School Pride

Mom said this was a good show, but it took a night of staying in, cleaning, a fire in the woodburning stove, and "chill" zone to actually watch it. Wow! Great for the schools that get chosen.

What is good: 1) schools that deserve a makeover get it, 2) pride is enhanced, 3) change occurs.

What I wonder about: 1) Why does the media frenzy of Hollywood and media have the money to fix ills that our nation's and states' governments do not, 2) What is being done to fix the problems of broken communities that do not employ (or train people to be employed) so that there's a tax base that can add to the success of schools? Without a productive, sustained, and healthy community, a school can not healthily sustain a productive school, 3) If our nation has capital to spend through corporate donations and sponsorships, why don't we have a more equitable society beyond NBC programming?

It is beautiful, and I'm impressed. But, what do we do to assure the beauty and impressions of what our nation is REALLY suppose to be occurs in every city, in every district, and for every child?

I believe in the Karma of the American people. We can and NEED to do better.

vulgar karma

My countdown to friday night is special for one reason. I want to chill out, look around, and clean my house. That is my goal.

I realized I needed such a goal as two major Bryan realities came to the forefront. The first was in my bathroom. I knew the floor and tub needed major cleaning and, trying to get ready for a cleaning, I filled a tub with water and chlorine. I went to the garage to get the mop, and when I went to bathroom again, the mop completely fell apart. The entire bottom fell off. So, I went to get the other mop, and when I did, I pushed it once against the floor and the sponge came off. I had a tub with clean water to clean, but no mop to clean the floor with.

Disgruntled, I decided to put ear wax drops in my ear because it's been clogged for a week. I get major earwax build-up and I thought I'd try this, especially since I learned that the wax candles are a hoax. Once I did this, large chunks of wax kept falling from my ear and I had to use tissues to clean it.

Thinking about my bathroom floor - the entire house, for that matter - and seeing my tissues with ear wax, I decided that karma was telling me I am completely disgusting. To rectify this, I must clean.

Good Thoughts

My local library is growing quite accustomed to me arriving, plopping down my laptop and books, and spreading my papers all over the tables. Although there are times where it gets too noisy, I find the space to be useful for writing as much as I am. I am sure the regulars who are there think I'm insane, especially when I get into the flow and forget where I am. I don't move and type for hours and hours and hours.

Today, however, as I was anticipating the warning announcement to leave - it is usually directed at me (I don't know why they don't just tap me on the shoulder to say, "it is time") a woman approached me and asked, "Bryan?"

Why yes, that is me.

It was a mother to one of the kids who were a part of a book club I ran at the library a couple of years ago. She said, "You are always working so hard when my daughter and I see you in here, so we don't want to disturb you. We just want to say hello and to give you positive energy for whatever is is you are always doing."

Karma. Dissertation.

I thanked her and I left the library feeling their good wishes. Good thoughts. Good deeds. Good words.

Sketchbook Drawings

Drawings From my Sketchbook

I did this drawing mostly with 8B and some pencil. It started out to be a self portrait but I got bored with drawing myself literally and changed it to show a way of how I may see myself or how I could see other things instead of focusing on what i look like.

Leaf From Brazil. I used pencil shading to make dark and light values and left whites to show highlights.  The dark is not as dark as I would like it because there are supposed to be holes in the leaf but it is hard to tell without the darker shading where the leaf ends and gradually making it lighter over the top of the leaf to give it more dimension so it will look less like a flat picture. Adding more detail and distributing the darks and lights more carefully will help this look more like the leaf.

"Nun with Gun"

This is a contour line drawing i did of myself as a shadow while drawing this. I was standing by a window and the light made my reflection onto a wall so I drew the reflection of myself drawing and I traced it from the back page of the one i drew the original on. It looks like a nun with a gun.

Drawings from Jack Kennedy's and Holly Burda's Sketchbooks

This gesture study was done by Jack Kennedy. It shows both extremes of dark and light shading. The way the bark and lines in the branch were represented in a more abstract way allows us to see the feeling and harshness of the bark instead of only looking at as the branch itself. We see the contrast and harshness and direction of the lines or values without being distracted by the fact that it is a branch.

This is a drawing by Holly Burda. It shows the shadows of the twigs and also light. The changes between dark and lighter shades of gray in the shading create more dimension through contrast.

When it's bad

Funny how it didn't rain yesterday, because I could of sworn it poured.

I don't think karma is being bad to me, it's just that I'm dancing as fast as I can while spinning forty-five plates in the air, and I feel like I'm running out of time before it all crashes. Perhaps a crash will be a good thing, because then I can sit in all the $#@$# and say, "Hmmm. Let's evaluate this situation, shall we?"

The sad thing is I'm enjoying everything I'm doing. It's just I don't have enough time to get it all done. I spend all of my day working and get no where. Oh, that's right, I've claimed I'm a madman emptying the ocean with a fork in previous posts. Well, the metaphor still works.

This too shall pass.

for Kristen - posted a day after your day

Dear Kristen,

I moved home in the summer of 2007. You saw me transition into doctoral student work and have been a tremendous guide.

Together, we endured our own foundations of being encultured into higher education before we were asked to stand before them as an ape. You gave me Foucault as a prison mate. You helped me understand (with my pea brain) statistics. More importantly, you continue to give me tremendous support and guidance, advice and encouragement, laughter and friendship, and after today, HOPE. You were a year ahead of me and quantitative. I'm a year behind you and qualitative. You are the Peanut Butter. I am the Chocolate. No. You're simply you - awesome.

Congratulations on a well-deserved accomplishment. You will always amaze me, but hearing your success today makes me feel even more proud of knowing you and learning from your inspiration.

Here's to all the phenomenal things ahead for your, Dr. Munger.

Love,

Bryan

Congratulations, NorthJars

The CNS Northstars didn't win the New York State Field Band competition, but they represented. A special shout out needs to go to Ted Mascari and his work with the Victor Blue Devils who won this year, upsetting the predictable and often political wins of the Wildcats of West Gennesee. Orchard Park also had a spectacular show. It was good to see so many striving so hard this year and to know that all the hard work paid off. Congratulations to Nikki and her thumb. Twenty plus years of knowing the Carrier Dome, it's good to see the traditions continue.