Lessons In Parenting And Karate...

In order for the kids to advance in their belt ranks, they need to bring home a letter for parents and teachers to sign. Saying that the students are behaving at home and acting the way they are wanted too.

This week Mr. Man brought home a letter for his Orange Belt Test.

He's a great kid outside of the house. When home...he dawdles. He back talks now and then. He moves at his own pace no matter what. Nothing major but there is room for improvement. We want him to realize that.

Last night at his lessons I mentioned these things to his Sensei and suggested that he wait until next month for his test.

I thought that would be it.

As I watched, I realized that Sensei was taking this much more seriously that I had imagined. I thought they would just make him wait. Not only are they making him wait, but they took his Yellow belt away from him.

Mr. Man took it way better than I did. I wanted to cry. I felt so bad I couldn't look him in the eye. I had no idea they would do that. I thought once they earned their belts they had them forever. Or until they earned the next one.

Wrong!

Now he has to earn his yellow belt back before he can test for orange. I have been feeling bad enough as it was. Now I feel like a complete tosser.

Why is it the lessons we try to teach our kids, are harder on the parents? I feel like I'm the one being punished.

It's An Honor Just To Be Nominated...

The following message was in my mail today.

During the month of July, the International Blogging Recognition Council (IBRC) had the pleasure of reviewing your blog Mad William. Your blog was referred to IBRC through our Refer-A-Blog program. "Orange..." was the topic that the Council reviewed. Based on the review, the Council has recommended that your blog receive IBRC’s designation of “Recognized Blog”. IBRC reserves this honor to those blogs that effectively connects with the audience and promotes the sharing of ideas and experiences.

We invite you to visit our website at www.ibrcblog.org to learn more about IBRC and our “Recognized Blog” award. Congratulation on your accomplishment.

Sarah L. Tolten

Review Committee Chair

International Blogging Recognition Council

I clicked on the link to check out my award and found out that for a mere $45 I can add my site to IBRC and view my recognition. That's awesome.

Why...It's a major award!

I can be so lucky sometimes.

(did the snar-casm come through in that, or was I too vague?)

Orange...

...like Yellow, is also the color of the sun, but the sun at zenith. The Orange Belt indicates the first flash of day has matured: on whose skill and understanding are reaching new heights.

Before And After, Cracked Edition...

Meet the new Mikelle and Joan.

Before

After Cracking and tinting.

Detail

Before

After cracking and tinting.

Detail.

It's a little difficult to see, but trust me. It looks really cool.

So Far...

One of the greatest obstacles I face as an artist, is knowing when to quit. Actually, it's not just with my art. I have the same issue with everyday life. I never quite know when to stop.

I do know that trying to over analyze things only makes them worse. My instincts are fairly good and following my heart has taken me on an unforgettable journey. I regret none of it.

So why change things when a few minor adjustments would do the trick? Simple is almost always better.

What to do with paintings that just don't sell? Often I paint over them and create something new. This time I decided to be a little less dramatic and a bit more cosmetic. Maybe they could just be re-worked.

I picked out six works that have been collecting dust and gave them a little something extra.

Here are two of them at the, "so far" stage. So far, so good.

Before

After

Before

After

This is just fun with scotch tape. The first four strips are on my face. I eventually had eleven. Sorry, no photo of that. Mr. Man was beginning to freak out and ran to hide.

Always remember and never forget: Love only works if you give it away. So spread the love.