What Thursday Was

When my alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. this morning, I was tempted to stay in bed and skip class. I was glad I didn't, though, because the instructor had actually prepared a real lecture. So that was exciting.

I rewarded myself with a grande decaf soy latte from Starbucks on the way to class. So that was nice.


That was the sky just before 7:00 a.m., when I arrived on campus. I took that picture from the second story of the lab building. The white streaks across the top of the picture are not clouds but the reflection of fluorescent lights on the window.

I should have stayed on campus to study--I'm far behind and we have an exam next week--but I came home directly after class and did some art journaling instead. I'm sticking with the loose collage over acrylic backgrounds approach and today I did two pieces, "dreams/education/understanding" and "home/marriage/the other woman." The style is unsettled and consequently somewhat unsettling. The artist who I'm emulating suggested that every collage should have a person, place, and thing and that would suggest a story. It's interesting to approach it that way. Before, I would have followed the image and seen what story emerged.  (I will soon post some pictures to illustrate some of this.)

It's a beautiful but cold day and as I worked I kept the front door open as long as I could. The cranes called to each other as they went overhead and I wanted to listen in. That is the sound of fall around here. I love that sound even more than I love the sound of the burners on hot air balloons and chile roasters.

In the afternoon, I made a bowl of brown rice, black beans, and peas for my lunch. I'm struggling to avoid cheese and all other dairy, so I have to slow down and remind myself that there are other, non-dairy options. I also poached some chicken to make chicken salad for myself for dinner. Dave will probably have a vegetarian sausage. Maybe I'll bake some sweet potatoes to go with.

Last night, after my therapy session, Dave and I went to grab some take-out Chinese food. Yum! My brother's truck is still in the shop, so I called to see if he wanted us to bring him anything. (Dave and I were impromptu Chinese delivery boys, so to speak.) I turned in soon after dinner and fell asleep listening to Dick Van Dyke.