A very big night

It was a veerrrry large weekend for tile-dropping. Three tiles at three establishments in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Their stories:

Lenora may look all prim and proper but she could outdrink a sailor and spent many a Saturday night doing just that.

Pamela isn't judgmental. She just knows deep down inside that everyone who doesn't agree with her is wrong. If she can't convince them of that, she becomes extremely frustrated.

Tired of being hurt by people she considered friends, Claire decided she would have to be a lot tougher to get through this life. Today she is entirely self-sufficient, but there's a dash of bitterness.

My stockpile of fresh tiles is depleted, so I see more painting in my future. So far, I've put 40 out there, but I've only made a small dent in the pile in my closet. I wonder how long before I'm all done, and how I'll feel about that, and what I will do next.

Tiling Paradiso

Left this tile at Cinema Paradiso in Fort Lauderdale. This character is Carmel. Carmel once strived to look like the other women. Now she just does her own thing and everyone thinks she's adorable.

Work and play

Dropped a few tiles - one at Sunrise Cinema at Gateway and the other at Fantasia's of Boston, the coffeeshop next door. The first is Trina's Swirlies. ... Trina never had much to say at staff meetings. She was always too busy doodling swirlies on the back of her agenda. The other is called Ladybugs - "I spent the whole afternoon chasing the ladybugs ... Exhausted I fell asleep on the grass and I woke up to find ladybugs all over me." It's a favorite line from the movie Under the Tuscan Sun.

I learned today that one of my tiles brought a smile to someone who was having a bad day and inspired them to want to do random anonymous art. This makes me very happy.

Meghan's Meltdown

Just hid my 34th tile behind a garbage can in the women's room at Pearl, where I picked up some new colors. This tile's about Meghan, who could hardly remember the last time she rolled the dice, but now she's feeling lucky. .. Just like when she would know that she was going to roll all fives in Yahtzee or that she would keep popping sixes when she played Trouble as a kid. She never was sure whether knowing she would pop the sixes meant she was psychic, or whether she popped those sixes because she KNEW she was gonna pop em ... she believed. Today, Meghan believes that her life is taking a turn for the better. That all her troubles are gonna melt away like the ice in New York come Spring. She's nearly ready to shake that cup of dice again.

Dullish weekend

The fact that I only dropped some tiles at Winn Dixie in Fort Lauderdale says volumes about my weekend. Sometimes, it's all about work, though I did manage to work in a few good hours of painting to replenish my supply of new tiles.

The story behnd these tiles: I Am Glad that I'm not in an unsatisfying relationship and that I find time to hide art. ... and Kendall Hinson pretended to be all about the bottom line. In reality, he's a power-tripper who is convinced he's smarter than everyone. He is desperate for respect but mostly people just feel kinda sorry for him.

Matter of the hearts

My anti-Valentine's tile went out early, and straight to a good home. So there's no worrying about whether my little square will be out on the cold street, or stuck in a restroom till some very observing person unearths it form its hiding place. In fact, by Valentine's Day, this tile is going to be hanging in a friend's tiny local art collection, right next to a painting by Hegina Rodrigues. I think it will be very happy there. I hope my other tiles have found homes by now, too. ... The sentiment for this piece: Happy Freakin' Valentine's Day: If Margie saw one more heart she was gonna puke.

Moondoggies

Hid this tile in Moondoggies Seaside Coffee today. It's beyond the pink door ... so not everyone can go there. The story on this tile: Astrid lived every moment as though people were watching. Moondoggies feels like a boatie sorta place ... the kind of place you could go with friends or to be alone with your laptop. It's pretty spacious. It's wedged right between Metro PCS and Carvel back there in that Publix shopping center on Cordova Road in Fort Lauderdale.

Reality IS Overrated

I dropped this tile on a bench somewhere near the park at Las Olas and Andrews Avenue in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The parked looked odd, as the streets were glowing purplish and the lawn had really bright green swirlies of light. Kids were running around screeching and screaming. Apparently this is the new interactive laser park I've heard was coming to this spot. I just googled for info on the project, which is designed by Seattle-based Dan Corson who, according to one Web site, wanted to light up the New River as well, but couldn't because even the sort of lights used in The Titanic wouldn't cut through its murkiness. I recall reading a few years ago that the city had plans of its own to turn the New River green, but just for St. Paddy's day. I don't think that came to fruition either.

I recently read that for the first time in 30 years some major moving company was moving more people out of Florida than into Florida. It's not hard to see why people would flee South Florida. Who can afford it? Even if you bought a house when prices were more reasonable, the rise in insurance and taxes will eventually push you out of it, unless you're filthy rich or work every minute that you're not sleeping, and even that might not do the trick. When you do become homeless, maybe you can catch some sleep on a park bench, if you can find one. But don't close your eyes for long, or someone may beat the shit out of you.

But it's heartwarming to know that with all the problems South Floridians face, there have been ongoing efforts to make the river glow green ... because a singing fountain just isn't enough to get us through these troubled times anymore.

I left my tile somewhere north of that park, on a cement bench of sorts. It's called "Reality is Overrated." The photo of it came out kind of blurry, so I re-shot it. The second photo came out blurry too. At that point, I just figured that, given the title, maybe it was fitting that the image isn't as sharp and clear as others.