New Toy... not the Lene Lovich kind...

Ok, I couldn't help the new wave reference!

Hubby gave me a T1i. VERY surprised...we don't buy gifts like that for each other - except when I paid for his car to be fixed after that broad ran a stop sign in '99. I have gotten rid of the nervous feeling when I touch it. Getting used to all the doo-dads on it. I took some candids of the Mr. when I put the lens on and turned it on for the first time...and I liked them! Now, normally, taking pictures of people is not my thing...others do it much better than me...but I liked it...I read a few pages in the manual each day and try a new thing or two. Millie is my model for now. I was going to set up something in the attic, but I didn't want to be up there when the roof blew off yesterday... yes, it was that windy...

Post Christmas...

Well, Millie loves her Christmas presents... I just have to make sure she passes all the yarn she's been eating from the yarn ball... I am still waiting for the blue poop...

At least the rain held out long enough for the snow to be there on the day...

I find it is actually nice having two churches within spitting distance. I don't spit on them...they are just that close... I really like seeing all the people going to Midnight Mass, hearing the bells chiming, seeing the lit up stained glass windows at night...

Don't like hearing so many fire sirens though... Don't know what the heck is going on in town lately... hope they are mostly drills...

Went to a gathering at a friends' house yesterday. A gathering of former college station dj's and friends. A pot luck... more desserts than anything else. That's the kind of folk we are... they have two little kids... probably two of the coolest little ones I know. Normally I have to run from little ones... not these. It's like they just belong with the adults. Kind of like when I taught elementary in Rockaway. Good food, good friends, and play-doh. You can't ask for anything more...

Snow?

Well, expected to see snow this morning...nothing...

Saw the Nutcracker after skipping it last year b/c of Dad's cancer operation. It was nice. I drove sis and her hubby in Sparky. Apparently my driving was "awful" and I do not think I will be driving the two of them anywhere anytime soon. I would argue that I did not get us hit by the guy who ran the red light and I passed the seemingly drunk school bus driver with nary an incident. But they disagree...

Was going to grade projects but they still sit in a box on the dining room table...

Want to sew, print in the basement, but Millie needs to be occupied.

At least I am close to repairing the hugely-important-to-me family-historical blown glass lamp shade hubby broke while dusting last year. There are apparently some missing pieces, but I'll make it look decent again...

Looking to sell my organ. My credit card has a Yamaha keyboard I can get once I earn more points. I can still play music but the keyboard takes less room than the organ...

4 Day Week!

Well, I was granted my personal day! Hooray. Spiffy - hubby's car - is in the shop, and the loaner is not available, and the two cars at the rental place came back damaged, so he has to take today off with no way to get to work. If I still had Nellie, I could let him drive her to work and could take the train to or get a ride from the parents. Hubby doesn't know how to drive Sparky yet, so not a good idea. I had a TERRIBLE Wednesday last week and decided to take tomorrow off. So that means Millie gets 4 whole days in a row with Mommy or Daddy! I never take a day off this close to Christmas, and I know the rumour-mongers here at PV will think I am shopping...but I just need a day to vegetate. I am done with shopping, so I will probably end up doing Main Street work on the computer, Etsy stuff, sewing - yeah, the machine is back to working. Not sure if I can fit in the baking this year.

Still cannot reply to blogs at work, only at home. Grrr.....

Still waiting for B&H to drop the T1i to $699.95....

Still trying to drop yearbook....perhaps I need letters from family and doctors to verify the need for me to drop it...

Now on to sub plans...

Lights and sirens...

The day starts with many firetrucks and the Morris County Hazmat at a house a block over...

Fixed lights on the reindeer in the backyard, wrote out all the Christmas card to be mailed, paid bills and wrote out checks for donations, did laundry, read all the answers to this week's journal...

I now have to revisit my town's signage codes one last time, research good sidewalk codes to improve ours, send that off to all the other volunteers, then hopefully develop a roll of 120 from DC.

And I keep hoping the Rebel T1i kit will go on sale for just under $700. That's all I want, even five cents under would make me happy... B&H, are you listening?

ssslllooowww......

I HATE IE8. I am trying to look at and comment on everyone's posts but it takes at least 2-3 minutes for one blog to come up... grrrr....

I will try later.

Horse drawn carriage rides in town today. It is so cold, I don't know if I can swing that. I want to feed my addiction to magazines by goin to Borders tonight. And there is a Jimmy Stewart movie on 13 tonight! Woo hoo! It's "Call Northside 777" and I have never seen it. I am so excited....

Oh, and...

...the mail finally came after 4.00 pm...five BEAUTIFUL 620 spools! I LOVE E-BAY!!!

Oops...

So it just dawned on me that the December 10 that the Vernon Invitational reception is the same December 10 that a town Holiday bash is. Problem is...I have to go to the town bash... It is for the group I volunteer for...Shoot... Well, that will be two out of four Vernon shows I will have gone to, so my record is still ok... I just want to be there to take pictures of the kids' work on display and them with the work...

Sore throat report: phlegmy and nose is running...not looking good...but I will persevere...

And why can I not leave comments on my students' blogs at PV but I can at home? Grrr....

What...no mail?!?

Ok, so minimal talking - for me - b/c of student teacher (thank goodness!) but throat still sore. Head feels warm, but I will ONLY stay home when I get a fever...

Expectantly go to the mailbox...waiting for 5 620 spools in the mail...NOTHING!!!

Ugh, why does may post office do this to me? First my mailman steps on my groundcover - just b/c it's winter does not mean they are dead - then he doesn't deliver the mail every day. You would think that after we landscaped the whole darn post office, they would treat us better...but no...

At least we now have working lights in 024 and it looks and feels like Christmas! Ho ho ho...

Ugh...

Trying to post a comment on Navajo Bodies but cannot...grrrr.....

Sore throat two days in a row...this stinks.... but the snow was so nice...especially walking to see Pooh and Piglet then walking into town for dinner Saturday night.

I have been recommended as a board member for our town's Historic Preservation Commission. This is exciting. The man in charge is not healthy and needs fresh young blood ready to take up the fight. The guy who nominated me is of my kind - not willing to back down from a fight! Hooray!

But...

I will have even less time for myself...oh well.

Holiday party at A.I.R. gallery Friday night. Nice to see one of my sculptures in the gallery setting. I also found out I have been selected for another show. This one is in Kentucky! Funny, that's apparently where Grandpa Berry would have wanted to move the family... I will say, I find it interesting that my art students can appreciate having a teacher who makes her own art and exhibits it, but some administrators don't. Clueless...

Brooklyn was surprisingly nice...but DUMBO isn't the hipster enclave that W-burg is, so that may be the reason. I do think I will have to go near hipster W-burg though, because that's where my dad's family settled when they came to the US. I want to seek out the old addresses...

More yearbook work to do...sigh...

Hooray Thursday!

Well, that's sarcasm...working on the budget...it is always such hard work. I have yet to teach an art subject here that gets most of its items from a bid list. Why don't Sculpture and Photo suppliers want to do that? Then I would not have to spend endless hours scouring catalog - print and online - for the best prices? It is so tiring. The only nice thing is thinking of the new things I can try to finagle to introduce the following year. This year it's large format film. Next year, I have two special things I hope to be able to afford to get. Keeping my fingers crossed for that...

Snow in the forecast...I just want it to wait until I get home tomorrow night. No, I am not going to THE football game. I have a sculpture in a gallery in Brooklyn. The opening is tonight, but hubby would not have made it home in time for us to get there. Tomorrow night is the gallery's holiday party. So I go to that...not that it matters to much of the PV world...but it matters to some...I think...

Mission Accomplished Part 1

Took mother on a trip to Brooklyn yesterday. I have a sculpture going in a show and had to drop the art off by 6.00 pm - stinks when you can't take a day off work. The weather was poop and mother has not ridden in a tunnel since 9/11. That is the excuse she gives for not going back to DC too.

Well...

To get to Brooklyn one must take the PATH and the subway....through tunnels! She made it!!! No freaking out, no gripping on for dear life, no tears! And...I hesitate to say this...but DUMBO - the area the gallery is in - actually looked nice. And the cobblestone streets and being under the bridges may have added to the atmosphere...

Anyhoo...A.I.R. Gallery in Brooklyn, Generations 7 biannual invitational benefit auction and exhibit opens Wednesday with a reception on Thursday and a Holiday party Friday. I will be going Friday...excited...

Now it is my sister's job to get her on a plane...

Post gluttony...

So the last two security words I had to type to post comments were: fedici and glytene. One is vaguely Italian, the other is vaguely scientific chemical compound-ish. What does it mean?

Certainly not that the Thanksgiving dinner with the Italians yesterday was scientific, that's for sure. Yet another holiday where I have felt under the gun to defend the measly salary I make and the time off I get. But I guess showing up to work at 6.15 am and leaving anywhere between 3.30 and 5.00 pm on a regular basis when my hours on paper are 7.30-2.37 - and the fact that I am not the only teacher doing this - doesn't matter. The fact that I have a Master's Degree, exhibit my own art, constantly keep up on developments in my field, make sure my students learn and grow, try to be an example to them... well, I deserve to be paid peanuts and I certainly don't deserve a raise and absolutely get too much time off! Right dear aunts and uncles? Oh, and I guess the fact that I check work e-mail on a daily basis - including summertime - and that considering my level of education and years of experience teaching and in photo-related fields I still make peanuts...

Sorry, just bugged that it seemed I had to defend the fact that I even get a raise. All this while my poorly paid social worker husband has to take a pay cut and raise freeze. But, I dare any parent who complains about us "lazy" teachers to take their kids out of school and home school them for a year. And follow the district, state and national mandated curricula and standards. I dare you... I don't know if any of the PV parents feel this way. But I have many relatives who do and I see letters in the local papers around home that are in that vein...

And that's why I mean it when I say being in the classroom is the best part of my job. Because the students don't belittle us. They appreciate us and are thankful every time they learn something new. I just love my students!

Sniff...

Funny how much I like smells... whether it's the photo chemicals, oil paints, pumpkin pie. These are today's smells. Another great day with the classes... this job would seriously be a trial if we didn't get such super people taking the class... Now if only the Photo 2 people would take the plunge and try the view camera...hint hint...

After a somewhat downer of a faculty meeting - why can't people in government just agree to fund schools as would best serve the students? - I get home to wonderful, mouthy Millie....and bake my famous pumpkin pie.

Now I can't divulge the recipe but suffice to say, I do not use that canned stuff. This is real pumpkin, baked and pureed yesterday. Smells good down there and Millie has been yelling for me...so I must go...

Ben Gay is my friend...

Incredibly tired and incredibly sore... this year is wearing me out and I feel I can't give enough to my Photo because of yearbook. I have truly grown to be a grumpy ole gal when it comes to that thing... but I am not sorry.

I have a pile of reading - zines, magazines, books - and at 8 pm Friday I was reading the same line over and over... not comprehending... you know what that means... bed time. AT 8 PM!!! Jeez...

Had Main Street volunteering to do starting at 9 the following morn... we were replacing the mums in the 50 or so urns with Christmas greenery. Last year there was a florist/designer doing that while we had an assembly like thing going getting the branches ready... well, this year, I was the one to do the urns. Yikes! I thought I would just be trimming and doing helper stuff. My dad helped by trimming the pine and putting the white birch in. I did the rest. The whole town sees this stuff and this is the kind of thing that get more merchants to join our organization so lots of pressure. Apparently I did a good job... and the red wagon from school came in handy. Then I was tying a light up caroler to the tree in front of the library and ... riiip... cut my arm on a real jagged broken bulb. Last time I ended up in the ER with cellulitis, this time I bleed profusely. All in a day's work....

But three hours of cutting, bending, shoving branches in peat and I could barely walk. And I had to drive Sparky to New Hope for dinner with the Vasa's since Spiffy is in the shop! But I made it... I am just delighted that this is a short week.

Oh, and cleaned out two pomegranates and cut and baked the pumpkin to prepare for making pie. I need a break...

ps: Sparky is the name of the Prius... hubby's car is Spiffy...

Antenna!!!

Tonight is a very special night...we get to watch Masterpiece Mystery on PBS tonight! Since the digital conversion on the 12th of June, we have not been able to watch channel 13 and watching NJN has been a trial of our patience and balance. We did not have an antenna on our roof and always relied on rabbit ears on the TV. Oh, and did I mention we have no cable? So watching NJN all summer required us VERY carefully positioning the rabbit ears and making sure we did not move an inch during the programming. One night my thumb went numb from holding the antenna in position on the floor...

Well...

Nearly $250 dollars later and we now have an antenna in the attic and reception. And just in time to catch an episode of Foyle's War on PBS. We are thrilled and I plan on making myself a cup of green tea - or perhaps a cup of the tea Dr. P gave me - and settling in for some good old-fashioned murder!

I can barely contain myself...

Ick...

Worked on the new pictures of the pins for the etsy shop. For some VERY annoying reason, I just cannot get the images to be as crisp as I want. The pins are just too small to shoot close. Unbelievably annoying... but it's not like anyone is dying to buy my stuff, so I have time to reshoot...AGAIN!!!

Tried a couple of test shots for a project I have been thinking of. Liked them so far, but obviously to do what I want, digital will not cut it. I have to do it in the darkroom or with the super old Ektar I received from my sister. I just love the colours from that film! Have three rolls to send to a lab in Kansas...cheaper than Duggal and it will not break the bank.

London update... hubby can go! Woo hoo! London in April... I cannot wait. I think I want to go to Hungary in the summer... finding where to go so I am not totally lost without knowing the language is daunting...perhaps I should look for a class to learn Hungarian...

Oh, and on the 30th I go to A.I.R. Gallery's new Brooklyn location to drop off a piece for their Generations VII exhibit. It's an invitational biannual show and all items are up for auction to raise money for charity. This is the second time I have been invited. Super excited! But not thrilled about rushing to B'lyn after work. Can't take the day off for a number of reasons. My metro card is getting a real workout the past couple of months! The piece I am putting in is a sculpture form my two woman show at NJCU this past spring. I will post a picture of it sometime soon...

Ugh...

Have been planning to return to London in April...but the hubby may not be able to take the week off...one of the reasons teaching calendars stink...very limited.

So...

I am now scrambling to find a creative trip to take by myself...spent hours this morning looking up trips to Easter/Central Europe. There is a lot to do with photos, but much of it is cheesy. Maybe I will just do something up at Maine Workshops or ICP? But I really want more stamps in my passport!

Now up to the attic to shoot...

To do...

Finished grades for all Photo classes...not yet done with yearbook...procrastinating perhaps?

Charging camera battery and have things all set up in the attic for shooting later today. Ended up with a cool idea when I went up there to get things set for photographing my pins. I will post the results...if they work.

Icky weather makes me want to sleep but I have $5 in Borders Bonus Bucks to use today, and I have to baby sit Gimpy tonight....

I need a nap...or more coffee...

DC fun...

DC was a whirlwind of art, food and fun. I brought 4 cameras - digital, lomo fisheye, canon rebel 35mm and a maroon plastic medium format. Had to respool 120 in a makeshift changing bag - my jacket - outside the BR in the National Gallery of Art! On the way to Georgetown from our hotel, who do we see going to the drug store? Steve Nash! Holy cow - just one of may favourite basketball players! He's short, Canadian, and not a jock! Went to the Corcoran for free courtesy of a super nice rep I met at the AENJ conference. Saw a great exhibit at the NGA on photographic processes pre-digital. Great thought provoking work by some super photographers at the National Building Museum. There was a row of Trabants outside the Spy Museum to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall. Then there was First Friday in Dupont Circle when all the galleries are open late. And there were tons of photo exhibits in and beyond Georgetown for Foto Week. Whoa!

And we ate at two new places and had dessert at Teaism in Dupont and walked past the future home of Wagamama!

Was going to go on an overnight shoot for Foto Week, but by the evening on Saturday I was pooped! I really wish I could have been down there for the whole week considering all the workshops, lectures and shows I didn't get to see. Alas, work beckoned.

Baltimore on the way home, of course. Shopped at Double Dutch and Atomic in Hampden and went to Red Emma's for reads and the best and biggest biscotti I have had in a long time. Discovered dipping biscotti in tea is quite nifty.

Traffic once we got into Jersey. What a welcome home! Bright spots about the ride home? Going home to see Millie and reaching 52.7 MPG in the Prius. Her name is now "Sparky" for those who care...

DC!!!

I completely forgot to look up the DC Foto Fest stuff. I registered - free - and looked up events and such. There is so much going on! Gallery shows, portfolio reviews, talks, and even a nighttime photo walk! I have three cameras ready and may even bring my grandpa's Argus twin lens! Oh joy! Then on Sunday, Baltimore. I know I just spent a ton mail ordering from Atomic Books, but I think I want to go to see what new goodies they have. Then on to Red Emma's for eats, coffee and reading? Guess we'll have to...

Totally excited to get new project ideas this weekend...just wish I could live in the DC metro area...sigh...

Running out of time...

Took a bunch of things home to grade but had too many things to do to do the grading. Did some volunteering on Sunday. Power washed a building on Main Street. Disappointingly, the years of grime merely laughed at our wimpy cleaner. Sigh...

Guarded the house Friday night... we were neither egged nor TP'd. Thank goodness. Our neighbour was TP'd though...

Gloomy weather for Halloween...only two groups of kids and one solo...we have a lot of leftover York peppermint patties and Hershey's special dark. Oh darn...

Lots of work on the computer researching town codes for my volunteer job (and rewriting those codes hoping to get them passed!), checking student blogs and working on my own. Had to learn how to unzip a file and take the eons it takes to download the program - though I have Vista, I cannot find the unzip software that supposedly is standard with it! Go figure. So I changed the template for my school blog and opened a new one as a stand in for a website - not ready to make the monetary commitment to that yet. Thanks Jericho for showing me that there are so many wonderful templates out there!

There's just not enough time in the day and it's no wonder I fall asleep at 9.00 pm... I am shooting for 10.00 bedtime tonight!

Is it November yet?

I have a photo in a show in Kansas... the opening is Friday...would like to be there but I have to guard the homestead from the cretins in our town who may want to egg the house. And, of course, I couldn't get to Wichita and teach... And a photo in a small show in L.A.. This makes me feel good.

I am trying to get my work out there more and more and it is a whole other job. The seeking out calls for art, preparing the work, sending the applications - it takes a lot out of me...

And my sister and I opened an Etsy shop and really want to get that off the ground...but being as we both teach, doing everything we should do to promote the shop is just not happening... At least I used the summer to make the stuff - 100+ pins, many many photos - so all I have to do is photograph them and list them.

However, glad to be going to DC in a week. I know people think I should go to the NJEA convention, but the Art workshops there are not as good as what I get from the exhibits I go to in DC. And museums offer lesson plans and materials for teachers! I also received two free passes for the Corcoran gallery. It costs me a heck of a lot more money - unreimbursed - than going to AC, but I get things I can actually use in class. And it's my second home...

Today is club photo day...I am fed up with yearbook...but mot my staff...they are super...

A solution...

Not feeling super lately...sore throat coming and going, very tired, and everyone around me getting sick. Thought I would be proactive and take the day before I get worse like the hubby was last week. Then I find out that our little sink problem in the basement could be fixed today! But mother couldn't be here and hubby used a furlough day Monday...that meant I have to be here.

So here I am...and my voice and throat feel nice not talking...

In anticipation, I am going to finally sew and finish the blackout fabric for my basement windows. I hope to be printing in my darkroom by the weekend. I can develop at home, but the stinky smell from the pipes makes me reluctant to print b/c that requires keeping the pipe open for much longer. But by this afternoon...no more stinky!

Ooof...

So I think I am too busy... volunteering on Saturday, chowing at a food fest in town, prepping the basement for more painting, grading work, progress reports, yearbook stuff due, Dad's birthday, art shows for me to submit to, one show to prepare a piece for and ship, opening my Etsy shop with sister, and make more art. And trying to maintain some semblance of a social life. I am starting to hyperventilate.

I think I need a nap...

Stop this car...

So I have this Woodentops song in my head that sounds like and is - I think - about a runaway car or situation... Gee wonder why...

My head is spinning from this day... so many things with the seniors regarding the packets. Happier that I did it via the internet, but not much easier. Especially considering I must respond to each and every one I get. Ah well...

Too bad I will never get any kudos for all the upgrades I have brought to the yearbook.

Or to Photo for tha matter. And I just have to say right here: Thanks to all my Photo II kids who are so eagerly doing their Photo Journals. While things get on my nerves, I know that all of my classes will make me happy. The Photo II classes received the journal assignment earlier than last year because I thought they could handle it. And the first due entry proved me right. While there are a few PII students from last year I dearly miss, I have to say that this year's group expects less fawning over them and likes to work hard and seems eager to learn from me. Exactly why my happiest times are in the classroom.

Now to do more yearbook work... help!

Straightjackets...

...I must have a custom fit one somewhere...How else does that explain why I don't make a bigger stink about not being given the curse of the yearbook year after year. So here I am, after 9 pm on a Thursday, when I should be on the sofa with Millie on my lap and reading material in my hands...and I am refreshing my yahoo page to check the Yearbook submissions every couple of minutes...so that all the procrastinators can relax in the knowledge that I received their e-mails before going to bed...

As if to rub it in, husband comes up to the computer room, sits down, Millie enters room and sits on whose lap? HIS! Oh, the inhumanity of it all... And she's purring away over there...just rubbing...it...in...

Just glad there is a 3-day weekend coming up. Have a new photo project burning into my brain and I just have to shoot it before I lose the excitement for it.

Now to check the yearbook e-mail and burn some cd's for juried show submissions. Nighty night...

I will miss you, sniffle...

I have to miss the next two days. I am going to the AENJ conference - presenting Tuesday and on a panel on Wednesday. I am happy to be doing this, but I am sad to not be at work. I feel like I am abandoning the classes. I wish the AENJ would do the conference later in the school year. I know no one wants to watch a video with a sub, but I really like the videos I picked.

I guess I am also glad in a way. I am getting my first cold of the school year. Ugh! Right now I have the chills and my nose is running like crazy. And I have to speak in front of a room full of people tomorrow! Yikes. But I am happy because, though I will be going to A LOT of workshops, at least I don't have to run around like I do at school. Hopefully the two days will be mellow enough so that I do not get sick. I hate to use sick days.

I can't wait for some of the talks I plan to go to. Some are about grant writing, some about social issues, and some about helping students get into art school. Now that I am in a groove with Photo II, I can now focus on getting the students to put together stellar portfolios!

My schedule is so packed this week, I feel like I need to install my car's cruise control into my brain. At least this is a three-day weekend coming up. And I have to volunteer on Saturday and I have a feeling I have something Sunday, but I cannot remember what. Ooops...

London Day 5, 17 August

Whoops...Been so caught up with all the hullabaloo at work I forgot to finish posting the London escapades. I need to get myself to a happy place after the events of Thursday and Friday and what better locale than London? Can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be...maybe DC, San Francisco, Austin, N'awlins, anywhere but here...but I digress...

Beautiful and sunny day...again...is this really London? We wandered in the southeast section of central London. Many quiet streets and meandering lanes. Love it! So much mystery, your imagination can run wild with the things that have gone on and continue to go on in little places like that.

Found LOTS of churches - on my list of places to find and not on my list. Each one was different. St. Bartholomew the Great dates back to the 1200's and the entry to the churchyard is a Tudor beauty. Of course, we two dips didn't think that Sunday is not the best day to go church hunting, so we could not gain access to any of them. Unless we wanted to attend services... Awkward... I don't like to show up to anything in the middle...

No matter the condition of the church, the gardens around them are meticulous. They are havens of solitude, even in the heart of The City. It is amazing. The closest thing to these is the Grace Bible Church on B'way in the north Village in NYC - a place I have been drawn to for years. It seems the British realise that a church can be a peaceful place for all people of all denominations or none and they are so inviting. They just beckon you to sit a spell and relax. Then there are the creepy aspects - the lessons taught graphically in the architectural decorations, the war damage, and the various aspects of each building's history. The pictures I shot this day may all look the same to some - you've seen one church you've seen them all - but to me, they most certainly are not!

Then, we pass an old hospital that also has the Church of St. Bartholomew the Less within its walls. And those walls! I was immediately drawn to the sheer number of pock-marks in the thick stone walls. These were the result of the Blitz. It is just amazing the amount of damage this area sustained in WWII and that this building is still here. And to touch those deep recesses left by the bombs...scary. I just do not think the majority of Americans really understand the ramifications of warfare becuse the 20th century wars the US was involved in did not happen on our shores. Not that anyone should ever have to live through that...but things like visible damage are not so subtle reminders of what war really does.

Then we walk more and a turn here, a turn there, and there's St. Paul's Cathedral! Whoa! It looks so much better now that there has been a massive campaign to clean the exterior. Not finished, but under the bright blue sky, it gleamed. And I can't even express how huge it is. I could not fit the whole thing in the frame. I am not kidding. Went to a little cafe near there. Had a soda called Fentiman's. The flavour was dandelion and burdock. Now, I am not a soda person. I only like unique flavours - root or birch beer, ginger beer, sasparilla... This soda was so good! I had to take a picture of it! Delicious! And I found where to buy it in the US! Yippee!

Then Dave decides, we are so close to the Millenium foot bridge, let's walk across the Thames. I saw Tower Bridge! And there was a guy playing the accordion on the bridge! Perfect. Well, since we are right in front of it, we should go to the Tate Modern. Ingenious use of an old building. Don't tear it down and rebuild something with modern, inferior materials! Recycle your architecture. And the MoMA could learn a thing or two from the Tate. It just flows so nicely. And fabulous use of space. The museums in the UK - Manchester and London - just really seem to be for the people. All people, all ages. NYC could learn a thing or two...

Back across the Thames. There are guys standing on surfboards and rowing. Weird. But upon telling this story at home we find out that it's a new sport. No cable TV in Casa Vasa means we are out of the loop. I certainly would not want to have fallen into the Thames, though. It was real brown.

Walk Fleet Street past St. Bride's church. So beautiful. And the Halls of Justice. There was a great monument in the center of the street in front of the Halls. On top of the monument was a dragon. Fierce! Then walk to Aldwych Crescent. I can't believe I agreed to walk this much after the pain of yesterday...must not have been thinking clearly. Also really wishing I could have found those replacement Doc's. Like RIGHT NOW!!!

Dinner at Carluccio's - an Italian chain by a chef that also has a food market in the restaurant. Even the chain resturants here are more substantial and less offensive here. No Macaroni Grill or Olive Garden cr*p. The food is actually decent and edible and healthier. Quote from Dave - "This is the best pasta dish I have ever had!"

End the night at our local hangout, The Swan. I still don't understand Cricket and I have watched the highlights of it every night.

No thanks...

I had a disturbing conversation today, eighth period. The principal was urgently looking for me. Wanted to know why we need the film portion of the photo program. I briefly explained why - as I had before when they gave me the program. He said ok. But I have many thoughts about this...

This is coming up when they are looking to send the course books to the publisher. That means they want to dump the darkroom for next year. The reasons could be they want the classroom space, they want to spend less money, or someone who knows that film is the main reason for the popularity of the class wants to kill the program.

Here's my thoughts...Film and digital are near equal cost-wise. Film has great costs related to consumeables, but the priciest things - the equipment - last a long time. Many of the cameras and enlargers we have are older than the kids. Digital equipment is obsolete so quickly, the equipment replacement costs will skyrocket. And if the kids do not have film prints to take home as completed projects, they will want something tangible from the digital. That means lots of real expensive ink and paper for the Epson and sooner than expected replacement or adding another printer.

I was given this program because it was driven so far into the ground, guidance had trouble filling one period. In one year it went up to three periods - limited because of my two periods of yearbook - the following year four, then the third year they needed to get another teacher. We have eight full periods and rumour is that we could fill 10. That is not on digital alone. I built this program up - as I was asked to do - and I did it with a combination of film and digital.

I am amazed at how just when I feel good, there is someone or something ready to slap me in the face here. I sacrifice so much of myself for this place and get no thanks... The only ones who are thankful are the students.

Keeping hyperventilating...

So I have a dream in which I am somewhere - I don't know this place - with people - whom I do not know - going over all the things I have to do - which aren't the things on my to-do list - at the same time that I am trying to do some of those things. And I start freaking out and eventually hyperventilate. EXACTLY what nearly happens every school year thanks to the yearbook. I manage to keep my cool most of the time - mix more chemicals, meet the deadlines, answer all the e-mails, check the voice mail, faster fasterfaster...... But I guess it really does get to me if I dream about it. I just wish friends understood why I have zero energy to do anything when I get home. If I sit down, I am done for the day.

Then I also have so many things to do for town. Of course, I get cellulitis in my ring finger on my left hand planting the mums and no one else shows up to help Marta with planting but Dave. Two and a half hours in the ER and my thoughts aren't "I hope this is OK" but "I could be getting so many things done right now." Hmmm...

But I will remain to keep cool...I do hope my Halloween costume drives the point home at PV. I could also just not worry about getting things done perfectly but that's not like the straight-A student I was and it's a hard habit to break. I feel my chest starting to tighten as I write this. Yikes! Maybe there will be a good rag to get at Borders later...and a snickerdoodle...

Core group...again

I volunteer on the Design Committee of my local Main Street organization. Yesterday was the first day of replacing the summer planting in urns with mums. The woman who takes care of the urns does so much. An e-mail went out to all volunteers regarding the dates and times to help. As I walk down to Main Street with my neon green volunteer t-shirt, gardening bag & tools, and a spring in my step, I am in denial. I have a vision of a group of us doing this work.

I get to the office...and its just me and Marta....Again...

Not that I mind doing this. I don't have to. I choose to volunteer. But why is it the same people all the time? And why is it always the four people who work full time and have bills to pay and other things going on in their lives? Where are all the retirees in this town who say they are volunteers but never show up if the work takes a little effort? Grrrr...

And you may wonder why write about this for a school blog...

Well...the same thing happens with the yearbook. The seniors get the book for "free." What a joke. If those in charge of decisions had to endure the smirks from the publishers and photographers when I tell them how PV pays for this book, they may be shamed into doing it the right way. So, just like in my town, a few people make the effort to raise the money to pay for the book and 322 students reap the rewards. I bust my butt getting things done by deadlines, making sure everything looks good and deal with students and parents who don't know the meaning of "due by" and I feel like I am beating my head against the wall here. This book causes me countless sleepless nights and lost time with family and friends because of the time I put into it at home. Sure I get a stipend, but considering the one coaches et for a part of the school year and I do this all year...Ugh!

Thoughts unrecovered

Well, I can't recall what I was going to write about but this coldness is driving us batty at Casa Vasa. The only one not sneezing or having trouble breathing is Millie. Allergies and asthma and the wild weather in the northeast do not mix well. I should have moved southwest when I was less tied down, but oh well. I just keep pumping my lungs with the puffer...

It always amazes me that so many parents come to the photo class for Back to School night. And they are so nice. I love how we are getting the really cool kids in the art program. It not classes full of the "I just want an easy A" people.

Then I get a rude awakening about where I teach like when I read the latest on Millie Misadventure. I can't stand how many of the young people at PV are so concerned with looks. It wasn't like that in the other districts I taught in. And I feel like it extends to non-students. I used to have my hair REAL short. It was liberating in many ways that I need not get into. The only people that seemed to be bothered by it were the people at PV. Co-workers made comments about me being butch and students made comments about whether I was a boy or girl. So I decided to do a little experiment. I am growing it out. I can't tell you the out-of-line comments I have gotten from co-workers. Note: It is not ok for you to touch my hair and comment about my "flowing locks!"

So, every day I come to PV and spend my periods with cool kids and think everything is improving in this world...but it's not. I have to fight to get the yearbook polls to not have a category alluding to beauty. And I look at the kids who others label as the weirdos - same as when I was in school - and they are so diverse, interesting, multi-dimensional and just all around cool and I think they are beautiful. And these are the ones who are being made fun of. After 20 years, NOTHING CHANGES! But how do I change this? I try to be more and more myself at work every year, so they know teachers come in all sorts of types, but I don't think it is working enough. I feel like I can count on one hand the number of people at work who are truly different and ok with the students who are. And I don't count those who do it to be cool teachers. The kids aren't stupid...they know what we think of them...and they know when you think they are "freaks." Too many teachers hear comments about race, sexuality and looks in the halls and classrooms and say nothing. This all just gets me really aggravated. And then to read what Jimmy Carter said this week, and the world makes me sad...

Uh...what was I thinking?

Ok...so I had all these thoughts in my mind about what I wanted to write about the school year so far, things that have come up, etc., etc.. Then hubby has a sneezing fit, blowing his nose like crazy and yelping like some crazed bird/dog hybrid and all my thoughts went whoosh out of my head. Grrrr...hopefully dreamtime will bring them back...Considering how much I think, I know they'll come back. I'll do it while Mr. Sneezy is out...

Success...I hope

This is for all you people out there that thinks getting involved doesn't work -

We have been having issues in my town, to say the least. I love the place, but some things are being allowed to slide. When a policeman gets a call that three men are drinking and urinating on a building, they should be brought in. But that didn't happen by my sister's house last week. Instead, my brother-in-law calls it in and the police just tell the men to move along. So, the three men leave their empty 12-pack in a driveway - yes, you do the math - and DRIVE AWAY!!!

So I go to my town hall meeting tonight, low expectations and all. The other times I have gone to speak, I get no results. Not tonight. They listened to what I said; the alderman who deals with the police promised to look into it; all present were horrified by what I told them. It was just an overall good meeting. Any resident who spoke about problems received a good response. I really left there feeling like things can actually turn around here. I haven't felt that way for a while now.

So to get to my point...

A number of my students are of or near voting age. Many will not vote. Many complain and complain about supposed injustices, but when it comes to getting involved in the best way to solve things, they do nothing. Sometimes I feel that way too but I don't let that keep me from trying. I know the issues I brought up tonight at my town hall wouldn't even be looked into if I didn't speak up. I didn't complain about silly, insignificant things no one has control over - hint: wearing id's (is it really so terrible?). I spoke about real issues that affect all of us. And it looks like I just may get results! Hooray. I so dislike people who complain but don't try to change things for the better.

Now if only I could get all the eligible voters in this country to be more involved and vote, then I would be one happy camper.

First Day!!!

London notes will have to wait...first day with students! As usual, Photo I - quiet...Photo II - chatty. I am excited for this year. I hope to hit my stride with the Photo II with some new ideas for projects. Also hoping to repeat our phenomenal record of exhibits and awards!

Millie on the lap and a town hall meeting tonight...always involved...sometimes too much...wish I could get by on less sleep...

Back to work...ouch

Two full days...two monster headaches. Tell me why when I spend 2-3 hours each day on the computer at home immobilized by a Millie on my lap I do not get a headache. I come to work and get two massive ones in a row! Ugh. Tylenol, naps, nothing helped. All I had was throbbing behind my eyes like someone was banging his way out of my sockets and sparkly colours flashing all over the place. I could not even face going on Facebook yesterday once I arrived home! Now that's bad! And I have many shows to submit my work for consideration. Feeling under the gun here...but at least I am completely ready for the students. I like to get all that stuff ready in June...

Developed three rolls of film at home Monday. Two from London, one from California. They look good. Made the contact prints this morning for all the rolls I developed at home over the summer. I am printing so much my current box of way expired Ilford paper from the 1990s is almost done! I will get through that huge pile of paper at home after all!

Tomorrow night I have an opening in Long Island City at APW Gallery. Hooray! Six pieces from a group I did in 2006 called "13 Hang Ups" and have received positive feedback in the last show they were in. Fingers crossed for meeting people. Just no more headaches please...

London update coming later...

London Day 4 - 15 August

Beautiful sunny day again... Breakfast at EAT. I just love the quick breakfast places here. We had a warm breakfast muffin. Mmmm...

Today we go to the Victoria & Albert Museum. It is in a neighbourhood that is quite a distance. Dave has the bright idea to walk it for two reasons: 1. there are so many tourists, the tube will be packed and 2. we get to see more by walking. I agree. I will pay for this in pain later...

We walked Picadilly, through the edge of Green Park, and just happen upon Buckingham Palace at the time of the changing of the guard! What luck. What crowds! Jeez...I had to hold the camera above my head to get any pictures. We didn't stick around for the whole thing.

Walk along the palace property to the Wellington Arch, past Harrod's and a large Catholic Church - the Brompton Oratory. Lots of pictures to take. A very different type of neighbourhood from where we are staying - Bloomsbury. More wealthy.

Get to the V&A. It is HUGE!!! and great! Looked at Fashion, Jewellery, Photography, and the castings gallery. I just can't convey how packed this place is and how large it is. Nothing here in the US compares. The Medieval galleries are being refurbished to be opened at the end of the year. Note to return for that... Relaxed in the courtyard. It is so nice and sunny, kids in the wading pool and people relaxing and noshing on the grass...Perfect.

Go to Harrod's to get Millie's gift. I have NEVER seen so many high priced vehicles in one day - Bentley after Bentley, Lotus, Rolls Royce, you name it. The Londoners in this area are doing very well. Harrod's is a mixed bag. the elevator and the escalator areas are stunning. The show floors, eh. (we find out later that we missed the big deal - the food hall. Duh.) The pet boutique is high priced but Dave finds an affordable dinosaur made in the UK for Millie. He is underwhelmed, but rescinds that once Millie gets her gift and loves it. (quote before: "It's just the same old stuff". quote after: "Harrod's is great")

Wander back "home" through chi-chi areas and bottom right corner of Hyde Park. Lots of people out in the parks and lots of flowers to look at.

Get back to Russell Square. I need to sit. Near the exit, people are gathered and filming something very interesting...a....squirrel! WHAT?!?!?! It's just a squirrel! What the heck? Oh well, they are probably Italian tourists.

Dinner- fish & chips at The Swan. Mmmmm...

We walk off dinner in the area above our neighbourhood...

Happen upon a St. Andrew's gardens - WEIRD... There are many headstones propped up in a line against a bordering apartments building. More headstones in piles behind a fencing. The tombs in this park are in horrendous shape. But the gardens are meticulous. Never saw anything like it. And at the far end are children playing football. Eerie.

back at the hotel there is a wedding party. We are too pooped to crash it. My whole lower body is in pain from all the walking. I do not dare calculate the mileage walked. My lower back and down literally throbs with pain. I watch my leg vibrate from the pain. I don't know how I fall asleep, but eventually I do...

London Day 3 - August 14

Went to the National Gallery...saw so many wonderful pre-1500 works. My head was spinning. Found their Hieronymus Bosch and looked at some 1500-1600 work too. Then looked for the van Gogh and Seurat pieces. Dave liked seeing those.

Came to a conclusion - I despise the Italian tourists. They are so rude, pushy, indignant and just plain horrible. Note: I am part Italian. And despite my Southern mother's claim that they must have all been Northern, many of them looked short, pudgy, and just like all our relatives. Mom, your stereotypes are wrong... All the other tourists speaking other languages were polite and nice.

Walk over to St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Happen upon the musicians practicing for that night's Vivaldi concert! What luck. Very nice....

Walked over to the Thames and the Victoria Embankment Gardens. The nice weather had everyone out in all the parks. Walked around Covent Garden. Cannot for the life of me find the Dr. Marten's store! I am walking around with three-holes with holes in the leather hoping it doesn't rain and I can't even replace them 'cos I can't find the damn store!

Found the Tourist Info Centre after the endless search and find the address for DM. They don't have my size!!! But...they have a super pair in Dave's size and on sale! Oh the injustice...

Went to Magma, this super-cool art and design store with lots of great books, publications and knick-knacks. There was one in Manchester. Wish there was something like it in the US. The closest was Atomic Pop in Baltimore.

Ate dinner at Wagamama in Covent Garden... Brit family on holiday next to us. The mother sees me looking at my list of things to do. She says "you'll never pack it all in." So true...

Found a local pub - The Swan - to get fish and chips dinner some other night. Nice and cozy...

London Day 2 - 13 August

Full sun - this is better than New Jersey...

No sleep - maybe 3 hours, if that - jet lag or I just need Millie...

Breakfast at EAT. The US really needs this kind of place, not the crap that's there. There would certainly be more healthy people.

It's warmer than Manchester. Liking this place is sneaking up on us after the getting lost previous day...

Things we did today:
1. British Museum - a couple of blocks from our hotel. This place is amazingly huge, packed with stuff and FREE! After viewing just a portion of stuff, we almost forget to look at the Rosetta Stone. Nice tall French man takes pity on small me and lets me in front. I am amazed at how precise the text is. When looking at the floor plan, we realize we just scratched the surface of this place.
2. Looked for the Britain/London tourist info centre; wander fruitlessly and have no idea where the heck it is. The info centre in Picadilly Station is tiny.
3. Went into the famous Liberty store. Though it is faux Tudor, the buidling is so beautiful. I just love it. Went to top floor to look at Liberty prints. High prices keep me from buying the tiniest trinkets. Londoners must be wealthy.
4. Find a nice small cafe off Carnaby Street and have a super egg mayo sandwich for lunch. Carnaby Street is sort of crowded.
5. Foolishly decide to walk Oxford Street. The book that labelled it the shopping capitol of Europe was not kidding. YIKES! So many people, and that's alot coming from someone who worked in NYC. Dave said it looked like worker ants. Well put.

London Day 1 - 12 August

Plane - chic, manly man with the deepest voice we have ever heard sits next to Dave on the flight; we are amazed by his clear voice and perfect diction.

Walking - F-ing lost and no other way to put it! Everyone has a map in their hands and with good reason.

Dinner - Wagamama! Don't know if there is one of these in the States but if it is, it is probably in NYC and they would undoubtedly ruin it; post meal my lips and mouth are on fire - just the way it should be!

First day sampler to prove how environmentally advanced the Brits are: Prius count - 9; SUV count - 8; and the SUVs here are the small ones. Not a Suburban or Escalade sized behemoth in sight.

Dave's thoughts for the day - "can't gauge the scope of the city yet - so easy to get lost, so confusing" & this gem "We're doomed." I agree...

Sun!

So the sun finally made an appearance! I thought it would never come. I was actually looking into the train ticket price to Brighton. Considering the Pacific Northwest is getting abnormal hot weather, I figure everyone else must be getting better weather than us. Got the British money today? Why is it that when you check the exchange rate online, it's one thing and when you get to the place, it's another? Well, it's still better than the last two years.

I actually reached 47 MPG with the Prius! And mostly highway! It's supposed to get better MPG in city driving. My goal: 50 MPG.

Getting excited to go to London. We will be staying round the block from the British Museum. There is a store that sells used magazines. My dream is to find a secret stash of early 80's Smash Hits. I might faint if I find them...I am going to miss Millie a lot. I really wish she could come. But I know she warms up to grammy and gramps real fast...too fast? She's shameless...

I am thinking of taking the fisheye Lomo, the Diana, the digital and the Canon film cameras. I will pack for wearing things more than once so I can fit it all. And I got lots of film and a mini flexi tri-pod from Mandy! Yay!

Great quote from across the street just moments ago: "Sigh! I'm exhausted from doing nothing!" That's my white trash mama Sweeney! Crack open a cheap beer and smoke one for me! And why work when you have three mouths to feed when you can sit on your porch and watch TV and burp all day! Hey, at least one out of the three should end up being their ports meal ticket, right? Jeez...

Visitors...

Rodent tally for the past week:

Thursday - one adult mouse...so that's why Millie was obsessed with trying to get in the basement...
Friday - one adolescent mouse...uh, you know what this means; there is a family...
Saturday, early Sunday - bat in the bedroom; he goes into my workroom, doesn't leave, but we can't find him; he camps out all day...
Sunday night - bat comes downstairs; doubt he wanted to watch "To Kill a Mockingbird" with us; we lure him into the bedroom and open all windows with door closed; exit bat...
Monday - one adult mouse; when dropping him off at the river, I think he said "see you next week" as he hopped away...

Why our house? We keep it clean, we have Killer Millie, and the house across the street is dirty and the slovenly drunk next door can't possibly keep his house nicer than ours... I guess I just have to plant more mint. At least the mosquitoes are leaving me alone.

The veggie garden is finally moving consistently. I hope to have tomatoes, okra and cucumbers before the first frost.

Had a dream about exchanging our currency for London...I think it's a sign that I need to get on that...kind of like I have to get on submitting my work...Hey, at least I am making art, not just sitting watching TV, drinking brewskies and getting large like my wife-beater neighbour...How come nice people are losing their houses and this guy isn't? Where is the money coming from?

Going to Trenton tomorrow for a NJ Main Street workshop. Riding in the van with an alderman. Have to get up the nerve to talk to him about pertinent issues if the opportunity arises...will report on it later in the week...

Uh oh...facebook

Well, I did it. I am on Facebook. Two reasons: networking for art shows - so I'm told - and keeping in touch with former students. I don't want to get myself in trouble and connect with current students. I wouldn't post bad stuff, but if I see something, I have to report it. And I don't want that hanging over my head. Anyway, I will see them all the time come September.

Speaking of...with it being a despicable 66 degrees, one would think it is autumn. This is disgusting. I was just getting used to going in the pool and things actually growing. Now this. Ugh!

Worked with resin again...outside. It was messy, things slipped and things are crooked. Well...it just looks funky...yeah, that's what I meant to do.

I have been thinking of switching around my workroom. Unfortunately, the two windows I could lookout, are not good for placing the drafting table in front of. There are two higher windows, so I may put the table there. I would just have to hop up a bit for sunshine. I may also move more toys up in the attic - make it a bit of a toy room. Yeah, I collect toys. And maybe even paint another wall lavender, instead of the bright purple it is. Lots of things to do to help the creativity...

Big meeting tonight with Main Street. Met with the police yesterday about vandalism. I handled it well. I wasn't treated like a suspect. That usually happens since I look like a kid. Big change...I really want to improve this town, but there are so many obstacles. In a way, I feel like the effort of us younger people is for nothing because of the older people who run this place from behind the scenes. Maybe I will run for office...

Goop Update...

Well, the resin looks good. I popped them out of the molds this morning and hooray! Now to buy more. I would go take pictures and upload them but Millie is napping on my lap so I am stuck on the computer for awhile...

So I finally got onto Facebook...and so many former students are finding me. It's a nice way to keep in touch, especially since my Yahoo account has been so temperamental.

Rain is supposed to come tomorrow, so I will do more art and price all my stuff for Mandy's garage sale. The big purchase has upset me b/c of loss of funds, so any income right now would feel good...

Goop...

Cast with resin for the first time. I have done epoxy resin before. For some reason I figured traditional resin would smell less noxious. WRONG!!! The basement stunk so bad I had to leave the basement door open a couple of hours. Of course I was worried that Mr. A - friendly neighbourhood cat - would show up and walk in. He's done that before. If Millie got wind of that she would have had a hissy fit. The only thing that came in was flies... But I couldn't do much because 1. I didn't want to kill brain cells and 2. like a dope I kept the resin too long and the majority of it is not workable. But the pieces look real nice. Once it airs out down there I will tone some pictures....scared of mixing noxious fumes.

Took Mandy for a ride in the Prius. She likes... she said it looked sporty! Woo hoo! Might put Nellie/LeBaron on e-bay as per mom's suggestion.

Best news for last...
Seeds are sprouting! Four okra sprouts and a bunch of squash sprouts. Thought they were butternut, but not so sure now. I have no idea what I planted. And the mystery thing grew again this morning... see above for image...it inflates then deflates by mid-morning. Saw it for the first time Wednesday and then again today. Can't be a mushroom b/c they don't behave that way...I think. Maybe it is a monitoring system of some sort...where's Fox Mulder when you need him?

Pool time!

So we actually have some sunny days in a row... Mother Nature did as I wished and rained overnight. Perfect, I do not have to water in the morning and the rain barrels are full or near full.

Garden update:

• tomato plants - 2-3 inches high - not good
• okra - what okra?!?
• spinach - seems to have stalled
• beans & cucumbers - flowers! yay...food to come
• lettuce - sprouting, or they may be weeds...
• watermelon - slow but moving
• basil - good

This is just NOT where I expected to be at this point in the summer. I should be picking cucumbers and basil galore by now. UGH! There is no bug bite update because I am remembering to put stuff on before going out!

Have to get moving on the submissions. I always tent to wait til the last minute and then I forget about it, like one show I really wanted to submit for and I missed the Friday DL. Stupid...

I drove the Prius more yesterday. It feels more fun to drive now. I think I am getting used to it. And since I love to coast, this is great. It coasts like a dream, and you can see the gauge show you the transition to electric and your MPG! Cool...

I also have to get my butt moving on preparing stuff for MY etsy shop. That's right. Sister isn't doing it. She's busy with redoing the house. I have to get packaging and all the other incidentals set. And I have to finish the railings for the attic and basement, and finish rewriting town litter code and send to the aldermen, and get everything in place for our town anti-litter campaign, and get stuff set for London...ooof...

Fun friday...

I finally got out & socialized! I have been so overwhelmed by the whole car thing. Went hiking in a far place - kept secret b/c I do not want the spot to be overwhelmed by stupid party people - and it was so cool. The remains of old buildings really excite me. Especially when entrance is achieved!
Thanks Czeps and Ashley! Next time, I drive...

Oh, and about that...

I DID IT!!!

I bought the Prius. It's dark grey and really cool. I drove it three times so far...hybrid is WEIRD!

I have to eat some lunch now and cut wood to make stair railings. Probably post more tomorrow.

Oh and to the students who aren't posting...where are you?!? Hope you are not stuck in line at Sonic...I heard about that craziness...my sister had to give up on a chance to eat there...

Busy busy busy...

Finally, multiple days in a row with sun. I forgot what color the sky was...

Done today:

• built screen to hide garbage cans and started digging holes for posts
• nailed downstairs bathroom door strips back in place
• gardened
• read
• swam
• napped with Millie
• moved rocking chair upstairs

To do:

• go through stuff in attic for sister's garage sale
• put lattice in garden for beans and cucumbers to climb
• listen to music
• weeding and deadheading at parents?

Got a quote from one dealership today. Will go test driving Wednesday or Thursday. I guess I should clean out my car. I also have to go to the bank to get ready for the big purchase...sniffle...

I realized that with doing all the research for the car issue, I forgot to enter my work in a couple of shows. Whoops! So I spent about an hour last night researching calls for art. There are a lot for me to get ready and submit to. I hope I get in a couple. Right now I have three photos in Still Point Gallery until August. My first online show. Perhaps something will sell... My parents want to buy my book from amazon.com. They think it will look better if someone with a different name purchases it and reviews it. Good point. Perhaps I should advertise it on one of my blogs. I guess the art/private/non-school one. It is kind of pricey. 49 Euros!

I also have to get going with the Etsy shop. Perhaps sister will want to move along with the potential to earn money!

Have three friends on facebook. I am on it for art networking, but I know NOTHING about how to do this. It is actually quite confusing. Jeez...

I am stuck here on the computer for awhile since Millie is sleeping on my lap, so I guess I will do some research into donating cars and the pros/cons of that. ...sniffle... oh, and look up some more music shows, art stuff, craft stuff...

Car update...

So it looks like I am leaning toward the Prius. I don't like the futuristic look, but in black, it looks more sporty, less spacey. Took an Altima Hybrid for a test drive. Realized that looking at a car that big was doing what mom expects - safe car - not what I want. I want more than mid-30's MPG from a hybrid. The Camry and Altimas just don't do it for me. I figured since this is the second car I am buying with my own money, this time I will decide. Anyway, I am almost 36 and mom has to stop telling me what to do. It still bothers me that I bought my first car with my own money but she told me what I could and could not buy.

Re: Mini Cooper - the exterior is soooo nice. And I could get the Union Jack caps for the side view mirrors. But the more I look at the interior, the more I hate it. It is too gimmicky. But I will still take it for a test drive, just to drive it. Tee hee...

Garden is looking so lush. Veggies make me want to cry. Water them and nothing. At least the compost is looking nice and black so I will put that in the beds to hopefully help.

Got a Time Out guide to London. Half price at Borders with a coupon and sale. Woo hoo! This is so overwhelming. I just can't wait to go. I have to roll lots of film. I decided with the car purchase, the DSLR will have to wait. So that is less to pack. With the weather the way it is here, we'll probably have to take a side trip to Brighton to get real beach weather. Pathetic...

Have to sew the window clack out cloths to work in the darkroom. Also looking to nail the safelight to a beam so I don't have to balace it precariously on the foundation ledge. Also so that a mouse doesn't knock it down while scurrying through!

Sniffle...

Well, the pimp-mobile is done. The question of when to repaint is moot. The car has transmission disease. I have to shop for real now. Ugh. I test drove a hybrid Altima yesterday. The main salesman was nice - a sports photographer! - but the brought over the big guns hard sell guy immediately after the test drive. Definite turn-off. Pal, if I tell you I pay cash and you do not have to worry about a default, I call the shots. But I played nice-nice because I knew their efforts to sucker this gal into walking out with a new car immediately was not going to work.

I really like the Mini Cooper and the Clubman gives me the room I need, especially to transport stuff for work. But I really want a hybrid. I'm not a lead foot anyway. I am the little poky in the right lane never going over 65mph. Yeah, my own students have probably ridden my tail on route 46 or 80 at some point. But, even though I paid for my first and only car with my own money, momma called the shots and I had to get the car she approved of. Now I am torn. Yikes!

Gardening report...

• something keeps pulling out my amaranth seedlings...who is it?!? I must catch the demon!
• two watermelon seedlings...some more tomato seedlings
• okra is struggling but the spinach and basil will hopefully make it
• the pool is sparkling and the ladder is ready to be put in...11 mosquito bites in the last ten minutes of cleaning it Monday night...it's like I have a target on my back...either that or they set up the mosquito sattelite station to pick up my exact location at all times of the day...does this count as garden? sure, it's in the backyard...
  
• the stick I planted as support for the raspberries has become a nice tree and I love the way it drapes over the pool yet does not shade it...almost tropical...I can at least pretend I live in a warmer climate...

Have to bring many school cameras to be repaired. Repair shop: Paramus. My home: Morris County, NOWHERE near Paramus. Me: no car. Looks like I will have to endure a long distance ride with mom. I will just bring a book to read and put tape over my mouth.

Moving along...

Done:

• opened mom and dad's pool...thumb injured when socket wrench bit pried loose makes direct contact with thumb...felt like 100mph hit...immediate swelling...I kept working...what a trouper!
• thinned out the roses...only a few cuts!
• weeded the lawn...who needs pesticides and caustic weed killers?
• opened my pool all by myself this morning...lots of sweat...a little bloodshed...but lots of pride in a job well done
• planted sunflowers, marigolds, calendula...carefully watered poppies and amaranth...the seedlings are so delicate...
• painted radiator in downstairs bathroom...inhaled lots of fumes and boy was it cloudy in there but no longer looks like a rusty mess!

Even though I haven't done any art yet, I feel like I have to get some of the house things out of the way. I am also reading two books - one on the life and death of Tsar Nicholas II (written by a Russian and sad, scary and hard to deal with) and one on the history of Bomp! records. The Romanov book is riveting but I just can't believe some of the stuff - Alix was so naive and pushy, the revolutionaries were so discombobulated - I have to put it down frequently and relax. The Bomp! one is SOOOO good! And with the weather summer-like now, I can plop some good old garage vinyl on the turntable and listen as I read about some fine music! Hooray for summer!

Side note...the car situation does not look good. I upset a couple of graduates by not lingering on graduation night. But I had to get my ride. I also saw some teachers schmoozing and it looked silly. I am not like that...graduation is not about me, the hip teacher...it's about the graduates. Anyway, I really want to keep in touch with some of those who graduated and e-mails and future visits are so much better than a goodbye...

Summer tally #1

Last day of work. Dems and I were working on lots and were foolishly waiting for noon to leave - as told to do - and we realized at 11.30 that we were practically the only fools left. Ah well...two months off to relax, do stuff for me and recharge. Oh, and go to London! Can't stand NYC but know I will find myself there. Gallery stalking, shopping in LES and trying out Topshop. Certainly not the same as doing that in the UK, but it's close enough until August.

Walked in to town last night for good Mexican. Leftovers to look forward to tonight. Worked off the dinner climbing my hill and gardening to dark.

Here's the tally -
Mosquito bites: 5
Blisters: 1
Hurting fingers: 3

Totally worth it...but must eat more garlic and rub lavender on myself to repel those mosquitos.

Oh and I want to open the pool this weekend and need to help open my parents' pool. But...no car to buy the supplies. Baby bucked like crazy trying to get to the graduation. Yes, if any students are reading this, Vasa may have to buy a new car. Check out the first parking spot in September to find out what happens...

Finale...not so grand

Just some random thoughts on the year...not in any particular order, and no explanation...

• massive growth for some students
• regression for others
• thankless students - do they think we get paid millions to put our lives on hold for ten months out of the year?
• thankful students who make me smile
• yearbook aggravation - why are people so nasty?
• the co-worker who send me a congratulatory note on the yearbook - I really like this person!
• more student awards for Photography than any other art and than ever in the history of the class! woo hoo..
• published student work!
• two super students blog about the class! Yeah!!
• in three years I take the Photo program from barely able to fill one period to needing 11 periods! The accolades never stop coming - sarcasm...
• I get my work in many shows, including NYC and Missouri
• congrats from the administration at graduation for all the work done making this year's yearbook successful - sarcasm...
• I get a book published
• best class trip ever to California with three really cool students
• students want to come in to work all hours of the day and even on the very last day of school! I love them!
• having a classroom with a really cool teacher and in the basement where I can hide from the BS and enjoy life with dedicated students...
• anxious to see how one of the most talented students I have ever encountered will progress at SVA...she is sooooo amazing...
• hoping to keep in touch with those I will miss...

Yearbook Chaos!

Yearbook distribution was yesterday after school. I was nervous because we worked so hard on it and I want the girls to feel good about that. It makes me so angry when the seniors badmouth the book. But the seniors were in and out so fast we did not hear any feedback. However, the super told me this morning that at the volleyball dinner last night the kids were raving about it. I hope that is truly the case for everyone. Except for last year, a great deal of blood, sweat and tears go into the creation of this thing and the culture here is so negative all anyone can ever do is criticize it. But all I know is that when I took it home to examine it I was happy and my girls were happy with it when they looked at it. And that is what matters.

The pick up was chaos, but kind of funny. For the first time, we did it immediately after school. The crowd cramming the entrance reminded me of a Duran Duran concert! It was crazy. But we did it in as orderly fashion as possible and no one got hurt! Now, lets see what the comments are...

A flickr...

So some students asked if I had a Flickr. And that reminded me that one of my goals was to start one. So I did. It's www.flickr.com/photos/melvasa. It is in its infant stages so do not be too harsh in judging. I have many things to scan.

This week is not much better. I hate when the year ends on a bad note. But the stars are not aligning right now. Maybe it is the full moon.

Looked at my cousin's Flickr. Want to take some pictures next time I go to a show. Perhaps film. I do have a roll of 3200 in my fridge... and Ted Leo is playing Maxwell's soon... and it isn't sold out! Hmmm...

A former photo student came to give a presentation today. She showed her work from her first year in photo school - prints, film and a digital slide show. I noticed she is still shooting many types of subjects she started shooting in my class. The thing that made me feel nice was when she said that all the projects she had to do in the first year or semester - I forget - were things I assigned in class. Well, I guess I do know what I am doing... thanks Tiff! You made me feel good.

Done...

Went out with Dave's longtime friend and his other last night. Both teach. First time seeing them since the first week in April. One topic resonated with me - sacrifices. Last week I did a lot of thinking and I found out last night I am not the only one.

I realized I have to reevaluate how I approach teaching. I spend so much of myself on my job and I took a look at what I have gained - and it doesn't seem to be much. I am discouraged. I have very little energy once I get home and what I do have left is spent on more work at home. I try to make the classes interesting and meaningful, not the same thing each year. I spend countless extra hours there - no overtime - and countless hours working at home doing research. The grades I give are not arbitrary but carefully considered. I was given a dead program that could not fill one period and in two years turned it in to a program that could fill 10 periods. I spend a lot of effort preparing and entering student work in shows, and in many cases finding new shows and using my time to deliver that work. I make sure I say yes when a colleague asks for a favor. I push ALL the art classes to keep our department strong. I encourage the students to go see exhibits and research what is going on to see. I make them enter their work into contests and submit to publications. I try to get them to be reflective. I have helped some create portfolios for college interviews. I have written countless recommendation letters. I worked hard to bring three students to California this year. I bust my butt to put out the literary magazine in a rush. I agonize and lose sleep over the yearbook. And I do not know why.

I look at the other jobs I have had - teaching and not - and I have never spent so much of myself on a job. I have lost touch with so many of my friends. I rarely go out because I am too tired during the school year. When the summer comes I feel like I have to cram 10 months of living into 2. I raced through three and a half years of school to get my master's - first in the dept - and all I get is "that took a long time" from some dopey teacher. In those three years I lost all three of my grandparents. Out of 8 cousins, I was the only one helping clean the houses and settle things, in my grandma's case, going to her house every week to clean up decades of her life. My dad is diagnosed with cancer last fall and has two surgeries. Yet, I don't skip a beat with my students and make sure I get everything done for work just so.

I try to keep making my own art and I get some in shows. I recently had a book published. My students have received awards for their photos and have been published. I remember the thing I respected most in my high school art teacher was that she was a working exhibiting artist. I do not know why, but at PV that does not seem to matter. I feel I have no value there anymore. Administration and colleagues are oblivious to what I do. There are a couple of colleagues and some students who appreciate my work and respect me, but I realized last week it is at a minimum. I know I should be happy to be employed, but it is demeaning and distressing. I need to seriously reevaluate what I have been making these sacrifices for. I have already lost htree relative and almost lost another. Why do this if it is not appreciated?

I have never worked in a job where my work ethic did not get me respect. It confuses me and I do not know what to do. I can tell myself to not work so hard, but I just know that when September comes, I will do the same things. I have gotten a couple of heartfelt thank you's from students recently, and it means so much. Everytime one of those students come in the room and say hi to me, I feel good. But for every one of those, there are countless other students and faculty who can't wait to belittle me, criticize me and make me realize I don't matter. Should I coach a sport? Should I be trying to be a student's best buddy instead of mentor? Should I kiss butt? I don't know. But what I am doing is not working. I just want the summer to come...

Post-show

I am REALLY tired and can't wait to get home this afternoon to sleep....

Having said that, last night was very enjoyable. So many former students coming to see the work. So many positive things said to me about the Photography program. Mandy came too - GUILT - and liked what she saw. She even said she was getting ideas! considering the caliber of work she gets in Madison and got in Basking Ridge, that's quite a compliment. Now if only everyone actually heard what was being said about our Photo program. I guess another highlight of the night was hearing former students from PV say they are planning to take Photo in college as soon as schedules allow - that includes students who never got to take it here!

So many parents had good things to say too, and that's more important to me than the indifference we get from colleagues.

Now I can start to concentrate on what we will do differently next year - new projects, methods, etc.. One faculty member asked where the such-and-such was, you know, the stuff that always used to be here. Well, I told him, we do things differently now in the art department. We do different projects every year. I just can't believe that. Who in education thinks it is a good idea to do the same things year after year? Oh wait, the guys -note gender- who used to be in the art department. I guess we must be wrong about how we are doing things now. My mistake... I thought I was supposed to evolve and stimulate myself and my students, not stagnate.

At least the kids and their parents know what's what...

The Big Week...

Set up the annual art sow today...

I am really happy with the looks of it. My co-photo buddy has such good stuff, I think if anyone doubts the success of the PV Photography program or its permanence, they are not paying attention. We are also doing a digital slide show of the work we couldn't afford to print because of ink and paper supplies. That already seems to be a hit.

I had wanted a couple of my Photo II people to have panels of their own, but did not set that up for fear of them thinking I was copying another class. However, two of the most talented ones came up with the idea themselves. I just love those kids so much. They are so talented and nice it just makes it that much better for me this year. I have no tolerance for people - regardless of age - who know they have talent and expect recognition without putting forth the effort. I have some like that. But the majority of my super-talented students are not like that. And I want them to find success with their photos for a long time after they get out of PV. I think they will.

It's funny how people expect this set up to be a nightmare. I never experienced that and think that the old-timers need to realize that the art department is different now. We plan ahead, we are efficient and the students who help us make the process run very smoothly. Perhaps by the time I am 50 years old the old guard at PV will recognize the positive changes...doubt it. But the kids know and that's all that matters.

I want to bring my photo album from California so that people cam flip through since it is Photo related. I just need to figure out a place for it where I can watch it. Forgot about that one today!

I hope the rain stops by Thursday. I will definitely need relaxing weeding time in the garden after all the manual labor of setting up and taking down.

A show for the teacher...

I am having my Master's show a year after receiving my master's in Metals & Jewelry - the late date is because there was not time for a slot for me last year. I am showing with another Metals & Jewelry major. We are total opposites as far as the type of work we do. It didn't dawn on us what a great pairing this was until we installed yesterday.

If anyone is free tomorrow night, it is in the Harold B. Lemmerman Gallery, 3rd floor, Hepburn Hall, NJCU, Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City. There will be refreshments and snacks and runs from 5 - 8 pm.

Mid-point blues

Photography mid-term exams are finished and I am half-way done with the grading. I do always wonder why some students seem to never study. I remember starting studying for mid-terms during Christmas vacation or shortly after. But, I guess work ethics change...

I look forward to this time of the school year because it allows me to assess what I have done with the classes up to this point. It also gives me the free time to do some housecleaning. There are a number of repairs to do on the enlargers and the document drawers in the middle room are a mess. I really need to better glue and nail them back together this time. I do not want to have to do this every year.

I also did an evil thing - checked out some badly needed items on e-bay. I really should not have. But then I think "If I can get this so cheap for the students, that saves the district money and saves that item from the trash heap!" But of course, once I start, where do I stop? I really can't spend my own money.Maybe I will just bid on that medium format negative carrier - $9.99 on e-bay vs. $187 new at B&H. Ugh...

I also love this time of the school year because it allows the students to come and work in the darkroom for as long as they want without having to worry about the bell ringing after 45 minutes. And I can work on my own art, leading by example. There is such an energy in the room at times like this. And it will be exciting with another Photo teacher in the room with me! So much to do...