Nancy NOT in New York

I am home - Pasco - for a week. It was a good move in that I have a chance to do some work, see the dogs and SPREAD OUT! I think the things I most miss around here are: 1. The Sunsets. Holy smoke - no chance to SEE a sunset in NYC and it is one of the most wonderful things about where I live! 2. The Room. Holy Smoke - there's So Much Room here - from a house that's a thousand times the size of that apartment to the Yard to the View and Beyond! 3. My tendency to stay home - Holy Smoke, I work very hard at not having to go anywhere when I'm in Pasco. I work very hard at NOT staying home in NYC. I would miss too much, I would regret not spending every minute taking advantage of everything that is there. What does that say about Pasco? Hmmmmmm. There is Room, there is Peace and Quiet but there is not a darn thing to do.

If there's nothing to GO and DO, then I will STAY and DO. Yup. Isn't that the best thing? I can stay home and paint (but I like going to class because I feel that I learn so much and I can get better and better). I think I will work on that when I'm back home after the first of the year. I have the 509Artspace at Clearwater West that I will go back to working on the gathering of local artists. There is the best room for workshops and classes and I think I will try to put together at least one class a week for people to sign up and pay for (there are some excellent artists/teachers in the Tri-Cities) and that way I can continue to learn. It's also a great opportunity to build a 'community' where we can come together and DO something.

In the meantime, I will take full advantage of being home with the my kids, the dogs and the comfort of this great house. (Did I mention how COLD it is here?) How lucky am I that I can have the best of both worlds?

I can't help wishing for my own NYC apartment. I have to remember though, if I spent one week a month there, I'd have to spend at least $3,500 - $4,000 a month to rent one. That's CRAZY! It's sure nice to have a place where you can keep your toothbrush and pajamas, but that's too much of an extravagance. I could find a hotel and go back to that same hotel month after month (I could probably even get some great upgrades and a free night here or there) and STILL that'd cost far less than $4,000/month! Maybe I should do that for a while and then, if the stays in NYC get longer - it might be worth looking into. Dang. For now - I'll just enjoy what I'm doing. (Maybe I could rent out my apartment while I'm not there...)