Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Wow, Life is really quite Grand.

So, today I woke up with a big ol smile on my face, I will not get into the details of why, but I will say that this is going to be a great day and the beginning of a rocktacular weekend. I am starting a new “suicide block” print of a crow. It is going to be sick, good sick, not puking sick. I have 2 new interns coming today so the shop is going to be super organized and clean, and I always get a charge from new pumped interns, they are just so jazzed to be out in that shop, it reminds me how good I have it. I reconnected with an old friend last night and a new one today. I am drinking a wonderful soy latte from Starbucks, I know that I should not support that big crazy monster that is Starbucks, but I have to admit, it really truly is the best soy latte in 3 counties.

I am going to the cities tomorrow to pick up my good pal Amos Paul Kennedy Jr., from the airport. He is flying in from Gordo, Alabama to teach a poster workshop, WITH ME, at St. Ben’s College right here in St. freakin Joe. Him and I go back a bit, but really more than anything we are kindred spirits. Ya know, the person you meet and after just one conversation you feel like you have known each other since grade school. Like that. We are both so excited about letterpress printing. We get each other inspired and fired up about our creations and others art as well. We connect on a ton of different levels and we are generally really super happy people since we have found our path, Lucky us.

We are going to meet up with some printer cats in Minneapolis for a brew at the pub then come back to the sticks and get inky! I am so excited for so many people to meet him, I have been passing out his documentary since I got it so he has a cool little cult following here in Central Minn! So many great things going on even tho I am technically in a bit of a pickle currently awaiting my new job to start.

I am excited to be a pre school art teacher. It is interesting the reaction I get when I tell people that is the job I am currently persuing. Either people think that makes perfect sense, or they are shocked, trying to picture me, not cussing. I like kids and I like playing, I enjoy nap time more than most and passing on my love of art to fresh little minds only makes sense. Doin’ my part to help shift the ways of the world. I can be very persuasive and I think these kids are going to teach me as much as I will teach them. The not so cool part is that this place was supposed to be open 2 weeks ago and it still not open and still no date in sight. I am happy because I got out of my crappy bill collections job, which was whittling away at my very soul, but i am nervous, it has been a decade since I have gone this long without full time work and I am sweatin a bit. It is good, change. It does not always come to me through choice, sometimes it comes from uncomfortable situations that I am forced to deal with, that if I did not put myself into said uncomfortable situation, I would not be forced to grow and adapt, and change. I think that it was a great shift when I stopped thinking so much about today and right now and started to contemplate tomorrow. Wow, that means I am getting “old” but I am totally cool with it. Bring it on! Seriously, I get smarter and wiser and more fascinating with every birthday. It is grand.

So long story short, I cannot wait to hang with Amos, cannot wait for my best right hand letterpress printer, Sam (my niece), to meet Amos and get his contagious creative spark! This is going to be EPIC I tell you! All these like minds coming together, it is really a big picture type situation.

Today I added to my Scar List.

It was not so bad. I am just telling about it cause some people think I am crazy, and tho it might be true, it was pretty damn interesting. So I went to the gym per usual this morning, my workout pal thought I was crazy, but I did not think I should act any different even though I was going to get a mass from my breast removed at 7:30 that morning. I headed into the Surgical Center and somehow forgot my wallet so the woman at the desk was quite annoyed that I had neither a photo ID nr an insurance card. I asked if I had to reschedule and she said no. Okay, well I hung up my jacket and grabbed a magaizine, all they had was Golf or Parenting magazines, neither of which interest me in the least. I called my mom and told her I was fine and she asked for the 300th time if I wanted her there and I said no, it’s fine, I’ll be out of here in no time and I will head to your place.

I was called in right away and got led into a room and they asked me the usual questions and actually the 4 different nurses I dealt with were perfectly lovely. I got all my vitals which were tip top by the by, rockin blood pressure, 100% blood oxygenization, which made me promise myself I would stop sneakin cigarettes, and normal everything else. That, as a bit of a neurotic self diagnoser, always makes me so happy. I got to watch some TV and have heated blankets. I kept telling them that I did not want anesthsia, that I could handle the local. They kept telling me that it is okay if I change my mind… and I was bound and determined to be awake for this, in fact I wanted to ask the Doc if I could watch. Finally got in there, it was freezing, more really nice nurses, they uncovered my chest and put a bunch of stuff on that was freezing cold, they taped off the area then put up a “tent” so I could not watch, they said they did not want my breath to contaminate anything. Geez, I did brush this morning, but possibly a good thing. The local numbing was painful but not very, then I was waiting for them to tell me that they were starting when the Doc said they were almost done. I could feel them pulling things and some odd pressure but really it was not bad, apparently my vitals did not change at all during the whole thing. I aksed if I could look at the “mass” and it was sick as hell. It was about the size of a quarter. I wanted to keep it, maybe dry it out and hang it from a necklace, but they had to send it somewhere to make sure it was not all full of bad stuff.

They brought me back to my recovery room, in a chair, it was like I was on Scrubs er something, and once there they brought me coffee and cranberry juice and some graham crackers. I also had a vacuum like tube that was blowing hot air on me that I rested on my belly under my blanket and it was super toasty. I watched some bad reality TV and dozed off. About 20 minutes later I was wondering why I was still there, I want to go home now. They kept coming in but said that I needed to recover, really I was fine and I wanted to go, and I thought that I was already fully recovered. They I dozed off again, had another graham cracker and now I had to go to the bathroom, being I had a few tasty beverages and what not, so I rang the bell. I felt a little wierd doing that but I did feel like this was an appropriate use of the nurse bell. The nurse came in and let me put my pants on, cause not only was it like 60 degrees in there, I am not a big fan of walking down a hall with me bum out for God and everyone to see. The nurse then walked me to the bathroom, for a second I thought she was going to come in with me but she said she would wait outside, thanks, I said.

Got back in the room and she said, okay we’ll be back to check on you, and I’m like, really I am good to go, I really am. Went thru some more paperwork and the directions of care and they asked if I wanted some Vallium, HELL YEAH, I’ll just keep that around. SO she finally let me get dressed and then I walked out and she gave me a carnation, how sweet, and escorted me out to the lobby.

Not too bad all in all except now the local is wearing off and my tata is throbbing!!!!! I hope it is atleast a bitchin scar. One that makes me more scary then I already am. One that make chicks gasp and dudes wonder. I could think up a story of a bar fight where a jealous crazy woman thought I was makin for her man came out of the bathroom and shivved me! Something of that nature, only you know the truth. I gotta go pick up some pain pills yo, that will be lovely too.