OOJ: Gathering of Nations

GON tiny tot contestant (google images)

went to Gathering of Nations (GON) this past weekend- the largest meeting of Native American and indigeneous people, according to the ABQ Journal. i got there just in time to watch the "Grand Entry of Dancers", where over 700 people in full costume jammed themselves into a giant brilliant tightly packed pulsing human spiral on the UNM basketball court to the beat of 100 drums vibrating my rib cage (i love noisy places). the stands were crammed with families settled in for the day, surrounded by coolers, blankets, and various glowing tablets (to entertain the kids). i spent a couple hours entranced by dance contests for ages tiny tot to teen (i left when the adults started competing; somehow not as fun to watch), alternating with hand drum performances. for anyone considering a trip to abq: forget the balloon fiesta- GON is something you won't get to see anywhere else. mark your calendars for april 2014.

Insomnia

past midnight: a heavy woolen stillness settles over the neighborhood. the tv downstairs is finally silenced; the dogs in the alley have nothing more to say. she wonders if nocturnal animals are all quiet creatures. she wonders if the jungle is noisy at night. cicadas! those are noisy nighttime animals, aren't they? or is it crickets? she doesn't know the difference. besides, they also make noise during the day. perhaps they do not sleep.

this waking exhaustion has been a nightly routine for years now. the most recent specialist (ayurveda) had advised her: "think of a mantra- something you want to happen in your life- then repeat it to yourself 324 times." 

her mantra tonight: the baby will be ok. the baby will be ok. the baby will be ok.

the words trip and fall over themselves. "will" and "be" can't tolerate each other; they bump and jostle each other, then finally part ways. the words rearrange themselves into a new order. will the baby be ok? will the baby be ok? will the baby be ok?

panic rises and swells. medical phrases crowd her mind- cold, clinical, sterile words that stand together shoulder to shoulder, impassive as statues: "increased pitocin", "decelerating heart rate", "declining on the growth curve".

oh god. oh god.

OOJ: Art Is Elementary

more kiddie art! APS's Art is Elementary Art Show opened this past weekend at the Indian Arts Gallery at Expo NM; runs through 5/12, free admission. i went because one of my schools was featured, but i found myself most fascinated by kindergarteners' art; the pics above were all created by kinders! though many kids already try to conform to what they think art "should" look like by the time they're in kinder (blue sky, yellow sun, white puffy clouds, green grass, color inside the lines, etc.), it's nice to see some kids still doing their own thing. 

this next piece was not made by a kinder, but i liked it so much, i had to include it anyway:

OOJ: The World

i try not to compare or judge my kids' art, but this painting is definitely one of the most remarkable things i've seen in a long time. i'm not sure if the amount of effort put into this piece is obvious by looking at a photo of it, but this art was created by a 7-year-old boy, who spent 40 minutes quietly and carefully mixing swirls of paint on a palette, then painstakingly applying it with tiny brush strokes. the entire process was quiet, private, reverential, and proud- and this from a skinny little kid who's the class goofball. afterwards, we stood on chairs to look down at his art and he said it looked like the world.