Means

Oh, how I loved standing outside at the Louvre. Look at this! There is the pyramid designed by I.M. Pei (who also designed the IU Art Museum, yes!) which is modern and catchy and interesting, set in the foreground of some of the oldest most grand architecture I've ever seen! Craig kept wanting to go back, each day we were in Paris. It swelled my heart. What an amazing feeling, standing there breathing in some of the most terrific sights one might ever see.*It's Friday, and I can't (still) recap the rest of Paris. I miss our European adventure so deeply. I feel it, at least once a day. Recently I've been traveling in my dreams, far distances: Florida, Amsterdam! Last night I was in Amsterdam. Craig said, the other morning, "Do you ever just spend the night in our apartment in New York City?" Funny, not often anymore!*Anyway, it's one thousand degrees below normal tonight, so we're staying in (he's presently sleeping) and staying warm. I want to somehow declare the intensity of what I am to begin next week: art school in New York City. I know it isn't a thrill to just anyone, or even to those who've been handed it silver spoon-style and still manage to stand outside of their expensive New York universities puffing away on pricey cigarettes and wearing their "vintage" (overly priced vintage) clothing, with perfectly highlighted pink hair (or what have you.) But for me? This is like I'm living a huge long-awaited dream. I realize I drone on about how writing and New York have done all this for me, but in actuality, I'm too thick for that. I'm too...bonkers and misunderstood (haha) and not qualified to write a word that I can claim is inspired by this town. But visual art? Seeing things a little differently? Here? I can only imagine where my head will run once given assignments in the visual art realm. Fine Arts in New York City. Paying for school as I go. The other day, I purchased art supplies for one class. They cost way more than I wish to confess. But I didn't experience that awkward, Oh, shit, I need to call Dad for money so that I can pay my phone bill since I just spent every last penny I have on supplies thing. It definitely pained me to spend that much on Color-Aid paper? But I didn't have to wonder if packaged dried foods might even not be in my budget. Oh, college. I emerged from Union Square yesterday to find the art supplies store, purchased my stuff, then headed to the bookstore. I rode the escalator what felt like 100 x's to the 4th floor where the art section lives. I felt a small fire in my belly as I wove through the books, the beautiful art and design books. I quickly found (happily) Interaction of Color by Josef Albers, our required text for the Color Theory course (Saturdays.) I've read a ton of it already. I love it. I know I knew of Josef Albers at IU, but we're now reuniting. I can't wait to be confused by color. I can't wait to be an art student with grown up aspirations, nothing like when I was too young to know if I was upside down, facing forward or backward. I want this attempt to be conscientious. I want it to have results. I can't wait...all of the Adobe programs are installed and updated on my computer. I'm ready. I can't wait to find myself and my soul again.*Craig is up. I want to hang out with him now. I could gush on and on, but there's time for that. Later, more time for that. Sante!