weekly post from March 13, 2008

Greetings my friends & loved ones,

I pray that each of you is feeling the signs of Spring; I certainly am and I'm enjoying every second of it (and not just because it's my favorite season).

I was reminded by my spouse that one year ago this week was when I began my descent into "madness." I became a different person, partly because I was depressed and started medication and partly because I wasn't content with my life and thought that I knew what I wanted and was determined to go after it...no matter what. This lasted until well into the fall of last year. Come to find out-what I wanted was what I had all along.

What a difference a year makes!!! I remind myself everyday that life is good and that I am fortunate; very fortunate. May each of you remember each day the blessings you have and how fortunate you are. That is my wish for you.

Meet Marla...the new Monet? The must-see DVD of the week is the just released My Kid Could Paint That. My Kid tells the story of 4-year-old Marla Olmstead from Binghamton, NY who paints. The documentary follows Marla and her parents as Marla's paintings become famous and she begins to have her own art shows and her paintings begin to sell for thousands and thousands of dollars. It all starts from a NY Times article who catches wind of a human interest story and as the story develops, the detractors come out. Is Marla really creating the paintings? Is her sometime-art dabbler dad coaching her or doctoring her paintings? And, the biggest question of all, just what constitutes art? Marla is compared, not to Monet, but to Jackson Pollock who was famous for creating paintings that literally looked like a 4-year-old could have painted them (it's true, and if you are fan, you know it's true). In fact, there are some film clips of Pollock creating a painting. It's really an engrossing film and extremely interesting and Marla is truly adorable (wouldn't want to be around her when she's in a bad mood, though).

That's all I've got for this week. Until next week, stay safe, stay happy, and stay healthy.

love,

paul