Designated Doodler

I haven't written in this blog in a long time. So long, in fact, that I'm not quite sure where to start. This post, for whatever reason, feels pivotal. Maybe that's because my life has drastically changed, maybe this is the start of a new beginning or the end of a very long chapter. Whatever it is, I find myself here, in this familiar space, staring at the same screen I stared at in 2008 when I was just starting college. The same screen I came to in order to escape, in order to muse about life, wax on about hardships, and try my hand at poetry & art. Here is some of my recent artwork...

Up a winding road, past houses that’ve been alive far longer than I have, there’s a wrought iron mouth. I’ve been up this road several times but I still couldn’t tell you how to get there. Perhaps I should have paid more attention. Perhaps some part of me never wanted to know how to get there. It feels as if there should be wrought iron gates attached to this gaping mouth, but there aren’t, so the car glides inside. Beyond the gate-less mouth the road is smooth for only a few blinks of the eye and then it turns to dust. It narrows and winds and splits in different directions and no matter what vehicle you’re in, you can feel every dip and bump and rock beneath the tires. When I come, I come in the summer, when towering rhododendron bushes bursting with pink flowers tower above the SUV. The trees and bushes and flowers may die each year, but at least they have the privilege of springing back to life.  We come to another fork in the road. To the right is the future that I vehe...

With the passing of the summer solstice I've come to accept the end of summer, which most teachers would be sad about. But having worked six days a week all summer long, I don't feel as though I'm losing a break at all, but gaining one. And oh what a summer it's been. I found the love of my life, moved into a great place, got a new vehicle, thrown several parties, created curriculum, positively impacted the lives of high school students, made new friends, and finally got into the school district that I've been trying to get into for years. I'm thrilled to finally be able to teach art, although I've noticed an absurd bias in that some apparently believe that art "isn't important." But you can't be mad at ignorance. To that I would reply that it teaches cooperation, nurtures creativity, provides an outlet for stress and frustration, teaches fine motor skills, connects to the content in the classroom and opens worlds of possibilities. ...

The search for my puppy has ended. I got my little nugget at just six weeks old and named him Parker. He is a Schnoodle (Schnauzer/Poodle) who is more Poodle than Schnauzer. I was lucky to find him here in the Houston area at a reasonable price. It's funny because I initially searched for Poodles and Schnauzers and I got a little of both. The reason I wanted those breeds are because the miniatures are small and both are hypoallergenic (since I'm allergic to dogs :( The woman I got him from had a boy Poodle and girl Schnoodle that mated and had a litter of six. I thought boys were more chill, so I got a boy. He is absolutely adorable but needs SOOOOOOOOooooooOOOOooooo much training. I'm attempting to potty train him. I use the word "attempting" because there are still plenty of accidents. He is also play biting, which is no bueno. So if you have any training tips at all, please share, haha. It's going to be quite a summer for me...moving into a new pl...

There is a good chance that you need to hear at least one of these things at this moment or throughout the new year: 1. Stop looking at your anger or anxiety as a wall you keep running into. Instead, look closely at the bricks that make up the wall. Attack the wall one brick at a time and watch the wall disappear. 2. Fear is an illusion. When anxiety strikes, you have to lean into it to get out of it. 3. You are where you need to be. Even if you feel stuck, even if you hate it, even if you don't understand it - stop trying to escape, and start asking yourself what you can learn from this. 4. People who don't have a clear sense of their own identity latch on to others. They turn their insecurity into gossip, their anxiety into manipulation, their inferiority complex into sabotage. Remember that you are a separate organism and that you can choose to either let their toxins in, or keep them out. Don't take on others' baggage before unpacking your own. If you ca...

Today was a truly awful day, and if you have ever had to put a pet down, then you know how I'm feeling right now. I've had my cat since I was 9 years old. She was my best friend, my sister, my baby. And this is my first night without her. The pain is just…indescribable. Her kidneys were failing and we knew it's what we had to do, but it certainly didn't make things any easier. Since I've gone through this, I thought that I would write a post with helpful information if you're going through the same thing. Tips: Don't go alone Make sure you stay with your pet while they're putting them down - it's unbearably hard, but they're your family and it's important to be there for them Ask for the ashes Pay in advance so that you don't have to pay afterward while you're a blubbering mess REMEMBER that once they're gone, they're not gone! Your little baby is in heaven and will someday greet you when it's your turn REMEMB...