I'm getting ready to do the countdown to the new year like the rest of the world is doing about now! I am STILL sick! I cannot believe I have had this thing for a week now. I feel the crappiest at the end of the day, right before I get ready to go to bed. I have been having a real hard time breathing when I am lying down because I am so congested. So, I try to steal some time to nap and sleep in one of our 2 big chairs in our t.v. room. Today, however, I was not going to let this stupid bug get me down or even, put me down. I went to a late breakfast with 3 of my closest friends: Maria, Peter, and Sergio. We have been close friends for many years. We had a ball catching up! Well, since I see all 3 of my friends pretty regularly, I didn't really catch up. The catch up is for the 3 of them. Over the years, the 4 of us have traveled together to San Francisco and Maui. We are talking about going on a trip this summer. 3 of the 4 of us want to hit the Middle East - we have been talking about going to Jordan or Lebanon for awhile now, so maybe 2008 will be the year it finally happens. Well, since I have been sick a good chunk of my vacation, I haven't done very much of anything, particularly art. These 2 pages are my most recent work - they are about 2 weeks old. It is funny because I made 2 lists on one of the pages of what I wanted to accomplish during my 3-week break. I got minimal done, but that is alright with me. Happy New Year to all!

Today is day 4 of being sick. I had a really hard time sleeping last night. I am so congested! I was supposed to go to a party and a dinner, but never made it to either. I have pretty much spent most of my time either in bed or sitting in a chair. I hate being sick! But I guess my body is telling me to slow down. And because I don't feel like doing too much of anything, I have been updating my blog and posting more often. There was a period of over a month that I just didn't have any spare time to devote to my blog! Unbelievable! And I have been reading like crazy! I have also been going through my collage ephemera and sorting out some of the images I have been collecting for awhile. Below, are two of my favorite pieces that I created about a year apart. The little girl in the red dress is a few months old. The "Forgive the Debt" is about 2 years old. They seem to go together. I feel so strongly about the United States and other countries forgiving the debt for those countries that have no chance of ever getting out of "debt". I wholeheartedly support the "Red Campaign", that Bono and Bobby Shriver have been instrumental in creating and bringing to the forefront of issues that affect all of us. It is our obligation to help those who are need of help.

Yesterday was my friend, Jack's birthday. I cannot believe he is 50-years-old! Wow. It seems like just yesterday, we were hanging out in the cafeteria, @ Cal State L.A. It is unbelievable how fast time just keeps moving. Anyway, I created this painting in honor of him. It is made up of ephemera I collected, including his name tag. This is my gift to him. Feliz cumpleanos, Joaquin!

U2 - Where The Streets Have No Name (Full Version - Live)

I am sure this is sacrireligious, but I am not a BIG Beatles fan. I am all about the Stones! However, I am a HUGE John Lennon fan. Because of these trying times, I think "Give Peace a Chance" is as appropriate as when it first came out. "Don't Let Me Down" is my all-time favorite Beatle song. I had never seen this video before and when I finally did watch it, it reminded me of U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" video. I love the rooftop performances! U2's video makes L.A.P.D. almost look comical regarding how they handle 'crowd control'. I think L.A. can handle an impromptu rooftop concert!

Beatles - Don't let me down

Give Peace A Chance - John Lennon

Day 3 of being sick! And now, sick of being sick! I was supposed to go to a party and dinner today. Instead, I am working hard at getting rid of this stubborn cold. I just got through reading an article on Benazir Bhutto. She didn't die from a gunshot wound or the bombing. They didn't find any bullet or shrapnel in her body. Instead, the doctors are now saying she died from a fractured skull. The fractured skull occurred after Ms. Bhutto tried to duck back into the moon-roof of the van she was riding in after the shots rang out. Wow. A senseless death and now, the ramifications of her death: the country is experiencing rioting and chaos.

I have been sick for the last 2 days. I have a very bad cold. I awoke to horrific news today: Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. Growing up, she was always one of my role models. Ms. Bhutto was educated, intelligent, beautiful, brave, compassionate, and above all, a humanitarian. I am very sad for the people of Pakistan. It seems that their country is on the brink of chaos and civil war.

I was going to post pictures from our family's Christmas activities, but at this moment, it seems so shallow and inappropriate. May peace prevail throughout the year, not just on Christmas Day, not just for Christians, not just for Americans, but for all people of the world.

My last post of the day. On a more serious note, the REAL meaning of Christmas is about practicing goodwill towards our fellow man, all year, and not just on one designated day a year. This picture is of Fatima, the Iraqi baby whose mother, as well as much of her family, were murdered a few months back. The baby was buried under trash and dead bodies, which probably saved her life. Anyway, the man holding her is a U.S. Army nurse. Fatima became the symbol of hope for those who deal with the wounded and dead on a daily basis: the doctors and nurses of the Iraqi war. The baby was so malnourished and underweight that those at the Army hospital took turns caring for her. Fatima became their "baby", as witnessed by this tender moment. When I first read this article and saw the pictures, it made me so sad and angry. A pointless war, like all wars are, and unfortunately, the "collateral damages" are usually the children. In a world that sometimes can be so full of violence and hatred, this is a reminder of all the good that still exists out there and that no matter how small our actions may be, we really have the power to make a difference.



And so my hope for the new year is that the world will become a more loving, forgiving, and peaceful place for everyone. This last picture is of a little Palestinian boy, living in the Palestinian territories, in the Middle East. May we all be more tolerant of those who we view as "different" from our comfort zone. Once again, Merry Christmas, happy holidays, Chanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Shalom.

I tried to post this picture with my other holiday pictures, but for some reason, my blog froze! Must be all that holiday cheer... My computer is saying, "Bah humbug, Roseann!" For the last few years, I usually put up two trees, this small iron tree and a larger tree. This year, I tried something different: I set up the larger tree in the t.v. (aka family) room. This little guy is in the living room. One of the ornaments on it was made by my oldest (and fellow artist) friend, Kim. Kim and I have been friends since we were 8. Everyone should be that lucky to have one friend who has been a part of pretty much your entire life. And although we don't see and talk to each other as much as we did when we were children and teenagers, we are always there for each other. We are sisters. Anyway, Kim's ornament is the off-white, puzzle-shaped one with the angel in the center. What a beauty!

Merry Christmas, everyone! This is a shot of the tree before all hell breaks loose at our home! Each year, we host Christmas dinner for our family. Each year, it seems our family grows a little bigger! It is always a lot of work getting ready for the big day, but at the end of the day when we get a chance to put our feet up on the ottoman and the house gets back to normal and it is just the two of us again, it gives us an opportunity to reflect on the wonderful celebration of family, friends, neighbors, and blessings that we have all-year long.

What have I been up to for the last few weeks?! I have been on an incredible, whirlwind of a ride the entire months of November and December. It has been ridiculously crazy on a personal, professional, and artistic level. November started with a HUGE bang in the form of Lynne Perrella. I have waited for almost 10 years to take one of her workshops. I finally got the opportunity to do just that during the long,Veteran's Day weekend. I took a 3-day workshop at my dear friend, Carol Parks' home/studio. At the end of the first day, Lynne asked me to lead the group of artists in creating a Frida altar. This is a shot of the altar I took the next morning, before our class resumed. At the end of day 2, Lynne asked me once again to lead the group in creating a new altar. Well, instead of it being the entire group creating the new altar, it became only me. Everyone just watched as I kept moving and adding things to create a completely different altar from the day before. To say I was honored, does not really capture how I truly felt. Afterall, this is Lynne Perrella, artiste extraordinaire! It was pretty fucking amazing! I was both honored and humbled.

This is one of the 2 pieces I created during Lynne's workshop. It took me most of the 3 days to finish. I have 2 ways of working - either it is very fast, where I will begin and work until that piece is completed or I will work painstaking slow to get it to look 'just right'. This was one of those pieces that came together in my head very quickly. And I wanted it to be done quickly, while all those ideas were meshing in my head.

The next photo is from our school's Winter Formal. The guy on my left is a colleague and good friend. His name is Matt. My husband took this photo of us. I can't believe my husband actually agreed to go with me to this event. He is such a sweetheart! This is my first Winter Formal, as an assistant principal. When I was still in the classroom on a full-time basis, I sponsored the Student Council/Leadership class for 3 years, so I attended many dances and a few Winter Formals. Anyway, we looked pretty damn good - my husband looked stunning, as usual, in his suit. After all these years, I can still look at him and see exactly WHY I fell in love with him.

Speaking of my husband, here he is on the left, with 2 of our nephews. Josh is in the center and Frankie is on the right. They are my older brother, Frank's boys. My nephews are such good boys - they are a REAL source of pride for me. Frankie was my first 'baby' - when he was a baby, everyone thought he was my child since it seemed like we were always together. He was born my junior year of high school. I took this shot of the guys after our annual family golf tournament, which is held the day after Thanksgiving. The golf tournament is more than just shooting the breeze and a ball ... the tournament is done in conjunction with my family's foundation, the Kathryn Elizabeth Millan Memorial Fund, named after my niece, Katie, who died of pulmonary hypertension, at the age of 14. Each year, the tournament raises BIG bucks that fund Katie's favorite charities, including "Make A Wish". The foundation not only honors Katie's memory, but it also carries on the charity work she so tirelessly supported during her short life.

Well, you might be tired from reading all of this. It was a very, very busy month! These are the highlights from November. Tomorrow, I will move into December. I am SO excited about Christmas! I feel like I did when I was a kid. I could hardly wait for it to be December 25th each year. It has always been my 2nd favorite holiday; my favorite is Valentine's Day. But this is where I will end for today.