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Wednesday, June 01, 2011

can you believe it

It's June 1st. Just a day, a string of words, but it always signifies for me the real beginning of summery weather. Here in the Pacific Northwest, June didn't get that memo. We're in for another cool wet one like last year, where it rained all but three days. Did I already bark about this? I guess the weather has been pretty crazy all over the place. I'm trying to make peace with it, I really am, but I literally long for sunshine and warmth. I wore gloves today. And a rain coat. And a sweatshirt. And a long sleeve.

And two pairs of socks.

Well! Sure glad I have warm clothing! And, admittedly, truthfully, honestly.....I'm glad I'm not suffering in the heat and extreme humidity of South India as I was two years back. I have problems of the privileged, I do realize.



I think I may do a print of this. I'm back in love with printmaking. This term is nearly finished; next week is finals and then I will not have access to the print studio (no studio art classes this term for me, just math and an art history). But, I can still hand print from home! That is one of the coolest things about printing: DIY! No extra special equipment needed, at least with relief printing.

The other night I was out with a friend and as we left the coffee shop and strolled across the parking lot (we did not need to duck and run because......Gasp!....it wasn't pelting down rain!)...as we strolled, I saw out of the corner of my eye someone I thought I recognized. Isn't it interesting how without even really knowing someone, after only seeing them briefly, we can recognize someone from the back or the sideways just by the way they walk or hold their backpack? So I stopped and said, "Hey aren't you in my math class?" And he is, so we talked a bit.

Later I thought Huh. Why did I phrase the question that way? Why not instead say, "Hey, aren't we in the same Math 105 class?"

Today I saw the guy, Adam, at the library while I was working and I said Hi again and told him about my reconsideration of how I posed the question to him. "You're taking control of the math class!" he grinned. "And you're welcome to it!"

But really now. It's occurring to me that the reason I used an assertive statement like that was because I'd been on a date (yes really folks). And I'd been monitoring myself (yes really folks). And noticing that I was the one who was being assertive, in the sense that I voiced my curiosity in the conversation more than the person I was drinking tea with. Not aggressively probing or cross-examining. It's not that I had to keep the ball rolling, we laughed a lot and the conversation was easy and it was a good time.....but yes I think that I was continuing my assertive behavior.

Because usually, I am a very co-operative, inclusive sort of person so I was really surprised later when I realized how I'd posed that question to my classmate.

People! We're nutty! I love us!