This is what I learned at work today:

hemo-dynamics [hee-moh-dahy-nam-iks]
noun (used with a singular verb)
the branch of physiology dealing with the forces involved in the circulation of the blood.
[Origin: 1855–60; hemo- + dynamics]

You meet all sorts of people when you work at a book store....

No time to blog

Okay, so this past week has been nuts and I've had very little time to post anything. Sorry! My job started at Borders this week, and I've been pretty busy, making cutesie craft things for my classroom. We have this parents' night on thursday where the parents get to come and participate in class with their children. I want my room to be pristine by then. It's hard because our center is trying to become a Reggio Emilia influenced center, but there is not a lot of support for switching an infant classroom over to reggio. I wanted to post about the pros and cons of the method, but I am lazy and have tons of other stuff to take care, of, so here's the wikipedia version of my intended post: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggio_Emilia_approach

19 days until I leave for England!!!!

Countdown

23 days until I leave for Manchester!

Art Critic

I wanted to post some of my favorite art, which I have done, but unfortunately the quality of pictures is very poor on my blog. I have posted them for discussion purposes, but I can't emphasize enough the importance of seeing the actual works of art; you can't possibly experience these pieces properly just by viewing them on the web, even if I was able to post high-quality pictures. The purpose of this post is for discussion, so please feel free to post any comments!

The first artist I want to feature in this post (and he is first only because I had mentioned him in a previous post, not necessarily because I prefer him to the others) is Jackson Pollock. Pollock emphasized the process of the creation of art, rather than a particular subject or style of painting (he didn't draw emphasis to the fact that the painting was cubism, or modernism, or any other -ism) People look at a Pollock and think 'what a mess; my one year old could do that!'and indeed a one year old could! They called him Jack the dripper because he created his paintings by dripping the paint onto canvas laid on the floor. When viewing a painting by Pollock, one is able to visualize the action of the painter to achieve his end result.

Lavander Mist:

Galaxy:

Blue Poles:

hmm

I was going to post something inciteful today, but I forgot what it was... maybe I'll think of it later.

Hello Brave New World!

Noah John Michaels was born at 12:01 this afternoon. The doctors first told christi he would weigh almost ten pounds, but he came out at a scrawny 8 lbs 6 oz!

"Auntie Bo" holding little Noah...

I can't get enough of you, babies!

My sister has been calling me from the hospital all afternoon. This is exciting because the doctor just let her know that I'll be an Auntie within the next twelve hours! She went in this morning (again!) with contractions, and now they are deciding whether to induce labor to progress her along. The doctors say it will be at least until midnight before the baby pokes his/her little angel head out! You would think that with all the babies I deal with at work, that I wouldn't want a baby around the house that I come home to, but I am thoroughly excited!

In less exciting news, I just got more paperwork from the university to fill out.. That's about all I do in my sparetime now. Paperwork for everything. At least I've had a lot of time off work though; I'm not sure why but today and Friday they decided I should go home early. They're overstaffed (and I'm overworked) It's nice to get a break and get some things done.

BABY!

Movie review

Okay, first off, check out the awesome new counter at the bottom of my page... shweet!

Second off, could you tell I'm procrastinating doing some real work today? this is my third post in the last twelve hours!! And I still can't walk through my room, nor have I gotten any of my bulletin boards finished, nor have I even glanced at my lesson plan! Oh well, a girl does what she can... It's not really my job anyway; I just do it to save Melissa's turkey.

This week (as if I really do these things weekly; pshya!) I chose to review the movie Pollock. As the title suggests, it is about the great American painter Jackson Pollock. This movie came recommended to me (well, he referred to it as "that movie" rather than "that stupid movie" as he usually does, which means he kinda liked it) by my philosophy of art teacher.


If you aren't interested in the life of Jackson Pollock, if you don't care for his work, or have no idea who the man is, than this movie isn't for you. If you have no concern about art history or theory, this movie definitely isn't for you. It isn't a climactic story of how a man comes into genius- on the contrary, it's about how a man loses it. It's a dry movie, with no dramatic pinacles, and without a climactic ending. Then again, so was Pollock's life.

As Pollock is one of my favorite artists (along with Picasso, Rothko, Kandinsky, and Van Gogh.. to name a few..) I was very interested in this movie. I knew very little about his life, other than he liked to drink too much, was in love with too many women, and kept his studio a living mess. I knew he was killed in a drunk driving accident, and that is all I knew. Honestly, that is more than I needed to know. Pollock's paintings are beautiful because it doesn't matter who painted them, when they were painted- none of that matters because the painting points to nothing outside of itself. It is just paint on a canvas. And so I wonder why I am attracted to watch a movie about a man just because this paint on a canvas intrigues me. Afterall, why should the events in a man's life effect the way I look at paint drippings? I'll tell you why. The life and situations and experiences created the artist (some would go furthur to say that society created the life and situations and experiences that created the artist) and the artist created the drippings. I can't see what Jackson Pollock was thinking when he splashed paint onto a canvas, no one can see that but him which is why it is pointless to try and figure out what he was "saying" But I can look at the splashes of paint and see the process that was used to form them, which was the "point" of Pollock's painting anyway, and who the artist was is a part of that process.

So, if you're an art lover, it's a great movie. If you don't care for art history, or trivial facts about the biographies of artists, then don't waste your time. It's not that great of a movie.


I tried to put some examples of Pollock's work up, but for some reason the images aren't uploading properly. Maybe later...

This Just In....

Just a few notes...

1.) If you have children, yes I would love to babysit them... but I need more than 48 hours notice, and don't expect me to call off work.. you know, my *real* job...

2.) The anti-surgury no-drugs cold remedies I listed earlier aren't really that great. The nose strips come off in the middle of the night, and only prevent congestion for about the first five minutes they're on. The Airborne.. well, it tastes better than thera-flu, but I really haven't noticed a difference in the way I feel. Although I am wearing one of the nose strips now, for temprorary sinus relief, and my headache is much less severe.

3.) All of the work that I put off until the long weekend.. um, yeah, it didn't get done. I have tons of stuff to get organized in my room, and my lesson plan to prepare for the week. Thank God I only need to prepare for three days! I don't even want to talk about the bullitin board I need to make (yes, I should have been a real teacher, but you can't make me go back to school just so I can fight for a job from the local government!)

4.) Mimi is coming to visit!!! YAY!

Farewell to a childhood Hero

Last night we went to a new dance spot, Jillians, for a little swing and Salsa. My headache and cold were *not* giving way to the latin rythms (or the rum.. sorry boys) so I was content sitting and watching the US Open, which I had semi-planned on doing this weekend anyway. A busy summer had kept me away from Wimbledon, and thus I had no idea as I sat and anxiously watched my favorite player, Agassi, lose his third round that this would be his final.

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2006/s1732173.htm

I cannot remember a time when watching tennis did not mean watching Agassi. When on the court, I strived to match his agility, his tactic, and his precision. Everything about his game was what tennis ought to be. It's been a good five years since I've even touched a racket, and at least seven since I've played tennis competetively, but I never stopped admiring the greatest tennis player of our time. Andre Agassi will be missed on the clay, but his game will be forever loved in our hearts.

It's not allergies

okay, so my five hour nap today leads me to believe that I have a head cold, and not allergies. I think I might have to see a specialist to deal with all of the sinus problems I've been having the past couple of years. My doctor won't give me any more antibiotics because she says I've been on them too often and it could be actually strengthening any infections I may have in the future... apparantly there's an operation that widens the sinus canals, making them less prone to infection and congestion. I need to see a specialist to find out if I need this operation. I don't wanna go.... For now I think I'll just take this vitamin supplement called Airborne that is supposed to help teachers boost their immune system. I will probably pick some up tomorrow morning. I want to start taking vitamins again anyway. I used to be really good about it, and then I stopped.I should probably get some breathe-right strips as well to wear at night, so I'm not as congested in the morning. I'm sure I'd sleep through the night if I used them.

Daryl and I went to see Idlewild this evening. It was a good movie. It was different, but different in a good way. There were people dancing in it, so it was automatically good. Other than the movie, I kind of feel like I wasted my day. I ended up only working an hour, but then came home and slept all day. I also tried to play the piano a bit, something else I've been trying to do more consistantly, but the pedal is broken and doesn't work. The piece I'm trying to learn now (trying is the key word there) is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. I've had the music for about eight years now, but usually get frustrated after the first five measures or so. I decided to just get over it and do it, and then the pedal broke which makes me more frustrated. I watched a PBS special on Victor Borge last weekend and was inspired. Yes he's silly, but that man can play the piano! Sometimes I dissappoint myself because I know that if I had worked harder as a child, and not quit everything when it was the slightest bit difficult, then I would have been halfway decent at the instruments I love to play. Oh well, can't go back in a machine and make myself practice more. I suppose I would have practiced music more if I hadn't spent the majority of my spare time practicing ballet. I guess you choose your battles.

I am thinking about going to the airshow this weekend. My dad used to take me and my sister when we were young, back when the Blue Angels were the Red Devils.We always had a lot of fun. But if it is raining and I still have this cold to kick, I doubt I'll be up for it. We'll see.

This is a rambling, ADD, avoiding going to bed post.