Taxed

We had the our annual meeting with the accountant today, I swear it's like therapy for the finances. We still have some loose ends to clean up but the worst is over. It's an excellent opportunity to do some spring cleaning and organizing.
Here is a picture of Casey in the desert flowers. The much needed rains have produced an abundant variety of blooming things this year, many that I've never seen before. Even the cactus are fat and happy. It was very dry here for a long time. Many of the burn areas are slowly returning and flowers that only germinate after a fire are in full swing. There is always the possibility of more drought so it's good news that we may get a bit more rain this weekend.

There seems to be some issues with the font sizer in this blogger thing, it has a mind of it's own. Everything looks fine when I'm editing but it's either too large or too small after I post. Oh well...

March madness...

It's tax time again and I am gathering up papers and receipts to get ready for the annual meeting with our accountant. I have also decided that I am just really lazy when it comes to editing photos for internet posting. It really is time consuming when I would rather be making things or playing music. I managed to get one pic together for your viewing pleasure. In the past year or so I have been making these crazy hollow formed beads that are inspired by things you would see under the microscope. I've been calling them amoebas or giant microbes ( I know there is a difference between the two but I claim artistic license here). Last year at the Tucson show, Karen Flowers saw these beads and suggested that we do some collaborating and this is just one of the results with more to come. She did the excellent bead crochet work that plays off the colors in the bead. 

In other news: 

I am profiled in the April 2008 issue of Bead & Button Magazine which is now on newsstands. This is very exciting for me and I hope you get a chance to check it out. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend the Bead & Button Show this year. My sister who is currently serving in Iraq will be coming home on leave to get married so I will have to pass this one up. I am so excited for her and can't wait for her deployment to be over later this year. 

Now playing!

I'm back from a week of Tucson and am now shifting gears, getting ready for tax season and more glass and music. The picture I've posted is one from my trip to Venice and Murano in 2006. I was there to take a class with flameworking maestro Lucio Bubacco. It was cold at the end of February but Carnival season was in full swing. This gondola was parked outside of the Ritz Carlton Hotel. 

I've joined up with a netlabel based in Venice, Italy. How cool is that? My music and glass are really coming together. The label is called deepindub.org  I am a featured artist and 3 of my songs are available for free mp3 downloads. I had been a little ambivalent about the idea of free downloads of my music but it really is a great way for me to promote myself worldwide. It is also great after so many years of playing music to have someone else describe what it is I do, at least with these first few songs. I've never considered myself to be jazz, r&b, classical etc... My influences and interests are so varied I will play or sing any style that I get the opportunity to try. I can find something to like in any and all genres of music. In recent years I've been composing music with computer software, my cello and guitar and in years past I've had my own band or played in mostly rock and roll  type projects. Since I've only released one 7" single of my own music  I've never really developed the "Joyce Rooks" sound in the way that I would like or even know for sure what that is. I do know that I'm not one to be pigeon holed. I would get bored just doing one kind of thing. I hope my "sound" is a cumulation of my many influences and interests.