Spinning Wheel Gotta Go Round

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Leslie Sigal Javorek | 1 Comment

Posted by: Leslie Sigal Javorek • Date: Wed. October 6, 2010 9:05 PM

So where the hell have I been these past 3 weeks? Ahh, if you only knew… 😉 To be honest, I have spent most of that time sleeping. My body and mind just had to escape from the physical pain and emotional strain that I’ve had to endure for so many years, and then try to regain the strength to go the next round. As to my health, while I certainly don’t mind not having to be pricked or to have my blood drained a couple times a week any more, it’s more than a little bit disconcerting to be told that the only reason for this change is because my doctors see no point in it anymore inasmuch as there’s nothing left they can try to treat me with. So while the good (even amazing!) news is that while the past chemo treatments failed to “cure” me, they were able to give my liver, pancreas and heart enough of a reprieve to slow down the rate that they were detiorating at, the bad news is that they are still detiorating and keeping me stuck in a hospital bed 90% of the time. Hereditary Hemochromatosis is such an insidious disease – atleast if you didn’t know you had it until it was too late to prevent major organ damage and other diseases or conditions from setting in. Sucky. I know this rant is in conflict with the promise I made to get back to my cheery self but I AM working on it and am getting closer to a genuine smile than I was last week. So progress is being made!

What goes up, must come down. Spinning Wheel…

Not all the news in my life is bad (as the above makes it sound). I’ve actually had some very good news on a couple of fronts. One, I just received the first edition of a 15-Month Calendar I designed, and however immodest it may be, I must say I’m really impressed with the quality of Zazzle’s printing and materials. They somehow made my artwork look a 1000% better than I could possibly imagine or even realized I was capable of. While I did all of the artwork and layout, without the right paper, ink, or expert application of the printing presses, the artwork would have been totally lost. So, for any of you who are contemplating turning your own artwork into useful products or beautiful prints, I highly recommend Zazzle. And if you’re just one who has a strong aesthetic sensibility and enjoy beautiful things, I hope you’ll consider checking out my Zazzle shop.

“Front and Back Covers of IconDoIt’s 15 Month Calendar (Nov. 2010-Jan. 2012)”

Okay, the other good news is that the Florida Appeals Court finally issued their opinion on my adversary’s attempt to overturn their prior opinion (that had been in my favor) and then my adversary’s attempt to have that Court strike my response to the Motion for rehearing. Not surprisingly, the 4DCA denied both Motions, which secures the awards already granted in my favor and allows me to seek restitution and damages. I’m praying my opponent finally “gets it” that he/she has run out of places to hide and it’s time to stand tall and accept full responsibility for the consequences of his/her decisions. We all f*ck up at times. We’re all human, after all. It is only in refusing to admit wrongs, in refusing to accept liability for them, in refusing to sincerely apologize for them, and then engaging in further wrongs with the purpose of deflecting the blame and consequences onto the very person harmed (unfairly) by the original bad decision, that makes one a pariah to society.

Enough of the monologue – and on to the Goodies! Tonight I’ve got a set of original images that have an obvious practical use right on your desktop. A set of folders that I’ve named “Slick”. Enjoy!

Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day

The following images are either full or reduced size previews. Simply right-click (or control-click) on the preview to save the image(s) of your choice to your desktop. (Unless otherwise noted, downloads are 512px X 512px in .png format). As always, usage of any of the images offered on this blog are free for your personal use while subject to the limitations of my Creative Commons Non-Commercial – Attribution – No Derivatives – Share Alike- 3.0 license. (See sidebar for details)

Rejection As A Prognosticator for Success

Posted on September 4, 2010 by Leslie Sigal Javorek | Leave a comment

Posted by: Leslie Sigal Javorek • Date: Sat. Sept. 4, 2010 2:15 am

Some Interesting Facts:

“The Salon des Paris”, sponsored by the French government since 1673, was considered the most esteemed artistic competition in Paris and one of the greatest spectacles in Europe. Works rejected by the selection committee got marked with a big red “R” on the back of the canvas.
In 1863, the Paris Salon, called “The Exhibition of Living Artists” averaged 23,000 visitors a day (400,000 total at 10 francs a pop).
That same year (and again in 1864), due to pressure from the artists and the public, the Emperor Napoleon III permitted a second exhibition, the “Salon des Refusés”, to take place simultaneously right next to the Salon, to showcase the artists whose work had been rejected by the Paris Salon. A total of only 3,500 people attended the Salon des Refusés, despite the bargain ticket price of 1 franc.
Amongst the artists displaying at the Salon des Refusés in 1863 and 1864, were Édouard Manet, Edgar Dégas, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne, and the American painter, James McNeill Whistler.
In 1878, Alphonse Mucha’s application to the Prague Academy of Fine Arts was rejected, with the following recommendation: “Find yourself another profession where you’ll be more useful”.
Vincent Van Gogh sold only one painting, “Red Vineyard at Arles”, during his lifetime. He was little known to the art world at the time of his death, but his paintings became famous after he died.
In 1907, Picasso’s “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” was so way ahead of its time that it was rejected by the art world and the general public. This painting of five figures in a brothel is nowadays regarded as the most outstanding work of Picasso’s earlier years.
In 1961, second-grade school teacher at Belvoir Elementary, Claire Heiss, flunked Leslie Sigal in art (because she could not stay within the lines with her crayon)

The lesson to be learned? Listen to your own heart about who you want to be and what you want to do in life and then, do it. Period.

Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day

The following images are either full or reduced size previews. Simply right-click (or control-click) on the preview to save the image(s) of your choice to your desktop. (Unless otherwise noted, downloads are 512px X 512px in .png format). As always, usage of any of the images offered on this blog are free for your personal use while subject to the limitations of my Creative Commons Non-Commercial – Attribution – No Derivatives – Share Alike- 3.0 license. (See sidebar for details)

Therapeutic Bear Hugs

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Leslie Sigal Javorek | Leave a comment

Posted by: Leslie Sigal Javorek • Date: Fri. Aug. 13, 2010 1:30 am

A couple of days ago, I got together with a friend that I hadn’t seen for over 40 years. While the occasion was a sad one (he had come up to Ohio from his home in Florida for his father’s funeral) it was really wonderful to see him. Of course, when you haven’t seen someone for many years, the first thing is to try to catch up on all that’s happened in each other’s lives. My favorite part is in hearing all about the other person as it gets me out from under my life and I get to imagine what my friend has seen and done and felt. When the focus turned to me (as arriving with a walker or in a wheelchair that the friend wasn’t expecting is bound to do) my tongue seems to trip on my words. After all these years, I still have not figured out how best to respond to the question, “So, what happened to you?”

Not to make light of the pain of those who’ve fallen down a flight of stairs or been in a car wreck, but I wish there was some simple one sentence statement like that I could use to reply to such questions. There are some people who ask “How are you?” that are merely being polite and who really aren’t interested in details. Those are easy. To a friend who really does care, I feel that it’s a matter of respect to tell them the truth. Of course, I also don’t want to come across like a whiner or to depress them or cause them to feel badly for me. And there lies the problem, because the answer to “What Happened to Me” entails a recitation of a long series of illnesses and circumstances that built upon each other over a period of 56 years to land me in the condition I am now. While there is one cause (Hereditary Hemochromatosis “HFE”) that has been at the core of every other major condition or disease or disability that I’ve suffered, most folks have no idea what HFE is but they do know what Epilepsy, Stroke, deafness, Uterine Cancer, Hepatitis C, Non-Alcoholic cirrhosis, Arthritis, Haemolytic Anemia, Osteoporosis, Esophagitis, Peripheral Neuropathy, and chronic pain are. So whether I start with HFE or end with it doesn’t much matter and it doesn’t much matter whether I spend any time at all on the details of any of those conditions and how they’ve affected me or simply just stated their names in a single sentence. The result is still the same. People feel overwhelmed simply hearing that list, can’t imagine how any one person could have endured all that (much less still have a smile on their face) and wonder what kind of hex was put on me while still in the womb. Their reaction is understandable but for some reason I tend to feel a bit embarrassed as I know it has to be difficult to think of “the right thing” to say after someone has answered “What happened to You?” with such a mucked up laundry list.

The best friends I’ve found are those who can hear that list and then go ahead to tell me a joke or can be comfortable laughing at one of mine. People who have such a generous nature as to be sensitive enough to know when to just listen, when to ask for more info, when to laugh with you, when to share with you their own troubles and dreams, and know when you just need a great big bear hug, are priceless. (Thanks, Mark!)

Listen To Simon & Garfunkel’s “Old Friends”

On the menu tonight is a smorgasboard of orphaned icons and clip art that have little in common with each other as far as style or theme but they are easily usable as application icons, avatars, or a variety of scrapbooking or illustration purposes. Enjoy!

Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day

The following images are either full or reduced size previews. Simply right-click (or control-click) on the preview to save the image(s) of your choice to your desktop. (Unless otherwise noted, downloads are 512px X 512px in .png format). As always, usage of any of the images offered on this blog are free for your personal use while subject to the limitations of my Creative Commons Non-Commercial – Attribution – No Derivatives – Share Alike- 3.0 license. (See sidebar for details)