Random Items from the Junk Drawer of my Mind #4

1. I think it was Rachel who first told me about "notes from the Universe". This is one I got this week:

"The big ideas almost never seem like big ideas, at first. So, Deb, be on the lookout for little ideas, that seem kind of ho- hum; ain'’t no big 'thang'; let me floss first, kind of ideas. Really. The Universe

I like it. And it's something I need to be reminded of from time to time, as I tend to sometimes hang around accomplishing not-a-helluva-lot while waiting for the Big Idea...the Grand Masterpiece of an idea that will inspire art to make the sun shine, and birds sing, and angels weep golden tears of joy. And y'know - well I know and I hope you do too - if you wait for GM sort of ideas to come along before you do anything creative , you aren't going to accomplish a whole heck of a lot because those sorts of bolt-from-the-blue "perfect" ideas are rare, and executing them with master skill is even more rare yet. If they weren't rare, there wouldn't be any need for the word "masterpiece", right? They would all be just "pieces". Heh. But now and then I forget and I stall. So thanks, Universe, for the little kick in the bootie. Just let me floss first. 2. I'm on an obsessive Jane Austen kick. Specifically, I'm on an obsessive Pride and Prejudice kick. I've mentiond I tend to get obsessive about things, yes? Well, since the first of the year I've watched the 6-hour 1995 "Colin Firth as a good enough to eat dripping wet Darcy" version of P&P on DVD. I've watched the first half of the nearly-as-long, not-as-sexy, but still quite good 1980 version. I'm halfway through reading (and really enjoying!) "Flirting with Pride and Prejudice", a fabulous series of essays on the book edited by Jennifer Crusie and recommended to me by Diane Wilkes (who is nearing completion of a Jane Austen Tarot deck that I just can't wait to be published!!). Today I'm going to drive to Lex in the hopes of seeing the newest version of P&P on the big screen - the one with Keira Knightley as Elizabeth. And once I finish the essay book I'm going to re-read the novel (something I didn't want to do before seeing the latest version of the movie). Saying I've done all that since the first of the year doesn't sound so bad until you realize that it's only the 7th of January!!!!! Oy. Sometimes I totally don't get my own brain. 3. Art of the day: "Riding Into The Sunset" (clickable to see it a bit larger) This is a different photo - different day, different light - of the same section of tracks as the photo I posted on the first of January. Did I mention obsessive? Ahem.