Let's just say being back at school is interesting. Oh, how things have changed since I started college 50 years ago; did I mention that the day school started at TxSt (Texas State) it was actually 50 years to the DAY!! that I started at Case. 

First, let's set the stage for the three classes I am taking:
Art Studio I:This course emphasizes a hands-on experience with drawing and two-dimensional design. Students engage in a series of short exercises and longer projects that incorporate contemporary art-making methods such as collage, photography, sculptural exercises, digital technologies, collaborative processes and interdisciplinary activities. 

Core I: This course introduces practical and theoretical content in disciplinary and interdisciplinary art and design practices. Through thematic collaborative projects, students will engage various 2D, 3D, and 4D materials, methods, tools, and concepts independently and in relation to each other.

College Writing I: Expository writing as a means of exploring and shaping ideas. Emphasis on critical reading and the improvement of essays through revision.

I have Writing and Studio on Tuesdays and Thursday; Studio meets for 3 hours each day and Writing meets for 1.5 hours each day  and Core on Fridays (4 hours all at once).  

I leave the house 2 hours before classes start since the drive is about 50 minutes long. Note: I leave Boots plenty of food and water so she can nibble through the day. I park in the commuter parking lot on the far east side of campus. Due to all the construction on campus many other lots are closed so they gave us the shitty lot. I then walk just under 10 minutes to get the shuttle stop to take the bus to the Student Center, this is in the middle of the campus. From the there I walk to the Arts building on the far West side of campus. The bus cuts the morning walk in half and a lot of it is uphill. I have time before class starts to get what I need from my art locker and finish the coffee I am carrying with me. After Studio, I walk to either one of the dining halls or the food court restaurants for lunch and I relax before Writing I starts; I have a 2 hour break for lunch and then walk to Writing which puts me about a quarter of the way back to the parking lot. After class I walk downhill and through the park, by the San Marcos river and eventually to my car for the drive home. On Fridays, after Core I, sometimes grab dinner in the dining hall, but walk all the way back to my car.
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Here are my FitBit stats from last week. Yes it is a lot of walking! At the end of the first week, I fell asleep in the chair, watching TV, on Friday night.  Yes, I am kinda out of shape so that's why I take the bus in the morning; I am aiming to walk both directions in a few more weeks. 

How for my thoughts on the classes and school in general.

I found Studio and Core to be frustrating at first because we are sketching things and some of us in class have NO formal drawing experience; there are students who are making wonderful drawings. I spoke to both teachers and they said we are not getting graded on the quality of the drawings but on class participation, grasping concepts, and getting the assignments completed, participating in peer reviews and more which made me feel much better.  Below the FitBit picture are some of the drawings I have done; the last one is single point perspective which I had no issue making since I learned this back in Drafting and Mechanical Engineering classes at Case. Writing I, which I have to take because it's a core requirement for Post-Baccalaureate/Graduate students, and which I thought I would be bored in is actually quite enjoyable. We are reading various essays and articles and writing responses, summaries, and whole new essays along with peer reviews.

As for home work - in Studio I we have to do 2 sketches, at home, each week and we share them in class on Tuesdays. We do a larger drawing on Thursdays which we have to finish at home and upload into the assignment web page in the CANVAS system ( Canvas is a learning management system (LMS) used by universities and colleges worldwide to support online teaching and learning). Core hasn't really had homework unless you don't finish what we are working on in class and then you bring it back to class. Next week in Core we are doing peer reviews of all the work we have done for the first three weeks (I don't have pictures) such as Cyanotypes, Negative drawings, and Contour Drawings.  For Writing I, we had to read an essay each week and write either a response or a summary. This week we have to write a full essay with sections that are summary, illustration, and response, based upon one of the three essays we have already read. The draft was due Tuesday and the final version is due this week; which we upload into Canvas but have to hand in the draft and the final version too. Let's just say I am busy and glad I did not take more classes.

And finally, here are all my other thoughts.
OH, these kids are sooooo young. There are a few students in my classes that are in their later 20's but most are right out of High School.  Even walking around campus there are very few "older" students. I am even older than my teachers; I overheard one student in Core say "my grandfather was born in the 60's.." let's just say I kept my mouth shut. And on the bus the other day, a girl sitting in one of the front seats marked for disabled riders offered me her seat; I thanked her but declined.  Now, let's also discuss what these kids are wearing around campus; lets just say OY-VEY. I see people wearing long sleeved sweatshirts with hood up but short shorts barely showing below the sweatshirt; tube tops covered in rhinestones or spaghetti strap t's and all sorts of baggy, ripped, shorts and pants; gym shorts, sweat pants; if you can imagine it, it's here. There are crocs everywhere or slippers, flip-flops, Doc Martens, high top sneakers, Birkenstocks and more for footwear.  As for me I wear a T-shirt and shorts with socks and sturdy shoes because with flat feet, I need good arch support for all these miles I am walking. 

It's time for me to get some homework completed. 

I started to plan this trip back in April or May when I decided to attend my 50th High School reunion. 
Day 1 - Drive to Memphis, Tennessee
Day 2 - Drive to Roanoke, Virginia
Day 3 - Drive into Pennsylvania and scatter some of Erich ashes on his father's grave site; continue into NJ. Have dinner with Liza Nechamkin.
Day 4 - Drive to Tom's (H.S. friend) in N.J and hang with him and his wife.
Day 5 - Drive to Long Island and go to the informal get together in town and talk to friends who were not going to the dinner
Day 6 - Pick up Pam (another H.S friend). Visit our old houses, visit with another friend I have knowns since 3rd grade and her mother, scatter some ashes on the beach. Attend reunion dinner and see lots of people I never knew in H.S along with many I did.
Day 7 - Drive to my parents gravesite and scatter more ashes and then take Tom back to NJ and head to D.C
Day 8 - Hang with my sister and go the the Cryptologic Museum at the NSA and a quilt exhibit
Day 9 - Hang with my sister and go to the FBI Experience at the FBI headquarters and another exhibit at Smithsonian which were fiber arts and quilts
Day 10 - Drive from Washington D.C to Williamsburg, Virginia
Day 11 - Hang with my brother-in-law John and take a side trip to Colonial Williamsburg
Day 12 - Drive from Williamsburg, Virginia to southern North Carolina
Day 13 - Hang with my cousin Amy, her husband Andy, their daughter Jen, and her son Conner.
Day 14 - Drive from southern North Carolina to Memphis, Tennessee 
Day 15 - Drive from Memphis to HOME!!
Day 16 - PICKUP BOOTs
Some pictures are out of order; I think you can deal with it

I don't think I have been this excited about going to school since I went to Case for my Engineering degree which is 50 years ago - 4 weeks. 

So much is happening and has been done

• I registered for classes
• I got my Student ID
• I paid for my commuter parking pass
• I took a field trip to campus to figuring out where the buildings were for my 3 classes. Two will be on Tuesdays/Thursday and one on Fridays. One on T/Th and the one on Friday are in the art building on the west side of the campus and the other T/Th class is along the central quad which will take me a good 15 minutes to walk between*. Luckily I have an hour and a half between them so I can also eat lunch during this time too. 
• I have an appointment with the Office of Disability Services who will review my request for physical printed books vs. all the ebooks that are now used. Because of my dyslexia I have issues reading books, web pages, and the like on-line due to the scrolling. 
• On the field trip, I found the commuter parking lot which is on the north east side of the campus by the sport fields*

*Let's just say with all this walking 2 days a week for 15 weeks I will be getting my exercise.

I also decided to splurge and get myself a new messenger bag. My existing bag is lime/yellow/purple by Timbuk2 which I bought when I started doing Big-Six consulting over 20 years ago; its dirty, stitches are popped and the waterproof liner has cracks making it not very waterproof. It has had a good life.
This is the new custom color bag I just placed an order for; I got the large size that can hold a 17" laptop and the extra padded divider for the laptop (I don't have one but when I travel I can carry lots of stuff) and I also got the water bottle sleeve that goes inside the main pocket.

I missed writing in June, sorry about that. 
Here's a recap of the month - 

• The grief hit me really hard last month and so I spent a lot of time just sitting, missing Erich and crying.
• Other times I spent on the cleaning/purging/reorganization of Erich workshop which is now done. 
• I went to the Tobin Center to see a lecture by Neil DeGrasse Tyson, my second time, and treated myself to a nice dinner beforehand. I paid extra to attend the after Q&A session; there were some very good questions and of course answers too.
• I took the quilt I made in May to the quilter and got it back; it's now on the couch to snuggle under while watching TV. Then I made another quilt which is now at the quilter. I have been collecting Asian themed fabric for 20 years and I thought that since I need a new quilt for my bed why not use ALL the fabrics. I went with a scrappy pattern called Turning 20 which uses 20 fat quarters but I had not only fat quarters but YARDS so I used fabric from all of it and ended up with a King sized quilt.  See the pictures below 

Now I cleaning my studio which has been sitting idle since the start of the pandemic. It's important this get done NOW - see the news below.  Before and after pictures will be posted when it's done. 

Now for the big news. 
I am now in the Class of 2028 at Texas State University - San Marcos.
I am going back to school to get a Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) in Studio Art with an emphasis in Metals.

I investigated this when we moved here, for when I retired, but of course some much has happened over the past year it just got delayed. I started to pursue it at the beginning of the year -I I filled out the application, I wrote 2 of the 3 optional essays, and then had my H.S., B.S., and M.S. transcripts sent in. Then there was a delay because the M.S. transcript never arrived and I had to have it sent again with verification of receipt.  Three weeks later I received the email that I had been accepted (now you can understand why I am getting the studio in order).

I will be a 3/4 part-time student with 3 classes in the Fall/Spring semesters and 2 classes in the Summer so I can still finish in 4 years but have more free time to take care of me, my hobbies, and the house.  

​I start classes at the end of August. 

Forty some odd years ago I found myself in this situation - I couldn't sleep, I couldn't make decisions, I had issues getting my thoughts in to words, I had no interest in doing anything, and yes I wanted to die because I hated feeling this way.  I sought help and it was determined I was depressed prescribed pills and told to rest and go to therapy once a week to seek out the cause of what had gotten me into such a state.

After a few months I felt better and I was weaned off the antidepressant medication. As for finding the cause, well let's just say no one event or events had the pin stuck in it; it was determined to be an after effect of graduation and being in a new city without friends or family.  But about 9 months later I could tell the depression was returning and so back to the doctor I went.  After much talking and review of what was going on in my life as well as in the past I was diagnosed with Unipolar depression, I do have some periods of hyperactivity but no true manic phases <whew!>

I was prescribed a SSRI medication, stayed in therapy and worked on changing my lifestyle which was a major cause of bringing the depressed states on.  Turns out being a Type-A personality and being predisposed to  a serotonin deficiency is not a good mix. 

Over time and few attempts of weaning myself off the medications I gave up on that idea; I found I was on a two-plus year cycle of depression and feeling normal which is when I would reduce my meds only to find I was getting depressed again. I finally came to the conclusion that I am never going to stop taking the meds but I can lower it slowly over time and then increase it if/when I need it. 

So how do I control the cycling - I make a massive effort to get 8+ hours of sleep a night and when I don't I make sure I do for several nights later in the week. When I was working, I became "a worker bee" - I turned down being a technical lead and I also gave up the goal of being a manager plus I found out I did NOT like being a manager. Unlike my father who always had a pet project when he was in that position; I found that most times the people whom I worked for were not happy when I had one and that did not make me a happy camper. 

Now, being retired I strive to get lots of rest and sleep and do things I enjoy and mostly NOT GET STRESSED.

Speaking of which, I decided 3 weeks ago to make a new quilt for me because the one on the bed is 30 years old and the binding is fraying; the rest if fine thus it is time to put it away and make a new one. I spent a week of evenings, while watching TV planning to take a quilt pattern that was for a throw and scale it to queen size. I already had the fabric which was 1-yard cuts; and digging through the fabric closet I found the perfect fabric for the border. Last week I took it in to the quilter and while that was happening I used the leftover fabric to make  the bias binding. The quilting was done on Wednesday and yesterday I spent the day sewing the binding on and then washed it; it is now on my bed!! 

This week I am finishing the workshop and afterwards I will start another quilt which will also be for me; I cut the fabric last week while this quilt was being quilted.

I knew about the Solar Eclipse wayyyy before I moved here to Texas but it was when we were making the actual plans to actually move that I looked it up and found the house would be in the path of totality. For fun I sent invites to an Eclipse party, on April 9, 2024, to about a dozen friends and family. Only my sister made plans to come and she made arrangements for us to visit the Johnson Space Center and get a private tour from a former student of her WHO happens to also be a Flight Director!!! Note - The Johnson Space Center is not the Space Center Houston which is open to the public. The Johnson Space Center is where the day to day operations are for all manned missions; planning, training, and on going.

During the tour we saw mission control for the ISS and was able to walk around the control floor area where the various stations were explained; what all the plaques and stickers were and their significances; how the giant monitors are used; how the personnel shifts work for continuous interaction with the ISS crew also happens. Then we went into the Artimus control room. Along the way we also were given stickers and patches for the current ISS expedition number 71 plus a sticker, designed by the Flight Director, for that Mission Command shift.  Next we walked above the training floor which has all the current ISS modules along with space suits, Soyus capsule, future modules and Artemis capsules.

Afterwards we went to the outdoor exhibit of the various recovered capsules and Saturn V rocket stages. THAT SUCKER IS HUGE!!

When we go home we spent the days wandering around the area and evenings watching: a PBS NOVA episode on the Eclipse and what various projects hope to find out; and space movies - The Martian, Mission to Mars, and A Million Miles Away. 

Monday was the Eclipse so we went to the library which had some activities and the New Braunfels Astronomy club with their telescopes (with solar filters) so we could watch the sun and eclipse. We made our own viewing party T-Shirts and waited for it to start. Well we saw the start but the clouds moved in and never saw totality - which was a BUMMA :-(( though I thought talking to everyone who was there was enjoyable.

​Tuesday my sister went home and I cleaned up the house.

Note: the pictures are NOT in any order.

First - My nose is healing well but with sudden weather changes in temperature and pressure my face still hurts. The doctor says that I have to give my nose time and eventually it will be less but probably not fully go away.

​I have started to work on Erich's workshop. The workshop building is at the back of the property; I can get to it easily by going out the back door of my studio and then walk across the yard. The space is almost 1000 square feet and it filled with STUFF, cobwebs, dead bugs, and dust. It has 2 main areas with one larger where there are cabinets and a work surface along one wall; all the cabinets are empty. Then the other space has shelves and a work surface and there is a side storage area with shelves.   

I started in the small area - opening boxes that were on the floor or the shelves. It's open, think WTF, put stuff on the floor and sort -  does it go in the garbage, what do I want to keep, does it go to Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity (H4H). If it is going to be donated, then I log it in my spreadsheet. At the end of the day the garbage get's bagged and put in the bin for pickup on Wednesday. Donations go into boxes and put in the car and taken to the drop off places either that afternoon or the next morning.  When I am truly done for the day I go take a hot shower and relax before making dinner provided I don't fall asleep in the chair

Rinse and Repeat  - Note the pictures below are in no particular order.

When I finished the small room I started on the larger room. I put a message out to my knitting friends that I had a gas powered generator and some small solar panels that could be had for free. Judy's husband Frank wanted it and so they came over with their truck to get and assist me in delivering Erich old kitchen table and chairs to Maddy; she and her husband just moved into the first house and needed some furniture. I put the coffee table in my car and delivered it. It was over lunch that I asked Frank to come back and help me and what every he wanted, provided I didn't, he could have. He's like a kid in a candy store being told he can have what ever they want.

I am about halfway done. All the tool boxes from the large room have been emptied; I first sorted all the hand tools by type, then went through each pile and decided what I wanted and then assembled another pile for a metal friend's daughter who has NO tools (and she's an engineer no less) and shipped them off in one of the plastic tool boxes. The remainder will go to H4H. 

Two of the bicycles have been given away and the third, my blue touring bicycle with 21 years that I bought in Santa Barbara in 1981, I took to the local bike shop to get it cleaned and maintained -  chain cleaned, new brake pads, new tires and tubes, and a new handle bar set and brake levers. 

Yes there were many WTF moments - the old Navy WWII surplus tubes; more propane; more ammo; more EVERYTHING.

With focused attention I think I will be done with clearing the workshop by the end of April. And then I can work on the re-org of my studio.

Well February was a crappy month, how about we start again in March!!
After my accident in January I went to see the ENT and I finally had my nose fixed. 
Besides having issue with breathing before the surgery, I could not breathe for another week afterwards due to the splints shoved up my nose, so things could heal in the correct position. After they were taken out I could kinda breathe due to crusty clots in my nostrils. That is now resolving itself.

Yesterday I went for my first walk, no a hike, in over a month around the community. It was only 2 miles but with the sun shining, birds singing, and deer lounging in the woods it was a very enjoyable outing. 

Here is a deer doing said lounging by the house. They were there when I left and came back.

Two weeks ago I decided to go for a hike up Panther Canyon which is at the back of Landa Park in New Braunfels. It is rated at Difficult but not very long. I figured I would give it a go and if I got to tired, I would turn around and try again until I was able to do the entire thing.

The temperature was COLD so I put on my winter leggings, super wool shirt, puffy jacket, hat, merino socks and walking shoes and did one loop around the park to warm up and then hit the trail.

​It has sections of dirt and uneven rocks and at times a dry creek bed is crossed or along side of it. I was feeling very good and not getting tired as I approached the top when I realized I did not have my walking sticks cause the trail was suddenly very uneven ... and just then I caught a toe and went down with a very hard face plant.

My glasses hit a rock and then broke my nose; I felt it. I thought the lenses had broken since it was that hard! I also landed on my right hand and I knew I broke it too.

I caught my breath, found my glasses which were bent but not broken and sat up. OH IT HURT SO BAD and the blood was all over my face. I took of my bandana, which I always wear to keep my neck warm or protected from the sun or to blow my nose, so I use it to mop up the blood. 

I was about to stand up when 2 people were coming down the trail and saw me and provided help. They stayed with me as I/we went to my car to make sure I was not going to black out. I was much more stable by then and I knew I could get to the ER.

The ER had no waiting so I was taken in right away. I had a CT for my head and neck and an x-Ray for my hand.  After almost 2 hours, the doctor reviewed the films with me. No concussion but whiplash. The nose is certainly broken and my right pinky is fractured. The hand was taped, I was told NOT to blow my nose and just rest and not to drive for a few days due to the neck and not to drive at night until that was all better. I got a CD with images and was sent home to rest and to follow up with my Doctor about the hand and an ENT for the nose.  Final instructions NO hiking or bar fights.

So 2 weeks later my hand is still is taped and will be so for at least 4 weeks. The ENT has scheduled me for surgery in late February.   My neck is 75% and I can kinda breathe.

Yahrzeit refers to the anniversary, according to the Hebrew calendar, of the day of death of a loved one. Alternative spellings include yortsayt, and yartzeit. On the anniversary of a death, it is the custom to light a candle to commemorate the departure of a loved one.

How does one observe this day?
"Despite the Germanic origin of the word yahrzeit, the designation of a special day and special observances to commemorate the anniversary of the death of parents was already discussed in the Talmud. This religious commemoration is recorded not as a fiat, but as a description of an instinctive sentiment of sadness, an annual rehearsing of tragedy, which impels one to avoid eating meat and drinking wine—symbols of festivity and joy, the very stuff of life."

Erich passed on January 12, 2023 so the observance would be on January 18th of this year to match up with the Jewish calendar but I am also observing it today; actually I lit the candle last night.  And if you don't know any candle can be used provided it burns for 24 hours.

So what am I doing today - I will be reflecting on our time together and moving forward with my new life.