Tuesday Smatterings

This morning Daya woke me up at 4:30-something to tell me the news that Dr. Mars is stepping down as principal at Laguardia. (This was not worth waking me up for...)

It made the Wall Street Journal.

I am glad that Daya's high school years there won't be shadowed by this negativity and controversy.
But as the article says at the end, Dr Mars and her policies really haven't had a detrimental effect on the phenomenal ability in that school.

*****
Also, Daya made a cake on Sunday. From scratch. She was very proud of it and it really is a lovely cake.

I asked her if she took a picture of the cake and she said no.  So I said I was going to.
To which she said, "When you put it on your blog make sure to say I ran out of frosting."

I was surprised she mentioned my blog... she knows about it but doesn't read it because I won't let her.  It isn't something we really talk about.  She remembers the weirdest stuff sometimes,  she remembers things I told her maybe once a long time ago.

So the fact she mentioned it means she wanted me to put it here, so I did.

So in that spirit, she got a 92 on the Algebra regents and a 98 on Science regents which was the highest score in her class.

Graduation

Daya graduated 8th grade.
It rained.  A LOT.

She's somewhere over here.

I somehow always look old next to Daya.

We went out for sushi afterwards.

Pretzel Comfort

Daya has a bunch of Regents exams this week, so I thought it would be fun to go see The Secret Life of Pets 2 last night.  (we both liked it,)
There were 4 people in the theater including us.

She was standing like this while waiting for the train.
I guess when you are a human pretzel, this is comfy.

8th Grade Drama Showcase

Daya didn't want me to go to the 8th grade drama showcase because she said it was really bad.
The students wrote all the skits (there were too many) and the theme was bullying.

It was about what you might expect from drama-prone 8th graders.

But Daya did very well.
She acted in one skit and wrote another that she didn't act in.

Prom

8th grade Prom was a full-out affair.
They were at a formal event venue, it was Very Formal, certainly not like the 8th grade dance Ihad in the school cafeteria.

Hair, outfit, alterations, nails, the works.
It was expensive and I had to take care of a lot of the details which was a bit tiring.

But this was Daya's very first actual formal affair, and she looked great and had a good time.

'

Her hair held up for two whole hours and I had to iron it again myself before we left.

These are pictures Daya took and posted on her Instagram account.

********
Fun story about dance and Prom.....
Competition is at the beginning of August and the studio was trying to get some rehearsals together before school ends and everyone leaves for camp.  There was no school on Thursday (Prom day) and they emailed everyone Tuesday afternoon to schedule an hour and a half rehearsal because they just found out there was no school.

I said Daya can't go, she is getting ready for Prom. They could have her in the morning before she goes to the salon but not after.

They emailed me back saying double check with her that she can't make it, it wont be a sweaty rehearsal and her hair should hold up (HAHAHAHAHAHA) and she should still have plenty of time (um no)....

And I had to write them back saying Daya cannot go to a dance rehearsal in the middle of getting ready for Prom.  I really had to write that.

I love the studio but honesty that was completely ridiculous.  The only proper answer to "She's going to Prom" is "Ok have a great time!" .... not try to still get her in a dance rehearsal.

Showchoir

Daya choreographed the show choir performance this year.  She wasn't a performer but she ran auditions and all rehearsals.  Only two other girls in that group are dancers, so Daya had her work cut out for her.

The choreography was really great- it was an actual large group dance, not one of those cheesy pantomimes,  The choir director gave her a lovely intro to the audience.

Gouache and Sundries

I painted another sketchbook page during dance.
My new palette is working nicely for me, and I'm getting away from all the grey.

But I miss my pastels, and I have studio work lined up..... it's just that I have this weird feeling lately of not wanting to be home.

******
 CAREY is coming to visit me!!! I'm so excited!!! I'm so happy she wants to visit me!!!!
It will be a short visit which is fine, we'll do lots of arting and have fun in general.

This is also really good motivation for me to clean!

*****
High School Orientation.... what?? It is next week.  What????
I thought it would be in August like it was last year.  Nope, it is next week AND for a day in August, which conflicts with Daya's mandatory team intensive......

Speaking of dance and calendars, dance scheduling makes my head spin.  It is no joke coordinating everything.

Anyhow, my head isn't in the Fall yet, I have to get my kid out of middle school, regents exams,  prom, graduation, through the summer,  through recital, another competition, SAI performance, my eye surgery....... oh my gosh.

I'm not ready for the finer details of high school coordination.  Why does it have to be next week?  My head is just not there yet.

*****
SAI:  Daya got in.  Of course she got in,  It is 4 weeks of FREE everything!  They get FREE metrocards, FREE breakfast, FREE lunch, FREE field trips, FREE dance class run by ABT.

I suspect Daya will find it to be easier than Ailey was but it's ok.  She's going to meet people and have a great time.  Also, it is FREE. Three other girls from the studio are going too.  I'm glad everyone got in.

The kids had to do a solo (in private) for the SAI audition.  When Daya was dancing hers she heard one of the judges whisper "She's pretty solid all around"...and then she fell down.  PLONK. SPLAT. We both think this is pretty funny. I'm glad we can laugh about it.

We are still waiting on Manhattan Youth Ballet, and we should know by the end of this week.

Dental Insurance and the Great Depression

We have made it through the very last parent-teacher conference for middle school.
As always, everyone loves Daya and she is amazing.

(*I* am the drama teacher's favorite though.)

Daya's social studies teacher told me how Daya explained the Great Depression using an analogy of........ dental insurance.

She explained the Great Depression using dental insurance.  And it totally worked.
(If you are as perplexed as I was, and the teacher.... she explained that preventative stuff is easier to take care of and cover, but when those measures aren't taken things get bad.)

It is a thousand per cent my fault that Daya was talking about dental insurance, because I had to pay a small deductible for her recent cleaning that I didn't realize I had to pay etc etc... and I was telling her how it was fine because I'd rather pay for preventative work than something going wrong.

I also pointed out that not doing preventative dental work can also lead to a Great Depression financially, physically, and mentally!

Gouache and Editorial

I recently discovered that a group of journalists meet twice a month to paint.
In the office.
2 floors down from my desk.
And all the supplies are there already!
NICE supplies, too!

This has been going on since 2016.....!
I'm not in editorial so that's probably why I had no idea.

So of course I have to join them.
And as it turned out the lady who heads up the whole thing was in my January class at Art Students League!
Small world.

It is in an instructed class but people also work on whatever they want.  For my first time there, I painted the class.

Next time I'll work in oil.

*******

HIGH SCHOOL RESULTS ARE STILL NOT IN AND THEY ARE VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY LATE.

Everyone is basically going nuts.

The deadline for private school deposits was yesterday, which put a lot of people in a bad place.

Students are stressing.

Parents are stressing.

Daya is stressing.

I'm not stressing but I'm so done with this waiting.

The letters were originally supposed to come out on March 4th but there was a lawsuit with admissions criteria to 8 of the specialized high schools (LaGuardia was not included) so there was a delay. But the lawsuit was in February and was resolved on-time and the results should have been ready right after...they were calculated months ago.

This morning I got notification results will come sometime next week...but no one knows the day.

The DOE probably still doesn't know the day.

No communication***, delays, mis-management.

But next week we will finally see the end of this terrible waiting.

*** look at that, a 2019 update stuck at the top of a 2018 article.

Train Conversation

Daya and I were on the train.
She was doing homework.  Writing.  An essay. Long.  Very nice and neat.

She: I'm done! I wrote a lot, much more than I had to. But I had a lot of thoughts to write about.
Me: (thinking it was on a book or something) What were you thinking about?
She: Cardiovascular disease.
Me: ...... I was not expecting that.

High School Auditions DONE

Well, we are DONE.  High school application nonsense is DONE.
Yesterday Daya had her dance callback for Laguardia, and she feels really, really good about it.

Saturday night after team practice Daya did her audition solo in front of everyone.
She choreographed it herself and had supervision from Ms Shauna. It was wonderful and everyone loved it.

After everyone left we ran through it a second time so I could record it.  Daya was numb-exhausted when she did this, and she didn't do her aerial flip and one other move (I forgot what it was).



She felt she did very well at the audition.  Now we wait til March.

Her friend Sarah was in the same audition group, which was really nice for both of them.
Sarah's mom and I waited together and had nice conversation. She's a great lady.

Here is a picture of both of them after the audition.
Daya said she didn't smile because she is imitating the statue.....

But the truth is the only time I can get Daya to smile in pictures... .well, actually I can't get her to.
The only time Daya smiles in pictures is when she steals my phone and uses it to take stupid pictures of herself, like these.

Sigh.

Passed Down

Last night we went to parent teacher conferences.
ALL of Daya's teachers LOVE her, and I consistently heard how amazing and fabulous she is.

I was talking to her ELA teacher-- they are starting to read To Kill a Mockingbird.
I read that in 8th grade, too.  Ms. Vereb said Daya might want to have her own copy so she could write in it.  So I said I still have my copy from 8th grade, and it probably has my notes in it.

Daya was SO EXCITED.
Not because I was giving her my book from 8th grade, but she had this idea that since my notes were already in it, she wouldn't have to do anything. I told her don't count on that.

Well, I did find my old copy and there isn't a single note or underlined word in it.
Daya was less than thrilled.

Pointe Shoes Again

And it's that time again, new pointe shoes.
Daya likes Blochs and said she needed another fitting, so we went there after work yesterday.

I don't know why she can't stick to the same shoe that worked last time- but she wanted to change something, I have no idea what.  Dancers are very weird about their feet and shoes.  That's why there are so many different kinds and variations of pointe shoes.

Daya must have tried all of them on!
The lovely men who helped her were so nice, helpful and patient.  It's good that dancers work in these shops, because they all speak some kind of dancer-language no one else knows.  But she finally found a pair.

I suppose I am like that with paint.

Mouth Fence Removal

Daya got her braces off on Monday.

Her final meal was..... pizza!

Here she is in mouth-fence removal gear...

Of course she wanted to watch the proceedings.

And her teeth look great!

On Tuesday, Daya came to meet me after work... we had a high school open house (PPAS),and to celebrate her braces coming off, we went to Bubba Gump for some nice shrimp.
We watched Forrest Gump over the weekend, so Daya could appreciate the restaurant.  She loved it.

We were both completely unimpressed with PPAS... to the point where Daya doesn't even want to bother auditioning.  It's a dump.  The building is pretty terrible.  Some bits of it are literally crumbling.  It was probably a nice space once, maybe 60 years ago....The performers were ok, but nothing outstanding from any other high school.  The academics are not good.  The upside would be taking daily classes at Ailey. It is a tiny school.... 335 kids from 6-12.  I think a more "normal" high school environment would be better.

So for performing arts high schools, she will only audition for Laguardia and Sinatra.

If something falls through and she doesn't get into either school (which is unlikely) then she will not go to high school for performing arts.

September to Now, Consolidated

I need to catch up with September.
Overall I have been dealing with some pretty bad anxiety, but honestly I really think anyone in my situation would be, I think I am having normal reactions to highly stressful situations.

Labor Day:
Daya and I rented a boat in Flushing Meadows and had a lovely day.





Tram:
I took Daya on the Roosevelt Island tram.
Now she has done all the NYC transportation options: car, boat, train, bus, walking, bike, tram.






Keyring
Daya told me she lost the key to the lobby. This is a very odd thing to lose, so I asked her how it happened.

Apparently she thought that taking her keys off the keyring and letting them float around loose was a good idea.

She does not know why she thought this was a good idea.

I'm not going to let her live it down.  Ever.

Locked In
We got locked in the dance studio.
Here is a picture of Daya unsuccessfully trying to get out.
Ms Victoria was the only other person in the building and she had to come downstairs from the 4th floor to rescue us.

Rat Sitting
We had 5 house guests for most of the month... 5 lovely rats from an artist who went on an art residency in France.
They were really excellent rats.

Painting:
I am still working on a new series of Topiary cats. I have 5 paintings out of 7 going in various stages of completion.

I also built and launched my website and had some cards printed.  It was a LOT of work, and I was literally working like a crazy person for three days straight.  Then I kept tweaking and changing things over the next 2 weeks, including breaking stuff and having to fix it.  My site is an evolution, but it is good for now and I'm SO GLAD this has finally been accomplished.  I have been needing to do it for years...actually started a few years ago but never finished it.

Upstairs Noise:
I still have a dumb amount of anxiety about it.  They have been quiet for the past couple of weeks.
But there have been some issues, and I know my reaction is overblown especially when they are quiet.  When they blast I go into crazy-mode and it takes me a long time to calm down from it.

Apparently from talking to others and reading stuff, I'm pretty normal in my reaction to unwanted noise in my home.  It is severe as I have only had a reduction in the last few months... otherwise it has been consistent for the last year and a half and my nerves are completely shot.

Even when they are quiet I can't quite let go of the anticipation.

I'm over-stressed.
I can't seem to get my relaxation back down to 0 no matter how hard I try.
Everything is too much.
And there's stuff with Daya too that I just don't want to write about, but it is enormously stressful.

Time Travel:
We apparently went back to the year 2000.

Driving:
I have done over 60 hours with Charlie in the car. A lot of it has been in scary rush hour Manhattan, including 4 lane unmarked construction roads which is freaking scary.

Because the days are getting shorter and I have a daylight only license, I have to stop my lessons.  I know I need to make that jump to going out alone, so I enrolled in Zipcar. I mentioned it to Charlie on our last lesson and he had a really weird reaction.  It was not encouraging at all.  He said I was skipping his process.

It was POURING rain during our lesson and he was really emphasizing all my mistakes and acting.... just really differently than he ever has.

My confidence plummeted to complete zero.

I spent a couple of days being very upset.

Then I contacted a driving school right in my neighborhood for an evaluation lesson, which as of the writing of this post I haven't done yet, but will do this weekend.

I still need to learn how to park, and I need freeway lessons as I have not done either of those things.  I also want a driving school to evaluate my driving overall and fill in any gaps.

In addition to zipcar, I got a GPS and a driver seat pillow for a few extra inches because I really am that short and can't see over the dashboard.

I'm still feeling really scared and need to build my confidence, but honestly I really should be ok for the most part especially in normal roads that are not Manhattan construction rush hour traffic.  Plus, the GPS will help me a lot too.  I just feel there is so much I still don't know.

Work

I now work for a different company as of Tuesday because we got bought.

Nothing has changed, but there will be cuts and that starts next week.

The Cats:

They are fine.

Uncategorized Cool Picture:
From the dance team meeting.

8th Grade!

We made it to 8th grade!!!!!

Here are the traditional first day of school pictures, taken in the same place since the first day of preschool.

I have good hopes for this year.  There is a lot to do over the next several months- high school applications and auditions.  It will all be over by December.  Daya has done all the prep work.  She has done literally everything she could do, both\in grades and dance.  There is nothing we could have done differently, nothing we didn't do that we should have done.  She is in an excellent place to get excellent results.

So now we are in the home stretch, which is stressful, but in truth all the hard work is already finished.  

One more year in middle school, one more year at the studio where Daya has been dancing for the last 7 years.  She has done extremely well and I am very proud.