Of Decades and Parallel Universes…

While most people were contemplating the year’s end, and the start of another, I was thinking about the past decade – the first of the new millennium. I guess last year was really the beginning of the next ten years, but I missed that, so you’re getting my meandering thoughts now! Think of it as getting a bonus year. ;-)

I was in school in the year 2000 – I’d just switched my major from Biochemistry to Food Science. Refer to my profile at right for comment on “the other side of my brain!” That May my mare Sass foaled a bay filly, who came to be known as Monster.

Monster helped dictate the course of my life even before she was born. I chose to take a job at the University of Guelph that summer so that I could be close to home to take care of the new girl. It wasn’t a very well-paying job, but the tradeoff was it had flexible hours – which worked well while I was raising Monster – and we had a lot of fun. Unlike me, my co-worker Ben carried on in the academic world. Every time I hear of a food-borne disease outbreak, I think of the people I worked with that summer. I have to admit, if there is a parallel universe, I’m sure I’m a research scientist!

The following year I worked for Campbell’s doing product development. That’s where I hovered at that crossroads, I think – the one where on the right was the path to the “real job.” I didn’t end up taking that path – instead, after I finished school I ended up back working at the track. Why? Because Monster was three, and supposed to be a racehorse. I had also done next to no painting while I was completing my degree (labs….labs….and more labs made sure of that), and by the time I was done with it, I was ready to dive back in. When my oil pastel painting “Fresh Outlook” received an award and sold for an amazing price at the Harness Tracks of America auction in 2004, I had the encouragement I needed to carry on with my art. Long story short….here I am today.

I’m not good at making plans or goals for the new year – I like to keep a low profile, as best I can. And I think I like surprises, at least positive ones. All I can say is I've always wanted to go to Australia. I'm going to leave it at that. Happy New Year!

PS - I never got Monster to the races - ran out of money, basically. As I always say, she's at least made me money as a model, as I've sold a number of the paintings of her that I've done!