Tuesday was great working with my new students and getting to see how much my students have grown. Later in the afternoon I was starting to feel an unxpected pain on the right side of my neck.

Wednesday morning I woke up feeling like I had freeze dried my neck it was so stiff and in so much pain. I put topical pain rlieers on and tried to do my physical therapy exercises to loosen up the neck and upper spine. I was no good that day.

Thursday I woke up with more mobility but there I was looking like an extra for Mr. Roboto. I did everything I could and went off to work. Good day with the students. Hard day reigning in my temper. I have a short fuse when I am in pain. Who doesn't? I did not actually have problems with students. I had a co-worker problem. Go figure?! I also had to get home quickly because over my birthday weekend the new fridge stopped working for the holiday weekend. SO ther repari guy was due in. Nice guy but the part was on order. See ya tomorrow!

Friday was better mobility but I had spoke with the shool nurse and showed her my neck which was all bruised. I look like someone hit my neck & skull with a 2x4. So I decided to bite the bullet and call for a doctors appointment. I also had to call my insurance because they changed the policy as of Sept 1st. Ug! Higher co-pays! $250 deductable, which sounds like cool, but what it really means is you pay the first $250.00 out of pocket. This after recieving my first check on the year that is restructured for less money per month. There is an extra check that we will get it in at the end of the year. Oh, and then I wonder why I am getting migraines and have spinal pain.?! No really?!

Everyday was like come home and take a 2 hour nap and still I could sleep 8 hours no problem. I basically was limited as to what I cold do and what my body would give me permission to do, which was no much. Hot showers, exercise, stop pain, tylenol, pain patches, ice, heating pad, sleep. I could watch tv. So tv it was.

I rewatched Centerstage, Teen Wolf and Teen Wolf Too! When the phone rang...My BFF (e:springfairie) who has HBO called Saturday to let me know that HBO was replaying TrueBlood both Sat and Sun. SO I invaded the family compounded proceeded to stare at the tv screen for like 13 hours over two days. Yeah True Blood! Thank you for the fantasy repreive.

Today was the doctors appointment. More exercises and two muscle relaxants, which once I got through the deductable and reducing my savings to a mere nothing. I have all but one script to go. Once I got the first muscle relaxant I started to feel human. I still have a tension headache and moderate pain in my neck and upper spine, but it seems much more reasonable then when I did not have the script. My mobility has increased as well. Yeah!

THe next one is for bed time and I guess makes you really sleepy. We shall see at bedtime.

"NO it is to the pain, Highness" Wesley AKA the Dread Priate Roberts from the Princess Bride...

So much more to blog... different topics though...

I woke up thinking ok. I am 35. Half way between 30 and 40. I proceeded to ask myself what I wanted to do that day. I determined that Laundry therapy, some movies and maybe go to my dad's labor day yard party.

I managed to get he laundry done and as I was folding I discovered that the Labor Day Yard Party was supposed to be surprise party for me more like spontaneous b-day party. I'm like ok cool. So I pick out a cute outfit and head down after the laundry.

Did I remember to take one picture? NO!

So there were like 25 friends and neighbors. Ok. One set of neighbors piled their plates and left. Did not speak to me or wish me a happy birthday. How rude? Another ate more than half of my Carvel Ice Cream Cake. Same person took home two plates of food saying my dad said it was ok ad he knew nothing about it. Beer was the drink of choice. I do not drink beer. (long story) People were being loud and obnoxious. I was really surprised. After I helped to clean up I put myself to bed early.

Just before I go to bed I hear a huge arguement. I still have not got the skinny on ths one and I do not think I care to know t be honest.

THe food was awesome. We had beer, pop, hot dogs, sausage (which were eaten before I made it down to the party), hamburgers, potatoe salad, spicy cabbage (OH my was that good!), baked beans, puerto rican rice and beans, ribs (which I never got to taste.) and Carvel Ice Cream Cake.

Overall a very wierd welcome to my mid-thrities...maybe that is why I like to spend time with individuals instead of having a party.

I had stopped into the mall on the 7th. We had to pick something up or pay on something. Anyway we were there and stopped into Clarks. My mom wanted a new pair of shoes. I'm like tired of the mall and want to go home. This Sales Associate was so cool. Before I knew it I was trying on shoes. Being a teacher you are on your feet all day. She told me about this shoe line called UNstructured. OMG! I tried the shoes on and did not want to take them off. SO much more comfortable than the sandles I was wearing. I bought them. I notice that they had blue which matched my purse, so I ordered them and had to go pick them up. They were in so we went on the 13th. Here is an interesting part: I had bought a pair of shoes from them back 2 years ago. I loved the color: green. When I wore them all day I had blistered at the heels of my feet. PAINFUL! I remember shoving them under my bed and forgoting all about them. They gaurantee their shoes and they gave me my money back which I promptly spent on the second new pair. I forgot to take a picture of the shoes...we walked all around the mall. Stopped to Johnny Rockets for a bite to eat. Went into Lane Bryant for Shirts for work. SALE. Then we were headed for something to drink when a man with a clipboard asked to talk with us. He was from a survey place and wanted to know if we would take a suvey based on food and beverages. Sure. Then we found out we got paid at the end of the survey. Cool. Between the two of us we made $10.00. We were no longer thirsy and continued to shop. We found a sheet sale. Then dad called and it was time to head home.

In no particular order the pictures from that day:

I like clouds.


I like to see what I can see in the shapes of clouds.


More clouds.


THis one looks like a bird to me.


Dark Clouds.


Around the bend toward the Galleria


Galleria Entrance


Flags at the Galleria


Lord & Taylor at the Galleria Mall.


I looked up to see directly over my head once we parked.


Galleria Parking Lot.


Sky above the Galleria.


Heading toward the Galleria


Little Clouds


More Little Clouds


Macy's at th Galleria


Many more clouds


More and more clouds


Clouds are cool.


Scene from the Thruway


My favoriteset of trees on the thruway.


Walden Village Sign on the way to the Galleria Mall.


Sky


Good - bye Galleria!


Heading home from the Galleria.

Friends of the family asked for some artwork on the threshold of the entrance to their home. I decided to reacquaint myself with the glass painting process. I started when I was in grammar school. I did a Mickey Mouse on a glass square with the art teacher at my mom's former school. He then told me to keep it up. So I got into some experiments, here they are:

I went with a lightning veiny design to color, using more negative space to complete the design. I was amazed at how dark the colors become once they dry. I will have to try to remember to take pictures while I am working to show you the differences.

I did a large lightning with a small. The red does come off as red, but it went on looking like bright pink. The blue is darker than I thought.

I like the pearlescent white. I like the finished product.

This design started with the bubbles of the fish and then I added the fish and the grass.

Here fishy, fishy. I had two different kinds of paint. The primaries were opaque and the others are more traditional stain for glass.

There goes the fishy. See I do not need pets.

Here's the frst view of simple swirly design.

Scond view of same bottle.

A side of tall jar. Which could be used for pencils and pens.

N side of tall jar.

D side of tall jar. I did not color in the next two I thought it gave a cool view o the other side of the jar. What do you think?

I side of tall jar. I am currently doing research to bring Glass Painting into my classroom. I think the students would enjoy learning a new kind of painting project.

Yesterday I had to go to work to take down a summer bulletin board. So my mom and I decided to have lunch at our favorite restaurante in Lackawanna: Victoria Square. It is some place I grew up at. My parents are friends with the owners. They work very hard and it is a special place for me. Cindy makes homemade pies for dessert!
We were entering and I was completely flabbergasted because they changed the decor with new colors and new decorations. Cindy was heading home and we were like WOW!
They changed the color to shades of greens. The siderail is painted reddish brown, which really bring out the wood. As red and green are complementary colors they work together to make things pop. The decorations are an earthy mediterranean flavor. I was so overwhelmed with the decor I forgot to take pictures of our lunch! Me! I forgot the food!
Well here are the pictures, see for yourself the changes:

I thought this was so cool, because it is a special blend of regulars that enjoy Victoria Square. We ran into a fellow choir member out celbrating with his family. As I spasmodically took pictures all over me fave eatery.

I am always looking at their clock to make sure I am on time, maybe I will remember to eat on time too!

CAFFIENE! Here is Victoria Squares Coffee Station. Anyone who knows me, knows that I usually only order coffee during the winter or with the yummy delicious homemade desserts.

I thought these were totally cool. I somehow see a future art project evolving from these pieces.

I like collage compilations the interst for me comes with the individal piece working in tandem with the entire visual and yet keeping its originality. Very American feeling Individual Unity.

I thought this was so cool. My mom and I are noted for our flower pitures interspersed in our rolls of film and digital has not changed our behavior.

This is right after you come into the entry way directly to your right when facing the main window. I love booths so I have sat in everyone.

This turned out better than I hoped. I believe it was a gift to Louie and Cindy when thy opened. I would have to double check with them, but it looks great with the new colors.

I just love the decorations and the way they look. The employee was there who put them up said it only took an hour and a half. Which anyone who has hung artwork or pictures in their home is really good for that time!

This was the very cool decoration next to our booth! My mom and I discussed the decor until our food arrived. She ordered a House Salad. I was amazed I was actually there for a special on the special day. Thursdays is Cold Subs for $3.99. I ordered an assorted. I love the fact that they toast the rolls automatically. I learned from other travel this is a Buffalo thing.

Here is our view from our booth. I really liked the chages, but they really caught me by surprize.

I am finally remembering to take my camera with me when I do stuff. I have been having flashbacks to high school (I was yearbok editor) which means I had the headphones and camera out all the time. It was a wonder what I wrote about did not have a soundtrack.

Anyway I took some pictures in my neighborhood while struggling with rechargeable battery issues - they are not keeping there charge! UG.




The Adult Learning Center on its own block beteen Edward, Virginia and Elmwood. This ws the first of a series of photos from a moving vehical on the passenger side, of course!


Betty's Restaurante on Virginia. It has been a long time since I have eaten there, but there food was good.


This one hurts. Hispanics United of Buffalo New Addition to the old building had a muralist begin a mural several years ago. As an artist this hurts to pass almost everyday I leave my house. I do not know the story behind why the artist did not complete this mural. I did see scaffoldng go up and then what ever must have been done was minimal. From the viewers perspective it bothers me to see this work of art incomplete. From an artists perspective I am patiently awaiting payments for a mural I completed to the clients specifications from 3 years ago.


I thought this a cute picture of the mini playground on the corner or Virginia and West.

Well, I have been reading every spare moment I have had this summer. From author Chrlaine Harris I went to Jim Butcher. I had a few or six of his books on the nightstand to read. The Dresden Files was a show on the SciFi Channel that got cancelled after it's first season. Dresden Files Season one is out on DVD for purchase. I had picked up a compilation called "Many Bloody Returns" with like 10 or 13 authors short stories having to do with vamipires as characters or the things that go bump in the night theme. When I read the Jim Butcher story that reminded me to dig up the 6 books I had yet to read. I have just discovered he was also out in comic books and has a graphic novel I plan to get. Here is a full list of his current works on the Chicago Wizard in chronological order first to most recent:

The Dresden Files Book Titles:
Storm Front
Fool Moon
Grave Peril
Summer Knight
Death Masks
Blood Rites
Dead Beat
Proven Guilty
White Night
Many Bloody Returns (compilation)
Small Favor
Welcome to the Jungle (Graphic Novel)
Mean Streets (compilation)
Turn Coat

On Friday (e:Springfairy) calls me and asks if I have anything planned. Just the usually clean and reorganize my home which is the current summer project. She just completed a title floor in the sun room. So we have something to celebrate. We both needed a sanity break and we wanted to head to the marina, so plans were set.
I completed my morming ablutions and headed to my cleaning for a few hours. Springfairy arrived and we chatted. Then it was lunch time so we headed to my parents for leftovers.
Our Sanity Adventure Begins:

I realized that I needed to start carrying the camera on me when I go places in order to post pictures. I thought this was a cool start

I believe this ship was called the uss Little Rock.

This was the first non-blurry shot of the lighthouse. It was actually a really bright day on Friday.

I really liked the clouds in this one. We headed to that part of the marina on our walk.

Here is my vertical lighthouse shot as we approached the Marina food area. We stopped at a bench here so that I could doodle in my sketchbook. We started talking about another tattoo design.

The Gardens of the Marina food area with the statues that (e:metalpeter) took in an earlier post, in the background. We decided to stop and have a snack.

(E:Springfairy) with a Strawberry Cheesecake Ice cream cone.

I choose the Rainbow Sherbet. We copped a squat at the triangular you are here sign and sat on the stones in the semi-circle across from the wooden statutes. The stones were actually really warmer than the benches.

To my left...

And to my right...

We decided to continue walking and enjoying the view. After our snack was finished we pondered what else we could do and (e:springfairy) remembered that the Ugly Truth opens today. We came upon a cool sculpture which I thought I captured the name of in the photo, which I did not, and I forgot it.

Passing us by as we continued to walk. We also realized we could take a Miss Buffalo trip, but we voted on the movie tonight and the trip another time.

We were heading toward the rocky shoreline and I snapped this photo.

Something here does not belong? Is that a sneaker? I wonder how it got there? You think someone threw it in there? Maybe someone lost it when they were out on the lake? Do sneakers float? Could have been sneakerwrecked? Needless to say we got pretty silly.

There was a lovely rock where the view was breathtaking and we wanted to talk about some serious stuff in our lives. She was telling me about a really cool party she had been to with some other friends and how she broke her shoe dancing the night away.

We both enjoyed the breeze with the wind blowing through our hair. We people watched as more arrived. We talked about many things. I was telling her about an art project experiment. So we headed back to the car to get supplies. We went to A.C. Moore the craft store for me to get the lead and color paint, but one was out of stock.

We continued onto the movie "The Ugly Truth". It was definately worth the money. I nearly passed out from laughing so hard. We could not believe the review only gave it one and half stars. What happened to a sense of humor? We talked about relationships after the movie until late in the evening.

Yesterday was Father Baker Day at Our Lady of Victory Basilica & National Shrine. I sing in the choir. Father Paul led the mass with other clergy. At the end of mass one of the Lackawanna City resentatives was there with a Proclamation that this be officially Father Baker Day. A moment to honor Msgr. Wurtz who past last year. Then a Tribute to Father Baker by laying a wreath on his grave by two living Father Baker boys, which always brings a tear to the eye. A final Blessing by Father Paul.
There was a reception at the Elementary School. There were lots of lovely finger foods and desserts. We spoke witha lovely couple that drove all the way from Pennsylvania. They were visiting their aunt who livs in South Buffalo. We said out goodbyes and headed home for a small rest.
My mom started her latch hook project and I continued reading "Dead Beat" by Jim Butcher.
We headed Romenello's South for our annnual choir dinner. We milled around talking to other choir memebers getting caught up on their personal news. We started with bread and an amazing olive, garlic, roasted peper butter and ministrone soup. Then we had a mixed greens salad. The entree I choose was the Prime Rib dinner, with garlic mashed potatoes and veggies. I had a glass or three of Merlot to complement my steak. After dinner we spoke about what we have been up to. That's when I realized my batteries were out of their charge. So no pictures from my camera. bummer, dude!
The dessert I choose was vanilla ice cream with cream de menth. My grandmother's favorite. I could not belive it we left around 7pm.
We headed back home for some much needed rest and relaxation. Mom continued on the latch hook project. I finished the book and started another.

This summer I have decided to bite the bullet and attempt to complete a project that I have returned to 7 times previous only to lose focus and move on to other things. I have to decided to clean my attic, apartment, and basement. This sounds so simple, but it has been a battle for me. See I have inherited several generations of personal belongings. First my maternal grandfather, those most of hs stuff fits in a drawer and several piles of misc tools. Second was my paternal grandather and most of his stuff fits in my closet. Third was my great-grandmothers personal belongings, this is more stuff but all in places all over the house. Dishes. Cookware. Photos, which need to be put into lignen, acid-free, archival scrapbook albums. Clothes, towels, jewelry, etc. So much of her stuff is all over the place. Fourth was my maternal grandmother and that means an entire household of personal belongings split three ways and I have 1/3 of her things. So same as Great-gram's but they always remind me of home or someplace safe and loving. Fifth was my paternal grandmother and most of her stuff is still with my uncle. We did share photos and crocheting. Then lastly there are my parents stuff that is still stored with me. Never mind the 30 years worth of stuff I have managed to accumulate. Now that I have split careers there is even more stuff.

Recently on one of those TLC's home improvement shows I saw something that struck a cord with me. Take photos of stuff you want to remember and do not have room to store. I am in the process of rezoning in my head of what I have, what I need, What I want versus the space I have to house it all. "Everything in it's place and a place for everything." This was a motto that my grandmother used to help keep her things neat. I am hoping this will work for me as well.

Clutter. Have you ever noticed that force of nature that when you have a clean surface that somehow, someway, someone (including yourself) can manage to clutter that clean space up? Something about nature abhors a void and will work very hard to fill it.

Packrats - are usually people who have lived through hard times especially a war and learned to live without. There is also a side effect they also learn to hang onto things because "You never know when you might need that..." philisophy. Most packrats that I have meet come from living through war times and are children of wartimes. From having to tighten their belts and living a life where they constantly have to choose between what they need versus what they want. I am learning to recondition myself and my thinking to limiting that perspective to a small area. It seeps into you and you do not even know you are doing it.

Art - I guess I am a jack of all art trades learning to master some. I have many things that I do with my time and energy. Scrapbook, Crochet, Knit, Weave, Draw, Paint, Sculpt, Photography, Computer Graphics, Portfolios, Poetry, Journals, Jewelry, Collect Art books, Comic books, and so much more. I have to spread it out all over the house into little work zones because I have tried one room and there is never enough room for all the basics let alone an inventory. I am also planning my artisitic vision for my life in accordance with my space. My dad and I are into serious negotiations about how to sell my art and what ways should we attempt next. Galleries are important and part of that plan, but what else? So there is time and energy and paperwork into researchng that part of the plan.

Entertainment - Did you ever notice when you go into people's houses or apartments that some people have no media. The main areas are for conversation and having people over. I love that idea, but I do too much other pastimes that included tools in order to create. I read. I love music. I love watching movies (both VHS and DVDs). So I have a great deal of media.

Clothes - always an issue for women. They say you need to dress for the job you want not for the job you have. I get that. Budgets. (and then the pack rat moves in - i like that, oh, i'll fit back into that, and so on ...) I might have learned to let go of more with siblings. My ex, broke a great deal of personal belongings and that taught me about children, but also about letting go.

This is the crux of the problem. I need to not only rearrange and reorganize, but also get rid of a portion of whatever it is I am cleaning. This is the game plan. Everday for 4 to 6 hours working with one focus at a time. My allergies determine the length of time in high allergy areas and sometimes cut my day short. Either way I am trying to be firm, but gentle with myself.