Through The Looking Glass

Art: a favorite

2010-09-05T07:15:01Z

I like this picture.

For a while as a teenager I used June as my middle name, a slight change from Jane, which I had used for a few years before that. (Interesting factoid: my Grammy’s name is Lydia Jane, and I named Grace after myself [kind of--my name means Grace] and Grammy.)

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Up through the atmosphere

2010-09-04T14:56:03Z

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Art: A(nother) quick memory

2010-09-04T02:27:54Z

When we were small, we’d get colored pencils in our Christmas stockings. My father would individually wrap each pencil in tissue paper so that we’d have more things to open. So far Sam does not care for drawing with pencils (he likes markers and crayons), so I haven’t had the chance to recreate that tradition. I hope he gets interested in pencils soon!

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Art: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before

2010-09-03T04:28:32Z

The problem with blogging for over eight years (I missed my blogiversary again! It was August 16th) is that I am pretty much out of old stories to tell, and my life is currently kind of dull. So if I trot out an oldie but goody, chances are high it’s made an appearance here before. Luckily,. I think only Jess and Katherine have been reading from the beginning. And maybe Amy?

Anyway.

I like art. I can (and have) spend hours and hours in museums without getting bored. Hungry, sure, but not bored. The Met is one thing I really, really miss from my home town. (There are others. Would you like a list?) But I’ve only had one really profound reaction to a work of art.

In 2001 I was working for USA Today in the advertising department, and part of my job was to organize a huge event for our clients. It took place at the Art Institute, which was hosting the Van Gogh/Gauguin exhibit that was then traveling the world. I spent most of the evening at the front desk, checking people in and making nice-nice. I was wearing my Jackie O suit, a pink vintage number that remains my best find ever. Once everyone had arrived, we took turns going through the exhibit. I enjoyed it, but no more than any other exhibit I’d seen. Until I rounded a corner and stopped, unable to move. I stood, in tears, for a full ten minutes before walking through the remainder of the exhibit, but I didn’t see the rest.

Around that corner, on a wall together with no other paintings, were Van Gogh’s two Starry Night paintings. The lovely, sophisticated Starry Night Over The Rhone, and the more famous, post-breakdown The Starry Night.

I’ve meant, for the nine years since, to buy prints of the two. But I don’t know if I could recreate seeing them together for the first time–or if I’d want to if I could–so I haven’t done it.

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Letters for Breakfast

2010-09-01T23:20:29Z

(Photo by K)

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Art: me + Sam

2010-09-01T23:17:20Z

This was my notes, including sketches, on a knitting pattern idea. Sam wanted to draw, and he wanted to draw ON MY NOTEBOOK, and you know what? I let him. I remember what it said.

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School Supplies!

2010-08-31T23:53:06Z

We are still not doing a formal curriculum (and I can’t really imagine ever starting), and I have no real plans, but I am collecting supplies for my guy!

(The picture above links to the etsy shop, whose photo I used because there was no light today.)

I first read about sandpaper letters on Sew Liberated, which is the blog formerly known as Montessori By Hand. I do not agree with a lot of things in Montessori theory, but there is a lot in there that I do like. (I won’t get into many specifics, partly because I am tired and partly because I am not very knowledgeable about it.) This tutorial on making your own letters also includes an explanation of how they are used. The idea, in short, is to trace the letters and speak them phonetically with the child.

I’m not sure how Sam will feel about these. He is, well, not very fond of things that are supposed to be played with in a certain way. Which I think is wonderful! But it makes it a little difficult for me sometimes. I don’t really anticipate using these “normally” (i.e. as intended) but I hope Sam will be interested in them.

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Thank you, Universe.

2010-08-28T00:08:18Z

THIS POST CONTAINS ZERO SARCASM.

On Wednesday evening, Will arrived home and informed me that he thought the Vespa was leaking gas. Since that is our second vehicle and the way he commutes to work, this had the potential to be Very Bad.

Yesterday I drove him to work. He called the Vespa shop and made an appointment, and this morning I followed him there. I was encouraged by the fact that I didn’t SEE anything bad happening, but still incredibly nervous. I may have mentioned once or twice before that we are POOR. Beyond the occasional splurge for beer or tacos, we can’t afford anything beyond our regular expenses. I just got paid for helping out at the yarn store, so I crossed my fingers, toes, and everything else that it wouldn’t cost too much more than I had just earned.

And the universe totally gave us a break. It’s costing $51 and the bike is ready to come home. If I remember right, the shop charges $40 an hour for labor, which means the problem was fixable with an $11 part. YAY!

I am so grateful that we don’t have to worry about this. I spend most of my days waiting for the other shoe to drop, whatever that means, and it’s nice to have something work out in our favor.

NOW BACK TO WHINING AND BEING SARCASTIC.

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More irony, this time in my favor.

2010-08-26T22:24:48Z

This morning I got a notice from the library that the books I reserved are in at my branch: The No-Cry Sleep Solution and The No-Cry Nap Solution.

This afternoon Grace napped for three hours.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I am not complaining, but oh man that’s ridiculous timing. I’m going to pick the books up anyway, though. Just in case.

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Oh, honestly.

2010-08-25T19:41:21Z

Earlier, Grace scratched me, so hard that I hollered, right next to my eye. In order to prevent that from happening again (for like 3-4 days), I am trimming her fingernails.

I bet you can guess where this is going.

I trimmed a nail and the clipping flew right into my eye. OH YES IT DID.

I am not sure whether to laugh or cry. I’m leaning toward laughing because SERIOUSLY, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

It’s possible I’ve forgotten how to laugh, though, since I spent three hours this morning looking for the DMV paperwork to renew the Vespa registration which is due TOMORROW and was RIGHT ON MY DESK so of course I still haven’t found it. (I did renew the registration, however, using the information from last year’s paperwork which actually turned up first THAT IS HOW MESSY AND UNORGANIZED MY DESK IS.)

So if you don’t hear from me for a while you know why.

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