I had not realized how long ago my last post was so here's a new one!
I am, of course, in Edinburgh which is a lovely city. The cold, I hope, has taken a way some of its excitement, so I'm looking forward to the Spring already. Anyway, what I've been up to since my last post (from LA or on my way to Dubby? can't remember):
I went to Spain, Barcelona was soo beautiful and warm and cheap. Had a good four days there and then headed down to Malaga for K's sister's wedding in the mountains. To be honest, Malaga or Gaucin or whatever was not, in any way shape or form a southern copy of Barcelona, it was more like an evil opposite to it whose mission was to dampened my fun as much as possible during the wedding (with the help of the literal assholes that were invited, you would not even believe... -_- ).
But anyway, after that we came back to Edinburgh and here we have stayed. Classes have been fairly easy, actually exceptionally easy, with only two essays due at the end of the semester (one done, now I've only got half of the other to write). The semester ends on December 3rd, soo early I know!
The most exciting thing though is K and I will be going for a wonderful three days and four nights in Amsterdam and Brussels a week after the semester ends. I'm so excited, so happy to finally make it to Amsterdam. I'm hoping to see my friend who's in Brussels at the moment as well, and maybe I'll be able to smuggle some magical Dutch chocolate over the border for later enjoyment. Haha! HOORAY FOR THE END OF THE SEMESTER, TRAVEL, AND THE NEW YEAR (I know, getting ahead of myself there but it's only a little more than a month away) !
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
I come to thee from my handy iPod touch, two hours before departure.
Getting to this point has been one hell of a struggle and has thoroughly pinched my wallet. I got the letter I've been bitching about super late, decided to fly to LA to do an in-person appointment, got the visa after walking around santa Monica for six hours, came home, was charged again for a second bag by United airlines because no one in IAH 1) has heard of airline that actually flies into their air port 2) has common sense. I had to endure a two hour flight next to two jittery parents and their out of control obese child.
Aside from that crap, my feet hurt, my purse that I attempted to repair with electrical tape is about to die( no supprise there), and and and! Most importantly, I will have finally, after all the ridiculous obstacles, have made it to europe in less than ten hours.
Unlike the rest of my entry the last one is defo not a complaint!
Getting to this point has been one hell of a struggle and has thoroughly pinched my wallet. I got the letter I've been bitching about super late, decided to fly to LA to do an in-person appointment, got the visa after walking around santa Monica for six hours, came home, was charged again for a second bag by United airlines because no one in IAH 1) has heard of airline that actually flies into their air port 2) has common sense. I had to endure a two hour flight next to two jittery parents and their out of control obese child.
Aside from that crap, my feet hurt, my purse that I attempted to repair with electrical tape is about to die( no supprise there), and and and! Most importantly, I will have finally, after all the ridiculous obstacles, have made it to europe in less than ten hours.
Unlike the rest of my entry the last one is defo not a complaint!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
A french post...
Alors, j'ai pense que maintenant j’aurais été ravie pour la fin de la semaine, et mon stage, et pour mon voyage qui est en moins que dix jours. Mais non, car je n'ai ni mon visa ni la lettre de crédit (?), je suis plus angoissée et énervée que je suis enthousiaste. J'aimerais si je pourrais rêver d'être en Irlande une semaine avec mon copain, puis en Edimbourg la semaine prochaine, et ensuite en Barcelone et puis à Malaga. C'est surtout ce problème avec le visa qui s'éternise dans ma tête. Je suis attriste à penser que peut-être j'aurais besoin de changer mon billet. Bon, je sais, ce ne sera pas la fin du monde si cela se passer, mais je suis une anxieuse je n'ai rien à faire mais penser de cela.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
foiled again! but happy either way...
I just got an email from Edinburgh saying the letter was sent today, not last week. Oh those scoundrels!
Well, at least I have confirmation I suppose. Now I'm just wondering if I should change my biometric appointment from tomorrow to later next week or just go ahead and do it now? Next week is going to be so busy that I'd prefer to get it done tomorrow...
but what if the letter does not come next week?
Can I truly TRUST Edinburgh *queue music of incertainty*. I hope I can now that I've actually gotten emails from two people saying it was sent out. Please don't make me regret not changing if I decide not to!
So, aside from that halfway good news, I have full good news: We have an apartment! K went to Edinburgh on Tuesday and Wednesday to look at places. At first things were looking bleak (places that are dumps, too small, no light, etc.). By the time the day was nearly over yesterday he had found NOTHING! But, of course, the last place he looked at happened to be a gem: completely and newly refurbished, new furniture, appliances, the works; a twenty minute walk to the city center (and my department!), right next to free theaters. Only downside is that it's next to a football stadium. All of this for just 25 sterling more than what we'd hoped (a total of 475, which I can deal with for all the new stuff we get!). So K did good, real good. :)
Well, at least I have confirmation I suppose. Now I'm just wondering if I should change my biometric appointment from tomorrow to later next week or just go ahead and do it now? Next week is going to be so busy that I'd prefer to get it done tomorrow...
but what if the letter does not come next week?
Can I truly TRUST Edinburgh *queue music of incertainty*. I hope I can now that I've actually gotten emails from two people saying it was sent out. Please don't make me regret not changing if I decide not to!
So, aside from that halfway good news, I have full good news: We have an apartment! K went to Edinburgh on Tuesday and Wednesday to look at places. At first things were looking bleak (places that are dumps, too small, no light, etc.). By the time the day was nearly over yesterday he had found NOTHING! But, of course, the last place he looked at happened to be a gem: completely and newly refurbished, new furniture, appliances, the works; a twenty minute walk to the city center (and my department!), right next to free theaters. Only downside is that it's next to a football stadium. All of this for just 25 sterling more than what we'd hoped (a total of 475, which I can deal with for all the new stuff we get!). So K did good, real good. :)
Friday, July 30, 2010
Where oh where can my loan letter be....
Yes, I am still waiting for that blasted loan letter. It's been a month of "it'll be out in a few weeks," says one guy, "it'll be out next week," says a woman a few days later, "we're sending letters out today and tomorrow," says the same woman to K when he called, "I can't give you a specific date as to when they'll be out," says the same woman to me a day later.
So, I figured I'd give them a week before I started berating them. K insisted I start immediately pestering them nonstop. Thursday I cracked. I called and got the first guy on the phone who was way more helpful than the woman I talked to. I think that conversation is a pure and simple example of how USELESS financial aid departments are/can be (this is me paraphasing):
him: Ok, so let me look at your information on our system and I'll see where we are with your application.
me: ok.
him: um... alright so we have all your information and it looks like we're waiting to hear back from the states for verifying your MPN. I can't tell you when we'll hear back from them.
me: ah, alright but the problem is, I've got a flight booked for mid-August...and I can't apply for my visa until I get that letter.
him: ummm... mid-August, eh? hmmm... hold on, I'm going to talk to my colleague and get back to you.
me: alright.
I sat for about two minutes listening to that horrible hold sound... it's just as irritating and disconcerting as the sound French phones make when you call someone.
him: ok, we'll it looks like we can go ahead and use that MPN we have for you and get your letter out today or tomorrow with the next batch [of letters].
me: !! oh great! Does that mean I'll get it by next week?
him: yeah, it usually takes 5 to 7 days or so (blah blah blah lightly accented scottish mummbles).
Now, why did I have to lie about the date of my flight (I just said I was leaving a few days earlier) to get some fucking progress? It's ridiculous. I'm assuming I'll get it in the mail by Thursday at the latest. FINALLY I won't have to move my biometrics back again!
Now, on to work related shananagins.
Everytime I talk to an artist (today I telephoned M. Sontheimer about a work he did for the museum, so nice!) I have remorse for not taking more art classes. Now I know me and I know I am NOT an art class person (at least at this point). I couldn't stand taking classes where I'm told what to draw and how to think about art. Now I've got no with being taught the things all artists should know (different types of composition, color, lighting, values, or how to best use certain mediums). I understand the importance of the basics. BUT! Beyond that, I'm a all about experimentation, which is why I did not apply to MFA programs. I like the idea of opening up a students mind to artists, to concepts, requiring reading, requiring we look at different artists. I know that's too personal an approach for a class of something like twenty+ students. That's the stuff that inspired me to make art, gives me ideas, and helps me move forward in my art production. I mean, I made a huge leap in making art when I went to Paris, started reading tons of French literature and art criticism/theory, went to museums and galleries, and sketched, a lot. That's when it hit me what I wanted to do artistically. Obviously, for me, studio classes weren't going to do that for me.
So why do I feel so guilty for not taking more of them??
K's sister C just graduated from Central St. Martins (she did her final show, a live art piece, and had two galleries approach her about doing it again for them). She now HATES arts schools, mainly because of the number of rich wankers that go there. I can imagine I would feel the same. To me the most obvious benefit is the number of contacts one gets when doing a degree and the experience (whether in museums or exhibiting on campus). Now THAT I wish I'd not missed out on. I did enter exhibitions (and got into one) my first semester of college and then stopped, as I was researching where I wanted my work to go and what I wanted it to say for about two years. I mainly stopped because I didn't like the work I had.
I think now I just worry about whether people take me seriously when I say "I'm getting masters in Modern Art history but I'm also a studio artist/painter?" I think I'm afriad there's a biased in the eyes of artists for those who don't do art history instead of studying art route. There's a method to my madness... I promise!
My artistic goals for this year (Sept-Sept):
Rebuild my portfolio (I'm leaving my recent and most beloved paintings here in Texas because it's too expensive to ship them, so I've got to make a new portfolio of work) with at least fifteen paintings and drawings-- maybe less if I do some more big paintings
-participate in local art shows and become familiar with art scene (i.e. GO to gallery opens and stay on top of what's going on in the art world).
-keep exploring the use of pastels/ink on paper
-experiament with unprimed canvas and ink/staining (I've always used primed canvans, now I'm switching over)
-STRETCH MY OWN FUCKING CANVAS DAMNIT! It'll save me tons... maybe.
So, I figured I'd give them a week before I started berating them. K insisted I start immediately pestering them nonstop. Thursday I cracked. I called and got the first guy on the phone who was way more helpful than the woman I talked to. I think that conversation is a pure and simple example of how USELESS financial aid departments are/can be (this is me paraphasing):
him: Ok, so let me look at your information on our system and I'll see where we are with your application.
me: ok.
him: um... alright so we have all your information and it looks like we're waiting to hear back from the states for verifying your MPN. I can't tell you when we'll hear back from them.
me: ah, alright but the problem is, I've got a flight booked for mid-August...and I can't apply for my visa until I get that letter.
him: ummm... mid-August, eh? hmmm... hold on, I'm going to talk to my colleague and get back to you.
me: alright.
I sat for about two minutes listening to that horrible hold sound... it's just as irritating and disconcerting as the sound French phones make when you call someone.
him: ok, we'll it looks like we can go ahead and use that MPN we have for you and get your letter out today or tomorrow with the next batch [of letters].
me: !! oh great! Does that mean I'll get it by next week?
him: yeah, it usually takes 5 to 7 days or so (blah blah blah lightly accented scottish mummbles).
Now, why did I have to lie about the date of my flight (I just said I was leaving a few days earlier) to get some fucking progress? It's ridiculous. I'm assuming I'll get it in the mail by Thursday at the latest. FINALLY I won't have to move my biometrics back again!
Now, on to work related shananagins.
Everytime I talk to an artist (today I telephoned M. Sontheimer about a work he did for the museum, so nice!) I have remorse for not taking more art classes. Now I know me and I know I am NOT an art class person (at least at this point). I couldn't stand taking classes where I'm told what to draw and how to think about art. Now I've got no with being taught the things all artists should know (different types of composition, color, lighting, values, or how to best use certain mediums). I understand the importance of the basics. BUT! Beyond that, I'm a all about experimentation, which is why I did not apply to MFA programs. I like the idea of opening up a students mind to artists, to concepts, requiring reading, requiring we look at different artists. I know that's too personal an approach for a class of something like twenty+ students. That's the stuff that inspired me to make art, gives me ideas, and helps me move forward in my art production. I mean, I made a huge leap in making art when I went to Paris, started reading tons of French literature and art criticism/theory, went to museums and galleries, and sketched, a lot. That's when it hit me what I wanted to do artistically. Obviously, for me, studio classes weren't going to do that for me.
So why do I feel so guilty for not taking more of them??
K's sister C just graduated from Central St. Martins (she did her final show, a live art piece, and had two galleries approach her about doing it again for them). She now HATES arts schools, mainly because of the number of rich wankers that go there. I can imagine I would feel the same. To me the most obvious benefit is the number of contacts one gets when doing a degree and the experience (whether in museums or exhibiting on campus). Now THAT I wish I'd not missed out on. I did enter exhibitions (and got into one) my first semester of college and then stopped, as I was researching where I wanted my work to go and what I wanted it to say for about two years. I mainly stopped because I didn't like the work I had.
I think now I just worry about whether people take me seriously when I say "I'm getting masters in Modern Art history but I'm also a studio artist/painter?" I think I'm afriad there's a biased in the eyes of artists for those who don't do art history instead of studying art route. There's a method to my madness... I promise!
My artistic goals for this year (Sept-Sept):
Rebuild my portfolio (I'm leaving my recent and most beloved paintings here in Texas because it's too expensive to ship them, so I've got to make a new portfolio of work) with at least fifteen paintings and drawings-- maybe less if I do some more big paintings
-participate in local art shows and become familiar with art scene (i.e. GO to gallery opens and stay on top of what's going on in the art world).
-keep exploring the use of pastels/ink on paper
-experiament with unprimed canvas and ink/staining (I've always used primed canvans, now I'm switching over)
-STRETCH MY OWN FUCKING CANVAS DAMNIT! It'll save me tons... maybe.
Monday, July 26, 2010
I'm moving in a month!
I can't wrap my head around this... I'm literally moving away, forever, from this god aweful land of heat and rain and sweat (I'm angry with the Texas heat at the moment as I have no air conditioning)! It's unbelievable. I'm not going to study and then return, not going to visit, but going to live abroad...crazy!
I've been thinking about this as of late (mainly because everyone keeps asking me silly questions like "why would you want to live in Europe? What if you don't like it? What makes you think it's great?"). I've always wanted to live abroad. As early as middle school I was planning my escape to Europe thinking maybe I could convince my parents to let me switch places with an European student for a semester, or, maybe I could just go and take language courses. When I graduated high school I thought about being an au pair. In college I worked hard on learning French with dreams of transfering to a French university somewhere (I grossly underestimated 1) the difficulty in mastering pronunciation 2) how high of a level was required to get in, something I would have never attained without studying abroad first). Luckily, I finally did get to France, not for as long as I wanted, but I made it and gained so much from the experience ( a boyfriend, a much better level of French, confidence and love in/for myself). People sure don't lie about studying abroad being an invaluable experience.
Now, I'm off again, in a month, to make Edinburgh my home (at least for a year). Then maybe London, then Spain, then then then! Who knows where I'll end up, but hopefully not back in Texas (no offense to Texans, it's just not the place I want to be)!
On a more beautiful, but kind of sad note, here's a lovely poem by my favorite Surrealist poet Mallarme.
Apparition
La lune s'attristait. Des séraphins en pleurs
Rêvant, l'archet aux doigts, dans le calme des fleurs
Vaporeuses, tiraient de mourantes violes
De blancs sanglots glissant sur l'azur des corolles.
C'était le jour béni de ton premier baiser.
Ma songerie aimant à me martyriser
s'enivrait savamment du parfum de tristesse
Que même sans regret et sans déboire laisse
La cueillaison d'un Rêve au coeur qui l'a cueilli.
J'errais donc, l'oeil rivé sur le pavé vieilli
Quand avec du soleil aux cheveux, dans la rue
Et dans le soir, tu m'es en riant apparue
Et j'ai cru voir la fée au chapeau de clarté
Qui jadis sur mes beaux sommeils d'enfant gâté
Passait, laissant toujours de ses mains mal fermées
Neiger de blancs bouquets d'étoiles parfumées.
I've been thinking about this as of late (mainly because everyone keeps asking me silly questions like "why would you want to live in Europe? What if you don't like it? What makes you think it's great?"). I've always wanted to live abroad. As early as middle school I was planning my escape to Europe thinking maybe I could convince my parents to let me switch places with an European student for a semester, or, maybe I could just go and take language courses. When I graduated high school I thought about being an au pair. In college I worked hard on learning French with dreams of transfering to a French university somewhere (I grossly underestimated 1) the difficulty in mastering pronunciation 2) how high of a level was required to get in, something I would have never attained without studying abroad first). Luckily, I finally did get to France, not for as long as I wanted, but I made it and gained so much from the experience ( a boyfriend, a much better level of French, confidence and love in/for myself). People sure don't lie about studying abroad being an invaluable experience.
Now, I'm off again, in a month, to make Edinburgh my home (at least for a year). Then maybe London, then Spain, then then then! Who knows where I'll end up, but hopefully not back in Texas (no offense to Texans, it's just not the place I want to be)!
On a more beautiful, but kind of sad note, here's a lovely poem by my favorite Surrealist poet Mallarme.
Apparition
La lune s'attristait. Des séraphins en pleurs
Rêvant, l'archet aux doigts, dans le calme des fleurs
Vaporeuses, tiraient de mourantes violes
De blancs sanglots glissant sur l'azur des corolles.
C'était le jour béni de ton premier baiser.
Ma songerie aimant à me martyriser
s'enivrait savamment du parfum de tristesse
Que même sans regret et sans déboire laisse
La cueillaison d'un Rêve au coeur qui l'a cueilli.
J'errais donc, l'oeil rivé sur le pavé vieilli
Quand avec du soleil aux cheveux, dans la rue
Et dans le soir, tu m'es en riant apparue
Et j'ai cru voir la fée au chapeau de clarté
Qui jadis sur mes beaux sommeils d'enfant gâté
Passait, laissant toujours de ses mains mal fermées
Neiger de blancs bouquets d'étoiles parfumées.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Might as well....
I figured I might as well update...
No news really, or well, I guess there's a bit to talk about. Firstly, the internship has gotten more than a bit boring, but is almost over so I'll survive. I did get to meet an artist though. A local, but internationally known artist with the initials of TDH (he's living in Houston at the moment, did a show at a gallery in Edinburgh, is from Paris Texas). If you can guess it I'll give you a prize (well, not really, but you can feel gooey inside for being so learned)! He was really nice, I got to see his studio. He's been added to my list of people who don't think I'm from the Texas... or I guess the US. He said I had an aura that wasn't very Texas-like. Yay I have a unique aura! Haha.
Another reason why the job has reached it a point of annoyance with me is that for the past week or so I had one of the maintenance guys opening doors for me, being overly nice in a suspicious way, and then he followed me up stairs from the first floor (my office is on the third floor, he was coming out of the first floor door leading to the front of the museum to the elevators/stairs). He held the door for me, which is fine. Then, after I'd been at my desk for about 10 minutes he came down the hallway... I think he followed me up? I think this because he came in and asked me when I was leaving (my manager stopped to have a conversation with him a few weeks ago when we were coming in from lunch, which I think started this whole thing) and if I wanted to get lunch some time. Aside from the fact that I have a boyfriend, which makes going to lunch with some strange man who obviously isn't just interested in being friends with me awkward, the fact that he "stalked" me upstairs is just unsettling. So, obviously I told him no. I tried to do it in a nice way. I think it worked because I haven't seen him since. I know asking someone out and being turned down can be so embarrassing, so I kind of feel bad. I always have weird individuals asking me out.... why I don't know.
I'm currently battling the dreaded UK visa stuff. Actually, I'm mostly battling Edinburgh's slowness in regard to the loan award letters. It's not their fault, really. I mean, the program did just change. However, US schools just switched over too and the process isn't take NEARLY as long. Maybe it's the time difference.
I applied to a ton of charities and trusts in the UK for grants. I really hope I get at least one of the seven or so I applied to. I've gotten no goes from two so far. One doesn't give grants for arts degrees and the other is broke (also known as "uninterested-in-giving money-to-me" broke).
I still haven't heard about the Saltire scholarships. I think each university gets 200 scholarships to give out? Maybe that's what's taking so long, that is a lot of people. You'd think that since I got the more competitive scholarship for more money that I'd be in a shoe in for this one (that's based entirely on merit as well), but maybe they'll decide to spread the wealth?
PLEASE SPREAD MORE MY WAY, I'M STILL BROKE!
No news really, or well, I guess there's a bit to talk about. Firstly, the internship has gotten more than a bit boring, but is almost over so I'll survive. I did get to meet an artist though. A local, but internationally known artist with the initials of TDH (he's living in Houston at the moment, did a show at a gallery in Edinburgh, is from Paris Texas). If you can guess it I'll give you a prize (well, not really, but you can feel gooey inside for being so learned)! He was really nice, I got to see his studio. He's been added to my list of people who don't think I'm from the Texas... or I guess the US. He said I had an aura that wasn't very Texas-like. Yay I have a unique aura! Haha.
Another reason why the job has reached it a point of annoyance with me is that for the past week or so I had one of the maintenance guys opening doors for me, being overly nice in a suspicious way, and then he followed me up stairs from the first floor (my office is on the third floor, he was coming out of the first floor door leading to the front of the museum to the elevators/stairs). He held the door for me, which is fine. Then, after I'd been at my desk for about 10 minutes he came down the hallway... I think he followed me up? I think this because he came in and asked me when I was leaving (my manager stopped to have a conversation with him a few weeks ago when we were coming in from lunch, which I think started this whole thing) and if I wanted to get lunch some time. Aside from the fact that I have a boyfriend, which makes going to lunch with some strange man who obviously isn't just interested in being friends with me awkward, the fact that he "stalked" me upstairs is just unsettling. So, obviously I told him no. I tried to do it in a nice way. I think it worked because I haven't seen him since. I know asking someone out and being turned down can be so embarrassing, so I kind of feel bad. I always have weird individuals asking me out.... why I don't know.
I'm currently battling the dreaded UK visa stuff. Actually, I'm mostly battling Edinburgh's slowness in regard to the loan award letters. It's not their fault, really. I mean, the program did just change. However, US schools just switched over too and the process isn't take NEARLY as long. Maybe it's the time difference.
I applied to a ton of charities and trusts in the UK for grants. I really hope I get at least one of the seven or so I applied to. I've gotten no goes from two so far. One doesn't give grants for arts degrees and the other is broke (also known as "uninterested-in-giving money-to-me" broke).
I still haven't heard about the Saltire scholarships. I think each university gets 200 scholarships to give out? Maybe that's what's taking so long, that is a lot of people. You'd think that since I got the more competitive scholarship for more money that I'd be in a shoe in for this one (that's based entirely on merit as well), but maybe they'll decide to spread the wealth?
PLEASE SPREAD MORE MY WAY, I'M STILL BROKE!
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