Week 4?????

Losing track of weeks, days, time :)

I hear this is coming in graduate school. It's amusing to me.

I feel very supported currently and have to thank my friends, family, classmates and professors for that. I also need to thank myself, although uncomfortable, I thank myself for trying hard and wanting to do well and push myself. It's hard to do that when we have so much on our plate already, o want to do more and get the most out of everything.

my diet as of late, includes coffee and flavored creamer. That's the only splurge I have been making lately, those yummy international house creamers...white chocolate mocha currently, recently pumpkin spice. flavored creamer makes me happy. since we make coffee at home, I don't feel bad about buying good creamer.

I signed up for an extra credit assignment/pilot class and am very excited about it, not about the pressure of extra work, but about pushing myself and trying to get the most out of these 2 years. only 2 of us signed up.

time to cram in some reading before my grad assistant job.

smile folks, our time is limited, why spend them with ulcers...i like my new outlook on life, don't you?

ME!

My first self portrait (ME!), possibly ever, but definitely first in paint. I used acrylics on an 8x8 canvas board. I don't use paint. This was outside my comfort zone, but I am glad I pushed myself. I do not feel comfortable with paint and I know I need to try more of it. With that said, more pushing in the near future. I felt I needed to portray not only my self, but also my personality, hence the expression.

Art opening this afternoon: High Falls Art Gallery 3pm-6pm. I will post pictures afterwards. Friend throwing me a small reception to follow at his loft. Looking forward to it.

week 4.

week 4.

first papers and art projects handed in, anxiously awaiting a sign, a grade, something. went on a cupcake date with a classmate and trying to pick up some everyday sign language, among other things, so we can communicate better. the readings are taking over my life. i don't know what day of the week it is and am surprised I show up to the right places on the right days. everyday blends together when it's all reading....

some big projects this week/weekend. Still treading water. my art show is Sunday. exciting and my friend is throwing me a private opening reception to follow at his loft. my life is odd and unfamiliar right now, but i like it.

things are falling into place, like Tetris, maybe i left the game on easy, or my skills are improving at navigating those moving blocks! have faith friend, you just need to navigate the blocks, don't try to get rid of them. :)

Week 3

Week 3 proved to supply the most reading and assignments yet. enjoyable, interesting and i even got to get my hands dirty. still doing the homework, so this will be short!

Took a digger this afternoon, for no apparent reason except that the pavement grabbed me. totally wiped out shoulder, wrist and foot all throbbing. a good way to start the week.

made Mimi's famous zucchini dish today so we will have dinner/lunch for a few nights. i think i finally perfected it. you can't make homemade recipes healthy, the secret was in using the beef and not ground turkey...an amazing casserole with zucchini, ground beef, tomatoes, onions & green peppers...and a little melted cheese on top never hurt anyone.

Saturday eve we grilled and had a late dinner. up till 2am doing work. tomorrow's my longest day, let's hope for the best.

It's winter already

It feels like we went from summer to winter, so much for buying that fall jacket...but it'll save me some dough. Settling into a routine and learning so much. It's been fun, nerve-racking and sweat-provoking to practice what I read in the texts. The community service newsletter is coming along nicely and I am making many community connections which makes this place feel more like a growing nest, rather than a still clean box. Our knowledge of places and people, restaurants and parks are merging and solidifying into a semi-coherent map we call "home?"

Starting to push myself a bit and make friends with new people, so I am proud of myself of getting out of my comfort zone. It seems very uncharacteristic for me to use that phrase...proud of myself, but I am glad because that's what I am. I feel mind mind growing, my vocabulary expanding and my stressed out self giving me a break and becoming more chill and happy. i miss that carefree girl. welcome back. this was definitely a good move for me and for Dre too.

a late dinner awaits, made with love by the best boyfriend in the world, who not only cooks me dinner, but waits to eat when i get home from school. :) life is good.

week 2

Week 2.

Week 2 is weird, given the holiday and the recent high school reunion. it was anxiety provoking, yet enjoyable and i actually rekindled some relationships. a wonderful farmer's market, wine tasting, the Bagelry (need i saw more), 2 amazing homemade breakfasts with my family, Cantina, margaritas, yummy salsa, Jreks subs!, Kelly and the drums, the angry mob aka band, bagels with Dre, Christine and Kelly at midnight, and hanging with old friends. the next one won't be so scary 'cause we decided on a 15yr reunion. everyone who worked on it did an amazing job! i think Dre enjoyed himself too. definitely some cool conversations and even bonded with some people i never even spoke to in high school, thanks to my baby who loves the art of conversation.

grad assistantship = fun, boss is SO nice and compliments my work, flexible and awesome! Making some friends, which is cool. I think my second semester we will all be pretty tight, due to the nature of the work and the small group of us.

making choices. not always easy. growing though through choices and choices not chosen. looking forward to the readings and slightly avoiding the written work due Monday, at least until tomorrow.

got a phone call today from my doctor regarding injections and a B12 deficiency. shots start tomorrow. not sure what to think yet, but at leas there is some sort of jumping off point. a nice girl in my class is experiencing many of the same health issues I am and it's comforting and so random that we paired up together on day 1.

looking forward to making brownies this weekend to bring to Dre's cousin's for dinner. mmm...brownies.

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.