Exam week

Tomorrow I embark on the week of exams—and it will be a week, because I have one exam tomorrow, one on Wednesday and one on Friday—Last year, I ended up in the hospital before my last exam.  Hopefully this year will be different–in a good way.

Happy day

I thought it was going to rain today.  It did this morning, but now it is sunny and bright outside.

We got our Christmas tree last night and will be decorating it today.

D and Z did their regional All-State band auditions this morning….all the nervousness and anxiety has been transformed to relief.

I feel physically better than I have in several weeks.  I am sore from yoga, but it is a good sore.  I have a wonderful husband and two adorable children.  I have many friends and a family that, even though they think I am weird, loves me.  I am caught up on grading and next week is exams.  I am a very lucky duck indeed.

Hopefully, a corner turned…

I am feeling better today, in the midst of my 3rd round of antibiotics for an unidentified malady.  (How can they give you antibiotics if they don’t really know what you have????)  Anyway, I dutifully came home after my class (after discovering that our department meeting is TOMORROW, not TODAY by showing up for the meeting and no one being there:-))  I whizzed into Kroger to pick up some ground beef to make a sheperd’s pie for dinner–to celebrate the fact that I do not feel like TOTAl crap today, I will cook!

Let me just say here that it is really nasty outside today…cold, raining, foggy, puddly, messy.

I ran into the store (figuratively, of course) and got the meat.  Despite the rain, there were quite a few senior citizens at the grocery store–today they get a discount–just like every Wednesday.   In the midst of the mess, as I was leaving, a man a little older than me was walking slowly toward the store with a much older man.  The younger man was holding an umbrella over the older man’s head and they were chatting about the large amounts of rain that we have received in G’ville this year.  Nothing really notable about it.  Except that when they reached the threshold of the store, the younger man bid the older man a good day and a “Merry Christmas” and they parted ways……they had not arrived together, the younger man had just seen this older gentleman in the parking lot, getting wet, and had walked him into the store under his umbrella.  This put a smile on my face and made me very happy.

I haven’t been feeling that great—either physically or about the upcoming holidays—just not in the spirit.  This little gesture, however, made me feel all “Christmasy”.  That man helping out his fellow man—that’s what it’s all about.  It is nice to know that others feel the same way.  Thank you, sir, whomever you are, for making my day brighter.

Take 2…

Well, well.  I thought that I was getting better, when in fact, I was getting worse.  Sicker, that is.  Ultimately, I have ended up on antibiotics (again) and have been told to REST.

 

Let me just say, this is not a new occurence for me…the getting sick after a period of intense work.  When I was doing theatre regularly, I would ALWAYS get sick sometime during the first week of the run.  I guess it is because in the period leading up to the opening, there would be so much to do, so much adrenaline and cortisol and other crazy-making stuff going on in my body to keep it going that I just wouldn’t notice until after the stress was gone that I was sick.  This time, the culprit was a show, but it was curating an exhibition and producing a fashion show, rather than a piece of theatre…although one could argue that a fashion show is a piece of theatre….

 

Anyway, I am trying to modulate my tendency to create havoc within my own person, and thought that I had handled the current events quite well—but as it turns out, old biological habits are as hard to break as emotional ones.  The show (actually both of them) is a success and now I have all weekend to recuperate before going back to classes for 2 days and then having 5 off for Thanksgiving.

 

I broke down, since I had a huge, sore knot on the side of my neck, in addition to not having a voice and feeling generally crappy–with a fever–and went to the doctor yesterday.  The doctor identified the knotS (they grew) as swollen lymph nodes and she prescribed meds and told me, above everything else, to REST.  Not always easy for me as I tend to be a “doer”.

 

As I attempt to REST, I have put myself on a strict diet of TV.  I don’t watch a lot of television, because I don’t have time and most of the time there is nothing on that I can’t do without.  Yesterday, however, I scoured the “On Demand” section of our cable provider to find something to watch.  I was actually pleasantly surprised and found “Some Like It Hot” for free, on demand, and so watched it!  Let me just interject here that Tony Curtis was one hot dude in his day.  I do enjoy watching old movies, for some reason especially around this time of year.  I’m sure it has to do with wanting comfort and having nostalgic feelings that comes with the “holiday season” for me.  At any rate, I can sit (or lie) still for long periods if I am plugged into the television, so I will stay plugged in this weekend.  David and the girls have been very good to me and have been keeping me stocked with water and blankets.  And chocolate.  It’s good for anything that ails you.

 

I’m hoping that the inactivity, coupled with the very large antibiotics and lots of liquids will add up to me feeling much better by next week since my family is coming for Thanksgiving and I’m doing all the cooking.  I told David last night that deli turkey sandwiches and chips was sounding very good to me as a new take on the Thanksgiving feast…but I’m sure that I’ll be back up to speed by Thursday for doing the Martha turkey that David and the girls have come to know and love.

Funny Girl

I love Barbra Streisand.  She is an amazing performer, singer, actor, director, woman, humanitarian.  You name it, she’s done it.  I’m sick at home today in bed and just finished watching FUNNY GIRL.  It is one of my favorite movies….such a nice story (although based on Fanny Brice’s life, it is a much fictionalized and “cleaned up” version of what really happened) even though it has a very sad ending.

 

Barbra was my idol growing up.  I loved to sing and perform and fancied myself a sort of funny girl.  Not really pretty, sort of out of place and able to make people laugh with me instead of at me, most of the time.  I still feel like a funny girl in those respects.  I don’t mind saying I have several Streisand albums and still enjoy her voice.  I’m also glad that she seems so happy now, married to James Brolin and living her life on her terms.

 

Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  Several members of my family are coming to visit us next week and spend the holidays with us.  We are all excited.  It is the first time, although we extend the invitation every year, that my family has taken us up on the offer of spending Thanksgiving with us.  The girls and I are going to work on the menu this week.

 

The girls got their braces put on yesterday….Pain and suffering ensued.  Both woke up at around 2am and had to have additional motrin/tylenol—I can’t remember who got what.  I called the orthodontist today–I never had braces so didnt really know what to expect–apparently this is very normal.  Drew is uncomfortable, but Zoe just seems plain miserable.  She has a smaller mouth than Drew and some bite problems that are not an issue for Drew, so I think her braces are making a bigger impact quicker.  They both said that they could already feel and see that their teeth were moving.  Ah, technology.

 

I am trying to rest because I have a sore throat and feel generally crappy—and I have to be OK for tomorrow and Thursday for our Yuki Yao rehearsal and fashion show.  Recuperation is my goal of the day.  Hope my story has a happier ending than FUNNY GIRL.

…but seriously, folks….

It is amazing to me how fast a semester seems to fly by after midterm.  I mean, here it is four weeks before the end of the semester!  Where did all that time go?  I always feel a little panicked—have I covered everything I wanted?  Do I have enough time to cover everything else?  Of course, it depends on the group of students, as well.  This semester, I’ve had pretty good ones.

 

On the home front, we are hosting a little get together tomorrow night for some of my colleagues.  David invited some of his colleagues, but none were able to make it.  Bummer.  I’m making the famous Julia Chicken Melon and a veggie patè.  Everyone is bringing stuff to share, so I doubt we will want for food.  I hope it is cool enough to have a fire in the pit.

 

Right now, I’m off to take a long bath and watch “Love in the Time of Cholera”–  I’ve never read the book–so if the movie is not as good, I won’t be disappointed

The day after Halloween…

I like Halloween.  I love to see the kids dressed up and so excited about getting candy and I love the jack-o-lanterns and candles and general spookiness associated with the holiday.  I’m not so big on dressing up myself anymore, although, I do like to zombie or witch my face with makeup occasionally.  D and Z went trick or treating with friends last night.  Z was a “serious business woman who is your worst nightmare”  She came up with this costume literally about an hour before she left the house.  She wore a beautiful black and white houndstooth cape lined in red satin (made many years ago by my grandmother) and carried a briefcase to put her candy in.  I gave her some makeup (serious business woman makeup with really red lips) and she was happy.  D opted to be a night elf (from W.O.W.)  We had ordered the fake ears and they came on Friday, so that was a relief.  She also had a sort of medival woman’s costume from Target with a skirt and a little lace up vest that she wore.  I made her up with pink skin and purple eyes and false lashes.  She was pleased.  David and I stayed home and ate pizza and watched THE LIFE AQUATIC which I thought was pretty bad.  The best thing about the movie is Bill Murray and the soundtrack.

 

Today, I’m loving the luxury of beginning daylight savings time. Gaining an hour is nothing to sneer at, my friends.  It makes me all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it.  I got on FB this morning to look at all the posted photos of my friends’ Halloweens and their kids….adorable.  My goal today is to post some photos of D and Z in their costumes and some of my NY pics on Flickr.

 

Right now, however, I’m off to get dressed, do some laundry and tidy up the house a bit.  Exciting.

If you can make it there…

The trip to New York was needed and enjoyed.  Shout out to Mr. Neno who was the epitome of himself this weekend–accommodating and fun to hang out with.  Shout out to Mr. Bill, AKA Harrison, who was oh so billish and still a crazy, sweet guy.

Dianne and I arrived on Thursday and took a cab to the St. James Theatre where Finian’s Rainbow http://www.finiansonbroadway.com/(Neno is the Associate Costume Designer) is in previews.  Neno had gotten us tix for the preview that night, so we got to see the show with Bill, another of my friends from undergrad school.  The show was great—we were sitting on the 2nd row however, and had to explain to Di at intermission what the lumps and bumps on all the actors’ faces were (microphones and wig lace:-))  That night, we hung out with Neno and Adrienne (our hostess) and Bill and Dante at the bar located on the ground floor of Adrienne’s apt building.  (Adrienne is a patternmaker and has a funky, fabulous apartment encrusted with art and sculpture and voodoo paraphenalia)  Tommy, the bartender who is a friend of Adrienne’s and Neno’s, was a smart-ass hoot from the get-go and kept us all entertained….Neno and I closed down the bar and stayed until 4:30am catching up–long past when everyone else with any sense had gone to bed:-)

On Friday, Di, Bill and I visited the Museum of Sex.  Very interesting place.  http://www.museumofsex.com/ Check it out….I’m saying nothing except that I think that reciprocating saws and sex toys should remain separate items…..  We also visited 2 yarn/textile stores that Dianne was mad to check out.  This one:  http://www.habutextiles.com/home.htm was my favorite.  I got some great fine silver to crochet and some linen yarn that is like paper….  Went shopping at a couple of Indian groceries and stores and then that night, Bill took us to a great sushi place in Chelsea near his apartment.

Saturday, all day, was MoMA.  Di and I still didn’t see everything, but boy we saw a lot.  I loved the Pollocks–all in one gallery– and the Matisse reliefs in the sculpture garden.  It was also pretty great to see a bunch of art that I had only ever seen in books—Giacometti sculptures, Warhol paintings—overwhelmingly delicious….

Adrienne had a party on the roof of her building that night….Luke put up the tents….AND.as we had heard that Adrienne’s parties often last 24 hours, we opted to spend the night with Bill that evening.  Bill has a great apartment and he even cooked up breakfast…Another friend from undergrad, Jeannette, came over to have breakfast with us before her call that morning for Ragtime (she’s a wig/hair/makeup person)  Later Di and I headed over to the Guggenheim to see the Kandinsky exhibition.  The Guggenheim was perhaps my favorite stop for the trip.  We walked through Central Park to get there.   The park is much smaller than I envisioned it…..

Monday saw us running around grabbing souveniers for our kids and checking out fabric and trim stores…did I forget to mention that Adrienne lives right smack dab in the middle of the garment district???  Very convenient.

Anyway, I am tired and that is the gist of the trip for those of you interested.  It was much more fun than it sounds from my perhaps poor description.  I have to say that Dianne was a great travelling companion and that we had 2 packed but pleasant flights—-and many fun (to me) and scary (to Di) taxi rides.  I;LL TRY TO POST PICS ON MY FLICKR PAGE SOON….

Home is where the heart is….

Well, after much ado, we have finally closed the sale of our house in TN.  Apparently not a moment too soon, too, because David got a call from the county codes officials today saying that a lien was going to be placed on the property if the RV that has someone living in it in the backyard isn’t gone in a couple of days….yikes.

We saw our favorite folks while we were there and it makes me homesick….don’t get me wrong, I like where we live now and I like our house and I do still love my job, even though some days it makes me want to loll out my tongue and drool…..but I also love spending time with those nearest and dearest to our hearts.

Speaking of hearts, mine is breaking a little for my BFF Trace as her trusty companion CC stuggles with kidney failure and now blindness…..They have both been brave for each other and now I think that CC is going to leave this world soon and it makes me very sad.  It is a hard thing to accept the inevitable.  I am thinking of them both and hope for a peaceful transition.

I will be leaving on Thursday to visit my friend Neno and others in NY.  Di and I are going to go see Neno and the sights and the show he is working on right now.  I’m very excited, but also a little stressed because I can’t seem to get my act together packing-wise…..hopefully I’ll get it together by the time Dianne arrives.  It will be my fall break from school and Di’s first leg in her whirlwind of travel, as she will return from NY and leave a week later for France.  Jealous?  I am.

Artsy Fartsy

There is such pleasure in experiencing art.  Making it, looking at it, diving into it, relishing  it.  Maybe this is a moot point to be making, but I think, when you are in the business of art, in any of its forms, that you maybe get a little immune to art.  That you begin to take it for granted or not appreciate it quite as much.

This happens very seldom to me.

If I’m not making some kind of art (drawing or crocheting or writing or making books or creating clothes or painting or dyeing, etc. etc. etc.), I am looking at art and commenting on it or I am reading or listening to music or seeing a film or flipping though a book with art or art techniques or thinking of doing some combination of the above. Maybe this is why I am exhausted so much of the time, because I cannot get enough.  It wears me out, but as Harry Chapin said “It’s a good tired.”

Of course, on top of all this, I am dealing with committee matters and writing letters to prospective students and attending meetings and trying to convince students that it does matter if they learn to do something the “right” way.  That’s the work part, but I’m grateful that my work deals with art at least some of the time.  I’m also doing things that I consider somewhat tangential to the art thang—making dinner–which can be an art–or playing Yahtzee with my husband (that is not code, we actually play Yahtzee and talk the trash while we do it) or talking to my kids about their day or chatting with friends or doing yoga.  All these experiences probably add up to the art that I eventually make or think about making.  In fact, Drew and I often talk about HER art–which is a whole ‘nother can of worms…and I would say that at least half of my friends are artists or partake of some type of artistic endeavor as a major part of their lives…

I certainly am reflective tonight.

Overall, this life of art, or art of life, makes me happy and grateful.  It is a place to come back to when everything seems weird or difficult, it is a haven and a release.  It feels good to do it.  It informs and underscores my existence.   I wonder what people do that don’t have art?