less
8. Guns n’ Roses  -  Don’t Cry
9. Abney Park  – She
10. The Cure  -  Pictures of You
11. Cursive – The Recluse
12. Pixies  -  Tame
13. Mates of State  -  Middle is Gold
14. Voltaire  -  Brains
15. The Damnwells  -  I’ll Be Around
16. Grasshopper Takeover  -  Pressure
17. Dido  -  Honestly OK
18. Radio Iodine  -  Manic Girl
19. Eurythmics  -  Sweet Dreams 
20. POE  -  Haunted

I’ve been thinking about what music does to writing. I love listening to music when I need inspiration, but I hate listening to it when I’m writing. My brain starts singing and I can’t concentrate. I’m listening to music right now, and am curious to see the typos I’ve created by trying to type and listen at the same time. Shame on me.

-Sommer

The writer’s bug

Remember when this blog used to be about me writing? Yeah me too.

Writing has been difficult, almost painful, for the last year or two. Words used to fly through my brain at alarming speeds, seeming to choose themselves at will. At some point, and I can almost pinpoint when, though I’m too flaky to know for sure, it became a chore. I’d struggle for the right word, and words that were once interesting and fun to use evaporated.

Recently I’ve gotten a little itchy about writing again. I want to write something fiction, deeply, lovingly fiction. I used to be good at that. I’m sure I could be again. Out of practice I suppose.

I would like to start writing again and I was wondering if I have any readers who enjoy reading things and giving their opinion. I’d like to pull together a small but honest group of people willing to read and offer suggestions that I can trust. So if you’re a person like that, let me know.

Also, I just recently read through the first three books in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series and I’m currently reading number four. Look for reviews coming soon.

-Sommer

limeandmirth@yahoo.com

Art: “Just Raining”

I’m kinda proud of this one. Most of my pieces I sketch out before hand and paint around the white. This time I painted the background and freehanded the rest. I was scared the whole time, but I love the way it came out!

Acrylics on watercolor paper. Click to see the full size.

Art: “Swinging”

My new favorite piece. I highly suggest you click to view it at its full size.

Acrylics on watercolor paper

I think I’m going to make this into a much larger piece on canvas

Art: “Little Bird”

Click to view full size.

Acrylic and watercolor and micron pen 005 on watercolor paper

Today is my birthday and I’m going to spend most of it in my pajamas.

Today is my birthday. I have turned 29 years old, which means only one more year with a 2 as a prefix and then….well then my girlfriend of the same age will be going on a cruise to the Mediterranean for a little “reinvention” which is done largely with big hats and bright cocktails.
Tonight Ryan has planned a birthday party for me, of which I only know a smidgen about. Enough, pretty much, to dress properly. We’re going to a resteraunt with friends, the resteraunt I had already picked out. Since I was 21 we have gone to the same resterant for my birthday, a Japanese Steakhouse called Kobe. I love Kobe more than any other place to eat, I think. But I’ve broken tradition and this year we are going to Genji Japanese Steakhouse. I enjoyed them about the same but for a bonus they have sushi. I can get lost in a plate of sushi.

Afterwards we are going to my dear friends’ house for a birthday party, at which I have no idea who will be there or what will be done. Though I am not above playing the “It’s my birthday and I want to play Rock Band” card I’m super excited about the party because I know nothing about it except that, when asked by my husband what kind of cake I like, I told him I won’t eat any cake that’s chocolate anything. That’s all I know I won’t have.

So, for my birthday, I have a bunch of new art to post. So with no further ado, here’s the first:

Art: Doing what we know we should not

Recently I was inspired by the idea that we, day in and day out, do things that we know we should not do. It’s compulsory, we do it though we know we must not, must stop; know that it will bring is more pain than pleasure. We’re obsessed and ridiculous. We are our own menace.

I worked on four small paintings following this idea, and the four pieces are called, collectively: “Doing what we know we should not” and feature four heroines either on the cusp of, or engulfed in the aftermath of our very poor decisions. I’m slowly beginning to develop a style of my own and I’m kind of excited where it is going. I’m proud of them and I hope you enjoy their plights.

Each piece is sketched by me using Micron pens in sizes 005 and 02  and painted with Golden acrylics, both heavy body and liquid.

I highly recommend clicking on the pieces to see them at full size.

Enjoy.