make me a day, make me whole again

Friday May 20th was my 2 year anniversary of being a therapist. I was smiling all day long with that thought in mind. I've grown so much in these years it's amazing. My skills, my confidence, everything. I was walking with a patient who had a stroke, mostly working on high level balance activities...and shocked myself by how at ease I was. I remember going through labs and clinicals frantically trying to remember all the things I needed to do while working with a patient, now I do it without even thinking about it. I just know what to do. How awesome is that? I rule.
That night was pretty cool, Heather's classmate (Katie) and her boyfriend had a gallery opening in downtown Milwaukee. Right on Brady, my favorite place in town. I love walking that street, checking out all the little vintage shops and getting really yummy tea and the occasional small concert at Rochambo. Good times. I LOVE Katie's work. There was a new piece there, a sculpture. I saw all of her other stuff at the senior show at Mount Mary a month ago except for this one. This new piece really spoke to me. She's really good at casting people and making sculptures with the shells. The new one was of someone made of many large pieces sewn together very roughly with old pages of a book making up the filling, almost spilling out at the seams. The figure is kneeling, almost doubled over trying to hold in all her broken pieces and not let any of the pages fall out. I couldn't get myself to back away from it and look at the rest of the gallery for a long time. So beautiful. She's going to make such a great Art Therapist. Kevin's pieces were really cool too. He takes old windows that he finds on people's curbs or rummage sales, repaints the wood and does his paintings right on the glass. It's a really neat effect. The cool thing is both Katie and Kevin have very different styles, yet seem to compliment each others pieces perfectly. If anyone is in the Milwaukee area and wants to check them out, the exhibit will be open until July 22. It's at the Grava Gallery at 1224 E. Brady St.

Saturday morning the whole family got up far too early to get to Heather's masters recognition banquet at Mount Mary. They had each masters graduate stand up and have their instructors give a short blip about what work they have done and what they chose for their thesis. When they talked about everything Heather has done I totally lost it. Mom did too. I was so overwhelmed with how proud I am of all the work she's done. My big sister is the most awesomest person ever. Later on that morning the commencement ceremony began. It was a perfect day so they held it outside. My poor shoes were useless in the soft ground. High heels are not meant for grass. Nope nope. There wasn't reserved seating so we sat down an hour early. Shouldn't have been that bad if it wasn't for the nun with an electric keyboard butchering my most beloved songs for 45 minutes. The cermony was cute. It was entertaining watching them try to get those masters hoods on over the square graduate hat thingy and THEN give them their diplomas. Little tiny nuns trying to do this to tall chicks in high heels wearing graduation caps. Very entertaining. :) I especially loved the emphasis on feminism. It was a private women's college, after all.
If anyone has been to my house they've witnessed my mom's homage to warmer climates on our living room wall. This was painted by Reynaldo Hernandez, a mural artist that our family has been friends with since before I was born. He came to the ceremony and wished Heather well. He left before it was over so we didn't see him, but it was really nice to hear that he came. Artists gotta stick together. (and for those interested, here's some pics from the day: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/scarletcornflake/album?.dir=7ee9&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/scarletcornflake/my_photos) I can't believe after cancelling my Yahoo DSL back in February I still have unlimited photo storage. I'm not complaining by any means, don't get me wrong...
Later on we all went for lunch/dinner at Beans and Barley. LOVE that place. By the time we got home it was time to head down to Chicago for Rocky rehearsal. And then Chris and I went to get our Star Wars on. I wish I wasn't so tired at that point, I probably would have enjoyed it more. Ah well.

That's all for now. I have to hand of the comp to Dad now. :(
Someone make our wireless internet system work! PLEASE!! I want my computer back!!

make me a day, make me whole again

Friday May 20th was my 2 year anniversary of being a therapist. I was smiling all day long with that thought in mind. I've grown so much in these years it's amazing. My skills, my confidence, everything. I was walking with a patient who had a stroke, mostly working on high level balance activities...and shocked myself by how at ease I was. I remember going through labs and clinicals frantically trying to remember all the things I needed to do while working with a patient, now I do it without even thinking about it. I just know what to do. How awesome is that? I rule.
That night was pretty cool, Heather's classmate (Katie) and her boyfriend had a gallery opening in downtown Milwaukee. Right on Brady, my favorite place in town. I love walking that street, checking out all the little vintage shops and getting really yummy tea and the occasional small concert at Rochambo. Good times. I LOVE Katie's work. There was a new piece there, a sculpture. I saw all of her other stuff at the senior show at Mount Mary a month ago except for this one. This new piece really spoke to me. She's really good at casting people and making sculptures with the shells. The new one was of someone made of many large pieces sewn together very roughly with old pages of a book making up the filling, almost spilling out at the seams. The figure is kneeling, almost doubled over trying to hold in all her broken pieces and not let any of the pages fall out. I couldn't get myself to back away from it and look at the rest of the gallery for a long time. So beautiful. She's going to make such a great Art Therapist. Kevin's pieces were really cool too. He takes old windows that he finds on people's curbs or rummage sales, repaints the wood and does his paintings right on the glass. It's a really neat effect. The cool thing is both Katie and Kevin have very different styles, yet seem to compliment each others pieces perfectly. If anyone is in the Milwaukee area and wants to check them out, the exhibit will be open until July 22. It's at the Grava Gallery at 1224 E. Brady St.

Saturday morning the whole family got up far too early to get to Heather's masters recognition banquet at Mount Mary. They had each masters graduate stand up and have their instructors give a short blip about what work they have done and what they chose for their thesis. When they talked about everything Heather has done I totally lost it. Mom did too. I was so overwhelmed with how proud I am of all the work she's done. My big sister is the most awesomest person ever. Later on that morning the commencement ceremony began. It was a perfect day so they held it outside. My poor shoes were useless in the soft ground. High heels are not meant for grass. Nope nope. There wasn't reserved seating so we sat down an hour early. Shouldn't have been that bad if it wasn't for the nun with an electric keyboard butchering my most beloved songs for 45 minutes. The cermony was cute. It was entertaining watching them try to get those masters hoods on over the square graduate hat thingy and THEN give them their diplomas. Little tiny nuns trying to do this to tall chicks in high heels wearing graduation caps. Very entertaining. :) I especially loved the emphasis on feminism. It was a private women's college, after all.
If anyone has been to my house they've witnessed my mom's homage to warmer climates on our living room wall. This was painted by Reynaldo Hernandez, a mural artist that our family has been friends with since before I was born. He came to the ceremony and wished Heather well. He left before it was over so we didn't see him, but it was really nice to hear that he came. Artists gotta stick together. (and for those interested, here's some pics from the day: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/scarletcornflake/album?.dir=7ee9&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/scarletcornflake/my_photos) I can't believe after cancelling my Yahoo DSL back in February I still have unlimited photo storage. I'm not complaining by any means, don't get me wrong...
Later on we all went for lunch/dinner at Beans and Barley. LOVE that place. By the time we got home it was time to head down to Chicago for Rocky rehearsal. And then Chris and I went to get our Star Wars on. I wish I wasn't so tired at that point, I probably would have enjoyed it more. Ah well.

That's all for now. I have to hand of the comp to Dad now. :(
Someone make our wireless internet system work! PLEASE!! I want my computer back!!