1965-2005

Rather than focus on my recent pathos (whining) I've decided to just post interesting pictures that I make me feel better in the meantime...if not better, then at least curious!

I did not take the photo above and didn't even own a camera at the time. My parents gave me a Kodak 110 when I was 9 or 10.

This was taken a few days before Thanksgiving in 1965. Thats me, fourth from the left on the front row. This art project was very formative to me since before it I was pretty lost and unsure of my place in the world. We were, of course, creating Indian costumes to celebrate Thanksgiving. I remember drawing my design on my cotton tunic and my kindergarden teacher held it up and make a big ooohhhhhh sound over it. She thought it was great and didn't make a big deal over anyone elses!

I realized I could do something special at that moment and that was important to me since I wasn't in the preschool reading group! (I noticed everything back in those days... I was lucky that my first grade teacher taught me a trick for overcoming my dyslexia before anyone ever acknowledged there was such a thing... I made straight A's after that...) During the past 10 years or so I've realized what important mentors my teachers were.

Last night I had a lovely moment. I was in bed early and the phone rang about 10:30pm. We assumed it would be one of my parents since they know that's the best time to reach me. My beloved came upstairs dubiously inquiring who was asking for me...

It was a slightly intoxicated former student. She had just learned that she won best of show for a series of sculptures she made while studying with me. This student is a grandmother - not my typical graduate student. She was thrilled, shocked, excited, etc. It was something nice to learn after a pretty wretched week.