Retro

Remember this? What were yall supposed to be again?? Gypsies? Hippies?

All I remember is it was a costume competition at Rafiki House and we weren't going as anything...THEN...like the afternoon or day before SOMEONE had some sort of epiphany that we should dress up as...well, as whatever it is yall ended up dressing up as!
I of course had nothing in my closet that would match the ocassion and of course no one else's clothes could fit me so I resigned myself to the position of official photographer that night and well, let's just say I have LOADS of photos I can use for blackmail purposes ;)

25 Cent Treasures

With little to do in the small town of Grantham, going to the Mall was on my list of extracurricular activities. I didn't need a reason to squeeze in the car of a friend on a Saturday morning. Leaving campus was reason enough. One day while window shopping, a friend (susanna) and I discovered a treasure. It was a gum-ball-like machine selling colorful plastic rings. Susanna bought one, and then I did. Mesmerized by our great discovery, we put more quarters in the machine and begged our friends for some spare change. After that day, we started collecting plastic rings every time we visited the Mall.

Locker 103

This little piece of paper reminds me of the locker I shared with Disha for screenprinting. At the time I remembered the code, so I don't know why I kept the paper. Now, it just takes me back to that little skinny locker in the hallway, that I visited frequently to stash and retrieve my mixed colors, and rolls and rolls of clear contact paper. It couldn't hold much else, especially with two people using it, so the rest of my crap just came along in my gigantic rolling bag :)

Thank God for Wheels!

Being an art student is no easy task when it comes to toting stuff. There's always something too big, or somethings too copious too carry. I remember trudging back and forth between Bittner and Climenhega loudly proclaiming my procession with the clatter of my rolling backpack wheels against the cobblestone and cement walkways.

Sweet Souls

This caricature by Teisha reminds me of good times with some awesome people. I felt pretty awkward being a well-seasoned, non-traditional student surrounded by young people fresh out of high school, but these sweet souls, Kaye, Lateisha, (L-R, top), Lesa, Tashan, and Susanna (L-R, bottom), didn't seem to mind the age difference, and that eased my discomfort greatly. We had some good fun together, and I think of them often.

Uno Anyone?

These cards hold memories of good times on long, boring weekends, with Susanna, Tashan, Kaye, Lesa and Teisha. Every time I look at these cards it reminds me of our little multi-national crew filling the common areas of Raffiki, Bittner, Mountain View and Grantham with raucous laughter as we shared jokes and stories over game after game of Uno. I remember one particular night on Mountain View 2nd floor when I won every single game! :)

Toasty Toes

My hands and feet are perpetually cold, even more so in the cold, cold, North. I was pleasantly surprised when the church I had only visited once at the time, sent care packages for all the International students on campus just before Christmas break one year. Inside that package were these super warm, rug-like socks that kept my toes toasty every night for the rest of my time there.

These Boots Weren't Made for Walking

Our college campus was the only thing in all of Grantham, PA. There was absolutely nothing to do and if you didn't have a car, or know someone with one you could suffer from cabin fever really quickly. One day my friends and I decided we had to get off campus, and I bought this pair of boots for the occasion. We got all dressed up, piled tight and high in the car, and then realized we didn't have a clue where to go…so we ended up at Olive Garden. :)

Comradery

I did this painting for my first and last painting class ever! While there's nothing special about the painting itself, it holds such a spectacular memory of friendship. I had rearranged my room to create a studio of sorts, and for two showerless, sleepless, vending-machine eating days was working on this painting. I was dog tired, and sick of looking at the thing and so was about to give up and submit it half-done, when Teisha came over complaining about a 12 page paper she had due the next day. We agreed to keep each other up all night in order to meet our next-day deadlines. Normally we were full of jokes and talks and laughter, but none of that was going on that night - we allowed each other a 30 minute nap, a rousing holler out the window during the campus wide midnight scream, and of course, bathroom breaks - nothing else. We both met our deadline, and we both made A's, thanks to the moral support we gave each other that night. She has the painting and I have a picture of the painting :)

I Never Get in Trouble!

I received a matching set of candle holders as a parting gift from a friend back home when I was leaving for Messiah College. Though I'm not a big candle burner, I brought them along for the sake of decoration. When I got to the school I took them out of their boxes and placed them on a bookshelf, where they sat undisturbed for quite some time. I had the good fortune of keeping the same room for several semesters and summers, so they never had to be packed and unpacked. One semester the housing director changed, and with that came a sudden crackdown on rule-breakers. Rooms were searched (in absentia), contraband removed, and warning letters/fines mailed. I was shocked to receive warning of an impending fine for having candles (contraband) in my room. "What candles!" was my first thought, then my eyes rested on the candle holders. I rushed over to inspect the offending items - one candle holder was empty with just a thick ring of dust surrounding a perfectly clean circle, where they had removed the contraband. The other had a still plastic wrapped mini-candle covered in a thick layer of dust, which apparently they missed. I couldn't believe they planned on fining me for some obviously unused candles, but rules are rules and inadvertently or intentionally broken, the offender must pay. I took the option to write a 1 page paper on Fire Safety in lieu of a monetary fine, which, I'll have to admit, was written with quite a bit of sarcasm.

A Penny for your Thoughts

This carving reminds me of a man I hold very dear - my Studio Art undergrad program advisor. We were first acquainted in January 2006 when I entered Messiah College to pursue studies in Graphic Design. I didn't have much confidence in my artistic ability, having studied science all my life, but I knew I was interested in design and was willing to step out on a limb to give it a shot. This man looked me in the eye, the first time he set eyes on me, and pretty much told me I should go back home. I was crushed, and wondered if my lack of talent was evident by my outward appearance, but stayed to give it my best effort. After a few classes with him, carving being among the last, he developed a sense of respect for me because I was a hard worker, and what I lacked in talent, I made up for with determination. The night before graduation, the man who greeted me with hostility and cold indifference bade me goodbye with a tight embrace and tear glazed eyes.

Game Playing Granny

I was introduced to this game by the sweetest 92 year old I've ever known. I started visiting little Ms.Winifred Baltosser as a class assignment in Spring 2007, and I just couldn't stop going back. All of the elderly people I had ever known always had something to complain about, but this woman never complained about a thing, and was super independent. Even when her walker got caught in a uneven crack in the sidewalk and she slammed her face on the concrete, breaking her glasses and gaining some horrible purple and blue bruises, she was all jokes and smiles about it. She has the frailest little granny voice, fluffly silver hair, and a tiny bent over frame that makes her a poster child for cartoon grannies. She loves to play games, so we spent many of our weekly visits playing Skip Bo, over cups of tea, and whatever treat she had harbored away in her little room.