nicbrun77

I read a hilarious article a few minutes ago on www.vilagesoup.com about a middle school in the US that recently banned intentional flatulence...punished by detention. I guess a group of 8th grade boys were having in-school contests each day for the loudest, longest and nastiest farts during class and it got to the point where the school felt they needed to punish for intentional farts. I don't know who exactly is the judge of what is intentional and what isn't, sometimes an accidental one can seem awefully intentional-sounding. I accidentally let one go on Sunday at Michael's in the art supply section that not only wouldn't end (I was actually getting worried that it wasn't going to stop) but was nasty enough to run my fiance'and I out of the aisle and it followed us. I think if I would have been at that middle school on SUnday, I would've got detention-actually I probably would have been expelled.And it wasn't intentional!! Oops!

Here's a couple of my poems. I wrote them when I was going through a really hard time in my marriage before I got divorced. Basically, what I kept hidden from my family and friends, I expressed on paper and though they may not be that good, these poems kept me away from the loony bin (Although, I was going thru depression bouts when I wrote them!) Any feedback would be great. Come Lie With Me Come lie with me, The temptress said to thee; Come lie with me, Right here, under the Willow Tree. Come lie with me, Your love can set me free. Come lie with me, And I will make you see. Come lie with me, And Mine is all you'll ever want to be! The Antidote Why did my fairytale end? It wasn't supposed to be like this, And I don't know if my heart will mend. It used to be, he looked on me with love and bliss, Now he's mean and cold, no kind words to send, ANd I may as well forget a goodnight kiss! My family says, "Newlyweds need time", But my patience is wearing thin, And I know love can't turn on a dime! It's times like this I wonder, is adultery really a sin? He used to be a peach, but now he's a lime, But even so, adultery isn't me, I'll stick to Gin! I Am The Goddess I wander to the cliff's edge, high, overlooking the sea, I step close, but not too close And I look down to the solitary beach below. I gaze out to the horizon, where sky and sea meet, It seems to go on for eternity. I bounce up on my toes and reach to the sky, Joy fills my heart and soul on the cliffs, up high. I feel love and acceptance from the Goddess; So soothing, like being enwrapped in mother's arms. I am protected and loved I am one with the Goddess... I AM The Goddess!

Eduardo, you have some beautiful work...pehaps my poetry isn't quite as deep or thought provoking as yours, but I think I'm going to post some poetry of mine later. Most of my poetry in the past 2-3 years is slightly suggestive, but I hope you like mine. Nic

Hi...just a little intro. My name's Nicole, I'm a 30-yr-old artist, working mostly with oil paints and charcoals. I would like to branch out into pastels and scratchboards. We used to make our own scratchboards with crayons in elementary school and it was kinda fun. Anyways, I have been into art since I was in Junior High or before, even, but didn't really get too serious until about ten years ago when I took a couple oil painting classes in a nearby town. Until that point, I only did sketches and had never known how to get involved in the exhibition world at all. After those classes, I exhibited a few pieces and became a member of the Galena Artists' Guild (Galena,IL). This was a great organization that helped me network a little with other artists (some even semi-famous ones from as far away as Chicago!) and get my name out there a little. I was working 3rd shift (nights) as a CNA at the time, so I could fit the organization activities in my schedule. After a couple years, I changed to 2nd shift, as it fit better with my natural sleep pattern and had to give up my beloved Artists' Guild. But I couldn't see spending the membership fee every year to be a member of a club that I couldn't participate in the events!! I got out of Art for awhile-at least my painting and just recently got back into it. I actually have my own studio in my attic, which has always been a lifelong dream!! Actually, I recently started teaching my fiance' to paint because he expressed an interest. I am really proud of his amazingly quick improvement! I found this site cuz I was just typing stuff into my search engine, trying to find helpful info about selling my work or just getting into a type of awesome little forum like this one to meet other artists who might have good ideas, tips, or just wanna hang out on the net and be friends. I also write poetry, sing Karaoke, and I love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books! If you want to get ahold of me with info or tips, or ya just wanna shoot the breeze, send me a line! Nic

If you're just wanting to go out and do a little Karaoke, I like to go to Tony's Bar...It is a little bit of a dive, but the drinks are cheap and they have the best Karaoke equipment & song selection in town. It's also kinda fun to watch some of the INTERESTING customers come in and out. Some nicer places in Dubuque to go are The Europa Haus, a great little German bar and restaurant. They have an awesome selection of German Beer and also domestic and resonably priced mixed drinks, which are served quite strong! Also, Bricktown is quite popular-they have a restaurant as well and they have live bands and comedians come in, they do have a cover charge , though. One of my favorite places in Dubuqe has to be The Busted Lift. This is a really cool Irish pub; they, of course, have a variety of Irish (and other) imported beer. They bring in some bands and the last I knew, they had Open Mike nights once a week-Tuesdays?-if you are an aspiring singer/song writer. This pub is wonderful!! Great atmospere.

I have been painting for about ten years in oil and at one time was a member of the Galena Artist's Guild. At that time, I had no problem setting up exhibits free of charge to me, with all of our monthly events. Now, with my work schedule over the past few years, I cannot fit the club into my schedule. How on Earth do I go about selling my paintings without having to pay too much, if any money (to get my work posted for example)? Any input would be appreciated! Thanks! Nicole Brunskill