Little Treasures

Tonight I had the pleasure of helping my six year old niece eat a lobster. We "shared" the lobster, but I think she ate a claw, part of the tail and a few of the legs. I didn't starve. At one point she handed me a piece of the tail, told me she didn't like it and asked if I would like it. I choose to ignore that it is very likely she put the piece of lobster in her mouth in the process of deciding she didn't like it.

I also had the pleasure of helping my grandmother who has Alzheimer's Disease work on a word puzzle. It is very much like helping a four-year-old with the same puzzle, but it is a joy to help her and to spend time with her. She has no idea who I am anymore, but to be able to joke with her about a misplaced line or make fun of a word makes it seem like, if only for a moment, that she is still my old grandma and that I am just her granddaughter.

...

Merry Christmas!!!!!

(And Happy Birthday, Andrea!)

I am home.

I am home. I am watching my family's two kittens battle each other. They are adorable.

My trip home was the longest ever and I tried to recount to details in an amusing manor, however each attempt has resulted in a boring description of a very long trip. It had fun moments (laughing with sisters, making stupid directional mistakes and making faces at my adorable niece) and not so much fun ones (trying to maneuver my rental car on not well plowed roads and ending up in a pile a snow on the side of the road without cell phone service). It all turned out well in the end.

My family has already celebrated the gift part of the Christmas season. My brother, his wife and their four children are already gone, off to visit with her family before heading home for the actual Christmas day. Now I have to visit people and enjoy sleeping in and playing with another of my nieces who will be here the whole time I am.

"My baby is bigger than you baby!" and other such silly things.

Yesterday while waiting in line at the Post Office with my little man bundled up in the stroller the lady in line behind me felt compelled to have a conversation with concerning H. She asked several of the usual questions, eventually asking how old he was. When hearing he was ten months old she remarked that her friend's baby was eleven months and was much larger.

These statements make me laugh. The H man is big enough, he's tall enough and he's quite advanced in some areas. Sure, he doesn't feel the need to clap and still doesn't see the point in saying "dada" when "mama" and his old friend the "raspberry" are perfectly dandy ways of communicating. This does not mean he is lacking or failing or any of these things. What do people really expect me to say in response to this? First, he's inherited nothing from me genetically, so nothing he does that is genetic I can take responsibility for (good or bad). And second, I have worked with enough babies that they do what they do when the are ready. I can sing to him and clap hands (with him, for him or showing him) day after day and until he's ready he is not going to take the bate. I just don't understand the need to make statements like that. Especially that he's "small" for his age, because for any of you who have lugged babies around... big isn't better.

But still, the H man is as adorable as ever. He is continuing to explore his world and discover new things. He has figured out that the heating vents on the floor are great for putting your face over, that his nanny's legs are great walkers as long as she doesn't try to walk backwards or to quickly and that just because she is putting her hat on doesn't mean he gets to go outside with her (when I am going home).

My favorite moment of the day (so far) was when he crawled over to the table, used a chair to pull himself to a standing position and reached up to grab his sippy cup off of the table. We had just finished lunch so it was still near the edge and he apparently thought he would just get himself a drink. It was a very nonchalant move, not major effort, just a nice reach up followed by a casual sip. He takes this nonchalance with him as he crawls towards cords and other breakable or dangerous items and is generally quit surprised when I tell him no. I really do adore this kid's personality.

Wall Art

I frequently check up on the Wooster Collective site to check out the random and often amazingly creative (although at times probably illegal) art posted there. Today the link to Santa's Ghetto in Bethlehem caught my eye, but it was really the photos of the art drawn on the wall in Palestine that impressed me. I have heard, from my friend living in Bethlehem, of the emotional impact this wall has on the people living there. I have seen some photos of the wall art before, but I always enjoy seeing more. I love the something so hateful as a dividing wall can be made beautiful (maybe beautiful isn't the right word - endurable), because of the creativity of local artists.

Well, hello Winter!

Winter came all at once today. It was somewhat cold this morning, but while I was eating lunch after my morning of teaching swim lessons, I noticed it was snowing lightly (a tolerable, somewhat pleasant snow). I next got my hair trimmed and during this happening the snow began to descend somewhat more aggressively. Last year this would not have affected me (as I did not have possession of a car or the need to leave campus). Today, however, I was driving my roommates car and was not trilled to be stuck in the car for twice as long as it normally would have taken me to drive home. While on my way home the snow transformed to "ice pellets" or at least that is what the weather site I frequent is calling this current precipitation. According the radio it is likely to turn to rain tonight, potentially turning the slush on the road into a nice layer of ice. Oh, I love winter. (NOT!)

Coldest yet....

This morning when I left my house the radio said it was 18 degrees outside, making this my coldest morning biking. I did not feel well this afternoon so I took the bus home, so it was not a round trip. (Chicago buses conveniently have racks on front for bikes, so I was able to bring my bike home with me.) I have decided though, that biking on a cold morning is much better than standing in the cold waiting for a bus. I have also decided that I will not bike if snow is expected or if snow is still on the roads.

Access-less at home, for now.

So, some of you had heard that I would finally be getting actual paid for Internet in my apartment on Monday. You had heard correctly; however, do to the complete incompetence of AT&T, I am still without Internet. While I would have found it helpful to have, I am not the kind of person who feels the need to be attached to my laptop. Also, my main desire for setting it up was for my roommate's convenience. She was gracious enough to use part of her time in Chicago these past few days to be available for AT&T to come and install a phone jack and thus, allow for our Internet days to begin. AT&T apparently changed the appointment time and did not feel the need to inform me of this. So my dear roommate waited for 3 hours before I called them (They had a four hour window to arrive) and found out about the time change. Along with this, only one person that I spoke to (out of six) on Monday was really able to give me the assistance and understanding that I needed. I have decided to cancel my service and will let my roommate deal with them when she moves in.

How am I posting this? I am currently sitting at a local pub using their free wireless. I am at times able to "borrow" one of my neighbor's unsecured wireless networks, but that is a very weak signal and not reliable or useful when I am trying to do multiple things at the same time quickly. The library also has free Internet, but it is too cold to be biking late at night just for a few hours of Internet access. ALSO, I do have access at work, but I prefer to use my time there actually working (or napping). I feel I am a better nanny when I am not thinking about checking email or trying to cram everything I need to get done during the little man's naps.

Also, it has hit me recently that Christmas is going to come sooner than I expected. I am now in full Christmas prep mode. I am not sure how the month of November passed so quickly, but it is almost over and am not sure why I am not more ready for Christmas than I am.

Southern-midestern Thanksgiving....

I had deep fried turkey for Thanksgiving! It was very, very delicious.

I have spent the whole day helping decorate for my friend's sister's wedding. We are now getting ready for the rehersal and then tomorrow is the big day. My friend and I are planning on driving back to Chicago on Sunday.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I thought winter days were shorter... why is this one lasting forever?

My marvelous little man has a fever. Today was a very long day of me holding the moaning munchkin and singing soothing songs. One positive thing was that he was very snugly, a negative was that he wanted to snuggle standing up, preferably walking. This may sound as if I were indulging him quite a bit, which is true, but admit it, when you are sick don't you just want to be held and loved? It was remarkable this morning to watch him trying to play by himself. He would get himself stuck in situations (between bar stools and such) that he normally would figure his way out of, only this time in frustration he would just start to cry.

Also his passive attitude towards his afternoon snack was another sign of his feeling out of sorts. This child usually grabs up the food as quickly as possible. I typically give him small helpings so that he doesn't over stuff his mouth. Today he would look at the food in front of him and then look at me and then reach out and take one piece of tofu, chew on it for a while, look at me and then maybe grab the second one.

His parents are taking him to the doctors tomorrow to make sure he doesn't have an ear infection or anything of that sort. I doubt it is an ear infection because he has not been grabbing at his ears or any of the other usual symptoms. But I do think it is still a good idea to have him checked out.

This very long work day corresponds with a pre-planned date night, so after a brief outing to get dinner, I am back at work until late tonight. His parents are enjoying a movie and a much needed night to themselves out of the house. Even though I am just sitting here using the Internet and hanging out, (the little man is a sleep) it would still be nice to go home and go to bed early. I am weary.

Side note: I have enjoyed my brisk cold morning bike rides. I noticed this morning while stopped at a red light that my breath was coming out through my mask like a morning mist. I didn't realize it was that cold. I am hoping tonight that Nathan will pile my bike in the back of their car and give me a ride home. I don't mind biking late (less traffic), but I am very tired and don't want to muster the energy required to bike the 3+ miles home.

Oh, Side side note: Many of you have asked about my Thanksgiving plans. I will be traveling to a small town south of St. Louis to spend the holiday with my future roommate and her family. Her sister is getting married and my roommate asked if I would mind keep her sane for the weekend. From what I hear her mother is already putting me to work on the pre-wedding/reception setting up. That is fine by me.

Also, my roommate and I will be driving her car and some of her belongings back to Chicago on Sunday. I am looking forward to having access to a car. I dislike having to ask friends for rides when I want to buy larger/heavier items and I am tired of taking the bus out to the suburbs for my Saturday swim lessons.

It is an honor.

Today is one of those days where I feel honored to part of the little H man's life. He's just such a treasure. Sure, he's especially adorable today, but I thought this when he first woke up this morning. I was changing his diaper and he just looked up at me and smiled. It's truly amazing to have someone look at you like that, for them to be so glad that you are there. I am privileged to be able to watch his daily discoveries and experience his random quirky moments. He spent a good half an hour after lunch crawling around with his sock in his mouth. He was murmuring along while he investigated the world.

Hodge Podge Update

Biking: I was reading my usual list of blogs today and noticed this particular update that might interest those of you who are concerned with my winter biking. At this point the only thing I am lacking is the wind-resistant outer layer. I also do not intend to bike to work if there is a chance of ice and snow until I am able to practice on side streets AND can be sure that my route has enough room between the parked cars, moving cars and whatever snow bank is going accumulate next to the parked cars so that I will be able to ride safely.

Internet: Today I finally called to have Internet set up at my apartment. I prefer to not bring my computer to work and while I am somewhat indifferent to having it at home, my roommate will need it when she moves in AND it is convenient to be able to pay bills online and so forth, so as a result I am getting Internet.

Cleaning: I have a theory that one of the reasons I don't like cleaning my apartment is because I spend much of my day cleaning up after the little H man. I wash bottles and small plastic bowls throughout the day and I do laundry for the little man at least once a week, twice if he's had to change clothes often. A second theory I have is that throughout the summer it was simply too hot for people to come over so I was less inclined to keep it as clean as I prefer and without a roommate I don't feel the continue the need to be considerate of my roommates space and so forth. So, despite all of these excuses, I still try to keep my house somewhat clean. I feel better when it's clean. But when winter cold came about I unpacked my winter clothes and realized that I did not have anywhere to put them. This has caused huge amounts of frustration as I try to keep my clothing in order. In my dream world I would have a closet designed to serve my organizational needs, however, I live in the real world of awkwardly shaped closets and not enough shelving space. I think as a result of all of this, I will go out and buy another set of shelves for my bedroom. Oh, and thankfully my future roommate enjoys cleaning. So, if I only have to clean the bathroom every other week I'll be less likely to hate the process.

Playdates/Job: So, I have become friends with a girl down the street is a nanny for a year old little girl. I thought this would be grand, having a playmate for the H man and someone for me to talk to. However, she is not nearly as happy with her job as I am and her charge is not a very enjoyable child. In combination with all of that, our charges' napping schedule are completely opposite, making the times we can meet a rare thing. Even so, when I am around them I feel bad that I like my job. Sure I have a few complaints here and there, nothing is ever truly perfect, but when it comes down to the bottom line I have nothing to complain about. So while I may not always enjoy the play dates, at least they help me appreciate how wonderful my job situation truly is.

Pet Peeves: This is sort of continuation of my job paragraph, but in a variation. People often ask me what I plan to do after nannying or why I cannot go for lunch dates during the week. Basically they are asking why I don't have a "real" job. Okay, so I play with a baby all day long and I get to take naps on the clock. That does not make my job any less real. I enjoy what I do, I enjoy going to work, I enjoy the freedom I have to do things such as update my blog while the H man is napping. I also think this is the perfect job to possibly get me through graduate school. I don't enjoy offices. I don't like anything to do with numbers. And I am not sure how working retail is more "real" than working with a live human being each day. But this, right now, is the job for me. I would love to challenge some of these people who are annoyed that I can't to lunch dates to trade with me for a week, or even a day. I don't think they could do it. Those of you with children understand how hard it can be to stay at home every day. Also, this is not a rant at anyone in particular but more of an over all frustration of how society views my profession.

Social happenings: I have had many wonderful chances in the past month to attend art showings around Chicago. The art scene here is very lively and interesting. I am very excited to dive more deeply into it to see where it leads. I also was able to attend the Chicago Civic Symphony last Sunday evening. It was a very enjoyable experience although I do not consider myself a huge concert person, I was able to appreciate the experience.

I believe I am verbally spent for the time being.

ps. Last but not least. Thank you all for you cards on my birthday and for being so encouraging and uplifting.

It's cold...

Yesterday, within blocks of leaving work I began to feel as though an ice cream headache was forming from the outside in. I was biking into the wind, so this combined with the general coldness was making for unpleasantness. So, instead of riding directly home I stopped by my favorite bike shop and picked up a hood with a face mask.

Today my rides were much more pleasant.

My Commute

I am not sure if I have mentioned this before... however, the wonderful city of Chicago's Transit Authority (CTA) is having financial problems. The CTA is choosing to eliminate several bus routes as a way of saving money. I am not sure how cutting off half of its riders' routes to work is going to help them, but I also cannot even begin to understand the mindset of the CTA administration. The first of the cuts is set for Nov. 4th. I read the list of bus routes being cut and noticed a few routes that I use will be effected, but in general it wont change my life much. However, if the state does not step in and assist with the budget gap before Jan. there will be more cuts. (Also, each of the cuts is said to be accompanied with a fair increase.) These Jan. cuts are the ones that will dramatically alter my life. Just about every bus route that I use regularly, including my bus route to work, is being cut. These means I need to get my behind in gear to figure out how I am going to respond. My first response to figure out what I need to do to be able to bike throughout the winter. My second response is to write to the state to urge them to step in. The elimination of about 80 bus routes and almost 2,000 jobs is going to have a hugely negative affect on the city. With a city that is top five in the United States for its traffic congestion problems, you would think that they would want to improve and help with public transportation, but it appears that is not the case.

As I mentioned before, I am looking into what I will need for winter biking. I stopped by my bike shop to have tire liners put in (my final defense against flat tires) and quizzed the boys on what I will need for winter biking. My tires are now ready to go, I had fenders put on (they were half off!) and learned how to keep my chain lubed up - to prevent freezing. I was also given a list of water proof clothing that is highly recommended. I hope to acquire these items throughout the next few months as the temperature decreases. My future roommate has said she is willing to work out scheduling issues and share use of her car, but I cannot rely on this as my only means to get to work. I also would still be able to take the train, however, this requires me to add an hour (maybe more) to my commuting time. My 20 minute bike ride is much more appealing. I know this will not be good news for some of you, I am sorry for the increased worry. I am not sure though, if the CTA fairs increase to possibly $3+ a ride, if I will be able to afford to use public transportation as often as I do currently.

Not my favorite day...

My delightful little man is teething. He also has a slight runny nose. This combination makes the little man a little less delightful to be around. I don't personally blame him for the frustration that arises from all of this, however (today especially) I am finding it difficult to find the inner peace that would make me more patient with him. I think I could handle the clingy behavior more if he took his usual two hours naps and I could have time to myself. I just want to eat lunch... in peace.

The concept of glass...

It appears to me that at the ripe age of eight months my little H man still does not quite grasp the concept of glass. He understands that he cannot go through it, but today when we were watching his father pressure wash the back deck through the sliding glass doors he was not as confident of the glass's ability to keep objects (or water) on the other side. The normally pleasant little one was still groggy from his nap when his father splashed the window with the hose. H completely flipped out. When his dad stopped laughing long enough to open the door to try and apologize, H would not even look at him. Sadly I was not much of a comfort because I too was laughing. Normally H loves being startled. He is at the age where peek-a-boo is the best game ever and being tossed in the air is cause for a riot of giggles. However, having water sprayed at you with only this magical see-through substance to protect you, that is not funny.

Where did Autumn go?

So, this past weekend I had to use my AC. It was in the 90s and I felt as though I was reliving July and August at their worst. Wednesday changed all of that. Now it is in the 50s! Yesterday I biked to work so I didn't think about wearing a coat during the day. (I have warm biking clothing!) But today I took the bus and nearly froze waiting at the bus stop. I tore apart my closet looking for the box that had my winter stuff. However, I still forgot to grab mittens. Weather is not suppose to behave like this. People like me need gradual descents into the despairing coldness of winter. We need moments where we are toasty in our warm sweaters as the sunlight glints through the golden fall leaves. These horrid, cold gushing winds occasionally peppered with icy cold rain are much more readily accepted later in the actual winter season. I know, I know. I live in Chicago. I am prepared for the awful coldness that is our winters - when it is actually winter!

On a side note: I was riding home in those horrid cold rain splattered winds last night when I got ANOTHER flat. I was too far from home to walk, so I took the bus. I am horribly disappointed in my new bike wheels. My bike shop boys will be getting another visit from me today after work. I am not really happy with the whole situation, but I will try to make the best of it. At least my bike shop boys are really nice and really, really helpful.

Highlight of my day...

Today, my lovely charge H and I had about a ten minute conversation consisting of raspberry sounds. Once and a while he would have to lick me, because everything has to be licked.

It's been busy.

My employers have moved into a new house. I love the area and the house.

Also, I got three flat tires in the past two weeks and decided to invest in the flat resistant tires. So far so good. The boys at the bike shop near me were starting to know me by name, so I had to take care of that problem. I also found out that my future roommate has all the stuff for changing tires, so I don't need to run out and by any of that stuff. I am looking forward to her moving in, so that we can go on biking adventures together.

A "Second" Something

Lately I have not enjoyed painting. My half finished projects have stared at me mockingly like a senior jock taunting a freshman klutz who is trying out for the football team. They look down at me quizzically wondering how I will attempt to ruin them next. The pressure to create a sophisticated and professional portfolio dried up my creativity faster than a tube of paint left open. So I took away the pressure. Deadlines have their purposes, but in my world I would rather create because I wanted to and not because it was expected of me. I tend to like the results much more when I work that way. Art classes are the one exception because the number of artists in the room inspiring creativity some how out balance the stress of the deadlines.

With all this in mind, I was lying awake last night stressing about a million different things. I got out of bed for... I forget what... but this lovely long half finished canvas caught my eye. I had decided to paint over this canvas' current painting a week ago and had an idea, but the pressure to create had held me back. This time, however, the canvas took a hold of me. PJs and all I got up, grabbed the canvas, leaned it against my easel (rather than formally putting on the easel) and sat on the floor. This more intimate setting freed my creative juices and I began to paint. While I do not consider it a master piece by any means, it was so much fun and very freeing to create. I hung it up, the paint still a bit tacky, in my hall wall right outside my front door so that when I come home I can smile at the burst of inquisitive color.

I have called it "Second" because it is my second wind. It is also the second chance for this canvas and it's not perfect, so it's a second. I like second. I am okay with not having every dot dabbed on perfectly. I like being a bit free and finding a mistake here and there. It makes me feel more human and part of this over all imperfect world; like I belong here.

Second, acrylic, 12x36 (I think it)

Weekend Update Plus

This was a fantastic weekend:

Friday night I stayed over at a friend's on campus so that I wouldn't have to travel as far for swim lessons on Saturday. It was really great to be able to hang out with her.

Saturday morning I taught swim lessons at the pool on campus. While it is a bit of a commute to get there, the time commitment over all is less than the pool near my house AND I like the staff, so it is worth it. I am teaching kids that level two (mostly swimming on their own, but need to built up strength and learn more than the doggy paddle) and who are mostly six and seven. This was a really fun class this first time. The second class that I am teaching is level one (first swim class ever for them) and most of the kids are three or four. These kids were adorable and we had a great time getting comfortable with the water and with me. Over all this was just a great experience. I am looking forward to the nine more weeks of classes.

Saturday afternoon after I got home I hopped on my bike and trekked towards the Lake Shore Bike Path and then traveled that all the way downtown to Grant Park. This trip is a round trip of twenty-five miles (I clocked it on google). At Grant Park I stopped in to check out the Doctors Without Borders Refugee Camp. This was a set up that allowed people to in a sense, experience what a refugee camp is like and how it feels for the refugee and for the doctors working with them. It was a really amazing experience and very impressive. On the way home I stopped at one of the beaches and spent a little while there, until it got chilly. It was a very peaceful way to end the afternoon.

Sunday afternoon my friend and I went to the final home Cubs game at Wrigley Field. I had such a great time. The most fun that I have ever had at a baseball game. It helped the the Cubs won eight to nothing and have great chances of making it into the playoffs. I would love it if they did. My friend and I then went dinner and then got ice cream. Just a very pleasant afternoon.

The Plus:
On my way home from work yesterday I must have run over a bit of glass because I popped my back tire. I heard a very distinct "pop" sound followed by an equally distinct "hiss" as the air rushed out of my tire. Thankfully I was only ten blocks from my house or else I would have had to take a bus home. I also had a neighbor offer to pick me up, so I was in no way stranded anywhere. But it quite literally let the air out of my freedom. I strongly dislike being confined to the bus schedule. I plan on going to the bike shop near my house this afternoon to see about getting it fixed.

The Plus Plus:

I am currently reconsidering attending Graduate school. It is something that I very much would like to do someday, but I am questioning the responsibility of adding to my current debt. I am also considering several options that will pacify my desire to travel while doing good for the world. More details as I have them. Either way, do not worry. I will not simply sit here twiddling my thumbs waiting for my life to happen. A big change will happen with in a year or two. What, when or where? We will have to wait and see.

H's escapades...

Today began rather cloudy, although it was my mood, not the weather, that was overcast. I was feeling out-of-sorts and not dealing very well with H's idea of napping (a good hour shorter than usual). I truly can't complain because my little darling charge is still his happy self, just more wakeful than I'd prefer.

So, after his second shortened nap and a walk involving me calling, and vented to, my very patient mother, I gathered the darling up into my arms and sat with him on the deck. H and I both are going to miss this deck when his family moves. I have heard there is a deck at their new place, but this one looks down on a semi-busy street so there are always people and cars to look at and talk about. Sometimes we can sit and listen to the cheers from the Cubs stadium, but mostly we watch cars go by. There is often a lovely breeze, although today it was just nicely shaded and pleasant. H's avid curiously, usually expressed in through active bouts of exploration, is here centered on the sounds he hears and, today, he is much more calm.

With him on my lap, sometimes twisting to stand and others just content curled up in my arms, I marvel as the wonders of his seven month old frame. He was sitting in my lap, I was anchoring his knees to prevent him from toppling, and he just flopped back to curl up in my arms, but before getting to comfortable (he probably heard something he wanted to check out) he swings back up, just using his stomach muscles (legs still anchored by me), to a sitting position. This action amazes me because I am not sure I could do that with as little effort as he put into it.

I also discovered recently that his arm pits are ticklish. His feet have been ticklish for a while, causing riots of laughter at times when you blow raspberries on them. I am not sure if we just didn't think to tickle him or not, but when I figured it out, it was the cutest thing ever. With this in mind, today when we were on the porch, when he was reaching behind me to grab the back of the chair, I would reach up and tickle his arm nearest me. He would smile and bring his arm down and grin at me. He would keep reaching, and I would again tickle. His desire to grab the chair back was more persistent than his desire to resist being tickled. It was adorable.

He is also pulling himself to a standing position - everywhere that he possibly can. At seven months I find this to be amazing. He can reach from the coffee-table to the couch without too much difficulty, work his around tables and chairs and is in the process of figuring out how to get back to sitting without falling.

Another of his accomplishments that amazing me is his ability to spread his toys across the entire house. He is asleep again. A third nap is typically unusual, but his shorter naps and extended playtime wore him out. I am going to use the rest of this time to get the house in order again. I sometimes nap with him, but thanks to an early bedtime last night I am physically tired, but not sleepy. Oh well.

I was delusional...

I thought it was perfect: A free couch. What is more perfect than that? It was more perfect because it was just around the corner; eliminating the trouble of figuring out how to get couch from point A to point B.

MAJOR PROBLEM? My apartment apparently was not meant to hold furniture. We barely got the 'perfect' couch up to the second floor. Getting it to my third floor wasn't even a funny joke, it was impossible. Later last night (after returning the couch to the neighbors) I was lamenting my couch less living room when my friend stopped me by saying, "You need to remove the word couch from your vocabulary. Maybe love seat, or futon, but couch? No."

I am home from home.

I had the most wonderful vacation home. I was able to see the people I wanted to see and spend time with my family. I wish I could spend more time with them, but I know after a while the draw of the city lights would bring me back here.

On Friday, back here in Chicago, I had a bunch of errands to do. One of them was getting my bike tuned up. This seemed like a huge bother, because I had to bike over, then take the bus home, wait for them to call me, and then to bus back to get my back. But afterwards I biked downtown to visit a friend and it was then that I realized how much my bike needed the tune up. It was much nicer biking afterwards. I figured I biked about 20 miles that day. It was glorious. I did get rained on, but that was refreshing.

This week has presented new challenges with biking. Yesterday and today it has been very cold in the mornings. Today I wore long pants and a jacket biking and even though I get sweaty, I am still cold. It's frustrating. I still think it's the most preferable way to get from point A to point B and am already lamenting the days to come when I wont be able to bike, but I really don't like being cold.

The day has arrived!

I can't believe that after all of the frustrations that this day is here AND that I am going home. I fly out tonight. I will rent a car and drive to Grampa's to sleep for a few hours. I will then continue my drive home on Saturday so that I can play with Jon's kids before they have to head back home. I can't wait to meet Ezra.

It will be a busy trip, but it will be worth it. I feel like there are so many people I wont get to see, but that is part of the problem when you do not live near home. I didn't realize how much I would miss the summer reunion until after it was passed. I really enjoy seeing my cousins, my great aunts and uncles, and all of those other wonderful folks that are too numerous to name. While I may not live close by, my family is close to my heart and is a very big part of who I am. Okay, I may not be this sentimantel by the end of next week, but I do love my family.

It is strange though, I have friends who take vacations to crazy places and I find that when I have to choose between going somewhere "cool" or visiting my family, I'll pick family. I'd rather live in those "cool" places and experience them that way than spend a week on a beach in Mexico. For some of these friends, their parents live very close by, so going away isn't as big of a deal. Others are also still in school and have more break options. Thankfully my family lives in a decent place to visit. I tell people where I am going and they always say things like "Oh, I have always wanted to go there" or "I went there once when I was little" or "I have a friend who went/lives/has a summer house there."

It is also strange that I am able to find my way around Chicago without a map, guided by a general sense of where I am and knowledge of the main roads, on the north site mostly, but when stuck in my home state I need directions, a map and even then there is a chance that I might get lost. My built-in navigation system relies on street signs mostly and my home state seems to think a field or a familiar farm house should be sufficient. I will probably have more to say on this after my six hour road trip tonight and tomorrow. In my home state's defense, my sense of direction does not extend out to the suburbs either, so I think there is something about me that is meant to live in a city. (Side note: The two cities that I have lived in extensively have been well planned and orderly. I will find it interesting to see how my city sense does in other, more free flowing, cities.)

Farewall summer!

The end of summer has completely run away from me. I feel as though just yesterday I was moving into my apartment and now I am about to go off on vacation and when I return it will be fall.

I also took a trip out to my school this evening and seeing all of the kids back on campus also reminds me that summer is over. I will be teaching swim lessons this fall on Saturdays so that I can keep my certifications current. I will likely work a few life guarding shifts in throughout the fall as I was informed by the director that I can earn a higher pay as a swim instructor if I am a current lifeguard. I did not know this before because I always did both.

While out at the pool meeting I met up with the swim teacher that took over my private lessons when I left and I found out that the littlest one is now swimming. It makes me miss my former swim kids even more.

Also tonight I had dinner with two of my friends and former residents from my floor last year. That combined with a online message from another resident saying she misses me AND one of my dearest friends from school spending the weekend with me, but today returning to the east coast... I feel lonely for the first time this summer. It's not a bad lonely. It's a healthy reminder that there are people out there that you miss and that they miss you. Tomorrow night I am going to the final out door movie with several of my friends and Friday I am off to see my family!

On a side note: I LOVE MY JOB! I loved being greeted in the morning with happy giggles and smiles. Watching his face light up when he realizes that I have again come to play with him. I love watching him stare with amazement at the simplest things. Six months is really one of my favorite stages.

I am coming home!

With the help of one of my darling sisters I was able to find affordable plane tickets that will get me home in time to see my brother's new addition as well as my sister's new addition. I was trying not to get my hopes up, but I can't believe how excited I am now that it's all set.

It's a new day, each day.

Going home may work out for me after all. I wont know for sure until Friday.

Also, I FINALLY bought a new cell phone today. My last was has been on its deathbed for AGES, but it wasn't until it stopped being able to text that I caved an got a new phone. So, I have a new phone and a new number. My old number will be working for a few more days, so call me or email me to get my new one. If I have your number in my phone I will be adding it tomorrow and texting everyone (who has a cellphone) my new number.

Biking adventure alert (Aunt V, maybe you shouldn't read this):
Today was a rainy day, but as it wasn't down pouring so I still biked to work. Coming home it was fine for the first part (before I stopped at the cell phone store), but when I was finishing up my purchase, it began to lightening and to rain much harder. I wanted to get home as quickly as possible and I still was about a two miles from home. I was so wet when I got home that I rung out my socks and my sneakers are just soaked through. There was loads of traffic because there was a Cubs game, but that tends to make the cars move slower so I can often just speed past them. The rain made it interesting, but I had my lights flashing so cars were really careful to give me room. Overall, I did not care for the amount of rain coming down, but found the whole adventure of very amusing. It was different from my usual trip home and that I liked a lot.

At least someone gets to go to my home state…. :(

I was planning on going home the first week of September to visit, to hopefully correspond it with visits from my sister and her family and my brother and his family. However, I knew my employers would be taking off a week in September and I didn’t want to further inconvenience them during that month as I had taken a day off in July and in August. I then considered going home when my employers are away, however they have been unable to tell me exactly when it was that they would take their vacation and this made it difficult to plan and buy plan tickets. I also am tight finically due to my roommate problem. This all compounded together to give me enough reasons to not go home. I figured I would then just go visit my sister and another friend for a few days and take the rest of the week to paint.

I found out today that not only are my employers going to my HOME STATE for their vacation, they are going the week that I wanted to be there. This really annoys, frustrates and depresses me. And because it is the week that I wanted to be there, my sister will be in our parents' home and not her home.

Now I am just homesick.

I love this city!

Yesterday I spent the afternoon downtown. I had to wait a bit for my friend to meet up with, so I was walking past one of the parks when I heard a band playing. I sat and listened to them and the next band in the line up until my friend arrived. And then we listened to drums playing while we ate lunch and we went to a wine tasting. I am not happy with the public transit, but everything else is going smashingly well.

Couch vs. Futon

My former roommate decided we didn’t need a couch and with all of her space taking stuff it wasn’t really possible, but now that she is gone I am feeling the empty space of the living room and hankering for something comfy to stretch out on. Previously I have very opposed to the idea of a futon. I have this vision of a big comfy couch and similar chair. But as I continually eye the prices of these visions and also the size of my stairway, I am beginning to rethink this vision. Although futons are less comfortable than big comfy couches, generally they can often be taken apart (thus transported up my stairway) AND they would double easily as a guest bed. These thoughts are all running through my head. Either way, now that I have my bike, this is the next item on my list of things to consider buying. My living room is pathetic right now – granted it feels like a hundred degrees in here, so who really wants to hangout here? But someday the weather will cool and I will want to layout on a couch and watch a movie… someday.

Also, I rode my bike to and from work today. I loved it. It took me much less time to travel, although I arrive in a rather gross state on either end. Thankfully I can shower at work (I brought a change of clothing) and I don’t have anywhere to go after work – at least not tonight.

I'm really urban now...

I bought a bike today. This is the city girls' version of a car. Only it's transportation and a gym in one. The 7.3 mile ride home (I mapped it on Google) from the bike shop, in the rain, was a blast. I really loved it. I had already read up on the biking rules and my bosses (avid bikers) went over things that were important (such as wearing real shoes instead of flip flops) with me, so I was prepared. I bought a hybrid mountain bike which is said to be the best for city biking. I bought a helmet, locks, lights for the front and back and a cup holder. So, I think I am set to go. The guys at the shop showed me how to most effectively lock up my bike, which I would have done completely wrong otherwise. The ride home was exhilarating. I started out on the back roads near the shop before I ventured onto the major roads to actually begin my trek home. Once I felt stable and comfortable I had a great time. I got used to the cars being so near me and made sure to watch for car doors opening and turning traffic. It was a bit longer to take the route that I took, but the main street near my house is a busy two lane road that I am not sure I am ready to bike on.

This experience is back to back with my weekend road trip to a town near St. Louis for a friend's wedding. Two friends and I rented a car and drove down together and shared a hotel room. We had a great time, but the other girl and I that drove have decided we aren't car people. It's just too stressful and expensive (gas). It's not worth it. I am happy with my urban transportation.

Oh, while down for the wedding we went site seeing to the Cahokia Mounds. They are the remains of a prehistoric Mississippian culture that was the largest prehistoric city north of Mexico. It was pretty sweet.

I forgot a few books...

I was talking with a friend last night and she reminded me of two books that I forgot that I had read.

21. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Interesting book, well written. It takes place in Chicago, so that was a fun touch.

22. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

Great book. Roth rewrote World War Two American history from the point of view of himself as a young Jewish child in New Jersey. Really Interesting book. I read this right after I finished The Question of Palestine and was leery of it being the opposite extreme only a novel, but this was well written without any offensive political statements. I also really like that the author listed in the back the actual historical events and timetables, so that no one would confuse fiction with truth.

PS. Almost finished with The Horned Man and I am not very impressed at all. Almost don't feel like finishing it, but I will...

Reading List

I have had a rather busy summer so far, but I thought I would share with you the books I have been reading and some of my thoughts of them. This is since graduating May 5th. I am very blessed to have a job that allows me to read as much as I am able. I think after this current book, I will look into some more non-fiction. Any suggestions?

1. The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd

Such a wonderful way to start reading for fun. Very easy to read, interesting format (letters to and from people) and interesting for me in that it pertains to Asia, especially Japan.

2. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Interesting and confusing. I can understand it's importance, but feel that I will have to reread this at some point in my life.

3. Nine Stories by J. D. Salinger

Loved these stories. Very weird, twisted endings. I wasn't as much of a fan of Catcher in the Rye so this was refreshing to read.

4. The Question of Palestine by Edward Said

This is probably one of the most important pieces I have read so far this summer. Also the only non-fiction. Very informative, although at times difficult to read. Some of the questions raised in this book inspired my currently painting set. I had previously read Said's autobiography, so it was wonderful to be able to read one of the books that made him famous enough to need a autobiography.

5. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr

This book caused me to fall in love with Vonnegut's style. He's honest, interesting and very unique. Really enjoyed this book.

6 - 9. Holiday on Ice, Naked, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim and Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

These are also somewhat autobiographical comedic short stories. Me Talk Pretty One Day is by far my favorite.

10. The Princess Bride: S Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by William Goldman

Okay, I know I am suppose to love the book more than the movie, but I don't. I love this movie and found the book at times amusing and at times really annoying.

11 - 16. Harry Potter 1 through 6

I now love Harry Potter like everyone else in this country. I am waiting to get my hands on my neighbors copy of #7. The writing gets progressively better as the series continues. The fourth I believe being my favorite. Read these in a two week period. Very quick reading.

17. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

Delightful first and unfinished draft of a novel by this Jewish Russian author written in France during World War 2. The author was arrested and killed in a concentration camp, but her two daughters saved her drafts and they were translated and publish recently. A beautiful start, some of the lines are enrapturing. I wish she had the chance to finish the book. Reminds me Wilfred Owen in that I feel as though his poetry only barely had a chance to find itself before he was killed in World War 1.

18. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

LOVED THIS BOOK. I plan on buying it. I have been told it is Vonnegut's best work and I believe them. Wonderfully written and over all delightful. I intend to reread this in the future.

19. Wizard of the Crow by Ngugi Wa Thiongo

Favorite novel I have read in a LONG time. The author is exiled from Kenya and has written this allegory of African history and politics beautifully. I also intend to buy and reread this novel at some point. I also think people should read this. It's delightful. It is written in the African storytelling tradition and very interesting throughout the whole book. It is long, but worth every word.

20. (currently reading) The Horned Man by James Lasdun

Just started this book. So far it is not wowing me, but after Wizard of the Crow it doesn't have a chance.

This is not counting the various poems I have read this summer.

God still knows what He's doing...

So, I was unfortunate enough to experience a rather traumatic roommate fiasco recently, but God knew what He was doing. A very, VERY dear friend of mine found out today that she will be working in Chicago and that she will need a place to live, so she will be moving in with me in a few weeks. This friend and I have discussed all of the issues resulting in the termination of my friendship with my previous roommate and I think we can avoid such pitfalls. I am very excited about this upcoming experience. I am very blessed to have things work out as smoothly as they have.

Freedom...

My roommate moved out today. I wasn't sure how I would feel... but I feel wonderful.

On a side note, the weather has been lovely. I have the windows open and a lovely breeze is blowing through. Chicago is really a lovely city.

I am currently unhappy with my cellphone service and now that my contract time period is completed I am considering changing companies. Problem is that I am not looking forward to signing a new contract AND my cell phone is my ONLY phone and so I use a fair amount of minutes. I am frustrated at the over all cost of cell plans and of the phones themselves.

This process is FRUSTRATING...

There has been a lot going on lately...

My mind has been preoccupied, so I am sorry for not the lack of news.

I am still very much enjoying my job as a nanny. I have been painting some, but as the weather has been getting warmer, so has the back room (my studio area) and my desire to paint is over overwhelmed by my desire so find A/C.

Two of my dearest friends are moving away soon. One has taken a great job in Baltimore and the other is going home to Palestine after finishing his masters here. As sad as I am to not have these people in my life here in Chicago, I am very excited about their futures and about what they will do with their lives from this point on. All that said, I am working on planning a going away party for them, a last hurrah of sorts. It will be nice to gather friends together and spend a bit more time with then before they dash away to exciting lives.

New stuff!

Via a visiting friend's vehicle I was able to buy a few shelves today. I had been eyeing a few inexpensive shelves from Target that I tried to buy last week, but couldn't get it off the shelf at Target let alone get it home by bus. I also bought a plastic drawer unit for my "studio". I thought about spending the extra money on solid wood shelves, but since I have no idea which state/country I might be in next year I decided that it would be less difficult to get rid of these shelves when I move.

I will post pictures once I get everything sorted. But I feel rather proud of myself for being able to put the shelves together by myself. I am really liking how my room is coming together.

Quotes I thought were helpful...

"Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism. Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make you a far happier and more productive person." - Dr. David M. Burns

"Since you are like no other ever created since the beginning of time, you are incomparable." - Brenda Ueland

"Soar, eat ether, see what has never been seen; depart, be lost, but climb." - Edna St. Vincent Millay

I am still here...

Sorry friends, I have been slacking in my updates. I have had things to write about, but the idea of catching up is rather overwhelming and I feel as though that is not the best use of my time. AND the fact that the pictures from the last post disappeared was discouraging and I am not sure how to fix it so I will just leave it. Sorry.

On to better things:
This is my first full week working as a nanny and I am tired. It is only Wednesday and the idea of being in bed by 10 sounds wonderful. I know this exhaustion will not last, it is just part of the getting used to the new schedule, but still, it is strange. On top of that I stayed until 9pm last night because as part of my package deal I offer parents free date nights. I firmly believe that parents need to spend time together and by encouraging happy couples I am making my job easier. I also happen to like their kids, so staying late is not a chore. BUT as a result I did not get home until 9:45 and was promptly in bed a hour later. The little H man, the baby I take care, is teething and somewhat off a normal reliable schedule thus making my long days seem longer. He is still a delightful baby and I am really enjoying even the long days. I was able to get him to giggle today. He's pretty carefree with the smiles and talking, but the giggles he has so far saved up for her parents.

I have also been taking a route to work that requires extra walking and taking long walks during the day in an attempt to get exercise and be as active as possible. I also use the H man as a weight throughout the day and am over all feeling physically tired, but good.

I have been reading some wonderful books. I read "The Plot Against America" by Phillip Roth this past weekend and it was really amazing. It's an altered version of the late 1930's earlier 1940's, a "what if" story that incorporates real history and is beautifully written. The other was wonderful and also included a section of "what really happened" at the end of the book so a reader is never uncertain about the actual history. I really respected this.

I also just finished today a book called "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger. I loved it foremost for the writing and the concept, but I also loved the fact that it takes place in Chicago. It is fun walking past stores and restaurants that favorite characters frequented. Although it's 500+ pages were intimidating, it was worth the read. It also loved that the wife is an artist. Niffenegger had a great section about what it is like living with an artist. I am on to a more political educational sort of book by Edward Said. I will tell you what it is about when I finish it and if I remember to tell you... but over all, I am reading a lot. I want to keep up a decent pace, not as much as when I was in school, but close. I figure if I am going to learn as much as I can in this world I should get busy and stay busy.

Thank you all for all of your support. I will try to keep you better updated.

My Little Studio

The windows to the left go into my bedroom, the other windows face the backyard and the neighbors.

I am working on an idea, so I have all the versions up around it.

You can sort of see into my room.

I am organized. I just don't have the proper places to put stuff, so I am making do. One box has all of my sketchbooks and thinks that I draw/painting on. The other has all of the things I sketch/paint with. And I know where everything is, which is amazing.

I love this little room, and I love waking up and going into to add something to a drawing. I am looking forward to the day when my paychecks start coming in and I can go downtown to buy the canvas I am dreaming up paintings for.

Argh! It's a Pirate kind of day.

This afternoon several of my friends are all coming over to watch "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." I am very excited. We're cooking dinner together and then heading to the theater to watch the final movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." Yeah for fun pirate adventures!

I'm online again...

I am mostly settled in my new place. I really love the apartment and am starting to feel creative here. It's fun to wake up, decide to go draw and have the space to do it. I have loved all of the mail, thanks so much for thinking of me! I will be sending out my new address information soon for the rest of you.

I start work June 4th. While I am working part time at the pool at school this month, I still have a bit of time on my hands. I have been doing a lot of reading and drawing, but I am ready to get back into a work schedule.

PS. I still don't feel like I have graduated. I thought going to graduation would be culminating and give me a feeling of completion, but I feel more so like I skipped out and am having fun when I really should be studying.

I will not die broke!

I have a job. It's a good job. With a little baby. I am excited.

However, I do not yet have Internet at my apartment so I am not sure again when I will update.

Thank you all for your prayers and cards. I love you all!

Finally!

"Finally, we get to do what we've always wanted: move stuff."

--Pablo, The Backyardigans episode Movers of Arabia

Yeah, so I get to graduate today.
The people sitting around me during the ceremony
are rather funny so I believe I will not get bored.

I also get to finish packing up my stuff.

I am very excited about my family arriving!

Life is good.

Publish

Finally!

"Finally, we get to do what we've always wanted: move stuff."

--Pablo, The Backyardigans episode Movers of Arabia

Yeah, so I get to graduate today. The people sitting around me during the ceremony are rather funny so I believe I will not get bored. I also get to finish packing up my stuff.

I am very excited about my family arriving!

Life is good.

Publish

LAST FINAL IS OVER!

I AM DONE!!! Just need to go through with the whole graduation ceremony....

Almost done...

I managed to survive passing in my Senior Thesis. I am not really happy with the paper, but my presentation went really well. My teacher actually smiled and nodded her head at me (once and a while even laughed). This was unusual.

I have two more finals, a bunch of things to wrap up, packing to do... it's all fun.

Also, I slept roughly about 7 and half hours last night and it was wonderful. I think if I could I would just sleep all day if I did not have so much to do.

Almost...

I have papers, presentations and finals left....
I feel like my list goes on FOREVER!
I am not getting enough sleep and I just ready to be done...
I have a quote that is my theme right now:

"Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy."
-- Edgar Bergen, (Charlie McCarthy)

Don't worry, I am to being TOO lazy. I am just weary. There IS a difference.

I also taught my last group swim lesson here at school. It was sad. I love my Saturday kids.

I have an interview at a pool near my new apartment on Monday. I would like to work there part time and nanny full time. I have an interview with the nanny agency the Saturday after graduation. I am looking forward to all of those exciting things. I will be guarding here at the pool and helping the director with random things for most of May. It will be nice.

ONE MORE WEEK! I - C.A.N.N.OT - W.A.I.T - !

It's official - I am a real artist.

Today was the Senior Art Show Reception.

Since my family is far, far away I called in a makeshift family. Three of my dearest friends here, one my future roommate, were wonderful and supportive. Other people were also amazingly supportive. One friend drove an hour to come. Overall I felt as though the event went well. I am looking forward to showing my parents the show when they come for my graduation

A little over a week ago, each of the seniors was required to show up to hang our artwork. We learned how to hang a show, what things we need to consider: placement of art, height, and spacing. I had quite the challenge as I had to consider several levels of multi-sized pieces. Although I see areas that need improvement, I am in general very proud of my work and am looking forward to a life that involves more of such events as these.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and encouraged me in my art. Without my family and friends I would not be where I am now. Also, knowing my parents are so supportive of my creative endeavors makes it much easier for me to push through the struggles and worries. Although I am taking a year off, I am looking forward to getting my graduate degree and taking my art to another level.

It snowed today!

I am speechless.

On the eve of Senior Art Show put up day….

…I wrote a paper, skipped two classes, went to one class, taught two swim classes, framed seven drawings / paintings, labeled all of my art (Dad, this does not mean I signed them) AND am working on my Artist’s Statement (which I am having a difficult time writing).

I just recently got back to my room after spending hours and hours in the art studio prepping for the show and was greeting by a flashing red light telling me a voicemail was awaiting me on my campus phone. It was my painting teacher telling me she had seen some of my stuff in the art room and she called my paintings fabulous and in general she is forcing me to adore her more than I already do. It was just what I needed and now I will continue on with my Artist’s Statement.

Tomorrow morning I will, with many of the other seniors, help hang up all of my art work on the walls… we get to decide how it’s hung (to a point) and get the feel of how a real art show would go. I am very excited.

Side note: I have spent HOURS working on this art stuff and I still feel ready to go… I almost want to draw or do something like that. Why can I not feel this way when I am working on a paper?

Easter is over…

My sister and brother-in-law came to visit me over Easter break. It was really nice to see them and to have an excuse to take a day off to go into the city. It was rather cold and made traveling downtown less fun, but over all I think we all enjoyed ourselves.

I have a bad cold that began to develop as soon as the break started. Probably has something to do with the extreme temperature changes and the usual way bodies let us down when the extreme stress is taken off momentarily.

I'm certified.

These past three Sundays I have been taking a Water Safety Instructor course so that I will continue teaching swim lessons at other pools after I graduate. My goal is to nanny, but I would like to either lifeguard or teach swim lessons so that I can swim at a pool for free. I also really enjoy teaching swim lessons.

35 days until graduation…

This is both cause of panic and excitement. I have a lot left to do before graduation, but I have an apartment in Chicago. We are still waiting for the final confirmation, but it is pretty much a done deal. Jobs are in the works; I am not too worried about that either. I am worried about the 60+ pages of papers that I need to turn in between now and then. I am trying to take things systematically and not worry, but my body tends to worry for me and I have not been feeling quite up to snuff, although I went to bed early the last two nights and feel much better. Tonight is the spring formal, it is on a boat on Lake Michigan, I am rather excited. I am going with a group of girl friends and I will know a lot of people going. I think it will be fun.

If you were not sure yet, you maybe have figured that I am planning on staying in Chicago. My plan is to nanny this next year as it will be a simple, fun way to pay for rent and paints. I am planning on applying to get my Masters in Fine Arts. I believe I will mostly look in the Chicago area, but I will probably also look around at other schools outside of Chicago. My friend who will be my roommate this coming year believes I should stay in Chicago, but I am not making any promises. I do love the Chicago area. The art scenes here are fantastic and the only thing that I do not like is the weather. I will keep you all up-to-date as my search progresses.

The apartment that my friend and I found is in a nice area. It is very close to an El stop that is on one of the 24-hour lines and it is also near stores, but it is not downtown. I had wanted to look for somewhere closer, but this is affordable and serves all of our needs for now. I am growing more and more happy with it the more I look into the neighborhood.

My Spring Break in Mississippi – recounted for YOU!

I am not alone in thinking that there should be a week break after spring break so that we can all recover. I had a wonderful time with nine other students from my school and a staff person in Mississippi. We were joined up with another group of older people when we were down there.

We spend the week in Long Beach, Mississippi working at the South Mississippi Regional Center in the mornings, providing a VBS-type camp in the morning for the residents. (This is a center for people with disabilities.) In the afternoon we did various rebuilding projects. A group did a lot of redoing of the interior of a house, I only spent Thursday at this project and my job was to stain and varnish stuff. It was fun. They cooked us dinner that night and we had what I now call “Gus’ Magical Mississippi Burgers” because they were delightful. I had three of them. Another group did landscaping at a church. I did not go there, but from what I understand that will start rebuilding the church in a month or so. Monday and Tuesday I helped paint the outside of a house. This was fun and we got a lot done. The rest of the group finished it on Wednesday, but they did not need everyone, so the rest of us helped out around the camp we were staying out. Friday was my favorite day because the whole group from my school went together to Pass Christian and cleaned up a section of the street that was over grown and still had loads of trash. We picked up shingles, children’s shoes, a bag of stuffed animals, the usual cans, Christmas ornaments and a bunch of sticks. It looked so much better after we were done and people driving by often stopped to thank us. Saturday we went to New Orleans, but I think I would have rather stayed at the camp.

All of the things that we DID were interesting, but it was the people we MEET that made the experience. The camp we were staying at was right across the street from the beach and we often went over there. There were also many really diverse groups staying there. There was a group of young Russians who now live in PA. There was a family of Canadians, a large group of Mennonites and a few Amish men (a larger group came mid-week). Being able to hang out with these people around the campfire was amazing. Wednesday night we all sat around and sang hymns in the main meeting room. Listening to the harmonies and accents was wonderful.

When we first arrived in Mississippi we did not really know what it was we were looking at. Wind swept trees along the beach looked pretty and the town appeared small, but most of us are used to small towns. It was not until we started looking closer that we began seeing the bare spots on the ground where houses and stores used to stand and looking at the road along the beach and seeing where the boardwalk is missing whole sections. There were also several signs, like the McDonald’s sign with the M missing the front and back pieces so you can see through it and the Kmart sign, that stood next to big empty lots. Tuesday night we watched a video showing the area before the storm, during the storm and after the storm. There was a museum right on the beach that was destroyed. An entire floating casino was lifted up across the highway. After realizing how much had been in this town before the storm and how much used to be right on the beach, the empty fields and the wind swept trees began to look eerie and unsettling. Friday in Pass Christian the whole town down area is still housed in makeshift trailers. There is a huge trailer that has a sign marking it as the City Hall, another smaller trailer marked “Library” and where the softball field and tennis courts used to be is now several rows wide and deep of green army tents housing supplies for clean up and bunks for volunteers. And then to see the block and blocks of houses in New Orleans that are still left as was, water marks still on the side and items still to be seen inside, as though the hurricane hit yesterday. It was weird. There is a lot of work that still needs to be done.

YES! Spring Break is here!

I am away. Away from school, my dorm, homework, cold weather. It will be wonderful.

I am going on a service trip. More information once I return.

Ps. Today my friend and I played hooky and spent almost three hours in the cultural center downtown and then another hour and half at a café of sorts just talking. We heard live Indian music, saw amazing pieces of art, beautiful old buildings all the while snow was dancing around us. It was a wonderful day. We wrote lots of poetry and I drew.

I needed this break between school and the spring break trip. I think I am ready now.

Art Infiltrations

Today I watched a great movie, Great Expectations.
After watching it I HAD to draw.
The problem is that most of my paints and drawing stuff
is stored at the art room for easy access.
So I dug out my crayons and a sketch book and draw away.

I took some pictures of the art infiltration my room has been experiencing.
I like it.
I feel inspired whenever I turn my head.

The pictures below are a sort of "eye spy" game. Can you find the art work?

One unfinished, one new and one a few years old...

Three paintings and a sculpture from last fall.

Two paintings from last fall, four new drawings from today
(or yesterday afternoon if you want to be picky with the time / date thing).

Another discovers the beauty underneath…

Yesterday my friend and I went with a girl on my floor to the Hair Cuttery. She HAD really long wonderful red curly hair, but she was tired of being defined as the girl with the hair. She donated about 15 inches to Locks of Love. Her hair is adorable now, though I showed a picture of her hair to someone last night who has not seen her yet and her response was “What did you do?!” Umm…. I held her hand? Not sure how to respond to that. Either way, it is done and I think the darling will be happier with out the extra pounds of hair. (She has REALLY thick hair.)

They thought it was funny.

Someone thought it would be funny to pull the fire alarm at 1 AM this morning.

IT WAS NOT FUNNY!

Modern Conveniences + more.

I was sitting here in the library mostly working on my paper when I noticed in the minimized browser window that I had a new email waiting to be read. My thought process then carried me to the noticing of times in which emails were being sent and how in this age a person’s habits can be observed in how they conduct there correspondence. I for example, often write these blogs very late at night or during times when I should be writing a paper. My father often sends me emails long before I have even thought of waking up. One of my sisters often emails me in the afternoon. This is brought more closely to my attention because of my forced reading of Jane Austen’s novels and her perpetual mentioning of the post. Before email a person could write a letter at any time of the day and put it I the mail and the receiver would only be able to observe what the writer desired them to know from their writing. Of course the post marking date tells some information, but not of a person’s daily habits. I understand that this likely an irrelevant topic, but it is interesting nonetheless. It just reminds me of how much personal information we unknowingly give away publicly because of these modern conveniences.

On a side note, I just finished reading Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler about the public trials of the high-ranking soviet officials in the late 1930’s. The book dragged on a bit when reading it, but as I have been going back through it in my efforts to describe how the Soviet Communists were able to convince these officials to willing participate in the trials I have found the book to be much more interesting. Quite often, the men were not guilty and knew that no matter what did, they would be shot afterwards, but it was interesting to see how through torture or other means they were able to put puppet strings on these men and get them to do as they wanted.

I owe you . . .

. . . an update.

I had a nice relaxing weekend. Last Thursday night I misplaced my cell phone (which is what I use for an alarm clock) and since I did not have anything happening in the morning decided to sleep in. It was wonderful. I found my cell phone in my friend’s car, so do not worry, it is not lost. That set the tone for the weekend and I managed to get a fair amount of sleep the rest of the weekend. Last night I was up late, but that was for a good reason, so I do not mind. I took a nap today and feel back on top of things.

I have realized that I vent a lot of my stress here and in forget to post the fun things that I do.

This past Friday, two of my friends and I went to the Hair Cuttery to get one of my friend’s hair chopped off like mine. She has been raving about my hair since my latest cut and decided to just cut it. I captured the moment of her long blonde tresses as they were snipped off. It was a fun adventure.

Now I get to begin my opinion paper on Euthanasia for my Values and Virtues class. After discussing the death penalty, abortion and now this - I’m pretty much tired of discussing anything that I would put under the umbrella involving the sanctity of life. I think these issues are all important, but I know where I stand and the class discussions have been really . . . stupid. I think if I did not have a staff meeting right after this particular class you all would be hearing more rants about it. I really like the premises of the class, but the teacher is just killing it for me.

Oh, this week should have some fun stuff. I am helping out at a Valentine’s fundraiser tomorrow morning and then Wednesday afternoon I have my floor's Valentine's Dinner which I am really looking forward to. I do love the girls on my floor. They feed me cookies and frosting last night on my rounds. Mmmm . . .

Not having fun....

I am an ice cube...
I just want to be warm...
I wore long-johns all day two days in a row!
Maybe I wont look for grad schools in the area...
Please note that the windchill factor is actually warmer today than it has been....
My father wrote me:
"You get the award from being the coldest spot on my weather site,
and the next couple of days sound - cold! Enjoy them while they last."
Thanks, Dad...
Ahhh!!!!!!!

Mini Rant

I am tired of being cold and having random unproductive snow showers. By unproductive I mean that it is never enough to do anything but give us a light dusting.

I have pictures of my trip to Iowa last weekend, but I also have to write a paper...

I cut my hair last weekend also.... will not be posting pictures of that.

Can you tell I am tired of being tired? And it’s only week four into the semester! I cannot wait until there are fewer weeks ahead of me than behind me.

Yesterday was a sad day…

So, I enjoy watching football once and a while. I am not a “fair-weather fan,” but knowing that the Patriots are awesome I generally don’t start watching them play until the playoffs. I don’t have a whole seasons worth of time to give up to watch football, but I can spare a few Sunday afternoons in January. Well, my short season of football viewing has ended early… Sure, I’ll watch the SuperBowl, but just to see the commercials.

On a side now, I drew the short stick of sorts this week. Last week I found out that the poet I was assigned to write an essay (sort of) on, is the one we are talking about in class this week. I also have another paper that I have to write for Thursday that I thought I had time to work on this week, but that time is growing smaller. It’ll all happen, but I’m feeling the pressure a bit. Oh, I am reading a great book, Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger. It’s a true story about a German soldier in World War One. I’m reading it for my history class and we have to have it finished by Thursday, which will happen fine because I prefer this one over the current Jane Austen book that I also have to reads. My friend told me I was not romantic yesterday, because I preferred a war novel to Austen… I don’t think that is true, I just really don’t care for Austen.

An etching idea and a spew of thoughts

I have been struggling with finding something that inspires me to draw. This hasn’t stopped me from drawing, but nothing I have created as moved to the point where I believe I might want to take that idea, perfect it and then spend hours etching it for my printmaking class.

Today was inspiring though and I think I have an idea. I was sketching an eye that ended up creating as a floating mask-like shape over a line drawing of half of a face. I then drew a whole face using glasses as the mask with the eyes appearing “real” and the rest of the face just lines again. For me this represents a suggestion that we are wearing masks and the truth is revealed only through our eyes. We are normally flat, uninteresting creatures, but through holes in the mask we are able to look deeper into each other’s souls.

(On the left is the original inspiration and on the right is the quick sketch of the idea.)

I am not sure if I will use this idea, but I just thought I’d share with you.

School is going well. One week down… a trillion left (or so it seems). I am already beyond sick of Jane Austen. But that is an entirely different blog entry. Everything else is going well, I think. I am currently working on a short response paper covering my personal views on freedom of speech. Well, that is what I should have been doing instead of being inspired. I am probably going to go to bed. Did I mention that today was a really good day? Yes, it was. I am really thankful for friends, for an environment that inspires and for the reminder that I need to spend every day of my life serving God.