NEW YORK and other stuff

I just got back from New York and I am exhausted, but felt I needed to at least paraphrase my trip and what has been going on for the past couple of weeks since my last post. I decided that NY will be my new home in two years when finished with graduate school. It is one of the greatest places ever! I truly enjoyed my time there with good friends, great food, shopping, and an abundance of art museums! Mmmm... I didn't get too many pictures, and there was so much to do that I didn't get to do everything that I wanted unfortunately. However, I always felt that the point of traveling was not to hit every site to check it off a list, but to enjoy each moment for what it entails. Most of my favorite moments involved sitting around and chatting with old friends over an incredible meal for hours or sleeping in. Walking around the city was a sensory overload: smells, visuals, great masses of people. I will have to go back and visit soon, but have made the tentative decision (pending Ph.D. acceptance in two years) to move out there.

Saphfire and I on the ferry to Ellis Island.



Chilling.

Yes, that is a blow-up doll on a pink goat in real life, not in the red-light district.

Sensory overload.

Saphfire and I on the subway.

Our wonderful and gracious host: Jimmy.

Ahhh...woop! There she is.



Just an ironic, almost counter-intuitive sign I found in lower Manhattan.


Graduate school is a dream with few nightmarish moments. I love where I'm at and what I am doing so much that some of those bad moments surface very little. I have started my Teaching Assistantship which has been highly beneficial not only monetarily with tuition, but with giving insight to what it might be like to teach.

I am actually liking the teaching thing, although, it is stressful to stand in front of a large auditorium of students. I am very lucky to have a friend in the program with me. We can relate so well with one another. We received our TA office our first week there, and it is a classic first-year graduate student office located in the deepest, darkest abyss of the university. It is more of a storage closet as well. There is very little lightening, wires (potentially electrifying and dangerous) hanging from the ceiling, baby blue and red velvet walls, a moth-man cocoon (no kidding, life-sized), and a plethora of maniquins to use at our disposal. Please, do not think I am complaining. I love our office and have already thought of several ways to utilize all of the said things for our entertainment - and maybe to frighten our students :) I have to take more pictures, I just haven't had time. I only have the mothman cocoon at present, but promise to post more later.

The Mothman Cocoon

My fellow friend and colleague Scotti and I participating in the International Airport Montello Collaborative art project. Quite possibly one of the coolest things I have done/thought about. I can't explain it coherently or accurately.

While wonderful, grad school has been extremely time consuming. Consequentially, I had to shed one of the things I was doing, and that happened to be my job at the Hilton. I feel great about the decision, but am terribly sad to leave the crew and my friends. My last day was last Friday, and I feel much more apt to do the things that I should be focusing on.

Anyway, a brief(?) overview of the past couple of weeks. Hopefully, I will be able to post more frequently in the future. Also, just wanted to leave off with this awesome pic of a painting of words that I thought was so great at the MoMA. Just think about it.

Birthday

This past week was fun because my dad came into town and we celebrated my birthday, which is actually this Thursday. I like to celebrate my birthday earlier because it always seems to land on the first day of school, etc. While my brother gets fireworks and national celebration on his birthday (4th of July), there is collective dislike usually on mine. My mom and I were talking about how one year (I think it was 6th grade) my birthday was on the first day of school. I was nervous because we had just moved and this was a new school for me. I ended up throwing up my scrambled eggs in Mr. Jensen's sink and having to go home early. Mortifying for a 6th grader. This year I will be having orientation on my birthday. The difference is that I'm not paralyzed by fear and I'm actually really excited. You see, the semester has started now and I'm just so, so, so exhilirated to be going to graduate school! Conclusively, my birthday isn't as big of a bust as in previous years - not that it has ever been a bust, we always make the best of it thanks to my friends and wonderful family! :)


I got a new blackberry curve for my birthday from my dad. Ashley had just gotten one as well, so now we are crackberry buddies. We were pretty excited. We communicated all day not through verbal interaction, but through text and facebook status updates. We think we're pretty cool.


The lovely Nina organized an early dinner for me. She cooked the most delictable steaks, mashed potatoes, and asparagus. Mmmm...


Nina also made my favorite cake. Yellow cake with half chocolate and half rainbow chip frosting. She definately loaded on the frosting and put an aesthetically pleasing twist on the cake.


Ash and I have really been getting into Yoga. She got me a yoga mat carrier, a giftcard to barnes and noble, and one of my favorite series: Mad Men, season 2. I totally was spoiled!

Lola - the Priss

Adele Nov 2008 - Aug 2009
It has been a difficult, but enriching past couple of weeks. I have definitely had my share of not the most ideal things happen. It could be best explained by saying that I have been a bit of a wreck. It is ok though. Again, these experiences, while difficult to go through, are in some way enlightening and teach you more about who you are. Recently, my baby Adele passed away suddenly. It was an extremely trying experience. I was down and out for about three days. Brent and I truly felt like a child was taken from us. If anyone knows us, our kitties are our babies. I think that Brent had a more difficult time than me. He and Adele were kindred spirits. He would hold her in his arm like a baby and carry her everywhere, and she had no reserves about letting him do that. He would coo to her and show her off to everyone who would listen. They had their special relationship. Anyway, to say the least, we took her death very hard.

We have another cat, Layne, who has been Adele's right paw since they were born. I always like to keep two animals because I am not home very often and I hate to leave one alone for that extended period of time. So, we decided to get another kitten as soon as possible. We were a bit unsure of ourselves doing this because we felt there was no way we could ever replace Adele, but went and looked regardless. Well, we will never be able to replace her, but we were able to bring another wonderful kitty home. I named her Lola. Since I have owned her, she has not stopped purring. She really is lovely and truly a sweetheart. I have fallen in love with her. She couldn't be more of a comfort for me in this chapter of my life. My nickname for her is "ms. Priss" because she is just that.

Here are a couple of pics of Ms. Priss with Layne. The had a rocky beginning, but now are accomplices in the worst kind of crime.
Yes, the new kitty has quite the striking resemblance to Adele... we wanted another persian and really love these kinds of kitties.

Down

I wrote a poem today. It really sucked. I have some very talented friends who I envy for their eloquent prose. No one will see it. It was a vain effort to alleviate how I feel right now. Everyone has down days. This is one of mine. I should get on with it and do my desperately neglected laundry and clean my messy apartment.

Harry Potter

I went and saw the sixth Harry Potter yesterday and loved it! Of course, like all movies modeled after books, there were some digressions. As a fan, it is difficult for me to see a complete change in story line to "enhance" the film, but you let them slide due to the shared enthusiasm of both movie-goers and producers over the novel. I really did enjoy the movie though. I feel like I need to re-read the sixth book now just because. Usually, I attend the opening nights of HP, dressing up as one of the characters, and waiting in ridiculous lines. I even made it to a premier once when I was studying in London. While walking though Leicester Square, I stumbled upon the triple decker knight bus and dozens of flying Aunt Marge's. Imagine my surprise and utter delight when I noticed Rupert Grint and J.K. Rowling walking the red carpet! I don't brag about too much, but I think this experience may have given me a little bit of bragging rights. I will see if I can get those pics scanned and uploaded for this post (this was pre-digital for me - that makes me sound old).



Anyway, the nostalgia of this moment hits me every time I go to these movies. I feel like instead of the expected decline in sequels, that HP, the movie (and book for that matter) seems to instead gradually get better. My favorite scenes in this one included some of the darker, including flashbacks through the pensieve and the cave scenes. I loved the monochromatic element in these scenes, yet they were still incredibly vivid and cinematographically beautiful. Enough about that though, I'm sure that people are tired of hearing about that.

It has been a couple of weeks since I have written, and so I still must post an update about the 4th of July and other happenings. It has been very busy. Work has been crazy, but that is good I suppose. More on past update later!

Softball : Art

KAPITEL EINS

Our family is made up of a bunch of softball players. Well, actually, wannabe softball players. I think the most "pro" out of us all is Bruce, who is basically a rockstar on the field. My work has a softball team and all of us except for my mom have joined. Bruce, Nina, Ashley, Karl, and I all belong to the team. It is funny because I don't exactly look like the sportiest of girls, so many of our team members were surprised to see me join. I am more or less an "extra." Which I don't mind. I've never really played softball before, but I think that it is fun and who cares how well you are doing as long as you enjoy what you are doing right? At first it was Bruce, Nina, and I who joined. Ashley was trying to help me by coaching me on how to hit and catch. My team saw her blasting the ball over the fence during our warm ups and decided that I should be an extra and she could be a permanent team member. I really didn't mind. She has always been the sporty one (I say this self-consciously, ashamed, and under my breath :))
Anyway, I digress. I just wanted to post some pics of us all playing from this Saturday. We lost. Our team isn't the best, but actually this was one of our better games. It just seems like a really hard loss because the opposing team is the undefeated champions of the league AND they consist of trash-talking lesbians. While they had a lot to say it was actually really fun to play them because they were so into it. I'm sure the majority of them could eat me for breakfast, but it was all in good humor. I probably shouldn't admit this, but our ending score was 23-6. Sad. But still fun!

My tough brother-in-law Karl.

My mom and her friend Eli

Partial fam pic (everyone on the team anyway)

Ashley as her bad self watching 1st base

Nina showing Bruce who is boss in their relationship

Bruce and his gf Nina

No Comment

My mom showing her support

The fam

Ashley apparently doesn't like to be hugged :)

KAPITEL SWEI

Saturday was a busy day. Shortly after the game we went to breakfast and later to the SL Arts Festival. This is my favorite festival! We had a wonderful time! Unfortunately, Ash and Bruce couldn't stay the entire time, but my mom, Brent, Eli, and I stayed and really enjoyed ourselves. We went to all of the exhibiting booths. I love the arts fest because so many people come out to just appreciate all of the differing genre's of art. There was dance, visual, literary/poetry, and music. I was in heaven! Usually I don't find too many things that I feel (in my humble opinion) are absolutely amazing, but there was one artist in particular this year that impressed me. His name is Trevin Prince. His medium is his own type O blood. While this may freak some people out, it was incredibly fascinating to me. This is mainly because of his process (which includes multiple layering of resin, blood, and gesso), but most of all, his concept is astounding. The work inherently mimics the human body in that it is layered and filled with blood. Not only that, but the issue of authenticity is explored. What could be more authentic and signature than the artist's blood? This is something that cannot be copied or falsified. The work is beautiful and just amazing. I could go on for a long time, but to say it simply, I was so impressed by this artist that I was thinking of ways to buy one of his works, which start at $2500. I was thinking a school loan would suffice :) ha ha. But couldn't bring myself to do that. Here is one of his works:


Artist: Trevin Prince, Against the Wind, bood preserved on plexiglass in resin

We stayed at the festival until it closed. My mom and I danced (as we usually do) to all of the good bands. The night ended with a Neil Diamond cover band and a Brazilian performance number. Oh, and I also have to note the poetry throwdown that we attended. My mom had never been to a beat-style poetry reading before. At first I could tell that she really didn't know what to think. It is a bit startling because it is definately a performance rather than just reading, and some of the poets even shout out their declarations. After a couple of artists, we were totally into the snapping swing of things. It was so great!


A really bad picture of one of the performances. There was this really crazy guy skanking in the front (this is what I was trying to capture). He had a diaper bag on and was knocking into everyone. Really strange and entertaining. I think that his wife came up and tried to get him to leave, she looked totally embarassed.

Everyone at the festival.

Past in Pics

Whew! I realize it has been a while since my last post. It has been a very busy summer so far, but a really enjoyable one at that! I have forgotten what it has been like to only have a single job without having to go to school, and it totally ROCKS (exempt working hours)! I feel totally relaxed and am doing things that I have been planning on doing for years. Here is a pictorial representation of some of the events that have occured since my last post:

LIVING TRADITIONS FESTIVAL

Richard, Brent, and I went to the living traditions festival in downtown SLC. I love riding TRAX, and parking is hard to find, so we rode the train. We always meet and see the most random people on the train, and on this particular ride there was an interesting girl who educated us on the life and times of someone who eats only raw food. I don't think that I could ever follow that path, but totally respected the discipline that she had to eat only raw food.


Richard, Me, and Brent living it up at the Livin' Traditions. This is an awesome festival where several cultures around the world exhibit or perform various identifying characteristics. It is always a great time!


While waiting in line for some of the AMAZING food at this event, our hunger was interrupted by this dance. Very entertaining. There were two guys under that dragon. I looked.

TONSILLECTOMY
Last month I completed the long-time goal of getting my tonsils out. Yes, instead of my yearly trip abroad (e.g. Europe), I sucked it up and went under the knife. It was a learning experience, and I can't say that I ever want to have surgery again. It took about three weeks for me to recover, and even after that I was feeling my throat. Whenever I looked in the mirror at my throat I saw two empty eyesockets. I am really glad that I finally took the inititive to do this though because I already feel different from before. Before = lethargic and consistently sick. After = energetic and no sick symptoms yet. Throughout my recovery I tried to read, guiltly indulge in smutty t.v. series, and catch up on my cleaning. None of these happened. I mean, I read and watched TV, but don't remember much of either. Sad.


Prepping me for surgery. I was surprised they found my vein on the first try. Ususally it takes a couple tries because my veins are almost microscopic.


My mom and I. She was worried. Both Brent and her cried when I came out of the operation room. She was a really wonderful support. At this moment in time my nerves were going pretty crazy in anticipation.


I hate to even post this pic, but must to successfully record my experience. I am coming out of anestesia at this point. They didn't put any pain meds in my iv, so I was in excruciating pain at first. This was when they finally put some morphine in my IV. :)


My mom wouldn't stop taking pics of me in my helpless state. She thought she was pretty funny.


Near the end of my recovery I was going insane and had to get out of the house. My first outing was to the Bee's baseball game. I don't remember much of the game either. My appetite had been quite ravenous, so in order to eat I had to keep up on my pain meds. I think that I ordered everything that the ballpark had to offer and then some. My family had a really good time with me, or more accurately, at my expense. I was pretty loopy, but it was a blast that way! Ha ha!


My mom, Ashley, and I living up the cotton candy (this is our second bag...I ate the first...alone).




My sister and I. I really don't think we were watching much of the game. She is a spaz. Ok. We both might be.


My mom and my sister and some guy who wanted to look at the camera while I was taking the picture. I believe he is a scout. Anyway...


Brent and I.


Brent and my brother Bruce.


Some hard core fans of the salt lake Bee's. Just really funny to me. I respect their enthusiasm.


And the grand finale. This dude was sitting in front of us. I couldn't help but laugh every time I looked at this shirt. The front said something equally funny, but obviously forgettable.

CITY OF ROCKS
Unfortunately, this trip to the city of Rocks was completely rained out. And this wasn't no light rain either. It was like hail and wind and blow your tent over, flood your sleepingbag like storm! Out of the three days that we were there we got in one climb. I was so disappointed. On the bright side, I did complete a 5.7 climb called swiss cheese. I felt so good because I've tried this climb before and couldn't make it. I think that I might take up rock climbing as a new hobby. I've got a used harness and have yet to purchase shoes. I really do love the sport though!

The dreary rocks.


My main view for the majority of our stay in the city.


Our beautiful drive on the way up.


Here are some of the climbers in my group. They are the pro's that lead us through the park every year. Thank you James! A freakin' crazy awesome climber.


Elephant Rock. My favorite rock formation (not because I've ever climbed it).


The rain yielded this beautiful sight! This was our last day here...of course :)

This obviously doesn't describe all of the past events in the last couple of weeks, but they are the main events. There is more to tell, and I will have to post it a little later because I am pretty tired of this post at this moment in time!