Emerging Artist! I like the sound of that!

2 of my paintings will be displayed in a show for "Emerging Artists" in Chicago, IL at Morpho Gallery! I am excited about this anyway, but even more so because one of my paintings is featured on the postcard for the show! I only wish I could make it to the opening on July 2nd (complete with fireworks) but alas I spent too much $$$ shipping my art across the country. You can see my art and the other artists' work on the website here. It's a slide show and mine pops up eventually. :-)

Neil Young at Jones Hall

Last night, I saw Neil Young at Jones Hall near downtown Houston with Glenn and my parents. For Glenn and I it was the 2nd time seeing him live because we saw him at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles when we lived there.

Neil Young is one of my favorite singer-songwriters, and a rock legend. Nobody sounds like him now, or probably ever will.

Bert Jansch opened the show and I was blown away. He is known for being one of the (least known) best guitar players ever- and I completely agree. I heard that his style greatly influenced JIMMY PAGE of Led Zeppelin and it makes perfect sense after hearing him perform. His music is a unique mix of blues, british folk, and classical guitar. Even though he was one person with one guitar if I was just listening I would think that there were about 4 guitar players performing up there! I decided that he should tour with Robert Plant and it would be the next best thing to having Jimmy Page.

Neil Young opened the show with "Hey Hey, My My" with acoustic guitar which was incredible. He continued to play an interesting mix of his classics as well as his new songs. My favorite of the night had to be "After the Goldrush" which he performed on an antique pipe organ. It was a unique version of one of my favorite songs. I can't help but prefer his classics to his new songs, but I must say I give him props for being so prolific and not remaining stagnant in performing only songs that he wrote 30 years ago. I enjoyed his acoustic performances in this show more than the electric because I could hear his voice and the guitar better. I'm not sure how much of this was because of the venue or where I was sitting, or just the sound mixing, but during (especially the first 2 or 3) electric songs that he played the feedback made it very hard to hear the vocals or guitar clearly and not in a good way. My dad thought that they must have turned up the guitar balance more than normal because he was doing a solo performance in a fairly large venue, but to me it echoed a bit. The only song that I can think of that I would have liked to hear that he didn't play was "Heart of Gold" but I really can't complain because I heard it 3 years ago when I saw him before.

On a side note, Neil Young fans can be OBNOXIOUS! When we saw him in LA, the people sitting right behind us yelled THE ENTIRE TIME, "PLAY DOWN BY THE RIVER PUHLEEEEEASE!" He did not play "Down by the River" at that show lol! The Houston show was refreshingly quiet with exception to a few people yelling out. One lady yelled "shut up"in response which actually kind of nipped it in the bud. I just can't imagine feeling the right to yell things at any performer on stage, much less at such a rock icon! I think some people just like getting attention.

Peeve

I don't do this very often, but I have to discuss one of my biggest pet peeves: when people speak about what they do not know about. This bothers me in many facets of life, but the one I'm talking about in this blog is misconceptions about teaching.

I have encountered a lot of people expressing their opinions about teachers in general as well as specifically about the job of an art teacher.

Assumption #1: "I should be a teacher because they get 3 months off!"

First of all, it really is not quite 3 months. Next, teacher contracts are only for 187 days, therefore, WE ARE ONLY GETTING PAID for the time we are working. I think it is safe to say that those in the education field are among the highest educated, lowest paid population of people. Most teachers don't do it for the money, but because they find it rewarding in some way. Hey I'm all for having year round school if teachers get paid for their time! I have never complained about my salary because in Texas we are paid much better than in many states. Although, in my mind, shouldn't teachers be paid well? Without well-educated teachers to inspire children to be the best they can be, what would happen? I know that personally my summer will consist of writing lesson plans/planning for next year, attending numerous professional development classes (total right now is 6 7hr classes) Yes, some of these cost $$$ and no I don't get reimbursed or compensated. I am also in class for my master's degree which is obviously in a related subject to the subject that I teach. I won't even get into how much I buy for my classes out of my pocket either...

Assumption #2: "teachers get to go home at 3:30"

I don't know ANY teacher who has the same schedule as the students. Teachers arrive early and stay late. They bring grading and work home. They spend entire weekends at competitions and other events for the students. Teaching is not a job that you can leave at the office.

Assumption #3: teaching art is "fun" and "easy" because it is not a core subject.

Yes, teaching art does have fun moments! It should be fun! Let me clarify though, that in order for the students to have fun, it takes A LOT of planning and preparation from guess who... the TEACHER! This is not "easy." Rewarding is the term I would use more than "fun" or "easy". What other kind of teacher is expected to teach 6 different age groups/ have 6 different preps? (I'm sure there are some, but who knows?) I had 24 sections of kids this year! We have expectations from the state, district, school, art coordinator; shows to put up throughout the year, as well as competitions. Anyone who has been in a room with 48 Kindergarten kids using scissors in close quarters knows that the job of a fine arts teacher can be called a lot of things, but "easy" is not one of them! It is challenging in a DIFFERENT way than being an academic or homeroom teacher. Guess how many lbs I lost 1st semester strictly due to NEVER sitting down/stress/not having time to eat lunch some days...nearly 20lbs!

I would NEVER pretend to know what an engineer, astronaut, mom, financial trader, business owner, or math teacher goes through in the midst of their daily duties, so you know what- I would never assume that it is "easy." I call that "ignorant."

It's done now

"Pack my bags, I'm going away
It's over. I'm going home.
Thank you people, but it's too much to stay.
It's done now. I'm going home. "- Badfinger

Happiness :-)

It just hit me that right now I am the happiest that I've been in a long time! Summer is just around the corner and I have so much to look forward to!

I have a new job to plan for! I know that I am a nerd because reading the curriculum is making me get really excited. The types of lessons/projects come SO MUCH easier to me than the levels I have been teaching this year.I can't wait to start at my new school!

I am done with my certification and have passed all my exams. (and most importantly done paying for it!) I am nearly finished with my Master's degree, but painting will be my focus this summer. This summer my art is traveling to Prague (to show my technique) and I'm crossing my fingers that next summer I will be traveling there.

I am about to be in my wonderful friend, Katie's wedding this weekend and I am planning to visit her in Charleston when she moves there in a few months.

Right now, I feel like I have so many things to be thankful for. :-)

Summer Fashion Obsessions

Those of you who have known me for a long time know that I have ALWAYS had a love of retro fashion. In middle school and early high school I had REALLY long hair when nobody else did and everyone always asked me if I was a hippie and told me I should cut my hair.

...fast-forward to 2010 and popular fashion has finally caught up to my style :-)

Bohemian and 60s-70s fashion is EVERYWHERE, but with more flattering, modern fits. I remember in high school WISHING that stuff like this was available for sale and it wasn't at the time! I actually have several thrift store pieces that I had altered that are almost identical to new fashion that is out right now!

Let me share with you a few of my current fashion obsessions, which ironically have not changed much since the time I was in 7th grade:

Flowing, patterned blouses or dresses:

Ankle boots:

Anything with fringe:

And as always really cute sandals: (lets face it, in Houston, sandals can be worn nearly year-round)

Cha cha cha changes

Today I found out that I got a transfer that I applied for in my district! I am very excited to be working at a new middle school! The school actually opened this past year, but only with 1 art teacher- now I will be the 2nd art teacher for next year! The facility is incredible, complete with office, storage closet, kiln, and outdoor area for art! I am also really happy to not be the only art teacher at my school. No matter how nice everyone is, there is nothing quite like having another art person to share with. Another plus is that it is a much shorter, easier drive from my house than where I am working now! I've already signed up for lots of professional development classes for this summer and can't wait to be able to focus on teaching secondary next year! Yippeee!

Fun Weekend!

First of all, we are in the home stretch of the school year and I couldn't be more excited! Only 3.5 weeks left!

Glenn and I kicked off the weekend by attending John Alexander's art opening at McClain Gallery with Mija and Jody. John Alexander is one of my favorite artists who started his career in Houston. It was a small show highlighting one large painting and the supporting sketches for the painting. He is good friends with Dan Akroyd who was there too! He touched me on the elbow and said "hi." haha! I am a huge fan of vintage SNL and Ghostbusters so it's kind of weird to see and meet him in person.

Saturday, we went to see Iron Man 2 and eat dinner with Amanda & Eric. Amanda and I had some funny balloon hats made at dinner and decided to document them!

Tomorrow we are going to visit my mom and dad in Lake Jackson in honor of Mother's day, which should be fun!

Time

There's never enough time!

"You run, you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking

Racing around to come up behind you again"- Pink Floyd

These song lyrics describe exactly how I feel lately. Although I have a smaller load than I did first semester, I still am in the first year of a challenging job and concurrently in grad school.

With both work, school, and home I feel like I can never catch up all the way with everything that needs to be done. There is just not enough time in the day. I can't stay up at school all night or spend all night working on things that I've taken home because it is so important to re-charge for the daily activities that come along with being an elementary teacher. If I don't, it is hard to find the enthusiasm to make it through the day.

Then, if I do anything extra on the weekend, it just reduces the time I have to rest and catch up on work and painting. For example, this weekend I spent all day Saturday (6:45-10pm) in Sugar Land helping with an art contest. It was fun, but exhausting!

It's just amazing how fast the hours fly by on the weekends and nights when I'm home. I wish I could press pause! I guess that is what summer break is for...less that 3 months to go! Woo hoo!

New Year!

I really don't like making new years resolutions, but I do have some goals that I would like to focus on.

1. Get organized! Since we moved into the house, I have a lot of organization to do. I don't just want to find a place for everything, but also get into the habit of putting things back where they go when I'm done. My classroom is also still a work in progress. Lots of random things to organize with very little storage.

2. Excercise! I've lost a lot of weight b/c of my gluten-free diet (low in carbs) and because of my hectic job, but I have not been working out. I think if I start working out I will see results pretty easily, since I do have a head start by losing weight.

3. Art! Especially this summer, I want to focus on being really productive with my art, entering shows, and hopefully writing and finishing my thesis.

4. Staying in Touch! I have not been very good at staying in touch with friends lately (besides facebook ) and I want to work harder to call and catch up with people that I haven't talked to in a while.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Gluten free beauty products?

Based on my digestive issues, symptoms, I am 99.9 % sure that I am sensitive to gluten. I first discovered when I was on a zero carb diet that my digestive system was working the best it had in my entire life! I talked to a gastro Dr. about it and he agreed that it was likely based on my symptoms. My test for Celiac disease came back normal, but he said that it doesn't mean that I don't have gluten sensitivity, just that I don't have that particular variation of it.

So for the past 6 months or so I have been on a gluten free diet. It is really difficult, but I have tried my best. Amy's organic foods have really yummy gluten free enchiladas and other frozen meals, so that has been a staple for me at lunch. For dinner I substitute xantham gum for flour and eliminate any bread.

The strange thing is that since my digestion has gotten better, my skin has gotten worse! I have sometimes itchy rashes on my back, torso, chest, scalp, and face. Ever since I was a pre-teen, I had small, red bumps on my face that never seemed to go away despite medicine and visits to the dermatologist. The dermatologist always referred to it as mild acne. More recently, a dermatologist diagnosed me with rosacea.

I tried a new shampoo and conditioner recently (Aveeno) because I had heard great reviews of it. I used it a couple of times and my scalp and neck broke out in an intensely itchy rash. I took Benadryl and just assumed that my skin is sensitive.

I was researching makeup that is best for sensitive skin on the internet and I came to a FAQ section on a makeup brand's website that asked "are your products gluten free?" First I had no idea that gluten was even used in makeup, and second, I wondered how that would affect digestive symptoms if used topically. It didn't make sense to me. So I started researching gluten sensitivity and beauty products and found NUMEROUS people who had a sensitivity to gluten and broke out in skin rash when using beauty products that contained wheat, rye, barley, or anything derived from these things! I went and looked at the ingredients on the label of the Aveeno shampoo that broke me out so bad and it listed 2 different kinds of gluten as making up a large percentage of the formula! Most Dr.s apparently, will tell you that gluten can only be absorbed by the digestive tract, but there is no conclusive study that this is based on.

I change beauty products about as often as I change my clothes, so when I think back to times when my skin was at its best, I was using a makeup that WAS gluten free! I am going to buy new makeup, soap, shampoo, face wash, and lotion that is gluten free. THANK GOODNESS for Burt's Bees which ALL of it's products are gluten free and much more reasonably priced than any other brand that is. I am excited to see whether this helps!

Another random thing I learned was that Gluten can cause Migraines in people who are sensitive to it! Also, my reflux has gotten better since being on a gluten-free diet. This makes me think that most Dr.s do not do enough to look for the CAUSE of symptoms. Instead, they just treat them.

November is a busy month!

In my Mouse Ears on Halloween looking at the Sunset off of our balcony!

This month has barely started, and I already know that it is going to fly by! There is SO MUCH going on this month for me!

This week- on top of reading 2 NOVELS for one class discussion this week for my Thurs night class, I have a 7 page proposal/summative bibliography/midterm due. I also have a critique for my other class (painting) this Tuesday.

Next Week- I am excited for TAEA (art teacher) conference in Dallas! I already have a sub lined up for Friday, and I will be in Dallas for the weekend.

Nov 19- We have a conveyance walk with our builder, which basically is the step before closing.

Nov 20- I have my jury trial stemming from that ticket that I got in October of 2008!

Nov 23- Appliances go in our house!

Nov 24- We close on our house!

Our lights are on! And our fence posts are up! Now all we need is carpet, grass, landscaping, and door knobs lol!

Then- I am off for Thanksgiving Holiday! My holiday, however, will not only be filled with fun house /moving/painting rooms, etc, but with doing work on my grad school work. I have (at least) 2 more paintings to do this semester PLUS another to go with my creative paper=3 large paintings left to complete. My final paper is due Dec 3rd and my final (blue book) exam for that class is a couple of days later.

whew! I'm not sure how I will get everything done, but I am sure that November is going to fly by whether I like it or not! I can't wait til Christmas Break when I can actually rest!

Brick and stone finished, ready for sidewalk!

Brick & Stone & Sheetrock OH MY!

The builders are almost finished putting the stone on the front of our house, despite the rainy weather! The house is sheet-rocked on inside and has the first coat of paint on the walls even! The next step is stamped concrete, lights, cabinets & flooring, & plumbing to go in and fence to go up! It is looking more like a real house both on the inside and outside!

Top 10 Reasons I can't wait to move into our house!

1. Art Studio!
Needless to say, I am more than a little bit excited for this feature! It was one of the main selling points for us. We couldn't find any other houses that had anything remotely like this. Today I went to Jerry's Artarama and bought some fixtures that they were getting rid of for really cheap! I got a huge brush display, a huge rack that will hold my acrylic paints, and also rack that will hold my watercolors! (all for under $30) I got a nice adjustable easel for my birthday. Now all I need is a flat storage system for paper and such, drafting table, bookshelf, and cabinets to store supplies. I'm thinking of going to Ikea to look for the shelves and cabinets. CAN'T WAIT!

2. Having a yard
The worst part of living on the 3rd floor for me is having to take Molly & Minnie down 3 flights of stairs to go outside. It will be nice to be able to open the door and let them out in a fenced area.

3. Being closer to work
It will be a much shorter drive for me, but longer for Glenn. It won't matter too much for him though b/c he gets to work by 6 am when there is no traffic.

4. More space (duh)
I will have a HUGE closet :-) as well as more space in pretty much every other room, since we live in a 1 bedroom apt right now. It will be especially nice to have more cabinet space for pots and pans and a big pantry. As I've mentioned before we do not have room for a kitchen table where we live now. In fact, we have never had a kitchen table since we've been married. I will be so happy to finally be able to eat somewhere besides our sofa!

5. Driveway and Garage
I hate not having a garage to park in. Especially when weather gets cool and the cars fog up in the morning.

6. U-Verse Cable, etc
In the community where we are moving, we have no choice but to get U-Verse cable. Sounds weird, until you look at the heavily discounted price and then there is no other word for it than amazing! We will be paying almost half of what we have been paying for internet & basic cable in our apt, but will get internet, better cable (with DVR I think), phone, and security system!

7. EnergyStar home!
Our electric bills have been ridiculous in our apartment. We are hot all the time trying to save $ but our electric bill is expensive nonetheless. I think our apt is terribly inefficient. I am happy that our new home will be more energy efficient.

8. LIGHT!
There is lots of natural light in our new place, which I love.

9. Being able to grill!
It is illegal to grill on the balcony of an apartment, therefore we have not been able to grill. I loved grilled meat and it is easy!

10. Decorating!
We have already gotten to start shaping the style of our house through our choices at the design center, but I also look forward to painting walls, picking curtains, and getting some new furniture (eventually)!

I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but you get the idea! I'll leave you with some updated pics of our house.

House Update

I drove by 'our house' after work one day this week. I snapped this pic with my phone! We now have a frame! Yay! Also, I finally get my first paycheck next week and I am excited about that as well!

Busy Week

I survived the first week of classes!

I have met half of the 1000+ students that I will be teaching! Next week I meet the other half! I also went to Clear Lake for my first week of the fall semester of Grad School 2 nights this week. I am really tired already, and feeling a bit sicky.

Today, Glenn and I had a meeting with the house builder and our slab was being poured while we were there!

It was really neat to see- I have never witnessed a house being built before! They say that next week the frame of the house will go up! Our salesman, Jarrell said that we should be in the house by THANKSGIVING! Whoo hoo! Another interesting tidbit is that my next door neighbor is a teacher, and another teacher is going to live a couple of houses down the street! I'm sure we will have a lot to talk about! This is the beginning of my Art Studio! They are going to smooth out the concrete, since I'm going to leave the floor concrete and stain it! YAY!!!

On another note, we took the girls to a dog park and here are some cute pics. They get SO excited!

on the way there:
lots of sniffing going on!

A big week!

Next week is a very exciting week! Monday is not only my 25th birthday, but the first day of school! I will meet half of the >1000 kiddos that I will teach! Yes, I will have 24 sections of students! I am nervous, but ready to get this show on the road! The anticipation is killing me! I am also ready to get my first paycheck (which won't happen for a few weeks) Here are some pics of my classroom (almost done being set up).




Also, in other news, our house should begin construction next week! Also, my new graduate school semester starts next week, so 2 nights I will be driving to Clear Lake :-P.

A House!!!

Glenn and I are getting a house built! We have been going back and forth between saving up more money and getting a bigger house in a few years, or getting a "starter" home now. We had just about decided to wait, but then we stumbled upon this builder. We were actually looking for an open house for a pre-built home, but ended up coming in the office looking at floor plans. This community offers a sort of new concept called "courtyard homes" that have their own gated yards. This model fits our needs perfectly right now! This is a picture of the model (the same floor plan we will be building). The building to the right is a detached "casita" that is decorated as a game room. Mine will be an ART STUDIO! This is a view inside the casita. I can't believe I'll have such an incredible space all for my art!

This is the view from the front door to the casita/art studio. (the model has a pool, ours definitely won't )

Our home will look similar to this one, but not exact, as this one has has lots of upgrades. I can't wait until we get to visit the Design Studio and pick out cabinets, countertops, tile, paint colors, etc!

The house should be finished by mid November so we can close on it by November 30th. (in time for the 8000 dollar tax credit!)

Dopamax???

I have been trying to get my migraine headaches under control this summer. I have too many to be able to rely solely on the medicine that you take when you are already getting one (to treat it) so I have to turn to preventative medicine as well.

My doctors put me on Topamax (an anti seizure medicine also used to treat migraines and sometimes bipolar disorder) and I have been gradually working up to the full dose over the past month and a half. The side effects have been AWFUL! It started with tingling limbs and mild memory loss. I would grasp for a simple word that I have always known. Then my vision became blurry, my motor skills and thinking became delayed. I have had trouble focusing on anything. I feel really tired all the time, and generally not myself. When I read the side effects (listed below) pretty much the only ones I haven't had are stomach upset or nausea. The only reason I lost my appetite was because I had no energy to cook! I thought it was funny that the drug was nicknamed "dopamax" by people who had taken it b/c I have never been on drugs but this is what I imagine being "cracked out" would feel like haha.

OH and it hasn't really helped the migraines... SO my Dr. has given me a schedule to work my dosage down to stop taking it (YAY!) and I am going to try a different medicine. I just hope it works out better for me. I never plan on taking another medicine that has a side effect listed as "confusion!"

Side effects

A GlaxoSmithKline-sponsored Phase IV study suggested that cognitive side effects may be more common with topiramate than with lamotrigine.^[23] In studies of healthy volunteers, therapeutic doses of topiramate for bipolar disorder produced greater cognitive deficits than lamotrigine, including short term memory loss and word-finding difficulty. This effect has led to the occasional use of the name "dopamax" by some dissatisfied customers.^{[citation needed]}

The side-effects reported by > 10% of subjects in at least 1 clinical study^[24] Listed by prevalence: (*indicates placebo rate [%] is the same or higher than side-effect rate)

• headache (23.8%) *[25.9%]
• paresthesia (numbness & tingling) (23.1%)
• upper respiratory tract infection (17.5%)
• diarrhea (16.8%)
• nausea (15.4%)
• somnolence (15.4%) *[16.1%]
• anorexia (loss of appetite) (13.3%) *[5.6%]
• insomnia (11.9%) *[11.2%]
• memory problems (11.2%)
• dizziness (10.5%) *[10.5]

The side-effects most frequently leading to discontinuation of therapy with topiramate were:

• Psychomotor slowing (4.1%)
• Memory problems (3.3%)
• Fatigue (3.3%)
• Confusion (3.2%)
• Somnolence (3.2%)

Blood clots have occurred in people given topamax, but it has not been proved that these were caused by the drug. Drug withdrawal convulsions (fits) have been reported very rarely. Psychosis (often with paranoid delusions and prominent visual hallucinations) has also been reported.