Happiness

My time with Americorps is over. It is sad in a reminiscent way but now I can lobby again, and make enough money not to qualify for food stamps... exciting times! I've stumbled into two new jobs, and although I searched fruitlessly and anxiously for months prior to finding them nothing could have been easier or more pleasant than the stumbling that happened just as my Americorps term came to an end.

With my first employer I share a name, a hometown, a birthday and the characteristic of having unusually bumpy thumbnails-- I believe that these coincidences helped me get the job at the herb store, that and my blind confidence.

For my second job I answered a craigslist add that described my skills with ridiculous precision. The one odd skill was "willingness to learn to handle a variety of animals, and show them to other people." The advertisement--although exact, never said just what the job was. I was asked for an interview and directed to the zoo. My interview was conducted amidst peacocks. I interpreted this as a good sign. I was asked back for a second interview and then offered the job-- which I now know is to travel around to schools in Albuquerque in a van that converts into a miniature museum (complete with plants and animals) that describes the ecosystems through which the Rio Grande travels. My particular responsibilities are to create and administer fun art projects.

So, Americorps has ended and new times are beginning in the desert. Just now it is raining and I am glad.

Up Up and Away

I must tell you:

  In two days I learned to walk on three foot stilts, and celebrated all hallows eve in a gallery show leaning on the walls, and drinking wine from my precipice.  The work wasn't at eye level so I just sort of floated around in my own world, occasionally inserting myself into conversations only to drift away when I started to teeter.  Being really tall is exactly like being a celebrity, and I will admit that I loved it.  I shook hands, cheered up children, posed for the camera, and made really dramatic faces.  I didn't however have any real/meaningful conversations while I was nine feet tall.  But it didn't bother me that much...

Then:

    Having challenged my legs to double in length I found my original height to be both stocky and limiting.  I got over it however as we watched the most amazing dance performance I have ever seen.  Les Angles Morts was the name of the performance and I don't know what else to say, because I cannot really get it to come across.  

To Mention: 

In Gallup New Mexico I won a ride in a hot air balloon.  There I am standing in the basket after we landed.  The man behind me was the captain.  Six Americorps participants got to go up in two balloons.  Two of us were from VSA, where I work, and afterwords they initiated us into the balloonists society.  An initiation that resulted in the earliest drinking I've ever done!

Sing the Rock and Hum the Stone.

I got to go to the desert.  Gallup itself was similar to west 11th street in Eugene, but everything around Gallup was Beautiful, and really old, and amazing.  The images above are of Window Rock, in Arizona (HEY!)  as the sky is getting darker.  There is much more to it than this but: The rock was singing, and I heard it.  

A is for A

Recently my time has been spent working. "Working" by definition includes

1)Building a female robot with my young friend

2) Sewing extremely long pants

3) Discovering the word "Abecedarium" and using it

4) Making a zine

5) Perusing the children's section of the library, and

6) Eating a bagel.

Next Step: Master America

Here is a mural I helped to paint, for America! It was inspired by the work of an artist named O'Connor.

Tonight we had a potluck at our house. We ate sushi, macaroni and cheese, halloween cookies, and wine--with gusto! As we feasted we discussed some very exciting plans for the future. It comes down to all of us finding a bus/converted-three-story-station-wagon with which we will tour the country for a year as the Americorps mascot. Our key goals would be as follows 1) Visit each of our home towns and perform an art service project therein 2) Act as representatives for both Americorps and President Obama (both of whom will, as we see it, be funding us wholeheartedly) 3) Paint a Kevin O'Connor based mural in each of the fifty states, thereby making this man from Albuquerque into an American legend.

Although some of our ideas became a bit outlandish towards the end of the discussion (towing separate cars with "string," creating a fold out stage on top of the bus/wagon, driving to england and all of "the underground cities" too, etc. ) I would say that our plan and it's basic points are within reach. The next step is to either attain non-profit status or form some sort of group that can then apply to have Americorps volunteers (the roles of which we will be filling). From there attaining celebrity as America's artist role models should pretty much fall right into place. Go Team.

Self Made Circus

After training one afternoon we Americorps volunteers entered a room called the Garage.  The transition was seamless between tired, slightly stressed-out trainees to extremely energetic and talented four year old children.  We dressed in a variety of hats, wigs, faux fur vests, and rocket ships.  We hula hooped, drummed, danced, and dug crazily through a treasure trove of boxes.  Stef actually jumped through hoops, as you can see in the picture (The one with the legs abnormally afixed to the air), Mary drummed mad beats while we learned the Tinku, Bryan wore a feather boa, and I found a sweater with enormous shoulder pads.  We also started a project in which everyone wore the same wig.  A full documentation of this art peice is available on facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2187105&l=8ff11&id=11511088