It’s been a busy last couple of weeks for us, and there are lots more big decisions to make soon. We finally got our invites printed and they’re almost all out in the mail. Finally! BJ did all the lettering—his middle-school calligraphy lessons definitely (BJ: “finally”) came in handy! And the front was made with scanned paper cuts. More details soon once I find the files.
In other news, Lost is getting so good and I’ve been drinking one can of Coke a day. Sigh.
I woke up at 5:50am Saturday morning in a cussing storm because I’d slept through one alarm. And I was laying on my cell phone so that its alarm would have awakened me if my back hadn’t been pressing snooze! Luckily, I live super-close to work so I was just a few minutes late to leave for our state art competition. This is the mayhem that went on all day:
This year 2,000 of 24,000 pieces submitted advanced to state. It’s always a little odd for me when I go to this event because not too long ago my friends and I were here running around the campus and nervously awaiting our results. Some of my best memories from high school took place here.
A lot has changed within those few years—mainly how people view the student exhibit. Back then, teachers would take photos of other work to show their classes and people walked slowly  through the exhibition. Now, 9 out of ten people had a camera and you can barely stand and enjoy a work because you’re in someone’s camera view. Many took pictures of almost every single piece. Now, I understand that inspiration and looking at other artist is an important part of creating a piece, but there was something off about how snap happy everyone was and the pace at which they were consuming the art. I’m not sure how I feel about it.
I was a proud teacher that day though—4 out of 5 got the highest possible rating. And the one other student missed it by only one point. One!!!
Today called for some brightness and I think these pieces did the trick. My kiddos cracked me up with their stop motion storyboards and BJ made me an awesome salad for dinner (I had five bowls). Today was pretty good.
Isn’t this an interesting twist for a wedding band?
Hannah Clark Ouroboros Ring image via Refinery29
Hooray for student holidays. I’m about to go into school and work alone in the classroom. We had a very chill weekend—hung out with my family, woke up early Saturday and patted ourselves on the back, tried Chick Fil A’s breakfast (two thumbs up), bought bread, carrots, macaroons, and dark chocolate at the farmer’s market, bbq outside, slept in, went to Easter vigil, bought books, and picked up a copy of Lula at Issues. A few of my favorite pages:
One of the best feelings is coming across a movie/artist/song after a few years of the movie/artist/song’s name eluding you. You’re only holding onto a fuzzy image or the first few letters of a creator or creation, with the work settling stubbornly on the tip of your tongue. So when I was in Issues, the local magazine shop, and the saw a photo of Alessandra Sanguinetti on the cover of Cabinet, I might’ve let out a yelp. Early in college, my Photo I instructor showed us the Sanguinetti series The Adventures of Guille and Belinda and the Enigmatic Meaning of Their Dreams, and I remember falling in love with the soft light, the rich color, and the compelling relationship—visually and emotionally—between the two young cousins. And maybe most of all, I admired the way she captured the transition from childhood to adolescence without being too heavy and cheesy, but rather with restraint and sensitivity. Fast forward a few years to today: I was surprised to see that the series continued into their adulthood and documented marriage and motherhood.
I thought this excerpt was interesting:
In 1839 William Henry Fox Talbot coined the phrase “the art of fixing a shadow” to describe his negative-positive photographic process that became the basis of the photographic medium. Since then critics and historians have written at length about the metaphorical role photography plays in preserving the past and halting the fleeting moment. Childhood is a very brief period of personal development and discovery, perhaps even more so for Guille and Belinda where the onset of adulthood comes at an early age. The enigmatic dreams and fantasies from the fertile imaginations of Guille and Belinda might have gone unobserved if not for Sanguinetti’s efforts. Through this archive of images, which are as inexplicable as the imaginations that choreographed their content, this fleeting shadow of youth is preserved.
Excerpt from Contact Sheet 120, Alessandra Sanguinetti: The Adventures of Guille and Belinda and the Enigmatic Meaning of Their Dreams. via lightwork.org
from my sister Thuy’s sketchbook
It’s starting to get hot! I hope we find time to go tubing or swim at the beach this summer. Last night, we had friends over for Lost, ridiculous reality tv, and my failed attempt at Dark ‘n Stormies. By the time the season finale arrives, we’ll probably be watching it in our new place. eek, where has the time gone?! I have no idea where we’ll be- somewhere closer to town for sure.*Did you know Houston is the number one city for traffic fatalities?
*Sidenote, why do so many realtors have the crappiest photos or only outside shots? And please don’t begin your listing with “OKAY PICKY TENANTS”
I’ve been organizing my magazine tears and thought it might be a good idea to scan them in. These make me a little excited for the summer-minus the humidity. The second one of Carolina Herrera Jr. was a tiny picture but one of my favorites. Growing up, my mom started my love for white tunics and peasant like dresses. Simple and breezy is what I remember her loving about them.
images from Vogue
After a long drive in the car, multiple redirections from stadium cops, and a quick trip to use the bathroom (guilty) we finally made it to the rodeo on closing day. It didn’t help that most of Houston had the same thing in mind and that Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez were slotted to perform later on. We took a scenic ride on a gondola/ski lift Total food count inhaled: four fried oreos, sausage on a stick, super baked potato, brisket sandwich, sausage in a bun and corn. whew.
+ Still recovering from a stomach virus. Finally broke my 14 year no vomiting streak (tear. tmi?) Can’t be rodeo food right?
While BJ was organizing his books, he handed me a copy of Fires in the Bathroom by Kathleen Cushman. The first line in the preface read like this:
It’s a safe bet that in random high schools all over the United States, some kid has just set the bathroom wastebasket on fire. And deep down, all of us know why.
I was hooked. Someone is always setting the trash on fire down the hall! This happened at other schools too?!I’m only through the first two chapters, but I am certain this will be an invaluable resource for teaching. During my graduate studies, we were assigned more than enough books about pedagogy and what-have-you, but this gathers advice and insight from students themselves who tackle sensitive topics with honesty and directness that is hard to get from “experts.” In a way it makes me want to travel back to the first day of school and do some things a little differently.
I didn’t realize how consuming a teacher’s job can be until I became one. Students, lessons, and endless lists of tasks linger in my mind well past the end of the school day. Lucky for me, BJ has always been understanding about all the work I have to do during the weekends and all the things we have to pass over. Heck, he even pitches in and helps me with the workload. And I’ve got to be thankful for my cohorts (hehe, do you guys remember hearing that word all the time?) and teacher friends like Andrew (whose calisthenic detentions we’ll cover in their own post) who continue to challenge me to reflect upon my own teaching practices and who allow me to vent about extremely short class times, overcrowded classrooms, and all the crazy things that go on in a school.
Mmkay, That’s all. If you are an educator, I highly recommend picking up this book if you haven’t already. I’m off to the rodeo to enjoy the last few hours of break before I start grading again.