News.Rant.Feature

I had no internet for a couple weeks there. It was really inconvenient in a lot of ways, but after the first few days of withdrawal I managed to get a lot of other stuff done, and also catch up on a little much needed rest. Once I got back online, it was kind of like reuniting with an old friend: despite many fond memories of pastimes shared, it's been so long that you're not quite sure what you do and don't have in common anymore. Okay, so maybe it wasn't exactly like that, but it's always a little awkward for me to try to get back into something I've been away from for a while.

As we head into summer, my art class is coming to an end, but the preschool asked me to come back again next year, so it looks like I might have a permanent gig going there, which is way cool. I'll be spending some significant time this summer improving the program structure, selection and progression of activities, material sourcing, and so on. I may even look into offering the class to other preschools nearby, or shorter workshops through some of the community centers I'm connected with already.

I've also recently taken up bellydance (with tribal & hip hop fusion) and will be dancing at a few local festivals over the summer, which has me a bit nervous because performing wasn't what I had in mind when getting involved in it (for me, it's all about doing specifically feminine activities in a feminine atmosphere & doing things that are good for my body, mind, and spirit), but I agreed to do the shows as a favour to my friend who's teaching me. I'll be making a few costumes for that, so I might end up posting some of them here if I think they're any good. I'm also working on my first choreography, but who knows how long it will take me to finish that and be satisfied with it.

I've not done a whole heck of a lot of work on my Urban Rurality project lately, partly because I've got so much else going on and partly because I got a little discouraged when my landlord tried to make me replace the compost bin I built with a "proper plastic one" because a woman upstairs doesn't like it when I hammer. I say they can kiss my ass, because my compost bin is not going anywhere, especially not on the arbitrary demands of some rude and hypocritical stranger (she likes to blast her music/tv well after midnight, whereas I have never worked on any of my loud projects before noon or after 7 pm), nor those of an organization that would demonstrate such discriminatory and harassing behaviour. Not to mention how much of an ignoramus one must be to refer to anything plastic as "proper", particularly in the context of gardening!

The time for my daughter's annual heart checkup has rolled around again, which is always both a stress, for obvious reasons, and a relief, because I'm constantly worried about her condition and now is the time I get to see where she's actually at. Last year she had been scheduled for open-heart surgery, but they decided at the last minute that it could be delayed for another year and she ended up just having a cath instead. With any luck, this year will turn out similar (since she's hit a bit of a growth plateau), but we'll just have to wait and see. So, please send her lots of positive energy! On a lighter note, she turns 5 this summer and wants a magical theme for her party, which is going to be a lot of fun to plan and host...I especially love designing the cakes, even if they usually turn out a bit lopsided or otherwise odd.

Aside from those and a few other personal things, everything else has pretty much gotten the back burner for now, and I'm looking forward to a very fun and productive summer!

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