Well I am officially on Spring Break. There was a definite feeling that a huge weight had dropped from my shoulders yesterday afternoon. Totally ironic, since I have like 7 things to grade in 4 days. And packing. And a bunch of art stuff. I certainly don’t feel relaxed at the moment…I think I have to wait until I’m hiking through a canyon to get there. We started the break with an escape room adventure…which started in a total dive bar…
Hence wine in a can. We did pretty well in the escape room…
Despite the scary additions. We managed to escape with 8 minutes to spare. Pretty good for teachers after the last day of school before break, which included a talent show.
We even came back to our rooms after school and had to get them cleaned up so hopefully they can clean them before we come back. They didn’t do it over Winter Break though, so I don’t know what to expect. Probably nothing.
I met the man for dinner, came home, and basically tried to be functional and failed. I did a little on this.
He’s just sniffing it. I’m worried I’m not going to have enough of the gray thread, so I’m doing those bits first, in case some need to be another color. Nine meters (is it meters?) sounds like a lot until you’re stitching with it. The plus is that it’s not very hard to do this.
So on my plans for today: finish the damn taxes. Start the drawing for the next quilt. Hopefully hear back from photographer on pickup of the other two quilts. Prep a quilt to be delivered tomorrow (it needs ironing and hardware). Start to seriously pack for trip. Grade a pile of Unit 6 (they’re quick and small). Input grades. I think there’s other stuff on the list that I don’t remember.
Here’s the paper ready for me to start drawing…
I’m going to make myself do the taxes first though. Hi guys…
There will be no sleeping in on the first day of break. OK. Taxes. Do them. Do them right. Move on. Maybe sit on the deck in the sun for a bit too. That would be good.
*Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, You Worry Me
I’m on hold. This is not a philosophical statement, although sometimes life feels that way, eh? I’m on hold with my online prescription service because there’s been a problem with putting things in my cart, and I feel like that’s kinda rude on their part, judging my ability to pay for my meds, so I’m calling to fix that shit. Oh yeah, they’re not fixing that shit. They want me to clear my cookies, and I don’t do that for just anyone, assholes. The nice woman who is the interface between me and the web folks says that THEY say if I clear my cookies, it will only affect their website. OMG you fucktards. So untrue. Absolute bullshit. Sigh. So the other option is that I call back the next time it happens. Great. So that will be in weeks. Someone remind me to do that and have the TIME to call in and walk through something like that. Not happening on a school day, is it. It’s OK, I can order meds by calling, but they ask all these questions and want responses and I just don’t want to deal with that crap. Especially before tea.
Well good morning all! It is the last day before Spring Break, hallelujah, and I am ready for it! Nope. I’m not. Not at all. I did work my butt off yesterday and created all the posts we need for the project when we come back from break. And realized I hadn’t copied one thing that we needed. Oops. Fuck me. Then I delivered my quilts to the photographer, so I should have those back in the next few days. Deadline met! Then I headed out to San Diego Mesa College for the opening of Subterranean…here’s me and Grace Gray-Adams with our respective pieces.
As another friend said, they put the person who makes lint and the person who uses lint together. Nice. I had good feedback from people…so no one came up to me and said they hated them, which is always a plus.
I did have an interesting conversation about thread and holes from the needle with one man, who knew a lot more about sewing than most men (or even people) do. This show is only up until the 25th. That probably means I will need the boychild to pick up the pieces, because I might not be back yet. I’m not sure I have pickup info yet. One more thing for the to-do list. Sigh.
I was exhausted by the time I left the show. I came home and read for a while, then exercised, and then tried to be functional. This is an issue right before break. I’m mentally done and my body keeps telling me how tired it is. Meanwhile, we’ve been trying to get everything figured out for our trip. The plus is that the nighttime temps in Bryce have come up 10 degrees (still not enough). The minus is the snow has increased.
Well OK then. I’m going to obsessively watch this for the next week. I’m hoping it stays 28 and the snow goes away, but this is better than it was. Although 30-mph winds during the day is also an issue. Apparently the road is currently closed because of trees down on it. Worrisome. I think we’re camping under trees. IT WILL BE FINE. Dad came through on a passport holder that I can shove under all my clothing that is the right size to hold all my diabetes crap so it doesn’t freeze. As long as I have blood running through my core, that is. Which is the ultimate goal.
The man, meanwhile, is totally excited and hyped and into all this trip stuff, so he can go pack and organize everything while I race around with the to-do list and grading. Uh huh.
I do need to finish a drawing before I go, at least…if not start tracing. Last night, I managed to cut a piece of paper out that is the right size for that. That was all. Then I worked on the first embroidery for a while.
So far, so good. I’m using chain stitch and backstitch so far. I’m also keeping track of stitching time, because I want to know how much time I’m using (a lot more than you would think) for whatever I get out of it. Anyway. It’s also relaxing and meditative.
I’m already nervous about how much thread I’m using. I can only use what’s on the bobbin. It seems like a lot? But not? We’ll see. If I weren’t limited to 5 colors, that would be fun. So far, it seems to be turning out OK though.
OK, so survive day, which includes a talent show (ugh). Escape room with coworkers tonight (seems ironic in some way). Come home and attempt to function. Ha! Finish all the things on the to-do list before Wednesday at 6 AM (double Ha! So not happening.). Enjoy trip. Do not freeze to death, have low blood sugar three miles out on a trail, or break a leg. Or crash. Do NOT call Emergency Services. Have a good time! Finish my book. Or books. Stitch a bit. Draw a lot. Hike a lot. Take cool pictures. Don’t hang out with any 12-year-olds. At all. OK, that might not work. Campgrounds tend to have 12-year-olds. I’m gonna try though.
We’re closer to some version of sanity I think. The two quilts that need photography got packed up last night…it took about an hour to get all the cat and dog hair off the big one. To be honest, I found a cat sleeping on it more than once, so there’s that. I’m delivering them right after school…
Pretty exciting stuff. First two finishes of the year finally getting their pix taken. On to the next one! Sometimes deadlines are really annoying. But then they hopefully turn into shows, so there’s that. I have an opening tonight at Mesa College for Subterranean…two of my pieces are in that. I’ll be at the opening after I drop my quilts.
None of those details are mine. One of mine made the press release. I’m good with that. Hopefully I’ll have some show photos later today. The opening is from 5-7 PM.
I’m a little spacey this morning. Blood sugar was really low. I have no idea why. Well, I exercised after dinner. Not sure what else. I’m eating. I’m getting better about carrying food everywhere. I ate circus animal cookies yesterday (one of those cute little bags that only has like 5 cookies in it). That’s probably not it. I had a union meeting. It was a weak moment.
OK, so two more days of managing the exploding squirrels who are my students. They have work to do, but you know how that goes. It’s not just me being driven nuts by their inability to function…all of us are. Spring Break is late and we are all cranky. The different is that I’m still working. Ah well. Progress reports go home today. That should help. Maybe? There’s a fire drill this morning. Because they hate us? Who picks these days? People who don’t work in the classroom, that’s who. Idiotic.
OK. Well, I didn’t get much art-related stuff done last night. I paid my property taxes and my daughter’s college payment and I graded a bunch of stuff and exercised and meditated like a good girl and packed up those quilts and thought about the next quilt. I even looked at the drawing I had already started. I thought about cutting paper the right size. I even thought about what the right size would be. But I didn’t do anything. It’s OK. I’ll get there. Not particularly quickly. I have too much to grade to get anywhere quickly.
This guy. Asleep on my foot.
He’s a sweetheart, although we’ve been pulling these curly sticks from some bush out of his fur for days and he hates that, because they stick. On certain parts of his body, I just cut them out. It’s easier.
OK, go to school, live through fire drill and kids not working, get some grading done, hopefully don’t have to yell at anyone or lose my mind. Then deliver quilts and go to exhibit and wonder at the art. Come home and eat and do some stuff. Hopefully draw. That’s where I want to be. I might even embroider. It could happen. The only thing that’s stopped me so far is finding the appropriate needle. Ironically, because there’s probably a few hundred needles all over this house. Hopefully not in the carpet. Should I worry that my left eye is twitching? No. I should be glad that I got this late in the school year before it started up! Yaaasss!
It’s all about checking off the to-do list at the moment. How much can I get done before we leave on our trip? How much can I get done before we go on Spring Break and I can pee whenever I want? How much can I get done in class today? How much can I get done in an evening? I made myself go on a walk after school yesterday, because after tutoring and the chiropractor, I still had enough daylight. And it’s good for me. It confuses this guy…
Yeah, that’s my dog. At my ex’s house. Don’t ask. He comes barreling out of the house to bark at me as I walk by, and then realizes it’s me and wants to know why I’m not walking him. Huh. Well sometimes I like NOT picking up poop.
This is the urban hike I sometimes do. It has a lot of weeds right now.
At least on this section. There’s a big hill at one end of it. Good exercise. Takes me about an hour. Then I can come home and cook dinner and get on with things.
I graded for a while and then realized how late it was and that I was supposed to finish the binding on that quilt last night, because I have a union meeting tonight and I’ll need to iron, dehair, and pack up both quilts, which is not a small amount of work for one evening. So I stopped grading (I like to finish a whole assignment if I can. I didn’t.)…and started sewing binding down.
Assist not needed, Satch. Yeah, I did the whole thing. I finished just before midnight. There’s a couple of embroidery stitches I need to do as well, but they won’t take more than about 10 minutes. So she’s done.
To the photographer tomorrow…and then I start on the next one. Which I can’t show you. Awkward. Seeing as how my whole artistic existence is focused on what the hell did I get done yesterday? Well. We’ll see how I roll with that. Might be hard. Lots of dog and cat pictures. Weird views of lines and piles of stuff that you can’t recognize. Wait. That sounds like about half the quiltmaking right there. I’ll be fine. First I have a pretty significant to-do list to get through today…starting with the last of the girlchild’s college payments. Yay! (don’t think about the loans. It’s OK.)
Somebody’s phone was buzzing with notifications last night and it wasn’t mine. It’s a weird world we now live in, where technology is so ingrained in our existence, when a mere 30 years ago they weren’t…maybe even 20 years ago? It means I’m a little tired this morning. Buzzing wakes me up. It doesn’t wake everyone up. My brain’s not fully up though. It’s wondering about sleep. Still. Forever maybe.
My progress report grades are done. Good thing because they’re due today. Before I finished them, we walked the beasts. I need a good walk on a Monday afternoon…
It cleans out the crazy shit in my head after meetings and kids.
It was hot though, almost 90 degrees. Ugh.
This time of year, teacher empathy is really at a low. I don’t understand parents or how they deal with kids. You look at really bad behavior and you know it doesn’t come from nowhere. This one kid is driving us all bonkers and parents made this. He’s a fucked-up mess and a bully and is being a general shit, when he’s capable of much more. But there’s zero parental support for that. We have 4 days until Spring Break, and then he’s not my problem for two weeks. He’ll still be my problem when we come back, but I can see a light at the end of the tunnel for that.
Trying to get the dogs to drink water while walking…they don’t like it.
The thing is, whatever jerk I have this year? I’ll have another one next year. And I’ll start out with a shitload of empathy and try to work with them, and at some point, I won’t have it any more. Or I’ll use it on another kid, a kid where it seems to have an effect.
It sounds really awful, but we are human and some kids are in need of more help than I can ever give them. At this point, I’m just managing behavior. His bullying is increasing because he’s feeling pressure somewhere. I’ll report everything I see and hear toward other kids…his need to bully adults though? That’s amusing. As a middle-school teacher, I always find it funny when they use the stuff they use on other kids on us. Talk about my clothes? Talk about my being chubby? So what dude. You’re not hurting a grown adult who works with kids all day with that shit.
It really was a beautiful walk. I managed to kick that kid out of my head until I did his grades. And then for the rest of the night.
I think it was too hot for the old lady though…
She was moving pretty slowly. The dog. And me, I guess. We let her lie in the water to cool off a bit.
See the tongue?
Pretty sure this was dead.
And LOOONG.
So after dinner was made (by me, to be clear) and grades were done (also by me), I trimmed the quilt and remembered to put the binding in the dryer and then put it on the quilt.
So a bunch of handsewing tonight and I’m done. Tomorrow I can iron and dehair both quilts and deliver them to the photographer, and then I need to draw the next one. I did one preliminary drawing. I need to do something slightly different. But I can worry about that tomorrow. Tonight I need to finish this. Before that, I need to go teach hotspots. And some of the kids are kinda like hotspots. They need our attention. Rolls eyes at encroaching empathy attack. Damn. It’s in me. I can’t stop it.
I didn’t really disappear over the weekend. I just worked a lot. On everything. There’s significant progress, but I don’t feel relaxed. I’ll get there. I have most of my taxes done, except for one large task that I’m about halfway through doing. Teacher expenses. Pain in the ass to collect. But I need every penny. I got through grading all the makeup work, although as soon as I input everything, the kid emails started. Because they don’t believe it will be graded until it’s graded. So then they email me and tell me how they’re gonna fix things tonight, and I’m like, well, that sucks to be you for progress reports, because I’m done grading makeup work until next weekend, sweet thang.
Then we started trying to figure out our trip, beyond the panicked moving of one place to stay…mucho debate about the next place, because it’s cold. And snow. Or sleet. But definitely cold. And ice. And we are from sunny Southern California and do not do either of these things well. We knew we both wanted hiking pants anyway, and we had our REI dividends plus a coupon, so we headed out. And bought some warm stuff too. Plus went to my parents and found the sleeping bags and the tent we used two years ago (rain flap!)…and of course, we set up the tent in the living room, to see if the air mattress would even fit, because it never went in this tent…
And it does fit…so does the cat…
But it’s pretty tight…mostly because when it’s inflated, it’s pretty tall, and the sides of the tent go in, and it would be an issue with rain. Or sleet. Or maybe even snow…I don’t know, because I don’t think I’ve ever camped in snow. That’s probably not true. But I’ve blocked it out if I did, and now I’m old and the snow thing is really throwing me.
I was OK with the tent, but the man was not and went online and got something we could put two coolers, a fan, a chair, and a television into (not really, something about a guy in Louisiana and a storm, but the tent was fine). So that’s managed. Mostly. We need clothing that ranges from 72 degrees down to 20 degrees. Fun stuff. At the moment, the man is looking forward to this trip and I’m a little apprehensive. I’ll be fine. Just not right now. Right now, I have too much on my plate. I was trying to get shit done yesterday and he kept coming in to show me maps and pictures and other stuff, and I’m like, this is more than a week away I’m panicking about stuff for tonight please ok fine just say it and then I’ll make a noise that sounds like I get it and then I can work on what I’m working on which is due before we leave. Deep breaths.
I tried quilting Saturday before my art meeting (where I got more things to do), but the machine was being a cranky nasty bitch. There were a few of these…
And a whole ton of broken thread. I switched the needles, the position of the spool, rethreaded about a million times, put the sewing goo on the thread. Sigh. I came back and quilted some more at night, and it still refused to behave. It wasn’t until Sunday that I figured out that it wasn’t on the right setting for the foot I was using. I don’t know why it wasn’t…it was the last thing I did. I think? Whatever.
After that, she worked like a dream. Mostly.
Sunday, I pulled it off the machine, even though it wasn’t done, and went and bought the binding fabric, because I knew I wouldn’t have time later this week. Like today.
And then I came home and did more grading and cook prep and taxes and organizing and grocery shopping and I don’t even remember what else.
After dinner, I quilted. And quilted…
And somewhere around midnight, I finished quilting…
Almost 6 hours. Did you know that not last week, but the week before, I did 20 hours of artmaking? While working? I think that was the week I was sick too. My weeks have been nuts. But she’s quilted. Tonight I can get the binding on. I might even finish early. I have to deliver two to the photographer. I should email him. I said I would. OK, done. Emailed.
And then the next one needs to get drawn, but you won’t see that one. You might see these getting done…
Although not until this binding is done. I have six to do. That’s a lot. I might let friends do some of them, once I’ve done one. We’ll see.
I miss this kid. She hasn’t sent me a photo for her graduation announcements. I’m thinking of using this one.
She’s a Leo, in case you were wondering. She really is a Leo too. I’m a Pisces, but sort of atypical. I live with a Capricorn and a Cancer. I’m not counting the dogs and cats. OK, well, I’m going to continue to pray to the no-snow gods and to try to finish shit and exercise and read my book and not panic too much and keep my cool with the kids who are gonna tell me It’s Not Fair for whatever reason. Did I mention grading All the Things? Gonna do that too. Oooohhhhmmmm.
By lunch yesterday, my morning pseudo-zen was gone. There was a kid involved in part of it, but I just removed him from the equation. Mostly it was a stairstepping of tasks that kept coming at me through email. Do this, approve that, don’t forget this thing over here, that reminder just went off but you’ll have to reschedule it so you can EAT. or PEE. All the things eventually got done. Or rescheduled. Because sometimes that’s all I can do (you should see tomorrow’s to-do list). I did finally finish grading the giant project from hell (there were 8 different pieces to grade for each of my kids, although with only 66 videos to watch, a lot of them had multiple kids in them, so a few less on that one piece). I do need to go in early today and do all the grade calculations. Math. Ugh. But there’s progress. There’s always progress. It just feels like at the moment that I will never ever be done. NEVER. Welcome to the last trimester of the school year.
I should have my car back today. Finally. Oh hallelujah. And he thinks he’s solved the problem. Also yay. I went to bed early last night so that I would hopefully have some extra sleep behind me for the day, but that didn’t really happen. I aim for 6 1/2 hours a night, and recently, with the stress and who knows what else yelling at me, I’m lucky to get 5 1/2 interrupted. I’m not the only one though, so I know it’s not in my head. Spring Break is super late and the kids are amped and freaking out, and it makes our lives more difficult. Today I will have a parent shadow in class for a kid I asked to be removed for today (some legal issues there that I’m letting slip for today, hopefully for the greater good). It’s fine. Things are going.
I came home yesterday and was home for about 3 minutes (long enough to pee, trap a cat, and do my Imperfect Produce order with the boychild)…because this one has a persistent eye infection that hasn’t been solved yet.
We think we’re on the right track though, so that’s good. But I was so exhausted waiting for all this…didn’t get home until almost 6 PM. Ugh. Should have taken food with me. Blood sugar. Sigh.
Then I did a bunch of stuff. Answered all those emails that were pestering me during the day, tried to manage some money for the girlchild…finally the last college payment! Well, except for paying off loans, but we did it! We got two kids through college! Now to get them gainfully employed (their shit, not mine) and happily ensconsed in life. Or something. Less stressed than I am, maybe. Good luck with that. I don’t even remember most of what I did. I do know that at one point, I had three devices I was using at once: watching the last of the kid videos on computer, texting co-teacher on phone, and half-watching Jurassic World on the TV to keep me awake. I finally gave up on the last one.
I am trying to set up a way for people to buy posters of my work…turns out there’s some wild and crazy things I could also print quilts on…
I’ll let you know how this goes. I ordered one of them to see how it looks before I go live.
Oh yeah, I cleaned the floor while dinner was cooking. And then I pinbasted…
That was on my list.
And now it’s done. And then I meditated. Which maybe helped? And maybe didn’t. Hard to say. OK, lies, it always helps. And I have 14 minutes before my ride to school leaves, so I’m going to go do all the things so I can go there and finish shit and hopefully have some relaxing time at some point in the future that I can’t really see at the moment. Plus start quilting.
I just read someone else’s blogpost this morning and now my brain is like sludge. Probably it has something to do with being up too early for my brain, but school is like, Hey, you should do lots of early meetings. Other people like early meetings and they need you to be at them too, even though you are a cranky-ass bitch in the morning and you don’t even like talking to people until maybe 10 AM but you have to be at work at 8 today and you have a headache and aren’t particularly recovered from your hellish cold, and sometimes you just get tired of being responsible and caring about shit regarding your job and you consider what it must be like to have a job where you come home and you don’t worry and plan and continue to work, even though you’re not getting paid. Really, all those words are in my head way too often, but as it gets later in the school week and the sleep deficit gets larger, your brain starts punctuating those thoughts with groans and sighs and requests for long lie-ins in bed.
Oh brain. You’d think you’d have figured me out by now. I’ve got plans. Some things I have to do (today’s morning meeting, tomorrow’s morning meeting)…some things are optional, but don’t necessarily feel that way because you do have obligations to people…you don’t really hate people…it’s just that being with people sometimes means having to do things you don’t really feel like doing, right? And I know people feel the same with me, so I try to minimize that shit and remember my duty to the human race and be a contributing part of the things in which I’m involved. That’s a lot of words explaining why I have to go to the grocery store again tonight. Somehow. In between a cat to the vet and potentially (hopefully?) finally getting my car back. My mechanic offered to come on our trip to Utah in two weeks if he couldn’t fix the car. Nice one. Awkward though.
Speaking of our trip, we start out in Zion National Park. I follow Zion on Instagram, which is where I found out that they’re closing part of the road through the park for three weeks, starting next week, to do a major repair after all their rain this winter…the same rain we got. Fuck. We have a reservation on the east side of the park. So that means a 3-hour, one-way trip to get to the west side of the park from there. And they have a shitty cancellation policy, although I’m calling this morning to try the manager, even though I’m sure they will say the same damn thing, and then I will come back on here and tell you their name so you can never stay there. I did already reserve some weird place on the west side, just to cover our butts. It was a frantic search for about 30 minutes or so, and that was after 20 minutes for me to realize holy fuck, this isn’t going to work. Don’t even ask me about Bryce right now. I think we’re going to freeze. We’ll be fine. FINE DAMMIT. Laughs hysterically. Next year, we go somewhere that has no bugs, caterpillars, or snow. Really. Maybe. I don’t know. There’s the excitement of a trip and then the holy crap what was I thinking this sounds awful and then the real life this is awesome part of it. I’m in the holy crap stage. I’ll get over it. No worries.
So I got home yesterday after school…and I dragged my mostly well ass out with the dogs…
OK. I’m not mostly well. I’m sort of well. We had a little rain yesterday night, but not a lot. It’s crazy how much the grasses are growing; it seems like a foot or two in just a week and a half.
The coyotes must be loving the hiding possibilities.
The flowers are still going crazy.
I spend most of my day trapped in a building with 140 12-year-olds. I need this. I need outside and air and plants and moving fast and dogs and water and green stuff or brown stuff, but moving and my knee complaining and all this crap.
I do want to know if there’s ever a time that this little puffball of a flower thing is covered with those little purple flowers, or if it just does a few at a time.
It’s important shit. Must know. I also meant to look up the caterpillars that are everywhere. Oops.
We went and looked below the bridge…lots of trash unfortunately. And the requisite graffiti…you dickheads.
But still pretty. And calmer than it has been. Calli likes water…
Simba does not. We traded dogs today. Simba was perturbed the entire time. Whatever, dog. So that felt good. I cooked veggies for dinner, because the main man is not a veggie person. I got him to cut some up once. I don’t count potatoes. He will cut them up because he eats them. But other veggies? Nah. We ate dinner, I graded something (!). I know you’re shocked. I was actually trying to grade videos all day…I got another 19 or so graded throughout the day while trying to manage kids making posters…some classes were totally on task and some were needy as hell. As always. I was going to come home and get through another 20 videos (because I still have a ton to do), but then Zion happened and I lost all that time.
I finally got in there and finished the stitch down. Two and a half hours total…
It was late, though, so my original plan of getting it pinbasted last night did not happen, unfortunately. Tonight…and start quilting. But also grade and car and cat to vet. Ha! Not sure how all that works. Not worrying about it now. But I am so happy with this quilt. It’s beautiful and I’m happy with it and I’m glad it exists. That’s the best part about the making is the finishing part when I see it all and I’m just staring at it and thinking, that’s so beautiful or powerful or just what was in my head and that right there might be my purpose on the planet outside of all this other stuff.
Ah, so philosophical. Then I sat down on the couch and tried to meditate (oh so many interruptions, including this sweet one)…
And then sleep. Actually slept last night, so that’s good. It was exercise or later-in-the-week exhaustion or meditation or a combination of all three. I don’t really care, because it felt good for the 5 1/2 hours that it happened. More of that tonight, please. May today repeat the good and helpful things from yesterday and minimize the assholes (ha!) and the adding to my stress levels. I can move the cat appointment if my car is fixed (please let my car be fixed). And let’s get quilting dammit. I’ve got a deadline to meet.
It’s April 3rd and I finally remembered to change over the two calendars I stare at every morning. Really I stare at them for the pictures. OK, so I also need to know what day it is. Sometimes my brain is not on board for those details. Ironically, the calendar I have with actual dates I can read on it starts with Monday, which really confuzzles my brain. I guess that level of brain stretch is good for me, though…it will keep me from getting dementia.
Last night, I made it through 19 of the 66 videos I need to watch and grade before Friday. It was after tutoring, though, so it’s not like I had a full stretch of time after work to watch them. I even cooked while watching them, which is a multitasking challenge. I’m getting closer to done with grading these projects (way too many hours). I’m a little worried about how much work I’ll have to do over break, when I’ll be gone for most of it, plus I have to finish this quilt and then start the next one. Plus embroider 6 samples. And now I think I committed to trying to print photos of my quilts as posters. Whoa. No wonder I put meditation back in the mix. Although last night, I’m meditating, I’m trying to imagine sunlight pooling in my toes and filling me up, and my teacher brain is yelling about how I haven’t printed the rubric and I need to do that. I did it after meditating, but it was a real push to get it to just shut up for a bit.
If you’re interested in my embroidery designs, by the way, they are available online now…just the designs though. The kits will be available later this month. Meanwhile, I need to start stitching out the prototypes. Trying to decide how best to transfer onto the darker fabrics. Maybe I will start with the light one. Tonight…
Last night, I couldn’t grade after eating dinner, because I needed to listen to videos and we were trying to watch the end of a show…so I grabbed one of those projects I said I’d finish this year (ha! so little progress…I can’t even tell you)…
And I appliqued two and a half leaves. Bonus! That’s it. Moving on.
I wanted to start the stitch down on the quilt last night. I did a bunch of things first, but made it into the studio by 10 or so…then meditated…loudly (in my head). Then stitched.
And then stitched some more…I was listening to an education broadcast about something my co-teachers keep harping on that the principal wants us to do, and I’m thinking, is this different than what I think it is, because if it’s not, why the fuck aren’t people doing this already? It’s not like it’s new. You know what? It was what I thought it was. I feel better already. I do that shit all the time. I just don’t label it and say, HEY, did you know I was using this? Sigh. School drives me crazy sometimes.
I was totally on a roll with stitching and didn’t want to stop, but had to be up early today for a parent meeting.
So then I went to bed and barely slept all night. Seems pointless sometimes. I’d feel better if I’d stayed up and finished. I’m done with the entire ground and body, plus half the hair and the whole face. So all that’s left is half the hair and what’s in the sky, and then I’m done. Another hour? Maybe. This was about an hour and a half. Then I’ll pinbaste and start quilting…ahead of the game for once. Of course, I’m hoping to be healthy enough to walk the dogs after school today, plus get through at least 20 of the videos. Maybe more…I need to hand stuff back on Friday, ideally. Too many things in my head. (Hence meditation)
Also I need a way to print some of my quilt photos as posters. I have high resolution files…I’m just not sure what’s the best way to do this. I’d rather have people order them and then have some service print and ship them, but that may not be the best choice cost-wise. Then again, I don’t have the cash to print a bunch and then I will have to ship, which is a pain. Sigh. I need a business manager.
Anyway, first I need to go to school and get through all the stuff and things. And keep my cool, despite the lack of sleep. Hoping to get my car back. Hoping our trip is still cool…the main road through Zion National Park is closing next week for three weeks, right when we’ll be there. There’s still access…it’s just not through the park. I think it will be fine…and hopefully the temperatures in Bryce will warm up too (laughing hysterically!). Gotta find my long underwear. And start a packing list. Vacation! I need me some o’ that. Drawing and stitching and hiking and beautiful views and not thinking about grades and school and how to pay for shit.
*Tal Bachman, She’s So High (that’s not what I thought this song was about…never really listened to the lyrics)
(I would never wear snakeskin boots. I think snakes should keep their skins. It just happens to be what I was listening to as I finished writing.) Debating how to get to school today. I could walk, but I should have already started. Plus I’m still sick and physical exertion is not a great plan. I could take the car that’s here, but that causes logistical issues later. Well. Or I just leave tutoring early if necessary. Not responsible teacher behavior, but maybe the easiest choice. I call Lyft. It’s not a long way and is reasonably priced, but my house is hard to find. Not sure I want to deal with that. Make the boychild wake up and take me. I could. But I probably should have told him last night then. And my brain was in fuzz mode. So I didn’t. Too many decisions. I have 20 minutes to figure it out. Easiest is to just take the car and deal with the consequences later. The car guy has had it since Thursday, trying to diagnose what’s causing the random stalls. I just want it working before we go to Utah in two weeks. I also want Utah to warm up slightly, especially at night, but that might not happen. Someday I’ll have enough money to vacation in a real bed. With walls. But still in cool places. Maybe just a trailer or something.
I didn’t get anything done last night for grades. Instead I applied for something that I think is important, but suspect I won’t be picked for…which is fine. I applied. I can let it go if it doesn’t happen. I’ll figure grading out during class this week. Hopefully. There’s only like 56 videos to watch. I should take my headphones to school with me maybe. Not today, because today is virtual reality day, and that requires me to manage, but tomorrow, when they start their posters…I don’t have to be as present for those. One ear in, one ear out, listening for whatever crazy. Not sure I can concentrate enough in class to do that.
We got a beehive removed from one of the composters yesterday. They built it in like 4 days. Resourceful beasts. Someday I’ll consider a beehive on the property, once I figure out how to take care of it. And away from the back door. I use a guy who takes the bees to his hives and installs them there. He’s a nice guy. Plus he sends me pictures of what he does when I’m not home, so my students can see the bees and the hive.
Normally I walk the dogs every Monday after school. Don’t let anyone tell you dogs don’t know the days of the week, because this was me when I got home.
Why aren’t you taking us out? Why aren’t you putting your boots on? Why? Needy at all guys? Wednesday. I’m aiming to be better by Wednesday. At least enough to hike 3 miles. Calli was physically pushing me with her nose, lifting up my arm, get up get up! Sorry guys. Don’t feel well.
I started the ironing late, probably 10:30…but all I had left were these four tiny bugs…
Awww, they’re cute. And then I ironed the whole thing to a background…
Yup. She’s about 30″ w x 50″ h. Tonight I should start the stitch down. I don’t expect it to take long. There’s detail, but it’s not a huge piece. I’m hoping to get it done in a couple of nights. Maybe 3-4 hours? Thursday night, pinbaste. Start quilting…not Friday, because I have a meeting. This weekend, it needs to get quilted. With everything else. Aack. No, I can do this. I can. I emailed the photographer. I’m committed now.
Kathy Nida 