I was in heaven today at Whole Foods. The produce was so beautiful I wanted to take a picture of it. The bakery was to die for, the entire store was amazing. Imagine the Boston Whole Foods (or any small Whole Foods you’ve been to) magnified by 200%. This store is huge. The aisles are spacious, lots of helpful people eager to answer questions. I just felt healthier walking through there. What an inspiration to eat well and take care of yourself and your environment. I will go back — must brainwash husband into going.

I’ve started teaching kindergarteners art. Talk about an enthusiastic bunch of artists that know how to jump in and just create! These little guys have such abandon and free spirit when it comes to painting. I’ve taught them about primary and secondary colors. They get it! This week they painted their first still life. I had two sunflowers in a vase for them to paint. Van Gogh would be proud. I saw everything from yellow to purple sunflowers. Papers nearly covered in blue. Pink clouds. It was as if they let their little imaginations go wild. As an artist, I need to tap into the process of creating without restrictions or fear of judgment as these children do. They could care less about what others think — they just go for it! Did I tell you how cute these kids are?

I see that our illustrious congressional leaders have come up with a plan. I like the wording of “reasonable” severance pay for ousted CEO’s. Wouldn’t it be nice if when we were fired from a job we’d get reasonable exit packages of millions of $$$ for not doing our jobs well? This really gets my goat!  As individuals, when we make bad financial decisions, we have to pay the consequences. No one is there to bail us out — we just learn the hard way not to do it again. Being a fiscal conservative, I do believe that business is no different. If a business gets itself into hot water then it’s up to them to get themselves out. This however is an entirely different story. I do believe that had Congress not acted it would have had dire consequences for our economy as well as many other markets around the world. In addition to the bail out, I hope Congress implements some boundaries for big business — regulations on lending and investing. I hope this stabilizes the markets and gets the housing industry moving again.

This also speaks to our society as a whole. The goal of buying your own house has been a benchmark of American success because it was not easy to attain. People have to make the personal sacrifice of saving money to afford a house — not handed to them without a down payment and crazy financing to put someone into a house no matter the financial risk.  Just because you live in this country does not mean you are entitled to buy a home. People have to work for it by paying their bills on time, saving their money and establishing good credit histories. Plain and simple.

Our society has become one of instant gratification. I want it and I want it NOW! If everything was so easy to get, it would hold no value. Maybe that’s why some people are walking away from their homes, because they are not fully invested in the commitment. Perhaps with this new policy in our financial markets, our society will follow suit. People will turn from greed and start living lives of simplicity, frugality and common sense. True value in life doesn’t come from “stuff”, it comes from the things that money can’t buy. At the end of your life, will you look back and think of all the material things you had, or will you reminisce on the relationships of your life, the memories of happy times and fulfillment of a life well spent?

Watching the debate tonight I was intrigued by the insistence by Mr. Lehrer to get the two candidates to address each other directly. It took a good half hour for that to happen. Was it my imagination or was John McCain standing with his back toward Senator Obama? He never seemed to look directly at Mr. Obama.  Mr. McCain’s true attitude towards Mr. Obama was evident in his body language and facial gestures. I tend to watch how people hold their bodies and what facial gestures they make to get a good read on what their true feelings are. I am one of those undecided Republicans — right now Mr. McCain hasn’t done anything to get my vote but is pushing me the other way.

I know this might sound petty, but shouldn’t McCain get his teeth whitened?  This is the 21st century. His teeth look tobaco and coffee stain – ugh. I wonder if Cindy makes John eat a BreathSaver before she kisses him.

I love making Raku pieces. Actually anything that is alternative, I love. The unpredictability of the process is what I enjoy most. You just never know what you’re going to get.  Lately, I’ve been making Raku jewelry. I make earrings and pendants.  Some have come out really cool while others will go into the reject  pile or I’ll reglaze and refire. Either way, it’s all good.

I have orders of functional ware to fill this month which is always fun. I get so much personal satisfaction from making something that a person has requested. With the holidays coming up, pottery makes a nice gift that won’t break your budget!

I’ve been writing a novel based on my great grandmother.  The book is a hispanic historic novel.  The journey has taken me through the late 1800′s in colonial Mexico and Spain. I’ve learned about convent life and social rules and restrictions. The more I write, the more I come to realize that Micaela must have been a force to be reckoned with. I hope to find an agent soon as the book is near completion.  Getting it published is my goal.

I love listening to this while I’m working

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v92OsaD40w

Her name is Julieta Venegas. Her music is a nice blend of contemporary Latin music with traditional Mexican undertones. Check her videos out on YouTube.  Limon y Sal is really sweet.

I have the good fortune of having a daughter who is a very talented web designer. Well, I have two daughters actually, the other one is a very talented singer, but that’s another topic. My daughter, Diandra, has created one the finest website around. What does she want in return, you ask? Cookies. Just cookies. Of course, some of her favorites along with some surprises.  There is no way I could have ever done this on my own, and forget about being able to afford such a site (remember, I’m an artist, we really don’t have a lot of money).  I want to publicly say how much I appreciate all the hours of hard work she has put into this site. Within the next few days, it will be completed for all to enjoy. Thank you, thank you, thank you Diandra Mezta for not only being such a great daughter to do this for me, but for being such an incredibly talented person.