I think that is do-able internet.

I am sure that between us we can round up five hundred people who are willing to donate Ten Dollars each.

What am I talking about?

In October 2011 I was sick of dyeing my hair purple. My hair grows so fast and I am almost totally grey these days. I seem to be dyeing my hair every few weeks so I don’t look like I am perpetually wearing a skunk hat. Albeit a smell free skunk hat.

So I thought “fuck it” I am going to cut it all off and raise some money while I am at it.

Enter the Leukaemia Foundations World’s Greatest Shave

And so I signed up.

To cut off ALL my hair.

Which was all well and good BACK IN OCTOBER, when March was months away and I didn’t have to think about the consequences of my actions.

There were all sorts of lovely distractions, like weddings and pregnancies and Christmas and exhibitions and MONAFOMA and the list goes on and on.

I had been thinking that if I didn’t say anything about the WORLDS GREATEST SHAVE online I could just accidentally forget to cut off all my hair.

I could say that I had been far too busy and I totally forgot and promise to do it next year and all sorts of other lovely excuses.

But the reality is that cancer doesn’t accept any excuses. And if I am frightened about the prospect of  cutting off all my hair at least I am choosing  this path, not having the choice thrust upon me by chemotherapy or radiation.

So internet will you hold my hand again?

Will you help me reach my total?

Will you write a post for me on your blogs?

Will you donate Ten dollars?

Will you knit me a purple hat to hide under?

You can DONATE TO MY PAGE  FOR THE LEUKAEMIA FOUNDATION”S GREATEST SHAVE  HERE

*** Edited on the 6th Feb. So Far internet, 40 people have donated $1231.00 I am thrilled to bits. Thank you all so much.

***Edited on the 7th of Feb. 46 people have donated $1418. Thank you *grins*

To the words that pop into my head. Or to the order in which I do things.

I am so time poor at the monet internet that this blog is sorely, sorely neglected.

Maybe tomorrow I will write an insightful blog post full of charm and wit.

I am typing so hurriedly that I wrote monet instead of moment in my second sentence and I sat for ten minutes pondering the significance of that word exchange and I thought it looked so nice that I have left it there. I am now thinking about blurry paintings and what a shame it was that Monet had a hissy fit and destroyed so many of his paintings.

Speaking of paintings.

I am part of a group show in Burnie in the north west of the state, that opens in less than four weeks and we have all been given a canvas to use as our Artist Statement. I painted my canvas yesterday. I am going to add some text to explain my work as well as some photographs of  the work in progress and maybe glue a cigarette lighter onto the canvas as well.

The hardest part about any job is starting.

Apparently you have to rub some white spirits over the canvas to break down the fibres. As the canvas was propped up on the shelf drying, I asked twitter how long I should wait before I started chucking some paint about. The answer I liked the most was straight away. So I set to work

These photos were taken with my phone.

I started off using a piece of cardboard as a paintbrush and smeared some yellow poster paint all over the canvas.

The cardboard soon became soggy and left little pieces of itself on my canvas, so I changed tools and started to use a cigarette lighter as my brush.I also fingerpainted quite a bit as well.

And this is the finished background to my Canvas Artist Statement. All I need to do now is tell the story of the body of work that I have made for “Fired Up” and have it all done by the end of February.

And of course remember to breathe…

]]> http://frogpondsrock.com/2012/01/no-rhyme-or-reason/feed/ 13 http://frogpondsrock.com/2012/01/sunday-selections-55/ http://frogpondsrock.com/2012/01/sunday-selections-55/#comments Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:30:12 +0000 frogpondsrock http://frogpondsrock.com/?p=7257

Hello my lovelies, number 55 has a nice ring to it don’t you think? I am at work in the Off Centre again today so I don’t know if I will have time to visit you today or not. Anyhow without any further babble from me here is…

The Blurb

I take a lot of photos and most of them are just sitting around in folders on my desktop not doing anything. I thought that a dedicated post once a week would be a good way to share some of these photos that otherwise wouldn’t be seen by anyone other than me.

I am also remarkably absent minded and I put photos into folders and think that I will publish them later on and then then I never do.

So I have started a photo meme that anyone can join in and play as well. The rules are so simple as to be virtually non existent.

Just add your name and URL to the Mr Linky.

Publish your photos on your blog using the “Sunday Selections” title.

Link back here to me.

The Photos

The Blurb

I take a lot of photos and most of them are just sitting around in folders on my desktop not doing anything. I thought that a dedicated post once a week would be a good way to share some of these photos that otherwise wouldn’t be seen by anyone other than me.

I am also remarkably absent minded and I put photos into folders and think that I will publish them later on and then then I never do.

So I have started a photo meme that anyone can join in and play as well. The rules are so simple as to be virtually non existent.

Just add your name and URL to the Mr Linky.

Publish your photos on your blog using the “Sunday Selections” title.

Link back here to me.

The Photos

The Blurb

I take a lot of photos and most of them are just sitting around in folders on my desktop not doing anything. I thought that a dedicated post once a week would be a good way to share some of these photos that otherwise wouldn’t be seen by anyone other than me.

I am also remarkably absent minded and I put photos into folders and think that I will publish them later on and then then I never do.

So I have started a photo meme that anyone can join in and play as well. The rules are so simple as to be virtually non existent.

Just add your name and URL to the Mr Linky.

Publish your photos on your blog using the “Sunday Selections” title.

Link back here to me.

The Photos

I am tired internet. The let down from the preparation for the Exhibition Frenetica has left me drained. It is also the MONAFOMA festival and I am tearing all over the countryside enjoying myself and listening to great music and esoteric performance art.

So I only have one photo for you this week and It is a snap I took with my phone on the way to Phillip Adams Ballet Lab last night.

I shared this on twitter last night with the caption,

“Look Twitter, a uteload of ninjas. Ha! Now I know how they get everywhere so silently.”

Hi everyone last week I was incredibly busy preparing for the upcoming exhibition in the Off Centre’s Micro Gallery that I didn’t get a chance to comment on any of your posts. I am sorry about that.

The kiln is in the process of cooling down now and I should be able to sneak a peek at the work late on Tuesday. So without further ado I am pleased to host the 52 edition of Sunday Selections.

The Blurb

I take a lot of photos and most of them are just sitting around in folders on my desktop not doing anything. I thought that a dedicated post once a week would be a good way to share some of these photos that otherwise wouldn’t be seen by anyone other than me.

I am also remarkably absent minded and I put photos into folders and think that I will publish them later on and then then I never do.

So I have started a photo meme that anyone can join in and play as well. The rules are so simple as to be virtually non existent.

Just add your name and URL to the Mr Linky.

Publish your photos on your blog using the “Sunday Selections” title.

Link back here to me.

The Photos

This isn’t my photo. It is a photo of Philadelphia Hanson Viney’s work, that I am using as our invitation to our exhibition. The photo was taken by a good friend of mine. Talented local photographer Robin Roberts.

The rest of these are my photos.

In the middle of raising the funds for Annie’s iPad, unbeknown to me, Paypal limited my account. That is why some of you were unable to donate.

Luckily for us and for Annie, Paypals actions didn’t affect our outcome as the gorgeous Nathalie had teed up a discounted iPad from her local Apple Store.

Marita went ahead and purchased Annie’s iPad on her credit card, knowing that the funds that you had generously donated would be available.

Mission accomplished internet. Annie has her iPad.

Can you imagine my dismay that same afternoon, when I went to send Marita the money and I saw this message.

Basking in the happy afterglow of our achievement, I should have been skipping around the house saluting the generostity of my lovely internetz. Instead I was left with an administrative headache that I didn’t want to talk about online, in case it put a downer on the collective happiness we were all feeling.

I was presented with a series of hoops I was required to jump through in order to get my account up and running again.

I managed to confirm my identity without any problems. I then had to upload a recent bank statement which I was loathe to do. Giving paypal that sort of information about my recent financial history made me very, very uncomfortable, but I did it.

Then I really hit a stumbling block, as I had used a donate button I had to explain my charity’s mission statement. Oh dear. I am not a charity I am just a person who wanted to harness the power of the internet to give a little girl an iPad. This is when I  rang Paypal and began the five day process of lifting the limitations on my account.

Luckily for me, Marita was happy to wait until the Paypal funds were cleared and she refused my offer of paying her the cash myself.

Five days from start to finish, three phonecalls and various administrative hoops later, your money internet, is in Marita’s bank.

And I am sitting here trying to work out  all the reasons why I am grumpy with paypal.

I am grumpy because paypal took $27.00 in charges.

I wasn’t aware of these sort of fees being applied. When I have donated in the past using paypal I just assumed that all of my donation would go through. So I am grumpy with my own naivety as well as Paypals business practice.

When I was talking to one of Paypals customer service representatives he told me that blogs were in a regulatory grey area and that the sort of limitations that were put on my account were quite common. He gave me the usual spiel about terrorism and money laundering and financial laws, etc. etc.

As I went higher up the corporate food chain the attitude of the employees wasn’t exactly condescending but it was  tinged with a subtle arrogance. There was an undertone in the conversation that suggested that I was swimming in murky financial waters.

I am writing this blog post as a warning to other bloggers to be careful when using  Paypal to raise money. Because even though a Paypal donate button with the tracker widget is a lovely and convenient way to raise money. It is also quite a headache trying to get your account up and running again if Paypal decide to limit your account.

All in all 32 lovely people donated $725 minus the $27 in fees and I was able to transfer $698 to Marita last night.

Now the question I ask myself is, “Would I do it again?” Yes I would, but I would have to think of a better way to collect the money raised rather than being at the mercy of Paypal. I think the fact that I presented myself as “high profile” Australian blogger helped to hurry along the procedure.  As once I started to google Paypal complaints I found that some people have been waiting a long time to sort out these sorts of issues.

Anyhow internet, once again thankyou so very very much for helping to make this Christmas so very special for one little girl.

And as for you Paypal, I havent quite decided what to do about you just yet.

The Blurb

I take a lot of photos and most of them are just sitting around in folders on my desktop not doing anything. I thought that a dedicated post once a week would be a good way to share some of these photos that otherwise wouldn’t be seen by anyone other than me.

I am also remarkably absent minded and I put photos into folders and think that I will publish them later on and then then I never do.

So I have started a photo meme that anyone can join in and play as well. The rules are so simple as to be virtually non existent.

Just add your name and URL to the Mr Linky.

Publish your photos on your blog using the “Sunday Selections” title.

Link back here to me.

The Photos

Most of  these photos were taken on a trip to Melbourne last November.

I adore Melbourne.

There is always talk within the blogosphere about  “A list” bloggers being invited to all the events, whilst the rest of the blogosphere the B and C,D or even E list bloggers are left out in the cold wondering why they are not invited as well.

It will always be in businesses best interests to encourage an air of exclusivity because that is how business works, make a brand exclusive and it immediately increases its desirability.

Make an event exclusive, and you increase the talk about the event and thus increase the events appeal.

Sometimes this approach can backfire, especially if the marketing campaign is handled clumsily and the perceived exclusivity of an event gets peoples backs up and they start to get a bit peeved with being treated like cash cows.

So in response to the latest talk of A lists and exclusive invites, I have compiled my own “A list” of Australian Bloggers.

A Listed Bloggers.

—-[INSERT OWN NAME HERE]—-

Yes, my lovelies you read that correctly.

You are all “A listers”!

Now start to bloody well act like it.

There is only a ranking system in life if you allow yourself to be ranked.

I double dog dare anyone out there in cyberspace to call me anything less than an A list blogger, as well as an A list person.

Hold your heads up high and demand to be treated with the respect you deserve.

If you get an offer that offends you, dont accept it.

If you are tired of not being invited to events, create your own event. Organise a morning tea with a couple of other like minded bloggers or twitter friends and glam it up for the day.

Start acting like the A list bloggers that I know you are.

You can do it, I have faith in you.

If you need some ideas go and read these blog posts written by Veronica Foale, a seriously A for Awesome listed blogger.

Blogging, I’m doing it wrong

On not working for peanuts

Ethics and Integrity

The culture of Silence

Transparency and should the little people get a say

The ethics of blogging

And this final  post The traveling Red Dress written by The Bloggess, I went looking through The Bloggess’ archives yesterday looking for a post that Jenny had written imploring her fellow bloggers to not write for a pittance, and to not sell yourselves short. I couldn’t find the post but I spent a happy hour immersed in Jenny’s world.

If ever you need to emulate someone in the blogosphere, The Bloggess is the woman I would recommend. (after me of course)

*updated*

The Bloggess sent me the link to the post I was looking for, aptly titled,  Because some things are worth more than a box of cereal.

I told you she is a gem.

I have a very active imagination, I create wonderful “what if” scenarios inside my mind complete with multicoloured layers of alternate realities. This can be a good thing as it enables me to visualise work that I need to make and I can quickly fill pages of my visual diary with ideas that will keep me happy in the studio for months.

This can also be a bad thing as when I am feeling especially maudlin, I can spend an inordinate amount of time brooding on possible futures for my family, all of them grim, and so my mood plummets. Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Autism don’t make for happy daydreams.

I try not to think of the long term ramifications of my daughter dislocating her good knee yesterday. I try to block memories of a particularly harrowing post, written by my bendy cyber daughter in England from my mind, as the thought of a dislocating trachea is just too horrible to contemplate. Yet it happens to my bendy girl and I worry.

I must not allow myself to dwell on all the medical problems that beset my family, my sons anxiety, his high blood pressure at 17, his pain. The fact that my husband at 48 years old, requires slow release morphine patches  in order to walk, and as I wrote those very words on this blog , The Spouse came into the kitchen to say good morning and as he kissed me, his right hip dislocated and then his left decided to do the same. The Spouse has gone back to his bed to lie down until his morning nausea abates, then he will get up and push through his pain barriers and finish building his new garage, from timber he milled himself. And I will gently chide him for working too hard, knowing that his pride will not allow the pain to win and also knowing that tomorrow he will be in slightly more pain that he was today.

I need distractions from my reality otherwise I too will begin to fall apart.

And this is where you come into play, internet.

You are my escapism.

Twitter provides me with countless hours of escapism. News links to all the current events that interest me. I follow the Occupy Wall Street movement closely, I keep an eye on various anonymous news feeds, I follow human rights abuses here and abroad. I subscribe to prostitutes and politicians, skeptics and believers, anonymous street artists and the world’s great museums and they all keep my mind occupied.

My Die Churp Die twitter revolution, complete with its own #occupychurp hashtag and catchy graphic designed by the inimitable Zoey from Goodgoogs, is an attempt to entertain myself, whilst not so subtly pointing out that I think my fellow tweeters are worth much more, than the few cents churping  promoted tweets will provide.

But this is only my opinion and my opinion is only one amongst the millions. If you don’t like what I am saying on twitter, please unfollow me rather than send me snarky emails with dodgy hotmail addresses.

My dislike of the principles behind churp are as inconsequential in the scheme of things as my love of Zombie Klout. But if pressed, I will admit that  it is the complete lack of originality in the churp churp logo that offends me the most.

I am a hypocrite of the first order as I will ask you to give me a +K for Zombies and I will tweet those links at the same time as I will use a Die Churp Die avatar. I will retweet links condemning Klout for creating Klout profiles for unauthorised minors, at the same time as I will declare that I am The Great White Crocodile Hunting Zombie Film Maker on Klout.

Why do I do this?

I do these things, simply to amuse myself, internet.

To take my mind off the things that grieve me.

To give myself a few minutes relief from the things in my life that hurt.

It is that simple.