12/2/11 - Friends for sale

MUSATA, the Marywood University Art Therapy Association, had a show for members at CityLights Church in downtown Scranton for December's First Friday. I showed some work I'd done during the past semesters of which I was very proud, and others showed other work that was meaningful to them. It was a fairly eclectic show, and it was interesting to view everyone's unique artistic expression.

The show also provided an opportunity for me to try to sell some of Jim's friendsandrelations. Even though he wasn't for sale, he asked to have his picture taken on one of the hand forms because he thought it would be funny. He is pictured below with several of his friendsandrelations - L to R: Winnie, Jim, Ophelia, Penny, Gus, Bonnie, Jeremy, and Violet. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Jim's friendsandrelations was going to go toward providing art supplies to people through World Vision's gift catalog, but I ended up only selling one. Jim was actually happy to still have all of his friends around. I think he may have actually sabotaged sales by whispering to people not to buy them, thus freaking out potential customers. Jim is pretty good at freaking people out.

6/19 - A good day for strawberries and blobs

The area in which I live has a festival about every weekend during the summer months. I'd already taken Jim to the Greek Festival, where he enjoyed dolmades and a gyro and some Greek beer, and joined in the dancing even though I begged him not to (Jim is not a very good dancer - no rhythm).

When I told Jim about the Strawberry Festival, he asked if he could bring some friends along. I agreed, as long as he could assure me that they would behave. He then told me that Abe and Bonnie are his two most likable friends and that they are super duper companions. He was right. Abe and Bonnie are very likable, pleasant, and friendly, even though they are blobs. Abe explained that the blobs featured in the horror movies were the fringes of blob society, only available for movies on earth because they'd been banished from their home planet as menaces to blob society for actions unbecoming of a proper sort of blob, and he hoped they wouldn't color my opinion of him and Bonnie. As neither attempted to consume me in their ooze, I assured them that my worries and fears had been dispelled.

Abe required more assurance later, when he found out what strawberries actually were. He was aghast to discover that humans eat the small squishy-looking red things. I told him I would be careful to protect him from hungry mouths. Jim even said he would refrain from partaking of the festival wares in deference to Abe. A kind gesture I thought. But he did sneak a bite later and then I caught him eyeing Abe hungrily. I gave Jim a stern talking to and warned Abe to beware.

Bonnie was glad that she's bright yellow and doesn't resemble any sort of fruit humans eat. I didn't have the heart to tell her about popcorn.