Day 1 - student-hood

I beautiful morning, strata, Hess to fill my tank and I was early. i wore my new black pencil skirt, yellow v-neck, perfect black flats and ice blue LL Bean backpack. full of excitement and nervousness. Classes were amazing and we even did art! can't get into any detail, but I was happy about my choice to go back to school.

Made a few friends (?), even had a lunch buddy! more than I expected. made some contacts and situated my schedule for the week. Looking forward to tomorrow.

A red butterfly walked with me, or maybe I followed it to a labyrinth and then I followed it back to the building my class was in. no joke, i am not sure if i was following it, or it was following me. thought of Benny, who said he's always be in butterflies. i smiled and got goosebumps. I've never seen a red butterfly before. leave it to Ben.

encountered a butterfly, toad and a deer today. the deer was male and had like 12 points, right in the middle of the road near my school and the toad was not phased at all by my presence and the butterfly seemed to be dancing with me or playing a little game.

welcomed home to a wonderful boyfriend who had cooked me a beautiful candlelit dinner, cleaned the house and had a glass of wine waiting for me. a beautiful end to a awesome day.

here's to more of the same...

This is it.

This is it.

Everything has been building up to this very moment since last fall when I started looking at graduate programs. I don't know if I ever thought this day would come. Maybe I thought I would never do anything with my BA in art, or maybe I was scared to even think it. To think I could be happy and be getting paid for it. Don't get me wrong, my non-art jobs were happy sometimes, learning experiences sometimes and sometimes I made them artsy to satisfy my hunger. Either way, they ave made me what I am today, whatever that is :)

Today I packed up my new LL Bean backpack with Theories of Art therapy, The DSM IV, The DSM Made Easy and The Art therapist's Primer...a new chapter begins. I have opted to make my lunch in the morning and paint my nails instead. I hate soggy sandwiches. I cleaned out my desk, picked out my clothes and realized I missed Orientation. Sad, yet I had inquired multiple times and will not bring this guilt with me to school tomorrow. Three hours of ice breakers is forgivable i think.

With an empty tank of gas and a new backpack filled with lunch and large books, I shall head off to Pittsford, NY and start my next adventure into he semi-known, college student...ahem, graduate student. Thought of the many first days and last days of school this evening. My dad and I used to go to McDonald's and I would order a "greasy thing" aka hash brown and some sort of breakfast and we would sit outside on the round picnic tables and I would fret about being too early or late and pace a bit, while my dad told me I should eat before it's time to leave. No McDonald's tradition tomorrow, but my dad and I both agreed that's a good thing. Strata in the morning, homemade by yours truly today, while I had no idea Orientation was going on. At least I know what's for breakfast... I think I shall get Dre to make the coffee tomorrow as I seemed to have problems forgetting the coffee part of it, oh well, hot water anyone?

Feeling conflicted

A short post because I don't even know what to write. I don't know exactly how I feel lately, which is why I have been struggling to find the words to describe it. I suspect it has a lot to do with classes starting Monday and my 10 year High School Reunion next weekend. No I am positive that's what it is.

Still a lot to do before Monday, but I a taking it one small task at a time. Off to move empty boxes. Something more exciting later, maybe.

Calling all artists...

you know you hit a certain level of addiction when you have an amazing experience and think..."i need to go home right now and blog this!"

i hit that level on Saturday and if I hadn't already had plans, I would have been doing just that, running right home to blog. It all began Friday after my run. I took a quick jaunt around the neighborhood; it felt good; 45minutes later, I was making myself a vegetarian burrito and reading the local free paper. Calling all artists...

Calling all artists... I want to do this. I want to try. So I immediately started planning my project idea, which turned into a 2 hour nap on our newly acquired couch (thanks Mimi). Note to self: no project planning on the couch. I quickly started trying to make up for lost time, considering my art project needed to be submitted for entry and approval in less than 48 hours. nice. I have always enjoyed working under pressure. While trying my hand at watercolor, I realized although I could successfully finish this piece, I would need more time.

Saturday was a sea of photo editing, cropping, and running around town. Enlarging photos, matting, naming and framing with an occasional snack. 5:38pm I ran into the High Falls Gallery where I went to enter my submissions. Since they close at 6pm, I wasn't doing too bad! I was nauseous all day, uncertain if my work would be selected. As I watched the words roll of the woman's tongue, these are very good and you have very good prices, a sigh of relief.

...

I have realized that waiting to be notified of selection into an art exhibition, entry into art school or being in a critique is my equivalent to a job interview. Many people close to me are interviewing right now. I have a new appreciation for the stress they must be under. I felt like my entire being, who i was, was being judged. And the worst part is that you know that you are giving your best and sometimes you don't get the bone.

But this time, I got the bone! Opening Reception of "Contrast" September 26 - High Falls Art Gallery, Rochester, NY. 3 pieces, one me.

crunch time!

Found myself restless last night and unable to sleep consecutive periods of time. Taking advantage of the day by cleaning, yes actually cleaning, unpacking, organizing and possibly using a screwdriver...just call me Ms fix it.

Pleased with my progress and looking forward to getting things in running order for he school year. got lost in the underground tunnels yesterday, oddly enough I thought I was headed to the pool...reminds me of the joke kids used to play on Freshman in High School.

My brother and I devoured some Abbott's custards last night, complete with a waffle bowl! mmm...

So much to do...but with a clear head we'll take it one box at a time. :)

yesterday was a wash....literally

today is here.

yesterday was full of surprises and stress. i handled it better than usual, but was not impressed by the day overall. First, my phone crapped out and when you have a smart phone, that's like someone blind folding you and saying here's the world, go at it! Fumbled around until the evening hours, disconnected from the world i once knew and most of the people i know and love. i also lacked the use of my phone/gps function...ouch!

my friend tried to cheer me up by promising a drink and lunch, which was lovely, but i proceeded to leave it on the roof of my car when i drove away, unknowing until the late evening.

to save money, my friend offered up his laundry at his new apartment. excited to be chill and enjo free laundry i took him up on it, as he was going out anyway. after 2 loads, on the 3rd, i hear a bell ringing...the doorbell. the maintenance-looking man who is apparently the neighbor informed me of the obscene amounts of water outside in the hall and was i aware of it? why no, i was not. thank you for letting me know, i'm doing laundry, do you think it could be that??? My friend took the new moat he had to cross over to enter his brand new apartment quite well. I felt awfull and the landlord wasn't taking calls. come to find out it was hooked up wrong and not my fault. still feel awful about it, but at least it wasn't IN his apartment.

starting a diet today, not for weight-loss, for feeling better, nervous, it will be hard, i've done it before and it is very restricting, but my body might feel better. great...no sugar, condiments, yeast, wheat, or alcohol...or fruit...sounds fun huh!

less than 2 weeks...

Less than 2 weeks until classes and my excitement is laced with nerves and tears. First visit to Naz as a resident of NY, well not according to the DMV, but as far as the postal service is concerned, we live in NYState.

You can accomplish a lot when you are organized. I got my books, went to Financial Aid and they will reimburse me next week, met my new boss, took care of my parking, security keychain and student ID card. Can I tell you how weird it is to have a student ID card again. I am excied about the discounts at movies, events, etc, even if it is only a few dollars. I introduce myself as a graduate student, from Maine. My prior self was from NY, upstate, not NYC, and I worked for the Federal Government.

enjoying Rochester, but things are quiet at night, even in the daytime. I guess I could put music on or soething, but it's not the same. *miss you* meeting some nice people and might join a group of girls who enjoy community service and organizing events. also interested in an art co-op! Of course classes and my grad assistanceship comes first. So some of these ideas might have to wait a semester.

week 1 in my new hometown

sometimes changes can be so overwhelming you don't know where to begin, even when the goodbyes are done the focus is still in the past. seeing all of your possessions in monotone cardboard boxes of varying sizes makes you wonder, what's inside? do I need that anymore, since I have been functioning without it for days, and finally where's the match?! i think i said that numerous times this move, where's the match? even after giving away our couch, TV, and grill, among other last minute dismissals, there was still too much for the U-haul. I knew it wouldn't be big enough when we ordered it. Sometimes it sucks to be right :)

currently co-habitating with ants. at least they know enough not to go into he bedroom. apparently they like the raid ant traps, possibly have built up a sort of immunity or acquired taste for it, however they are less numerous, yet even upsetting.

I have been sharing a bed with a "Bear," a giant bear that Dre won for me at Old Orchard Beach, complete with sand. I assuming it's him, as I wake up in a small pile of it each morning. If it's coming from me, we've got problems.

3 weeks until classes begin. I still need to setup my parking, ID card, graduate assistance-ship and safety key chain. A trip to school is in order this week!

must go be productive, not just creatively, but physically.