(no subject)
So, over the period of Thursday-Saturday, both of my cats acquired fleas and tapeworm, one of them had a bot fly larva growing in her nasal cavity slowly eating its way out, and the other was bitten by something, the bite got infected, burst, and caused bleeding and tissue death. He's now stitched up like a football and has to wear a cone for a couple of weeks, because he's flexible enough to lick the back of his head.
But my poor, sad cats are a footnote in all of the activity bustling around my life right now. Last Monday I started as an Americorps VISTA with Community Action. I'm doing neighborhood revitalization in the Merrill Neighborhood of Beloit, the "slums, the ghetto, the hood". Beloit has the third highest population of African-Americans in Wisconsin (behind Milwaukee and Racine), and a vast majority live in this neighborhood in poverty. Over the next year of service I'll be helping to build and fix up houses, plant gardens, and clean the streets (literally and figuratively). Last week an 8 year old boy was shot in the crossfire between two drunk men, and is now in critical condition in Madison. Whenever my friend and landlord goes to visit his friend in the area, he receives offers of crack and meth on the corner outside her house, in broad daylight. A year ago, over half the houses on the main drag were foreclosed or condemned, giving the drug dealers and gamblers the perfect set-up for their operations for the entire southern Wisconsin/Northern Illinois region.
I haven't done much yet. I've painted some trim, weeded a little, made some contacts. But soon I'll be tripping over myself with things to do, and I can't wait.
In theory, I'll also be applying for grad school this fall. I have hilariously little money, and the VISTA position pays a 105% poverty level*, so it's not like I'll be raking in the savings, so even if I were accepted into my dream school** who knows if I'd be able to afford it. Still, I'll be applying, and hopefully that will encourage me to do art - serious art, on my own, unrelated to school for the first time.
I've been terrible - really rubbish - at keeping in contact with most of you. This is not a sign of my fickle emotions or disinterest, but instead a kind of unawareness that people might like hearing from me once and a while. I'm going to genuinely make an effort to call or write those of you who do want to hear from me soon.
Aside from my cats, my life is pretty much spectacular. I don't have a lot of money, but I have a lot of very good friends and I'm where I want to be right now. Life? Pretty great.
*and also it is illegal for me to make income in any other way. Gifts are allowed, but no commissions, no part time job, etc.
**The School of Visual Arts in New York City. Their Illustration as Visual Essay major is basically my holy grail.
But my poor, sad cats are a footnote in all of the activity bustling around my life right now. Last Monday I started as an Americorps VISTA with Community Action. I'm doing neighborhood revitalization in the Merrill Neighborhood of Beloit, the "slums, the ghetto, the hood". Beloit has the third highest population of African-Americans in Wisconsin (behind Milwaukee and Racine), and a vast majority live in this neighborhood in poverty. Over the next year of service I'll be helping to build and fix up houses, plant gardens, and clean the streets (literally and figuratively). Last week an 8 year old boy was shot in the crossfire between two drunk men, and is now in critical condition in Madison. Whenever my friend and landlord goes to visit his friend in the area, he receives offers of crack and meth on the corner outside her house, in broad daylight. A year ago, over half the houses on the main drag were foreclosed or condemned, giving the drug dealers and gamblers the perfect set-up for their operations for the entire southern Wisconsin/Northern Illinois region.
I haven't done much yet. I've painted some trim, weeded a little, made some contacts. But soon I'll be tripping over myself with things to do, and I can't wait.
In theory, I'll also be applying for grad school this fall. I have hilariously little money, and the VISTA position pays a 105% poverty level*, so it's not like I'll be raking in the savings, so even if I were accepted into my dream school** who knows if I'd be able to afford it. Still, I'll be applying, and hopefully that will encourage me to do art - serious art, on my own, unrelated to school for the first time.
I've been terrible - really rubbish - at keeping in contact with most of you. This is not a sign of my fickle emotions or disinterest, but instead a kind of unawareness that people might like hearing from me once and a while. I'm going to genuinely make an effort to call or write those of you who do want to hear from me soon.
Aside from my cats, my life is pretty much spectacular. I don't have a lot of money, but I have a lot of very good friends and I'm where I want to be right now. Life? Pretty great.
*and also it is illegal for me to make income in any other way. Gifts are allowed, but no commissions, no part time job, etc.
**The School of Visual Arts in New York City. Their Illustration as Visual Essay major is basically my holy grail.