Mrs. Hudson & Sherlockian Icons

Posted on September 27, 2009 by Leslie Sigal Javorek | 1 Comment

Posted by: Leslie Sigal Javorek • Date: Sun, Sept 27, 2009 5:49 pm

My cousin, Flo, is one of the most brilliant and talented women I know. Intensely passionate about her work as the head of a successful I.T. consulting group, Excalibur I.T., when she doffs that cap it is most often for the other major passion in her life as a member of an elite international community of “Sherlockians“. Flo’s alter-ego, Mrs. Flora Hudson not only hosts her own website but also has designed and maintained a number of other sites for members of the Sherlockian Web-Ring and is a sought-after lecturer on, amongst other topics, “The Art of Poisons”. Yet in the midst of all her own commitments and interests, she took the time to drive 500 miles from her home to mine in the middle of a storm one night to care for me, my family and our home at a time when I was undergoing a third round of chemo and was completely dependent on the assistance of others for the most basic of human needs.

There is no adequate way really to thank someone for their spontaneous love and well-intentioned efforts that went beyond the call. I admit to being entirely inept when it comes to the formal manners of “good breeding” and society and am well-known amongst friends and family as one who never (or at least very rarely) initiates a phone call, while at the same time, will drop everything and listen for hours on end and do whatever else that I can to assist those who reach out to me and don’t take my quirks as a personal affront.

And so, the real point of this post is to publicly acknowledge my appreciation and love for my cousin, Flora Spector, and to share with the rest of you, some of the artwork I created inspired by Flo’s passion for Mr. Sherlock Holmes (and all things Victorian).

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 in the “Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day” section are free for your personal use, subject to the limitations of my Creative Commons Non-Commercial – Attribution – No Derivatives – Share Alike- 3.0 license. (See sidebar for Terms of Use) For commercial or any other use, please contact me for directly.

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Legal Adversaries, Old Flames & Divine Irony

Posted on September 23, 2009 by Leslie Sigal Javorek | Leave a comment

Posted by: Leslie Sigal Javorek • Date: Wed Sep 23, 2009 4:25 am

Many moons ago, my hubby penned a song that was inspired by a rather unpleasant conversation he had with a former girlfriend whose (then) husband had invited us to a party at their apartment. That song, entitled “Don’t Paint Me”, has always been one of my favorites of his original compositions for a number of reasons, not the least of which is due to the memory of his band (“Halo”) performing it one night at a local bar. At the table next to me was a group of rowdy people getting off on the music and beer and I could not help but notice that in the center of that group was the infamous ex-girlfriend who was excitedly bragging to those around her how she used to date that sexy lead guitarist in the white suit. The fun part was that she was completely oblivious to the fact that the lyrics being sung at that very moment were a biting commentary about her less than honorable character.

“Don’t Paint Me”

You trace the face of friends so dear

You draw them in the dust

Painting words you choose with careless colors.

You draw my blood for red highlights

Green jealousy flashes your eyes

Don’t admit the sky is blue, it might strain you.

Argue with your arguments

Don’t argue with your friends.

The wisdom you claim is claimed by you alone dear.

Argue with your arguments

Don’t argue with your friends

The freedom you take may already be taken.

Ear can hear yes language speaks

To memories that you choose

You believe the past, refuse what’s coming.

Pain has faded and run from my heart

You will oh please take your fine fat tongue

And wind it up, never more to bark.

Show me your friends and I’ll show you you are who you reconstruct me to be

Change me only in your mind, don’t affect me.

Changes you see are lies to your eyes

If wishes are all that they can be

Your mind it paints my actions to look like your dreams

What brought this song to mind tonight were the documents I was reviewing for a planned discussion with my attorney tomorrow. I’ve been trapped in a nightmare of a lawsuit going on close to a dozen years now but until tonight I had never thought of how apt Don’s lyrics were for my self-proclaimed adversary. Details of the case itself deserve a blog or a book of its own but I’ll leave that for another lifetime. Until then, my friends, I hope you’ll be satisfied with another round of legal-oriented icons, the creation of which is part of my stress-reduction therapy.

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 in the “Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day” section are free for your personal use, subject to the limitations of my Creative Commons Non-Commercial – Attribution – No Derivatives – Share Alike- 3.0 license. (See sidebar for Terms of Use) For commercial or any other use, please contact me for directly.

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Fox Spokane Art Deco Icons Pt. 2

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Leslie Sigal Javorek | 2 Comments

Posted by: Leslie Sigal Javorek • Date: Fri Sep 18, 2009 4:50 am

apropos of absolutely nothing to do with this morning’s helping of icons from my “Fox Spokane” icon series… a bit of melancholy pseudo-haiku fit for 4:00 am on this Friday morning.

Dreams of a simple life slip through my fingers and

to the floor

If you must know, this tinge of wistfulness has been well-earned over the last 36 hours. A simple oil change on my car today ended up costing me over $1000 dollars; my hubby’s back in the hospital (again!) for the 6th time in the last 18 months; our son took a turn too fast on his father’s pristine-condition Triumph (now no longer pristine), scraped the heck out of his leg and then had to return to his apartment (250 miles away) for a job interview last night; my live-in 91-year-old mother-in-law (whom I’m here alone with tonight) forgot today what to do if she’s thirsty and has a glass of water in her hand; and I just learned that my third round of chemo failed to do its’ job. In other words, it’s just another day here in Cleveland, Ohio and life continues to fly by. …Lovely.

Well, enough of that crap and onto something far more interesting and fun! Intermission is over and it’s time to return to “Fox Spokane”!

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 in the “Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day” section are free for your personal use, subject to the limitations of my Creative Commons Non-Commercial – Attribution – No Derivatives – Share Alike- 3.0 license. (See sidebar for Terms of Use) For commercial or any other use, please contact me for directly.

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