Wednesday was hot, high 80's
Turkey Day was cold
Friday I put up 50 xmas lights around front door
Today it is near freezing, raining with possible snow in the hill country west of here.
We missed a season, no fall except for falling leaves. Now it is winter cold, wet, dark.



I've been able to paint, bundled up in cold studio, for the last three days. DS came over tonight and honestly told me my painting was boring and he is correct. Good to have a second set of eyes. I have tomorrow to push it forward. We'll see.

Cracking almonds and crackling fire tonight.

Put out cat carrier and sheet for outdoor cat ojn side porch.

Two outdoor potted plants ok for now, no freeze called for in the next couple days.
No swimming, school pool closed. Barton no sun, wind and air too cold. Monday will swim at sschool no matter the air temp.

Two last weeks of class left, then a lot more time.

Tags: cold, painting, winter
Current Mood: cold, cold
Current Music: WFMU - Fuckintosh - Erik Satie vs. Richard Wagner

Cold front came through yesterday morning bringing a strong thunderstorm with pouring rain. Roof over utility room leaked once again. Seems like wind from the north east blows water up under an eve. Roofer twice before tried to patch it in past years. Left phone message on both of his numbers I have. Hope he is still in town to honor ten year warranty on labor.

Temperature dropped too. House feels a bit chilly at 80ºF. And outside temperature of 72º feels downright cold. Outdoor pool at school also felt colder last night.

Barton also flooded and closed once again. Glad I got to swim there on Monday. Water was finally clearing. Heavy rains bring silt into the pool. Anyway wasn't going to able to swim there this weekend because ACL will be taking all of the parking for miles around. Won't be attending that either. It is usually to hot to sit in the open sun all day. This year it will be the coolest it's been for the festival in years. No Bob Dylan live for me.

Will have a four day weekend for studio work coming up.

For now it is up to school for a morning swim, some office work and a weekly meeting with new grad RC.

Tags: cold, weather
Current Mood: chill, swimming, school, studio
Current Music: WFMU - ESG - Erase You (Puppy To Your Side)

It was cold yesterday and beginning to rain after i had dug a two foot deep exploratory hole in the front yard. You see there's often a layer of limestone just below the surface in this part of the city and Central Texas in general. Looks like I will be able to put in a new oak there.

Like I said, cold and wet. No swimming, no walking, so I looked up the movies showing at the theatre in Westgate. Mel Gibson aside, I decided to go and watch Apocalypto. Reviews had been surprisingly good. I would have to admit it is fascinating action cinema telling the myth of cultural disintegration. Not to everyones taste I am sure.

It was pouring when I got out of the theatre and so I headed to HPBG for a couple of scotches to warm up the insides.

Home to a fire in the fireplace, big bowl of chicken, vegetable and multi bean soup. Set down to watch The Ninth Configuration but fell asleep sometime in the middle. Damn, it is due back today. I'm going to have to keep it to watch it again tonight. A most interesting flick from the reviews and the first part I watched about an deviant soldiers philosophical discussions in an insane asylum. Will bring back the other three and rent another for Christmas evening.

Christmas eve, quiet, cold rain still. New paintings still not dry enough for further work. Sat down and started a water color. Glen Jones is playing free form xmas music like the "Back Door Santa" comes more than one time a year.

Looks like it is going to be sunny tomorrow for Christmas. I will go to Barton for a bracing swim.

Tags: cold, movie, rain
Current Mood: good enough
Current Music: WFMU - The Glen Jones Radio Programme featuring X-Ray Burns

When I got a new AC earlier this year it came with one of those fancy programable controllers that are so very difficult to figure out. Waking up to a cold house, 70ºƒ (40º outside at sunrise), it was time to change the temp when the furnace would kick in. Think I have it set to 68º.

In studio: needed to turn on the portable oil filled heater and two layers of clothes. My blood is thin after the long hot texas summer. IProgress on painting. But think it's at a stopping point and will be only looking at it morning and night for awhile until next Saturday.

Have you ever been on TV?

Tags: cold, furnace, programming, studio, weather
Current Mood: chilly
Current Music: WFMU - Leprechaun Catering - The Roar of Pizza Boxes

Finally cold today, out of the nineties and into the 50s.

I woke up to a five o'clock alarm this morning. I had an awful lot to do today. After an expresso. a cup of yogurt and two extra large kiwi fruit I left for school at 6AM. Argh. Went swimming at 6:45, the indoor pool I discovered opens at 6, outdoor at 7. When I finished there was one outdoor swimmer as I sat in the hot tub and did my after swimming stretches. Stopped at O's on the way back to the building and ate a breakfast taco and bought coffee getting back to my office by 8AM.

Then met people I was supposed to meet on Tuesday, met three grads but somehow got late to the last two. I'm exhausted and dingy. Then set up things for model to be surrounded by and ate lunch in the grad painting studio.

Afternoon was spent talking to 9 drawing students and keep the class room moving.

I'm way tired, but a bit earlier to head over to my reading group which this month is very close to school.

Tomorrow up at 6AM, need to get blood drawn before my physical early again. Then scan, draw before a presentation of my pre texas work for the first year grads.

I am so exhausted and tired. But to book club I go.

Tags: cold, morning swim, talk talk talk, weather
Current Mood: exhausted
Current Music: WFMU - Professor Dum Dum's Lab