the soapbox.

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Sat, 11 Jun 2011 00:37:36 -0400

Pet Poison Prevention Week

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:14:00 -0400

Last Christmas I hosted an Ugly Sweater Christmas Party. The event was a massive (and hideous) success. After the punch bowl had emptied, the playlist had been played out and the guests had gone, I found myself playing the after-hours hostess, trying to pull the kitchen into some state of order around 2:00 a.m. Unamused by the late night disaster control, my little dog trotted off, presumably to bed.

If you’ve ever owned a pet (or a child, I’m also told) you realize, while golden, there is a certain silence that immediately raises red flags that something (or more likely, someone) is up to no good. That night as I scrubbed dishes in the kitchen, it was an almost-inaudible thud on the living room floor that set off the warning. I dashed in to discover my miniature pinscher (in his 13-lb glory) standing on the coffee table with his head dunked deep into a candy dish full of hershey kisses. For a brief moment he glanced up at me, snout immersed in the bowl, the slightest trace of guilt flashing in his eyes, and then he did the unthinkable … started chowing down faster, wrappers and all. (sidenote: In retrospect it probably wasn’t guilt I saw in his eyes that night, more likely the conniving mind of a tiny dog calculating how quickly his mistress could make it across the living room to snatch his stash away.)

After a frantic call to the vet, who advised me to monitor the situation, I retreated to my other resident expert … Google. The more I read the more I discovered how many strange and unusual things dogs decide to eat, for reasons beknownst only to themselves. While many of the incidents were comical, disgusting or just plain costly —- there are far too many stories that ended in tragedy.

March 14-20 is National Pet Poison Prevention Week, a great time to focus on keeping your pets safe & healthy.

We all know to keep the Hershey Bar and antifreeze away from Fido, but did you know that something as seemingly innocuous as a grape could pose a potential threat to your furry friend?

Click READ MORE below to learn about potential pet hazards and poisons. Educating yourself will not only spare you from shelling out hundreds of dollars for an emergency vet visit, your pet’s life very well may depend on it.

In 2009, the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) in Urbana, IL, handled more than 140,000 cases of pets exposed to toxic substances, many of which included everyday household products.

Below is a list of the top 10 pet poisons that affected our furry friends in 2009.

Human Medications

For several years, human medications have been number one on the ASPCA’s list of common hazards, and 2009 was no exception. Last year, the ASPCA managed 45,816 calls involving prescription and over-the-counter drugs such as painkillers, cold medications, antidepressants and dietary supplements. Pets often snatch pill vials from counters and nightstands or gobble up medications accidentally dropped on the floor, so it’s essential to keep meds tucked away in hard-to-reach cabinets.

Insecticides

In our effort to battle home invasions by unwelcome pests, we often unwittingly put our furry friends at risk. In 2009, ASPCA toxicologists fielded 29,020 calls related to insecticides. One of the most common incidents involved the misuse of flea and tick products—such as applying the wrong topical treatment to the wrong species. Thus, it’s always important to talk to your pet’s veterinarian before beginning any flea and tick control program.

People Food

People food like grapes, raisins, avocado and products containing xylitol, like gum, can seriously disable our furry friends, and accounted for more than 17,453 cases in 2009. One of the worst offenders—chocolate—contains large amounts of methylxanthines, which, if ingested in significant amounts, can cause vomiting, diarrhea, panting, excessive thirst, urination, hyperactivity, and in severe cases, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors and seizures. Click here to read more about table scraps that pose a serious health risk to your pet.

Plants

Common houseplants were the subject of 7,858 calls to APCC in 2009. Varieties such as azalea, rhododendron, sago palm, lilies, kalanchoe and schefflera are often found in homes and can be harmful to pets. Lilies are especially toxic to cats, and can cause life-threatening kidney failure even in small amounts.

Veterinary Medications

Even though veterinary medications are intended for pets, they’re often misapplied or improperly dispensed by well-meaning pet parents. In 2009, the ASPCA managed 7,680 cases involving animal-related preparations such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, heartworm preventatives, de-wormers, antibiotics, vaccines and nutritional supplements.

Rodenticides

Last year, the ASPCA received 6,639 calls about pets who had accidentally ingested rat and mouse poisons. Many baits used to attract rodents contain inactive ingredients that are attractive to pets as well. Depending on the type of rodenticide, ingestions can lead to potentially life-threatening problems for pets including bleeding, seizures or kidney damage.

Household Cleaners

Everybody knows that household cleaning supplies can be toxic to adults and children, but few take precautions to protect their pets from common agents such as bleaches, detergents and disinfectants. Last year, the ASPCA received 4,143 calls related to household cleaners. These products, when inhaled by our furry friends, can cause serious gastrointestinal distress and irritation to the respiratory tract.

Heavy Metals

It’s not too much loud music that constitutes our next pet poison offender. Instead, it’s heavy metals such as lead, zinc and mercury, which accounted for 3,304 cases of pet poisonings in 2009. Lead is especially pernicious, and pets are exposed to it through many sources, including consumer products, paint chips, linoleum, and lead dust produced when surfaces in older homes are scraped or sanded.

Garden Products

It may keep your grass green, but certain types of fertilizer and garden products can cause problems for outdoor cats and dogs. Last year, the ASPCA fielded 2,329 calls related to fertilizer exposure, which can cause severe gastric upset and possibly gastrointestinal obstruction.

Chemical Hazards

In 2009, the ASPCA handled approximately 2,175 cases of pet exposure to chemical hazards. A category on the rise, chemical hazards—found in ethylene glycol antifreeze, paint thinner, drain cleaners and pool/spa chemicals—form a substantial danger to pets. Substances in this group can cause gastrointestinal upset, depression, respiratory difficulties and chemical burns.

Prevention is really key to avoiding accidental exposure, but if you suspect your pet has ingested something toxic, please contact your veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center’s 24-hour hotline at (888) 426-4435.

(source: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/)

Pet Lovers Beware: The Ugly Truth About Table Scraps

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:00:00 -0400

It has long been said by veterinary professionals and other dog experts that “people food” can be harmful to dogs. However, many dog owners continue to feed table scraps and other random foods to their dogs. The truth is, some foods ARE safe for dogs while others are downright poisonous. Learn which foods to avoid before you toss fido his share of the leftovers. It can help your dog avoid serious illness and save you a trip to the emergency room.

Raisins & Grapes

Grapes and Raisins can cause irreversible damage to the kidneys, possible resulting in death.
Ingesting as few as 4-5 grapes or raisins can be poisonous to a 20 pound dog, though the exact toxic dose is not established.
Signs of toxicity include vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, abdominal pain, decreased urine production (possibly leading to lack of urine production), weakness and drunken gait.
Onset of signs typically occurs within 24 hours (though they can start just a few hours after consumption)
Your vet may start by inducing vomiting, or the stomach might be pumped (gastric lavage). Treatment involves aggressive supportive care - particularly fluid therapy and medications.

Onions

Onions can cause a form of hemolytic anemia called Heinz body anemia, a condition that causes the destruction of red blood cells. Kidney damage may follow.
Toxicity may occur from similar foods such as garlic and chives.
It is not clear what quantity of onions is poisonous, but the effects can be cumulative. Poisoning can result from raw, cooked and dehydrated forms. Avoid feeding table scraps and any foods cooked with onions (including some baby foods). Check your ingredients!
Signs are secondary to anemia, such as pale gums, rapid heart rate, weakness and lethargy. Other signs include vomiting, diarrhea, and bloody urine.
Treatment: blood transfusions and/or oxygen administration may be necessary, followed by specific fluid therapy.

Chocolate

Chocolate and cocoa contain a chemical called theobromide that can adversely affect the heart, lungs, kidney and central nervous system.
Pure baking chocolate is most toxic, while milk chocolate requires a higher quantity to cause harm. A 20 pound dog can be poisoned after consuming about 2 ounces of baking chocolate, but it would take nearly 20 ounces of milk chocolate to cause harm. Ingestion of cacao bean mulch can also be toxic.
Signs include excitement, tremors, seizures, vomiting, diarrhea, abnormal heart rate/rhythm, drunken gait, hyperthermia and coma.
Your vet may induce vomiting or perform gastric lavage. Treatment includes administration of activated charcoal and aggressive supportive care with fluid therapy and medications.

Caffeine

Caffeine is quite similar to the toxic chemical in chocolate. It can damage the heart, lungs, kidney and central nervous system.
Commons sources of toxicity include caffeine pills, coffee beans and coffee, large amounts of tea, and chocolate.
Signs typically begin with restlessness, hyperactivity and vomiting. These can be followed by panting, weakness, drunken gait increased heart rate, muscle tremors and convulsions.
Your vet may induce vomiting or perform gastric lavage. Treatment includes administration of activated charcoal and supportive care with fluid therapy and medications.

Macadamia Nuts

Macadamia nuts, while generally not considered fatal, can cause your dog to experience severe illness.
The actually toxin is not know, nor is the mechanism of toxicity.
Ingestion of just a handful of nuts can cause adverse effects in any dog.
Signs include vomiting, weakness, depression, drunken gait, joint/muscle pain, and joint swelling.
Onset of signs typically occurs within 6-24 hours.
Dogs are typically treated symptomatically and recover within 24-48 hours. In-hospital supportive care may be recommend for dogs that become very sick.

Xylitol

Xylitol is a sugar-free sweetener most often found in chewing gum and candy. In dogs, it stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin, resulting in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Xylitol ingestion can also cause severe liver damage.
As few as two pieces of gum can be hypoglycemia to a 20 pound dog. A pack of gum can cause liver damage.
Signs of toxicity can occur within 30-60 minutes and include weakness, drunken gait, collapse and seizures.
Your vet may induce vomiting or perform gastric lavage. The affected dog will likely need to be treated intravenously with dextrose (sugar) and monitored closely for 1-2 days. Many dogs improve with supportive care if treated early enough, though liver damage can be permanent.

Alcohol & Yeast Dough

Alcoholic beverages contain ethanol - a seriously toxic chemical compound that causes central nervous system and respiratory depression.
Uncooked yeast doughs also produce ethanol.
Even small amounts of ethanol can cause toxic effects.
Signs include sedation, depression, lethargy, weakness, drunken gait and hypothermia (low body temperature).
Ethanol is rapidly absorbed into the system, so it is important to seek medical attention quickly. It is not usually helpful to induce vomiting. Treatment includes aggressive supportive care with fluid therapy and medications.
Under controlled circumstances, alcohol is used by veterinarians as an antidote for antifreeze (ethylene glycol) poisoning.

Fruit Pits & Seeds

Apple seeds, cherry pits, peach pits, and plum pits contain the toxin cyanide.
Signs of cyanide poisoning include vomiting, heavy breathing, apnea tachycardia, cardiac arrhythmias, coma, skin irritation.
In some cases, antidotes are available. Other treatments include oxygen therapy, fluids and supportive care.
Also take note that the leaves, fruit, seeds and bark of avocados contain Persin, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea in dogs. Also, the fat content is not healthy for dogs.

(source: http://dogs.about.com/od/dogandpuppyhealth/tp/toxins.htm )

Calling Finland.

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:24:55 -0500

According to Google Analytics, I have a singular blog reader in Finland. If you are that singular Finnish reader, I’d love to interview you. Leave your contact info in a comment on this post and I will be in touch.

kiitoksia paljon!

Meet Cheryl Sorg

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:59:00 -0500

Name: Cheryl Sorg

Location: Encinitas, California (about 15 miles north of San Diego)
Website: http://www.cherylsorg.com
Twitter: @cherylsorg
Facebook: Facebook

AT: When did you first realize you were an artist?
Cheryl Sorg: I’m pretty sure there was never a time I didn’t know. I would spend hours filling sheet after sheet of paper with little drawings even as a small kid. For many years those sheets would be covered in pictures of shoes and clothes, and I was so, so sure I was going to be a fashion designer - from the time I was preschool age, until I was 19 and majored in fashion design at the University of Cincinnati. Then, suddenly, I had a crisis of faith, dropped out after a year, and spent the next eight years or so trying to figure out what I was going to do, what I was going to study when I finally returned to school.

AT: What is your personal philosophy and how does that translate into your art?
CS: Be passionate, and don’t settle for anything less than extraordinary. I, for some reason, was never able to imagine myself living an ‘ordinary’ life, whatever in the hell that means, so sure was I that I was here for a purpose, and that art had something to do with that purpose. I think my experience with depression might be a big part of forming that philosophy.

I don’t know if any of your readers may have experienced clinical depression before, but there is something about a depressive mindset that is very -very - self-absorbed. I’m sure folks who have no experience of it imagine it as a sort of lacking, a lack of happiness. And it is. But it’s so much more than that, too - much more malicious, much more active. Your brain actively, powerfully, generates negative, destructive thoughts. I suck. I’m useless. My life is pointless. I am not truly - truly - important to anyone. You name it. You are so focused on your pain, so overwhelmed by it, so desperate to find a reason for it.

A lot of time is spent on questions like “What in the hell is the reason for this? What is the purpose of my life? Why in the world do I exist only to feel like this all the time? WHAT IN THE HELL IS THE POINT?”. Over the years, at those times when I was not in the depths of it, I I suppose is when I developed this idea that I seemed to be surviving it, this seemingly not survivable pain, and there must be some reason, something I’m meant to accomplish, much like you hear from people who have been through a near-death experience. Which I guess that kind of depression kind of is. A near-death experience, that is. I know that sounds melodramatic, but I really believe it to be true. I feel lucky to be alive, proud of myself for having had the strength to survive the attacks of my very powerfully destructive brain. Yay me!

AT: What is your background?
CS: Well, I mentioned earlier my having dropped out after a year in college in Cincinnati, and in the eight years after that I worked in retail management - Express, Bath & Body Works,Urban Outfitters - all the while trying to figure out what I would study when I finally returned to school. I had a really hard time figuring out what to do. Though I knew it had something to do with art, I struggled continually with the idea that it should be something practical - art education, art therapy, I don’t know - an application of art, rather than art for art’s sake.

At 25 or so, I got my first ‘real’ camera, took a darkroom class, and fell in love with photography and with that immediately applied to the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. I attended school there - as a photo major - from 1996-1999, graduating when I was 31. I worked as a temp throughout school, then lucked into a lovely job working at the Harvard Medical School just before graduating. I served a kind of cruise director-advisor-mom role there, working closely with the students. Around it, I spent evenings, weekends and vacations in my studio making art. I worked there for four years, until deciding to move to sunny San Diego six years ago for my mental health.

I met Xavier here not long after - five years ago - and now we’ve been married for four years and have two kids!

AT: Besides art, what is your passion?
CS: What brings you joy? Books! Ah, books…… My favorite solitary activity (outside of my studio) is to sit at a coffeeshop, preferably outside (my current favorite coffeeshop, Pannikin, has these great Adirondack chairs on the front lawn) with a book, a sketchbook and pen or pencil. It is meditative, peaceful, inspiring, and always, almost without fail, where I can do my best thinking and idea-jotting.

I don’t get nearly the amount of solitary reading time I’d like these days, however, thanks to the other thing that brings me joy, my husband and kiddos!

AT: Where do you find your inspiration?
CS: Now I’m going to sound like a broken record - books! Much of my art of course is actually constructed from books - that is, they are my building materials - but books also provide my inspiration. The stories, the imagery, the solitude and thinking space that accompany the reading experience, all of it.

I am also inspired by forms. I become fixated on a particular kind of form - sometimes for years - and find my work reflecting that obsession over and over. It used to be grids, a sort of taxonomical laying out of things, as if cataloging them for science or history. Butterflies have made a recurring appearance as a form in my work (and are about to again - shhhhhh….!). Spirals, too, have made countless appearances in my work, and will probably continue to do so. And of course currently I am finding endless inspiration in the arches, loops & whorls of people’s fingerprints. They’re fascinating!

AT: What is your purpose in creating your art?
CS: It is two-fold. First, like many many many artists and writers and the like, I simply have to do it. It is a compulsion, an obsession, a meditation that I do so that my head doesn’t explode.

Second, it is my form of communication. It’s my way of expressing what goes on there in the dark recesses of my brain, what I find amazing, beautiful and important.

People often ask me if it is difficult to part with a piece that I have spent so many dozens or hundreds of hours living with and working on, and my answer is, “Hell no!”. This is partly, of course, because I might be just a little sick of it after all that time spent with it, and be feeling ready to move on to the next idea. Largely, however, it is because it’s very purpose is communication in some form, on some level, and the only way it can do that - communicate, that is - is to be out there in the world, away from me. And if it speaks to someone to the point that they want to pay money for it and live with it, I think that’s fantastic, and very very flattering.

AT: If your art could speak (in words) what would it say?

CS: Think!

AT: Explain the process you go through when you create?
CS: With the bookworks, it can start from two different places. Sometimes it starts with the book, and I work through sketches on coming up with a form that seems appropriate to the themes in the book, and sometimes I have a sketch I’ve done that I particularly like and try to think of a book that would suit it.

Though it varies somewhat, generally the process of the actual making of the piece entails this: I have two copies of the book (in order to get both sides of each page, and therefore the book in its entirety). I tear a page out of the book, cut it apart line by line and lay the lines down in order on my work table. I pick up a line, cut it as I work into tiny pieces and lay the pieces down onto my template (usually a piece of mylar with a sketched guide behind it), still in order, with acid-free clear tape. The large bookworks continue this way until I have incorporated the entire book. It is a ridiculously meticulous (tedious?) process, but I really enjoy it.

AT: How long does a single piece usually take from start fo finish?
CS: That can vary a LOT. One of the nice things about the thumbprint portraits I’m working on these days is that they each take a few dozen hours to complete, as opposed to the hundreds of hours some of the large-scale book pieces (like The Odyssey, Moby Dick, Metamorphoses) took to complete.

In my household, being a stay-at-home mom on top of doing art, a few dozen hours translates into a couple of weeks most of the time. I am working on trying to squeeze more work hours into a day, but it’s a challenge!

AT: How do you decide which books/writings/images you will use for your art? Are they favorites of yours or selected for particular themes?
CS: They are usually favorites and/or classics, and often (surely not by pure coincidence) they have in common obsession as a theme - an obsessive pursuit, a love obsession, a quest, something along those lines.

AT: Which are your favorite pieces and why?
CS: I think my favorite in some ways remains my first huge bookwork - “Surely all this is not without meaning.” (Moby Dick) partly because of its sheer size (it’s eleven feet in diameter), partly because it’s such a pure and simple form (a spiral) and largely for sentimental reasons - it was my first, it got a great response from people, it. I have newer favorites, too. Just last year, I decided to discard a rule I’d been working under for years, as a way of assuaging my guilt over cutting apart books for my work - that the books had to be “in their entirety and in readable order” in the final piece. It was very liberating, and a couple of the very first pieces I made after tossing that rule have special meaning to me. The first of these was “arches, loops & whorls”, made up of snippets of stories by Haruki Murakami, my favorite writer, and then the title from that piece led me to the fingerprints idea, which is the huge, primary focus of my work right now.

AT: What has been your most challenging project and why?
CS: Arggghhhhh…..the Odyssey piece, for sure! It’s called “Sing in me Muse, and through me tell the story…..” (The Odyssey.) I started it in 2002, didn’t complete it until 2009, very nearly threw it in a dumpster more than once in between. If you want to read about my tortured relationship with this piece, here’s a little story about it from my web site.

AT: What qualities/similarities do you find amongst all your pieces, if any?
CS: Well, the recurring forms I talked about earlier for sure - butterflies, grids, spirals, swooping, swirling lines. And the obsession theme - not only do some of the texts reflect that theme, but the methodology by which I work is a kooky, obsessive act as well. So many tiny elements, so many repetitive elements, and so many hours spent on one piece!

AT: How do you think your work translates to others?
CS: Like with any form of art, it depends a LOT on the viewer of course, each viewer bringing to the work a lifetime worth of living, reading, thinking….. But I do think however much it might be about ideas and process to me, it definitely seems the process aspect seems to grab people’s attention and resonate with them. Questions about my process, and of course how much time a piece took, almost always crop up first!

AT: What are the most memorable reactions people have had to your work?
CS: I had a show up in the community room at the local public library last year, and I went in one day to adjust a piece that had been accidentally knocked about on its pedestal, and a little boy, maybe 7 or 8 years old, came up as I was doing it and commented on how cool he thought the piece was (it was my ‘Spinning Yarns’ piece, a small wound ball of text), and I said, “Thank you!” and he replied, “You made that?!”. I told him I’d made all the work in the room and he got really excited and ran to get his mom, calling, “Mom, this lady made all of this!!!!”. The mom was equally great, telling me she thought I rocked (which of course I loved), and after I spoke to them for a few minutes and they went to leave, the boy turned and spontaneously gave me a huge hug around my waist. It has to be one of the best ‘reviews’ ever. Really great.

AT: Where can we go to see your work?
CS: Last year was a great, crazy year. It was the first time I’d had back-to-back shows for an entire year! I had two solo shows here in my area (the library show, and a show at the Eric Phleger Gallery), as well as work included in two museum shows (at the Torrance Art Museum and the Long Beach Museum of Art). This year is more focused on making than showing. I did have a double thumbprint portrait last month in a local show called ‘Movers & Shakers’, put on by the San Diego Visual Arts Network - the portrait’s subject, Angela Carone, the Arts & Culture Producer at KPBS, wrote this lovely testimonial about the collaborative process of making the piece, which was really nice. I’m also donating thumbprint portrait commissions to several charitable auctions over the course of the next few months, at my alma mater The Massachusetts College of Art & Design in Boston, at the ArtReach auction at San Diego Artwalk in April, and at a gala for the West Marine Challenged America Regatta this summer. Online, of course, there’s my web site, and a very tiny selection of things are listed in my new Etsy shop as well.

Do you sell your work? If no, where does it reside?
CS: I do! Like many creative types I suppose, I’m not fantastic at dealing with money, so there is no direct selling through my web site, though inquiries about buying existing pieces and/or commissioning new work is of course welcome. I do have the Etsy shop, but it is not comprehensive. I could stand to sell more, absolutely - it would be lovely if it at least paid for itself, even (dare I hope?) brought in extra money someday! The work that isn’t yet sold lives in my studio, on the walls of our house, and at the Eric Phleger Gallery. Fortunately, my husband and kids are all very big fans of my work, and so they love being surrounded by it. Lucky me!

AT: Any awards/recognitions you’re exceptionally proud of?
CS: A couple, yes ….. receiving a MacDowell Fellowship, to go to the Colony and reside and work there for a month back in 2002 was a HUGE honor, and the experience was just heaven. And the first of my huge bookworks - the Moby Dick piece (“Surely all this is not without meaning.”), which was in a show called ‘Parsing the Line’ at the Workspace Gallery in New York City got this mention in the New York Times: “The most impressive piece in this show of artists who incorporate literary texts into their works is an 11-foot circle by Cheryl Sorg, which upon close examination turns out to be ‘Moby Dick’ cut and pasted into a very long spiral.”. Thrilling. Thrilling!

AT: What are three things you can’t live without?
CS: Books, iced tea and jeans

AT: What is a little-known fact about you?
CS: I am afraid to ride a bike! I don’t know where it came from, but years ago I rented a bike on Martha’s Vineyard and had a complete panic attack - racing heartbeat, sweaty palms and everything - and haven’t ridden a bicycle since. Now, I ride an adult TRIcycle! It is awesome. I live in a sleepy little tourist beach town, so it is the perfect beach cruiser. It’s a hell of a workout, because it is very heavy all on its own, plus I usually have one or both kids with me (child seat / trail-a-bike….) and there are no gears. Inclines are just a bit of a challenge.

AT: If your life had taken a different path, what do you think you would be doing now?
CS: I loathe to think about it taking much of a different path, for fear that that path might not have led me to Xavier, and our making those beautiful kiddos of ours! That said, though, there are certain things I fantasize about - going to graduate school and getting a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, or maybe grad school in London for a Ph.D. in Studio Art, living in a giant loft in New York City, or San Francisco…… Who knows, maybe one or more of these things could still happen, with the hubby and kids!

Tell us a little bit about your family? Are your kids following in your artist footsteps?
CS: Hugo is 3 1/2 and Esmé will be two in April, and they both LOVE to color and paint. They have very different styles - Hugo loves to grab a pen in his fist and do wild, looping, manic swoops of intensive colors, filling the page, and Esmé, true to her studios and delicate nature, holds the pen delicately and draws tiny, meticulous, deliberate little sketches, and she looks so serious and focused when she does it. They both also absolutely love stripping down and painting their faces and bodies instead of the paper - I have some great photos of them in their full painted glory! They are also both BIG booklovers, which thrills me, and very athletic as well (which they get from Xavier, definitely not from me!) and both love to dance. It’s so fun to imagine all the things they might do and be when they grow up - right now I kind of picture Hugo as a golfer and Esmé as a dancer. We’ll see!!!

AT: I know you said you said your husband was a scientist, what do you enjoy about the meshing of a scientific mind and artistic spirit in the same household?
CS: It’s great - we complement each other in lots of ways - scientist/artist, French/American, logical/emotional…… it keeps things interesting!

***Stay tuned for Part II of my interview with Cheryl about her large-scale installation “Under No One’s Thumb,” a project raising funds for and awareness of the plight of those affected by global sex trafficking.

Bounty from Texasfood.com

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:07:27 -0500

Bounty from Texasfood.com

How I Celebrated Texas Independence Day

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:00:00 -0500

Nom Nom

As fate would have it (or at least the mailman) I received a most delightful package in the mail today from none other than Texasfood.com. At the end of what turned out to be a rather grueling 14-hour workday, it was a welcome reward to finally unwind whilst digging through the styrofoam peanuts blanketing the Texan bounty within.

I figured breaking into the hot sauce at 10:00 pm would lead to breaking into the Tums at 1:00 am, but simply could not resist the urge to sample at least some of the goods. I opted for a peanut-buttery nightcap, the Cowboy Crunch, an unassuming little brick nestled at the bottom of the box. The product description plugs Cowboy Crunch as “flaky and delicious…not really peanut brittle and not quite peanut fudge.” Nom nom ensues.

I am back from the great culinary beyond and I have no idea what is going on in Belverde, Texas to create such a heavenly treat, but I can say only this 1) I approve. 2) oh. em. gee.

The only way I can think to describe Cowboy Crunch is as the lovechild that would emerge if the innards of a Butterfinger mated with a slice of peanut butter fudge…then a fairy floated down from a cloud to sprinkle it with deliciousness…then the Pope rolled up in his Popemobile and gave it a quick blessing. All before wrapping it in delicate cellophane and sealing with a whole lotta love and a dash of Texan badassness (which isn’t a word, but should be) for good measure.

My dog spent the ENTIRE evening sulking because I didn’t share with him. No joke. I tried to take a picture of his theatrics in progress, but every time he saw me reach for the camera, he came sprinting over thinking that I was reaching for an unconsumed morsel of Cowboy Crunch only to be disappointed and disgusted by his selfish, selfish human.

Human gives it two thumbs up.
Dog gives it the stink eye from the corner of the room.

Thanks again to Jason Russo (@TexasFood) for a taste of home.

"I think Texans have more fun than the rest of the world."

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:00:00 -0500

““I think Texans have more fun than the rest of the world.””

- Tommy Tune

Photo

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:00:00 -0500

Meet TexasFood.com

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:00:00 -0500

Happy Texas Independence Day, y’all!

A Brief History Lesson on The Lone Star State

I can hear many of you non-Texans scratching your heads asking yourselves “Wtf? Texas Independence Day? What are those kooks up to this time?” Don’t deny it.

Texas Independence Day commemorates the adoption of the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836. This event marked Texas’ independence from Mexico. The Republic of Texas was annexed to the US by joint resolution of the US Congress nine years after the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed. US Congress then admitted Texas as a constituent state of the Union on December 29, 1845.

Texas Independence Day is an official holiday in Texas. If you live here, happy holiday! If you don’t, your loss in more ways than one.

But enough with this history hooha, on to the celebration of Texas food!

Meet Texasfood.com

I love making new friends. I super love making new friends who offer to send me a box full of Texas foodstuffs in the mail. Clearly I missed the boat during the childhood lesson on accepting food from strangers.

Having said that, you can imagine my delight when I met Jason Russo, owner of Texasfood.com. Texasfood.com is an online marketplace and community that connects Texas food lovers with Texas food producers. Shoppers can browse through hundreds of authentic Texas-made foods and have them shipped directly to their door. The store offers standard Texan staples such as sauces, jellies, seasonings and marinades as well as slightly more exotic fare, including the curiously named “Brownie Butts” and pickled quail eggs.

This week I had the opportunity to sit down with Jason and learn a little bit more about Texasfood.com. I use the phrase “sit down” loosely, however, as Jason is currently on the road with SpicyRV, a rapscallion pack of heat-lovin’ Texans headed across the country for the 22nd Fiery Foods & Barbque Show in Albuquerque, NM.

Coming to you live-ish from an RV-generator somewhere in the Southwestern USA… meet Jason Russo, the man behind Texasfood.com.

Company Name: Texas Food
Company location: Houston, TX
Website: http://www.texasfood.com
Twitter: @TexasFood
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TexasFood

AT: What is your background?
JR: I was born and raised in Houston, TX. I am a spicy food and bbq lover and overall Texas food fanatic. I graduated with a BBA in Computer Information Systems from University of Houston-Downtown in 2003.

AT: Tell us a little bit about TexasFood.com’s history?
JR: TexasFood.com started as a hobby, an outlet for my love of food and a way to discover new Texas foods I hadn’t tried before. The website originally went online as txfood.com in mid 2008 and everything was switched over to texasfood.com when I was able to acquire the domain in January of 2009. Over that time the website has grown to over 350 products from 40 different suppliers.

AT: What inspired you to create Texasfood.com?
JR: I’ve owned the domain txfood.com for several years but wasn’t doing anything with it. One day in early 2008 I had a light bulb moment and decided to go ahead and use my skills in web design and marketing to try and build something out of it.

AT: What was your vision when you established TexasFood.com?
JR: My vision for TexasFood.com is to create a place where Texas food lovers and Texas food manufacturers can come together. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of small independent food manufacturers in Texas. TexasFood.com gives them a way to get exposure for their products.

AT: Which of your products are the most popular?
JR: The number #1 selling product is Texas Gunpowder from Sucklebusters which is pure ground jalapeno powder. A close second is The Original Bread & Butter Jalapenos from West Texas Pepper Traders.

AT: What is your personal favorite product(s) in the store?
JR: It’s very hard to pick a favorite, but my current two personal favorites are Hoochie Mama Rub and Tropical Storm Grilling Sauce.

AT: Which product(s) pack/s the meanest punch when it comes to spice?
JR: The spiciest product I carry is the Devil’s Lightning Hot Sauce from Cin Chili. It’s made from the hottest chili in the world, the Bhut Jolokia.

AT: What is the most unusual product in the store?
JR: The most unusual product in the store is probably Brownie Butts, which are created from the crispy edges when you cook a batch of brownies. They come in 12 unique flavors, and are an instant discussion piece simply because of the cheeky name and the unique product. Everyone loves those crispy edges, and Mary Louise Butters was smart enough to package them up and sell them.

AT: Tell us about your clientele? Are most of your sales through Texans buying locally? Or do you receive orders from outside the borders?
JR: The majority of orders on TexasFood.com are actually from outside of the state. Only about 15-20% of the orders are purchased from within Texas. Outside of the U.S. I have sent orders to Canada and Germany. Many of the orders are from people who have travelled to Texas, picked up some food along the way and want to order more to share with friends and family.

AT: Any vendors with unique stories?
JR: Many of the vendors are using recipes that have been passed down for generations. Very few actually grow the products they sell but one vendor, Uncertain Farms in Seguin, TX grows farm fresh produce and manufacturers all of their products on 17 acres.

AT: Does a product have to be completely grown/manufactured in Texas to qualify as a Texas food? If not, what are the requirements?
JR: The main requirement to be able to qualify to be listed on the website is that the company must be based in Texas. Almost all of the items are also grown and produced in Texas, however some products require certain ingredients that are imported such as the Malabar black pepper and New Mexico chile powder found in Gordon’s Spiced Pepper. All items sold in the store help support a Texas company.

AT: Is there anything that has surprised you since launching Texasfood.com?
JR: There shear number of food manufacturers in Texas has amazed me. Based upon the member listing on the GO Texan website ( an organization run by the department of agriculture ), I knew there would be plenty of potential suppliers, but I have been pleasantly surprised at the enormous number of suppliers of Texas food.

AT: If you were making the perfect Texan meal, what would it be?
JR: For me it would have to consist of BBQ. The BBQ cut of choice in Texas is smoked brisket. ( Oh, and by the way, cooking hot dogs and hamburgers over charcoal is NOT BBQ ). You know the brisket is done right if it doesn’t require sauce. My plate would consist of brisket, sausage, sliced white bread, pinto beans and potato salad. To top it off a slice of pecan pie.

AT: What three words summarize Texan food in general?
JR: Flavorful, Hearty, and Spicy

AT: Have you sampled everything you sell? Did anything make you cry?
JR: I have sampled at least one product from each manufacturer. It’s difficult when you are dealing with over 350 products, I would have to try one each day for almost year to get through them all! Nothing has made me cry yet, unless you consider crying for joy when I sampled the Honey Creek Gourmet Chocolate Covered Cowboy Crunch.

AT: Why is Texas so awesome?
JR: To me, Texas is a country within a country. If you check the history of Texas it actually was it’s own country from 1836-1846. We had to fight for our independence. Because of this, Texans are born with a bucket full of pride. Texas is also awesome because it’s so big there is something for everyone. Big cities, small towns, rivers, plains, prairies, forest, deserts, coastline, and even mountains.

AT: Explain the Spicy RV roadtrip? (Who, what, when, where, why)
JR: The Spicy RV road trip is a group of four Houstonians who are making a road trip from Houston, TX to the 22nd Annual National Fiery Food and Barbecue show in Albuquerque, NM. You can find more information about the trip at www.spicyrv.com (or follow the adventure on twitter @spicyrv)

AT: How did you become involved with the project?
JR: I became involved in the project through a business associate and friend, the guy leading the expedition James Beck of eatmoreheat.com . Once he told me about the trip, I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

AT: What’s the goal of SpicyRV?
JR: The overall goal of the Spicy RV is to get picked up as a television show in order to be able to travel the country to discover and share all the great spicy food that is out there.

AT: What new things will be buzzing around for TexasFood.com in 2010?
JR: 2010 is shaping up to be a big year. It’s a little premature to announce anything, but there are lots of exciting things in the works. I can guarantee there will be a ton of new products added to the website.

To send your loved ones a taste of home from the greatest state in the nation (or be selfish and keep it all for yourself) visit Texasfood.com.

For a front-row seat to the roadside debauchery check out SpicyRV.com

Faces of the lives saved thanks to Friends of the Shelter &...

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:15:00 -0500

Faces of the lives saved thanks to Friends of the Shelter & the generosity of their supporters

Friends of the Shelter Need Your Help!

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 08:00:00 -0500

MEET FRIENDS OF THE SHELTER

Friends of the Shelter is a non-profit organization established to coordinate fundraising that directly benefits the dogs of the Franklin County Dog Shelter. FOTS is organized exclusively to provide financial support for medical, educational and adoption programs, which address the pet overpopulation problem and promote responsible pet ownership in our community.

MEET PATRICK.

This is Patrick, a 3-month old puppy at the Franklin County Dog Shelter. Patrick needed surgical repair of a severely fractured leg that was successfully performed late last week. Fortunately for Patrick, he came to the attention of the Friends of the Shelter on January 29, just last Friday. But unfortunately, Patrick is the last dog that will receive medical/surgical and recuperative kennel care through FOTS without your immediate support.

THE BAD NEWS

On an average month, FOTS spends nearly $15,000 for medical care that includes: x-rays and other diagnostic services; medicine and infirmary care for the treatment of kennel cough and heartworm, surgical repair of orthopedic injuries; as well as off-site boarding for the sick and injured animals. This medical care made available to Shelter dogs is not funded by tax dollars. These services that have saved the lives of over 400 shelter dogs last year alone are financially supported only through your generous donations to Friends of the Shelter.

The difficult economic climate of 2009 has negatively impacted overall donations to Friends of the Shelter. At the same time, more dogs came to the Shelter in need of FOTS-funded medical services. Unfortunately at this time, the reserves have been depleted, and FOTS can only continue to fund dogs who are already enrolled in the program.

Due to a critical shortage of funds, FOTS has regretfully informed Shelter administrators and Franklin County officials that as of Monday February 1, Friends of the Shelter cannot financially support any additional shelter dogs transferred to the Off-Site Infirmary Care Program.

FOTS needs to raise funds immediately to restart the funding for life-saving medical care for Franklin County dogs. In order to prevent further interruptions in medical services, FOTS seeks to raise $50,000 by March 1.

THE GOOD NEWS – You can Help!

Your support will help re-establish Friends of the Shelter’s life-saving programs, so that dogs like Patrick, have opportunity for a healthy, happy new life. Make a donation to Friends of the Shelter today. Spread the word by asking your dog-loving friends, neighbors and co-workers to do so, too. Donations can be made through our donations page or by mail to:

Friends of the Shelter, 5852 Heritage Lakes Drive, Hilliard, OH 43026

Every penny of every gift matters. As an all-volunteer organization, Friends of the Shelter assures that your financial gift is being used as you intended….helping a needy Shelter dog. Thank you in advance for your generous gift to help us reach our goal of $50,000 by March 1.

PAPERS FOR PUPS – TODAY, Feb. 28 from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

In order to reach their goal of raising $50,000 by March 1, FOTS has partnered with the good people at The Columbus Paper Shredding Company for a one-day donation driven indoor shred day at their Polaris Destruction Center.

Gather up all of your old files, tax returns, bank statements and any other papers you may have (limit 5 boxes or bags per car please) and head to The Columbus Paper Shredding Company’s Polaris Destruction Center located at 8692 Olde Worthington Road, Suite 103, Westerville 43082 on Saturday, February 27th 2010 from 8am-4pm.

If saving a life isn’t reason enough, here are a few other perks of today’s event:

Indoor event! Rain or shine we’ll be open!
No lifting required! We’ll unload the car for you!
Drive-thru style event for faster, easier service!
Business owners and managers welcome!
Help protect your family from I.D. theft and support a great cause all at the same time!

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Friends of the Shelter website
Happy Tales: Meet the lives saved by FOTS
Follow FOTS on twitter
Franklin County Dog Shelter: Consider Adoption: Save a Life & Meet Your New Best Friend
The Columbus Paper Shredding Company: A local business with heart

(information in the post courtesy of Friends of the Shelter, Franklin County Dog Shelter and Columbus Paper Shredding)

Vote for Amy: Yes We Can

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:32:00 -0500

Though I generally like to keep the shameless plugs to a minimum, today I am recruiting Barrio9 readers to vote for my logo design, which is in the running for the official HAPPO (Help a PR Pro Out) logo. Polls close tomorrow, so act fast!

How to Make Amy Happy in 3 Easy Steps (read: HOW TO VOTE)

1. Click HERE
2. Select AMY
3. Click VOTE

"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role..."

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:30:00 -0500

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.”

- Gilda Radner

Bigger Dogs Offer "More 2 Luv"

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:24:00 -0500

Faces of the Franklin County Animal Shelter. These dogs are currently awaiting a forever home. Could you be their forever family?

February 15. The chocolates have been eaten, the bouquets trimmed and vased, and while love lingers in the air, 171 Franklin County residents are still waiting for a Valentine of their very own.

Their stories are different, but they share one thing in common: all of these lonely hearts find themselves unexpectedly homeless by no fault of their own. Be it foreclosure, financial hardship, the death of a parent or simply abandonment – while these loyal, loving residents have lost the creature comforts they once knew, they have not lost hope. Despite all odds, the simple pleasure of a scratch behind the ears or the sight of a tennis ball can get their tails wagging again.

Share the Love, Save a Life

The Franklin County Animal Shelter currently has 171 dogs available for adoption. They come in a wide range of sizes, ages, breeds and personalities – and each one is eager to walk out the shelter doors with their forever family.

Now through February 21, the Shelter is running a program called “More 2 Luv,” offering half-price adoptions on all dogs over 45 pounds. Larger dogs, who are often overlooked by potential adopters, not only give you more to love, they’ve got more love to give!

Though Valentines may have come and gone, if you find yourself with a seasonal surplus of love to give, and the time and financial resources to add a four-legged friend to your family, please consider visiting a local shelter or rescue group to give a “recycled” dog a second chance at the life and love he deserves.

Become a Sponsor Superhero

Unable to make the commitment, but still want to do something to help spread the love? Consider sponsoring a dog through Friends of the Shelter.

Dozens of new dogs enter the Franklin County Dog Shelter every day. Some are injured or sick, while others have never been appropriately vaccinated and easily catch colds once they enter our overcrowded building. The shelter infirmary is simply too small to accommodate the number of sick and injured dogs who are in need of help.

The Off-Site Infirmary Care Program, established in 2005, allows the Shelter to save dogs’ lives every day by expanding the number they can treat and subsequently place into loving, permanent homes. This innovative program is not funded by tax dollars, and remains fully dependent on donations made to Friends of the Shelter.

Make a $35 donation towards our off-site infirmary services and the Shelter will proudly display your name or dedication of your choice on the photo of a dog…a life YOU have helped save.

"I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me,..."

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0500

“I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naive or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman.”

- Anais Nin

Love146 Valentines

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 09:12:00 -0500

Love146 Valentines

LoveBowl

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Regular readers of Barrio9 know that I am a huge fan and supporter of Love146, an organization committed to ending child sex slavery and human trafficking. I recently issued a Valentines assignment asking our craftily-inclined readers to put their skills to work by creating valentines for the girls at the Round Home, Love146’s rehabilitation facility for survivors of sexual exploitation.

LoveBowl 2010

On Superbowl Sunday, a handful of glitter-shakin’, etsy-lovin’ gal pals gathered in my kitchen for an event that became affectionately known as the “LoveBowl” in “Kitchen Stadium.” As the rest of the country cheered on the Colts and the Saints, the Love Team showed up, scissors in tow, sporting equal amounts of enthusiasm for the task at hand. By the end of the night, we had created a table-full of valentines – embellished with delicate beading, paper rosebuds, baubles and trim.

As fate would have it, while live-tweeting updates from the LoveBowl, my path intertwined with an amazing woman and inspiring artist named Cheryl Sorg, who was organizing a Love146 valentines project of her own on the opposite side of the country.

This week I had the opportunity to speak to Cheryl about the project, her involvement with the cause and her take on the healing power of art.

The Interview

Amy: What inspired you to coordinate this project?
Cheryl Sorg: Since reading David Batstone’s Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade–and How We Can Fight It a little over a year ago, I have been committed to figuring out a way in which I can use what I do (art) to help bring attention to the problem of modern day slavery – especially sexual slavery and child sexual exploitation – and contribute to its eradication.

I just had no idea the extent of the problem, the enormity and widespread nature of it. I had no idea, for example, that so many people who work as sex workers are enslaved and forced to do it. I certainly felt that few do it willingly, but I think I imagined before that it was something more like a lack of options and economic desperation that drew people to sex work, not actual, literal physical enslavement; being locked up, drugged, beaten – AND getting none of the money.

I imagine that’s true of a lot of people, they just don’t know it’s happening, and that it’s happening everywhere. Yes, there are areas of the world where it’s an even bigger problem than here, but it IS happening right here, in every state in our country. Craigslist, for example, who supposedly eliminated their erotic services section on their web site, but merely renamed the section and added some obligatory wording about reporting the suspected exploitation of minors, provides a venue for the advertisement of enslaved young girls for sex, alongside yard sales, used cars and apartments for rent.

Young, middle-class suburban girls get blackmailed into sexually servicing groups of men with the threat of the exposure of incriminating photos taken of them by supposed boyfriends. You don’t need to live in a developing country, in a bad home or on the street to be vulnerable to sex trafficking, and it’s scary, horrifying and disgusting to me, as a mother of young children, and as a human being. Any tiny little thing I can do to make people aware of the problem, to make people willing to acknowledge it, talk about, and – dare we hope – DO something about it, I am trying to do.

In short, I wanted to create an inviting project, which allowed people to have fun and be creative while also learning a bit about a horrific problem and a lovely organization, Love146, working so hard to do something about it. In addition to the art materials provided at the event were informational cards about Love146 and printouts of Love146’s Trafficking Facts handout from their web site.

AT: Where did the event take place?
CS: The folks at Pannikin Coffee & Tea, my local coffeeshop / home away from home, were kind enough to let us hold the event there. We were going to do it outside on their front lawn, as to encourage coffee shop patrons to stop by and participate, in addition to invited participants, however we had some crazy windy, rainy weather that day and Pannikin extended their kindness even farther by letting us take over the downstairs, where they do their coffee roasting (and take over we did!)

AT: How many people participated?
CS: I’d say about fifteen invited people came, including a handful of kiddos – and THEN lots of patrons stopped by who saw the signs up, so altogether we probably had about thirty people or so. Lots of kids got into it, which was really lovely. Let’s see….about half a dozen men, twelve to fifteen women and ten or so kids, ranging in age from infant to about eleven or twelve. My own kiddos, Esmé (22 months) and Hugo (3 1/2) took part as well! And my husband, Xavier, too, who is a scientist and almost never undertakes artistic endeavors – he made at least four or five, and I was so tickled!

Also my mom, who lives in Michigan, having seen my mentions of the Love146 Valentine’s project on Facebook, took it upon herself to make FIFTY valentines on her own and send them to Love146! I had no idea she was even doing it until she’d already done it and sent them off!

AT: How many valentines were made?
CS: Seventy-four!!!

AT: Who provided the materials?
CS: I provided the bulk of the materials – lots of cool, fun, miscellaneous things leftover from past art projects and past teaching experiences. My friend Kelly, a fellow artist who lives in the neighborhood, brought a bunch of cool things as well, including a roll of red glitter wrapping paper, which was a very big hit. And a shop owner in the neighborhood, Patricia, who owns a lovely shop called Embellishments, donated lots of Valentines-themed ribbons for the project.

AT: What materials were available to the artists?
CS: I, apparently, am somewhat girlie and love-obsessed in my work – a lot of the detritus of my past projects was weirdly appropriate to Valentine-making! From past and abandoned work of mine I had a bunch of little paper ‘quilts’ made from squares cut from areas of pink from the pages of fashion magazines, pink paper dolls, hand-stitched paper butterflies, black leather flowers and origami cranes, lilies, fish and boats made from the pages of Japanese books. Other goodies on hand were rubber stamps, tiny wooden clothespins, needles and thread, ribbons and raffia, buttons, pink and purple paper hearts, glassine envelopes and big stack of canvas hearts gessoed white, to name just a few.

AT: Did you give them creative direction, or were participants free to follow their inspiration?
CS: Participants were completely free to follow their own inspiration! The nature of the materials being what it was probably helped guide a bit, but people came up with all kinds of beautiful, original and creative ways to use the materials at hand.

AT: What was the most memorable/inspiration part of the event?
CS: Actually the most memorable/inspirational part of the event actually came – for me – several days before the event, when I had been out with my kids shopping for supplies for the event.

We were driving in the car and I was describing to Hugo what the ‘art party’ we were getting ready for was all about. Naturally I am not going to describe sex trafficking to my 3 1/2-year-old son, but I told him that the girls we were making the valentines for were girls who had been taken by bad guys who were very mean to them and beat them up and that now they had been rescued from those bad guys and were getting help from the nice people at Love146.

“Can you imagine?,” I said, “if bad guys like that took Esmé away and were mean to her and beat her up? Wouldn’t that be horrible?”

“If bad guys tried to take Esmé away,” he said, “I would rip their arms off.”

Okay, I know it doesn’t exactly sound heartwarming, but I loved that he got it, how horrible it is. I love that he’s at an age now where he’s really starting to take on the protective older brother role, that he understands someone younger and littler and more vulnerable than you is to be protected and shielded from harm. I love that I get to build on that, teach my kids about helping others, not sitting by and tolerating the suffering of others. AND, I love that his response was visceral and passionate.

AT: Why do you think this project is important? How do you view the relationship between artistic creation and healing?
CS: Well, I could go on and on and bore the hell out of you with all that I think about the relationship between artistic creation and healing. For one, I have always suffered from depression, at times in my life severe, debilitating and suicidal depression. And holing myself up in my studio with music blaring working on my obsessive, meticulous (one might say tedious) creations provides a solace that nothing else in my life provides. It’s very meditative for me, very calming. And during one of my most depressive states, years ago back in Boston (when I was single), my state of mind was so bad that I was neglecting myself and my home, worrying friends and family…..yet none of this prompted me to seek help. I only sought help when I began finding it difficult to go into my studio, when my state of mind became so negative that I thought not only that I was useless, but that making my work was pointless too. THAT is what finally led me to get some much-needed help.

On a different note, I spent a little over a year, just before starting my family, working as a volunteer every Saturday morning with an organization here in San Diego called ARTS – A Reason To Survive – working with kids at the San Diego Center for Children on art projects as therapy. These children were from broken homes, homes with addicted or abusive parents, and the art therapy was one of the many ways (also including pet therapy, movement therapy and music therapy) in which the Center helped them deal with the considerable adversity they’d faced. Those kids were great, and it was such a good feeling to work with them, to provide them that distraction and creative outlet.

Last year, as I began my research online about human trafficking, I read the news that the painter Ross Bleckner had been named a goodwill ambassador to the UNODC (the U.N.’s Office of Drugs & Crime), the first fine artist named to that position, and I got very excited about this idea of visual artists getting involved with the U.N. and working abroad with victims of trafficking.

Ross Bleckner did a painting project with kids in Uganda who had been enslaved as soldiers, and since reading about it all I can think about is putting my own experience working with kids here in San Diego to use working with kids here and elsewhere who have survived the horrific ordeal of sexual slavery. I’ve also been developing an idea for an installation in which I do my thumbprint portraits of survivors, using their stories as the texts, with a catalog accompanying it introducing viewers to these girls, to their stories, to the facts about this problem. It is entitled ‘taken’, for the way in which these girls’ identities, and bodies, are taken from them, and it is my hope that it could provide an important awareness-raising service, as well as providing a venue in which girls can tell their stories to a wide audience, something I would hope they would find therapeutic in some way.

AT: Any other comments/thoughts?
CS: Only that one of the other things I’m working on is an exhibition/auction project entitled “under no one’s thumb” for which I am doing my thumbprint portraits of celebrities/ luminaries/ athletes/ artists/ writers to be auctioned off to raise money to be donated to organizations such as Love146 and others (GEMS, Not For Sale, Call + Response, Helen Bamber Foundation, and more…).

**If anyone out there knows any celebrities and would like to try to recruit them to the cause on my behalf, I’d be thrilled and grateful. The celebrity can choose the organization that will receive the proceeds from their piece AND they’ll get free art, because I’ll make a duplicate of the piece for them as a thank-you for participating. Just want to put it out there, in case any of your readers happens to know someone!

Look for a full interview about Chery’s work coming soon.

Yaktrax

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:04:00 -0500

Yaktrax

Meet Yaktrax.

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:40:00 -0500

In case you’ve been living under a rock, here in the Midwest it is snowing. Again. A LOT.

Judging by the rising levels of panic (orange!), a reasonable person might assume the zombie apocalypse is drawing near, rather than another round of fluffy, puffy snowflakes. However it isn’t so. There will be no zombie apocalypse, at least not today…just six to nine additional inches of winter wonderland.

Those of you who have lived in the tundra need no further explanation. To those of you who have never had the pleasure, much like the proverbial singing of the operatic ”fat lady,” here in snowpocalypse territory, it’s not over until the meteorologists have incited hysteria in the general public.

There’s Snow Place Like Home

A self-professed Texan for life, until relocating to Ohio in the early 1990s, snow was simply not on my radar. This, of course, made our first winter in Ohio something of a marvel and a learning experience. Much like dropping an armadillo off in Siberia, survival required a slight period of adjustment and learning curve. Number one law of snow: don’t eat the yellow snow. Number two law of snow: no matter what, as soon as you finish wriggling your snowsuit on over 16 layers of clothes, inevitably you’ll have to go to the bathroom. The list goes on and on…

As the years have gone by, I have acclimated to the challenges posed by our intense annual winter weather. I have mastered the art of rocking my car out of snowdrifts, and I’ve learned to time my departures with enough padding to drive safely and still arrive on time. I’ve defrosted frozen car locks and dealt with frozen pipes. Simply put, I’ve adapted.

The Tragedy

One of the joys of living two-blocks from my place of employment is being able to walk to and from work. Unfortunately, winter adds a whole new dimension of hazard to my daily stroll, which more than once has ended in tragedy. The most traumatic of these incidents occurred in the early hours of a frosty January morning. Like every day before, I was in the midst of negotiations with my dog, begging him to stop horsing around and do his “business” so we could go back inside. Never one to be rushed (or compliant in any way, for that matter), Rocky was much more interested in pawing at the snow, sniffing the sidewalk, and, much to his delight, barking at a large group of sorority sisters singing and making their way down our street. I am not sure if this is a form of gentle hazing, or simply a random act of cheer, but in a neighborhood consisting of a delightful mix of permanent residents and college renters, it isn’t unusual to see flocks of young women holding hands, meandering around singing at the top of their lungs in the wee hours of the morning.

Try as I may to control my dog, the closer they got, the more obstinate he became. How dare these women tread on his territory!!?? In Rocky’s mind, if he can see it, it’s his. If he can pee on it, it’s his. He’s very small and very selfish, but that’s neither here nor there.

As the line of singing ladies trotted past us, I tried in vain to hold his dog-mouth shut, and in doing so neglected to pay proper attention to my footing. I didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late. Black ice. Major black ice. There was no turning back. In a split second I went from an upright human to a pile of disaster collapsed on the ground. Rocky leapt from my arms and hurried to the end of his lead, satisfied at having chased off the last of the sorority sisters. Bruised butt and bruised ego in tow, I hobbled inside.

The Hero

Not long after the black ice incident, my mother introduced me to what has become one of my favorite fashion gadgets of all time: YakTrax. I’ve come to think of YakTrax as a slipcover for my boots; a fitted, rubberized, coil-covered web that slips over any pair of shoes or boots giving them extra grip and stability even in the nastiest winter weather.

Given the recent turn of meteorological events, I have had the opportunity to rock my Yax all over town this week, and each time strangers have commented on them, wanting to know what on earth I’m wearing on my feet. Though my initial inclination is to yell “WHAT!? YOU LIVE IN OHIO AND HAVE NEVER HEARD OF YAKTRAX!!??” I realize that societal norms typically frown on that sort of response, and instead I find myself becoming a walking, talking product endorsement.

The most recent incident took place waiting in line in a public restroom. The woman in front of me noticed my YakTrax and began loudly questioning what they were. As a result, the other twenty women in line looked down at my feet to see what all the fuss was about. Though I typically adhere to a strict “all business” policy in public restrooms, or any restroom for that matter, much to my surprise, I found myself giving an impromptu YakTrax demo while singing the praises of this marvelous invention.

This morning, while watching people slipping, sliding, and nearly biting it all over town, it occurred to me that I have a moral obligation to spread the word about YakTrax, as a product I literally stand behind…er…on top of.

Get Your Yak On

Check out the Yakfacts to learn more about how YakTrax work. Please note: when they say they’re not meant to be worn indoors (especially on hard surfaces such as tile) TAKE HEED. Though you may think you can beat the system, should you choose to disregard this warning, you will slip and fall and you will feel foolish for not taking their advice.

While YakTrax are ideal accessories for winter runners, they make a perfect gift for anyone – regardless of age or activity level. A recent study conducted by Fergus Eoin McKiernan, M.D. (Center for Bone Diseases, Marshfield Clinic) published by the American Geriatrics Society found that the Yaktrax keep the elderly safer on snow and ice by significantly reducing the number of outdoor slips, falls and injurious falls. So whether you’re a marathon runner in training, the designated dog walker or the household snow shoveler, what better way to show your love this Valentines than by giving the gift of added safety?

The Final Word

Perhaps it is best said by a YakTrax fan named Andrea who writes, “I am not an Olympic trainer, or a runner, or what-have-you. I am a normal, sedentary person with bad knees, ankles & hips. I first saw Yaktrax in a Chicago Tribune photo of a dogwalker in New York. I was impressed. I bought a pair. Prior to receiving my Yaktrax, I would rather wade thru water than walk over ice. Now? I’m like a freakin’ mountain goat. Thank you so much for giving me my confidence back. I have refered several people to you. And I am proud to do so.”

Happy Trails to You.