I drove down to the City in the South this weekend to spend some time with my mom and also just for a change of scenery. My mom and stepdad are getting ready to move, but first they have a lot of work to do on their house before they can sell it. I helped while I was there; however there was more to do than the three of us could handle. So, my mom (many days ago) had asked their life group from church to come out and help her. On Saturday, they slowly began to trickle in and started to work on the house. One guy brought his power washer and washed the exterior - it looked so much better when he finished. Several of the women in the group helped my mom clean the cabinets in the kitchen and I ran errands. With all the help we had, it only took a few hours to clean up the house and then it was time to move on to packing.
I was amazed to see how quickly my mom and her friends packed up each room. There were five of them and it took less than thirty minutes to finish each room. Throughout the day, as I dashed in and out of the house, I could hear laughter drifting out of the rooms everyone was working in. At one point I had to stop and just think about how amazing it was that my mom and stepdad had these friends who were willing to give up their Saturday to help them. I think sometimes we forget the blessing that are friends, these people who are not our biological family but care for us as if we were related. Friends help each other when asked, laugh with each other over things they've done, support each other, and get to experience life together. I feel blessed to have been able to witness the love my mom's friends have for her, the support they have offered her. I am thankful that since my siblings and I live two or more hours away from my mom and stepdad and can't always be there to help, there's a group of people willing to help them with anything they need.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Summer
Today was the last day of school! Yay! I was lucky enough to have sub jobs for today and yesterday at my favorite school, which is where I did my student teaching last semester. It was nice to be "home," as my dad calls it. This is the one school I'm most comfortable at because I know most of the teachers there and I know my way around. I would love to work there as a full-time teacher, but that's not looking very likely. Oh well. At least I got to spend as much time as I did working there.
The kids were absolutely nuts today and I cannot blame them for it. The district I work for is one of the last to be done for the year and the kids were so ready to be out. I'm not quite sure why they were going so late, but what matters now is that we're done! I'm really excited to be on break for a while - I do have a couple of things to do this summer (a professional development event and vacation) that I'm really looking forward to.
I was a little sad today when I left because I realized that today is probably the last day I get to work at this school. I got to start the school year there and I was able to be there when the year ended. I've made some great memories there and I learned so much from the staff, especially my mentor teacher. She was the best mentor I could have ever asked for and continued to help me when I started subbing. Any future teacher who gets her as a mentor is going to be so blessed and is going to learn a ton about teaching. I definitely plan on keeping in touch with her.
I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do with myself starting tomorrow because I'm so used to getting up early and getting ready for work. I guess sleep in. One thing I hope to get done this summer is finish a few more Christmas projects, including an extremely complicated blanket. Summer, here I come!
The kids were absolutely nuts today and I cannot blame them for it. The district I work for is one of the last to be done for the year and the kids were so ready to be out. I'm not quite sure why they were going so late, but what matters now is that we're done! I'm really excited to be on break for a while - I do have a couple of things to do this summer (a professional development event and vacation) that I'm really looking forward to.
I was a little sad today when I left because I realized that today is probably the last day I get to work at this school. I got to start the school year there and I was able to be there when the year ended. I've made some great memories there and I learned so much from the staff, especially my mentor teacher. She was the best mentor I could have ever asked for and continued to help me when I started subbing. Any future teacher who gets her as a mentor is going to be so blessed and is going to learn a ton about teaching. I definitely plan on keeping in touch with her.
I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do with myself starting tomorrow because I'm so used to getting up early and getting ready for work. I guess sleep in. One thing I hope to get done this summer is finish a few more Christmas projects, including an extremely complicated blanket. Summer, here I come!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Job Hunting
School ends on Thursday, so it's almost summer time. Time to relax and try to stay out of the heat and look for a summer job. I spent this morning driving around the town I live in looking for one of these jobs. The most common answer I got was "I'm not sure if we're hiring, but you can take an application, fill it out and bring it back in." I'm going to do exactly that, but it just really seems like I'm not going to have a job this summer. I'm trying to be okay with that. Financially I don't have to work - I just don't want to sit around for two months, waiting for school to start again. Maybe I can find a babysitting job or volunteer or just hang out at the local library, anything to keep me from just sitting in my apartment.
The hard part is I'm not only looking for a job this summer, I'm also looking for a teaching position for the fall. All I've got so far is nothing, a few leads that ended up going to someone else. I can't begrudge whoever got the jobs I applied for. That person was in the exact same boat I'm in right now. It just sucks. All the teachers I know keep telling me that it's okay, it's still early and I'll find something and the thing is I know what they're saying is true. But that doesn't stop me from worrying that I won't find a job. I know they're trying to be nice when they say, "Oh, I know you'll get something. Any school would love to have you," but I wish they wouldn't say it. It just makes it hurt even more when I hear the position I applied for has been filled. I just want to yell, "But what if I don't get a job? What does that say about me?"
I need to remember that no matter what happens, I will still have my substituting position in the fall. It will suck that I don't have my own classroom but at least I will have a job in the profession that I love. I need to stop letting the worry get to me. I knew going into this that I had picked a difficult subject to get hired in - it seems like most schools hire coaches to also be history teachers. But history is something I love and am passionate about. I honestly cannot see myself in another field. I have to believe something will come along, either for this school year or the next. It will be okay.
For some odd reason I have this song from Monty Python's Spamalot stuck in my head and it's kind of appropriate for right now.
"Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...
And... always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...
If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing.
And... always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life..."
The hard part is I'm not only looking for a job this summer, I'm also looking for a teaching position for the fall. All I've got so far is nothing, a few leads that ended up going to someone else. I can't begrudge whoever got the jobs I applied for. That person was in the exact same boat I'm in right now. It just sucks. All the teachers I know keep telling me that it's okay, it's still early and I'll find something and the thing is I know what they're saying is true. But that doesn't stop me from worrying that I won't find a job. I know they're trying to be nice when they say, "Oh, I know you'll get something. Any school would love to have you," but I wish they wouldn't say it. It just makes it hurt even more when I hear the position I applied for has been filled. I just want to yell, "But what if I don't get a job? What does that say about me?"
I need to remember that no matter what happens, I will still have my substituting position in the fall. It will suck that I don't have my own classroom but at least I will have a job in the profession that I love. I need to stop letting the worry get to me. I knew going into this that I had picked a difficult subject to get hired in - it seems like most schools hire coaches to also be history teachers. But history is something I love and am passionate about. I honestly cannot see myself in another field. I have to believe something will come along, either for this school year or the next. It will be okay.
For some odd reason I have this song from Monty Python's Spamalot stuck in my head and it's kind of appropriate for right now.
"Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...
And... always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...
If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing.
And... always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life..."
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Craft Stores and Podcasts
Alright, I'm just going to come out and say it. I love craft stores! I can spend hours in one and I consider it a good thing if I spend less than $20 because I could spend so much more than that. Last week, I went to Michaels with one of my friends to look at some wedding stuff for her. We ended up wandering down the bargain aisle, where they have the greatest collection of items like monster band-aids, aloe socks, and Popsicle molds. I ended up buying a couple of Paula Dean items (a recipe box and recipe cards - can't wait to fill it up!) and a tomato shaped timer. I think my friend and I spent about forty-five minutes wandering up and down the aisle picking things up, putting them down, debating if we really wanted something and finally making ourselves walk away. Bargain aisles are always a great way to waste some time. Another great thing about craft stores is yarn. I love to wander around the yarn area and imagine what I could make with the different yarns. I want to do too many things at the same time! One project at a time, one project at a time.
I've been crocheting lately while either watching something on Netflix or listening to a podcast. There are a few podcasts I like to follow right now - "The Rachel Maddow Show" and "Read It and Weep" are a couple that come to mind. I'm actually listening to "The Rachel Maddow Show" right now. "Read It and Weep" is a recent addiction, thanks to my sister-in-law, and it's essentially a trio of guys who critique popular fiction, TV shows, and movies. It's pretty funny, especially when the guys started to introduce themselves as characters from the books they are talking about. I even got my SO interested in it and he doesn't like anything that resembles talk radio. I can't wait to see what they review next.
I've been crocheting lately while either watching something on Netflix or listening to a podcast. There are a few podcasts I like to follow right now - "The Rachel Maddow Show" and "Read It and Weep" are a couple that come to mind. I'm actually listening to "The Rachel Maddow Show" right now. "Read It and Weep" is a recent addiction, thanks to my sister-in-law, and it's essentially a trio of guys who critique popular fiction, TV shows, and movies. It's pretty funny, especially when the guys started to introduce themselves as characters from the books they are talking about. I even got my SO interested in it and he doesn't like anything that resembles talk radio. I can't wait to see what they review next.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Life
Life has been a little crazy for me right now. Until yesterday, I felt like I was flying around at a hundred miles an hour and I just needed to slow down. I guess that's my pitiful excuse for why I haven't written in so long. In reality, I just haven't written because I haven't felt motivated. It's not like stuff hasn't been happening in my life - I just couldn't bring myself to sit down and write. Huh. But now I figure I have to start again, otherwise this will end up like every other blog I've written. You know, I'm really into it for a while, but then I stop and make up excuses as to why.
Anyway, I have been busy doing other things. I finished another two crochet projects - a blanket and a beret. I'm trying to switch between projects that take a while to make and "instant gratification" projects which take a couple of hours to make. I've got this pile of Christmas gifts growing on the rocking chair in my living room and it's nice to see some progress being made. The current project now is a lacy shawl for my aunt - definitely not "instant gratification." On the reading front, I am still trudging through The Rise and Fall of the British Empire. It's a good book, but it's long and has a lot of information in it, so it's taking me a while to read it. I am almost half way through it though, so yay!
Also, last week I drove down to Austin with my sister-in-law and my niece to protest the proposed changes by the SBOE (State Board of Education) for the social studies standards. I would love to say the protest was a success and the board postponed the final vote to review the standards again, but that's not what happened. On Friday (almost a week ago now), the SBOE passed the standards. I am so frustrated with the board with what's been going on. They clearly put their own agenda before one that focused on what students need - they've forced their political, personal, and religious views of history into what students will be taught now. This is not just me voicing my own views, they really did rewrite history at one point. In the 11th grade U.S. History Standards (if you care to look this up), they erase the current standard on Sen. Joe McCarthy (talking about what he did was wrong) and changed it to something along the lines of "Discuss how Sen. McCarthy, HUAC, etc. actually found Communists in the U.S. government." For anyone who lived during the 1950s or has studied history, you know this is not what happened with McCarthyism. In reality, McCarthy and HUAC maybe found 15/20 real Communists in the government (if you know the actual number, please feel free to let me know what that is). Now, I'm hoping and praying something else will come up that will make the SBOE review the standards with actual teachers and historians.
That and work is pretty much what I've been up to for the last couple of weeks. I am going to try to do a better job of writing at least once a week, maybe more.
Anyway, I have been busy doing other things. I finished another two crochet projects - a blanket and a beret. I'm trying to switch between projects that take a while to make and "instant gratification" projects which take a couple of hours to make. I've got this pile of Christmas gifts growing on the rocking chair in my living room and it's nice to see some progress being made. The current project now is a lacy shawl for my aunt - definitely not "instant gratification." On the reading front, I am still trudging through The Rise and Fall of the British Empire. It's a good book, but it's long and has a lot of information in it, so it's taking me a while to read it. I am almost half way through it though, so yay!
Also, last week I drove down to Austin with my sister-in-law and my niece to protest the proposed changes by the SBOE (State Board of Education) for the social studies standards. I would love to say the protest was a success and the board postponed the final vote to review the standards again, but that's not what happened. On Friday (almost a week ago now), the SBOE passed the standards. I am so frustrated with the board with what's been going on. They clearly put their own agenda before one that focused on what students need - they've forced their political, personal, and religious views of history into what students will be taught now. This is not just me voicing my own views, they really did rewrite history at one point. In the 11th grade U.S. History Standards (if you care to look this up), they erase the current standard on Sen. Joe McCarthy (talking about what he did was wrong) and changed it to something along the lines of "Discuss how Sen. McCarthy, HUAC, etc. actually found Communists in the U.S. government." For anyone who lived during the 1950s or has studied history, you know this is not what happened with McCarthyism. In reality, McCarthy and HUAC maybe found 15/20 real Communists in the government (if you know the actual number, please feel free to let me know what that is). Now, I'm hoping and praying something else will come up that will make the SBOE review the standards with actual teachers and historians.
That and work is pretty much what I've been up to for the last couple of weeks. I am going to try to do a better job of writing at least once a week, maybe more.
Friday, May 7, 2010
"Twilight" and Relationships
As a teacher, I see things about students that I believe many other people do not. I do not include their parents in that statement - frankly I hope parents have a better understanding of their children than I do. I get to hear about what books they are reading (or not reading), what music they like, what movies they go see and how those things are affecting pre-teens and teens. The influence of these mediums begin to seep into their schoolwork and, more importantly in this case, how they act socially. Honestly, this worries me sometimes.
What's really on my mind is the Twilight series and how it has affected female students - how I let it affect me for a while. I believe that in order to have a proper rant about Twilight, I do need to confess that when I first read the series I really liked it. I thought the story was sweet and romantic. I will admit that I always liked the Bella/Jacob relationship much more than the Bella/Edward one, but more about that later. However, my ... let's call it my infatuation with the series began to diminish when I read Breaking Dawn. I clearly remember falling out of my bed laughing when Jacob imprinted on Nessie - I mean really, could Stephanie Meyers have picked a worse story line? If you're going to have Jacob imprint on someone, why not make it really random? Why not throw the fans for a loop and have him imprint on Embry or Emmett? But why have him imprint on someone his own age when there's a baby for him to fall in love with. Seriously.
What bothered me most about Breaking Dawn, and really the entire series, (though it would take me a while to put my finger on it) was Bella and Edward's relationship. Something was wrong there. My sister read the book right after I finished it and when she was done we talked about it. I have this memory of sitting on a balcony in Florida debating who Bella should have ended up with - Edward or Jacob. To me, Jacob seemed like the better choice - he seemed to be more real than Edward, as far as the character can be real, and Bella developed a personality when she was with him. We went on for about an hour, back and forth. K's final point about the whole debate was that Edward was Bella's "true love" and how can you beat "true love." Okay, sure, true love is a big deal but that's not what was going on in their relationship. Once again this is something that took me a while to realize.
Even though I was all for Bella and Jacob ending up together, I used to think Edward Cullen was the epitome of a perfect boyfriend. Oh God, was I horribly wrong. After a second and now a third read and discussing the story with people who were not crazy about Twilight, I began to see that Edward is the epitome of the guy you want to run away from. He's manipulative and worst of all abusive - not in a physically, but emotionally and mentally. For most of the books, he never really allows Bella to think for herself, not that she seems to want to think. He's overprotective to the point where he's practically controlling who she hangs out with and where she goes. He essentially tricks, or manipulates, her into agreeing to marry him even though she made it perfectly clear she was not crazy about the idea. I know, I know, he's not a real person but as I am the unfortunate example of, how Ms. Meyers has portrayed him has influenced the way young women perceive relationships.
Not only are some teenage girls pining for their own Edward, but they have the worst female role model in literature. Bella has absolutely no personality and is all-consumed by her relationship with Edward - when he leaves her, she practically turns into a zombie for months. She never believes she is good enough for him and constantly questions why he is with her since, according to her, he so obviously belongs with someone better. This is not a healthy point of view. If you believe you are not good enough for the person you are with, you need to step back and reevaluate the relationship. Why does Ms. Meyers want girls to look up to Bella and idolize her relationship with Edward? How is that good for a young woman's self-esteem? "I must have no personality in order to get the 'perfect' guy." Huh.
I'm currently skimming through the books again (I can't bring myself to really read them again) before I sell them. In New Moon I ran across a passage that so deeply disturbed me, I can't believe I missed it before.
"If Alice made good on her promise [to make Bella a vampire] - and if she didn't kill me - then Edward could run after his distractions all he wanted, and I could follow. I wouldn't let him be distracted. Maybe, when I was beautiful and strong, he wouldn't want distractions."
Ahhhhhh! No! A person should never, ever change who they are to please a boy/girl - if they can't accept you for who you are, they ARE NOT WORTH IT! [Steps onto soap box] If what Edward and Bella had was true love, she should not have felt the need to make such a drastic change in order to keep him interested in her. I don't care if he lied to her to protect her, she should not think she has to change who she is to "please" him or keep him from leaving her again. When someone says they love you, it should mean they love exactly who you are - that they don't want to change the little, possibly slightly annoying things you do because those quirks make up who you are. You should never have to compromise yourself to get the guy/girl. Also, don't run after the boy/girl if they abandoned you and broke your heart. Once again, THEY. ARE. NOT. WORTH. IT. [Steps off of soap box]
I have so many other issues with the Twilight series, some of them superficial (sparkling vampires?) and others not relating to the characters (terrible writing). However, if I continue on in this vein, I will still be writing four or five hours from now. Not really worth it. I've tried to address my biggest issue with the books. I'm terrified that if parents and teachers do not start talking to teenage girls about what relationships should be like (an equal partnership), America will continue to see women who are getting into abusive relationships because the men are "just like Edward." If you have a child reading Twilight, sit down and have a serious discussion about why the relationship portrayed in the book is neither real nor healthy. Buy them a book that has a better portrayal of a romantic relationship. Please.
What's really on my mind is the Twilight series and how it has affected female students - how I let it affect me for a while. I believe that in order to have a proper rant about Twilight, I do need to confess that when I first read the series I really liked it. I thought the story was sweet and romantic. I will admit that I always liked the Bella/Jacob relationship much more than the Bella/Edward one, but more about that later. However, my ... let's call it my infatuation with the series began to diminish when I read Breaking Dawn. I clearly remember falling out of my bed laughing when Jacob imprinted on Nessie - I mean really, could Stephanie Meyers have picked a worse story line? If you're going to have Jacob imprint on someone, why not make it really random? Why not throw the fans for a loop and have him imprint on Embry or Emmett? But why have him imprint on someone his own age when there's a baby for him to fall in love with. Seriously.
What bothered me most about Breaking Dawn, and really the entire series, (though it would take me a while to put my finger on it) was Bella and Edward's relationship. Something was wrong there. My sister read the book right after I finished it and when she was done we talked about it. I have this memory of sitting on a balcony in Florida debating who Bella should have ended up with - Edward or Jacob. To me, Jacob seemed like the better choice - he seemed to be more real than Edward, as far as the character can be real, and Bella developed a personality when she was with him. We went on for about an hour, back and forth. K's final point about the whole debate was that Edward was Bella's "true love" and how can you beat "true love." Okay, sure, true love is a big deal but that's not what was going on in their relationship. Once again this is something that took me a while to realize.
Even though I was all for Bella and Jacob ending up together, I used to think Edward Cullen was the epitome of a perfect boyfriend. Oh God, was I horribly wrong. After a second and now a third read and discussing the story with people who were not crazy about Twilight, I began to see that Edward is the epitome of the guy you want to run away from. He's manipulative and worst of all abusive - not in a physically, but emotionally and mentally. For most of the books, he never really allows Bella to think for herself, not that she seems to want to think. He's overprotective to the point where he's practically controlling who she hangs out with and where she goes. He essentially tricks, or manipulates, her into agreeing to marry him even though she made it perfectly clear she was not crazy about the idea. I know, I know, he's not a real person but as I am the unfortunate example of, how Ms. Meyers has portrayed him has influenced the way young women perceive relationships.
Not only are some teenage girls pining for their own Edward, but they have the worst female role model in literature. Bella has absolutely no personality and is all-consumed by her relationship with Edward - when he leaves her, she practically turns into a zombie for months. She never believes she is good enough for him and constantly questions why he is with her since, according to her, he so obviously belongs with someone better. This is not a healthy point of view. If you believe you are not good enough for the person you are with, you need to step back and reevaluate the relationship. Why does Ms. Meyers want girls to look up to Bella and idolize her relationship with Edward? How is that good for a young woman's self-esteem? "I must have no personality in order to get the 'perfect' guy." Huh.
I'm currently skimming through the books again (I can't bring myself to really read them again) before I sell them. In New Moon I ran across a passage that so deeply disturbed me, I can't believe I missed it before.
"If Alice made good on her promise [to make Bella a vampire] - and if she didn't kill me - then Edward could run after his distractions all he wanted, and I could follow. I wouldn't let him be distracted. Maybe, when I was beautiful and strong, he wouldn't want distractions."
Ahhhhhh! No! A person should never, ever change who they are to please a boy/girl - if they can't accept you for who you are, they ARE NOT WORTH IT! [Steps onto soap box] If what Edward and Bella had was true love, she should not have felt the need to make such a drastic change in order to keep him interested in her. I don't care if he lied to her to protect her, she should not think she has to change who she is to "please" him or keep him from leaving her again. When someone says they love you, it should mean they love exactly who you are - that they don't want to change the little, possibly slightly annoying things you do because those quirks make up who you are. You should never have to compromise yourself to get the guy/girl. Also, don't run after the boy/girl if they abandoned you and broke your heart. Once again, THEY. ARE. NOT. WORTH. IT. [Steps off of soap box]
I have so many other issues with the Twilight series, some of them superficial (sparkling vampires?) and others not relating to the characters (terrible writing). However, if I continue on in this vein, I will still be writing four or five hours from now. Not really worth it. I've tried to address my biggest issue with the books. I'm terrified that if parents and teachers do not start talking to teenage girls about what relationships should be like (an equal partnership), America will continue to see women who are getting into abusive relationships because the men are "just like Edward." If you have a child reading Twilight, sit down and have a serious discussion about why the relationship portrayed in the book is neither real nor healthy. Buy them a book that has a better portrayal of a romantic relationship. Please.
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Beauty of Art and Music
This past Saturday I went to a local jazz and arts festival and it was amazing. I went with my sister, K, and her best friend, J. It's a huge event - three main stages where jazz groups are constantly playing, smaller stages around the fair grounds where soloists perform, and all sorts of art. There's paintings, jewelry, photography, metalwork, pottery, carvings ... so many types that I can't remember them all! This year was my third year to go to the festival and I plan to keep on returning as long as I live in this area. I might even have to travel out to see it if I live in a different city!
Even though I've been to the festival three times, I haven't bought any of the art until this year. There's this Scottish photographer whose booth I've visited every time and have drooled over the fantastic pictures he has. Most of his photos are from Ireland and Scotland, but he has pictures from Texas, Prague, and even some still life photos he's recently taken. These pictures make you want to jump onto the nearest plane to see the subjects with your own eyes. I was finally able to buy a couple of his photos this year. (Yay for having a job!) One of them is a still life of a violin and what I think is a mandolin in the background. It's in black and white and you're only able to see about half of each instrument. The other is this amazing shot of a few Celtic cross tombstones. The photographer shot it at just the right point in the day, so that the sun cast a shadow of one cross onto another behind it. It's so peaceful looking and beautiful. K ended up buying a picture of these cliffs in Ireland. We were all standing around admiring it when the photographer came up and started telling the story behind the picture. (He does that with any photo you ask about - it makes them so much more interesting.) He asked if we had seen "The Princess Bride" and then told us those were the Cliffs of Insanity from the movie! Well, that clinched it for K - she had to buy it, partially so she could tell people that she owned a picture of the Cliffs of Insanity.
After we ate lunch, we headed back to the convention center where what I guess are the artists who are famous enough to have their booths indoors. Don't get me wrong, there is some amazing art all over the fairgrounds but maybe not well known. Maybe they're inside because they've paid a little extra to be out of the sun and inevitable heat. Anyway, J wanted to go buy a print of a painting from this Russian artist - she has the most interesting paintings. She has a lot of paintings of actors and musicians like Marilyn Monroe, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Audrey Hepburn for example. I was looking at some of her prints when I found this gorgeous painting of what looks like a tree in autumn. I stood there debating for a few minutes about whether I should buy it or not and I decided to go ahead and get it. I definitely do not regret it. I feel like I'm looking up at a clear blue sky through the branches of a tree. There's so much color and texture - I can't really put into words how this painting makes me feel. It's just simply ... beautiful.
After we finished looking around the booths at the convention center, we decided to go sit along this concrete ditch that's by one of the smaller stages and just listen to the music, which happened to be bagpipe music. Saturday was really the perfect day to do that - mid 70s, clear skies, a light breeze. It was relaxing to just sit there, listen and talk a little. The sound of the bagpipe mixed with the conversations that were happening all around us. It created this music that can only be described as that of creation or the world - people coming together and enjoying what's going on around them. I'm not sure if that made sense, but it was fascinating.
I cannot wait for next year's festival.
Even though I've been to the festival three times, I haven't bought any of the art until this year. There's this Scottish photographer whose booth I've visited every time and have drooled over the fantastic pictures he has. Most of his photos are from Ireland and Scotland, but he has pictures from Texas, Prague, and even some still life photos he's recently taken. These pictures make you want to jump onto the nearest plane to see the subjects with your own eyes. I was finally able to buy a couple of his photos this year. (Yay for having a job!) One of them is a still life of a violin and what I think is a mandolin in the background. It's in black and white and you're only able to see about half of each instrument. The other is this amazing shot of a few Celtic cross tombstones. The photographer shot it at just the right point in the day, so that the sun cast a shadow of one cross onto another behind it. It's so peaceful looking and beautiful. K ended up buying a picture of these cliffs in Ireland. We were all standing around admiring it when the photographer came up and started telling the story behind the picture. (He does that with any photo you ask about - it makes them so much more interesting.) He asked if we had seen "The Princess Bride" and then told us those were the Cliffs of Insanity from the movie! Well, that clinched it for K - she had to buy it, partially so she could tell people that she owned a picture of the Cliffs of Insanity.
After we ate lunch, we headed back to the convention center where what I guess are the artists who are famous enough to have their booths indoors. Don't get me wrong, there is some amazing art all over the fairgrounds but maybe not well known. Maybe they're inside because they've paid a little extra to be out of the sun and inevitable heat. Anyway, J wanted to go buy a print of a painting from this Russian artist - she has the most interesting paintings. She has a lot of paintings of actors and musicians like Marilyn Monroe, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Audrey Hepburn for example. I was looking at some of her prints when I found this gorgeous painting of what looks like a tree in autumn. I stood there debating for a few minutes about whether I should buy it or not and I decided to go ahead and get it. I definitely do not regret it. I feel like I'm looking up at a clear blue sky through the branches of a tree. There's so much color and texture - I can't really put into words how this painting makes me feel. It's just simply ... beautiful.
After we finished looking around the booths at the convention center, we decided to go sit along this concrete ditch that's by one of the smaller stages and just listen to the music, which happened to be bagpipe music. Saturday was really the perfect day to do that - mid 70s, clear skies, a light breeze. It was relaxing to just sit there, listen and talk a little. The sound of the bagpipe mixed with the conversations that were happening all around us. It created this music that can only be described as that of creation or the world - people coming together and enjoying what's going on around them. I'm not sure if that made sense, but it was fascinating.
I cannot wait for next year's festival.
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