Of Oakland. Painter turned designer turned developer turned digital project manager turned painter. Love #cats, #Surrealism, #knitting, #painting, #music, #fashion, democracy, sci-fi and mystery #books, #film, and the woods of Western Massachusetts. She/her.
My son gave me a book of (very) short stories by Nabokov for my birthday, and in the first tale, “The Wood-Sprite,” I came across a wonderful word that was new to me: tintinnabulation, meaning a ringing or tinkling sound.
It rather delighted me, so I thought I’d share it with you.
Hey folks, I'm selling a Victorian dollhouse, for pick up in the Piedmont Pines neighborhood of Oakland, CA. My dad made it from a kit around 1978. It's a pretty special thing for the right buyer, and I've priced it very reasonably so we can reclaim the space it occupies in the garage. If you know someone in the area who may be interested, do share with them.
Eevee is feeling much better this week, though she's still not eating very well. She was playful yesterday to the point of getting in trouble, parkouring in our closet and on forbidden counters. 😻
Her scabbed ears have healed and her fur is growing back (guess she was reacting to her old kibble) since we switched her to low phosphorus wet food. She's taking 3 medications for her kidney function and its symptoms, plus dietary supplements every day. Today I have to tackle giving her a vitamin B12 shot. I'm really anxious about it.
Really hopeful she responds and stabilizes, and gains a bit of weight, and we that can eventually keep her on an even keel with just a kidney-supporting diet.
I'm not sure if I'm hearing humans having a great party in the distance, or a pack of coyotes in the hills, howling in the night. Either way, kind of amusing.
@billyjoebowers Here I was thinking, how fun, some kids out there are partying on a Friday night. Those were the days! And then it proves to be our local wildlife, having an evening together. So great.
I think Mastodon is rising to be my preferred social media place after some experimenting. Wondering how it is settling out for others? And why, if you'd care to share.
@bethsawin Same. I tried and really didn't care for Post. Threads feels like it's shaping up to be more of a place for celebs and brands, with little "engagement" outside of that bubble. Not interested in trying BlueSky. I've found this year, to my surprise, that I actually really like TikTok, but more to follow and be passively entertained by others than for posting myself. I really love the neuro-spicy community there, but don't think I'll ever be posting videos of my own.
Mastodon has a really strong community feel to it, with actual conversations among its tooters. I really enjoy just chatting with folks here, and haven't experienced a lot of drama, though of course, anywhere you have a lot of folks posting, there's bound to be some. It feels like the most "social" of the social media experiences to be found out there.
My daughter and I are volunteering for the Bad Art fundraiser for Oakland Animal Services, where my son volunteered during high school. Donate $50 to Friends of OAS and get a bad portrait of your pet!
Brilliant way to support a good cause. More info at the link!
Mastodon #hiveMind, it's a long shot but I need your help with getting a very random request to the right person. Please boost to help me get some traction on this one.
I'm looking to find a photographic reference for an art project and can't find one.
As a child in the 70s, my bedroom had this awesome Heinz Edelmann Yellow Submarine vinyl wallpaper, in white, lemon yellow, lime green, and maybe bubble gum pink? with black outlines for the drawings. My mom said it was something fun I could enjoy as I grew up. And easy to clean for a kid who tended to draw on walls as a preschooler.
I remember staring at The Beatles, the Blue Meanie and Dreadful Flying Glove (in green), trippy flowers, and other features of the print for hours.
This French wallpaper is the closest I can find, but it's not the same as the American version and simpler colorway I'm looking for.
Anyone happen to have an old sample of this wallpaper or an image of it I could borrow?
Scientists Recreate Pink Floyd Song by Reading Brain Signals of Listeners
"The audio sounds like it’s being played underwater. Still, it’s a first step toward creating more expressive devices to assist people who can’t speak."
That sounds really wonderful, and also -- call me paranoid -- I can think of some more disturbing, dystopian uses for such a technology...
Art for today. In college I was so discouraged by my experience in the painting department I was in that I quit painting for 35 years. I had been told I wasn't a "serious enough artist" to be allowed to start my thesis, and was given no direction on how to achieve that.
This is my second finished painting since I started painting again this summer. It's as much a straight-up self portrait exercise as it is a document of my rediscovery of a key part of myself through painting.
Don't let anyone stifle your dreams by telling you you're not good enough. And it's never too late to follow them.
Alchemy, by Deirdre Antes Spencer, oil on canvas board, 14"x18", 2023.
It’s #FollowFriday and here’s some people I've enjoyed talking with over the past week on #Mastodon (no repeats):
Deirdre Spencer @deirdrespencer -- painter turned designer turned developer turned digital project manager
Lisa Hamilton @3x10to8mps -- former tech writer, newspaper editor, now physician
MittenGirlPeach @MittenGirlPeach – Great Lakes girl and happiest at home in the Irish Hills of Michigan
Rick Thoman @AlaskaWx – highlights Alaska climate, environment, and Indigenous cultures
Movie nights with the kids this last week or so has included WHAM!, Irma Vep, Diva, La Belle et la Bête, and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, plus we saw Asteroid City and Barbie in theaters.
Took a lengthy social media break while I explored the possibility of having ADHD, got diagnosed, and then deconstructed my history, now able to see it through a completely new lens with greater clarity.
If you think you might be neurodivergent, it’s never too late to do some research, get some answers, and learn (and heal!) from them. A highly validating experience.
#introduction Hello! I’m an East Coast transplant who’s lived in Oakland, CA for over twenty years. The visual effects industry brought me here during the early days of web design and marketing. Now, I’m a marketing program manager and painter.
Looking forward to meeting other folks on this local instance and beyond!
