Here, Hear

I haven't fallin off the face of the earth. I just fell. I am busy conceptualizing a new look for my life. Not exactly sure what that is . . . but change has come my way, and it is not exactly what I envisioned for my self . . . but I like the idea of change and I am busy cleaning-up and clearing-out parts of my life. I am eager to start some new art, but I have to take care of the physical distractions and current health concerns.
I have lost hearing in my right ear. Not sure exactly why. I have suffered nerve damage. I may have caught a virus. I grind my teeth out of stress, or I nash my teeth all day long out of stress.

Exciting things still present themselves, by I am also passing through fogs of confusion. Some days the train seems slow moving, but I think I am in a good place. Just need to be done with the yard sale. Once this is over I will inform you about the interesting things I have been doing -besides clearing out my house.

May Day

Valorie and I have been giving each other May baskets for ten or more years. This year she gave me the cutest little honey pot.
I like to make something (if time allows) so this year I made her a little diorama of a Chinese child, a blossoming peach tree (petals falling on the ground, and a crane flying over head. I bought her some Sun, Moon and Stars tea from the British Pantry. The clerk said it was one of their best selling teas (no surprise it is a soothing and tasty tea) that is a combination of Oolong, Jasmine, and Green teas.

Born an Artist

So I saw one of my students at Walmart. I consider her creatively gifted. I met her mom for the first time and expressed how much I enjoy having her in my class. I asked my student if she was making art over the break. She was! The conversation went to technology and I said, "You know Movie Maker is a free program on every computer." The girl's mom said that's what she is using! She is making little movies and came to Walmart to find PEEPS!!! I told my student that I was in the process of assembling props to make my own movies.
I am so impressed by this little artist. Mom says she doesn't know anything about moviemaker.
My student said she is inspired by Youtube.

Fortunes

Gwen and I went to Lai Lai's for a bite to eat. Gwen's fortune was so funny!
It said,
42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA So think of that fortune(?) when you are trying to remember a statistic.

My fortune was a wise thought.
It said,
Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings while the dawn is still dark.

This is one of the nicest fortunes I have ever gotten.

Spring Baskets

My eighty something mother made these cute little egg carton baskets for Easter. She said as she was assembling the parts she got the sense that making the baskets was "meant to be." She had the perfect number of ingredients and materials. No more. No less.

HAPPY EASTER! HAPPY PEEPSTER!

I hope your day is beautiful! I made my mom a Master Peep. Can you believe I had a tiny cameo button? OMG! So funny.

The Stink Covers Up the Sweet Smell of Roses

My third grade science Olympiad Team placed second (we get a trophy)at the Tri-County Science Olympiad. Two of the events I coached earned first place awards: Puff mobile, and Wildlife Safari. We had a total of three first place awards. We also won the Sportsmanship Award. This meant a lot to our team.

I got the results back from the MAEA state art competition. If you didn't know I was allowed to submit five works of art to the region III show (Washtenaw, Jackson, Lenawee, and Monroe County), four of those were able to go onto the state competition.
Two of those were selected to go onto other shows. My kindergartner Mackenzie's work is part of the states top 100 works and will be displayed at MAEA state convention. Region III actually had 14 works selected for this show! And my student Layla's work was the ONLY work selected from Region III to take part in the MEA art show.

This all sounds wonderful, but my life is poopy. I took the day off and scheduled a nervous breakdown, but it didn't come. My emotions are constipated. I don't really feel like going into everything. Just need to freshen up my life cause the stench from this shit is thick and distracting.

Ya ever notice how stink can be like an awful ENTITY that if you live around it long enough you get used to it? The awfulness of it doesn't seem to register in your senses. GOD! I don't want to "get used to" this stink, but I know it can happen. Maybe getting used to it is a way of coping? What would be worse, getting used to the awful smell or being unable to rid yourself of it?

Did you ever see the episode of the office where Andy keeps stepping into cow poop where ever he goes, even in the house? Andy couldn't avoid shit, he just kept walking into it. From the outside it's all kinda funny and horrible at the same time. But for Andy, more than a favorite pair of shoes were ruined. The poop just became a metaphor for the hopes and dreams that sunk into the bile, converted into crap, and defecated into every area of his life.

National Gallery of Writing

Aw shucks! I was invited by my former prof, Beth Myer, to participate in the National Day of Writing and submit work to the Adrian College Gallery within the National Gallery of Writing. My piece was chosen (for the time being) to be the featured work of the gallery! Go to the following site and you will see my work. Beth said she chose my work because it was an excellent example of a multimedia piece. So cool.

http://galleryofwriting.org/galleries/667850