Tofurkey

Back in a week or so with photos from Thanksgiving with my family in NYC. Have a great holiday!

Hell Hath No Fury

So my hair was awesome this morning.

Then, the wind and sleet happened. Of course I waited until today to fill my gas tank, even though I've been on 1/4 for several days (i have a short commute). Today, I was on fumes.
To the gas station we went on the way to school, me and my Em. It was raining lightly, just a sweet drizzle. The wind was holding off, maybe 10 mph.

But gosh darn if the sleet didnt start whipping around in sudden 40 mph winds the split second I got out of my car to pump gas.

There I stood, pathetically shivering and desperately blocking my mascara from Mother Nature's really bad sense of humor (she was jealous of my hair, I'm sure). Emma stood making a concerned sad face from inside my warm, seat-heated car.

Finally, I gave up with a half-filled tank. I'll wait until we have a tornado or something to fill it up all the way.

Off to school we went, Emma looking picture perfect. Me looking like a wet, drooling, demented monster.

But my outfit was cute (even though it wasn't fully dry until 2nd period).

*Watch your back, Mother Nature. Watch your back.*

FCKH8!

Guess what came in the mail yesterday?

Emma wore her FCKH8 shirt to school today, loud and clear. She was ready to explain to anyone of authority what the shirt meant, what it meant to her, and why she thinks it's appropriate. Just in case, she brought an extra shirt; we agreed this morning that if anyone was truly offended by the shirt (because it really looks like the F-word), she would change. Her intent was not to offend, but to bring awareness to gay rights.

Well, she made it through the day, attracting lots of attention, thus giving her many opportunities to spread her message. Only one teacher was concerned about the shirt's appropriateness, but didn't fuss about it. I did, toward the end of the day, send out an email to Emma's teachers and some of the others who might come in contact with her explaining why I allowed her to wear the shirt (oh, did I mention I got a FCKH8 hoodie for myself? And no, I would not ever wear it to work. It's a little different for me) and they were really supportive of her.

Have I mentioned how amazing my girl is?

Art!...through the eyes of a teenager.

Miro
Warhol

Van Gogh

Kandinsky

***

So, i figured it was time for me (Emma) to finally write on this blog, I was thinking about what i wanted to do as i was setting one of Wassily Kandinsky's paintings as my desktop background. You can guess where I'm going with this. Yes, I am going to talk about art. My favorite art.

The first one is by Miro. He is probably my first favorite artist. I remember my grandpa (papa) David buying me his book when i was younger, even though he personally didn't like that kind of art. i like Miro's art because it's crazy, abstract, and you never get bored or run out of things to look at. I also like the idea of imperfection and drawing things you can't see unless you use your imagination.

The second one is Andy Warhol. My eighth-grade art teacher taught us about him and i instantly fell in love with his work. Unlike Miro's work however, Warhol's paintings are more exact. The soup cans he painted are all true to the original inspiration. I like his idea that anything and everything can be looked at as art.

The third one is none other than Vincent Van Gogh. I went to the MOMA where my grandmother works as a volunteer and saw "Starry Night." It is my favorite painting of his, but it's everyones favorite so i decided to post my second favorite. I'm not sure why i like him but I'll let you know when i figure it out.

Last, but obviously not in any way the least: Wassily Kandinsky. On my trip to Paris last year, with my wonderful grandmother, we went to the Centre Pompidou art museum. They had a huge exhibit on Kandinsky and it was marvelous! The painting above really caught my attention and I sat and stared at it for a good 10-15 minutes.

Art is something that has been with me since I was born. My grandfather being a fabulous artist he is, has inspired so much of my creativity and what I want to do with my life.

How is it that our brains don't explode?

These are the things I've thought about in the past 24-hour period: Michael Franti and Spearhead, buying a new house, keeping the old house, finishing my illustrations, my butt, my belly, my boobs, why the letter "b" starts all those words, my students and why they are: nice, mean, happy, sad, kind, cruel, generous, stingy, self-loathing, self-centered, self-adoring, violent, gentle, smart, not smart (but not stupid)...okay, pizza, fruit smoothies, Taos, the mountains, Kurt teaching 5th grade, Jeremy and how sweet he really is, Tula's fear of men, my bunny (Pickles), my debt, ebay, my writing, my salary, pink hair, Solar Fest, Great Blue Heron Festival, Starbucks, Vincent's long hair, why Tim died, Suzy on the same wavelength, Thanksgiving in NYC, the windows at Lord & Taylor, Emma's grades, what the hell is bologna, what the hell is baloney, Petunia Face is pregnant, Bold, Italic, Publish, Save, Draft, eenie, meenie, miney, moe, chest tattoos, the word "mostly", my car, Harry Potter, did John die?, I need a pink door, my dad, more Taos, more more Taos, my boss, my room, orange, red, gold, the smell of the air, 1985, thisthisthisandthatthatthat...

Veterans' Day

PEACE

On the long road you've got a long time to sing a simple song

Above: Prepping the stage for Spearhead

Michael!

Hear that?

It's the sound of sunshine. I've been a fan of Spearhead for around 14 years--since right after Emma was born. I was introduced to them by a boyfriend in Taos, and their albums Home and Chocolate Supa Highway quickly became favorites at the bar I owned there. "People in tha Middle" was practically always on repeat.

Years later, when the bar was sold and Emma and I relocated to Western NY, Stay Human was released and Emma, age 5, was smitten. We played it constantly. Soon after that arrived Everyone Deserves Music, and I was blindsided by the amazingness of it.

Songs from the Front Porch made me love Michael Franti even more--i could imagine sitting on the porch with him on a sunny summer afternoon, sipping lemonade, listening to him play his guitar. A whole fantasy world was borne from that album!

I didnt really connect with Love Kamikaze, but I still play it when I want to hear relaxing, chill, background music.

Yell Fire came into my life when I needed it most. I needed to hear someone else's frustration with the world and know that I wasn't alone. Michael is not afraid to speak out and I admire his self-confidence, total awareness, and deeply-rooted morals.

All Rebel Rockers and The Sound of Sunshine are Franti's poppy-happy records, and I love them. "Say Hey" put him on the charts, and at first I was resentful of the sudden outcropping of Spearhead fans (he's mine, I knew of him first, I pouted, annoyed that other people were claiming him now), but then I realized that we all deserve a little Franti in our lives.

Everyone deserves music.

Sweet music.

Where will Emma and Melissa be Monday night?!

HELL YES!!!

(I know the date's wrong--this is the show that was postponed)

HalloTeen!

Benita (front, above) and the gang: lots of boys dressed as girls.

Benita checking out her look (above)

I actually didnt get a shot of them when they were all duded up. But this is the pre-show in Emma's room.