My Blog

No More Condo...

Jadelia — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:20:11 GMT

That's it...we're done...moved out...cleaned the place...really cleaned the place...patched up nail holes....painted...shampooed the rugs...cleaned the refrigerator, oven, microwave, dishwasher, washer and dryer. I'm so done. Now I've just got a gazillion...ok, I'm exaggerating...BAZILLION...boxes to unpack. I'm a happy girl. Wait until you see the pics of this place...once I take them...small town USA...Havre de Grace, Maryland...check it out...it's a great place to live...and I love looking out the window in my kitchen to my back yard...walk through the gate at the back...turn right...walk to the corner one house down...turn left...the weekly Saturday Farmer's Market...fruit...vegetables...flowers...plants...fresh honey...fresh pastries, breads and cakes from two local ladies'kitchens... corn feed beef and pork... the cheese and ice cream lady...the lady that makes her own soap...and more and more and more. Then, if that wasn't enough...walk two blocks straight down that street and there's the Chesapeake Bay. Wow-Wee Ka-Zow-Wee!!!!!

First Night...First Bath...

Jadelia — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:34:45 GMT

So I've been living in a condo since last August. The master bath had a big...big...two person shower stall...big. Anyway, when I first moved in, I took a bath in the 'other' bathrooom and it was ok...just ok. It wasn't fancy whirlpool that some of the condos have. It is...was...just a tub. So when I just moved into the new place, I decided to take a bath. The tub is old...tall sides...not sure what's it is made of but it almost seems like stone of some sort. I was a happy girl and can't wait to bath in it again. Enjoy the pic. Those are MY toes, my friends. (s)

Imagine that!

Jadelia — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 11:59:07 GMT

Saturday, 13 June 2009, Havre de Grace, 746am It's a beautiful, sunny day here at Bulle Rock. On this day, I...yes, I...am actually going to be working as a volunteer at a LPGA tournament. It's something I never ever even considered doing until I moved here but the tournament is being played within my community so what the heck. It should be interesting to say the least. You sign up to do this on the LPGA website and pay $50 for the privalege. You get a shirt and a hat in the style of your choice, (I selected the visor style since I would be easily mistaken for Bozo's sister in a straw derby) , chits for a wonderful McDonald's lunch at the volunteer tent (guess who is sponsoring this) and the ability to hobnob with the players and their crew. I was asked to work on the first tee which sounded great until someone else asked me to work in the clubhouse. Hmmmmm...outside in the sweltering heat or airconditioning? I'm in the clubhouse. So, for the next two days for four hours each day, I will be wearing an electric pinky purple (I can't even describe the color) polo shirt, khaki capris, my dock shoes and a visor when outside enjoying the rush of chaos that accompanies an event like this. Woo Hoo. I am such a geek. 9:23PM Post-Being-A-Geek It was an interesting day. Sitting in the lady golfer's locker room (by the way, did you know that the term GOLF came from "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden". Well, that's what Roger told me. Sigh. The other thing he told me is that they called it "Golf" because "Fuck" was taken. Just saying that is what he told me.) Anyway, it was an interesting day. Lady golfers coming in and out. Some who make millions of dollars not only from playing golf but from the endorsements. Commodities, they are. Shrewd businesswomen. Making their way. Playing a game they love. I will share that the memory of the day that will stick with me is the following: I was working with Dolores from 11 to 3pm in the players locker room which was actually both the men's and ladie's locker room at the club. Beautiful club...but that is a given. Anyway, the locker rooms are all dolled up for the ladies. Looks nice but I don't walk around too much because the players are in and out. At one point, there is a lull and Dolores says "Hey JoAnn, go check out the urinals." I say "What?" She says, "Just go check out the men's urinals." I just met this lady and I'm thinking "this is wierd, but ok, how many times do I get to see a urinal?" So I go. And I see what she wanted me to see. To disguise the urinals, someone put hanging plants in the things and honestly, they looked really nice. So now I know how to disguise urinals.

Got the call while waiting for my connecting flight in Atlanta and...

Jadelia — Sat, 16 May 2009 19:26:44 GMT

The owner said he wants us to live in this beautiful little home that he owns. We are thrilled. Tomorrow, we meet with him to finalize everything and in less than two months, we will be living there. This is a gift for many reasons but the best is that this home sits in the middle of the historic district of Havre de Grace, Maryland . Go to http://www.hdgtourism.com/ to check it out. It is a stone's throw from a weekly farmers' market. The Chesapeake Bay is two blocks east. There are great family run stores and restaurants and I'm only a 10 minute walk from the Martha Lewis which is the skipjack sailboat I volunteer crew on. I can't wait. WooHoo!!!!

I have a new friend in New Orleans...

Jadelia — Thu, 14 May 2009 00:37:11 GMT

Her name is Brenda and I met her and her gentleman Edgar at the Baltimore Airport. We were standing next to each other at the Delta kiosk checking in and when we looked at each other, we both thought we knew each other. I asked her if we did and while we waited for the flight to leave (yes, we were on the same flights since she and her man were from New Orleans), we decided that we'd never met. We exchanged phone numbers. The next day, she called, picked me up at my hotel and took me to parts of New Orleans that I never would have seen. She took me to where Katrina did her worst. She took me to her family home that still stands but has yet to be renovated. That's not the right word because it has to be completely redone. The walls remain but it is unsafe to go inside. I saw so much. I saw so little. Even now, thinking back on the water marks on some of the homes that were 15 feet from the ground and Brenda's damaged family photo album that was somehow saved from her home, I can't explain how I feel except to say that I can't imagine what these people went through. Edgar's home has been redone. It's beautiful but it sits among homes like the one in the picture that have not had a workman set foot in it and it remains vacant and vandalized.

For Mother's Day, I went to New Orleans...

Jadelia — Mon, 11 May 2009 01:01:51 GMT

I'm here until Friday for a conference. Took a walk to the French Quarter when I got here. It was really hot and about 20 minutes or so away. I thought, "oh my god, it's so hot" but I kept going because, you know...I'm in New Orleans. I hit the Hard Rock store because I collect pins from there wherever I travel and after that (and a nice break in air conditioning), off I went again and then I saw the beginning of it...the French Quarter. It just pulled me in. There was so much going on all around me. A balloon man making balloon animals. An street art show and sale...so different from NYC because of the fact that it was all original art. The artists were sitting there and working if no one was talking to them. It was so colorful and dense in places. Artists. Horse and carriages. Psychic on the street. Musicians. New Orleans band. But this lady was making dried flower hair wreaths and her smile was so welcoming. She motioned for me to take her picture which I was going to do anyway and when I went to speak with her, I realized that she couldn't. She never took her eyes off my face as she realized what she probably saw people realize every day but her smile remained so broad and pure. I can't explain it but I felt refreshed. This is a very interesting place.

What an absolutely wonderful man...

Jadelia — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:10:18 GMT

and a great friend. I do adore him. Everyone who knows him and has him in their life is indeed blessed.

Maryland Life

Jadelia — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:52:04 GMT

For those of you who know me, you've seen the blogs that I've been writing lately. I'm completely aware that with the challenges come the joys so although it's been a rough couple of months, there are some significant things occurring that make me smile. Teaching in the fall at a local college. Volunteering to work on a 49 1/2 foot skipjack sailboat this summer...the Martha Lewis out of Havre de Grace, MD. My son moving down here in the fall. Showing my work again in July (first time since I've moved here). I've updated my website so if anyone is interested: www.jadelia.com I'm going to see Mom and Dad on Monday. Gonna tell them about Roger and Samantha and I living together. I'm so tired of trying to please everyone that all I will be now is what is true.

I'm not a cold weather kind of girl...

Jadelia — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:20:15 GMT

In fact, I hate cold weather. I'm more of a fan of the temp being about 60 degrees, love the spring when everything starts to bud and then all of a sudden the leaves pop out of nowhere on the trees and the woods near my home become green again. It's a great place to walk the pups.

What a difference a week makes...

Jadelia — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:12:16 GMT

I am of the ilk that prescribes to the beauty of all types of weather. I love a foggy, cool, rainy day just as much as I love the brilliance of the magenta glow that appears on the skyline right before the sun shows itself. It's all so breathtaking and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have it in my line-of-sight so clearly now. It was always there and even before here, I did catch small glimpses of it while living where I was before. Now though, the vista is wide and I can breathe again.

My New Home

Jadelia — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:02:34 GMT

It's been a while since I've posted anything on Tribe. Been quiet for most of my time here but even quieter during this period of transition. It's all good though. Look at what I saw from my balcony a day or so ago. It's beautiful in Havre de Grace, Maryland and the view from my home is even better now that the trees have dropped their leaves. I can see where the Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake. I continue to pinch mysef because I just want to keep making sure it's not a dream. It's so peaceful here...so safe...so different from where I came from. Seems that I got out of there in time 'cause a neighbor two doors down was recently heard screaming drunk in the street at 4am and then seen going to the shed, taking out an ax and the walking down the street with it. I will never...ever...go back to my old neighborhood. Never.

Six more weeks...

Jadelia — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:16:56 GMT

and I leave my home for a new one. It's been a whirlwind and I'm happy and sad and calm and anxious all at once. I'm giving away whatever I'm not taking...neighbors that I've told show up at my door at the oddest times to claim stuff. (s) It's all good. I've got too much stuff anyway and am happy to give it away. I am moving to Havre de Grace, Maryland...a great riverfront town...from Red Bank, New Jersey...another great riverfront town. Happy...sad...calm...anxious...18 year old son going to college...23 year old daughter and her 25 year old boyfriend moving to Philadelphia. Just me and the dogs moving... Just me and the dogs.

I Feel Like I Won a Prize on "The Price is Right"!!!

Jadelia — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 16:44:14 GMT

I got a new freezer. Not just any freezer but a full length 18 cubic foot freezer. Yup (chest puffed out...trying to do it as good as Shea but I can't...need the equipment, I guess)...I got a freezer. Do you have a freezer? If not, if you got one, what would you put in it? Hmmm? If you do have one, what do you have in it? I'm just being nosey. I can't look into your refrigerators from way over here but maybe you could just humor me and tell me...what would you or do you keep in a freezer? Hmmm? Yeah...I know...dreadful question but hey, I've seen worse.

A taste...just a taste...

Jadelia — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 17:38:43 GMT

So I was having a conversation today with a certain someone in here and we both remembered a certain album from our past. Here's what we remembered.

Trip Share

Jadelia — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 02:15:06 GMT

I can't believe that I've been back from my trip to Germany and Paris for two weeks but it's so true about how you wait and wait for a vacation to come and then it flies by...just flies. No matter...I have my 1500 plus photo to go through and work on. I'm posting some tonight.

My First Solo Show

Jadelia — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 13:58:18 GMT

So, yesterday, my daughter and I hung the photos for my first solo show. Yeah, it's in a bank but the bank is located in a place called Pier Village ( http://www.piervillage.com/ ) and it's quite the place to be, it seems. I mean, I knew it was a ritzy, fritzy place but I'd avoided going there on the weekends just because I don't like to go to any place trendy on the weekends because of the rude, presumptuous, touristy crowds that invade places like that around here (I live in a town where the culture changes from Friday night through Sunday night - http://www.redbank.com/) all year long so up until yesterday, I'd not experienced the atmosphere of the place. I mean, I'd only been there when it was nice and quiet however yesterday, it was a people watcher paradise. Even in my town, I never see ladies all foo-fooed up walking around with their HUGE Chanel sunglasses on, their little pekinese dogs clutched in one arm, an expensive handbag in the other, diamonds the size of one of my toes on their fingers and wearing way too much gold and makeup. I literally almost laughed out loud when I saw that woman because to me, she was almost a caricature of something that I'd only heard about. I'm not saying that she isn't a very nice woman. She probably is. It was just that when I turned the corner, there she was...talking to two guys about her dog...very loudly...with a New York aka Brooklyn accent...about her dog...about how her dog only bites at certain times. I gave her a wide berth however if her appearance wasn't going to pull me in, her voice and gestures would have. I wish I had a picture to share but I don't think she would have appreciated me whipping out my camera right at that moment. I didn't want to reckon with her. Her nails were way too long. I gotta get out more. Anyway, back to the show...there's this woman I know who is an artist's agent. Basically, what she does is find locations for artists to put up their work which has led to many of them being picked up by galleries in the area. She's kinda flighty and unorganized so I didn't think that anything was going to happen but she surprised me with this. It's not a bad location (and I'm there for a month) because a lot of the people who live in the condos in Pier Village use the bank and even while I was there hanging my work, a few people came in who took my card. There's a fundraiser on the 20th of October called a studio tour (i.e., not really a studio tour...more of a gallery/show hop) and all of the people who buy tickets to the event go from show to show and end up at a dinner/gala in the evening. I think I'm in a good spot for this event so I'll be able to meet a lot of people who come into the bank to see my work. Life is changing at a greyhound's pace for me right now. Single (well, not technically yet but...), moving up professionally, moving up creatively...not bad. I think I'm going to like this. I embrace you all.

On to a new life...

Jadelia — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 02:29:13 GMT

just me and the kids (24, 22, and 18)... life is good... energy will replenish... opportunity for growth is here. Thank you all for putting up with me. Jo

Octoberfest in Munich

Jadelia — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 01:33:17 GMT

So, as some of you may know, I'm going to Germany in the beginning of October to visit a friend and then going solo to Paris for the rest of my vacation. Got a call from him today and the good news is that he got two tickets to the Octoberfest in Munich. Good times...good times...

Everything Comes At Once

Jadelia — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 11:32:59 GMT

So, it's all happening right now. Everything that I've asked for...meditated on...knew that I could do or be...NOW...and this is both from an artistic, professional and a relationship perspective. It's like a wind storm and if I want it all to fly, I don't have any choice but to just go with it. So I am. 1. A new home "boutique" (for want of a better way to state it) with higher end furniture, accessories, and art has commissioned me to do a collection of seven photographs for them in a particular theme...flowers. All of that is coming together very quickly and yesterday, they selected their prints for the store. 2. An artist's agent contacted me at the end of last week to tell me that she is booking me continuously from October (I'M GOING AWAY AT THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER FOR TEN DAYS) on in different gallery spaces. I have no idea what that means yet in terms of what I need to have ready to hang. 3. My husband is moving out at the end of September. No worries although there are emotions and logistics definitely tied to the change. We are best of friends and made this decision in January. He and my daughter and her boyfriend are actually swapping places to live. He will move into their studio apartment in town and they will move into his home office at the house. 4. Life at work has moved in the direction I wanted however with that comes additional responsibility and work. 5. I force time for exercise at the gym and meditation each day. I recognize that I am too tight now in too many ways if I don't do either of them regularly. Emotionally Physically Mentally Spiritually I know I am blessed with many things but all I can say is be careful what you ask for. It will eventually come at you...maybe even all at once.

King Tut Exhibit at the Franklin Institute - Saw it 30 years ago...had to see it again.

Jadelia — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 02:29:45 GMT

Thirty years after Tutankhamun’s treasures last visited the United States (I saw that exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC) and more than 3,000 years after his death, the treasures of the boy king are on exhibit in Philadelphia, PA, the final stop on the current U.S. tour, until September 2007. More than doubling the size of the original 1977 exhibition, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs has close to 130 pieces of Egyptian antiquitie s, many outside of Egypt for the first time at The Franklin Institute. The 18th Dynasty, also known as the “Golden Age”, produced some of the most exquisite pieces of art for some of Egypt’s most famous rulers. Within the exhibit witness not only a child-sized throne made of of wood, gesso, gold, ivory, and copper alloy but also artifacts from the five other Pharaohs tombs, which ruled during the “Golden Age”.Close to 50 artifacts excavated from the tomb of King Tutankhamun range from his royal diadem or crown to the confinettes that contained his organs. In addition to the artifacts from Tut’s tomb there are more than 70 pieces from tombs of rulers also part of the “Golden Age”. All of the antiquities within the exhibit date back more than 3,500 years. If you have opportunity to get to Philadelphia before this exhibit closes in September, it is well worth the crowds. It has been 30 years since this exhibit has been to the US and who knows if it will ever travel here again.

Richard Serra at the MOMA

Jadelia — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 02:32:50 GMT

Today, I went into NYC to see the Richard Serra exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. It is a very good thing that I have the ability to assume an aloneness even when in a crowd because everyone from everywhere in the world was also at the museum...and yes, I know it was Sunday...and I even got there when it opened. All I can tell you is that if you like mega-sculpture, then you must...if you live near NYC...get there to see this exhibit. It's somewhat impressive...and even if you don't have a clue about stuff like this, the sheer size of the pieces will amaze you and you'll just look around and wonder "how the heck did they get these things in here?" Check out the link: http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2007/serra/

My Dad, 1935

Jadelia — Fri, 11 May 2007 00:46:51 GMT

Dad...Dominic...age 19...my favorite picture of him.

Mother's Day and a 65th Wedding Anniversary

Jadelia — Fri, 11 May 2007 00:44:58 GMT

So, my mom and dad are 88 and 90, respectively, and this past Wednesday, they were married for 65 years. Amazing that they have been here with me so long and amazing that they have been with each other so long. They both worked hard to maintain a modest life. Mom went back to work when I was three which in 1959 was a bit of a stretch in a donna reed world. Dad always worked, retired at the age of 55, and then went to work at a horse racetrack immediately as a security guard, only retiring last year. He actually still goes in and works when they call him. He is amazing. They both are. I bought them a digital frame for the occasions and am going through a rather huge box of pictures that date back to the 1930s. This is one of the two of them.

Omega Institute's Being Fearless Conference - The Afterglow

Jadelia — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 21:37:57 GMT

So the conference was a week or so ago and it's taken me this long to write about it because I'm still coming down from the energy that I was in the midst of for three days. I wish I could bottle it and send it all to you. What a gift that would be. I took the train to NYC from the Jersey Shore on Friday, April 13th...got into the city about 730am...and taxied to the hotel. Checked my bags and off I went to my pre-conference intensive with Brian Weiss and James Van Praagh. The morning was spent with Dr. Weiss and with him, the group did two past-life regressions. At a later workshop with him, I did another regression and I found that my regressions all were variations of a theme that centered around me sacrificing my life in some way for others. In two, I was female. In one, I was a male. I journaled about each immediately after the experiences so the images will not fade from my memory. I'll never forget what I learned though. It cleared up a lot for me about this life. In the afternoon, James Van Praagh channeled some dead relatives, spouses and friends of some of the people in the room. It was very powerful witnessing all of it and although I wasn't called upon, it was fine just to hear and see the others experience what they did. Friday night was incredible. Bobby McFerrin introduced Jane Goodall and Al Gore as only he can. He is as powerful and fun as he has always been. He's hot too. Phew. Jane Goodall is 73 years old and travels 300 days a year; doesn't stay in one place more than 3 days at a time. She travels around the world offering the public a chance to hear first-hand about her work with chimpanzees, her reasons for hope and her belief in the power of the individual to affect change. I found her absolutely spellbinding and was fortunate enough to have a fourth row seat in a room that held 2000 people. Amazing. Al Gore was a surprise also. No press was allowed to be in the room for his talk and he was candid and unbelievably funny. He spoke without a script and talked about how fear was and is still being used to manipulate the American public into buying into the decisions that our government has made domestically and internationally. He's almost too smart though and it comes through. At the end, I almost didn't understand what the heck he was talking about when he was asked about his own spirituality. Same seat too...fourth row. The next day, I went to two workshops...the Brian Weiss and one by a woman named Natalie Goldberg. The second one was all about writing and she literally took a room with 300 seats all lined up in rows and had us just move the chairs wherever we wanted them to be so we could be comfortable. Well, I have to tell you that it was a bit of a shock to me having done major event/conference/trade show planning in the past because when I saw what the crowd was doing to the room, all I could think of was the safety requirements that were being violated just by the mere movement of the chairs. The way it ended up, there was no way out in case of an emergency. I sat by the wall in close proximity to a door that looked like it went into a kitchen. I wasn't going to get caught. Old habits die hard. The workshop was good though and I found myself writing with a level of ease that I didn't know was possible. Now, I'm not saying that it was something you'd like to read but I did write it with ease. There was an art exhibit on fear that was quite interesting. I wish I could have taken pictures because there was some very unusual pieces in it but photos were forbidden. The camera nazi was sitting there. The exhibitor show was good...a lot of booths. I had aura photos taken...different than the ones that I get taken every six months near here. This sitting was for three pics...one of me...one that showed the chakras in my body (if you are interested in the results, I'll share)...and then one that showed graphs of the strength of all my chakras. Good stuff. I met a woman who is a shamanic healer. She travels back and forth to Peru and was a very powerful source of comfort to me because of something that occurred on the Friday night that I was at the conference. All I will say now is that what happened at home that night would normally have made me jump on a train and go home but after her healing that afternoon, I stayed the night, meditated on the event that occurred with a totem bottle that she gave me and called home the next morning and said that I wasn't coming home. It was a breakthrough for me. I met many people at the conference...like-minded people...who were so warm and loving. On Saturday night, I went to dinner at a place called Le Bonne Soupe...one of my favorite restaurants in NYC...small...not too expensive...and close to the hotel where I was staying...with a woman that I met who was from Boston. I am glad I met her. Nice woman. Nice new friend. I also met a great lady from Brisbane, Australia who is in theater and does therapy work using theater and art. Soon, you'll be seeing a pic of her that I am working on. We're going to try to see what we can do together long distance. It seems she comes to the states at least twice a year so we'll see what we can collaborate on. Also saw Ariana Huffington, Caroline Myss, and the Rimpoche Samdhong Rinpoche. It was such a powerful weekend that I'm booking myself for at least one weekend at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, this summer and planning to go the next year's conference too. Unbelievable. Everything is different within me while around me everything is the same.

Omega Institute "Being Fearless" Conference - April 13-15, 2007 (NYC)

Jadelia — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 14:48:34 GMT

On April 13th, I'm going to be at the "Being Fearless" Conference in NYC. This event is coming at the perfect time in my life since there are a lot of changes that are going to occur within a relatively short period of time to what I have called "my life". With those changes does come the anxiety of the unknown and as a result, I decided back in January that one of the best ways for me to face my fears is to go headlong at them...with the help and support of others, of course. So, I registered for the conference and booked myself into the Sheraton for the entire weekend. I've signed up for a pre-conference all-day workshop with Brian Weiss and James Von Pragh. Friday night looks like great fun and information with the conference opening that is featuring Bobby McFerrin, Al Gore and Jane Goodal. On Saturday, it's total immersion into workshops by Brian Weiss and Natalie Goldberg and keynotes by Caroline Myss and Ariana Huffington. Saturday night is a film festival and music. There's a trade show and an art exhibit too. Sunday is a morning session with Samdhong Rinpoche, more workshops with Debbie Ford and Brian Weiss, and a closing session with Nora Ephron. If you are interested in finding out more about this, go to www.beingfearless.org. If anyone is already planning to go and might be interested in meeting a fellow tribe person while at the conference, drop me a note so that we can figure out how to meet up during the weekend.