Ennui

I've always liked the word "ennui." It's an interesting word, and fun to say. Ahn-wee. So French, so mysterious-sounding.

But ennui is not fun - I started feeling myself dropping into the chasm of boredom toward the end of last week, and I am definitely there now - totally, absolutely, no-question-about-it, bored.

I have hundreds (hundreds!) of unfinished jewelry projects I could be working on - but I don't wanna (said in my best bored 5-year-old voice). My torch enameling stuff is fully set up, and I could simply sit down and start enameling, but - you guessed it - I don't wanna. I have brand spanking-new beadweaving tutorials I could pick up and start (remember how excited I was to do one last week? Yeah, that feeling passed, and I can't seem to muster it again.) I have hundreds of jewelry books - I could whip some out and dive into ... anything. Heck - I own a bead shop - thousands of beads, lots of wire - anything I could wish to work with, but I am not in the mood.

I need something to ... happen. That's all. Something fun, something inspiring. Doesn't even have to be jewelry-related! Is that asking too much?

Like maybe a fun, exciting, new class to attend - learn something totally new!

Or maybe I could win the lottery - but, that would require buying tickets, and - well, I can't afford to spend money on lottery tickets!

I know this happens to others - and I know it will pass. Just venting a little.

Thanks for listening. Encouraging words welcome!

OMG I'm Bored

I am so incredibly bored today that I am wandering around the living room taking pictures of stuff.

The boredom started yesterday - I spent some time beading (bead-crocheting, actually) - but making a bead crochet rope is just (to me) incredibly repetitive and boring.

And there was nothing good on TV, to keep me rooted to my seat while beading. So I didn't get much done - and the same was true today - I worked for about 2 hours on the rope crochet, but then I had absolutely had it.

So I just grabbed the camera, and started walking around.

I have an absolutely incredible lapidary collection - I have been collecting specimens for over 40 years. I even had a rock tumbler in elementary school, and tumbled rocks I found around Minnesota (where I lived at the time) for weeks, and weeks, and weeks.

This picture shows an agatized coral head, from a riverbed in Tennessee. And in the foreground, a gigantic piece of raw malachite, purchased from a published collector who travels through Afghanistan collecting malachite. (Or at least, he used to). This particular specimen is about 8 inches in diameter, and over 12 inches long.





When I was 5, I was hospitalized for about 3 months, and desperately needed things to keep me busy. I had a Lite-Brite - remember those? But after a couple of weeks, I had finished every single design available, and so my Dad brought in some fabric, and beautiful threads, and needles, and a embroidery-frame he had made himself just for me - it was adjustable to many different sizes, and the tension could be finely adjusted - it was a piece of art itself!

And then he taught me all kinds of needlepoint, including crewel.

And I spent hours doing crewel - and continued until I was in my 30s.


I made these 2 wall hangings, which have moved with me over the years, but always find a place in my living room, wherever I set up house.










This lamp was handmade by Wishon-Harrell in their Muncie, Indiana, studio. I lived in Muncie for about 5 years, and knew both these gentlemen well, and have a lot of their artwork - many lamps, and a wall clock, and vases, and candle-holders, and entire set of dishes, including a casserole and drinking tumblers.

I have heard rumors that their studio is closed - of course, it was back in the early '80s that I lived there and frequented their studio.


OMG - I'm not only bored, I'm old.