Etsy, here I come!

Alright. There's nothing better than hearing that other art teacher's have "discovered" ETSY and are selling their own artwork on the site before me. Man, if that didn't light a fire under my butt, I don't know what did. Not only did I learn that other art teachers have their own stores, I learned that I DO NOT need 15 pieces just to have my own. I learned that the 15 pieces are only needed if I want to be a part of the EtsyMetal TEAM. What that means, I'm not sure yet. As with all other internet sites the information is overwhelming. I have to take it in small dosis. So, after finishing week one of my 5K training, an accomplishment in itself, I came home, got on the Etsy site and signed up. I now have a store on Etsy. It's called Lola Riera, after my grandmother. BUT - before you go off trying to find Lola Riera on Etsy, let me tell you there are no items up yet. However, the simple fact that I have a store, that I'm even registered at all is pretty big for me. But it gets even better....

After setting up my store, I proceeded to add graphics and start making it look all pretty, of course. (I should be in web page design...). I caught myself wasting time so I headed out to the studio to work on a piece and completed my two hour commitment yet again this week. I'm almost finished with my 7th piece and I do believe I have enough pieces to put in my little Etsy shop. I must say I'm pretty proud of myself. 

To be continued...

Free Burritos!!!

Wow....long time, no post. That means I must be back to work. Poo-poo. My room is looking fabulous and I must say I am really proud of myself for the way it looks. I hope it will be inviting to the kids, although I must remember that some of them could care less. This will be a challenging year. Our new principal has some pretty big plans for Crockett, and after spending three days with him, I truly believe he's going to turn that school around. But, change is slow, and people resist, especially kids, and it will be a struggle incorporating a new culture at that school. Yet, if all goes as planned, this school is going to be on of the best in town, I really believe that, and I'm already proud to be a part of it as well as the change that is about to take place. 

Today is studio day, after my Couch 2 5K workout. That's right, I'm training for a 5k. That's right, I said I'm training for a 5k. (I have to say it several times myself to believe it!). My $32 Brookes were the motivation, and for two days now, it's worked! I hope to complete week one of my training as well as complete a second piece of jewelry. Life is moving along.

If you have a library card, head over to CHIPOTLE - they're giving away a free burrito if you present them your card! Look for Sean and I - we'll be at the South Park Meadows location, oh, probably every day. 

I want to wish everyone a happy day today. If you're reading this, I probably like you, so I want to wish you well.

Pictures of my art room to come...

For Me!

Hi there!

I did it!!

I worked in my studio yesterday for an hour and a half! Whoopey! AND, I finished another piece and started a new one. Only 9 more to go in order to apply for an Etsy account... 

Also - this will be the last blog I mail out, so if you want to keep getting these you'll have to subscribe to them, which means they'll arrive in your mail box if you want them or not. Took me a long time to figure that out, but not everyone wants to get so much mail, so now it's your choice...I will not be offended if you don't read me on a daily basis!!

Now - off to Crockett to meet the new principal and get some food...hope it's good!

Strikes

Today wasn't nearly as bad as yesterday's sessions with AISD. In fact, we discussed things today that actually got me thinking about my classroom management and how I do things and what things I'm going to do differently. I met our new principal's wife, a cute little thing from Puerto Rico, but raised in New York. Her husband was principal at a school of 5,000 students in the Bronx for 5 years. He thinks Crockett is paradise, apparently. Thank God for that! I want to have this feeling that he's going to do really well and help that school out with it's discipline problems. We'll see...

I got my new striker at the jewelry supply place today. I went out to work in my studio yesterday and I couldn't get my damn torch lit. Needless to say that made me "lit" and so I threw a temper tantrum until Sean forced me to go downtown with him and chill out in the park while he ran. I took my blanket and my chair, my David Sedaris book (because I'm white and white people like David Sedaris), and cooled down by the pond. Then we went to Zen and I had the tofu bowl with the dynamite sauce and brown rice - Yummy! 

Lucas and Sam have their own myspace pages now. I'm the ultimate kittie geek I've decided. I can thank Lee and Christine for that. Ever since I learned that Pling Pling had HIS own myspace page it has been my mission to make sure my children are included in the fun. I wonder if I can get them a facebook page?

My husband is screaming at me to watch the gymnastics portion of the Olympics which I will gladly do. Go China! That's a whole 'nother blog...

AISD rocks! Not really...

I'm resisting blogging today, and yesterday. Feeling a bit down what with having to go to this New Teacher training and all this week - ugh. Got up at 6:30 and took my coffee outside with Sam and Lucas to water the lawn. It's still crispy, but my plants are looking better! I hate St. Augustine grass. "Rich man's grass", I call it. I wish I could afford to have it all removed and have this japanese type grass that's all the rage right now because it's so drought tolerant put down. 

Yesterday I was going to do the two-hours-in-the-studio thing but it was so damn hot in the garage. I went out there to clean off my bench and got 1. overwhelmed with all the little scraps of silver that I could send off to have melted into a sheet, 2. overwhelmed  because I hadn't the slightest idea of what to make, 3. ended up dripping in sweat. So, to run away and torture myself even more, I went on line to all my jewelry sites I've saved in my bookmarks and looked at OTHER people's work, wishing I already had a website up and 15 designs to be allowed onto EtsyMetal. Then, later that evening, I went into this panic about getting old and how am I going to live if I quite my job as a teacher and not have a steady income so when I retire I'll be ok. Now here I am needing to get ready to be out the door in half an hour to go to a training to hear all about "The Principles of Teaching". Oh, what FUN!!!

Crispy

It's hot and my plants are so crispy, no matter how much I water them. I'm trying to develop a green thumb, I really am, but they get so dry so fast! I even chose "heat tolerant" plants...or was it "drought tolerant"? Whatever the case, my shrubs look like little skeletons, skinny - like Lucas. 

I'm hungry.

Untitled

My last day of freedom. Too bad I'll be spending it making photocopies and getting my room ready before school starts. I can't believe I have to do a WEEK of "new teacher training" next week. What a waste. AISD is NOT some prep school yet they act like there's all this "information" we've got to know. With my luck it'll be some Kumbaya, "let's all hold hands for the kids!" session and we'll have to list stupid things like "why did we become teachers", "what matters most to us as educators", blah, blah, blah. You know what matters most, why I became a teacher: June, July, and August, THAT'S why. Oh well. At least Lucas isn't scratching his scalp off anymore and I didn't have to spend a fortune at the vet.

My new idol is Jamie Lee Curtis. I just read an article about her in More magazine. I love More magazine. It's for women 40+ and I love it because I'm going to be 40 one day and I love how the magazine glorifies older, mature women, like Jamie Lee Curtis. 

Here are a couple of videos to enjoy from the Peter Murphy concert. Sorry they're still sideways!

In the last week...

This image is from our hike on the Petroglyph trail in Mesa Verde, Colorado. It was amazing. Sean and I had such a lovely time and Colorado is so damn picturesque it makes me sick. 

Poor Lucas. He has no hair on his neck or head - just scabs from scratching so much. I had an appointment with my usual vet, but I'm so tired of this issue having to be addressed, not to mention the chunk of cash I throw down every time I go, that I called another vet who promised me a solution (and cheaper vaccines) so I'm taking the kitties there tomorrow. I'm broke. And my poor kitties need relief from the itching. 

Tonight, I'm heading to Elysium with my ole pal Cindy. It's her birthday on Sunday and so we'll celebrate a little early tonight with some dancin' and of course, lots of laughs. Last time we went out we saw Peter Murphy and laughed our heads off at people tripping on a construction sign outside Emo's. See the footage below... (sorry it's sideways!)

 

   What a hoot!

My Dad's got some MOVES!

IMG_5509 scw
Originally uploaded by Dan Elzner

I'm really just testing this out: how to add photos from flickr.com to my blog...let me know what you think!

Gooffin' around...

I was going to title this blog "procrastination" but I couldn't remember how to spell it.

I'm in Denver, in the hotel (very nice Crowne Plaza), and I'm supposed to be working on my syllabi for my classes. Instead I'm looking at my wedding pictures AGAIN, getting nothin' done.

I spent 2 hours balancing my checkbook, three hours trying to figure out which T-Mobile plan I should switch too, two hours on Art I syllabus, 1/2 and hour going to Subway for a sandwich, then another hour and a half looking at wedding pictures and reading other people's blogs...

Good thing I'm not a housewife. My home would look like shit.