Gearing up with Gut

Been playing with sausage casings, makin' stuff

New Necklace

I stayed home and worked in the studio. I finished a new necklace!
It says lovesick in Latin.

Diversions

Today Robert and Meredith worked on one of his Christmas presents. then they went paddling in the Cape Fear. Any guesses as to what it will be?

Masonboro Channel Paddle

Saturday, I took the day off and paddled with Robert over to Masonboro Island. They're dredging the inlet right now and making a ruckus! The noise was like hanging out near Mordor with the machinery of war. Not the outdoor experience we were seeking. Still, I needed a paddle and I found a pretty urchin and made these prints with him in the sand. Robert tried out his new Storm cag which goes over pfd and everything. He looks quite fetching! There was so little wind that the channel was glassy. You could see the bottom, with its wafting green and purple vegetation. I kept drifting behind getting lost in watching the bottom. Unfortunately, my pictures were too blurry to share.
I love this little stunted oak growing right over the intracoastal waterway. I'd love to know how old it is. Its not large, but has such a pretty form to have struggle against sand, salt and storms.

Fixing a Hole Where the Rain Gets IN

So I may have, at an early age, set part of the soundtrack for my life. I had an elementary school friend in Maryland from a very interesting family. She had two teenage sisters and one of them was a Beatles fanatic. So in 4th grade I saved up my money and walked to the store and bought Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. My first grown up music, that I chose and bought by myself. Wore the grooves off it. Still have it! The paper's coming off the edge of the cover.
So, I've revisited a Cd version of it. Last night I listened to one of my favorite speakers. And woke up with "Fixing a hole..." going through my head. Wayne Dyer is so awesome. I have listened to Manifesting Your Destiny over and over. Last night I listened to a lecture from his Excuses Begone series. I don't have the series yet I downloaded a free hour of it. It ROCKED! The image here is one of his Excuses Begone "cards", taking an excuse and turning it around into a positive affirmation. But I didn't get to finish it! wah... It expired... Oh well, we had to watch Run Fat Boy Run. Which was a blast.
Guess I'll have to buy the CD set....

A Day in the Life

Got up, got outta bed, dragged a comb across my head….
6:45- cleaned coffee maker (cause Robert never does and it’s a STUPID design and the built in grinder gets clogged everytime you use it)
Dry coffee grinder parts so they will clog less this time, very annoying…
Made coffee
Made oatmeal
Eat oatmeal while composing three emails to my director at the community college about not teaching this summer, changing a student’s grade and the broken torch that needs replacing.
7:20 shower
dry hair
dress
start car so it can warm while I grab a travel cup o joe
run out to studio to grab last minute things for work: rubber cement, double stick tape, examples, etc.
grab purse and stuff get in car
8:30 drive to school
8:45 wait in line at parking deck, park car
briskly walk four blocks
dash into directors office, he’s in a meeting, shake hands with new secretary and try to find audit forms, no luck
dash into women’s room
run by registrar’s window. Great! no line. “Hi, I need audit forms? couldn’t find any in the Humanities office” Yeah, yeah, I know their due today the night instructor didn’t have enough…gotta run”
Just in time! Clock must be wrong….
9:04 Take roll
Review yesterday, introduce patinas, Mix up new pickle, show how to light the torch work individually with each student so they know how to light torch, problem solve, answer questions, explain pickle, show how to use it.
10:50 Dismiss class
run to ladies room
11:04 Take roll, do all of the above over again for different people.
12:50 Forge the night instructors signature on audit form
go upstairs ask registrar what to do about missing info about night student on audit form.
call night student? Dang! phone got left at home plugged into charger.
Go by Humanities office to get a fax number to call student and give her fax number when I get home so she can deal with it. New fabulous Humanities secretary looks up students info and number, Hoorah! Forge students name (with her permission).
Meet with Humanities director to change a student’s grade from last semester. Fill out that form and turn it in, along with audit forms (this time there’s a line)
1: 30? go by The Golden Gallery borrow their fax machine to fax info to art retreat organizer that is long overdue. Chat with Mary Ellen a minute or two.
2:00 Home! I’m starving!
Call night student tell her I took care of her form. We talk for 15+ minutes. Plan to watch a movie together.
2:20 Grad school buddy from PA beeps in….
Oops private student buddy beeps in simultaneously!
Put one on hold.
Take off one hold, “Can I call you back?”
Talk with PA buddy about future of her career. Swaps stories, commiserate.
Someone else beeps in, I ignore it.
I look out the window, “Dang! I forgot my pal that wants a logo for his business is here to meet with me! Can I call you back?”
Meet with knifesmith pal about his new business and proposed logo he wants me to draw in exchange for teaching me to use an electro etcher and getting one going in my studio.
3:30? Robert comes by after kayaking and before work.
3:45? Call ECU about visiting artist gig with them Feb 4th.
4:00 Call private student back discuss tomorrow’s session.
Someone beeps in, I ignore it.
4:30 It was mom, “Hey Mom” “Where are you? I thought you were coming by at 2?” “Uh…… on my way”
5:00 Still no lunch, now there’s no time for dinner. I’ll eat when I get back. Grab cold corn muffin from last night.
Run out to car.
5:05 Car won’t start…
I’d left the lights on from leaving the parking deck hours ago.
5:08 Call Dad, “I’m not coming…”
Oh well, guess I’ll go work on the logo and/or enamel work for Adorn Me….
Hm, 20 emails to return in the home box, 2 in the school box, two in my faculty box and 7 voicemail messages.
6:30 I need a drink… oh wait, I can’t! it gives me migraines!
Or maybe the migraines are from all these darn hats I wear!
And I don’t get a whopping bonus like the bank dudes in the news… or even a parking space for the car I borrow from Robert!
6:25 Internet goes down… Gr! I wanted to look up the hotel to make a reservation for my next teaching gig!
logo’s not working out….. it just looks wrong.
6:45 My whole neck is tensing up
6:46 I rethink the whole drink idea.
Internet's back....

Ahhhhhh ahhhhhh Ahhhhhhhh
I read the news today, oh boy…..

Houston anyone???

There's still room in two of my classes at Adorn Me! in Houston, TX the first week of March. Join me, should be fun!

Its Why I Love Him!

I was lamenting the weight I've gained this year (though all those cupcakes and chocolates were wonderful!)and Robert responded,"You're not fatter, you're just swollen with happiness!" Ain't he great?
Still I am trying to repeat as a mantra (however demented) Kate Moss' quote, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" Weeeeell....I'm not convinced, but health needs to be maintained. It's going to be a busy year!

LOVE this!

I'll leave you with this:
I just love it!
Find it at Isabellasart.etsy.com

Stages of Blog Friendship

Loved this take on the stages of blog friendship!

Sing!

another Paulus Berensohn quote:

“It’s the artist’s work to sing up the earth, to praise and thank and to express gratitude. Well that’s what I think art is. That’s why I think art is a behavior, to sing up the earth.”

Paulus Berensohn

Once I heard Paulus Berensohn speak at a seminar at ECU. I was moved to tears. In fact it was rather embarrassing. When I went up to tell him how much I loved the presentation I looked at his face an something in me broke out just a bit. I told myself that there was some aspect of his spirit that reminded me of my mother's father, a deep, gentle, spiritual man, a Baptist preacher unlike any other I've met since. Still, I am not sure that my weird moment in front of Paulus was solely that... nonetheless I felt moved to tears and he saw it. I had to collect myself to speak. Paulus is many things. He lives a deeply creative existence in a valley in the mountains here in NC. He studied dance at the Julliard school in the 50's with Merce Cunnigham, Martha Graham, Jose Limon, and others. He is a poet, a journalist, bookmaker, weaver, author and potter. I have looked on the internet for his book for awhile now and today it arrived, "Finding One's Way With Clay". This is just the sort of book I feel is gathering within me for metalsmiths. Like a storm cloud I feel it wanting to come into being. I want a book that broaches the question, "So what's so special about metal? Why metal anyway? Why do people want to make stuff with metal?"
I think that sort of questioning is important, vital! We should ask those kinds of questions about everything we do!

This is a comment Paulus made on ABC’s Earthbeat program awhile back. I mean is this not beautiful?!
“I mean I personally think that the craft arts isn’t about an alternative way of making a living and filling museums and galleries with gorgeous objects, I think it’s the clay and the fibre and the metals and the wood saying, ‘Listen, listen to me. Put your hands on me, and you’ll make contact with a living world.’"…

“The word ‘art’, if you go back into its etymological roots, it’s not a noun, it’s a verb, it’s a doing, an acting, and it comes from the root for ‘to join’. So one is behaving artistically, one is in a state of intimacy and communion with the activity at hand”… PB

I would love nothing more than to spend time, slow time, in the mountains listening to this man, learning... Maybe someday. And now I have the book so I can learn from him right now!

Jim

For those of you who've asked, or are curious about my student from last year who was hit by a car, I have not talked with him but this was on his CaringBridge site mid November:

"Hard to believe six months have passed! Jim has made an amazing recovery. He is walking well, which helps promote bone growth in his still incomplete tibia. The look on the doctor's face last visit said it all (... and he's a great doc).
...(Jim) plans to work and continue his college education in warmer weather. We can never quite thank everyone enough for the wonderful support we have enjoyed.... and it's hard to describe what it means just to watch Jim walk across the room. We have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. There is still a lot of work ahead, but Jim is determined and well on his way."

They're an amazing family. So glad there is a happy ending in sight for them!

Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?

Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne.
We'll tak' a cup o'kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.


And surely ye'll be your pint-stoup
And surely I'll be mine;
And we'll tak' a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

Chorus


We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit,
Sin' auld lang syne.

Chorus


We twa hae paidl'd in the burn
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roared',
Sin' auld lang syne,

Chorus And there's a hand, my trusty frier!
And gie's a hand o'thine!
And we'll tak' a right guide-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.