My mould is on its way to Cleveland; I found a tube just long enough b/c I am lucky to know people who bring home tubes knowing that I will always need them.
Now that the worst is over, including a stomach bug and oppressive summer heat/humidity, I might be able to do another edit to the hanji entry in Wikipedia. From time to time, I do a search for "hanji" and today I found the most amazing things. It's heartening, b/c it means that more people are more interested, and not just here. I found out that my jiseung video was embedded onto a Romanian site! It's a blog entry about hanji and actually does a good job with history and purposes and so on. My goal to spread hanji awareness to the English-speaking world had seemed daunting enough, so I'm glad that people are taking care of the zillion other languages that I don't know.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
One more hurdle

My last big logistic before I fly in a couple days is figuring out if and how I will ship the longest pieces of my mould for making hanji. Regulation tubes are all about 38 inches but I need 10 more inches than that. So either I build a contraption to ship or I build a contraption to possibly fight with the airlines about. The good news is that I had a great convo with Michael Bixler today to get tips on building a sturdy vat in Cleveland (fingers crossed that I meet some brilliant carpenters there who can help me with the job since I am the last person who should ever go near a table saw), and then a long-overdue convo with Velma, who always inspires and supports and is one of the reasons I will always miss the North Country. "NEAR NATURE NEAR FRIENDS" is apt.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Teachers and students

Today, I had a morning walk and tea with Barbara, my favorite teacher and friend--she has known me since I was in 7th grade as her orchestra student. She was crucial in my formative years, supporting me in ways I didn't know were possible, and being the best possible example of a self aware person in progress, always working to learn more and change and grow. When we went to the counter to order, I didn't recognize the woman who took our order, and grabbed a seat at the one remaining table. Barbara sat down later and asked if I knew a certain family, and mentioned the sisters' names, and I said, "the last name sounds familiar, but I don't know why." Then she got up again to look at pastries and I started to think a little more, piece the names together in my head, look at the woman behind the counter again, and suddenly realized: that girl was my violin student almost ten years ago! She was tiny for her age and had a tiny violin and was the best student in my chamber ensemble. I gave her a couple of private lessons at home after the summer music program ended and she went on to study with an amazing teacher that I had studied with briefly as an adult.
When I told Barbara, she said, "can I tell her??" and when Eleanor came over, Barbara said, do you know Aimee? And Eleanor said, "wait, were you my violin teacher..." and it turns out that she switched to guitar and voice and is off to college in California this fall. She said she still includes violin but it's not her main thing. I totally get that. She thought it was so funny that two of her music teachers were sitting in front of her. She looked the same: tiny, smart, and sweet. Gives me hope for future teaching and future students on a sweltering day.
Loving & Daring and return

Yesterday, I went to LAVA's latest show, a remix of dances from their last 10 years. I cried so much, starting from when their junior company, Magma, came out and started the show. I encountered LAVA through two of their dancers back in 2002 when I took a trapeze and acrobatics class with them at the Kitchen, encouraged by E (it was when she and I were both going through our 20s in NYC and this was the BEST possible outlet for us). Even after I left NY for Chicago, I stayed in touch w/my teachers and saw them grow their careers, go through changes and huge trials, and still be what they were to me then: strong, fierce, amazing women.
I never took dance or movement classes as a child. I always wanted to and was jealous of my little sister b/c she took ballet and was a morris dancer. Music was a great outlet for me, but I wanted more. When I saw those girls take the stage, dancing, tumbling, trapeze-ing, and being exactly what they were--bright, beautiful, strong girls--I cried. I was so grateful for LAVA for making a space for girls to be unafraid of their bodies and strength. Then two longtime company members (one being the artistic director) did a trapeze duet. And I cried again: these women have been getting better and better over time. Their physical prowess is stunning. I used to work as a grant maker, and LAVA would apply but always make it to the final round and not get funded. But once I left, they finally started to be recognized for their work and the funding opened up. I also cried when I saw my teacher dancing. Two years ago, she was attacked and slashed in the street. If you didn't know this, you'd never be able to tell from the way she performs. I could go on. I was moved. If I wasn't so slow on blogging these days, I would have posted immediately b/c tonight at 7:30pm is their last show for this run at Dixon Place. Go if you can.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
A new start
Trying out a tablet. Worked out. Working on two possible new books in collaboration. And impressed that back in the UK, they have FINALLY put an end to this inquiry that went on for years in regards to Bloody Sunday, where armed British troops fired onto unarmed Northern Irish civilians. When I was in Derry at the depressing Museum of Free Derry, there was a sign near the end of the exhibit that had a list of years, all crossed out, except for 2010, indicating each year that a conclusion to the inquiry was promised. When I saw how many years that promise had been broken, I just assumed it would go on forever. I'm glad I was wrong.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Recovery

Yesterday was all Korean. Dentist, haircut, food, gallery, groceries, parents, and new hair clips (b/c I had broken mine by jumping right onto it from the treadmill when it fell out of my hands while exercising). Flights to Cleveland have doubled since I was checking so this week will be all about that trip and other less fun admin. But maybe today I will give myself a proper sabbath.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Never in my life
have I been SO HAPPY to get to the USA. Never. Walking towards the border, I saw airport shops and one was called "AMERICA!" My heart rejoiced. My entire trip home from the airport to the bus to Manhattan to the train, I had "God bless America" stuck in my head. Can you believe it? I cannot. But truly, despite the oil spill, the Tea Baggers (that's what I like to call the Tea Party), and overuse of A/C, I feel so lucky to live here and be American. AND I feel doubly lucky to be Korean--I've already started to eat my way back to health!
The parting gift
Woke up at 5:40am, wondering why my blanket was wet. B/c it's raining and the ceiling is leaking onto my bed! A fitting farewell: grey, rainy, wet.
Monday, June 07, 2010
Wait, SERIOUSLY??

Inga asked if I had fun plans tonight. I was supposed to go to the art college openings but didn't want to. She said, just go! You never know who you will meet and what will happen. So I did, but on the walk there on Royal Ave (a big street in city centre), a scowling, angry, young woman (she must have been no older than 22 and looked like a student) came running at me as I was about to cross a street and kicked me in the knee. I was flabbergasted and an older woman who passed me as we crossed at the light said, "she's been kicking everyone she can."
That totally put me in a bad mood. So much for what I've been saying this entire time: the racism and unfriendliness to outsiders is one thing, and it feels bad, but as long as there are no threats to my body, I can handle it. A shame that it has to end this way. I will be one joyful passenger tomorrow on the flight back home.
Saturday, June 05, 2010
Breath and quiet








Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Hot days

I decided today would be the buying gifts for people at home day, and hit shops downtown as well as on the very end of my usual bus route. Then I came home to a strong desire for fresh fruits and veggies so I have eaten a bunch and a pot of split pea soup is on the range. I may be offline for a few days and afterwards, hopefully I will have beautiful things to share.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Studio, emptied



I went back to the studio to felt one more piece, pack up, wait for it to dry, and then get it all home. I figured I should be realistic and just close shop now b/c I don't think I'll be getting much done in the next week. I'll deal with distributing it into two suitcases tomorrow, after I hopefully sleep off my recent deep exhaustion.
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