a fellow classmate described the creative process of salvador dali. the master would lie down with a spoon in his hand suspended above a glass. as soon as he began to drift into sleep, the implement would drop, waking the painter. and he'd note the images that had come into mind as he left this planet for the dream. no wonder dali blessed with a surfeit of imagery. whether or not you like his work, you have to agree he covered a lot of territory.
walking down the english department hallway, i ran into craig, a sixty plus student like myself. i learned he'd moved to new mexico, sixteen miles north of albuquerque. he returns to chico once a month to finish his master's. this brought back images of d.h. lawrence's grave, his ashes sunk in a ton of concrete north of santa fe so no one could steal them. i paid my respects years ago before my vw bus threw a valve on the way to the zuni reservation. spectacular country.
today, i learned that american daguerreotypes by southwark, hawes, and whipple incredibly beautiful and much more various than i had thought, not only portraits but much else, like the st. louis hat factory where mercury vapors drove the makers crazy and created the saying 'mad as a hatter.'
i learned a stiff walk on the way to class interrupted by a heart-attack glazed old-fashioned from starbucks can change impatience and petulance into a placid mood of acceptance.
and very unfortunately, i discovered it's the beginning of allergy season as chico transforms into the land of daffadils, even as the rain falls. i woke with a heart beating a tattoo of ominous and erratic proportions. this afternoon i gave all my diary foods, those with cheese like a frozen tamale, to a roommate. how i'll miss the yogurt, cottage cheese, and whole wheat toast smothered in cream cheese.
today, i learned again i cannot focus my interests (photography) without getting antsy and depressed. fame and fortune await those who do so. i simply cannot limit myself to one path of expression.
sunday, i did attend a woman's volleyball game. it's the one event at the olympics i truly enjoy.
