Help!

really need some advice from anyone. I have to choose between not taking a sculpture course in the fall and a possible sculpture independent study. I would have to have the same professor, and his class (mainly he) has sort of been choking any creative inspiration of mine for a while. I was considering not taking the class and working on my own, loosening up a bit, less pressure. Here's the tricky part: most of my friends are in sculpture and they are really important to me, and I can't get a studio without taking an art class there. I'm treated by some faculty sort of as a beginning prodigy, which I think is sweet but also is frightening me into not making any pieces. I would have to apply to my prof for a possible independent study and work solely with him, but I could have a studio and work around my friends. Or I could explore on my own and find out what I'm actually interested in making, whether my prof approves or not. What the hell do I do? And I need to decide before leaving in 3 weeks for France...I hate lose-lose decisions.

the 40's

This is a bit of a long post, but important to me. My brother is doing a project for school on the 40's so we asked my grandfather for music of the time, and he's gotten really into revisiting the decade. For background, my grandfather was in WWII, on a Navy battleship in the South Pacific, signed up before the US got involved. He survived Pearl Harbor and was discharged when his dad died to go home and care for his mother. One of his older brothers was also working in the war efforts. My grandfather was in the service from the time he was 17 to almost 22.
So he calls us today with a scenario he's clearly planned out about if we were in the war, and what it would be like. We were too mesmerized to think of recording the call, but I tried to type up the gist of the story. It's sparse and not well done, but I thought it was a great story. Below is what I got of it. Also, here's a song from one of the CD's of WWII music, one of my favs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKW0QZgi79M

You know, you get a letter in the mail this week, saying the government is interested in your sister’s artwork and would she send in a portfolio of her work. They want her work to make posters. And you’re trying out at Paper Mill Playhouse. They put on four shows in the season, and you’re auditioning for a, for the plays. You’re graduating in a year, and you and your girlfriend are going to college. She’s going off to college to study. Your sister goes into New York City to show her portfolio to the government, you know. And the next week a letter comes in the mail for you. It’s a draft letter, and you’re going into the army. Or see the world, into the navy. You have to report to camp and they give you two weeks to sort out your affairs and such. And then you have to report.

So when you’re at camp there’s no phone. Only phone you can use is when you’re on leave, and you got your quarters. So there’s no phone, you can’t call home. You said goodbye to family, to your mom, your sister. You don’t have pictures of them or anything. And you say goodbye to your girl, and she says goodbye. You take a picture of her with you, and she has one of you. You don’t have any pictures in uniform yet, though, so you go to those booths they had. You know, a quarter for four photos, that type of thing.

Anyway, when you’re not on leave, there’s no phone to call home, so you write to each other. You get letters from your mother. You loose touch, you see. You get letters, sure, but, you know. You don’t know how your girl is. You don’t know what your sister’s doing. And your girl too. She’s of at college, learning. She’s studying in secretarial school or teaching. ‘Cuz you know, the girls took over the work force while the men were gone. Not just Rosie the Riveter. The young college girls trained as secretaries or industry, they were working now. They weren’t working when you left.

And so your girl tells you there’s a formal at school. And a week or two go by, and you ask her, but what about the formal? And she doesn’t answer. You know, on leave you get guys coming back, saying they got married on leave. Yeah, they say, but does she write to you? Well, no. See? So you’re wondering about her, and you’re wondering about your family. And you don’t know if your sister is working with government, making government posters. You don’t hear from her. Your brother is two years ahead, over in the action in Europe, so you don’t hear from him. So you start to wonder, and she wonders about you too. Don’t know what happens, you know. And when you get back, who knows. She’s not there, or some things have changed. You know, it’s different. It’s not the same anymore.

Anyway, just thought I’d give you that scenario I was thinking of, and I’ll call you if I think of anything else. I guess sone things just came back to me after I heard the hit parade music, you know? Anyway, I won’t bother you any longer. I'll say goodnight.

SAY WHAT?!?!?

"Dear Catherine,

It gives me great pleasure to inform you that the Scholarship Committee has awarded you an Art History in Paris Scholarship in the amount of $1500 to assist with the program costs for your summer abroad. I congratulate you on this award. This scholarship money will be credited to your student account for the summer 2010 semester within 2 weeks of your enrollment in the program.

I hope that you find the Study Abroad program to be a rewarding and enriching experience. We look forward to hearing about the progress you have made during your time spent abroad. Should you need help or advice, please feel free to consult with the Study Abroad Staff. We are happy to help! Good luck and Bon voyage!

Sincerely,

The Scholarship Committee"

:)

I love my mommy!

Kinda confused and totally thrilled! At dinner tonight with my mom and big brother, my mother made me a deal. I have my very long, long not so great history with dentists and while I take care of my teeth, I haven't visited a dentist since I got out of high school. I have secured a minor phobia of all medical professionals, so I also haven't checked about pain that I think is my wisdom teeth coming in. My mother made me the deal that if I start going to a dentist, next year she'll pay for me to get braces...again. I have been trying to save money for braces for about 3 1/2 years, with not much success, and I would be soooo excited and so thankful for anyone to just give them to me! I will research dentists starting Wednesday, when my finals get over. Hopefully get a real check-up before I leave for Europe in June...

And I thought Mother's Day was about giving my mother something! Good dinner and free braces= the best Mother's Day I've ever had! haha

Well, long, ridiculous story short, I brought home (more accurately rolled home) a new piece of wood to carve. It's red wood, and will take forever, but I'm very excited. And I found a straggler my brother and I must have picked up on the roll home...
In other news, I am very excited to say 3 out of 6 of my seeds are planted, the buckets are ready to go and I'm excited for fresh veggies!! Here are a few photos of the new log.

Let's Take an Example from the Past

Let them hate us,

Let them ignore us,

Let them get angry,

Let them resist our insistence.

If they knew for sure

That we were wrong,

That we are unnatural,

That we didn’t deserve equality,

They would sigh at us,

They would brush us off,

And smile at their superiority,

Like you’d smile at a silly dream.

But they wouldn’t hate us,

And they wouldn’t fight us,

And they wouldn’t argue with us,

They wouldn’t be angry.

So, please, be angry.

For my rights, get angry.

Because when they get angry,

We become real.

It's almost summer...

Finally got back from Denver. Good trip, but it felt like forever since I'd left. This school year was a bit insane and just confusing, but I can tell you that since my last class for the semester Thursday afternoon, I've read three books and am reading three right now, have actually opened my sketchbook for the first time since about 2008, and I feel like I'm interested in everything again. Makes me wonder again why the heck I'm in school...I'm sure in a week I'll remember, but until then I'm very excited to be learning about whatever I'm interested in, and not be committed to something I signed up for off of a course title in November.

...Well, except for finals! Wish me luck, done next Wednesday and then my phone should be ringing off the hook with all of your guys' calls! :)

have to remember to post photos of a new piece.and remember to actually take them first.