New Achievement!

OK. Friday it is. I’m watching a leaf rotate in midair, probably 10 feet from any branch. Of course, there must be a spider web involved somehow, but it looks supermagical from here. I’ll take it. Yesterday…this week…it’s just been hard. Emailing admin at 9:45 at night to deal with something that happened hours earlier. Could it wait? Sure…but I’d probably forget about it. I do feel the relief that grades are done…not that I’m not grading stuff…just that I don’t have a deadline looming over me. This one kid, when I was reminding them that I really am still grading stuff, says, “hey so isn’t it Trimester 2?” Yes dear…and this assignment is part of that grade. Like they thought there would be a break between the two trimesters. Realistically, I have a unit they’re working on that spans the two trimesters…so the assignments will too. I just don’t want to be crazy behind. And I already sort of am. It’s reading the tests, reading their handwriting, that’s the problem. So much easier to read their typing. But then I fight AI. I have a longer test coming up that I think I have to convert to paper precisely for that reason. Unfortunately. Sigh. The conversions suck too…they take a lot of time to set up. Sometimes that is incredibly frustrating.

Pro: there’s a day off next week for Veterans’ Day. Con: it’s in the middle of the week. It’ll be fine. Really. Maybe. Not.

I’m grabbing time at night for art, in between other stuff. I managed to start the handsewing on this the other night…

With Simba and Scribble.

Those damn skinny bindings are just fussy as shit.

I always try to cut them so that they’ll easily fold over to the back and cover the stitching line, but I never cut them wide enough. So I’m fighting them, making tinier stitches, so more of them. I’m halfway, maybe a little more. I’m not sewing the sleeves down yet, because I want to do some hand embroidery and I don’t want to fuss with the sleeves if I do that. Like I did on the last one…pain in the butt because I forgot and just stitched them down. Silly goose.

I had a little extra time last night, because I was on a stitching Zoom, so I also pinned this to a backing…

It has kind of an irregular border, so I decided to applique it onto a backing and then do all the quilty things. It’s not very big.

Then I pinbasted this one for quilting.

That’ll be next up. I’m not sure this one needs embroidery? Maybe I’ll just like quilt all the hair? We’ll see. Sometimes they just seem more simplistic because it’s missing the details of commercial fabrics? We’ll see how I feel once it’s quilted. I also need a better local store for thread.

I haven’t been back to ceramics for a while; hoping to go after school today to try to fix the arm enough to get fired. Girlchild leaves today, boychild is back. I’m on partial dog-peeing duty. Maybe more than that next week, but we’ll see. Everyone seems to be healing up well, although slowly for some. Not surprisingly. Age slows everyone down. But I’m hoping to actually get out on a hike tomorrow afternoon. Might text my brother and invite him. I miss the hikes. The weather’s been so wonky, it’s been hard to fit it in, plus school’s demands on my time. But things are a little more chill at the moment, so I want to take advantage of that. I’ll be handstitching and/or quilting tonight at some point though. Maybe later. And grading more tests. Ugh. Just hoping the school day is chill…yesterday was not. Also hoping my new earbuds arrive or this other set I have works. I dropped my old ones into my tea. Yes, exhaustion. Impressive, even for me. New achievement! Klutz level 10 attained. Moving on. Bless the arrival of the weekend.

Get a Handle on It…

OK. There is hope…although my school board does not make me hopeful at all. I guess my last years of teaching will be about watching ignorant people try to contain children and their teachers in a negative way. So as we see positive change in the larger world, change those in government should absolutely use for positive results…my local world becomes smaller and more restrictive. There are stories like that all over the US. I’m glad for the House and the Senate and the big races that flipped some of that…the increased diversity of gender and people of color and indigenous folks. The people who should have been in positions of power all along. That is all good. Now go out there and fix shit, y’all. I can’t afford this world we’re in…not mentally and not in my wallet. Get rid of the damn swamp wherever you can. Meanwhile, my school board members will continue to claim that we teachers are evil communists who turn kids trans.

Speaking of those kids, I’m just trying to get them to understand Newton’s 2nd Law. Which is the easy one. I’m just trying to finish a unit before we go on Thanksgiving break, because after a week plus, my kids can’t remember anything. Sad but true.

Artwise, I spent time yesterday driving downtown (where apparently signals mean nothing) to pick up my piece from the library show. I have to decide whether to leave it as a book or pull it apart (my original plan) and make it into a quilt on the wall. Later. Decide later. I have limited decisionmaking energy at the moment.

I did finally finish my grades yesterday during my prep period. I think. I should go check them again. Just in case I forgot something. I had a really hard time this trimester getting it done. It had a lot to do with all the hospital stuff. I’d like to avoid that in the future. Not like you can plan for it.

I did manage to do a final trim on the current dye painting (it was a little crooked) and then went through my stash for a binding fabric. I thought for sure it would be green, but it was too much. So I found this light batik with a little blue and a little purple in it, and it worked really well with the piece…

That owl is screeching out for embroidery. Soon I will oblige.

And last night, I put the bindings and sleeves on…

They’re pinned and ready to sew by hand. I made a really narrow binding for this one. Scribble was entirely unhelpful. At some point, I had Bowie on my lap, then Scribble. If you don’t pet her enough, she reaches out with her paw and pats your hand. Hey lady. Pet me. Anyway, I’ll be handstitching tonight OR I’ll be sandwiching the other one. Depends on how I feel. Today is long. Meeting in the morning that I think everyone forgot about, teaching more force and motion all day, then pilates (need that) and dinner with the girlchild and my brother, who’s visiting my parents. Should be interesting. My introvert self just wants to finish the library book that’s being sucked back today, but since I have 5 hours left, that’s not happening. I’m already on the hold list, but it’s a good book and I don’t want to put it down. Ah well…such is being an adult and having to do the things and pay the bills and all that crap. It’ll be good to hang out with family at dinner, good to exercise, good to just sit and stitch afterwards. I took a break from grades last night (although I was typing things into the meeting agenda for this morning, so still work) and probably will tonight as well. Then I’ll need to get back into it. Ugh. Only 1/3 through the year…and I’m exhausted. Hopefully I’ll get a handle on it soon.

Under Control

OK. This week. Has to be more under control. Really. In terms of school planning, artmaking, all the things. I’m already behind of course. Grades aren’t done (due tomorrow), didn’t do half the things I needed to this weekend. I did pick up two quilts, one from the photographer (see below) and one from a show that closed. She said my piece was very popular, which is cool. It’s nice for the work to get noticed. I didn’t even finish my weekly bullet calendar, the thing that organizes my brain. I’ve bene to the airport twice in the last two days and will go again tonight. It’s OK…it is support flying in and out. Always good. Well, the flying out isn’t helpful, but people have to go to work and stuff.

Here’s the quilt that went to the photographer, Let It Rot…

55 ½” w x 64 ½” h, $5080. Yes, it’s for a show, but you’re never guaranteed to get in. So it might not. Which is always OK…the ones that don’t get in to the show I made them for invariably get into a good show somewhere. Lots of focus on the supportive, communicative mycelial network here…one I think we could all use.

I quilted the small skinny owl piece…

Thursday night…

Nothing Friday, but then Saturday night…

I got all the outlining done. Last night, I quilted the background…with a spare dog.

I also trimmed it, but I feel like I need to try that again, and then hope I have something that will work for the binding. Then it needs some embroidery…I think. I have two more ready to go here. So I can bounce between them.

Saturday dinner’s drawing…continued from one a few weeks back.

Sometimes they bring the food so fast, I can’t finish. Definitely Halloween on the mind.

Friday night, we had tickets to the B-52s, who were pretty good. Kate Pierson I think was great (she’s only 78).

Cindy Wilson was definitely having a harder time of it, but impressive attempt in her 70s as well.

DEVO was great. Love watching them run around and wearing kneepads so they could get down on the ground for the lower keyboards instead of just making a new setup. Lots of energy and fun.

The shows were short…that’s what happens when the audience AND the musicians are old, I guess, although there were a lot of younger people in the audience. Good fun.

So. I need to finish grading today. No matter what. All the injured people are home from hospitals and care facilities and hopefully healing appropriately. I’m still knee deep in Newton’s Laws this week. I need to set up a lab this week. Should have done it Friday, but I was exhausted. Still am, but I have no choice now. Staff meeting, which the boss promises will be short. Grades grades grades and then maybe putting a binding on that little quilt. Or starting the next one, if I don’t have enough of something appropriate. It happens. The art at the end of the day is helping…it always does.

Four Months’ of Leaves

Whoa Nelly, I took yesterday off, forgot to write, got some work done, but not nearly enough, and am now stressed about all the things. I’d like to thank my overactive brain for coming to that party.

Two nights ago, I labeled, cleaned up, and ironed my quilt for Quilt National so I could ship it yesterday. Then I did yet another round of shading on this last night…

It’s still wet in that photo, but I think I’ve finally beat the yellow and the orange. I’m hoping to like it enough tonight to iron it and then try to wash out the plasticky stuff. We’ll see how that goes. I’m hoping well.

I started quilting the other long, skinny piece last night, after sandwiching it.

I’m thinking embroidery on this one? But I haven’t decided. I’ll see what it looks like at the end. I was going to do a no-binding finish, but I forgot until it was already pinbasted and then decided I didn’t have the energy for thinking that out right now. Reality check there. Trying to be innovative with my own processes, which I know backward and forward, when there is no available brainpower is problematic.

Tuesday night was also an opening at the Hyde Gallery at Grossmont College. I have two pieces in the show, Desert Mother…

And Immediate Action Required…the face is because I hate having my picture taken and have to reset it occasionally.

Also it was the end of the school day and I was exhausted.

Not many people showed up, unfortunately. Even with free food. College students these days…

It is a nice show, though, and you should go see it.

And then I went over to the other house to pee the dog and wait for the girlchild and her dad to get home in case they needed help.

I think Annie needs help. Mostly the hugging/petting kind, which I tried to give her.

This is true for me.

I like tea a lot and I spill it frequently. I may also look a little like that at the moment.

This is what we’re teaching right now…well the Isaac part anyway. Colors isn’t until January.

I love the guy in the background…”OMG! WTF! GET SOMEONE TO HELP!” It’s refraction dude. You’re fine.

So yeah, speaking of fine. Sigh. It’s fine. Really. Glad to have everyone home (soon) and hopefully on the mend. The next week or so will be a little nuts, but we’ll figure it out. Did I mention grades are due? I did. I don’t have anything (but work and a benefits call and more work) tonight. Tomorrow night, we have tickets to a concert with friends, so I will need to go to that. The weekend looks crazy…too many things to do. I did manage to sweep four months’ of leaves off the front steps so no one will slip and die coming up or down them anymore. That was one of yesterday’s true achievements. Today, I am giving a test AND doing test corrections for the last test. Or the test before that. I just can’t remember. Can’t get caught up either. I’m doing this one digitally but hopefully locking their asses down to the two tabs I open up. We’ll see if it works. Then grading until I give up and quilt some more. Or iron. Or something. I need to get back into the artmaking…I’ve been procrastinating with cleanup, which was useful, but not productive. I need the productive part for my sanity. And I know that. So here we are, making things.

Staring into the Fire Void…

Well the weekend was nice but also a challenge…good to sit in a chair and read my book or embroider, without thinking about school, but it rained and we forgot the pump for the air mattress, so my hips are sore from sleeping on the ground. The bed last night felt delightful. We did remember the popup though, so that was helpful for the rain. AND we got the tent up before it started pouring. Another plus.

Friday was Tattoo a Teacher Day…we didn’t get as many as last year.

My arm one is still there. The face one did not last all weekend, but most of it. It was a dinosaur.

We got out of here by 6 PM (we hadn’t really packed and it was a bit of a crazy shitshow after school). We managed a small fire with the rain and the popup…

Short drawing time too. We were tired. I think we ate dinner at 9 PM. It was fine.

The next day dawned glorious. We went on a short hike…

Saw some giant footprints…

Took a few breaks…

Saw a few sights…

Made it to the top…

The Man’s back has been bugging him; I’m sure sleeping on the ground didn’t help. We came back and he rested…

He’s the lump in the tent. I read for a while and stitched for a while…

I’m almost done with this bird I’ve been working on for months. I obviously don’t work on it much.

We then made the insane decision to go into town for dinner…forgetting that it is October, apple season, and the tourists are in full swing. Insane swing.

All the restaurants are tiny and had long lines, quoting 90 minutes plus for dinner. We went to one off the beaten path, somewhere we’ve been before, volunteered to sit outside in the chill, and only had to wait 30 minutes. All good.

Back to a blazing fire, a longer drawing…

Some staring into the fire void. Sleep. Up in the morning feeling somewhat refreshed (I was kinda done with the sleeping on the ground thing, honestly). Packed up with no issues except wet things, came home, made a grocery list, and then had to deal with a second family member in the hospital in the last week. Here’s me grading outside the emergency room.

It’s OK…everyone is going to be fine. Everyone will be home soon enough. I’m just not done grading (shocking) and a little (a lot) behind on everything else. I’ll get there.

Extra dog.

And this is NOT a dog…

That is my front yard early Saturday morning. Ah well. We knew they were out there.

So I am mostly unprepared for this week. I’m taking lots of ashwaganda, so maybe that is helping. My lunches aren’t made, my grading isn’t done. I think I have warmup posts for the week, but I’m not sure. Grades are due in a week. I think I know what I’m teaching today…I’m pretty sure Friday self set all that up. Good job! And I’ll figure the rest out when I get there.

Losing Control of the Workload…

Whoa, losing control of the workload. Fun stuff. I had this plan for getting all the tests graded before next week (didn’t happen). All the digital stuff was going to be graded by today (nope. haha). All the packets were going to be graded on Wednesday (I have two more classes to grade). There are reasons (there are always reasons). Life sits up and says nah bruh. You gotta pivot. The plan is still to go camping this weekend (knock on wood). I’ll get the grading done. Somehow. I might have to grade a bit in the campground. I was going to try to grade in the car, but I think it’s gonna be dark. It’s fine. I’ll figure it out. But the art time is suffering at the moment. Also because my head can’t get around a few things until I get some other things done for once. I’m cleaning the office/studio still. Actually, what I’m doing is going through a bin and a bag of scraps and getting rid of those that are too small and sorting the rest. Plus trying to find an applique piece.

There’s one of the applique pieces in the bottom right…I have about 6 of them, maybe more, but there’s one in particular I’m looking for and it wasn’t in this pile. But really, this is about corralling these pieces into something so they stop wandering around the room.

Last night, that’s all I had the energy for. I got home, started dinner…finished the Zoom call I’d been on in the car, actually did some embroidery during the last bit of that, then ate, cleaned up, packed for camping, ordered tea, and sorted a few things. Not the most productive, but there were good reasons for it.

The night before, I did the eyebrows of the purple woman and yet another brown layer on the other.

Might need to go back with a light blue layer to bring the orange down. So complicated. Then wash it out and start making it into a quilt. Thing. Whatever.

I have an opening on Tuesday for this show…

I have two pieces in the show; stop by if you want to see them…or me. Here’s Desert Mother…she’s pretty fun up close.

Then this one…

Immediate Action Required…I had to look it up. Some piece’s titles take a while to sit in my head. This is a dye painting plus applique plus hand embroidery. Fun stuff. Gonna be doing more of that soon. Next week hopefully. If I can get my act together.

Today. Today includes two parent meetings in the morning, including one demanded by parents because we called their son a bully (hmmm…think about that). Then I’m giving a test. And finishing grading those packets hopefully. And maybe the other tests I haven’t finished. It’s Tattoo a Teacher Day at lunch. Gotta make sure I have something that will take those things off. Then home to pack and go camping, assuming the other stuff is OK. Hopefully spend some time sitting by a campfire or in a camp chair, relaxing, stitching, reading my book, (grading papers), hiking. Then home Sunday to do a ton of catchup. Not necessarily restful, but hopefully a reset of sorts. The run from now until Christmas is rough. Next week is Red Ribbon Week, plus a full moon, plus Halloween. Pray for your teacher friends. It’s a lot.

Hopefully It Will Hold…

My oatmeal revolted this morning. I’m not sure why. I don’t know what I did differently, but it was like a hard cake of oatmeal instead of like a mushy cereal. I don’t know what I did to deserve that. Probably didn’t put enough milk in? But I remember measuring it. Cooked it too long? That is possible. I don’t remember setting it, wait, I did…I did the right time. Am I eating it? Of course I am. Not wasting food. Don’t really care about it that much. Not the tastiest. Could be worse though. Giant blobs of hard oats. Weird.

Also weird, what I’m doing artistically at the moment, which is mostly cleaning honestly. The studio rarely gets a good clean, and it’s not getting one now either…but I had a bag and a bin full of little tiny pieces of fabric that came from IDK where and I can’t deal with them taking up real estate any more. Some are precut binding pieces, and narrower than anything I would ever use, so they’re getting recycled. The rest are getting cleaned off (dust bunnies), ironed if necessary, and stacked up by color, along with some other monthly shipments I got for a while and I thought I had sorted into my bins, but hadn’t. So now I am.

My internet is being cranky this morning; hopefully I’ll be able to add photos by the time I’m done writing. Anyway, those are the piles so far; I’m about 1/3 of the way through the bin. I got all the way through the bag. I also need to pack a quilt and ship it. So that’s on my to-do list. Plus grades are due soon, so I’m trying to get through one class of tests a night, but really, I need to do two one night because camping this weekend. I think last night was the night I was going to try to do more, but it was errands, talking to dad (or trying to), because it was his birthday (86!), and then talking to my bro, his lovely wife, and his delightful daughter. All good things. Just can’t grade when life is happening. Sigh.

Top right of that picture has some fabric applique pieces I’ve made but not finished over the years. I was looking for a specific one and it wasn’t there. Sigh. I do have them on my list to try to finish, but I need to find all of them.

So I’ve been adding Inktense pencil layers to these two dye paintings. The small one needed a background color and the larger one, the two bottom heads needed stuff.

So I’ve been adding layers and then fabric medium and more layers. Last night, I ironed the smaller one, so I’ll wash it out probably tonight, see what holds. The larger one, I thought I was done, and then in the photo, noticed I’d forgotten the eyebrows.

And they’re totally obvious and bug me. So I’ll do that tonight. So it’s not an hour’s worth of truly art stuff, but the cleaning needs to happen. I’ll get there. The heads piece and another long skinny one need to be finished next.

I finally made it to ceramics and made some decisions. I was able to remove the ‘cloth’ piece from the arms and I’m putting it in the bisque fire.

Hopefully it won’t change shape much. I’ll try to glaze fire it in place. I just needed it out of the way so I could try to do a better fix on the arm. We’re at bone dry though and it’s problematic. It is a clean break though, so if I can fire it next to the main piece after I fix it, I’ll be able to make it all work I think.

I’d say I need to do something smaller next, but this was supposed to be smaller and maybe I just can’t do small? I also can’t finish things quickly. I do think the arm is more stable now, so that should help.

Speaking of help, here’s Scribble helping to grade tests.

She is ever so helpful.

I drove past this during errands yesterday. I like to let the GPS tell me which way to go, so I end up on random streets I’ve never been on.

Their reviews are average, but it’s worth a try to drag some kid there, yeah? Maybe just for coffee.

This is legit.

That man is so incapable of doing his job as it is.

OK. Today should be a chill day. Kids have an independent assignment to complete before a lab tomorrow. I have a million packets to grade and I really need to finish if possible. Or get close. Then I have pilates after school and need to set up a flood barrier for the rain that is coming over the next few days. I have an outside drain that isn’t working and needs to be cleared out, but I don’t have the time or the equipment. It’s on my list for Thanksgiving. The new gutter drains in an inconvenient location. Then I’m going to grade more than one class worth of tests, fix those eyebrows, and finish cleaning up in here. Maybe put a label on that quilt I need to ship (probably not; let’s be honest. There are only so many hours in a day). It’s all good though. At least I have a plan…hopefully it will hold.

Be Prepared

Pro: I finished a quilt. Con: Now I have to do all the other things I wasn’t doing because I was finishing a quilt. Friday night I finished the sleeves…

Still needed to be ironed and cleaned up, but that was the plan for Saturday morning…

And while I was trying to fall asleep, I remembered a set of mushrooms that needed embroidery…

So that was Saturday morning…

I dropped the quilt off with the photographer and then ran some errands. I came back and started to get some of the home and school to-do lists done, never enough. After dinner out, I remembered I decided to color the background of this. I’m using Inktense pencils, so after you color, you have to paint. But I think it’s OK. I might do another layer.

This is very small, but not small enough for an upcoming show I need to enter. It’s a drawing I did summer of 2025, then colored summer of 2026. Still not done.

Then last night (yesterday was crazy busy), I got about 15 minutes to work on this.

Mostly this piece is fine as is…or at least, it’s ready for the next stage. But the yellow person is still yellow. I got through the coloring part with the pencils but not the painting part, so I’m expecting (hoping) the yellow becomes less yellow and the purple hair gets darker. But we’ll see tonight. As of tonight, I have a ton of grading to do. We’ll see how that goes. I’m also hoping to finally make it back to ceramics, to deal with the broken arm. Sigh. We’ll see how that goes.

Another school shooting.

Tough one. Kid with a gun going back to his elementary school. Special needs kid, special needs classroom. We don’t teach kids to deal with trauma. As a classroom teacher, we see a lot of it, and the resources don’t exist in schools to deal with that and teach content and teach them to read and all the things we’re supposed to do. But this is not a solution. Guns are never a solution. Little kids. All of them. And this…

That.

My pilates studio has these skellys all around in pilates poses. For something a little goofy.

And this is too true.

Microsoft does some weird shit on my computer and I don’t really understand it all.

I do love this woman.

It’s definitely something to think about, maybe more now than later. Vote. A pedophile/rapist is in charge. Him not being in charge won’t solve all the problems, but if we can get more people against him in the government, it might start to reverse the crazy. Because it is crazy.

OK. Grade lots of things. Although I think not today…I think today is a lot of demos and stuff. Things where I have to be directly involved all day. Sounds exhausting. Then a staff meeting. And a grade-level meeting that is not relevant, I think, but I just don’t have the energy to argue about it. Grade-level matters when we get closer to promotion. Less now. Then ceramics, home and grade a bunch of stuff, then paint that stuff. Maybe color more on the other one. Somehow get the book I’m reading on my iPad to sync up with the same book on my phone. Usually it does; not sure why it’s being idiotic. It’s cooler today. Maybe. This fall has been ugh. I need to go buy some flood control stuff before the next storm shows up. That would be Wednesday, I think. Try to be prepared. For everything. Can’t possibly be prepared for someone jumping a fence and killing little kids. Not ever.

Losing My Body…

My blood sugar device alarm went off at 4:56 AM. Not because I was high or low but because the phone (under my pillow) couldn’t find the signal in the device (on my arm, next to my pillow). Usually that resolves pretty quickly, but no. Not last night. After about three alarms, my sleep self turns the alarm to silent, which means it vibrates instead of sending a loud tone. I put it on the floor, because I can’t sleep through the vibrations either, but I can still hear it vibrating on the floor. Because I was half asleep, I turned them off for an hour, and that usually solves it, but no. At 6:04 AM, the alarm was blaring again. My fucking god. Please stop. I haven’t slept well all week. I got up at 6:30 and the damn thing had found my sensor. On my arm. Where it had been all night. Technology good? Well, yes, it’s helped me bring my A1C down to prediabetic levels, so that’s great. The part where I want to throw my phone across the room at 5 AM? Not so much. Of course it’s fine now. Now I have to get up and go to work and be functional and not cranky (I’ve been cranky all week).

We’ve got Santa Ana winds again, so it’s also hot and dry and migrainey. It’s fine. Really. I’m going to sleep some day. When I’m dead.

Meanwhile, my quilt is due to the photographer tomorrow afternoon, so it has to be done, ironed, and clean. Wednesday, I sewed all the binding and sleeves together and onto the quilt and then pinned it all…

Cue artistic photo of a pile of pins ready to stab me.

Then last night, I started on the binding.

I did most of one long side, then all of a shorter side, then about 2/3s of the other long side. Tonight I need to do the rest and the two sleeves. Plus grade stuff. I did that last night too.

Still hot, still windy, still dry. Some big fire up in Camp Pendleton closed Interstate 5 last night for a bit. The boychild is at that fire today.

This is Simba tolerating Scribble.

He was there first, but he’s scared of her (she has whacked him when he is too inquisitive).

Bowie is still curling up next to me most nights…

I made him a little sleep spot. He seems to need it.

And Simba the other night, after I picked him up from the other house (with the other dog), was exhausted.

Mostly from barking at people, apparently.

Sigh. We’re camping next weekend, so hopefully the Santa Anas are done by then. I think they are. And no rain please. The Man is working again this weekend, so I’m going to finish my quilt and then pull camping gear. And then work on the next batch of quilts. I’m excited about working on them…dye paintings from the summer. Different stuff. Don’t get me wrong; I love a good big quilt in the way I normally make them, but doing different stuff is also fun. I have the next big quilt as a rough idea in my head. It’s a start.

School today…finishing experiments on force and motion. Then (possibly mistakenly) giving kids time to catch up on work. Depending on them, of course, and they are notoriously lazy about that. I make them check for what’s missing. I’m not doing it for them. I need to write a makeup test for the thing I gave them last week. The surprise thing. And I need to grade a bunch more stuff…grades are due in two weeks for the trimester. I’m powering through, but very slowly. Everyone in the house is cranky. Dogs, cats, people. I could do without that. Hoping camping will help. But for now, I’m pretty sure I can sleep in a bit tomorrow morning. A delight. Really. Maybe. Unless the alarm loses my body again. You’d think if we could design AI that can hack into major companies and have conversations, then we could design a sensor that doesn’t lose the body that is right next to it. Happy Friday y’all.

Already Done in My Head

So we’re going from the lovely 60s and rain to the 90s and Santa Ana winds again. Cue headache. Today is the mid day…it’s in the 80s and not windy yet…that’s tomorrow. I don’t think I thought about the weather this much when I was a kid. I would just look out the window in the morning and make a guess. I wouldn’t track radar (well, you would have had to watch the news for that). I did watch the news in my 20s, honestly, mostly for the weather. Is it going to rain? It’s San Diego; probably not. But how hot it was going to be (or cold) would dictate what you wore to work…sometimes. Today I’m wearing all black because our bargaining committee is meeting with the district over their less than COLA offer. Health insurance is going up. EVERYTHING is going up. And offering us less than COLA AGAIN means a cut in pay. So yes, I was at another school board meeting last night wearing red. Black today. They are just exhausting. Meanwhile, my school asked me to do a half-day release on literacy, something I support, but they’re not giving me enough notice. And only an hour to work with my co-teacher of the three they want to take. And I’m out the next day. So no. Thank you but no. I tossed and turned last night, irritated by many things (the bottom sheet won’t stay on the mattress and I couldn’t fix it because the Man and two cats were already in bed asleep…see below)…

Also irritated by people. Not surprisingly. People assuming stuff, people overreacting like middle schoolers when they are grown-ass adults, so little communication. I seriously just want to do my job as well as I can without being out of the classroom excessively. I want to be able to come home and NOT work sometimes. I had this plan at the board meeting last night that I would grade stuff, but I didn’t have the brainpower.

Today is another day.

In really good news, I am finishing this quilt two weeks early and I don’t know how I pulled it off. Wait. I do know. I did not come home and work as much as I usually do. I am behind in grading, yes, but I finished quilting last night…

I started Saturday…and did 9 1/2 hours since then. Glorious. I had about 45 minutes before bedtime last night, so I trimmed it…

And then stayed up late cutting the binding and sleeves so I would be ready to put it all together tonight and start sewing the binding on.

This morning, I texted the photographer, and it needs to be done Saturday for delivery. Check out the three different backing fabrics. I’m using up stuff! Like a boss. Don’t worry; I bought more last Saturday when I bought the binding.

I’m feeling excited about what I’ll be working on next, which is finishing a few of the smaller dye paintings from the summer for an upcoming show they might actually get into. Hopefully. When I’m having a hard time falling asleep, when I realize I’m having conversations in my head that haven’t actually happened and probably never will, you know how they tell you to count sheep or some equivalent? I had one doc tell me to imagine the colors of the rainbow, and you start in a cloud-filled, soft room of all red things, and then you move into the orange room, etc, and eventually you will relax enough to fall asleep. I do meditate every night and then sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn’t. So I do the art quilter version. I imagine where I am in the quilt that I’m on, and I visualize the next step. Last night, I imagined sewing the binding strips together, ironing them, trimming the excess, then sewing them on, then sewing the sleeves together, finishing the edges, then sewing them on. Then zigzagging the edges and folding the binding over and pinning it. Yes. All that. It’s meditative for me anyway. It didn’t help. I had to get up, pee, take pain meds (head), pull on the bottom sheet until the Man got up so I could fix it, then deep breathe, flip over, do that again, move the pillow, get up again and type in the idea for the next big quilt, then look up an embroidery kit company from the 80s, then try to sleep again. Plus have all those conversations in my head again. It was not helpful.

But I did have this guy on the couch next to me.

I was trying to finish my book. I did not finish it. I’m so close it’s annoying. Sigh.

This…

Though I don’t remember the parachute as a kid…only with my own kids. And I don’t think we did phonics when I was a kid either. But we did do book fairs. I remember those. And we did nuclear bomb drills where we hid under our wood and metal desks. Fun times.

OK. Today we are starting force and motion. Not a hard day, I think. I still have two teachers out. Yesterday, it was all three. Kids kept asking me why I was there. Rude. Union meeting after school. Maybe some of the conversations I had in my head will happen (more gently) in real time. You never know. Then putting binding on. I’ve already done it in my head. Should be easy to do it for real.