A Slapdash Yuletide Issue
My Fellow Shennyer:
Greetings from Virginia! I’m writing this from my parents’ living room. The hourlong block of Wheel and Jeopardy! is about to start. Their new prelit tree’s LED lights have been switched to multicolor, now that those of us Maddens who prefer white lights have headed back home, and I’m about to pour a glass of the aged eggnog I wrote you about last time.
In short: it’s time for families—chosen and otherwise—in these dark nights of the year. In that spirit (and to save myself work while on vacation), I’ve outsourced much of this Shenny to my sisters, who’ve volunteered to serve as this week’s endorsers.
If you’re celebrating the coming of 2023 this weekend, I hope your festivities are full of light and love.
Yours:
Dave
Endorsements: Shenny Namesakes Edition
1. Jenny Endorses Oil Pastels
As an artist, I’ve tried a lot of mediums, but I had a hard time capturing what was in my head, and getting it to look right on the canvas. I follow an artist on YouTube, who goes by BlackBean CMS, and he’s so talented he makes things look easy. He’s also very critical. I’ll think he’s doing something amazing, but he’ll just be blunt and say he doesn’t think it’s very good. In one video, he started painting something using oil pastels, and the use and application was a lot like crayons, but the effect was more like oil paints because of the way he was blending and layering colors right on the canvas. So I got a box of Paul Rubens–brand oil pastels and gave them a try. The first thing I painted was this field of poppies, inspired by another artist I follow on Instagram, and I’m really happy with how it came out:
Anyway, for a self-taught artist, oil pastels are a great entry-level medium to experiment with and boost your confidence.
2. Shani Endorses a Quote from William Jennings Bryan
I’ve been reflecting a lot lately, looking back on not only how much has changed in the past year, but how much things have changed in the past decade. In one of those reflecting moments I came across this quote by William Jennings Bryan:
Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.
I believe firmly in this. 10 years ago, in the twilight of my 30’s, I looked around & realized how unhappy I was with my life, my relationship, my job—just about everything in general. I quickly decided I could put my hands in the air & resolve that this is my life or I could do something to change it. I chose the latter. So here we are in 2022, 10 years later. I am now 50 & this has been a year of tremendous change. There have been moments where I've wanted to put my hands in the air & resolve that this is my life, but I’m always reminded of what would have been had I done that a decade ago. Thankfully, I didn't do that back then & I refuse to do it today. Like William Jennings Bryan said, one must choose to achieve their own destiny.
Natatorium
In thoughts of family, this week’s natatorium is the indoor pool my Aunt Alma and Uncle Bunny had back in Monongahela, Pa. Here’s a shot of me watching Jenny dive, ca. 1984.