Because the modus operandi for yesterday seemed to be the trying of new things (and because I was sick and tired of running into that father/son training team), I decided to do weights first, then 30 minutes of treadmill, then some crunches and then 30 minutes of elliptical. I wanted to do 20 or so minutes of yoga poses but it was getting closer to 11 am, and I needed to get some stuff done. By the time I left the gym I was the only person there.
Walked straight into the kitchen to get a cheese stick, and Diane was there. Out of the blue she asked me if I wanted to stay another month. I was completely caught off guard, and said that I'd love to, but I had made plans with my friend Mike to drive back cross country. One of the artists, Agnes, decided to leave early, so they had an open spot. My mind began spinning a million times so I walked out of the kitchen and saw Cobi and Aimee in the courtyard, apparently eating. They were laughing, they had an early lunch (they were calling it brunch) because they were hungry. I sat down and told them what Diane said, and they were both like "you must stay, please stay!". I explained the situation, that I could not afford it (there is a fee to join this program, though I got some financial aid to cover most of it), and that I had made plans with my friend. They suggested I ask if I can get a gratis stay, that it would be likely since this was so last minute, and that I talked to my friend to see if plans could be changed. I went back to my room, checked one way return ticket prices to DTW for Mike, wrote Diane an email and sent Mike some messages. Without these two points of approval, this may not happen.
Because I was so anxious from excitement, I jumped in the shower instead of checking messages every five seconds. I took a long hot shower (great water pressure here), and took my time getting ready. Got an email from Diane, and she thought it would most likely be free, but that I had to talk to Katie about it, to make sure I could stay in the same room and studio (I might have to move). Mike texted me saying he was flexible, and that we should talk on the phone later, he was busy at work. A few minutes later I got a text from my sister saying my dad had canceled his trip (he was supposed to arrive in Dallas this thursday), which was a growing part of my concern for him last week, as he booked this last minute trip while he is not well - even though the reason for the canceling is because my sweet niece and god-daughter Aliz is not well, sick with pneumonia =-( . Called my sister in Dallas and we briefly talked, and she told me she was feeling better after talking to them on the phone as well.
Knocked on Aimee's door, she was so happy to hear the news, told her to cross her fingers, and went to the studio. Worked for a little bit on the silver point (put the first coat on two sheets of paper, washed the brush (Aimee texted me asking if I took another shower, as she could hear the hair drier). Made a salad for lunch, was yummy, and went back to the studio for a little bit. Aimee texted saying she was going to Whole Foods and asked me if I wanted to go... I told her I needed an iced coffee, so off we went to the store, and then hunting for this coffeeshop next to this co-op Charlie had told us about. The place was hipsterland, a cross between a Flintstones movie set and hipster biker shop.
We headed back to the institute, and maybe because of the heat we were both exhausted, so we both took naps, separately. Sometime between lunch and dinner, I do not recall, Aimee and I talked about the whole almod joy incident. I felt bad in retrospect for making her feel awkward. She told me she thought I was joking, because of the diet and because she knows I do not eat past a certain time at night. I was happy that she was not hurt by my blogging. I had actually thought about her that morning, when I walked to the gym and a gust of wind blew my hat off my head, and the strings she attached to the hat kept it in place. This happened three times during the walk with Cobi, and at that time I thought that one should never take friendship for granted, because friends are there for you when you least expect. I returned to the studio and put another hour in the first silverpoint drawing, and noticed a HUGE mistake, that nobody had caught on. I completely skipped a whole day of the calendar, day 24. It was no big deal, because the spot stood empty, so I did not have to redraw the whole thing. As it was time for dinner again I decided to fix it later, and made myself a salad. Ellen was in the computer, said my salad smelled good (I added a chicken breast), and later Cobi and Aimee joined me in the courtyard, I think. It was a lovely night.
I was alone again, so I called my parents, talked to them for about 20 minutes. Their trip to the beach had been cut short because it rained for four days in a row, and they only stayed in the hotel room. As usual, my mother was happy with the food (three daily meals included, she gave me details of the menu, the fish served at dinner, etc, said it was worth for the food alone). My niece also got sick, so they had to take her to the doctor and now she was in bed rest for 15 days, which is not easy for a 5 y.o. girl. But my mother said she was in high spirits and that the two of them were having a good time. It is winter there, so both of my parents were complaining about the cold weather, both were in bed, under the covers when I called (three hours ahead of here). I talked to my dad and he sounded good, tired but good. He was slightly disappointed with the cancelation of the trip, but realized that my mother alone could not take care of the grandchildren while he was gone, and he seemed to be okay with having to pay the 10% cancelation fee, which surprised me. And to make things go back to normal, he told me he was out of a vitamin and asked me to send it to him, even though now, with the weak dollar, it costs the same there. I hope there is a Right Aid in New Mexico, because he is very particular about his brands. Following that I called Mike, and he was totally fine with staying around here. I asked him which day he'd want to go back, he told me, we talked about home/work/health/leisure stuff, and I told him, before I hung up, to do some homework and find potential trips for us to do around New Mexico for the week he'll be here.
The kitchen was out of bread, and Cobi was hungry again, so we were trying to figure out what to eat. I texted John to ask if he could get us some bread, and Cobi decided to go to the grocery store to get some bacon, to make it with eggs (the wonders of being young and not worrying about cholesterol). I decided to go with him and walk there, as I needed mixed greens. Grabbed my tote and we actually jumped over the fence, which was not as hard as I thought but I felt completely inept. I found my salad mix, he found his bacon, he paid, and we walked back to the institute, this time a long walk. I adore talking to Cobi, he is so nice and calm, with a great sense of humor. We talked about his last residency and all kinds of things, the walk was a breeze, and by the time we got to the building, John had arrived with the bread. I went to the studio while they cooked and made the outline for day 24, and went over other parts of the drawing. I noticed Ellen walking in and soon after Cobi was there (the whole place smelled like delicious bacon). They were not in the mood for working, so for once I was the only person in the studio, so I turned the volume all the way up on my laptop, and applied the second coat of ground for the silverpoint. I am gonna add at least one more coat before I begin my next drawing.
With the possibility of staying another month here I began eyeing all the available studios in our room. If I have to move I might ask to take Ellen's spot (slightly more private than mine, with many tables. Agnes's is too small for my taste, but I also want one of her easels. She has not been back yet, and her studio is filled with paintings, empty canvases and other materials, so Cobi, Ellen and I were putting bid on what we'd want to have. It is unlikely she will take all of that to France, so we need to see if she wants to give them away or sell.
Washed the brush once again, and let it air dry this time. Went to the courtyard were Cobi was having a beer and Ellen was talking. They were both watching Charlie in the kitchen, he was apparently there for an hour, eating with his chopsticks, and apparently Marisa was cooking. We were the for ever talking, eventually joined briefly by Aimee and for a bit longer by Chris and Carmie (eating the rest of their food before their half week trip to San Francisco for a wedding). Like me, like Aimee, everyone was wondering about Marisa and Charlie, and I said he was married and she was not that kind of girl, though we all agree she'd probably get the "most likely to have a fling at a residency" award because she has a very seductive personality (so it would be natural that people perceive that even though it was not true).
We talked for a long time that night, and the whole thing made me realize that my experience was very much like being in grad school, the good parts, the camaraderie, the creative energy, the simplicity of life. I got back to my room and Mike had done all kinds of research about what we could do while he visited me. He suggested Marfa TX, which is surprisingly only 8 hours away (which is not too far in this part of the country). He even looked up some hotels, and so did I. I messaged my friend Candace who's been there a few times and asked for hotel suggestions. we now just need to figure out how many days we want to stay there, and if we still can swing a trip to Denver (6 hours from here, the opposite direction).
I went to bed late, but could not sleep. So much to expect for tomorrow (which is today). Having to wake up early to take Chris and Carmie to the train station, wait to talk to Katie whenever she's on campus, make potential travel arrangements for Mike, reserve hotels, go to the Spa..... another busy day ahead.
- posted via iPad
Location:Cerrillos Rd,Santa Fe,United States
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