Graduation!!

Daya graduated from high school today... I can't believe it.

The end of a long road.

There is a lot about it that is sad, but honestly I'm mostly relieved.
I'm sad that I'm so relieved.

This has been a hard road, high school has not been easy.

It is, however, ending well.

I got a visual accommodation seat in the third row, which was great and of course there was a big head literally right in front of me. Theaters are always so difficult for me, between my eyes and being 5 feet tall.  Getting that seat took more effort than it should have; the school repeatedly ignored my requests.  The AP of dance took care of it though.

So I'm sad to leave LaGuardia, I'm glad to leave LaGuardia, I'm sad this is the official end of Daya's childhood, and I'm also really happy about that. It's a real intense mishmash of everything.

Daya performed at graduation and I'll put the video link up when I upload it.

Here are pictures. I was so nervous for her performance... I sat next to Mr Smith who choreographed.... he was telling me the stage was really slippery. Daya did have to change a few things because of it, but it was beautiful.

Daya and Mr Steffa. I first told them to make faces showing how much they love each other.

Then I told them to be fake.

They are buds though, although Daya started tormenting Mr Steffa literally since auditions.

Ms Foote

Daya and Jonah, her performance partner.

We went out for sushi.

I gave Daya an Apple Watch.

Dinner was nice and there were some LaG vocal alums in the restaurant too.

After, we both felt like walking so we walked over the bridge about halfway home.

This was really, really nice- Daya talked to me about stuff and we had a really nice conversation. This might have been the best part of the day.

***********

Today is a "last" for me too.

Tomorrow I go into surgery prep for right cataract.

It is the last day of my life I will wear a hard contact lens in the right eye.

See how the light hitting my eyes is different? 

When I get my new implant that will be even again too.

Graduation Cap Decorating & Don't Fight the Mom Army

Last night Daya went to a graduation cap decorating party and decided she didn't want to do what everyone else was doing, she wanted me to do it for her.

Of course I said ok, and I'm glad she knew I would totally do it.

Today I spent most of the day painting her cap.
I brought out my acrylics which I haven't used in years but times like these are why I am fully stocked in EVERYTHING.

Graduation caps are a terrible surface to paint on and I still hate acrylic paint! :)

But I did get to use interference colors and gold so that was fun.

This cap doesnt photograph well, there is a lot of gold at the bottom.

Daya will have the best cap at graduation tomorrow!

Some progress shots...

I did use the plein air painting I did of Juilliard for reference, and honestly having done that painting helped tremendously and saved a bunch of time, because I have the visual memory of it.

Her robe and scarf thing were very creased.

Me: May I pls have your robe and scarf to steam.

She: No, it's fine.

Me: It is not fine, it has creases. I have been texting other moms about this all day.

She: I'm just gonna stuff it in my backpack.

Me: Oh no you are not! You will use a garment bag.

She: Mom it's FINE!

Me: Do not fight the Mom Army.

She: Fine....

__PRESENT

Long Island Graduation Party & I am a weather goddess

My friend invited me to her daughter's graduation party.  We live in the same neighborhood, our kids went to middle school together, and they are both at LaGuardia. (Her daughter is drama.)

This party is out in The Hamptons.

I have not been on Long Island since... I don't know, maybe 2017.

And It's not on the LIRR.

You have to take a bus line called The Jitney which I never heard of and found to be extraordinarily confusing to book. So naturally I put it off until the very last minute, and actually almost cancelled because I was stressed out and overwhelmed.

But I went and I'm glad I did, it was a nice time.

And now I know all about The Jitney, which is still very useless to people without cars unless someone is there to pick you up.

Non-walkable car-mandatory places stress me out a lot.

So I booked The Jitney, it's a capacity reservation thing, definitely not like a city bus or the LIRR!

I said to my friend I can't be there until 1:45.

She  said that's ok, I have to pick up my friend Melinda then too.

On the bus the staff come around checking your nae against their list.  Turns out Melinda was sitting next to me! 

We chatted the whole way over and she's fantastic!

The whole day was supposed to be thunderstorms.

Catherine said it was my fault if I didn't wear sunglasses to make it go away so I did.

I also started a painting which is part of a series Carey and I are doing together and I can't show it yet.... but it was definitely part of the weather witchery.

AND LOOK CLEAR SKIES!!!!

Pride Sky

I went to the office today because I signed up to work the public program after work.

Yeah 16 1/2 hours over the last 2 days didn't stop me... except....

.......I was TIRED. So I took it easy.

There was a rainbow in the sky which I thought looked great next to the Pride flag.

I'm going to take the next several days to be home and recover from this weekend.

Because 9.5 Hours Yesterday Wasn't Enough.......

I was planning on going out painting today.

No boathouse.

But when I woke up.... I just wasn't feeling it.

I woke up angsty from my obnoxious sunburn, and I didn't sleep well.

Plus, since today is a federal holiday I knew EVERYONE would be out and about.

So I was floating around my apartment feeling angsty and having absolutely no clue what to do with myself.... and I suddenly decided to go down to the boathouse.

10 minutes later I was out the door.

Everyone wanted to tell me about my sunburn, despite wearing long leggings.

DUH I KNOW.  Kedrin says it's because they care and I know she's right but I am very well ware of it and there's nothing to do but let time do its thing.

After the public program I went out on the water with a tow rope, tied myself to a buoy, and finished that painting I stared on my ill-fated drifting excursion.

The current kept spinning me around opposite to where my view was it mostly it really worked out very well. Although I did want white gouache....

My Dumb Sunburn & Pier Patrol

Daya got home after 3am last night and I figured she would just stay home and sleep all day.

But I went to the boathouse.

I got there at 9:30am and stayed until 7pm.

It was a very good day but the water was  choppy and there was a current pulling people into the pier.

Three people went overboard, I assisted 2 of them. (Its not a big deal.)

But the tide was also up and people started being pulled under the pier, particularly people who don't know how to paddle.

So I was put on patrol to keep people away from the pier.

Kedrin three me a tow rope which I didn't think I would need, except I don't even know how many people I had to tow around to get away from the pier.  The doubles in particular were struggling.

One lady was drunk or high or something and we removed her from the water, too.

Mark's dog Bowie is the perfect Dock Dog.

Time went so fast and I lost track of it and ended up being on the water for 6 hours... and unfortunately I forgot to refresh my sunblock so this happened.. I am NOT HAPPY about it.