At a time in which I feel I am fighting for my darkroom's existence, I forgot another community darkroom is opening.  The Halide Project - a gallery and workshops group - in Philadelphia is opening one.  I really like this group.  I met them at the Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market some years ago.  they were doing tintypes or some other alternative process on the spot.  I talked to them and arranged to have my students come for a gallery viewing.  We did so after a trip to Eastern State Penitentiary.  I loved it.  My kids were less than enthusiastic.  Very rude  Nevertheless, I have stayed on their email list.  I had completely forgotten about them opening a Philly area community darkroom.  If you have the money to spare, donate to one of these.  The continued life of analog is important.  I have had a few conversations lately about the differences between film and digital prints and I just wish everyone would see there is room in the art field for both.

So I took yesterday off because I had a friend in need of help.  I also went to a new doctor on Monday.  My previous doctor had put me on a new medicine due to the stress at work.  It has not helped at all.  I want to get off it.  This new doctor is taking be off it.  So when a friend says he needs a favour from me, and my mental state is not well, I took yesterday off.

I have a proposal for any administrators reading this:  Create a work climate survey taking into account morale and mental health.  This place sorely needs it.  A number of us are on medication or therapy.  While some of us probably have mental health issues that existed to prior employment, a number of us have had issues exacerbated by the actions of our administration and colleagues.  I would venture to say that this is a hostile work environment.  I know that there have been teacher suicides in Paterson and other stressful places.  I fear it is only a matter of time here.

So yes, I took yesterday off.  What I had to do was more beneficial for me and the other individual than any day in this horrid place.  I love my kids, but the environment is killing me.

After years of dire need, there is a community darkroom opening up in New Jersey.  And it is not in Jersey City, thankfully.  I love Jersey City, but I know how tough it can be for some people to get there.  It is opening in Newark.  Woohoo!!!  I missed the deadline to contribute to donations, but I will once there is an opening for that again.

I have been digging deep online and happened to find an article on the Emulsive website.  It looked like the darkroom was in an area I drive through when going home from the club, so I took a gander on the way home on Saturday.  I cross the street shortly before I get to route 280.  I was in no mood to drive around on Saturday - a gross, persistent guy hitting on you will do that to you - but I plan to drive by the location tonight.  (Yeah, clubbing tonight.  The night before Thanksgiving is always a big deal at the club.  Only black lights.  Everyone's teeth and hair glows.  I need to rebleach my stripe for this.)  So then I started digging into different kinds of film.  Oh dear.  I found some fabulous colour films - wild, psychedelic stuff.  I will put them on my Christmas list, for sure.  Then I found this dreamy black and white film by a brand called Svema.  Gosh, the Eastern Europeans have it going film and paper-wise.

I am trying to get a friend back into shooting.  He has taken a break from it - no access - so I hope that giving him a camera I have laying around will inspire him.  I see so much crappy "art" out there and to see someone with fantastic talent not able to use it makes me sad.  I still have this dream/fantasy of going on shooting adventures with friends.  I had so much fun shooting with a couple of former students over the summer and I want to do it more often.  The creativity osmosis can be quite cool.  Then, imagine having people to develop and print with in my basement?  My sister and I tried to start an art collective years ago.  We envisioned a Morris County thing that would involve the freak artists - not the rich suburban housewife ones in my town - but it never went anywhere.  Maybe when I am done being the Chairperson of the NNJDSA, I can spend more time on my art.

I went out to dinner with a former student yesterday. She is doing so well in college.  She is adjusting perfectly.  Then I was surprised by another friend/former student this morning and he is adjusting well too.  Too often I hear of the kids from this school bombing at college - too much partying, not adjusting to living independently, not handling the workload - and I know that many of my colleagues teach too easily.  I loved last year's class because of the kind of young adults they were.  They were so different and hearing how they are doing in college makes my heart sing.  Last year's bunch was so unique and seeing some of them this week is helping with some stuff right now.

Then I get a massage today, deliver a bag of catnip to my friend, and hopefully dance my ass off at the club.

We have professional development today.  I picked all things that pertain to me and my kids:  trauma, abuse, and addiction.  Hopefully these will be much better than last year's batch.  I felt a bit cheated last year.  I had my hopes up for some and they were nothing but a letdown.

So then we have teacher's convention weekend.  I am going to DC, of course.  There is a phenomenal Gordon Parks exhibit that just opened.  Timely, I have to say.  I cannot wait to go home to DC.  It is the only place in this country in which I can walk the streets and feel I am home.

Now, most people in this area say that about NYC.  Not me.  I worked there for eight months.  All I felt was unwelcome and like an intruder.  However, since I have tomorrow off, and the weather is supposed to nice, I want to go in and walk around.  Maybe go to galleries, maybe go to Bluestockings.  I am so socially awkward I am holding myself back from being social.  My friend works in midtown.  He is having a rough time at work.  He has offered to meet for lunch when I go into the city in the past.  I could offer to meet him to bring some levity to his day, but the fear of rejection stops me.  I also have someone else I would like to ask to go with me but the fear of rejection gets me again.  So if I go, I will most likely be alone, which is usually how I do it anyway.

The last time I went on a Thursday night for gallery openings, I stumbled upon a David Hockney exhibit.  That was thrilling.  It was a lot of new paintings and digital work on monitors.  And he was here in all his bespectacled cuteness.  There was also another two or three big openings but I was not impressed.  The Picasso show?  Meh.  I am not a disciple of his.  Misogynist.  Then there was the socially popular one that had all of society holding court and flitting about and there are me and my friend seeming like the losers who crashed the party...  Quite fun.


I guess I wouldn't mind crashing another art party with a friend....