Who can it be now, caught in the ghost net...?

'not sinking, floating': water soluble pastels

Those of you who like me, listen to Radio National whilst driving to work, may have picked up on the conflation of two items in the news today, both of them very culturally specific, referenced in the title of this post. 

Firstly, the death yesterday of Greg Ham, 58, flute and saxophone player in Men at Work, that 'iconic' (or possibly  'ironic') 1980's band who as well as 'Who can it be now?' which inevitably reminds me of Julia Zemiro on Rock Kwiz, also sang the classic Aussie anthem: 'I come from a land down under' with the video that always looked way too colourful and cute, with references to Kombis and vegemite sandwiches: definitely not to be taken too seriously. But that was a long time ago, and I lived in another country...

The drawing above is more about studying, and the way that things can seem simple, but suddenly get complicated. I have been confronted with a couple of reminders of past events this week, which has been a bit uncomfortable. In one case, I met someone whom I had met fourteen years before, in very different circumstances. Brisbane is a very small world.

 

ducks on the sill

'Ghost nets' are the remains of old fishing nets, which have been discarded by fishermen, and are left to float around in the ocean, damaging marine life, like dugongs and turtles, which get caught up in them. Like memories, thoughts and past events, which we can also get caught up in, and dragged around by. 

The current exhibition 'the Long Tide',  at the Artisan Gallery, Brisbane, features artworks made out of recycled ghost nets, by Indigenous artists from the alliance Ghost Nets Australia. I am hoping to go this weekend...

I also have an exam to complete. Its a take home exam, which is like having the convenience of take away food, and less anxiety than a 'real' exam. The disadvantage is, it takes much more time, so I am hoping to actually have a weekend this weekend. 

more later. 

apron swap results!

I signed up for an apron swap at Rhonda Hetzel's Down to Earth blog a few weeks ago, and this is the finished result. The idea of a swap is to make something for someone, in this case an apron, and in return, they make one for you. In my case, I am paired with a special ed teacher in Wisconsin, north of Chicago, on the shores of Lake Michigan. I wanted to have palm trees in the photo, as its probably very different here (in Brisbane, Queensland) from the US Mid West.

The thing I am most pleased about (apart from actually finishing the apron on time) is that I made it using material and a pattern I already had, so I didn't have to buy any new supplies. This includes the basic fabric, which is a natural coloured, loose weave linen, and patchwork squares from a set called 'Hometown', which seemed appropriate. I attached the squares with double sided iron on interfacing, which is great for applique. I then zigzagged around the edges of the patches to make them more secure (aprons get washed lots). The apron looked very basic and utilitarian until I added the patchwork squares.

I also sent my apron buddy a recipe for Anzac biscuits, which seemed suitably Australian. And hopefully it will arrive before Anzac Day, on 25th April...

Back home, I am on holiday from work, and have the obligatory holiday virus. Uni (both teaching and student-ing) has settled down a little; its coming up to mid-Semester break. I have submitted my first assignment, and will have a take home exam next week. So you can see why I needed an apron project right now! Its called experiential avoidance; doing something instead of what you should be doing, because you want to avoid the uncomfortable feelings...

Its been a busy but fun week so far, and I am planning  more experiential avoidance, AKA relaxation, over the Easter weekend.

It was fun to set a movie as homework for my students this week, in this case, a Dangerous Method,  as we were studying Jung. Some of them were shocked that he had a sexual relationship (which also involved corporal punishment, AKA spanking) with his patient, Sabina Spielrein, excellently played by Keira Knightley. Spielrein,a Russian Jew, went on to become a psychoanalyst herself before being killed by the Nazis in Russia in 1942. Yes, the affair was a major breach of professional ethics. My experience suggests such breaches are not uncommon. Does being a pioneer excuse him? Perhaps not. But it shouldn't negate his contribution.

more later.