Back to school, Solo Art Show, and All is Well

Well we all have been back in school for the past couple of weeks. Jamie in 5th grade has now entered Middle School (grades 5-8) and Andrew is now in 2nd grade. I am teaching Digital Imaging 1 and 2, Computer Graphics 1, 3D Design and Ceramics 1 and 3. All courses I have taught before....so other than learning more about the computer programs and tweaking the course material, all should be good.

The Faculty Exhibit at the Goddard Center went well. I may have sold a sculpture, but have not officially heard. So I won't hold my breath. I have a solo exhibit at Artplace Gallery in Denison, Texas for the next month (see postcard). The opening is Saturday Sept. 16. So hopefully there will be a good turn out for that. The show mainly consists of my new paintings in acrylic and watercolor/mixed media. Other than that, all is well with everyone here. Bye for now.

In memory of Lucky, Hello to Zoe

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." - Roger Caras

I took Lucky in for what I thought was an abssessed tooth...it turned out that it was a tumor in which the Vet said was the type that if operated on and he was able to remove it all, it would more than likely return. So based on his age and not wanting Lucky to suffer any more than necessary, I decided to have him put down. A decision that is never easy to make. He had a good long life. From my guesstimate he was about 14 years old...I had him for 11 years and he was a stray and was at least 3 years when he showed up in the front yard, the same day I moved to Tish. He was a sweet, loyal and loving dog and loved his leather doggie treats. I dearly miss him.

Hellooooo Zoe, formally know as Sassy, then Jackie, then Zackie and then finally ZOE. Zoe is approx. 2 years old and was found at the Tishomingo Animal Shelter by my loving son Jamie. He did not want to see his dear ol' Dad living alone without a dog. He is most definitely a sweet and caring boy. Zoe is a very mild-mannered and very well-behaved retriever. She has very soft fur and a personality to match. She was a mother of 10 pups...all of which were adopted at the shelter except her. I prefer adopting adult dogs anyway...as you pretty much know what your getting much more than a puppy. She gets along well with Smokey like any cat (Garfield for example) tolerates the Dawgggg...lol. Zoe is a welcome addition. Thanks Jamie, you made a very good choice, I love you!

“In order to keep a true perspective of one's importance, everyone should have a dog that will worship him and a cat that will ignore him."

Awards, Jurying, Summer Classes

Hey all.....well with a little prodding from my sister-in-law....klog on bleeping woman...lol...here I update me ol blog.

Jamie and Andrew both passed their grade levels and will be moving on...Jamie will be in 5th grade and Andrew will be in 2nd...hard to believe that Jamie will be in middle school. Jamie raked in a whole pile of honor awards. He got straight A's and is on the 'A' honor roll. He also got a citizenship award and a 'Student of Today' award from the Tishomingo Masonic Lodge for demonstrating outstanding scholarship, leadership, citizenship, and integrity. He also got a President's (as in Bush) Award for Educational Excellence. In all, he recieved about 9 awards. He is a smart and caring little boy and deserves every award he earned. So that would be 'One Big Atta Boy for Jamie'.

Andrew had all A's except for one B so he was on the 'A and B' Honor Roll. So rah rah ziz boom bah for him too...he is doing well in school and his teacher was rather impressed with his progress. I am very proud of them both.

Well it is official....I am now or will be as of August 1st on Tenure Track at the Assistant Professor level at SOSU....woooohoooo. So until I get tenured and beyond...I get a bit of a pay raise and I don't have to worry about paying for health insurance over the summer. So if I teach in the summer...woohoo for me...it is extra money and I don't have to sweat it if my classes will make or not.

I finally broke down and bought a 2 gallon aquarium with 2 goldfish in it. I know it is small and probably just the thin edge of the wedge in aquariumville. Probably sooner than later...I will be back having 6 aquariums as I did years ago. So Joel...I will probably be needing your advice on underwater gardening and designing.

I also bought a small amp and inexpensive electric guitar for the boys...well for me too. I forgot how much I like farting around on playing the guitar....pretty cathartic or therapeutic...oh hell....it is just plain ol fun. And who knows....maybe J or A will get hooked on playing it too.

On Friday, I was the juror of the Magnolia Festival Art Show in Durant and got to select the award winners of that show. I also was the Juror for the Goddard Center annual juried show and got to select the work to be in the show and that award winners. I also juried the Collin County Community College Annual Art Show in Plano, TX this spring alos. Must be my year to be a juror (judge)...it is fun being able to select a show and pick the winners.

Well I start Summer classes tomorrow. Well at least a Clay 1 and 2 class that are scheduled concurrently at the same time. My digital photo class did not make...boohoo...well that is probably good as I am trying to get some 'new' art done for the SOSU faculty show that is going to be at the Goddard Center in Ardmore this summer. I have been painting a bit and doing some digital photo stuff....not much in the way of clay sculpting. The work has to be there June 27th...so YIKES....better get my butt in gear. Well that is about all the news from down here in the land of Okies.
TTFN.....Jack, Jamie, and Andrew

Soccer, Baseball, Tenure Track

Hey there all.....I see Cathi is in the middle of major repairs of her house...Looks like she will be qualified to become a general contractor soon. te he

Jamie and Andrew are in the midst of their soccer season. Jamie's team ended up in a tie this Saturday...Jamie scored one of the goals in his teams 3 all tie. Way to go Jamie. They both start up in baseball again soon. Andrew is still in T-ball and Jamie is in Machine Pitch. So it will be off to the baseball diamonds for the next 2 months. Fun to watch them play....as long as it is not too darn hot out. So far it has been a mild spring.

I guess all that has to happen now for me to be hired at the Asst Prof/ Tenure Track level is for the VP of the university to sign off on the transaction form. Hopefully he will do that soon.

Well I better get paying some bills here and get to bed. Happy blogging to all.

Easter Eggs, Easter Dinner, Ice Age 2

I am blogging again...wow....amazing!!! I had a nice Easter weekend....went over to Catherine's house on Sunday and watched J and A hunt for eggs in her front yard. They had fun and it was fun to watch them.
Catherine made a delicious Easter dinner which was enjoyed by all. It was nice of her to invite me over and include me in the festivities. It is good for Jamie and Andrew to see that their Mom and Dad get along well as friends. There was quite a crowd there...Rebecca and Stephen, Catherine's roommate Rhonda and her 2 sons and assorted cats and dogs.
We all then went to the movies...about half went to Ice Age 2...which was my choice and I agree with Cathi.....it was really funny.....I thought it was a hoot. The rest went to Scary Movie 4 which did not get rave reviews.....apparently all the funny parts could be seen on the commercials. Oh well...
It was a busy day today at school. Back to advising students for the next semester. Hard to believe this semester is coming to a crashing halt. But in short order, summer session will be upon us. And as I am teaching 2 courses, hopefully, I guess there is no rest for the wicked. Well TTFN and I will try to blog again soon.

Chuckee Cheese and Tenure Track

Well Jamie and Andrew had their annual chuckee cheese b-day blast. They each had a friend come along and had lots of fun playing games and eating pizza. Catherine and myself co-operatively took them there to celebrate. Stephen, Rebecca and a few others came along to celebrate as well. Fun was had by all.
Well I am another step closer to being hired on the good ol Tenure Track Asst. Professor routine. The paperwork has left the Dean's office and all that is left is for the VP of the university to sign off on it. Perhaps I should send him some lovely handmade pottery just to make sure he signs it...lol...j/k. I will be awaiting anxiously waiting at the mailbox for his letter.
I also sent off my taxes today....not tooooo much damage...only owed a couple of hundred dollars.....so I can survive that. When I teach my extra Continuing Education classes they do not take off any deductions....so that is where I am getting dinged. Oh well, better talk to payroll and get them to take off more deductions...hmmm...seems like I am going in the wrong direction there...oh well.
Good to read the blogs.....I realized I had not read them for awhile and had to catch up. Guess I should check more often...lol.
Well let me see if I can end this on a quote.....

Understanding
"But don’t you see that the whole trouble lies here. In words, words. Each one of us has within them a whole world of things, each man of us his own special world. And how can we ever come to an understanding if I put in the words I utter the sense and value of things as I see them; while you who listen to me must inevitably translate them according to the conception of things each one of you has within himself. We think we understand each other, but we never really do."

Luigi Pirandello, Six Characters in Search of an Author

Soccer, Birthdays, School, Art Stuff, Tenure Track

Hey all....well Jamie and Andrew are back playing soccer. Andrew seems to be getting the hang of the game this year...even running and kicking the ball in the right direction!!! Andrew just turned 7 on March 29th...Happy B-day...big boy!!! Hard to believe he is already 7....Jamie turns 10 on April 8th..sheesh...as they say time flies....

We just finished SOSU's Annual High School Curriculum Meet on Thursday and High School Art Workshops today. So we have had our fair share of interaction with HS students. I looked after the junior and senior drawing students on thursday and today I did Two Digital Photo Workshops for students and I think the students had fun and learned a bit about Photoshop's potential. All in all, I think it was a fun time for everyone involved, in the name of recruiting.

As far as my getting hired on a tenure track as an Assistant Professor. It seems like it is a done deal. I have been told that the hiring commitee has deemed me the most qualified applicant for the position. So it seems like it is just a matter of paperwork and of course the President of the university has to sign off on it as well....so it is not finished yet...but on the right track.

Well that is about all that is news around here...take care and I will blog again soon...

"If you think you are bound,
you remain bound;
you make your own bondage.

If you know that you are free,
you are free this moment.
Freedom is the goal of all nature."

-Swami Vivekananda-

Back to Work...breaks over!

Well as it seems, according to my sister-in-law Catherine...no one is blogging....well here ya go...I am blogging. It was nice to have Mom and Catherine visiting for the past week. It is good for Jamie and Andrew to have the chance to get to know them better.

I do apologize for the lack of heat at my house. And NO I have not acclimated to a cold house. My past 3 heating bills per month were 150, 300 and 200 respectively...these bills have doubled since last year and there has not been that terribly cold weather here to warrant that kind of increase...I am not sure what it costs for natural gas now up north...but I just can not afford to turn up the heat...sorry you found it cold. Too bad the weather was not warmer for your visit.

Well I am back at work teaching...and all is about the same there. Jamie and Andrew start soccer next week and I will keep ya'll posted as to their soccer exploits. I am doing clay demonstrations, probably handbuilding or throwing on the wheel, at Artplace Gallery in Denison, TX. Artplace is one of the galleries that represent my artwork. Here is a link to their gallery and my artwork, if you care to look: http://www.artplacegallery.com/gallery10_ousey.htm
Just FYI, the Red Fish painting sold recently for $500 american...that is about 10,000 cdn...lol...j/k

Well I better get off of here and do some work.....later.

Catherine, Mom, Jack and Mindy

Jamie taking a photo of the crew. Apparently the Yellow Crew!!! Mom and I obviously did not get the memo about the uniform requirements today. te he

Mom and Catherine Make it To OK!!!

After a slight delay in Denver....Mom and Catherine arrived at DFW airport about 9:30 pm Saturday evening. We picked them up and arrived back in Tishomingo right around Midnite. We have been having a relaxing and good visit. My friend Mindy, along with Catherine under Mother's directions made cabbage rolls and we had them for dinner. They were very good eating. We are now watching the kids play video ( no big surprise there) and watching TV. Later.

New Pic of Me and Me Mum

Here is a new pic of me and me mudder. It was taken by Margot. Pretty good shot I would say. She has quite the eye for taking pictures!

Andrew's New Doo!

Andrew's new haircut makes one realize how much he looks like a mini-Stephen. You certainly can tell that they are brothers. Handsome little lad he is!!

Nothing else much new on the Okie Ousey front. Just getting ready for classes which start next Wednesday. Boo Hoo! Oh well, gotta make a living. Actually love me job. No complaints.

Take care and TaTa for now...and Peace

Back in Okie Land

Well I made it back safe to Tishomingo. It was a long drive, 2 full days. It seemed even longer with plenty of time to reflect on the loss of my brother Dennis. It is hard to believe he is gone. I miss him so. I can't imagine the loss Catherine, Mom and Margot feel and will continue to feel. Healing is a long road. Thank goodness we have good memories of times shared as a family with Dennis. It is a comfort. His memory and spirit will live on in his family and friends.

Losing someone certainly reminds me to never to take anyone for granted. As Catherine said before I left Winnipeg, "Tell Jamie and Andrew that you love them often." I do and I always will.

Jamie and Andrew are doing well and are presently enjoying the spoils of Christmas. I have them here for 5 days, until New Years day. It is nice to have them here with me. They are a blessing and a joy.

A big thanks to Catherine for her hospitality during my stay in Winnipeg. Christmas dinner and all the other dinners for that matter were great as usual. It was good to see and be with family during this trying time.

Well as Dennis would say, Bye for now....Tata and Peace.

Love to all, Jack, Jamie and Andrew.

Hey Bro Dennis....Get Better Soon!!!!

Hey Bro Dennis ....Get Better Soon!!! And I hope you find out what the problem is soon as well. I am glad Catherine called to clue me into your conditions. I had not been checking the blogs lately and had no clue that you were having these problems. I myself am having another excruciatingly painful round of cellulitis in my leg. This time it is in my thigh....oh boy oh joy....this is my 2nd week with it....I did not go to work most of this week...it is painful to stand and painful to sit...lying down is about the only comfortable position to be in. When I first felt it coming on.....I went to the doc's and he gave me a shot of penicillin in the ass and a round of Amoxycillin....well that held it at bay over Thanksgiving but it was not clearing up....so he put me on cyprocillin and that seems to have started to make a difference...hopefully I am on the road to recovery. I tell ya...this is something I would not bless on anyone. Well anyway....enough of that....Jamie and Andrew are doing well as per usual. And all else here is ok. Blog again soon, Jack.

Better Late than never Halloween picsJamie, Andrew and Josie 

Jamie Poster Pic 

Andrew Poster Pic 

Andrew and Jamie School Pics for 2005 

Trick or Treat...fun had by all.

Another evening of Trick or Treating has come and gone. Fun was had by all. Darth and Garth Vader (or as Andrew would say, Darth and Mini Darth) were accompanied by their friend Cool Surfer Dude (Cole Gardner). This is the 5th year that I have taken all 3 to trick or treat around Tish. We walked many, many blocks and they got scads of candy each. Certainly enough to develop some new cavities. I will post pics of them in costumes when I download them off the digicam. Other than that, work is still work and not much new in that area. I have a new gallery that is displaying my work, it is the Creative Arts Center in Bonham, Texas. I also have work at Artsplace in Denison, Texas, The Firehouse in Norman, OK, and at Sanibel Gallery in Florida. Not selling much anywhere....but still exhibiting....one can only try.
Anyway, better get back to painting...Have a Student/Faculty exhibit coming up at SOSU in January and a Faculty Exhibit coming up next June at the Goddard Center in Ardmore, OK.
Later Dudes and Dudettes.

Finally Moved In, Almost!!!

Hey all.....I finally have nearly finished moving in to my (new to me) house. Thank goodness I had a couple of extra days off last week or I would never have got most of my stuff moved. There was only myself and a good friend of mine moving all my stuff for the past number of weekends. I think it took about 92 trips back and forth. It is only about 4 blocks away from my old place....but you still have to go through all the same motions. Next weekend I will just have to go and clean-up the old rental place and hopefully get my damage deposit back. And then there are boxes and boxes and bags of stuff to be unpacked at my new place. Plenty to do for the next number of weeks, months, years...lol.
This move certainly has seemed like it has been going on forever. And yes, Dennis, things apparently do move slow in Tishomingo. By the way, I did mention to Mother on a number of occassions that I would not likely be able to make it to Winnipeg because of the move....and lack of funds. It is too bad, I would have liked to have been able to come and visit. It sounds like Gary, Carol et al are having a good visit in Winnipeg.
Jamie and Andrew like the new place and glad that I moved to a bigger house. They are both doing well in school and both look quite scholarly in their new glasses. Anyway I better get back to work. Glad to hear all is going well with everyone and glad to Dennis's cellulitis is clearing up...not fun, eh?? Bye for now.