THIS JUST IN: Frau Ibu Ms. Pingkan Marya Lucas is now officially authorized to work in the US of A!!! 😀

I am sooo psyched, had to do a post right away!

The timing could not have been better. I have been sooo restless, it’s crazy. I mean, taking care of a home is a proper job. But I am soo not great at it. Granted, there are days, when I spend hours vacuuming every last corner of our apartment, I feel like a hero – because hey, that could compete with the best Swiss hotels. But those days are rare. Usually, I just think, I could be doing something else with my time. I think you just gotta know your place in the world.

I haven’t been complacent. I’ve created quite a number of new projects for myself the past weeks. The ICP class gave me the impetus to work on ideas that’ve been swirling in my mind for some time. Gamelan photos, some portraits maybe? I have gone through some 20,000 images to prepare for my new personal website. I also signed up to volunteer at the Liberty Humane Society in Jersey City, more on that below.

In addition to all of that, some people have been sending things my way. A friend wants me to look at her book – though I think the scope of work is probably too big for what I can currently handle, unfortunately; an old client from Germany has checked in to see whether or not I am ready to do work for them again (the answer to that would now be YES!), and, Chad pulled me into a really cool new content project here, about which I will write another time, because it deserves a bit of airtime.

But first, let’s talk about puff pastry. : ) Puff Pastry…is the name of a very pretty and very fluffy auburn and white cat who gave me cute little licks at the Liberty Humane Society Thursday evening, during volunteer orientation. If the barks and odors from the canine cages gave me a scare, the relative serenity of the kitty corner made me think, ‘yeah, I can do this’. The kitty corner is actually an entire floor…and Puff Daddy, is what I personally prefer to call him, had his turn to roam loose in the big room. Don’t know if they let the prettiest friendliest cat out on purpose, but if they did, it worked, because he made me want to come back.

What else happened this week? I went hiking partway up Bear Mountain… It was a beautiful, if somewhat chilly day, and I believe I was the one of the first people up that morning. Bear Mountain (pics below) can feel like Disneyland on the weekend, especially during high season, so it was such a lovely thing to see it so quiet and serene.

There were distinct signs of spring. Ice melting, literally right before my eyes. As I was taking photos of ice formations, they cracked, broke and melted, turning into water.  Branches had green tips. Lots of chirping heard. But the weather has been so temperamental, it’s hard to know what’s really happening. Temperatures swung from -12 C to close to +12 in less than a week. I mean, the magnolia trees in Central Park had buds in December, birds were all flying in the wrong direction in January. And this week, it seems everything was screaming, ‘yeah baby, bring it on!’ But will it come?

After gamelan practice, Alex and I had a walk around Williamsburg tonight. We had some great Thai food, Alex took some pictures, and we explored. It was so beautiful and warm, people running around in t-shirts and light jackets, it’s really hard to believe that spring is not coming. So let’s all cross our fingers.

Anyhoo…It’s getting quite late, so I’m going to turn in. Just had to share the news about the permit. : )

Wishing you all a good morning, good day, good night, and a Happy Sunday! Write more soon…