I signed up months ago, hoping I'd feel well enough to actually participate this year. I've ghosted on my team the last few years - we never won anyway.
The Hunt started last Friday and I spent the weekend filling out SSI paperwork and hating myself until I mailed it in Wednesday. I felt much more up to GISH after that was over. I'd read the list of items 20 times; nothing jumping out as doable, just giving me major anxiety.
I opened up the list again, made myself a copy, retracted what my team members had taken and anything needing video. I chose 11 items of the remaining 30 or so to complete in 3 days when I'd originally been given a week. I was just gonna skip it, but I figured I'd give it a shot.
#21: Use the GISH APP for this item if possible. Starting on Tuesday morning at 9AM PDT change your avatar to your favorite painting by Cezanne, Monet or Van Gogh. Find someone on the planet (who is not on your team) who has uploaded the exact same painting. Don't change your painting once you've picked it or plan out your painting in advance with other gishers. That's not the point of this Item. Screenshot your profile page (and have them do the same) and then submit them side by side. Your team must have at least 6 individuals with matching paintings. (53 points).
My team was looking for a few more for this one. I happened to find someone with the same painting I chose on Facebook, so I jumped at the chance. This was my first contribution to GISH 2018:
#134: Shinrin-yoku is the Japanese practice of “forest bathing.” Take a forest bath - literally - in the middle of a forest clearing in a tub that’s filled with pine needles and leaves. (30 points).
My cousin Chris is a maintenance manager at an apartment complex. I messaged him to see if he had a bathtub available for me to use. He did. And thus my hunt began.
...and the girls have been with me every step of the way. 😸
Thursday I did some prep work for the rest of the weekend.
#98: Show us what pets really do when they are alone. (24 points).
They tear apart the house and eat the curtains, lol.
#82: Extreme cakes and marble-poured cakes are all the rage. Combine the best of both by creating a pour cake of the David or another famous marble sculpture. The finished cake must be at least 1 foot high; after you have photographed it, cut it up and share the sweetness of art with someone. (41 points).
We had some box cakes laying around, so I baked 4 in 9-inch round pans, making 8 cakes. Remy likes the plastic packaging.
...and the girls get into everything.
They actually cleaned the counter for me as I went, licking up the canola oil and egg rings from the measuring cups.
I poured the chocolate cake mix into the two pans on the counter, and Josie made a beeline while I still had the bowl in my hands. So, she licked the chocolate batter while I frantically tried to find counter space to put the bowl down and stop her.
#49: Make a portrait of an actor, politician, or public figure that inspires you most out of flower petals. Then, tweet a picture or post an Instagram picture of your portrait to them with the hashtag #GISHspired. (21 points).
I got a bunch of fake flowers at Dollar Tree and cut the petals off for about 2hrs.
The girls helped me organize them.
And Persi ran off with one while I was making cake! He was so cute!
I went to my room when the baking was done so I could craft in peace, hot gluing flower petals to poster board until 3:00AM.
#44: Wearing a melon on your melon is the cool new fashion trend. At a Farmers Market, sport the most intricate “Melon Hat” the world has ever seen. (31 points).
Dad carved out half a watermelon for me first thing Friday morning before taking Mom to Maine for the weekend. The girls were asleep while I was crafting roses out of cantaloupe and watermelon. I'm really proud of this hat!
I had made plans to meet my friend Lianne at the Marshfield Farmer's Market since she lives close and we haven't seen each other in a while. She later informed me she had puppy play date she forgot about and couldn't make it. So, my brother Mike took me to the Farmer's Market at Marshfield Fairgrounds.
#37: You’re late for your portrait sitting for that world-famous painting… at least 200 years late, to be exact. Get dressed up in garb that is compatible with the other characters (or setting) in a painting from the 1800s or earlier and photoshop yourself into the composition. (34 points).
King Richard's Faire comes up even on the off season! I actually did some blocking and positioning for my photoshopping capabilities (or lack thereof). I found the perfect painting Googling in my therapist's office. Mike took pictures for me and Willow is gonna be famous cuz I'm pretty sure this one will end up in the coffee table book...
#101: Recent public personalities have been known to fake a Time magazine cover, which is terribly vain... but admittedly makes for great promotion. Jump on the bandwagon and award someone you admire a Person of the Year cover! Create a replica of Person of the Year Time cover shot of your friend or loved one, captioned with one thing that they have done that makes them remarkable or unique. It can be broadly significant, like “She selflessly teaches dozens of children each year!” or it can be subtle “best tooth flosser in America”. When you’re done, tweet it to @time with #GISHPersonOfTheYear (64 points).
My first thought:
#94: The 80s are making a comeback, so let’s get Physical! Go with a friend to a Crossfit gym to work out in full 1980s attire: the leotards, the leg warmers, the teased hair… Bonus points if you can get a bonafide 1980s rockstar to perform with you. (69 points).
My friend Rachel goes to a gym in Plymouth. There's a crossfit class at 8:00AM Saturday mornings. PERFECT TIMING!
I set 7 alarms to get up at 6:00AM. I can never get up that early with my usual half hour alarms so Mom usually helps me out, but she's in Maine. So, 4:00AM, 4:30AM, 5:00AM, 5:15AM, 5:30AM, 5:45AM and 6:00AM.
I fed the cats and had help in the bathroom...
Rachel and I get together about once a year, and she just lives in Plymouth! But my health has always been an issue and she has a real life with a real job and tons of hobbies, living in a condo with her boyfriend and dog by the waterfront.
It was so great to see her today, even if it was only a couple hours. We actually took the class, too. I had to take a seat after about 30mins. I didn't have breakfast or medication and all that exertion was just too much. I got lightheaded and dizzy, so I sat out the last 20 minutes.
Thankfully, Rachel knew the instructor and she was really enthusiastic about our look.
I rested a bit back at her place and met Dublin, the dog they adopted not that long ago. He can sit and give his paw...but he'll only lay down for Rachel, lol.
They were supposed to go hiking with their friends with a dog, but the forecast called for rain in the afternoon. I left pretty quick to call Chris and make a plan for the bathtub.
Around 10:30AM, I was halfway to their house and it started raining. So, I hung out with Heather and Chris for a while, waiting for it to let up. I talked with Heather while Chris kept an eye on the weather pattern. The rain wasn't going to stop.
So, he lent me a pair of swishy pants and a long sleeve shirt and we braved the elements. The bathtub was brand new, still in the box. He used a dolly to get it from his truck to the little trail in the woods behind their house, complete with leaves and pine needles. He raked up a patch while I got into the tub and he dumped them on me. I got little rubber duckies from Dollar Tree and Heather leant me an umbrella for affect.
I came home set on sculpting my cake. First, I had to put all 8 of them together. With help.
I had to move. And I came up 5 inches too short. So I took 3 of the 4 leftover boxes of cake and set to baking again.
I got it to just under 12 inches and put in the fridge to harden.
#95: This year’s Grand GISH Gala is all about celebrating your shine and sparkle--sustainably. Let’s see your most beautiful homemade gown or tuxedo made completely from things taken from your recycling bin. Foil, tin cans, plastics, etc. Go for sparkle and shine, and show up on the red carpet of the gala. (82 points).
The cake set back kinda bummed me out, I'd been up since 6:00AM and worked out first thing. I was EXHAUSTED!
Mike put in the first Star Trek movie and I attempted to plan out a skirt made out of Grammy's old construction paper...
Then I just decided to throw together a cardboard bodice connected with thick plastic and duct tape a big black trash bag to the bottom with a white trash bag underneath. It actually came out pretty good.
Mike has helped me out so much this weekend! I can't thank him enough!
He even opens the door to upstairs so I could bring my cake back up, keeping the little girls from going downstairs.
If it were a landmark instead of a sculpture, I'd have the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Which actually kinda worked in my favor, so I went with it!
I just started cutting.
...and Josie helped herself to whatever flavor fell off in clumps, eating little crumbs that fell off, or just taking it from the cake itself. I put her in the cat box room with frosting hands, washed my hands, then brought her sister in to keep her company.
My "just cut" approach worked pretty well. The carving was surprisingly easy and it was actually halfway decent, perfect even! I was just about to start frosting it to look like marble and fine tune the details when Josie started meowing.
The girls were causing a ruckus in the other room, so I washed my hands of frosting and took them to mom's room where there's more space.
On my way back down the hall, Tessa and Persi were nervously looking towards the kitchen...where the top half of my masterpiece was on the floor in pieces. I tried to frost it back together with the base, but it kept slipping.
So I was forced to give up.
I let my team know and got the best response!
Since I spent 3 days on this item, which is only worth a measly 41 points, I submitted it anyway with my story, hoping for pitty points! lol.
#99: Cereal Movie Scene: pirate ship battle, shark attack, Titanic scene.Let’s see a close-up picture of your bowl of cereal (at that point when somehow you’ve managed to eat most of the floaty cereal and there’s only weird tasting milk left and a few odd shaped cereal pieces). But in this milky-sea, let’s see a scene from a hollywood movie: A tiny pirate ship battle ala Pirates of the Caribbean, a bloody shark attack from Jaws, or that scene in the Titanic where Jack decided there was no way for him to get up on the piece of plywood with Rose (even though there clearly was). (60 points).
I used Lucky Charms for the boat-like shape and did Pirates of the Caribbean...
...with some help.
I posted on the GISH Official Facebook page the other day:
I completed 10 of the 11 items I signed up for and submitted all 11 of them anyway!
With these two right by my side! 💖
As a matter of fact, I'm typing all this out charging my phone at the kitchen counter with Willow right next to me.
She is such a love and actively seeks out pats and cuddles, and not just from me.
~*~
GISH actually changed my life...
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