Baltimore Hipster post 2

Graduation show postcards came, got my beret and regalia, and falling asleep as I type. Moving tomorrow, then getting ready for the 'rents!

Good-bye's

Even talking to my mom today about the parking situation here at school for commencement next week brought tears to my eyes. People who know me know that I am a crier. I cry when I get frustrated. I cry when I'm stressed. But more often than anything else, I feel sad when things end. I cried when my mom and dad got rid of our old burgundy Volvo station wagon. I cried when I "graduated" from Mrs. Cutler's 1-3rd grade class. I cried again when I missed field day to go check out a new school, and then I cried two years later when I switched back to my old elementary school. I tried for months to figure out a way to stay at the art high school I went to south east of Washington, DC when my dad wanted to move the family cross-country. Well, we moved anyway, and I cried. I cried when I left the high school I ended up graduating from, a small intimate program that I spent my senior year at in Southern California. I even remember the end of the summer before I started MICA, being in the car with my costuming mentor and good friend Randy, and thinking as we drove down a mountainside to the haunted theatre in Santa Paula, we're never going to get to spend as much time together as we have this past two years. Every year, I tend to be one of the first people back on-campus, and one of the last people to leave. Some of it is my lack of organization in moving, but some of it, too, is that I don't want experiences to end. As a camp counselor, I always head up for work week, to get there before everyone else does, and tend to leave with the last round of campers. And now, my time at MICA is coming to an end, and I can't say this has been the most productive couple of semesters here, but I'm sad to go. I suppose it just takes me a little while to acclimate. I like some time to figure out what the pecking order is, where I stand. Now, I find myself graduating. Have I met my chair's expectations of me at a earlier point? Probably not. I remember at one point feeling been there, done that, I'm the expert, and now I know more than ever how much I haven't done, how little I do know.

Student leadership award

I know that there are lots of seniors who are more involved in the community, who do humanitarian work, who do amazing jobs at running their clubs and organizations. But at least in the last three years I've helped continue the existence of the Jewish Student Union at MICA, and that's important, too. Maybe not world-changing, but it has meant a lot to me to create my own fellowship here at MICA. And there's always being a better student leader during graduate school, and learning to groom student leaders using my experiential education skills. The yellow and blue honor cord is a Leadership Award which I will be wearing with my graduation gown come a few weeks. When I get my machine back, I really must make sure to mock up a sweet little peter-pan collar to go underneath my gown. Or a shawl collar. Maybe just a white blouse with a yellow bow-tie or schoolgirl tie and the woodgrain skirt. We'll see. Definitely a bright blue wide belt with the skirt though. Anyway, working on more applications until my shift.

T minus four weeks. So ready for graduation!

Hair in my eyeballs (before). Gonna look super-cute with a beret in 4 weeks (after). I got my hair cut today at Zena's salon at 1014 N. Charles St. by Sarah Cathcart, who won Best of Baltimore Women's Hair Cut 8 years ago from the Baltimore Citypaper. She was great, very sweet and I showed her a picture I cut out of a short hair mag (narrowed down to by my good friend Alexandra) and she said "I'll be able to get pretty darn close" when I said that it was just a point of inspiration. Also, my Vibram fivefingers distracted the receptionist to the point that that was the FIRST thing I was asked about when I entered the salon.

Shades of brown hair

Ignoring the fact that it's terribly cooler and windier than I wish it to be in Maryland (though no-where near as ridiculous as Minnesota and Wisconsin were a few days ago), spring is not only bringing near-daily fits of graduation-related panic. It brings, too, the need for change, in so many ways. So, I'm purging my closets, which will in several weeks need to end up in storage or on a moving van--who knows where? So, I'm getting rid of the running shoes I never wear, thinking about re-painting my english dancing shoes which are freshman-year second-hand vintage. Plans for today are finishing my resume and outward bound Baltimore-Philly application, donating blood, a trip to Enoch Pratt Free Library, and the opening of the contraversial Beyond the Compass, Beyond the Square exhibition.

Serendipity

I just ran into the director of development here at MICA at my open studio today (part of parents weekend) who had dinner last night with someone on the board of Outward Bound Baltimore. While I love working at camps, Outward Bound or Educo are the types of companies and jobs I'd love to have come graduation, so I'm getting the hookup. Her last name is Hopkins. Read: blue Baltimore blood. Jawsome! Back to the homework.

Mmm, global warming

A moment ago I stepped outside of my building and was struck at the warm, humid air. Here I am, leg-warmers, scarf, and tights, and yet it is most certainly no cooler than 70* F outside. Warm, muggy, with a pervasive dampness, this global warming thing is not really working for me. I keep waking up sweaty and clammy it's so temperate in my room. If this is what is in store for the future, I'm going to have to ditch the layered, artsy look so characteristic of a MICA fibers major. The other day we got our senior packets with our applications for graduation from MICA, details about ordering class rings, beret and gowns, graduation announcements, et cetera. I modeled the gown and beret on stage, and it was so bizarre to be in the same place we all were three-and-a-half years ago, shiny-faced and innocent. Little did we know then what wonders awaited, what trials were ahead of us. I mean, to be fair, we're still not aware. I'm still worried about insurance, where I will live, where my stuff will be. In other news, I continue to suck at the internet. The quickness with which one can post, twitter, comment, e-mail, is far shorter than the amount of time it takes to fully consider what one is doing. Luckily, no jobs to lose or money at stake, but feelings and people are not to be belittled. At the same time, one of my former campers just came out as being gay using a Facebook post, and I have got to say that of all the people who continue to closet themselves and hide their true identities, I know that the true powers of the interweb can be used for "good" as well as "evil." So many older people are less honest with themselves and their families and friends, for so long, and I hope she has escaped much of that unhappiness, even as she is choosing a life path that is still somewhat unconventional and will no doubt not always be easy. Plans for the day are contacting my Performance Garment partner (blog here) to talk about going to take photos of us playing around in a clothes shop.

Studio!

W00t! I got my senior studio assignment, which is in MICA's "studio center" on North Avenue, quite a disapointment compared to being in the station last semester because of my independent study. But you know what? I'm happy to be in a building with massive amounts of space and people who are not fibers majors. People leave lockers, tables, stools in their studios at the end of the year, so I found an awesome table, except for how it was covered in paint. But, an hour or two of belt sanding and I had a table ready for re-finishing. I also re-arranged ad-infinitum, I must have moved the table seven times, but I just want everything in order for starting to work. My bedroom is much emptier, but I still have to put up my curtains, put my books up on shelves, etc. It It's truly strange to think that I don't know where I'll be living or what I'll be doing after MICA. I know I want to get my WFR, work outdoors, so do I plan for that or do I go the optimistic route and try straight for grad school? And do I do my WFR this January or do I wait to work for a place this summer who will pay for it? Oy.

I call it "Twinshop"

Yay for new garments care of teh twin! Also, hooray for trips up the central coast, pina coladas care of the parents, and sage straight out of Wyoming for spiritually cleansing the new dorm room. Now, to fit clothes and neccessities in just one bag. I think I can, I think I can. Tomorrow I fly to Baltimore, and I couldn't be more thrilled. One more academic year in Maryland, my graduation is less than 22 hours from my twin sisters'. Good job, CSUF and MICA. Good job. Certainly this New Belgium Mothership Wit will aid my packing?