Through Pen and Lens

Photo by Morry Gash So, Wesley, Ashley and I (along with Ditto, Louis, and Oz) watched NASA TV (and CBS when NASA was too quiet) this morning as Atlantis left on its final mission. A little piece of history shared with the kiddies who are no longer kids. It's hard to believe 135 missions have been flown in the shuttle program. And in the 50 years of the space program, we've only had two major tragedies. Go USA! I feel for the people who will lose jobs because of the end of the shuttle program, but it is time for space "advancement." Perhaps now, forced to do so, we will come up with something even better. Here's to a prosperous journey and safe return. Quote for the day:  Are you still using fossil fuels, or have you discovered crystallic fusion? Buzz Lightyear

If this makes sense, congratulate me. I have been medicated since Friday, 27 May, when Dr. Brown did an arthroscopy on my left knee, the same knee I screwed up over 25 years ago. Damn, I’m getting old. Well, my body is, anyway. This time, I tore my meniscus, so nothing like the last time. Good drugs, though. I was trying to be a big girl today and not take anything. Fuck that. Pain started shooting through like somebody was stabbing me with one of those hand-held knife sharpeners; you know, the long, round, metal thing with a handle, bigger than an ice pick. So, another day of haze. Unfortunately, not quite purple. I was planning to write something profound here. Damned if I can remember what the hell it was. Wes is playing some game on the ps triple, and I lost focus. But here is a quote. Nothing to do with this post, though. Quote for the day: Some people cling to their prejudices like old, comfortable clothes that should have been thrown out long ago. Patricia Dixon

I have entirely too much work to do to be here. Yet, here I am. The semester is almost over. One new paper and two rewrites to do. That's it. So why can't I wrap my head around them, and get 'er done? Too much drama in my life? Always. Too many things on my plate? If you'd seen me lately, you wouldn't have to ask that question. Happy Cinco de Mayo! Maybe a beer or five... Quote for the day: Congress seems to favor a stable government, judging from the amount of stalling it does.

Infinity 146 and Toby Toby passed Tuesday morning. He is missed. So, last night, I’m working on my mac, trying to get rid of some of the junk files and send those that might be needed some day to an external drive for safe keeping (lol), when I notice the rain is getting louder, and the neighbor’s wind chime is ringing non-stop in my ears. Since I’m not hooked up for tele and I only check the weather online when I am going to be out in it, I had no idea a storm was coming. Excuse me, was here. So, I ignored it. It wasn’t long, maybe a few minutes (maybe an hour – I get lost in time on the mac) when I notice the sound of pea gravel being thrown by the handful at my patio door. Okay, so now I have to check it out. Ta-the-f-ing-la-de-da. It’s 2230 (that’s 10:30pm), and we have hail. Again. This is Texas? This is frakking April? We just had hail ten days ago! Neighbor's front door. So, I stand at the patio door and watch as the hail pounds the carport and the uncovered cars a...

We have hail! Pea-size hail. It didn’t actually wake me. Thunder woke me about 0230. Then the rainstorm started. Now hail at 0500. Wonder if this will hold over until time for class. I could use a day off after yesterday… Best Ensem! I was in desperate need of inspiration, and I thought I’d get a jump on my new project (in addition to all of the coursework I really need to be working on!), so I went to the Deep Ellum Arts Festival yesterday. Great art, music, food and lots of dogs, partly because of the dog parade. I’m posting some of the pics on Facebook. This is the dog that gave me the biggest smile.  They were working it! So, what’s my new project? I mentioned back in March that I applied for the UTD artist residency at CentralTrak. I am looking at the past and present artists living/working in Deep Ellum. There were several artists presenting at the festival that are from the area. Yeah! That gives me a start. I met several and told them what I’m planning. All that I...

It appears I have been neglectful in my duties. Instead of writing I have been internalizing – quite a bit. Perhaps part of that is all the solitary time here in Dallas. Another reason: I have a tendency to go into my head; always have. So, when I see my kids do the same thing, I try to draw them out. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with focusing in; balance is key. And sometimes my scales can get a little wonky. So what’s been up? The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition – the Chicago World’s Fair. I’m in a humanities course centered on “the Fair that changed America.” At first, I thought, what the hell? But this fair shows up in literature, everywhere. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz , Devil in the White City , Against the Day , Sister Carrie , The Conjure Woman and Sweet Clover , just to name a miniscule few. Everybody was there except Samuel Clemens; he made it to Chicago but spent the time in his hotel room because he became ill. What a spin he would have put on the experience of the fair...

I just applied to the UT Dallas graduate student artists residency program. It would be up to two years in a live-in studio space at the CentralTrak gallery in Deep Ellum (an historic and artistic area of Dallas), rent and utility free. I will be able to focus on my work and studies sans all the worry of having to spend family funds on housing. If I get in I would move in this fall semester. If not, I will be applying again, with an updated statement of purpose for those who were able to send comments on the original statement after I sent off the packet. Whether I get in or not, I will be researching the history of Deep Ellum, the artists and writers from the area (particularly female artists and writers), and I will be working on a photographic study of the area and those artists. It would just be easier if I was actually living down there. Quote for the day: We make our own luck, but having someone with us enriches the composition.