Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Blah blah blah


5 ii 2008, Tuesday
Sitting alone in the quiet stillness of the early morning at my little antique marble writing desk, I have a feeling this week is going to be glorious! I’m really not sure why, but there’s just something in the cool, pale gold sunlight and the gentleness of the summer wind shimmering across the leaves in the trees outside my window… something I can’t quite name or explain…
To my left sits a cup of black coffee I spooned an extra dollop of coffee into in the hope that it’ll rinse the last residues of sleep from my mind – as well as three capsules of various bits and bobs of vitamins, immune-boosters and flu capsules : I think my mom’s flu has taken a distinct liking to me, so hopefully these colourful plastic medicines will do what they’re supposed to do! Surprisingly, there’s no music playing on my CD player – but the music of the morning is more than enough in its birdsong, humming refrigerator and silent sunlight. (I’m trying to learn how to slow down into my life, so that each heartbeat becomes a present moment, a ‘now-point’ – instead of the constant craving of rushing headlong into the next month, next magazine, next meal – blah blah blah. I’ve been meaning for months and months to find out more about Leibnitz’s ‘cult of slowness’ – so perhaps today might just be the day where I listen to my heart’s desire and DO IT in lieu of my usual ignoring and placating.)
Speaking of heart’s desires, I’ve been trying – rather unsuccessfully – to see what our country’s universities offer by way of art therapy courses/degrees. None seem to exist at all, unless one actually studies psychology. I’d have thought that by now art therapy would definitely have been a recognisable need / occupation for it to be offered as a degree at universities. It seems as if it is still only in the US and UK that it’s offered… So perhaps this is the solution for me? To return to the UK to get this degree I’ve hankered after for years but always swept under the carpet of unattainable dreams! Working day after day this last year with little children in creative play as well as in the art classes, I’ve become ACUTELY aware of how intensely I feel about becoming an art therapist (hmmm… my time is running out – better get into the shower and ready for work in a few minutes – so more on this art therapy thing as I find out more.)
The basic outline of my day at work for today is: open up Gymboree (set up PC, print out class attendance lists etc), teach two classes in a row, and then spend the rest of the day sorting out my art class cupboards and writing up the lessonplans for the week’s art classes. I’ll also try pop in at the bank (usually less of a pop-in than a long fruitless slog in a queue) to change my name back to Roberts on my account – and then to see if Planet Unfit (sp) has managed to transfer my membership from Claremont to Parklands so a friend can take it over from me : so I can instead wander along the beach, breathing in the salty evening air, my feet sinking into the cold rough sand – instead of self-consciously sweating in my trendy kit like a hamster on a treadmill in front of lots of other self-conscious hamsters, all of us breathing and re-breathing the same recycled staleness (yep – not the greatest fan of the gym!)
Then it’s hopefully a drink with a treasured friend before heading home at about 6.30 or 7pm to make supper: hand-made pasta which I’ll form into girasoli (big circular pasta pockets – ‘girasoli’ meaning sunflower in Italian) which I’ll fill with feta and peppadew – all that’s left in my fridge! And if I have the energy, I’ll try my hand at making chocolate mousse in the old-fashioned way – by slowly melting dark chocolate in a glass bowl over a steaming pot of boiling water, beating up egg-whites till it forms stiff, glossy peaks etcetera etcetera – my hips will tell you the rest later!
Adios and ciao-ciao ;)

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