It's amazing what Houston rolls and green tea at Nori Sushi can do.  Seriously.

Have a great weekend, everyone.  Back in good Christmas cheer soon.

Song:  Heal over by KT Tunstall

Hearts found in various places, or given as gifts.  I keep them close by in my studio.

Well, it's one week before Christmas.  And I?  Have made barely a dent in my Christmas shopping.

I'm not sure what happened to me this year -- I think our trip over Thanksgiving, which came late this year, has something to do with it.  But I feel like I'm frantically trying to get everything done before Christmas, and I'm failing, both in the time crunch and the execution.  Failing miserably.

As a result, I've been in a truly foul mood for the last few days.  I've been one of those moods where I had to warn Marcus: Dude, just so you know, I'm angry and pissy and just generally miserable.  It's not your fault, but there is nothing you can do to change this, and there is nothing you can do to make me okay.  If I were you, I'd just lay low.

He smiled and nodded.  Okay, he said.

But, God bless him, he didn't listen.

Yesterday, he sent me an e-mail with three lines, telling me that he was thinking of me, that I shouldn't give up, and that he believes in me. 

And it made all the difference in the world.

(Except now the pressure is on to get something really great for him for Christmas.  I have no idea what.)

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Happy Love Thursday, everyone.  Leave the links to your images and/or stories of love in the comments section below.

Or, in the alternative, take the time to send someone a note telling them that you're thinking of them, that they shouldn't give up, and that you believe in them.

It will make all the difference in the world.

Song:  Those sweet words by Norah Jones

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."

-- Mahatma Gandhi

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For all of us in this frenetic, crazy, insane, end-of-year time, let's put a little strength vibe into the universe today. Lord knows I could use it.

P.S. Thanks for participating in yesterday's giveaway -- the winner, randomly chosen, is Sharon, who said, "Hard to choose, but i think 'Looking Out' is my favorite. Thanks for sharing."  Congratulations! I'll e-mail you off-line to get your snail mail addy for the print.  And for everyone else, don't forget, if you'd like to purchase your own print, do it before Tuesday, December 23rd - simply mention "chookooloonks" as you check out, and you'll receive a 20% discount!

Song: In place of today's song, I give you the following video, courtesy of Andrea (and it came when I really needed it):

As I mentioned before, while in England I had the opportunity to meet Susannah, the beautiful soul behind the blog Ink on my fingers, and the photoblog Unravelling. I'd been a fan of Susannah's work for a while; in particular, her amazing photography. So when she kindly sent me an e-mail a couple of weeks before we left for our holiday, inviting me to look her up if I was ever in town, I leapt at the opportunity.

Our intent was for her to show me around town to shoot as much as possible, but once we met at the coffee house that morning, it was clear that we were going to spend most of our day deep in conversation. I have to say that Susannah is one of the most interesting people I've met this year.  In addition to being a very obviously beautiful woman, she's a study in contradictions: she's at once sensitive and somewhat cynical; she's very spiritual, yet deliciously irreverent. I found that she was both not what I expected, and so much more than I expected -- and now, when I look at her amazing photographs, I feel like I should've known she'd be the enigma that she is. I mean, it was all right there in her beautiful, mysterious images.

Toward the end of our day together, I felt brave enough to invite her to participate in my Authentic You Interview Series, and happily, she agreed. The following are her insightful answers -- and at the end, you can see how you can win a print of one of her beautiful images.

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?  A sunny day, a selection of beautiful vintage cameras and film, a new place to explore, (preferably abroad), good friends to have dinner with later, and a man I adore to make love with through the night..

2. What is your greatest fear?  Losing my sister.

3. Which living person do you most admire?  There are many people I admire: Germaine Greer, Annie Leibovitz and Magnum photographer Martin Parr are three of them, off the top of my head.

4. What trait do you most deplore in yourself?  I’m a perfectionist who thinks too much, who sets such high standards for herself it’s almost impossible to get anything done. Every day I battle with my over-analytical brain.

5. What trait do you most deplore in others?  Ignorance and rudeness.

6. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?  Chastity.

7. What or who is the greatest love of your life?  What: photography. It’s a love affair that started when I was 18 and at art college. Even when I’d convinced myself that the competitive world of journalism was where I should be, I was still taking pictures in one form or another. Now, at last, it fills my every waking thought.

8. Which talent would you most like to have?  I love to be able to sing properly – not the karaoke caterwauling I do, but soulful from-the-heart singing.

9. What is your current state of mind?  Agitated.

10. What do you consider your greatest achievement?  Surviving the death of the man I loved; in 2005 I thought my life was over, but I have found a new way of living, and so many gifts have come into my life in the last few years. But it could have been otherwise.

11. What is your most treasured possession?  My diaries. I started keeping one when I was 11 and have amassed an assortment of journals and files of paper over the years. The last five years are held in 20 large Moleskine notebooks..

12. What is your superpower?  The ability to channel wisdom from somewhere other than my head. Occasionally I’ll have a conversation with a friend and have no idea where some of the things I said came from – but luckily they were helpful!

13. Who is your favourite hero of fiction?  Jane Eyre.

14. Who are your heroes in real life?  Heroes might be pushing it, but I am inspired by Jeanette Winterson, Diane Arbus and the journalist Janine di Giovanni.

15. What is your motto?  ‘Fuck it’ – as in, should I have the salad or chocolate dessert? Fuck it, I’ll have the chocolate. Should I approach the owner of that gallery or should I hide away at home in case I get rejected? Fuck it, where’s my portfolio? Life is too short to live any other way.

16. What do you most value in your friends?  Their patience and faith in me; I’m not always the easiest person to love as I’m bit of a lone she-wolf.

17. Which word or phrase do you most overuse?  See number 15.

18. What is your greatest extravagance?  Polaroid film.

19. What is the quality you most like in a woman?  Passion, honesty and a healthy cynicism laced with humour.

20. What is the quality you most like in a man?  Wit, intelligence and an adventurous heart.

21. On what occasion do you feel the most authentic?  The moment I have a camera in my hands I am most completely myself. And I’ve recently discovered that teaching photography/creativity workshops brings out the best parts of me too.

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I told you she was complex, didn't I? And she's also generous: simply leave a comment below naming which of the prints Susannah has in her etsy store that's your favourite, and I'll pick a commenter from random tomorrow to win that print. It's that simple. Comments will be open until midnight tonight.

But that's not all!

If you decide one print just isn't enough for you (or you decide that rather than comment, you'd actually purchase a print), simply mention "chookooloonks" as you check out, and you'll be automatically given a 20% discount on all your purchases. This offer will be good until Tuesday, December 23rd.

So don't forget, leave a comment below, naming your favourite print. You won't regret it: they're beautiful.

Song: Unraveling, by Deb Talan. Says Susannah: "On January 1^st 2007 I started a photo blog and was trying to decide on a title. I wanted a word or phrase that encapsulated what my photography was about, and where I was in my life at that point. And it was then that my iTunes started playing Deb Talan’s song Unraveling and I had my a-ha moment. Unravelling (I use the British spelling) perfectly describes my picture-making processes and my healing path. Unravelling… letting go… peeling back the layers to find the real beauty inside."

Speaking of soulful spaces, this weekend, my friend Katherine invited Alex and me to her family's ranch in Sealy, Texas.  The ranch is about 100 years old, and is full of great Texas history -- and since Katherine is a consummate storyteller, we followed her rapt as she told the tales of all the outbuildings and other structures on the land.

Since it is such a historic place, I decided to take the Kodak Duaflex out for spin.  The result is a new photography project on my projects page.  Click here to see it -- I hope you enjoy.

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A quick note to say that if you've ordered a calendar prior to this past weekend, it's on its way to you now.  And for those of you who haven't ordered yet, but intended to, more are now available.  In addition, I'm slowly adding some 8x10 prints to the store, so keep checking back.  Thanks to all of you for your support!

Song:  That's right (you're not from Texas) by Lyle Lovett

The flowers above were sitting in a vase on a table in my very favourite kitchen in the world.  This kitchen is in the home of Marcus' Auntie Pam; she lives in a farmhouse in Cornwall.  The original structure is something like 500 years old; her husband, Pete, built an extension to it with his own hands over the past 10 years.

I love this home.

I don't know who lived in this home prior to Pam and Pete, but I really believe that over the past 500 years, only people with really lovely souls owned this home.  Every time I visit, not only is it wonderful to see Pam and Pete, two of the warmest people in England, but the house seems to welcome us as well.  I mentioned this to Pam on our last visit, and she smiled.  "I felt it too, the first time I saw this place," she said softly in agreement.

And in their home, my favourite room is the kitchen.  It's a tiny kitchen: it can't really hold more than 4 people comfortably (and most of them better be sitting at the table, so as not to get in the way), but it's so warm, and when you sit there with your mug of tea, you feel that if you ever leave, it will be too soon.

Back in Houston, I love our house; but I don't know that our kitchen has the same feeling.  It's a nice kitchen, but lately I'm itching to turn it into a really soulful space.  I'm not sure how I'm going to do this, but it's definitely one of my goals for 2009.  I think it's important for every home to have a space where everyone feels like family when they enter.

Do you have a soulful space in your home?  What's it like?

Song:  Words by Anthony David, featuring India Arie

Don't you just love it when you're walking along, minding your own business, when all of a sudden the universe sends you a cosmic message -- maybe in the form of a billboard, or graffiti, or in this case, the underside of an inexplicably large, fire-engine red jack?

Me too.

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Happy Love Thursday, everyone.  Please leave the links to your stories and images of love in the comments section, below.

And may the universe send you some love today.

About 30 minutes ago, it started snowing.  Okay, not Utah-grab-your-board-it's-time-to-start-shredding kind of snow, but trust me, in Houston, anything white falling out of the sky that isn't caused by a refinery is viewed as a possible sign of the Second Coming. 

Alex, having only seen snow when she was about 9 months old (and therefore having no recollection of it), lost her ever-loving mind.  She just ran around and around in circles in our driveway, shrieking in delight.  She kept catching snowflakes (snowdust?) and showing it to me excitedly.

It's since stopped snowing.

Update:  The snow continues.  And in case you thought I was joking about the Second Coming, look here.  Also?  It was a lot warmer yesterday.  Welcome to Houston.

You're all so lovely:  in one day, my store is almost sold out of all calendars.  Never fear, I've ordered more, and will get them to you as quickly as possible; however, for those of you who order after today, it might be tough getting them to you prior to Christmas.  I'll do my best, though.

This season seems to have completely snuck up on me -- all of a sudden, I'm scrambling to send out cards, I haven't even begun Christmas shopping yet, and it's dawning on me that Christmas is a mere 2 weeks away.  How did that happen?

So I'm looking for inspiration:  What is the best, most meaningful gift you've ever given, or that you've ever received?  Inquiring minds would love to know.

Song:  Breathe in by Frou Frou

I was sitting in my favourite coffee house, at my favourite table -- the one next to the window, the one that is never available.  I was supposed to be working, and I was hoping that the change of scenery from my home studio might bring me a little inspiration.  It didn't -- I found my mind wandering, noticing the cracks in the aging walls, the nose ring worn by the waitress writing the day's specials on the nearby chalkboard.

The door opened, and a couple walked outside and stood in front of the window.  They were friends ... perhaps they were former lovers?  Or newly falling in love?  They stood facing each other, and she tentatively reached for his hand, and squeezed it.  They looked into each other's eyes and smiled, clearly unable to find the words to express what they were feeling. 

Then suddenly she dropped his hand, and, still smiling, they left in opposite directions.

I bet they thought about each other all day long.

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Several of you have noticed the new link up in the sidebar, and so without any further ado, I'm pleased to present the 2009 Chookooloonks calendar, featuring some of my favourite images of 2008.  This calendar contains 13 original images, all contained in a CD jewel case which opens up into a desktop easel.  My intent was to have this ready to go by November 15th; however, with our crazy schedule, I wasn't able to actually have the final product in my hot little hands until yesterday.  Now that I've seen it, I have to say I'm very pleased.

Normally $15, since it's already so close to the end of the year, the calendar is on sale now for $12.  You can see the images of each month here, and you can purchase the calendar here.

Enjoy.  And thanks to all of you for supporting me over the past year.  Your comments and emails have meant so much.

Song:  Moon by Emily King