our weekend starts on wednesday

So I had two days off in a row this week, making today feel like a Sunday.

It was kind of nice, actually, to have such a long stretch of time with no real obligations.

Got to read, catch up on some sleep, make jewelry for a custom order, etc.

Finished up A Million Little Pieces, about 6 years too late considering all of the hub-bub that went on with Oprah, etc.

I actually bought the book for about $1.50 at Case’s huge annual used book sale probably 4 years ago because I liked the cover with the little rainbow sprinkles, then just kind of forgot about it. Then, Oprah had James Frey on one of her last shows as a follow-up to the show she had a few years ago where she tore him a new one. (She basically just asked him how it felt to have a new one torn, as well as what he’s been up to lately.)

Anyway, after watching that episode I  remembered “Hey, I HAVE THAT BOOK!” and decided to read it and see what the big deal was.

I really really enjoyed it. If you can get past vulgar language and talks of crack whores, I say it’s worth the read.

If you live under a rock like I apparently had been, the basis of the controversy is that the book was pushed as a memoir, when really some parts of embellished/flat out fabricated.

Yeah, it sucks that it had to happen that way, but it still was a very moving book. You cheer for him like you cheer for Dexter. He’s thoughtful and compassionate.

* * * * * *

Anyway, I also did a lot of cleaning these past couple of days. You wouldn’t know it by looking at my old room, but I cleared out a few trash bags worth of Goodwill donations and, well, actual trash.

You see, my old bedroom in my parents’ house has over time become a dumping ground for any random thing that we don’t know what to with. And random hastily-packed bags full of art supplies and odds’n’ends from college.

…And don’t forget about the relics from high school (and earlier) that never left.

Hello, my name is Autumn and I’m a recovering Pack Rat.

I came across probably every drawing or piece of art I’ve ever made in my life. I found little goofy Star Wars toys and dozens of bottles of bubbles and the crayons that my friend Ashley and I melted on the stove and shaped with cookie cutters when my parents weren’t home. I even kept my book covers from high school, on which I collaged pictures of bands, famous artwork, quotes, quirky pictures, and The Parking Lot is Full comics (yes, I threw those away).

There is some stuff, however, that I can’t sort through on my own.

So I called on my dad today to help me out with just a few things.

I wasn’t expecting him to actually come upstairs, but he did and his first reaction to the piles of years of junk was, “Holy sh*t, Andy!”

I guess he knew it was bad, but didn’t know how bad. I feel guilty for having trashed the place, but I really never had time to clean it up when I lived out of state. Now that I’m around, it has been strongly suggested to me by Dad to clean it all up. (Not that I didn’t already know that.)

Anyway, I showed him the bag of driftwood that I had acquired from Lake Erie (’cause you never know when you’ll need driftwood) to see if he wanted me to put it in the pile for for woodburner, or just throw it in the woods or whatever.

After a moment of pondering, he holds up a smooth flat log and exclaims, “This would make a good base for something!'” then holds up a smaller twisted piece and says, “This looks like a snake!” while proceeding to make a hissing sound and holding out two fingers like fangs.

DAD, THIS FRAME OF MIND IS WHY THE REST OF THIS [crap] IS HERE! (I say, gesturing Vanna-style to the piles of random junk in the room).

Still, he took the bag and I’m not quite sure what he did with it.

It’s tough being a creative person.

I’m still on the fence about some other things-that-could-become-other-things. Such as our old globe that still reads USSR. Or my extensive burned-out lightbulb collection, that’s hundreds of pieces strong and still growing. Or my box of circuit board pieces that one of the labs at school was just going to throw away.

At some point I have had or will have plans for them all, but it comes down to what I can realistically store or work with.

If any of you artsy folk out there would be interested in learning about what kind of unconventional “supplies” I actually have, feel free to contact me.

Hopefully I’ll have a more functional studio-type space soon and will actually be able to make all of the things that I want to. Imagine that!