|
|
|
|
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting LaurieM.com! Here are my previous "What's New" posts... now not so new... What's (not so) New
November 9, 2008: My solace is becoming absurd. I now am trying to convince myself that because I'm attempting to write a novel while kids are screaming in the background, it will be that much more easily read with screaming kids in the background. Or, maybe, I just need to force more quiet writing time. Perhaps in the same way pigs will fly out of my ass. However, Obama is President Elect. I now have relentless hope for the seemingly impossible. It's wonderful to be alive to witness history being made. I'm still in despair over the (temporary) passing of Prop 8. Since I still lack a Blog I'll write a rant on that later and link it here.
A few big things over the last six months: The twins started Kindergarten! Wu! But three hours a morning (I'm NOT complaining) is only such a smidgen of time that I have yet to feel the full force of freedom of having school-aged children. But time passes more quickly for this 35-year old than for them, so I can at least see the dawning of first grade next fall. So much of my life has been about waiting... I can sit in this space for a few more months. The biggest news of all, however, is that a 27-year old dream was finally actualized in July. I bought my first horse! He's a 3-year old APHA (paint) 17+ hand (very tall) gelding, rose-gray, and perfect in every way. Granted, July was just *before* the economy tanked, so my ambitious goals of training and maybe showing someday are on a month-to-month basis. Right now he's being trained Hunter/Jumper, and next month we will start with Western so he can be shown in the All-Around. I'm also anxious to get him on the trails and beach, but I lack a horse trailer. We'll get there, though, all in good time. I must say it is amazing to feel an underlying shift in the 10-year old me I still carry. I am no longer waiting or trying to figure out what needs to be good enough about me to finally own a horse. It's here. And nothing is lacking.
May 6, 2008: You know life is good when you can look forward to everything in your future. The flowers are blooming (I finally got the hanging plants hung!), the kids are growing, I'm enjoying writing and horseback riding and driving the kids to soccer (ha-HA! It finally happened! I'm a Soccer Mom!). Hubby is enjoying his new job at Google (woot!) although we miss seeing him in the mornings. My new excitement was winning first place in the Friends of the Felton Library's annual poetry contest! This year's theme was "Friends" and you can find my poem if you click at the bottom of the right hand bar on their website, or you can click here for the poem I would have sent in two hours later after I changed one more line. :) January 16, 2008: Time is flying! Yes, there is nothing like a three day power outage to remind me to be grateful for the things I take for granted. And I have a new appreciation for the generator, and the man who knows how to run it! The two new things of recent months are (1) a two-day shoot on the Reese Witherspoon/Vince Vaughn movie Four Christmases to come out next December; and (2) my writing group led by Laura Davis. It's been a juggle to be able to commit to something for ME every week, but thanks to the support of my friends I'm able to make it work. It feels great to be able to spend a delicious three hour block to just write and explore where that leads, and it feels like the perfect step in the road I'm building to writing my novel. Stay tuned! July 27, 2007: Enjoying the summer! Perfect weather, beautiful redwoods, kids and the beach, lots of summer reading, fewer alarm-clock mornings... ahh... I've updated a few pages, cleaned up the Actress page and made it more job-friendly for those checking out that link for that reason, checked most of the links on the site to make sure they are current; I'm prepping some more art stuff to get online soon, waiting for the latest photo shoot finals to come so I can post them, etc. Feel free to shoot me a hello. It's been really fun to connect with those "remember me?"'s from ages past. May 14, 2007: I've just posted the great photos from my latest shoot a few weekends ago! A big thanks goes to photographer Tristan Tom! Now that I have a few more professional shots, it is finally worth the effort to add a whole other page and left-column link to "model" (instead of having it buried in the Actress page). So if you click here or just look to the left column you can reach the new "Model" page. A big (late) Happy Mother's Day goes out to you all, especially my Mama and Sister Mama and the six other special BC Mamas in my playgroup. I'm so very optimistic about the next generation! May 7, 2007: Did it! New sketches are up here! There is a link toward the top of that page leading to the old sketchbook page (also found here.) May 2, 2007: So I've been increasingly intrigued by those people out there who have blogs. Some of my amazement comes from realization that people actually have time to write! But I also find something interesting about multiple streams of consciousness full of tid-bits of insights and observations being voiced on-line. Like perhaps somehow all those little streams feed into a larger river and we'll collectively wake up to some basic truths about how our minds work universally. After all, we all are human and share that commonality. That said, I haven't actually started a blog yet, but I have posted a new poem "Writer's Blog" and am working on posting several new sketches. My life feels so much richer to be drawing again, to have flow from me that which is unique to me. I don't know from where my drawings come, and I welcome them to keep coming, this connection to the mystery. My Mom spent another week in the ICU after a relapse. Apparently swelling of the brain is something we will all try to avoid in the future. She is home now. My oldest daughter lost her first tooth yesterday. Finances are tight, so we are pulling the twins from preschool this summer. It rained today, so I didn't go running. I used to worry about putting personal thoughts on the web for anyone to read (beware of the weirdos!), but now I don't have time for that worry. Life is too short and fragile. I learned that the movies shown in theaters are not the same as the same movie that is sold as a DVD. Luckily, I have just as many moments in the DVD as I did in the theater movie Pursuit of Happyness, and some of the shots are even more specifically on me! Most notably in the opening credits there is a shot of people on the sidewalk--the first glimpse focuses on a blonde woman (it's Barbara! Congratulations!), and then the second scene like that is focused on me! The other close-up comes soon after in the "everyone seems so happy" scene where a man and I are laughing while walking down the stairs. Just for trivia's sake, The woman in the elevator scene is Linda Fischer, who was also on the Atlantis Casino Resort commercial we shot in Reno together last year. It's so fun to see myself and my friends on screen! No new filming dates for me yet, although I do have a photo shoot this weekend and an audition next. I feel I'm taking a breath, slowing down, giving in to gas prices, and pacing myself. Concentrating more on quality than quantity at this point, both for myself and the projects on which I work. Another link I've neglected to include on my website, but is a big part of my life, is my job as the YRUU (teen youth group) leader for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Santa Cruz County. I'm so proud of all the youth at this Fellowship. You guys rock. January 29, 2007: Two new pages! First, my old "What's New" postings can be found here. Second, I've added a "Model" page to my "Actress" page with more photos than just my headshots. Make sure to see Pursuit of Happyness while it's still in the theaters!
January 2, 2007: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TIME?! Wow! Quick rundown: Go see Pursuit of Happyness! I'm in at least six scenes and easy to notice in three of them (two shots in the "sea of faces" on the sidewalk, then when Will Smith opens his wallet for that $5, notice the businesswoman descending the stairs just behind him). I've done two fashion shows with Before I Do this past summer and fall. Between auditions (oh, and raising three kids) I've done several more shoots for The World's Astonishing News, a Japanese TV show shot in the Bay Area. Art has been on the back burner, but with the New Year and some reflection my art and writing are going from the back burner to the crock pot, and the long simmer will be producing some tasty results all in good time. I still have several website updates and the addition of a blog, but I think those may be in the crock pot, too. My kids are growing up fast, as well as my youth group teens, (and myself!) and I don't want to miss it... pardon my infrequent web site updates. And best of everything to everyone at CCSLV as I conclude my three year Board membership. It's not just the Little Preschool That Could, it's an amazing hub of gifted and gracious citizens who care immeasurably about the community and the youngest members in it. May 31, 2006: Can we say "crunch"? So the car is now in the junk yard, but I got away with only a few nasty bruises and a few stitches. Got the Universe's message to slowww downnn!, and I'm working on finding that balance in my life. Meanwhile youth group is over next week for the summer, I just finished filming The Hangman Project on Monday, and slowly my plate is becoming less full. (For now.) I'm looking forward to a sunny summer in the grass and ferns, playing in the sprinklers with the kids, taking a few camping adventures, doing more art, drinking good beer, and catching up with all sorts of friends. Oh yeah. And learning the next few steps for making a web site look "cool." More to come...! March 14, 2006: Errr... I've been busy?! Okay, so three kids, two jobs, and a boatload of volunteer work trumped "update website" for a while. Lots of new stuff on the Actress page, including a three-day TV shoot last week in the north bay, and I have two more auditions this weekend! It was also great to have a call time mere minutes from my house for The Tripper, and the fake blood machine was pretty cool. I ache for more time to do my art, but life is cycling through another (all too familiar) round of "stretched too thin." Nov. 16, 2005: Acting has been keeping me busy! Click here and scroll down for a the picture of cast and crew for recently filmed Model Man. Also going to the last day of filming for Pursuit of Happyness this weekend. Stay tuned...! Sept. 13, 2005: Two new headshots just posted on the Actress page! (Scroll down to see them) Sept. 4, 2005: My landscape oil painting Arcata is going to be the cover design for Arcata High's 2005 Reunion DVD! August 10- 27, 2005: Come and see SCMAC's show Class Act: Emerging Artists. I have several life drawing sketches and one framed piece, Seat of Soft Council. (And why yes, and it does look remarkably like the piece from the previous show...!) Gallery hours:
Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 6 pm. June 8-July 9, 2005: Come and see SCMAC's Figurative show Esprit. My piece is a 24"x18" charcoal drawing. Gallery hours:
Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 6 pm. April 11, 2005: Check out the new page on the site! I'm finally returning to my love of acting... much more to come in the next several months! April 6, through May 8, 2005: Come and see SCMAC's show Poet's Eye/Artist's Tongue. My piece is a 38"x30" watercolor, Girl Returning. Gallery hours:
Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 6 pm.
|
|
|
Looking for the world-famous sculptor Chris Mikulasek? That's my Aunt! |
Home| Artist| Author| Philosopher| Actress| Thanks-n-Links| Bio Email me at laurieinprint@gmail.com © 1988-2007 Laurie M Simpkinson. All rights reserved. site last updated January 2, 2007 |
|
