Sunday, October 12, 2008

An Ordinary Day

This is a mostly complete photojournal of my Saturday. An ordinary day, but I missed out on a few photos toward the end because it got busier and I was getting tired. It's an idea snagged from Jodi, who tried it out after reading the idea on Mrs. G's blog.

6 a.m. - feed the cats. They bansheemeow until the dishes are filled, snarf it all down in a couple of minutes and then lick themselves in content or barf it up on a rug. Cats add so much joy to one's life.

6:15 a.m. - Writing in journal with coffee companion. This was after I also fed the bird. I didn't take a photo of him because they never come out very well using my iPhone, but here's one of him in one of his favorite perches, the pasta dish on the kitchen cabinet.


8 a.m. After coffee and writing, it was time to drive to work.

Driving. It's the only thing I don't like about this particular teaching gig, which is twice a semester (not too bad). The college is about an hour's drive from my house. At least the weather was bluesky perfect and we're at the peak of autumn leaf season.

9 a.m.: Arrival at the college, marked with a photo of the sign where I parked, which is right next to the "art barn" where I teach. Now you can stalk me twice a semester. The weekender class was a good one yesterday - we wrote self-portraits.

Noon: The drive home on Interstate 81. This is a pretty accurate photo of what it is like driving on this road, which is filled with construction, trucks and impatient drivers. Yesterday PennDot crews were painting lines and adding the glass beads to the paint. When I drove to work, the sun hit the glass and it looked like fallen stars. Distractingly beautiful. A sure accident starter.

1 p.m.: I picked up a small movie screen that we needed for an event in the studio later in the evening. It's an old-school screen, the sort you probably had in your elementary classroom. The whole thing folds up, but as you're walking with it the birdlike support legs like to fold out, making it impossible to continue. We did a little dance together before I got it into the trunk of the car.

2:30 p.m.: Our contractor friend who fixed the sidewalk came over for a bit to check out the bathroom cabinet I want replaced. He measured and we discussed what I wanted it to look like and then Dan and I went out to get weather proofing for the windows and we found this sink. It was on clearance for $24. The bowl will sit on top of the cabinet. We also got a faucet. Not $24.

3:30 p.m.: Weather stripping the front door while wearing green shoes. There is always a draft from that door, and I hope this will help cure that this winter.

7 p.m.: Pre-performance with Michael at the studio. You can see that old-school screen in action on the stage. Michael gave a multimedia performance of poetry, photography and stories from a trip along the coast of Maine. I took notes as he spoke and then drew a mushroom that was featured in one of his photographs. After the performance, people stuck around to look at art, buy some of Michael's notecards, and talk.

10 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.: I have no photos of this part of my day, and I neglected to get a photo of the dinner Dan made at the house for all of us when Michael arrived (which was a delicious Pollo con Arroz dish). After the performance we went upstairs to visit with some friends who are staying in the Paper Kite "Summer Home." They are visiting family with their newborn girl. I held the baby twice during the evening, and remembered how little of understanding a newborn's needs is instinctive. You're either good at understanding the little coos, grexings and whirps, or you're not. Let's just say I'm glad my daughter is sixteen.

10 comments:

Jodi Anderson said...

I'm glad that my daughter is 16 too. Sometimes, I'd like to just halt time, but I don't ever want to mother a baby again.

I really enjoyed your day in photos and I understand bansheemeows. It's so tempting sometimes to wear a holster and carry a squirt gun.

I'm glad that you like the photos. With 'fairchild', I didn't quite get what I was going for, as is the case sometimes, but with 'harbinger', I came pretty close. I do like the video for 'fairchild' though. It looks like I stumbled upon a dead body.

The new behind-the-scenes is processing as I type this, but then it will be posted and both masks make an appearance.

(I was so happy with this comment on 'harbinger': "This is creepy as hell.")

Talia Reed said...

I love this post. Maybe I'll try the assignment. I'd have to pick just the right day, though.

Glennis said...

Love your green shoes!

I like your description of the light bouncing off the highway crew's glass beads - nice to find beauty in life's small things.

Anonymous said...

love the photo of your coffee and journal...

Cheryl Alena Kinzel said...

I need to buy some green shoes as my front door needs weatherstripping as well...

Mrs. G. said...

I like your new sink. $24 is a bargain.

Thanks for playing along.

Saucy said...

You got a good deal on your sink, but faucets are always spendy items. Some call them the "jewels of the cabinet" and now we know why!

Anonymous said...

Green shoes are enough to brighten anyone's day!

Deirdre said...

LOL I know PA roads well. My favorite memory (and I wish I had taken a picture) was driving down Interstate 81 from Scranton to Wilkes Barre, and passing a worktruck with a flat tire and a sign on the back saying: Your Tax Dollars At Work.

Anyhow, thanks for sharing your day, and I really enjoyed it! (esp the bit about the $24 sink -- we are remodeling our bathroom also and I want a $24 sink!)

Susan said...

That was a lot of fun. Maybe I'll try it, too, if I can manage to photograph my day without photographing my clutter.

Is that a vessel sink? Great buy!

And your bird co-exists with your cats? I am impressed!