Carpe You Some Diem!

Just some experimental shots from the Black Walnut Festival this weekend:

I did ride the ferris wheel, despite being terrified of the thing.  Olivia wanted to ride it really bad, and I couldn’t say no.  Okay, I said “no” quite a few times, but she wore me down.  It wasn’t so bad, actually.  I was so nervous getting on the thing that I almost got right back off, but decided it was a good opportunity to overcome my fear.  So, I sucked it up, took some deep breaths, and by the time we got to the top, I realized that it really wasn’t so bad.  I even took a couple shots from the top with my iPhone.

The Hurricane will have to wait.  That thing’s just ridiculous.

So, the mural-painting is going really well, despite the fact that my artists are all so over-scheduled with sports practices and whatnot that we barely hit the wall with paint before it’s time to clean up again.  It’s like “drive-by mural painting.”  I feel like Banksy. 

On Thursday, my Mom came by to help out, and we had a blast painting and hanging out.  My Mom is a pretty good painter, and we used to have a few paintings hanging in our home when I was a kid.  I don’t know why she didn’t persue it further.  Probably for the same reason a lot of really talented artists don’t… real life gets in the way.  I find it very challenging to make time for my own art.  You would think that as an art teacher, that wouldn’t be a problem, but there is a big difference between the art that I do for examples in class and the art that I do on my own.  You need time and a place to paint, and that’s sometimes really hard to come by.

Anyway, I am very lucky that my parents have been available and willing to help with this project.  My students are great, and I love that so many people have a hand in this project.  That is perfect for a project to represent Habitat for Humanity, a program that brings volunteers together from a community to build a house for a family in need. 

The other sections are looking great.  Dane Klingaman has made a lot of progress on his slot in the last week, and I really love the section painted by the Step by Step East End group!  (They altered the oustside shape of the house a little so it’s slightly different from the rest, while keeping the basic shape and size of the spot.)  You can see more photos here.

You can see about how tall I can reach by how high the yellow goes on the figure on the right. 

We were photographed for the paper today… ugh!  I was hoping the photographer would come later next week when we had more color on the thing.  I hope he got some good shots of the kids working, but I really hope I wasn’t in any of them.  I prefer to be on the other end of the camera, thankyouverymuch.  Oh, I have a few pics that I take of myself, but I know my best angle.  *g*

Anyway, it’s coming along really well.  I am so proud of my kids!  They are doing a great job, and work so well together!  They’re just really fun kids, too — good chemistry for working together on a big project. 

It’s supposed to rain tomorrow, and I hope it does… but only if we can have a window of no rain between 1-6.  We got a lot done, but don’t have any time to waste.

The rest of the murals are looking great, too!  You can see Dane Klingaman’s spot in the foreground of this photo.  I have no idea where he’s going with this, but I am in love with the colors.  You can’t tell from this shot but each splotch has a variety of color — light areas and darker areas.  It looks like when you look really closely at a painting and see all the variations of color in one little spot.  Except it’s HUGE!  I am really excited to see what he’s got in store.

But Charly Hamilton still hasn’t started on his spot!  Hey, Charly — wake up!  Bust a move, man! 

And speaking of the arts, want to know where the two presidential candidates stand on the Arts?  My friend and fellow art teacher David Gran found this website, which pits the two candidates side-by-side in a mock “debate” on the arts.

*     We started the mural yesterday!  It’s really coming along well!  We got a lot of the background done yesterday, and will finish that up today, then start on the really fun part. 

*     I took lots of pics, but left my USB cord and card reader at home (d’oh!) so I’ll have to upload photos this evening.

*     I’m becoming a fan of Cat Pleska, essayist for West Virginia Public Radio.  Her piece about tables made me smile on my way to work yesterday (and on a Monday morning, that’s a big deal!)

*     I got the neatest catalog from the Silas H. Rhodes School of Visual Arts in New York City.  I am currently trying to build a time machine so I can go back to my senior year of High School and apply to this school.   Oh. WOW!  If they had an online grad program, I would be all over it. 

*     I’m halfway through my first grad class and not kicking myself for taking it.  I’m actually really liking it.  It’s developmental psychology, which is something that I find really interesting (I’m not joking!) so I’m enjoying the coursework. 

*     Mike keeps stealing the Obama magnet off my car and hiding it.  Next time he does it, I think I might hide his wallet.

*     Most hilarious comment of the weekend goes to my Father-in-law:  “I don’t know why you don’t like Sarah Palin — you two have so much in common!!!”  What?  We have big families?  We wear glasses?  Our kids play sports?  Because, beyond that, I’ve got nothing. 

*     I ordered a whole bunch of supplies for Japanese cooking, and they should be waiting for me when I get home.  I’m going to fix traditional onigiri, tamagoyaki, and try some new sushi recipes.  Hopefully, I’ll get the hang of it pretty quickly and have a nice stash of onigiri to freeze for lunchboxes. 

*     I have the neatest people in my life.  I can sometimes get hung up on some random asshat who cuts me off in traffic, or the random asshat who is the head of a great, big, company who gives himself and his buddies multimillion dollar “special bonuses” because they know their company is going under and the taxpayers will sort it out … but those people really don’t matter, and aren’t worth the high blood pressure that thinking about them causes.  When it comes to getting out of bed in the morning, the one factor that consistently makes me want to do it is the people in my life — my family, my students, the community members who I run into from time to time, you people who leave comments on my blog (hello, over there in the sidebar!), and sometimes random strangers who do something kind.  I may not have a lot of things, but I have a wealth of great people in my “world.”

*     Speaking of the economy, I am pretty nervous.  I really didn’t think about it that much, but groceries, utilities, and gasoline have gotten so expensive that we’ve had to get creative with the ways we save money.  I’m thinking it won’t be a bad time to learn how to can food, sew my own clothes, repurpose, recycle…  I’ve actually started putting away food staples here and there just in case.  Is that paraoid?  Please tell me it is.

*     My Art I students made packing tape sculptures.  For those of you new to this blog, this is probably my most popular assignment!  They turned out pretty well, and we might have an exhibit of them open to the public.  More info (and photos!) later!

So… new haircut.  34 pounds lost.  As you may guess, I’m feeling pretty happy about it all.  It was a good feeling to put on jeans over the weekend that were too tight two years ago and have to cinch up a belt really tightly so they won’t fall down.  The downside of this is that I desperately need to buy some clothes that actually fit, now, and don’t have the money or the time to go out shopping for a new wardrobe.  But really, I still want to lose about 25 more pounds, so anything I would buy now would just have to be replaced again, later.  I’ll make do with what I’ve got.  Maybe buy a few cheapo in-between pieces to get me through the winter.

We start the mural today!  I am soooooo excited!  I bought the paint yesterday and am so happy about the bright, crayon-colored paints in the back of my van.  I really would like to do more murals.  I love visitng cities with lots of public art, and it’s unbelivable how a single, well-placed mural or other public artwork can turn the perception of a neighborhood around.  Habitat for Humanity became interested in this mural project because the building had been targeted by local taggers for years.  It has been shown in many instances that when a mural is painted on a wall that has been heavily tagged, graffiti artists won’t touch it.  Hopefully, this is the case with the ReStore.  But, I hope the mural is more than a graffiti-deterrant — I want it to really be a source of beauty in a corner of town that really doesn’t offer much to look at.  So far, the murals are all gorgeous!  Artists Aowenking, Amanda Miller, Amy Williams, Mark Wolfe, and the Step By Step East End Project have already gotten some gorgeous artwork up on the walls.  I can’t wait to see what Charles Jupiter Hamilton and Dane Klingaman do with their spaces!  Kudos to the Habitat for Humanity Charleston WV crew for giving artists this opportunity to do something big for the community.  They’re all such cool people and I can’t wait to work with them (and my awesome Art II students) later today.

In my quest to discover healthier eating habits, I’ve been checking out Asian food and traditional ways of eating it.  I am really enjoying my new bento box, and though I haven’t caught on to some of the crazy bento decorating, I have been learning to roll my own sushi (mostly California rolls and other “safe” recipes.  I haven’t had the nerve to try sashimi (raw fish) yet.  Anyway,  I love that so many Japanese lunch favorites are convenient, healthy, and FUN!

So, imagine my surprise when I found a recipe for sushi made with Spam!  I guess it’s not technically sushi — it’s called “musubi.”  Apparently, Spam is a really big deal in Hawaii and Spam musubi are popular in lunchboxes and at parties.  Okay, I’m not a fan of Spam — don’t hate it but don’t really love it, either.  But my kids and husband dig the stuff, and I thought it would be a fun way to introduce them to eating stuff wrapped in paper-thin sheets of seaweed.  So far, their reaction has been lukewarm.  They love the rice and marinated Spam, but aren’t crazy about nori.  To be honest, the nori really doesn’t have a lot of flavor.  I think they’re just grossed-out because it’s different.

I also made stir-fried green beans.  I don’t know if the origin of this dish is Japanese, Chinese, Thai, or even purely American (as many Chinese buffet favorites are) but my kids load up on these when we go out to eat.  We haven’t been to a Chinese buffet since I started my diet in May since I can’t say “no” to General Tso’s Chicken (American dish, btw) but I have been learning to “healthy up” my buffet faves in my own kitchen.  This one’s easy — it’s just green beans marinated in soy sauce, garlic, ginger, red pepper, and a touch of honey.

In other news, the Black Walnut Festival kicks off this week.  If you’re looking for something to do, come to Spencer, eat some Funnel Cakes and enjoy the festivities.  Say “hi” if you see me — I’ll be the one getting dragged, kicking and screaming toward the ferris wheel by 4 kids.  (Not really… but I am NOT getting on that thing!)

Live (detail), installation, 2008

Really busy… time for bullets (and not the kind you think.)

*    It’s pronounced noo-KLEE-ar, Sara.

*    An exhibit that I’m participating in is being protested, unless what I’m hearing is just a rumor.  I wish I could say I’m surprised. 

*    We start on the mural on Monday.  Yay!

*    So far this year, the hot water heater, minivan, clothes washer, air conditioner, and furnace have all gone belly-up, needing replaced or expensive repairs.  A couple nights ago, the dishwasher went kaput, too.  It’s like mechanical Jonestown at my house.  I got your financial crisis right here, baby.  Wooo!

*    I think the Daily Show is going to get me through this election.  If it weren’t for Jon Stewart, I don’t know what I would do.  I’m pretty sure it would involve therapy and antidepressants. 

*    I was impressed with Sara Palin’s ability to speak a little more eloquently than she did on the Katie Couric interview.  Of course, she had these memorized talking points that she spat out randomly, despite the questions asked, so she still didn’t make any sense.  But daggone it, she’s just so darn cute with her little colloquial sayings and anecdotes!  Still, we’re voting for a president and vice-president of our nation, not of the PTA.  To quote Sheri Lynch on “Bob and Sheri” this morning, “Since when did relatability trump knowledge?”  I’m glad people like her, but …. hello?  Issues…  we have a lot of them, and our leadership should address them, not dance around them  I’ll get back to ya on that one!

*  Sarah Palin Bingo was pretty fun, but too easy… I bingoed out in, like, 20 minutes.  Gosh!

*  I got a haircut and I am not sure if I like it.  I feel like I should be on a barge in the Nile, feeding grapes to Mark Antony.  Not a bad scenario, though…  beats the hell out of washing dishes and stressing about protests and elections and major appliance purchases.  Maybe I’ll post a photo.  Possibly.  The Nile is starting to look pretty good.  I need a vacation. 

My Dad helped me draw the mural design onto the building this morning (thanks, Dad!) and I think it looks pretty good!  I can’t wait to get the paint this weekend and start painting with my students on Monday. 

I set up a little online photo gallery at Flickr, so you can check in often (starting Monday) to see our progress.  I’ll blog it here, too, but there will be more photos there, if you’re interested.  I posted updates of the other artists’ “houses” there, too.

Meet our new kitty, Mr. Bee!  We already had one bonus kitty* named Pringles, so Mr. Bee was a natural fit.   One of the kids at football practice was giving away free kittens, and apparently, Olivia wore Mike down until he finally picked one out and slipped him into the bed of the truck for Olivia to find after cheer practice.   She thinks that someone just left the cat there.  The next day, she asked me, “Mommy, if someone just left a horse in the back of the truck, do you think Daddy would let me keep it, too?”  The girl is going to go far in life — she can use just about any parental agreement as a precedent for a later negotiation. 

Mr. Bee is fitting in quite well around here.  He’s the cutest little guy!  Pringles isn’t quite sure what to think of him, but isn’t hating him, so that’s a good sign.  Let’s hope they become good friends.

*  I call Pringles our bonus cat because he isn’t really ours.  He became best friends with our dog, Cody, and wouldn’t leave our house after Cody died.  He literally stayed in Cody’s dogloo for days, and it was the saddest thing to see.  We finally let him come into the house and gave him lots of loving and kitty treats, and that was that.  Luckily, the neighbors were cool with the fact that their cat kind of adopted us.

(click on photo for label fun)

So Olivia had her first all-day midget league cheer expo on Saturday.  I have to admit, I dreaded it.  I am really NOT a cheer mommy.  I have never been a cheerleader in my life, nor did I ever want to be.  I tried out for cheerleading once — only for moral support for a friend who wanted to try out.  I didn’t even try to make the team.  I have never felt so “fish out of water” in my life … until now.

Being a cheer mom comes close.  When I am around the other cheer mommies, I feel like I’m in some kind of weird undercover sting operation or something.  They yell commands to their little cheer babies and fight with coaches.  (Yes, fight — my husband, a football coach, had to intervene when two cheer mommies tried to throw down with Olivia’s cheer coach over her not being tough enough on the girls.  The cheerleaders in question are six years old, by the way.)   Their whole lives focus on making their children into these perfect little cheerleaders — not on the kid’s fun, or the kid’s learning, but on winning.  It’s the same thing for football and other sports that kids participate in.  It’s all a sport — competitive parenting.  And I’m so not into that.

I’ve been able to avoid much of the cheer mama drama thus far, and actually dreaded the cheer expo on Saturday — not as much for the 6 hours of cheering kids in a school gymnasium as for the snotty cheer mommies who make the whole thing unbearable.  Luckily, no fights at the expo, this time.  And I actually had a great time hanging out with Olivia’s coach, who is a good friend of mine.  But I did feel strangely out of place among other cheer mommies. 

For one, I don’t own a Vera Bradley bag.  And I don’t have a Posh Spice hairdo, or straight hair to the middle of my back — the only two haircuts approved by the National Cheer Mom Association.  I wore team colors, as recommended, but made the mistake of wearing a volleyball tee, and felt really out of place because every Mom wore a tee emblazoned with their child’s face and a motto like, “You fill my ♥ with CHEER!”  I also didn’t wear any flair — no ribbons with my daughter’s name on it, or huge buttons with her cheer photo. 

I also discovered that my daughter’s name is too ordinary.  I thought Olivia was a pretty stylish name, but most of the other cheerleaders have very exotic-sounding names.  My favorites were Mysteria, Tesla (who can, apparently, change the weather,) Taffyee (pronounced “Taffy”), and Ihla (how do you even pronounce that?)   I should have at least spelled her name in an unusual way to make it more unique.  Maybe O’lyvya.  Yeah, that’s cool.

Lunch was interesting.  You would think, with all the designer-jean-wearing ubermoms that one could find a veggie burger at lunch.  Or at least a salad.  But no dice.  Lunch was hot dogs, chips, doughnuts, candy, and pop.  I ate a hot dog and drank the bottled water I brought from home, and got ridiculed when I wouldn’t let my daughter have chips AND a huge doughnut the size of a mousepad (I’m not exaggerating… it probably had a whole day’s worth of calories, and then some!)  When I mentioned that my doctor recommended that I lose some weight to keep my blood pressure down, one Cheer Mama told me she would “kick my doctor’s ass if he told me to lose weight” — right before excusing herself to go outside and smoke her fifth cigarette in a 2-hour period.

But the expo, itself, was a lot of fun.  Olivia had a blast.  They had some cool team-building exercises in which girls from different squads had to work together to solve a problem.  Liv also learned some tumbling and dance and learned how to safely get hoisted to the ceiling by her teammates and do spirit fingers.  She had a blast, and so it was all good.  I think this experience taught me that, despite those who would have it differently, team sports are really about the kids who participate in them.  As long as the kids have fun and gain something, it’s worth it.  There will always be parents who want to make it all about themselves, and will attempt to ruin it for everyone — and sometimes succeed.  But as long as my kids enjoy the sport, I will do so, as well (and secretly hope they play the violin next year, instead.*)

*Kidding.  **

** not really.