Kudos

As a member of the MIA, I received my quarterly magazine/bulletin for members today.  As always, there were several articles focused on upcoming programs and events, updates on things in the works that align with the museum's mission, and information regarding the annual summer gala.  While all of that was interesting, what struck me the most was an article called "Discover Your Story".  It highlighted MIA's partnership with Allianz Life, a local life insurance organization.  So, how/why does a life insurance company decide to partner with an art museum?  Alllianz Life appears to be practicing corporate social responsibility by supporting a program that puts elderly individuals with Alzheimer's  in touch with great works for art in a safe and assisted environment.  Many might think, "Where's the benefit in that for a person who has memory loss - will they even remember the experience?"  The goal is to assist with the general quality of life, of social interaction whenever it is possible, and perhaps trigger memories associated with a certain piece or style of art.  I'm not sure if everyone can buy into that idea easily, but I know that for me, I can buy into it.  I sincerely hope that when I'm 80 (if I'm lucky enough to get to 80), if my mind isn't completely functional anymore, someone will wheel me up to that van Gogh or Renoir so that I can feel a spark of recognition and joy, if only for a moment.  Having that small moment would be better than having no moment at all.

But wait, there's more!  I do love art, but I'm also working with the medical and education fields.   Here's another great thing about this program: Docents receive special training to be a part of this endeavor... and they partner on the tours with U of M Medical School students who volunteer their time to give assistance to the participants.  Here is an excerpt from the article:  "Through facilitated discussions, individuals relate to the present by recalling their own memories... All visitors leave with mementos of their experience, such as postcard images of the artworks they discussed or creative storytelling booklets that promote further conversations."  Given that my PhD is in the Human Services area, this is so up my alley.  Kudos to you, MIA.

Silver linings

Last night, I finally took the time to watch "Silver Linings Playbook".  Obviously, I knew it was good in that Oscar-buzz kind of way.  I'd heard both Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence were amazingly believable, and I was ready for that.  I'd run into several people who said, "It is really good.  And, you know, it'll make you feel better about yourself because they're so messed up."

For me, it wasn't that, really.  I have no idea what the makers of the movie intended for me to feel/experience, or what Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and the rest of the cast intended.  But here's what it made me feel/experience (besides the "Wow, they're good actors" thing):

1.  We never have any idea what someone else is truly feeling about any given thing at any given moment.  What means nothing to us might mean the entire world to someone else.  What we could let roll off our backs could completely break someone else.  And vice-versa.  People are impacted by events in various ways.

2.  I saw things in several of the characters that conjured up thoughts/images of people I know.  The OCD/superstitious type?  Yep, I know someone who fits that.  The somewhat naive and too passive type?  Yep, I know someone like that, too.  The sibling who is probably jealous of the other sibling for some reason?  Yep, that one, too.  Art imitates life, people.

3.  More importantly, I saw things in characters that conjured up thoughts/images of myself.  One of the best lines and scenes in the whole movie is when Tiffany says:  "There will always be a part of me that is dirty and sloppy, but I like that, just like all the other parts of myself."  Oh, yes.  No one is just one thing; we are an amalgam of many things, many experiences, many thoughts, many desires.  Can we accept those dirty, sloppy parts of ourselves?  Can others?

4.   I've said it before and I'll say it again:  We're all dysfunctional, we're all imperfect, we're all flawed in some way.  There is true mental illness in the world and I would never say otherwise.  But there is also having a bad string of days or months that lead to a breakdown for a normally pretty sane person.  There is being so crushed by a death that someone left behind questions what it means to live.   There is loving someone so hard that a breakup feels as if the universe has imploded.  There is disconnection so great that even when standing in a crowded room, there is utter loneliness.  There is having to face the remotes all in the same direction because it helps the juju for a favorite team.  'Crazy' looks different on different people in different situations for different reasons.

"The world will break your heart ten ways to Sunday. That's guaranteed. I can't begin to explain that. Or the craziness inside myself and everyone else."   You preach it, Pat.  We're all a little freakin' nuts.

Connection

Had a great weekend of scrapping with some besties.  I love my scrappin' girls... and not just because we scrap together.  They are great women who are each fantastic in their own way, and I am simply lucky that we happen to share a mutual hobby to enjoy.  I am so pleased with what I got done, as I was able to finish all of the layouts I prepped - I finished 24 pages!  While that is certainly a good thing and makes me happy, the best part was really just being together, laughing, sharing our troubles/frustrations, encouraging one another in our creative pursuits, and celebrating the fact that we all made the effort to be together and keep our connection going strong.

Bring it!

Busy day!  Not only am I working to finish the normal Friday stuff for my classes, but I am also preparing for an invasion of my scrappin' girlies this weekend!  The first one arrives today around 3:30, so that means that everything must be clean, the food must be prepared, etc., etc., etc.  So excited and ready to have crafty/scrapping time with girls - I need it!  I have so many different projects in the works right now, I feel a bit schizo on where to begin; I do have some things prepped, so I may go with my pics from the Harry Potter studio tour, my general photos for 2012, my numerous snapshots from my Colorado trip in September... we shall see what inspires me once I sit down and have everything in front of me.

Part of the food for the weekend includes the roll-ups that I made at my last event - they were a hit, and I was asked to make them again, so I did!  I just finished a double batch (and I only snuck 2 for myself), so now they are in the fridge and ready to go for snacking.  The only other planned meal consists of enchiladas, tortilla chips, and margaritas.  I'm sure a White Castle run will also happen at some point, but the timing of that is up in the air. 

So, this is it for the next two days or more, as I'll be busy hanging out with my girls and getting my creative groove on, people!  Bring it!

"Aha!" moments

Ever have one those "Aha!" moments?  Yeah, I thought so.  I had one today while at the gym.  And surprisingly, it had nothing to do with working up a sweat.  Let me preface this post by stating that when my schedule gets really busy (as it is now), I tend to cut out all fun reading or I will limit my fun reading to when I am on the treadmill, as it functions as extra motivation to get my butt into the gym even when things are crazy.  That being said, I was doing my thing on the treadmill today whilst reading the latest issue of Travel + Leisure (June, 2013).  I was about halfway through the mag, happily devouring those far-off world tidbits when I stumbled across this line:  "There are places that speak to you unexpectedly, exerting a lure beyond the geographical, calling up a vision of who you might be in a different setting than you've known, living an alternate life to the one you lead."

Yes, that's it!  Aha!  I knew I would enjoy myself in Ireland, and I certainly did, but it became so much more than enjoyment once I was there.  It spoke to me unexpectedly.  I'm not genetically Irish - it is not in my DNA, yet there was some kind of pull for me there.  I had visions of auditing a course at Trinity in Dublin, of waking up in a cottage and looking down on the Dingle Peninsula over my morning coffee, of walking into the heart of Galway for an evening meal.  I could see myself living there, leading an alternate life.  Perhaps that's what it is for me - the idea of escaping the life I have to temporarily envision the life I wish I had/should have had (and take that for whatever you will). 

I felt this again in London; I got on well there, I think.  After a few days, I felt at ease with finding my way around the city.  The pull was not nearly as strong as what I felt in Ireland, but yet I knew that if I were somehow dropped there, I could live there and be just fine.  Be quite happy, actually.  Paris was not the same.  Oh, how I loved it as a tourist, but I don't picture myself living there.  Perhaps it is the language (I'd seriously have to take my one year of French all over again) or being part of mainland Europe.  I'm not sure why it is different, but I am sure that it was not the same feeling as Ireland.  Now my mind is jumping to Scotland and Puerto Rico - perhaps I have some kind of weird yen for somewhat isolated island nations. 

Morning person

As I was out for my vigorous walk this morning, I was reminded of something: I am a morning exercise person.  I feel so much better when I get in my workout at the start of the day; I go into my work feeling refreshed and with a clearer mind.  If I wait until later in the day, I have the option to make too many excuses and I always feel less energized when I've put in a full day and then have to think about going to the gym. 

It also made me think about what will happen once the kids are out of school.  In previous years, they've gone to summer programs of some type, usually 2 or 3 days per week.  This year, we'll all be home together, and that will mean that I can't just take off to go to the gym or go walking.  I will essentially be forced into working out later in the day; I know that is going to be a big challenge for me, as it goes against my natural inclination.

Rearrange

I needed to rearrange my office/craft room this weekend.  Sounds fun, right?!  So not fun.  With my back issues, lifting and hauling things around is not the easiest for me.  Add to that the fact that the room is quite oddly shaped, and it made for quite the challenge.  I'm still not totally happy with the new format, but it is the best I can do with the space I have (not to mention all of the crafty items, work equipment, and books).  In the end, to create more wall space, I put one of my big shelves into the closet.  I had lower items in there before, so those had to come out and be placed elsewhere.  I haven't quite figured out where to put someone when they come over to scrap with me, but all in due time...

One of the best parts of rearranging is that it forced me to go through pretty much everything, as I didn't want to keep moving things that weren't even in use.  So, another big purge of my crafty stuff happened.  This usually means a Christmas-like day for my scrapping friends, as they get first dibs on my give-away pile!  I think they're going to be very happy, as I have lots of awesome items for them: paper, ribbon, page kits, mini albums...  my thought is that if I haven't looked at that stuff in 6 - 12 months, then I don't need it.  It is taking up space that I could be using in another way, so off it goes!  It also gives me the chance to better organize my work stuff; that is so necessary for me when I have to sort through all kinds of paperwork, textbooks, journal articles, etc.