It's Me! I Swear!!

Here's another piece...


Another acrylic on paper. This one is about 10" x 12"

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1135866-overview

I've never actually looked it up before today. In March of 1995 I survived an intra cranial bleed of the right orbitofrontal cortex lobe of my brain.  Two years before my event, I was in a major car accident. Although there were no bumps, bruises or scratches on the outside, the impact rocked my brain on the inside. I endured severe migraines once or twice a month for over a year. During the two foggy, pain fueled years between the accident and the bleed I began having episodes of short term memory loss. School became impossible. I literally felt as if I lost my mind. It was all the little things. I was perfectly functional. I could drive perfectly. Just remind me where I'm going. I just couldn't execute a plan, write a term paper or even read through a book. I needed lists of daily to-do lists for basic things like brushing my hair, what time to eat, what day it was, people's names that I met that day...same people from the day before but I forgot their names again and that I met them yesterday. Where I put my keys, where I parked the car. If it wasn't on the list, it wasn't getting done. I had to map out each day. Fake it til you make it. On the inside I knew something was waaaay out of sync. I started seeing doctors and attending cognitive therapy groups. I had MRIs conducted that showed nothing out of the ordinary. Until one day "it" popped. No one ever saw what "it" was. They found the problem because it reached it's breaking point and broke. The link above details the conditions that are prevalent for each area that is affected. For me it was the orbitofrontal cortex. There are so many things that are hitting home for me that I am astounded by the similarities. These days, despite all my troubles, I am thankful for every breath I take.  I have been pain free and I have managed to recoup my senses with few adaptations to accommodate things. My lists are much shorter. Some days I even wing it.

I have a very special place in my heart for Sen. Kathy Giffords. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20057008-504083.html My situation was no where near the gravity of her situation. But I do know how hard I fought to be at the level I am at today. To know that she gets to have a little "real" time with her family is great progress indeed.


Rainbow over Guy Lombardo Marina. Easter Afternoon.

This is Mejiro...

I've been busy...

I'm liking this kind of busy. It means I've been setting my head straight and getting back to business by getting back to basics.

As much as I love a mural, painting smaller has become like a homecoming.

It's been a while since I've poked my head about. I've been a busy little bee. Things have been on the upswing. I have also been spending time in the studio :)




It's been a while since I've made any art for art's sake. I've been commissioned to paint what others wanted for quite some time. I've started a series of paintings that are inspired by my trip to the Planting Fields Arboretum here on Long Island. This piece is a heavy textured acrylic on illustration board. As a faux finisher, it has always been my job to make texture "seem" to be there, hence the Faux=Fake. It's fun to break out of that mold and color outside the lines again.

It was right down the road at The Plantingfields Arboretum

Here in NY there is a wonderful organization called HELP USA



They have placed my niece and her children into a nice apartment. The generous people there have donated several items to help her get situated. Now I can finally breathe easier knowing that Kayla has her own space. Rebecca is facing this challenge and holding her own so far. I pray things only get easier for her.

Also, my darling husband is now opening his second Massage Therapy location. He picked up the keys to the office earlier this week. I couldn't be more proud of the strides he is taking with such focus and determination. Ever forward...

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Can I tell you that this hurts like hell?  I gave her up to go live in a homeless shelter in the Bronx. She has a perfectly warm, clean bed and her siblings here and I am forced to send her out in the cold. Watching that train roll away is probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do. The system here is broken...I am too small to fix it by myself.

I stayed in bed all day yesterday. I couldn't get up. I couldn't eat. My back hates me for it today.

My daughter snuggled and cuddled me. She helped me to feel much better. She asked me, "Does this mean I am the baby in the house again?" I told her that she's always been my baby.