Oh dear, so much going on it makes the head spin.  many students have Spring Break this week and a couple visited which was really nice.  I always like to know how they are doing.  But the weather has been unseasonably warm and I have had to go home right after school to do some yard work.  So no late stays for me this week.  I am trying a new thing this year.  I bought organic potting soil and biodegradable seed trays.  I will be starting many seed indoors.  I have two basement windows.  I will set the trays in the windows for the warmth and then set out the ones that need to be cold stratified, when the time comes.  Hopefully this will counteract any seasonal problems that have been causing the veggies to suffer in the past two years.  Finger crossed...  As far as the perennial herbs, the lemon balm, chives, and oregano are already growing so I am super glad about that.

I have been entering more work in shows lately.   It takes a lot of time and money and I have been involved in association and town volunteer activities, so the art took a back seat for a few month, sadly. 

The language "lessons" have also taken precedence.  I am going to be the one to help hubby get by in Prague and Budapest.  I think my pronunciation is fine, but remembering the words... that's hard work.  But I study a bit nearly every day and I have audio on the computer and tapes and cds.  Today I go to order the money for the trip.  Cannot wait to see how pretty the currency is.  European currency puts ours to shame...  When will the US utilize some artists to remake our bills?  Seriously...

So the day starts with me going to the bank to make a deposit (hooray) and sitting in the car whilst hubby does the food shopping.  Good so far.  Then I go to the pharmacy to pick up the prescription I called my Dr. to refill on Thursday and, lo and behold, no meds.  This is the third darned time this has happened this year and with different receptionists.  So, I am on the hunt for a new doctor.  One that will not want to see me every three months.  One that I can get an appointment right away and only see when sick.  One that does not constantly tell me to put on weight, while he is obese.  One that does not make me wait 1-2 hours listening to crappy lite rock.  So Monday's lunch will consist of me making phone calls to switch doctors.

 And this was a terrible mail day.  Only one piece of mail and it was teacher stuff and that news tends to be quite the downer these days what with all the bashing we get...

So I feel some retail therapy is in order.  I may, just possibly suggest a trip to - get ready - Short Hills Mall.  Gasp!  I know, malls make me feel hollow and empty inside, but, I did find that fab velvet blazer at a Nordstrom for $35 one year.  And maybe I can find some neat-o stuff marked waaay down.  And perhaps some make-up so I don't look so dead in pictures all the time.

But then again, the zombie/undead look is in, so maybe I am looking cool...

So I have been suffering with muscle spasms for a whole school week.  I must not have picked Lucy up correctly for one of our dances around the room on Saturday night.  Oh, the pain...

But some good things.  A Photo II student received first place for her Argyrotype in the Caldwell College Teen Art Jam, kids are getting into their schools and someone just keeps getting more and more scholarship money.  Hooray!!!

Also, I ordered two free sample books for Photo from a school book publisher (Pearson) which saves oodles of money and entered a contest with Focal Press to win $250 of books and an Amazon Kindle (that's for Dems, not me!).

I can't type too much b/c of the pain.  I wish Millie could massage out this spasm...

Yes, take a gander at that reading list.... yet another reason I have absolutely no need for cable television.

Virus...

Some people I know have had nagging coughs for at least a month.  I am now feeling drippy & sluggish, have a sore-ish throat, achy body, no fever and the beginnings of a cough, accompanied by some phlegm this morning.  So a four day weekend is welcome.  Some snow would be welcome too, but that's another story.   All feedback is that this is a drug resistant virus that just needs to work its way out.  So I will treat the symptoms with whatever here herbs I have.  On that note, two veggie and herb seed catalogs have come in the mail recently.  I am so excited to garden this summer and considering they abysmal weather, I am considering moving to more herbs and squeezing the veggies closer together, since the weather has lowered my yield the past two years. 

I love perusing the catalogs, marking what I want, then planning the plantings.  I also like that what I grow saves me a ton of money on vegetables, fruit and medicine.  In spending about $5-7 on herbs that treat my asthma, I no longer need to spend a lot more on inhalers!  Hell yeah!!!

 Millie bonus:  she keeps me company when I feel sick...

Sigh....

Oh my...

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/a-new-trove-from-an-old-master/

Just take a gander.  Look at the images, then look at the dates.  More colour Steichen images found.  Jeez.... and seeing 100 year old colour images in person at the Met last year was just so amazing.  Photography naysayers, try to deny the fact that these are amazing...

So I had to call out yesterday.  Sick as all heck.  On Monday night, while I was on the computer, I started to get chills and achy - the only other time I felt like that was when I got the flu when teaching in Rockaway Borough.  I sucked it up and got up the next morning and prepared for work.  After eating breakfast, I realized I couldn't do it.  So I left everyone in the lurch for the day.

But....

Millie knows when mommy is not feeling well.  She slept with me on the sofa all day!!!  She's so great.  Not feeling much better today, but I want to go to the Scholastic Art Reception tonight, so here I am.

I have been doing more research into new projects for Photo III.  I changed some things this year, but I want to get a pattern going with how the year starts besides just the Artist Statement.  I found a few things that may help.

I scheduled the Vasa trip to Prague and Budapest for our spring vacation.  So I am trying to teach myself some very basic words and expressions.  And Czech and Hungarian are nothing alike.  It's quite fun!  I found a couple of nice websites with audio, so I practice at home.  Hubby thinks it is hopeless for him, so he just will defer to me when we are there.

I did find out that there will be a super photo exhibit opening in Budapest at the and of March.  I am very excited for that.  And, there are also a few veggie places.  Which is amazing in two very meat heavy countries!  Now to start selecting cameras for the trip!