Friday, November 5, 2010

Made it to November!

Hi friends,

Well, I made it through Halloween, and now, on to my plans for Thanksgiving. I have my turkey on order at Publix. I love Publix. They cook seafood there in the store and have the best dinners for the holidays. I'm going to make all the sides this year and just order their pre-cooked turkey. You know, the turkey sits in a vacuum pack bag full of broth, so it is one of the most moist turkeys I have ever eaten. I did brine a turkey a few years ago, and that also turned out excellent. I've never tried the deep-fried turkey.

Things have settled down at my house. The spirits have been peaceful. They are probably editing me while I type this blog. They seem to be privy to everything that happens around here. Sometimes, it can get annoying.

I've joined the Nanowrimo contest. This is a world-wide writers' contest. To win, one must finish the first draft of a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. We had a Kick-Off party on October 31st. and our first Write-in was held this past Wednesday. What an awesome group of authors. They are so creative and fun to hang out with. I'm up to a little over 9,000 words. Because of a root canal I had to go through this week, I am behind by a couple of days. I'll catch up tomorrow at the Saturday Write-In.

What am I writing about, you ask? I am writing a fiction based on the true story of my house and its spirits. It will be a fun novel to write and I hope even more fun to read! I'll let you know where you can get a copy when it is published. It will be published sometime in 2011.

Well, that's all the news I have for now. Don't forget to watch Local Haunts on CW17. It is a fun show!

Ciao,
Caterina

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Happy Halloween!

Here it is the end of October, and the last entry I had was in August. Wow!

The Local Haunts TV show came to my house and did a paranormal investigation. You can watch it on CW17 if you are in Florida or Georgia. The investigation was such fun! The crew was so entertaining that at one point, the ghosts exclaimed, "They make me laugh!" Steve Christian is charming and my ghosts or as some prefer, spirits, really liked his beautiful sister Amy. They captured 140 EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena), disembodied voices, mists floating through the rooms, things moving, knocking on request, and visible orbs floating through my art studio. I think my ghosts were very accommodating. You can watch the show on Sunday night, November 21st, from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. EST.

We had a TV Premiere / Halloween party in my haunted house yesterday evening. Many of my friends from MOCA Jacksonville attended as well as three team members from RIP - Researchers Investigating the Paranormal team and Local Haunts TV Show. The MOCA crowd was fascinated, and asked Steve Christian to do a Q&A after watching the preview. He graciously accommodated my friends, and we all had an informative and entertaining session. Everyone brought a covered dish of their favorite party food, so the table was filled with awesome goodies. Vishi, the head of the northeast chapter of CAPE Paranormal Investigators based in Orlando was on hand also. Her team was sent in by Dustin Pari of Ghost Hunters International fame on the SyFy channel. Dustin Pari was here in St. Augustine last week, so it is too bad he couldn't attend this party. Maybe next time. If any of you get an opportunity to go to one of Dustin's hunts at the St. Augustine Lighthouse, do so. He and his crew can provide you with an exciting and informative night at paranormal investigating. You must sign up early because the tickets sell out fast. His web site is: http://www.paranormalrockstar.com/

Vishi is the historical researcher for the CAPE Paranormal team. She was able to get information on the former residents of this land as far back at 1850. Incidentally, Vishi is a wonderful cook and always brings the best casseroles and goodies to my parties. Last night, she brought a Mexican Lasagna to die for. Oops, maybe I'd better not say that around here!

I just love celebrating Halloween. It is such a fun holiday. I decorated my yard and made some ghosts to hang in my trees over our florescent grave stones. We also have dancing ghosts, talking skeletons on stakes, a mummy in a coffin who jumps out and yells at passerbys, and lastly, a rock with an evil laugh. Do I take Halloween seriously? NO! It's a time for fun, revelry, and some good candy. Party on ghosts and ghouls!

This is all I have for now. I'm working on the mosaic sculptures, some new paintings, and jewelry. I'm also hoping for a solo show in Paris in my near future. I'll let you know how that goes.

Please don't call me and ask if you can investigate my house. The answer is no. I've reserved this right exclusively for CAPE Paranormal, RIP Investigations, and Dustin Pari. The spirits in here are much happier when people are not trying to catch them on camera or tape recorders. It disturbs their peace.

Ciao,
Caterina

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Hello,
I just did a thorough house cleaning and decided to apply this to my blog, web page, and get rid of pages I just don't use very much. One item in my virtual cluttered garage is Facebook. I had a page before then disconnected it. I decided to later reconnect to Facebook. That is like going to garage sales to buy another blender because last year, you decided to take your old blender to the Goodwill. You almost never used it. You buy the next blender, and it sits in the cabinet unused. Voila, this one too ends up at the Goodwill when you do your next uncluttering. I must remember that two times I've had a Facebook page, and both times, only my friends seemed to use it. They advertise to each other, share their daily lives, and I never see most of this happening. I just never go on there unless I get a personal message. People will just have to email me with their children's and grand children's pictures.

What is all this cleaning and uncluttering about? I'm not sure. I think as my 59th birthday approaches and then the 60th, I don't need as much stuff. I also don't need as much food, clothing, cars, and headaches. Wow, growing older may be a good thing. It beats the alternative!

There are no art shows in my immediate future. I'm taking a much-needed break. What am I doing with my time? I'm creating jewelry, creating mosaics, a sculpture garden, and continuing my creative writing courses.

I am creating a new line of jewelry for the fall. It will be sold at MOCA Jacksonville. (Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville) This is the Southeast's largest contemporary art museum, and I am honored they want my work on display in their museum shop.

To all my friends who happen upon this page, if your web page links are gone, please email me your new ones. I have also swept out old links.

Ciao,
Caterina