To buy or not to buy...

I have recently been hooked on shopping for old cameras. Note that I distinguish between "shopping" and "buying." One involves releasing money, one does not. So I like to collect old items, and now I am onto cameras. I have a few that have been generously donated to me via the "Boutique de Mandy" but I am now looking at others. And the Second Sunday Camera Show is coming up. Yikes! And worst of all, I will have to go sans father, which will give those misogynist dealers a lot to deal with if it is just lil ole me. Oh boy...

And then, I foolishly looked at the prices for digital SLR's. And the Canon's are on sale! And B&H has a kit for a super price!! And my own students are starting to get DSLR's and the teacher doesn't have one!!! What to do? Do I really need one? My Nikon is GREAT but what about other applications? They are two different cameras. I always had a film point-and-shoot and a film biggie. Oh boy. And if I talk about this with anyone who knows me, they will say "Buy it!" because I NEVER spend money on myself.

Now if I buy it to educate myself and use it to apply in the classroom, can I write that off as a work expense? Time to ask an accountant!!!

Catch up time...or else

Today is the first day of vacation! Yea! But if I wrote a to-do list it may be discouraging, because I do not think I will have the time to do all I want. The past couple of weeks - month and a half, actually - have been really draining. To top it all off, work has been jam packed with things to do. My yearbook gals, though a better bunch than last year, have not been able to get the colour pages done. Major nail-biter on my part - I have yet to miss a deadline. But, whether they are done or not, I finish the pages and submit by that dl.

It's funny how it seems to be that all planning and submitting for student shows happen at the same time. Because of family things, Scholastic submissions put together at the last minute. I have wanted to do this since I first saw the exhibit at the Cororan before I even came to PV. Now I have students doing work I think is worthy! Hooray! Then there is a new one some of us are doing and of course, Pingry. Whew!

New printer is in and running. I am so excited. Demsey checked it out and we are like kids on Christmas morn. This will just make the students' work look that much better.

Now I have to think of the order in which to tackle things for myself. I thought I had the supports for my sculptures all set - and I do - but now I am thinking of alternative materials. I will make molds of my hands, cast plaster in them and try that. But then I thought of casting them in resin - major money - or even trying heavy duty paper with major stiffener. Then I have to work on a secret project I am working on. Lost of research. And I have to send my paper off to a women's publication my mentor mentioned to me. And I have to finish more felting. And I have to make more prints. And I have a few clothing and household projects.

I do want to make time to get into Chelsea to the galleries. You cannot beat the prices. And of course I will have to get to the market to get some goodies.

I think I may just have enough time to do all this!

Student show!

Tomorrow night is the first student show of the season. I am excited to go. Two other teachers submitted student work, so we will carpool. Of course, for environmentally conscious me, that works. Last year one of my students received second place and the first year of the invitational, another teacher had someone get honorable mention. I do hope one of the other teachers has a student who gets something. But it is no big deal if that doesn't happen. It is just fun to go see what other schools are doing. And it is nice for the students.

I have been swamped this week and getting frazzled. First yearbook deadline, budgets due, sports shoots, faculty meeting, GSA meeting, the show, trying to enter my work into a show with a Monday deadline, Main Street events this weekend and my Dad is getting surgery - stage I cancer in kidney. I really have a hard time when students complain about inconsequential things. If they only knew about what I and some of their classmates are going through, I think they would realize that wearing an ID or getting to class on time are really not much to ask for and not worth complaining about. But, that seems to be in the culture... However, the majority of my students are so great, they make me forget all the bad stuff, temporarily...

Update on the teacher...

I find myself so busy, I even forget to take a much needed nap when I get home. I was actually excited today when I found out we had a delayed opening. Not because I could go into work later - oh the traffic - but because I would be able to get more done in the classroom! Yay! Scrub the walls - I wish the kids would stop shaking their prints and hands - fix a few broken things, mix new chemistry, look up some information the classes might like, search for prices on classroom chairs, work on the budget, and decorate the room. Tomorrow I have to clean all the dust off the enlargers, again. I wish I could get one of those allergy dust collection machines. They are so expensive!

I found out over the weekend that another photo of mine will be in an art show. I will have two in Continuum, a national juried exhibit at Montclair State through Studio Montclair and now I will have one in Paper In Particular, national show at Columbia College in Missouri. So exciting. I would like some students to go to the one in Montclair in the spring. Not in a conceited way, but because I think it is important for them to see what other people are doing and to realize that many teachers are also working artists - time permitting, of course. I had two girls try to go to see something of mine in Chelsea last year and I was so happy. It just made my day!

I also have to get some student work ready for a show this week. One student who I really wanted to include cannot go in now because I just know I can't get the print in time. This really breaks my heart, but I know I have a couple of others to use. And, we will be getting a nice Epson printer for the digital stuff. The kids' work will look so good! I can't wait!