On a happier note, it's been an action packed summer for Sue and I. Well, not having to teach any classes meant that Sue actually had more free time than she normally does, but I managed to pack as much stuff into the past few months as I could. I got my last two Gen Ed classes taken care of, Faith and Society and Oral Communication (yay public speaking, my favorite!). I'm still working at Newman and got to design some cool projects, like new light post banners for the campus, five-foot tall photo montage posters for the dining hall and a snazzy "coffee table" sized brochure for Newman's new core curriculum. Click here to check out an online version of the booklet. In addition to that, I've also taken on an additional internship for the local chapter of Catholic Charities. While those who know me best may note that this is somewhat ironic, it has been a very good experience so far. They've been great to work with and don't seem to mind that I'm a heathen. And I'm getting to design Christmas and Spring appeals which will go out to tens of thousands of people. Can't beat that for a portfolio item! We're almost ready to print the Christmas appeal and they seem to be very happy with it, so it's a win for Team Me!
Along with all that, I couldn't pass up the chance to learn a new printmaking method, a popular process which isn't taught at Newman: lithography. It was a (non-accredited) class taught at Wichita Center for the Arts and I walked away with two new prints, one a simple one drop to get my hands dirty, the other a more intricate three drop piece which took a few weeks to complete. Lithography is the most complicated process I've tackled so far and would probably take many more hours of practice for me to feel remotely comfortable with. It involves drawing or painting with wax based materials on a flat stone, and then using water to control where the ink goes, being repelled by the water and sticking to the wax image. The special thing about litho is that it reproduces the image almost exactly as it was composed. Kind of cool.
As if that wasn't enough, Sue and I took an eight week archery class at O.J. Watson park and learned to stand out in the grueling Kansas evening sun and not pass out from heat exhaustion while firing arrows at a target. It was actually a lot of fun even though we pretty much got our butts kicked by a bunch of little girls. And since our targets were leaned up against the side of a barn, making fun of someone for missing the target was a no-brainer! In addition to the intensive physical workout that is archery, I've gone back to Kim's Academy Taekwondo this summer and so have managed to move my ass slightly more than I was previously. Miraculously, I've avoided any injuries. Go Team Me!
Of course, the highlights of our summer were when Sue visited her Dad and bro in California and spent time hiking and hanging out in some beautiful mountainous settings, and when Sue and I spent a week visiting Pops and our friends in Pennsylvania and New York. Sue seemed to really enjoy taking time to hangout with her fam and spend time moving around in nature. And I definitely savored the chance to see friends and to hangout in NYC. Almost my entire gang of friends converged on the Reading area for a surprise Birthday party for Shaun and the weekend included kayaking in a refreshing nearby lake. Later in the week, we stayed a few days in Brooklyn and saw an awesome (and extremely loud) performance by A Place To Bury Strangers. I also got to go to my favorite summer art gallery/dance party at Long Island City's PS1 and a grand time was had by all. Check out a pretty cool video someone shot of that day here, or above.
