What I've Been Doing Since January

Ok, that's too far reaching. New title: What I've Been Doing This Last Month. Much easier to write about. School started July 28. I was a little nervous to start a new year, as usual, but it has gone quite well. My new class started with 17 students, and has gone up to 20, which is where I hope it stays. After ending the year with 28 last year, 20 is a nice small class. So, I was teaching for 3 weeks, and then went off track. Ahhh, I love year-round school! I went to Oregon/Washington for about 2 weeks for a family reunion. My sister-in-law Rachel took some amazing photos (I barely even used my camera while I was there...) so I'm giving her the credit for these.


This is the river that is at the bottom of my parent's property - the Washougal River. It is nice to skip stones on. They live in the most beautiful place on Earth...my personal opinion.

My very favorite thrift store - Buffalo Exchange - I went twice while I was in Oregon. They've got punk, retro, preppy, and then the just weird stuff. I spent way too much, but I got some cool stuff. I always like going there because the sales people wear the most BIZARRE getups. It's awesome.

My uncle Neldon (or Melton as we sometimes call him) has the coolest home ever. I always remember playing there when we'd visit on family vacations. It's only gotten better since there. He's got a zipline swing, a merry-go-round swing (that swings you high and wide), a little carousel made out of wood and pipe, a tree house, train whistle, comfy hammock, an old barn perfect for exploring, and then this cool train made out of water barrels, pulled by the tractor. Even the adults love it!

I tried to convice my dirty nephews to get clean by offering to take a bath in the jacuzzi tub with them. It was fun!


We went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory for a sampling of their wonderful cheese (my favorite is the Special Reserve Aged White Cheddar - yum!) and to-die-for ice cream.


Then we headed to the beach. It was a little cold (it had rained all day) but I was DETERMINED to swim in the ocean. So I did. Once my skin was numb, it wasn't too bad! ;) I tried body surfing, but it didn't work too well. So I just wave jumped with my nephew and brother. I didn't want to leave, but we had to get to our campsite.


We went camping at Silver Falls in Oregon. I'd never been there, but it's beautiful! We hiked all around and behind the upper and lower falls. It was great! We stayed in little cabins and then congregated for meals. We had a talent show too - my idea. I got the idea from Dan In Real Life and I thought my family should do that too. I showed how I could write with my toes, my sister took requests for drawing with her eyes closed, my parents read some funny stories, Clint (my nephew) showed what a master he is at guitar hero on his DS, and we had some other great acts/talents. I think I'm going to insist that that be a tradition for all our future family reunions.

After we were done camping, we had to hit the Portland Saturday Market on our way back. It's a treasure trove of junk and cool stuff. Lots of good food, crazy people, hippies, punks, and trinkets. I got a pair of earrings this time. Normally, I look for this sock shop that has knee-high socks with crazy bright patterns on them, but I couldn't find it this time.

All in all, my trip was a great one, especially because I got to be with my siblings, their kids, and my parents. Good times.

What is ART?

So here's the age old question...What is art? I had this discussion at my school recently when a rep from the Springville Art Museum came to train us on some ways to teach art to students. She asked, "What is considered art?" She held up several objects, like a dollar bill, a water bottle, and a replica of a terracotta warrior from China. She gave us a scale from 1-10 to rate these objects on, 1 being the most indicative of art , 10 being the least (or purely function). I think this was an interesting discussion because our views differed so much. A dollar bill is used for the function of buying things, right? But if it's only purpose was functionality, then it could be a simple piece of paper with an amount printed on it. So why are there people, designs, even colors on the bills if it is not also art? With a water bottle, yes, it is for drinking water. But are the curves of the bottle simply for ergonomic comfort or do they have a certain artistic element to them as well? What about a replica of a warrior? Is that art, or a token for remembrance? Even the real terracotta warriors - are they art because they are old and have been dug out of the ground and are displayed in museums? Their function was not to be artistic, they were guarding the Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi’s glorious tomb. Yet to many, they could be considered as art.

Even within the "art world" there is debate: are Jackson Pollock's flung paint and Andy Warhol's soup cans art? Compared to the masterpieces such as Michaelangelo's David (which is probably the most beautiful piece of art I have ever seen in my whole life) Van Gogh's Starry Night, Degas' The Dance Class, Botticelli's Birth of Venus, and Monet's Water Lilies, how can it be art? Yet it is, somehow. Wikipedia defines art as "Generally art is a (product of) human activity, made with the intention of stimulating the human senses as well as the human mind; by transmitting emotions and/or ideas."

So is everything art? If it is, then does the value of art diminish? Big questions for which I have no answers. But I did find a fun quiz to check whether something is art or not. Check it out: http://www.modestypanel.com/artorcrap/#

Hiatus

I've been thinking about some things in my life that I feel passionately about. One is cooking. It's not just food for me - it's creating something that looks and tastes good. It's taking raw ingredients and combining them to make something pleasing to the eye and the palate. It's hearing that "Wow! This is great!" and tasting that first burst of flavor. I don't really know when I started to feel this way. I've grown up around cooking and cookbooks. My mom has been writing and publishing her own cookbooks since 1984. She's tested recipes and made many a patty for our family to try. But I don't think my romance with cooking necessarily came from her. I know that the summer that I reluctantly agreed to stay home and test recipes for her cookbook opened my eyes to the art of creating with food. But from there it just blossomed... For Christmas one year my sister-in-law gave me what has become one of my favorite presents - the New Best Recipe cookbooks. It is a the dictionary of cookbooks - including wonderful recipes, it's got diagrams, explanations, and lots of interesting cooking facts. This Christmas my collection grew larger with the International Best Recipe book from my other sister-in-law. I can't wait to make the dishes from other countries.

I desperately wish that I could have gone to cooking school. I ache to be formally trained in the art of cooking. Maybe I will someday... I still need to learn to make macaroni and cheese. (The only time I tried it, it tasted like flour.)

Biting the Bullet

So I've finally done it. After much cajoling, I have decided make my private and somewhat boring (in my opinion) thoughts public to all the world. I wanted to share a mishmash of ideas - recipes, books, music, movies, frustrations, travels, photos, laments, and anecdotes. So, to those who have the time and desire to sort through the pastiche of different ideas and content, kudos to you. Enjoy.

(By the way, a pastiche is a hodgepodge of ideas without a rigid source or guiding standard; a combination of different things.)