Football Fraternity

I've been trying to see if I could keep all or most of my October posts Halloweeny or Fallish in some way.  It's been more difficult than I thought, and though this post is a stretch, I think it counts. 

Indy's infatuation with fall has all to do with the cool, crisp weather, and the promise of a haunted Halloween.  It's also football season!  Indy is a huge New York Giants fan- such a big fan, that he's the guy who says stuff like, "What we need to do is...." or "We can't keep letting them get by us like that!"  For Indy, the fact that he isn't being paid a gajillion dollars to play in the Natinoal Football League means nothing- he is not merely a "fan," he is part of the team.

If any of you are football fans out there, you might be aware that the Giants are currently 0 and 6.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Out of six games, they've won zero.

When they lost the first game of the season, Indy was pretty bummed.

When they lost the second game of the season, Indy was pretty angry.

When they lost the third game of the season, Indy declaired that we would no longer be watching the games.

Since then he's let the NFL app on his phone and disappointing texts from friends update him on the three additional losses.  Every Sunday he mopes around the house like there's a big, gray raincloud looming over his every step.

However, this weekend, I was able to witness the brotherly love shared by complete strangers who root for the same, losing team.

It started with a trip to Dunkin' Donuts.  Indy wanted to get a pumpkin-spiced something and once inside, we were face-to-face with one of these bad boys:

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Eli Manning. The New York Giants' Quarterback. Shoving a cardboard sandwich in our faces.

Indy proceeded to the counter and not only ordered his pumpkin-spiced whatever, but also got six donuts! (Very unlike him!)  I jokingly pointed to the blue and white striped donuts labeled "Go Giants!" and asked, "Want one of those?"  He very loudly proclaimed, "No. I do not want a Giants donut."  At that point the DD employee gave Indy the saddest look and just shook his head from side to side.  He then said, "I'm giving you an extra."  We left with our 13 donuts, and Indy was a little happier.

The next day we found ourselves in Home Depot. Indy's parents had gifted us their old grill when we moved in May, but for some reason the gas tank attachment wouldn't come off the tank we had, and even with the help of three HD employees, we couldn't get it off:

I asked, "Why were so many guys helping you?" He said, "They saw my hat and said they wanted to help out a Giants fan."

On our way home from HD, we stopped to get gas.  The attendant was a super nice guy who, after taking our credit card, spend the next five minutes discussing with Indy the pitfalls of the team, what "we" needed to start doing and stop doing.  He even made some comment about how he wouldn't want to be at Manning's house for Thanksgiving after a season like this.  Indy and the attendant laughed a while over their shared misery and we were on our way.

I was just amazed to see how open these complete strangers were when they realized someone else was sharing in their pain.  They were kinder to each other than usual, because the team they both liked is sucking, hard.  I don't think there's anything women react to in that way.

Anyway, we got home that night and I had an e-mail from my Big Little Brother in my inbox.  It read, "This is what Indy does when he goes to watch football with his friends..."

We both got a pretty big laugh out of it!  And I can guarantee you this: there will definitely be an Indy Dance Party whenever they do end up winning a game!

Dream Halloween Vacations

Indy's obsessions with both Halloween and Traveling leave us having the same conversation every fall, "Where would you love to be on Halloween?"

Unfortunately, with my teaching profession, and Indy's soon-to-be teaching profession, long vacations around Halloween are unlikely, however weekend trips are a possibility every 6-7years or so (depending on the leap year, of course!)

I've compiled a list of the *best* places to be on Halloween in hopes that we may be able to complete a few of them.

1. Salem, Massachusetts

This is the only one from my list that Indy and I have actually done!  Back in 2008 we spent Halloween in Salem, and it was amazing.  Think Mardi Gras meets Halloween.  Salem was pulsing with activity that Halloween weekend- all the shops and restaurants were completely decked out in Halloween decorations, and there were so many colorful characters (some costumed, some not!)  But more than the party-scene, Indy and I enjoyed the history.  Salem is so rich with it, and it's evident on every street corner.  There were so many different types of museums and learning centers, different community theaters and information stands.  It was the ultimate combination of educational and fun.  We're hoping to maybe make it back to Salem in 2015, when Halloween will be on a Saturday again.

2. Derry, Ireland

Believe it or not, the origins of Halloween are believed to have been in Celtic Ireland (some places argues Scotland as well).  The Gaelic festival of Samhain was a celebration of the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, celebrated at the sunset of Oct. 31st and into the wee hours of the morning.  It was kind of their "new years," and considered to be the last day of the year where the souls of the dead came back to their homes, and evil spirits were released from wherever they'd been kept.  In fact, jack-o-lanterns originated in Ireland as a way to ward off evil spirits from entering the home!  Derry, Ireland is home to the world's biggest Halloween celebration.  Something like 30,000 people take to the streets to celebrate with costumes, music, games and other celebrations.

3. New Orleans, Louisiana

Indy and I have never been, but NOLA is on my list of top 10 places to visit in the near future, whether it happens to be on or around Halloween, or not.  Along with NOLA's rich culture and amazing food, they've got deep ties to voodoo worship and witchcraft.  I've heard they've got incredible ghost tours and in a place so lively the rest of the year, how could it not be an incredible place to be on Halloween?! I've also heard they have incredible concerts around this time of year- another reason to go!

4. Bran, Romania

Dracula, by Bram Stoker (who was an Irish author, by the way) is one of Indie's all-time favorite books.  Every year he nags me to read it (I will, eventually!).  We've watched tons of Dracula films and documentaries (my fav's are the 1992 Dracula with Gary Oldman, and Leslie Nielsen's Dracula: Dead and Loving It...which Indy doesn't really count, but I do!)  We've talked about traveling to Romania just because, but all the Dracula ties make it all the more enticing.  Even though it's been beaten like a dead horse, and anyone who knows anything about Dracula knows that he, was not, in fact, based on Vlad the Impaler of Romania, it'd still be fun to go there and see all the castles and stuff.  Romania has it's own non-draucla mystery, and I'd love to be there on Halloween to check it out.

5. Bangkok, Thailand

Thailand, and South East Asia in general, is the goal for our next "big" international trip (we're crossing our fingers for this coming summer).  In all of our research, we've found that despite being a Buddhist cuntry, Bangkok is one of the best places to be on Halloween.  Go figure!  I've read it's more about a reason to party than actual beliefs in spirits and ghouls and goblins, but it still sounds like a good time.  There are tons of restaurants and bars that really get into the Halloween spirit, as well as big costume parties in the streets.  I've also read it's a big time of year for Thailand's gay community- the more outrages the costume the better, and every year they try to out-do the one before it.  Having been to the New York Halloween parade more times than I can count, I've seen some pretty outrageous costumes- I'd love to see if Thailand is a contender!

Have you ever spent Halloween somewhere cool?  Have any place to add to my list?

festival of Samhain

festival of Samhain

Evidence of Fall

Indy and I spent all of Saturday (and I mean all of it- from 10am until 10pm) driving around New Jersey and New York with his visiting, extended family to do some pumpkin/apple picking.  We had a beautiful day, and while I was physically and mentally exhausted at the end of the day (try traveling with a four-car, 14 person caravan all day!) I did end up getting some nice fall shots to share.  It's pretty fitting as my Photography 2 homework assignment this weekend was "Evidence of Fall."

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble!

I'm just gonna say it- witches are cool.

My little sister and I shared not only a room, but also a love for all things witchcraft from a young age.  I think it started with our obsession with Joss Wheadon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer t.v. show.  Buffy was, in fact, a vampire slayer- but her best friend Willow was a witch!  We always thought she was way cooler.

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Then Charmed came out.  They're three sisters, all names starting with the letter "P," we're three sisters, all names starting with the letter "K." We were hooked!

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Sabrina the Teenage Witch- every Friday night!

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Hell, we would even watch Bewitched on Nick at Night!

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(We watched both the black and white and color episodes)

We were pretty obsessed, but I will admit that she took it a bit further than I ever did.  In fact, she was so into it, that my mom would take her to a "witch store" a few towns over, where they actually sold crystals and incense and spell books.  (My mom is really cool like that.)

So imagine my pure joy to find out that the third installment of Ryan Murphy's super creepy series would be American Horror Story: Coven.  I can't wait to see Jessica Lange as a witch- she's gonna own it!

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While on our ghost tour in Scotland we heard a ton about witches.  (They usually come up at some point in every ghost tour, just so you're prepared.)  In the U.K., they had their fair share of witch hunts, and we learned some really interesting facts about that time.  Here are a few for your enjoyment:

-Witches were mostly women, but a few men were accused of being witches as well.

-Witches were believed to hex someone by pointing at them.  This is where the whole "pointing is rude" thing came from.

-Pretty much anyone could be accused of being a witch at any time, for any reason.  The hysteria was so insane that people wouldn't think logically about why someone was being accused of being a witch, and just believed that they were one.

-Some places burned their witches.  Others hung them.  But in many places, to find out if someone were a true witch, they would chain their hands and feet together (or in Scotland, they would nail their hands to their knees...) then toss them off into the nearest body of water.  If they floated, they were certainly a witch!  They would be fished out, and properly burned/hung.  If they sunk, well, then, they weren't a witch after all.  The townspeople would fish out the body and give the family a proper burial. As you can imagine, most of them sunk...and as for the floaters- most weren't witches.  Air would get caught under their large dresses as they were tossed into the water, and kept them afloat.

Rough, huh?

Anyway, I'm so excited for AMH: Coven, I just can't wait.  I taped it last night and plan on watching it later tonight with Indy and our favorite Halloween cat:

Ghost Tours - Strange Happenings in a Town Near You!

Indy and I love to travel.  We try to save up for a "big" trip (international, or at least, on the west of the country) and a "small" trip (nearby states) every year.  We started back when we met in '07 and haven't been able to stop!

If there's one thing Indy loves more than traveling, it's Halloween and History (in that order).  And leave it to him to find a way to combine the two- even outside the month of October!  Since '07 Indy and I have been on six, yes six Ghost Tours.

What's a Ghost Tour?  Allow me to explain...

Whether you believe in them or not, almost every small town across the world has some type of ghost story.  And if every small town across the world has some type of ghost story, you can imagine how many more ghost stories there are in the biggest towns and cities across the globe.  Go ahead, Google, "Ghost Tour" and the name of the largest city near you, and I'll bet something will come up.

From my experience, almost all ghost tours are set up similarly:  You meet your tour guide (sometimes dressed in period clothing, usually wearing a dark cloak, and almost always carrying a lantern of some kind) in a public area where they begin the tour with a super creepy introductory tale, or a big, boisterous welcome speech.  Then, you spend between an hour and a half to two hours on a walking tour of the area, stopping intermittently to hear a little bit about the historical importance of a particular street/building/person, followed by stories about the ghostly encounters that are rumored to have happened there.

Some ghost tours are ultra creepy.  Some ghost tours are hysterically funny.  All ghost tours that I have been on have been very informative, entertaining, and a fantastic way to learn more about a new city.

Here's a time line of the places we've been and ghost toured, along with a link to the company we used (although, for most major cities there are at least two companies that do this):

’07 -Philly, Penn:  http://www.ghosttour.com/philadelphia.html 

’08 -San Francisco, California: http://www.sfghosthunt.com/fatcow.com/Welcome.html

’08- Salem, Massachusetts: http://www.spellboundtours.com/

’12 -Brisbane, Australia: http://www.ghost-tours.com.au/Pages/tour_list_ghost_tours.htm

’13 -Edinburgh, Scotland: http://www.witcherytours.com/

’13 -Portland, Maine: http://wickedwalkingtours.com/

I can honestly say we only had one ghostly encounter in all six of these tours, and fortunately I've got the photographic proof to share!

While we on our ghost tour in Salem back in '09, the tour guide kept asking us all to snap photos at each site, explaining that some ghosts will manifest on film/digital screens better than in real life.  Those little dusty orbs you always see in movies, or in an "ectoplasm"- kind of a smoke-like trail of light.

On the tour I'd been snapping and snapping away, chimping at my camera after every shot with nothing to get excited over.  Yeah, there were dust balls or orbs here and there, but nothing big.  Then we reached the end of the tour- a big parking lot that was once a prison yard for a prison that at one time held Massachusetts most gruesome, soulless criminals (yeah, that's what they all say!).  Our guide was telling us about the ghost of one particularly scary criminal who stabbed his victims and often appeared in tourist shots.  I was snap, snap, snapping away- 5 shots in a row.  I took a minute to look back through my photos:

Nothing:

Nothing:

GHOST:

Nothing:

Nothing:

When I saw that "ghost" shot on my playback screen, I nearly pooped myself!  I seriously got a pang in my chest and felt like I was having a hot flash.  I quickly called Indy over and his eyes grew wide as saucers!

Just after this spot, our tour guide lead us a block or two away to thank and dismiss us, offering to check out anyone's photos to confirm/deny ghostly activities.  We hopped online and heard him dismiss everyone, "Nope....Just some orbs....Nah....Nothing....Orbs....Nope...." Then we we handed him my camera and he freaked out! "Oh my god!" He yelled, "Everyone come back, look at this- THIS is a ghost, see all the ectoplasm?!"

His excitement made me laugh, but also scared the crap out of me.  He begged me to send him a copy of the photo so they could post it on their site and insisted on giving me his business card.  I never did get around to sending it to them, and every October I feel badly about it- but I'm sure they've gotten plenty more since '08.

We've got plenty of time left in October for you to find and book your first ghost tour.  Do it! Maybe you'll come away with a ghost photo like me! One that you can whip out every October to scare the heck out of your Photography students!  More than likely you'll just have an awesome time.

Sweet Surprises!

Since my surprise appendectomy on Monday, I've been holed up in the house, on the couch, medicated and resting.  I realize that my health is bigger than my job, than my drive to get things done. And for the first few days, all I could do was rest, but now that I'm on the mend, I'm getting antsy.

Physically I'm in way better shape now than I was five days ago, although I still can't stand up all the way without my incisions on my stomach or the muscles in my back hurting, and I still can't lift anything too heavy.  But mentally I'm starting to break down a bit!  Indy's been a fabulous nurse, waiting on me hand and foot, but eventually he had to get back to his own normal routine of class and student teaching, and that left me alone for 6, 8, some times 10 hours of the day!  I had lots of check-in phone calls from family and friends, and even a few visits from my sister and my nephew, but after answering the same questions, or describing the same scenarios for the 100th time, it gets old.  I needed some change! Something fun!

Today I was awoken from a nap with a two quick knocks on the door.  At first, I panicked for a minute thinking, "I'm in my pajamas! I can't answer that!"  I just sat on the couch for a bit and waited.  Nothing.  That was the all-clear I needed.  Since we moved to our new apartment in May, I picked up on our UPS delivery guy's style- no doorbell ringing, no waiting for a signature, instead he always knocks twice in rapid succession, then leaves the package on the doorstep.

When I was sure he'd gone, I opened the door and found a huge package from "Shari's Berries."

My initial reaction was, "Huh? He's got the wrong apartment..."  I definitely didn't order anything from "Shari's Berries," and Indy is pretty good about sharing his online orders with me. (In fact, he's quite paranoid that some little punks will also catch wind of our UPS delivery guy's style and swipe our stuff when we're not home.)

I took it inside, double checked the address, and when I realized it was sent to me, personally, I ripped that baby open.

What did I find?

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Not one, but TWO sets of the cutest freaking cake pops I've ever seen!  Indy's best friend and his wife (whom I've become very close with over the last 6 years, and can now call one of my best friends) send me two sets of these "Get Well Soon"chocolate cake/vanilla iced pops with a note reading, "Everyone knows you can't heal properly without some sweets! Get well soon!"

How adorable?!  I was so genuinely surprised I actually teared up a little!  They could not have come at a better time, and let me tell you, the are delicious!  They lifted my spirits and made me feel so loved.

I'm definitely saving "Shari's Berries" as a go-to for the up-coming holidays.  They do all kinds of beautiful sweet treats- and not just cake pops!  They do all types of dipped fruits, cookies, pretzels, and candy.  Even chocolate-dipped cheesecake!  They do cupcakes, truffles, even sugar-free treats.  Baked goods and baskets galore!  So many ways to send an up-lifting treat with a personal touch.  I can't wait to enjoy these babies over the weekend!

Tis the Season!

In this house we get excited for Halloween the way most people get excited for Christmas. 

Since last week Indy has been selecting a different Fall/Halloween-inspired movie from his collection of over 600 DVDs (someone has a problem!) for us to watch for each night of October.  I realize for most normal people that watching a full movie every night of the week sounds ridiculous, but welcome to my life. (We've already watched: Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Dead Poet's Society, The Shining, and Room 237- a documentary on The Shining).

We've already made plans for apple/pumpkin picking.  I can't really complain about this one, though, because we recently started a tradition where Indy's little cousins (twin 5 year olds and an 8 year old) fly up from West Palm Beach, Florida to get a small taste of fall with us.  I can't wait to get photos of them in the orchards!

Indy has excitedly linked me to the Fall Foliage Network's website at least 5 times.  Yea, that's a real thing. Check it out.

Are you starting to understand? The man is obsessed.  And while I should be thankful that he isn't a gambler, a golf fanatic, or even a motorhead, I must admit, his love for all things fall does wear on me.

So when I saw this "movie trailer", I nearly died:

In the first four days of October, he's already made/made me eat: pumpkin spiced pancakes, pumpkin soup, apple cider, pumpkin and chocolate Hershey kisses, and Trader Joe's pumpkin spiced latte mix.

We still have 27 days to go, people!  At this rate, I'm going to die of pumpkin poisoning.  Is that a thing?  If you're a nurse or a doctor and know that it is in fact a thing, please give me a head's up.  At least, if I don't survive through Hallween, you all will know why.

I'm Just Like Madeline!

My second grade teacher, Mrs. Santos, loved reading the Madeline books to us.  She had a ton of Madeline dolls and I remember when it was my turn to play with them, the first thing I did was lift up her dress to see her appendix scar.  I remember thinking, "That's so cool!"

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Two days after having an emergency appendectomy, I can tell you, it's not really all that cool.  In fact, it's much more painful and gross than I dreamed it would be when I was 7 years old.

On Saturday night we had Indy's family over to celebrate his father's birthday.  We had a big 'ol traditional Greek dinner with lamb, orzo and tzatziki.  I made my first birthday cake, ever, and we had a wonderful night!  After they'd gone and we'd cleaned up for the night, around 11:30ish, upon getting into bed, I started to feel a dull twinge in my lower, right pelvic area.  I passed it off for some gas from my big Greek dinner.  But as the night went on, I was tossing and turning, and the pain got a little sharper and more regular.

In the morning, I was sore, and after all I've been through with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, I'd convinced myself that the pain I felt the night before wasn't gas, but instead a burst ovarian cyst.  The pain was different from the last two burst cysts I've had- usually it's a very sharp, intense pain for about 20 minutes, followed by a throbbing soreness for most of the next day.  But still, I was pretty confident in my self-diagnosis- especially since all of the internet stuff I was looking up seemed to confirm my suspicion.

I spent most of Sunday relaxing, getting some light house work done, but by 5 in the evening I was getting really concerned.  The pain was back, and more consistent, and after some convincing, Indy got me to agree to go to the local ER to double-check and be sure.

I had never been to any ER before, and was kind of embarrassed to go with a little bit of pelivc pain, but it wasn't so bad.  There were only a few people there, and in about an hour I was checked in, had a bed, and was talking with a nice young doctor.  Based on the description of the pain, my symptoms and my history, agreed that I'd probably had an ovarian cyst burst.  He would've given me an ultrasound that night, but of course, the ultrasound people weren't around.  He mentioned a CT scan, but didn't want to make me go through the whole radiation thing if he didn't have to. He discharged me with some extra strength Motrin, and told me I should follow up with my regular gyno a.s.a.p.  We were home in time for the series finale of Breaking Bad. (Perfection, by the way- pure perfection.)

However, early Monday morning, around 2am I snapped awake with crazy, intense pain.  It was too strong to ignore, and once Indy realized how bad it was, he was dressed in two seconds, again, coercing me to go back to the ER.  I got dressed and made it out to the car and started doubting it.  "Maybe it's just gas- it's probably just the cyst..." but Indy wouldn't take no for an answer- and thank goodness he didn't.  Every bump in the road zapped my pelvis like nothing I'd ever felt before, and luckily, just like the first time, the ER was empty.  I was booked and in a bed immediately.  I drank a jar and a half of that nasty luke-warm berry smoothie so they could do a CT scan, and 10 minutes later we had our answer: Appendicitis.

The doctors were all surprised, because I didn't have any symptoms (fever, loss of appetite, nausea) other than physical pain.  They booked me and around 1pm that afternoon put me under and took it out!  And not a moment too soon, either, because apparently when they took it out, it literally fell apart!  The doctor told Indy an my older sister in the waiting room that they literally had to "suck out" all the bad stuff that got lose when it fell apart, and because of that, I had to be really diligent about checking my temperature and reporting any flu-like symptoms.

I spent the night in the hospital, and it was a little rough.  Indy was a trooper and slept by my side all night, missing there classes in the process.  He's been the best nurse anyone could ask for- comforting me, feeding me soup, but also playing Nurse Ratched when he had to (like when I was refusing to eat or drink, because I was feeling sick.) 

The first night home (last night) was a rough one, too.  I didn't sleep much at all- had a lot of gas from when they pumped my belly full of air for the laparoscopic surgery, which was super uncomfortable.  I raced to the toilet a few times because of overwhelming nausea, but never actually puked (which I'm so happy about, because even the tiniest giggle makes my already sore stomach jolt with pain.)  But a hot shower at 3am followed by some more TLC from Indy made this morning much better.  I've been eating and drinking an napping the pain away and I feel like a totally different person.

I'll be out of work for this entire week, and most if not all of next.  My kids have been sending me messages via my co-workers, that they miss me and want me to feel better, which always makes me smile.  I can't wait to get back there and see them all, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't need this time to rest up!

They're Flying!

This year I was assigned to teach two sections of Digital Photography 2.  I'd been teaching Photo 1 since my hire 5 years ago, and at this point, could teach it in my sleep.  But I was kind of nervous about teaching Photo 2.

Photo 1 is supposed to be all the basics - how to work your camera, how to control your lighting, how to set up a still life, etc.  It's basically "How to Take a Photo" class.  Photo 2 is much more about using what you know to create meaningful, conceptual works of art.  It's basically "Photography as an Art Form" class...which, with high school kids can be kind of tough.

We're four weeks into shooting, and I'm happy to say I've had a lot of success with the kids- but more than that, we've all had so much fun.

Case in point: last week's Levitation Photography assignment.

What is Levitation Photography?  Google it, and be amazed!

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Levitation Photography is basically setting up and editing a shot to make it seem as if a person or object is levitating, or floating in mid air.  It's like magic!  And honestly, it's so easy to do!

Check out some more beautiful examples of levitation photography here.

Here is a very simple tutorial for how to make a person look like they're floating:

 

The sound gets a little weird when he does the photoshop tutorial, but all the basics are there.  He's right- all you need to do the project is a camera, a tripod (or some sturdy surface to rest your camera on while you shoot), your model, and objects for them to sand/lay/rest on.  And yes, you absolutely need two photographs: 1 of the plain background, and 1 of the set-up with your model.

I stressed to my kids that choosing a model who will listen to you, and be a bit expressive was really important.  If you wanted them to look like a floating goddess, they'll have to move their arms and hands and toes just right- you can't be a floating goddess with flat feet and rigid shoulders, you know?

Using the masking tool was one way to edit the photos (as this guy did in the tutorial) however, the only issue with that is, especially outdoors, your light changes from minute to minute.  So if the kids took a lot of time setting up their model, the masking tool would show the change in light very clearly.  What some of my students opted to do was trace and cut their models out with either the pen tool, or the select too (which most of them preferred).

Here's another much more detailed tutorial with tips on doing levitation tricks with objects, and how to adjust small things to make it look super realistic: here. (For some reason, blogger was being cranky and wouldn't let me embed the video.)  But this guy gives some more specific instructions, and his accent is just lovely!

All in all, this was a really fun, and surprisingly quick/simple project to do with my kids.  Some of them took the concepts and really ran with them- we had "ghosts" floating in graveyards and dads floating away with balloons. 

One of the things that made me most happy was how many students returned from a weekend of shooting to say, "My sister/brother/mom/dad/cousin/grandma had so much fun with this project!  I can't wait to show them how they turned out!"  I love a project that gets family and friends involved.  I hope it sparks an interest in photography for them, but also teaches my student that photography is an interactive art- not just a solo one.

So there you have it!  We have a beautiful day upon us (at least we do out here in NJ)- Give some levitation photography a try!

A Case of the Amidones

It's not quite as physically disturbing as the flu, but it's pretty much just as contagious as pink eye.  It rears its head every school year, multiple times a year, but just around this time is when it starts- near the end of our first real project.  Yesterday, we had our first outbreak.

My four Fine Art 1 classes are just about wrapping up their first project- graphite still life, and I must say they've been working like crazy.  Each class comes in and without any prompting, gathers their materials and gets to work.  They've been very open minded and put forth a ton of effort, and just like every other year, I've got a ton of naturally talented kids. 

However, yesterday the Amidones began.

In one of my morning classes a particularly advanced student put the final touches on his project, which I then framed for the front hall.  I gave him some perspective worksheets to practice with while the other studnets finished up, and that was all it took.  The hands started shooting up all over the place.

Amidone?! Amidone? Amidone?

It was like a virus, quickly working its way not only through that class period, but all four of my Fine Art 1 classes.  Once word got out that someone had actually finished the project, all bets were off.  I spent most of my day crushing all the hopes and dreams of each child who eagerly asked, Amidone!? (just like that, in one long word, rushed and panicked.)

I usually do pretty well with the Amidones, but eventually they gang up on me and break me down.  Toward the end of the day I was starting to feel it.  I'm so glad the weekend is upon us so I can rest up and crush those Amidones on Monday.

No, you're not done, and every time you ask me, I'll find something else you need to fix!

Creative Ceramics

This fall I'm taking a ceramics graduate class.  I've always loved ceramics, but admittedly, it's not my medium of choice.  I'm not a 3-D thinker by nature, so I always find working in clay a little more challenging.  I understand all the basics- how to work with the clay, different techniques, all that good stuff- I just find that I'm not very creative when it comes to actually designing and making something.

This week was our second meeting and we were given our first assignment- a large-scale tile relief sculpture.  We're working in 6"x6" tiles, about 1/4" thick.  We must do at least 4 tiles, but can go up to as many as 20.  I've decided to do 6.

I spent that second night of class rolling out and cutting all my tiles, and by the time that was done, the class was over. I spent the following week designing my tiles, then in my most recent class, started drawing, cutting and building them up.  This is where I ended last week:

 I've had this underwater animal theme going for the last year or so, so doing an octopus was my first idea.  I just love that animal- so smart, and so weird looking!  I'm really excited about creating all the different, fun textures on the tiles next week.

But I started thinking ahead to future projects my professor mentioned and wanted to get a head-start on gathering information, so of course, I went on Pinterest.  Here are some neat ideas/techniques I hope to try this semester:

1. Alphabet Pasta

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Not exactly tile reliefs, but this technique could be used in any ceramic creation.  You just use some alphabet pasta, press the letters into your creation, and when it gets fired, the pasta burns away, leaving you with only the indentations.  How clever!  In the end, they look something like this, depending on how you glaze them:

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2. Imperfect Coils

I tried making a coil pot my first week of class.  It ended up just okay.  Thing is I got all neurotic and tried to make all my coils perfect, and of course, that's really hard to do- especially if you haven't done ceramics in, oh, I don't know, five years?  What I should have done was focus more on the process and just let the coils do what they wanted.  I found this student-made coil pot on Pinterest and I'm in love with the imperfections:

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3. Lace Texture

I thing textures are a huge part of why I love ceramics as an art form.  I love that you can create your own, or press things into the clay so that it takes on the texture of that object.  Recently, I cleaned out the prop room at school and found two really interesting pieces of lace.  I'd love to try them out like the gorgeous vessels below:

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I'm sure I'll be pinning way into the semester.  I'm hoping I can pop out a few extra projects on my own time to really make the most of my use of the studio/kilns at the university.

Any ceramic artists out there with suggestions for a sort-of newbie?

TEACH

It aired a few weeks ago, but CBS had a two-hour special, which followed four teachers from all over the U.S. and documented their trials and triumphs over a year.  It focused on how teachers adapted to their students needs, how students adapted to new technology/classroom procedures, and the ending results of everyone's hard work.

It was one of the best teacher-related documentaries I've seen- so real and inspiring.

If you haven't seen it, watch this promo:

 
Everyone has at least one teacher they can remember as a person who most inspired, pushed, or motivated them to be not only a better student, but a better person.  A person who strives for excellence, and doesn't give up when it gets hard.  

At the end of TEACH, a stuent is asked, "What is a teacher?" 

She responds, "Someone who inspires you to do something better with your life."

Portland, Bangor, Acadia National Park, and Bar Harbor, Maine

Indy and I spent very last week of this summer in Maine.  Each year we try to save up enough greens for a large trip (this year: Scotland) and a more local trip (Maine).  It was the perfect time to go as school had started up in many of the surrounding areas, so the hot spots weren't as crowded as we had feared. 

I compiled a few neat shots of our trip for your enjoyment!

Portland: We were only in Portland for a full day and night, but we walked around and saw some pretty beautiful things.  We also took a ghost tour (I'll have a post about that soon).

Bangor: We stopped briefly in Bangor to snap a few shots of Mr. Stephen King's house.  So cool!

Acadia National Park: We camped in the park for two nights, and it was gorgeous.  We also hiked up Cadillac Mountain, which is the highest point on Mount Desert Island!

Bar Harbor: This was the end of our trip- we spent a day kayaking, where we saw seals and porpoises (they moved way too fast for me to capture) but the scenery stood nice and still.  We ended our trip with a whale watch, and I got some fantastic up-close shots of this one Humpback, Gemini, who flirted with the boat a bit.

It was a wonderful way to end an already wonderful summer.  I can't wait to get back to this beautiful state!