#Laurette Escobar

[the-nature-of-the-art-beast]

The Creative

I see people retiring, they’ve had a long successful career at something necessary for this world to function. They somehow knew at an early age that it was important to find something to be passionate about or at least lucrative enough to carry them through life, then they retire, and a nest egg is supposed to carry them through to the grave. Weeeeeee! I spend a great deal of my time these…

[the-nature-of-the-art-beast]

Writer & Wannabe Voice Artist

I write and then I read the stuff I write. It’s all about me, baby!

[the-nature-of-the-art-beast]

Bug

I was watching a bug on an iron basket I have in my backyard. The bug crawled back and forth over the apex of the handle many times. Inside the basket are several seashells and some fallen leaves: a good environment for a bug: lots of hidey holes and some good mulchy snacks. But he was at the top of the handle, he never made it down into the leafy goodness. Finally, he came crawling down the…

[the-nature-of-the-art-beast]

My YOUTUBE Stuff

Most of these are from the Reading in My Jammies series, reading my own works. Then there are some rambling I do as I drive to far flung places like the gym. :)

Me reading And? on my Reading In My Jammies series.

[the-nature-of-the-art-beast]

And?

A man sat on a barstool over which he had some ownership. A pile of papers and scattered books and leaflets provided a nice barrier on the table in front of him. Somewhere in the midst of this paper-strewn no man’s land sat a pint of amber ale on a coaster, near it a tequila blanco, neat, in a shot glass. He was nervous about attracting attention but did all he could to make himself center of…

[the-nature-of-the-art-beast]

Disgruntled for a Reason -- Toxic Workplace

I was employed by Signet Maritime Corporation (SMC) and then I quit because it was a very toxic environment. Here is what I received from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) and my rebuttals as well as a timeline of events. QUOTE from Page 18A from SMC’s appeal of the Texas Workforce Commission’s decision to allow me benefits of $204 a week. As written by Joshua Johnson of Signet Maritime –…

[the-nature-of-the-art-beast]

Hearts & Prayers

It’s becoming far too common, hearing yet another unstable person got a hold of a gun and shot a bunch of other people just minding their own business. Often, we don’t find out the reason for the shooting, we just have guesses gleaned from clues left on their social media accounts. Most of the time they are troubled male youths with no outlet for their anger or frustrations, no one to really…

[the-nature-of-the-art-beast]

Learning to Cat released on Kindle

Learning to Cat released on Kindle

Corpus Christi, TX — 12/20/22 — Today local author, Laurette, announces the release of her first published book, Learning to Cat. Currently the book is available only on Kindle but will soon be available in paperback form. Laurette said the book is about a middle-aged woman seeking fulfillment in her life through gardening, but she ended getting more than she bargained for in Learning to…

[the-nature-of-the-art-beast]

Seashell Art I'm painting some seashells. I chose the seashells that had the most barnacles and worm casings. I think that the abstract sculpture of the barnacles and worm casings is very interesting, I think it adds to the sculptural beauty of the shell itself.

[the-nature-of-the-art-beast]

Mapping out monthly bills. And this doesn't include gas, groceries or utilities and electric. This is why $10/hour doesn't cut it.

[the-nature-of-the-art-beast]

I have 3 dozen eggs, 2-lbs of bacon, 1.5-lbs of sliced ham, a dozen croissants and 20 tortillas ... Why, you ask?

Because I volunteered to cook brunch for the Women's World Cup showing at Vernon's at 10 AM!

So come to Vernon's tomorrow morning and have some brunch and maybe a Bloody Mary! Help us to route on USA Women's Soccer!

[the-nature-of-the-art-beast]

Drill Sergeant

“Get up you fat, lazy maggot!” The drill sergeant in my head screams at me. ” you can’t lay in bed all day! It’s already 7 a.m. and you haven’t moved a bit!”

The drill sergeant is right, I don’t like mornings. And I especially don’t like sweating in the morning. I don’t like getting up and putting on my bike shorts and putting on my tennis shoes and riding my bike a few measly blocks just so I…

[the-nature-of-the-art-beast]

Winter’s Wisdom

“Another long line on another wet-cold day, and here I stand in it like every other day, month and year. In the winter of my life, I thought I’d have so much more. But you can’t have ‘so much more’ when you sloth through opportunities, greet new beginnings with apprehension and anxiety; and then there’s the path of least resistance, huh, the path of least challenge, least accomplishment and reward. It’s a lethargic journey to mediocrity, if you’re lucky; if not it’ll land you in another long line on another wet-cold day for whatever they’re serving at the Ministry,” Marty Williams repeated this monologue often.

January in South Texas means a mild winter as compared to anything above Interstate 10, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not cold. In fact, with the added humidity and gulf winds, winters on the Corpus Christi Bay can be downright bone chilling. Luckily, however, those bone chillers are interrupted by spring-like weather. During the winter months, South Texas experiences an influx of homeless who escape from colder climates.

Marty stood in line to eat whatever the Food Ministry had that day. Most of the time, it was really good food. Every once in a while a person who doesn’t know how to boil water takes a stab at cooking for the homeless of Corpus Christi and that just makes being homeless that much more of a suck parade. Marty thought people should have to audition before they cook. One time there was a load of jalapeno cheese cornbread someone made that was raw in the middle. Marty remembered thinking, “Do they not know about the toothpick test? But whatever, we’re just homeless and we’ll eat anything, right?”

He could hear some excited chatter from the front of the line and when he rounded the corner and saw the buffet that was set up, he could hardly believe his eyes and his mouth started to water; fried chicken, mashed potatoes and “Oh Lord,” Marty thought, “friend okra?” He could hardly contain his excitement, “Holy Lord!” He exclaimed. Others in the line echoed his excitement.

Marty is a lean figure of a man of about 5’6” with cornflower blue eyes, balding head with whisps of fine brown hair in a horseshoe pattern. He wore whatever he could get from the Goodwill with his voucher. Once a reporter and editor for a Central Texas newspaper, he found himself floundering in the literary world where he so longed to be. His dream, his ultimate was to edit great books and write even greater books. But his journalism career consisted of covering the local old biddy art league and church happenings. Not exactly exciting stuff but it was a living.

Sometimes he thought back on that opportunity. How could he have handled it better? If he had stuck with the old biddies and the church happenings, could he have moved up in the paper? Couldn’t he have found himself interviewing truly interesting people? Maybe, he could have if he had the passion to make writing his love instead of his vocation. Lack of passion was the consistent in his life. He saw no point in being passionate about anything. His only goal was to be loved and respected. He wanted others to have passion for his work, but if he didn’t, why would they?

He was persistent in criticizing himself and his lack of passion but he would not follow through on the recommendations he gave himself. Every time he resolved not this time! Not again! He found himself there again, this time. So he stopped swimming upstream. He began to just stop everything. Sooner than what he thought, he ended up homeless. Then he lost his vehicle and his storage unit and then he just meandered about looking in garbage cans and doing what he could to earn a few bucks here and there to get a meal or better yet, a bottle of wine.

Marty found a seat across from Mermaid Kate. Kate La Fe told people she was a mermaid and people often gave her little seashells as presents. She began attaching them to her clothing and she would rattle and click when she walked. She was an artist and married to a wealthy banker but her love of drink separated her from her banker husband. While he did love her, he just couldn’t take her drinking any more. He gave her an ultimatum and she chose her freedom over his insistence that she attend rehab.

For a while, after their split-up, he paid for a small apartment for her, so she wasn’t completely homeless. He wouldn’t give her money to spend because he knew where it would be spent. She started taking in people to live in the apartment in exchange for booze or money. Soon, management would find out and they’d kick her out. This happened time and time again. Finally, her ex-husband said that was enough. He cut off all ties. It was hard for him to do but until she could admit her problems and get help for them, he’d have nothing to do with her. So, Mermaid Kate moved on. She had a little place in the alley behind a local contemporary art gallery.

The artists would feel bad for her and sometimes, when the weather was awful, one of them would take her in but once she got into their liquor cabinet, that’s when relationships would get strained. One artist who took her in more than the others, Garret Blakmon, was always good to her. Kate, even with all her issues, is a stunning woman. But Garret didn’t drink so Kate didn’t like staying with him all too often. It had to be seriously bad weather for her to take him up on his offer.

Kate’s face was fringed with long salt and pepper hair, her hazel eyes watched every move Marty made. It wasn’t that she was afraid of him; it was just that she found him interesting in an odd sort of way. She liked him. She thought they would make a cute couple. Marty put some of his mashed potatoes on a piece of chicken meat and then added the okra with the crispy skin as a tiny hat, like a little amuse bouche.  When they got good food served to them, Marty made what Mermaid Kate called, “Tasty sculptures.”

She followed his lead and made her own tasty sculptures. They sat talking and arranging their food as they ate. Soon though, the manager of the kitchen said they would have to hurry. People aren’t allowed to stay longer than 30 minutes because the space is so limited. Mermaid Kate began putting her food up for later. She’d save it for later, right now there was a half-full bottle of rose she found on one of the beaches for which she hungered.

She asked Marty to walk with her down to the gallery. She liked having the attention of men. It suited her. When she didn’t get attention she would full-on pout. Marty said he had to get to the library before it closed and it was fixing to close for the day very soon.

“Marty,” she said in her coy flirty voice. “The library will be there tomorrow. Come on.”

[the-nature-of-the-art-beast]

Pitt-y

Have you given any thoughts to your armpits?????

The antiperspirant industry is worth about $75 billion. That is a lot of money made on convincing people they need dry, odor-free armpits. The most prominent ingredient, for almost any antiperspirant, is aluminum. The job of the aluminum, in antiperspirants, is to block our sweat glands. Sweat glands’ main function is to control body temperature. Actually, that is pretty much their only function.…

[the-nature-of-the-art-beast]

Tiny Galaxies

3" x 5" MDF Board

$25 + shipping

[the-nature-of-the-art-beast]

Available @ https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/laurette-escobar