Wedding CountDown!

The countdown continues! I created a web page for general information- check it out:
Our Auction Wedding.

Grendel's Kitchen

Grendel is home safe and well from SCAD- fetched him back on Friday (spent the rest of the weekend working on school stuff, wedding stuff, commission stuff...and still far behind. I need clones!)

Anyhoo, was taking pictures of his apartment/dorm thing (it's technically an apartment-style-dorm-townhouse-thing with a grocery store on one side, and crackville on the other. They are fenced in and don't go on nightly excursions, which is a good thing)

Back to the kitchen. It was surprisingly clean- as was the bathroom and his room- but the best thing was hanging on the stove. Anyone else remember this tea towel? It was Daddy's and is older-than-god. Well, actually I'm not certain how old it is exactly, but I do remember it in the kitchen at Minno drive and quite possibly Ferndale as well. So that puts it older than Grendel... it was part of the recovered kitchen items that I brought home with me.

Red and black and white, it feels masculine and no-nonsense. Daddy wasn't one for cutsey in the kitchen- keep it simple and practical, at least when it comes to kitchen accessories. Overboard on all possible kitchen machines and gadgets, pots and pans, but towels? Keep them manly, please. No flowers here.

It is somehow comforting to see this towel in Grendel's kitchen. Like a strange blessing from the kitchen-gods, Daddy watching over the serious job of boiling water for Ramen noodles. The occasional making of hamburgers, nuking of frozen delights, forays into other boy-cuisine. I thought I had lost track of this towel- I do loose track of everything lately, and the little things are so important to me- but here it is, safe and well and living a useful life. I bet in all of it's kitchen-towel dreams it never thought it would end up in a dorm in Savannah. And I wonder why Grendel choose that particular towel? We have plenty of random towels, but this is one of two (the other is brownish) that came from Daddy's kitchen. Chances are, if I ask him, he'll just say it was just a towel and no big deal, but I wonder if subconsciously he remembered it being there. Made some sort of connection to it, and to memories of the basement kitchen and Gramps cooking up all manner of wonderful things. A bit of enchantment, a bit of home, a bit of family from long ago. That's nice.

StressTest and Quote of the Day

A sketchbook page from one of my students- right now I am feeling rather empathic with this, so if you don't want to hear me grouch around, skip this page and go watch 'Charlie the Unicorn' or something...

Anyway, the whole feeling of geewhiz, here is my heart- happy now? yeah. Just a compliation of things of the moment- I can't seem to get the last 25 students in my college class graded (25 students = 75 projects- a paper, a creative project and an artist statement). Why? Because I'm a slacker? no... because it is to slow to work on evie (the little computer- her little screen can't handle multiple windows), Sophia, the big computer at home, won't open files until you have scanned them and saved them first (which keeps her from getting sick- these are the same papers/projects which brought in the worm that killed Data), and while the school computer is nice and fast, I am constantly interrupted by this little thing called my job. Thousands of kids who cannot sharpen a pencil without direct instruction.....and "professional learning communities" that we were required to attend today. All of which is important and interesting but I have way to many things to do.....

Grendel called last night and I have to pick him up at SCAD Friday- I do miss him bunches, love him lots but somehow missed the ball that he was coming home just now...his room is full of boxes, art work and is smellier than usual because the doggs have been sleeping in there. We'll figure it out. ....

I'm stressed out about other things to, but that is enough whining on here for today. Not going to stay after school, have things to take care of that won't wait another day (bills, bank, money stuff..ew.) Then going to go home, get straightened out, make some hot tea and either wrestle with grading papers or try to tackle Grendel's room.

My lunch smells funny so I'm not eating it....

But on the bright side, my art 1's were being good for once, and working away. They were just talking when one of them said- during one of those moments of dead silence-

"I think my grandma's a gangsta"

*That* would be an excellent title for something- rap, song, movie.....

'See my grandma hangin in da hood, best listen up and best listen good

She can cook and she's kinda nice, but you cross her ya gonna get iced.

Grandma's dope, she's down with da gang, when she talks, don't say a thang

Best listen up, best listen good, 'cause my grandma's queen of da hood"

(ok, so my rap skills are lacking...but it makes me feel a wee bit better)... and one more thing- later, same class, this little black kid speaks up and says- for no apparent reason- "Man, I wish I had a Ukrainian accent- that's bad ass."

Another day in TitanTown.

First of the season!

It's deer season- and the first of the mighty hunters is successful! Neil got an 8 point on Saturday (it's in the photo he's holding) and shared some deer jerky with me today (yummy!). I am still successfully spoofing all the kids into thinking that I used to be a mighty hunter- I have the antlers to prove it (thanks to the fearless Podlucky).

Seriously, it builds credibility...just like sponsoring the step team and Latin dance build credibility in those populations. I love all the kids mind you, but if they know I am interested in their activities it makes life easier for all of us.

I am not a mighty hunter- I can't even watch a movie where a dog dies without crying. (Manz and I were watching a Western... a Kevin Costner one... and of course, the dog got shot. Of course I cried- not full out crying, just leaking around the edges. Happens every time.) Anyway, while I am not a hunter, I know that without hunting- especially deer- the population would spiral out of control due to lack of natural predators and abundance of tasty food. But I do love to *eat* deer jerky, or roast... or sausage... not to fond of it just plain ground, though it works well in chili. I usually end up with a few treats every year from my mighty hunters- they are appreciated! and I love the antlers....

Didn't have breakfast at home today- manz slept in (he needed it!) so the deer jerky was extra welcome...I think that I also conned the kids into bringing paperplates/cups/utensils for extra credit. Sweet.

Roses~

The beloved man brings me roses from the garden- they are still blooming- and puts them in little vases on the desk. He found the orange vase as a surprise for me- it's simple and beautiful and the exact color of the Jacob's Coat roses. I am loved, and lucky for it.

Right now it feels as if I am chained to this desk- it's Sunday, I've been on the computer all day- he is at work and sometimes that seems like that's all we do...right now there hasn't been time to work on the house, or write my blogs (I do miss it). Don't get me wrong- we have a great life, and it's very busy- we both work hard it's just right now there is no breather. It's nice outside and I'd like to take Max for a walk...but...I have still many many papers and projects to grade for ECU class (paychecks are good things), my studio work that I have yet to begin other than opening the file and doing some sewing, a commission to work on, and my sketchbook assignment. That doesn't sound like a lot, and I've already accomplished some grading, my lessons for this week and importing the 172 photos I took last night...baked cookies, washed some clothes, have dinner in the crock pot, cleaned the bathroom.... but I still feel a mile behind. The race is enjoyable, and I'm not trying to win, but it would be lovely to get caught up!

Still, in all this hubbub he finds time to give me roses~ I must make time to stop and smell them.

Post Note!

Just an addition- for our sketchbook assignment today we had to do a countdown calender- I chose count down to wedding of course. During the course of the presentations, one of the students asked me how old I was... I told them and they were amazed. Actually, they said "Wow. You're 45?!?! You seem really happy for someone that old." Turns out most of the class thought I was in my thirties, (or they were lying through their teeth)...either way, made my day.

Seconded was another teacher who told me that I am always 'glowing' now! Since I've sworn off radioactive milkshakes, it must be love....

Man at Work

The man at work- Sunday morning, making breakfast. He is a major believer in breakfast, every morning it's at least eggs, sometimes sausage and grits as well. He can get fancy with it- adding cheese, or garlic, hot sausage... sometimes left over this and that, it's always good, always filling. mmmmm... I didn't used to like eggs much, now I can't get enough of them. And grits are *always* good.

The shirt Melissa designed for our 'Cheap-n-Easy' presentation at conference- she decided to highlight our husbands- Troy was 'Cheap', and posed all pretty in nothing but a Fez. (don't worry, silhouettes only, his modesty was kept intact). Charles is 'Easy' and laid back in his easy chair... 'man at work'.

Right now I'm at work- it's planning, so I only have three students who talked their way out of another class to hang out in here to work on their sketchbooks- I like to work, love to make art, love the separation between art and money...when I have to make art for money, I get miserable really quick, because money makes me nervous- bad memories from the time of 'create or starve'. no thanks. I'll take a nice steady dependable paycheck, even if it means dealing with my Art 1 devil-children. I love to make art because I love to create things, all the time... if someone wants to do the business of selling it for me, so be it, but I don't want to be dependent on that ever again. I bring this up because I just finished a book 'Creative Time and Space' that was all about how artists manage their time and space while working full time as artists..... I think I would be paralyzed by money anxiety if I was doing just full time art again without a buffer... just the thought is terrifying. I don't need to be rich, but I need to be safe- know what is coming in, what is going out and where it is going. Otherwise I freak out... and that is never a pretty thing. But things keep getting better, and I do have some bread-n-butter art money that will be coming in - I need to totally focus on the commission and get that knocked out. Couple of good days with photo shop, the right paper and I'll be good to go. One thing, nothing takes me long once I get started.....