Just returned from Spokane and what a trip it was! Stayed at the Burch dorms on the Gonzaga campus. Learned a lot about people and things and weather in June in the Northwest. Highlights included much self-reflection, much time alone which is always time well spent! I was thinking that there are no coincidences, and things happen for a reason. Maybe not the reason that you think it happens in the first place. I have a lot to consider from the Arts Impact Training. It was fun, engaging, and exciting. I learned a lot. I met a lot of wonderful people. This sounds like the typical conference. But it was not typical. It was above and beyond, something that gave me a lot of time to think and reflect on what I'm doing personally and professionally. When that happens, it's always time well spent. The rainstorm on Tuesday night was especially unusual for June weather here in the northern hemisphere. Quite stunning, that storm was. I was perplexed by mom nature, but she is always one to present exciting surprises. I have decided today that I wish my personal life to be dull and boring, without drama. I wish my art life to be exciting, tremendous, filled with extremely high-highs, and big, audacious, hairy goals THAT are REACHED! I wish my art life to be filled with high drama, and along with it, high value funding with high value people. I guess the words that stuck out for me at the conference were: conflict, the color yellow, Kek, immigrant and outsider. I think I learned more about me that anything...don't forget the power that is within. It's the greatest power there is.

teaching math -- is it fun?

Wow, teaching math was never so much fun. Coefficients and mixed number coefficients and order of operation exponents algebra and squared and cubed numbers. what happens when you multiply a number by its coefficient? What is a coefficient? a Cooefficient as the number hat is multiplied by a variable in an algebraic term.

Well, it's a substitute teaching day...fun with the 5th-8th grade multi-level classroom. It's a good day. I will strive to give out positive energy to the students so all will be well in this world. It's funny how perceptions are not truth. Students at the middle-school age, one of which is my daughter, are so ultra-sensitive. When we are young, we are so sensitive it hurts. That youthful energy and questioning. Everything is being questioned, our hearts are soft and fresh. Teachers of students at this age (pre-teen and early teen) are confronted with a myriad of problems, questions, and pseudo-realities. Perceptions at this age in life are skewed and seen through a glass that is so foggy. Leadership skills are found wanting. Self-reflection and who we are at this stage in life is only at the beginning of formation.

MAC Art Auction Spokane

MAC Art Auction Spokane

Click on the link above to see the online catalog of this annual event held as a benefit for the Museum of Arts and Culture, Spokane Washington.

Also -- a great thing happened last Saturday. There was a field trip to the MAC and we had just visited the Spokane Falls Community College's new Planetarium building. It was fantastic--more about that later!

I had remembered reading that there was going to be a showing of all the art auction art at the museum, but had forgotten about it. I was stunned to see all three pieces of my art displayed at this venerable Spokane institution! What a thrill for any artist. The students, chaperones and parents were impressed. It was a great show. Thanks to Jerry Smith and all his staff and volunteers at the MAC for installing a nice display of all the work. See you at the Davenport on Saturday, April 21st.

A Moral Dilemma

Coming back from a field trip with my 12-year-old daughter, looking forward to a quiet evening at home on a Saturday night. The early spring weather is unsettled and cloudy. I see an older blue Ford Taurus stuck in the muddy hillside on a back country road -- a primitive road -- this means an unpaved road. With only one house nearby that no one lives in; the exhaust pipe is still spitting out its contents. I pull over to see if I can offer assistance, which is the norm in our neck of these woods. The smell of cheap apple wine comes wafting out of the passenger side door as I approach. It's someone I know, a man of about 60 years of age named Chester who is quite drunk. I crack open the passenger front door of the car and ask him if he is all right. It becomes quite evident that he is fine, but totally drunk. I know Chester is almost indigent, and lacks any type of job. I know he is a veteran and has crippling rheumatoid arthritis in his mal-formed fingers. He has an old prospector's hat on and fuzzy-with-dog-hair black clothes.

There is no cell service in these woods so my phone is useless. I get Chester out of his car and he is reluctant to accept my help. After accusing me of being several things: an FBI agent, a cop, and other things, I assure him I am none of those things. Fifteen minutes of arguing ensue. I assure him that his dogs are not in his car, he gets into my Jeep and I tell him I will take him home--that this is his only option. I assure him I do not want a "twenty spot" to try and drag his car out of the ditch. I specifically tell him "I'm not dragging your piece of shit car out of the ditch."

He begins to get ornery. He is enebriated after all. He tell me that "You fucked me up". and "I have stuff to do tomorrow". This is after he asks me if I have some beer or wine on hand. When I reply "Normal people don't drink and drive", he becomes belligerant and tells me that I need to smoke a joint.

I drop him off at the rural heavily treed property where he has his trailer. I knock on the woman's door who owns the property, as I know she'll be home. When I explain to her what happened, she is non-plussed and all she will say is "That sounds like him". "Just leave him there, and he'll walk on up through the cow pasture up to his trailer".

I apologize for bothering her, and get Chester out of my Jeep after some reluctance on his part. He tells me from her driveway "My car better be there tomorrow". I assured him a with half belief "Oh, it will be there, you can get it tomorrow when you are sober". If he is sober ten minutes out of 24 hours.