One good Forster's Turn..

Salutations!

My dear readers this entry will be a mish-mosh of my life in the last couple weeks, which has had some quite significant revelations if not, dare I say it, actual progress.
So, tomorrow marks a week since my last internet procured date, and because of a challenge posed to me by a friend (in addition to a confluence of many other factors) the last one until I get one the old fashioned way, that is to say IRL (in real life).
I went ahead with the decision to delete my online dating profile, which if you know me, or better stated: if you have met and known me within the last five years, is kind of a big deal. As I expressed in the penultimate post, it became too consuming an activity with not the kind of payoff I was really looking for.

It's given me buttloads of free time.
Just this week I went to: Cal Academy Nightlife,  OMCA First Fridays, a live musical production of Return of The Jedi,  a clothing swap, finished reading a book and began another one,  and went birding (more on that gloriousness in a bit). I guess honestly, I hadn't really taken stock on how much of a hobby it was, or how time consuming.
Ultimately it came down to not only the time it took to secure dates, but also how excruciating it is to go over the same details of your life ten times in a row. In some ways you see yourself in a different light each time, but in many ways you are stuck on repeat mode, perpetual pre-intimacy. I also realized that in this process I had somehow strayed quite aways from the person who I know and have always known as "Ivel".
I just decided that instead of being someone who is "dating" I am going to be someone who is "single", which is not to say that I won't go on dates, but going forward I am going to be really cognizant of my goals and intentions, and make sure my actions are aligned with those. Also, most of my adult life has been spent in a relationship, I have to take a step back and figure out how to relate to other human beings in a non-romantic context.
It's kinda nice, I remember being 19 year old Ivel, twelve years ago, before any romantic entanglements occurred, there was a sense of peace with my oneness. I am bringing that shit back. Spending more time with friends, and really, a lot more time with myself, which is cool cause I really like my company! I guess I was just being impatient, but there is quite a bit to be learned of oneself in times of solitude, if you listen.

:D
Or attempting such things...


Speaking of cultivating new hobbies, today was my first experience birding! It was amazing! I fell in love with all aspects of it, listening for the birds, learning about their different traits, waiting for them, and being disappointed in not actually seeing them. I want to develop those skills, I need to get gear; a birding book, binoculars, and some sunscreen. Wee! I am super stoked to get more into it!
This round I saw a:

Forster's Turn
Black Neck Stilt
Turkey Vulture
Black Phoebe
Greater Yellowlegs

In other news:
I was looking into print-making and etching classes, didn't see anything solid but got a lead to one in the Mission I might check out.

I have been reading The Feminine Mystique, it's been pretty rad and deserves it's own post on the concept of identity formation and how women's lives are juxtaposed to the other sex. It's really made me think a lot about how I have related to partners in the past and how I really need to use this time to get my mental ducks in a row before trying to shoot off into the next relationship.

In the mean time I am cultivating new hobbies and searching for other potential avenues of expression. Creative expression has been particularly important for me to get a spark under these days, it remains a bit elusive, but I feel like it's going to play a key role in my growth. Perhaps because I spent so much time neglecting it while I was going to school. It's kinda an important part of who I am, I just need to figure out the right fit.

Alright kittens, until next time, expect great things.

intergalactic quibbles & bits

taking a second to take it all in
then spit it out in unrecognizable patterns that we've all seen before
at least once
the shadows of our torments could not hold a candle to this,
the dullness of the day to day
one hour after another marked only by the tiny rivets in between
the half hour mark and the five till
the weariness of my bones, and that muscle I can't quite figure out
how to stretch
across the clearest of blue skies,
my tongue would soar to meet yours in sweet discourse
instead, it's trapped in this wretched body
ensconced in doubt, uncharacteristic of me
and in some ways quite beautiful

an infinite quest for ephemeral splendor
the blighted breath of incubator babies
i am slightly ashamed every time i feel relief
thinking my tumor might be real
and i won't have to deal
with the rest of existence
it's not a veiled cry for help so much as
a catcall to meaning
she grins at me slightly and sways those hips
effortlessly on the horizon
as if to say,
you won't ever attain this
but your desire will pull you through far enough

i know
i know

you can't imbibe that kind of meaning
you can't hard wire your sensory sensibility
the older i get the easier it gets
to wait
cause time is what i have an overabundance of
soon it will run out
chuck my hourglass against the pavement
sand spilling like oil staining our best intentions
as far away from nature as we can stand to be
perfectly manicured
all according to the posted signs

i inhale the illusion of you like oxygen
the memories of a past not had
pictures of an imagined future perfect
lingering like failure often does,
slick and shining
alluring and inviting another thought,
and another until you are swollen with what would appear to be
regret
but i don't have time for such things
my affections seemingly
available for a limited time only

observable patterns would indicate this is the last verse
with the underlying understanding that my fickle tendencies
will not begin or end with you
yet every new beginning implies an ending
we just pray and wish against the odds
possibility as infinite as my inner meandering and gratitude
for those grey-green eyes and nods,
that hold in them the promise of a future worth having

Washed the dirt off our intentions...

Prattled on about bad inventions.

Salutations!

September is my birthday month, I turn the big three one on the thirtieth. Even though I still have some time till that happens, birthdays always make me super contemplative.

Actually, I feel like everything is making me contemplative these days! I think it's because my brain is so used to being focused on school that now it has a bunch of free time it's like, "what are we doing here Ivel? why aren't you keeping me busy? what did he mean by that look? oooh! shiny thing! let's watch monty python.. what does it all meeeaaaannn?"



Man. Shut up brain. Get a life.

Of course it won't be still and has taken to waking me up at three or four in the morning deciding this is the best time to start thinking about all of my afflictions. Because I can do a lot to change things at that time. Derf.
I think *hope* this inner turmoil will ultimately lead to progress; I am using this post to clear out some of those thoughts about next steps.

Career-
Graduating from a Master's program feels like taking up residence in a pressure cooker. I am feeling it like never before and I've got it coming from all sides. Internally I am continually berating myself for not being more active in my pursuit. Even though part of me that believes I am not doing so because I am being really cautious and scared of what may happen if I do get the job of my dreams. This internal struggle has stunted progress in some regards. On the one hand I want to make sure I get the "right" job that will catapult me onto a trajectory in line with my studies and personal philosophy, but maybe I just need to get a job at a museum doing whatever and then figure it out from there. Externally, everyone and my momma has been asking me, "what next?".
Well...
I find a fucking job and get my goddamned life on track, what are you doing?
 
Not being sure where my "permanent residence" is going to be has made it hard for me to develop a routine, which I have been craving lately since losing my school/work routine of the last two years. I know the next move is going to be dictated by my career, that is both exciting and scary as shit. Not necessarily because I may have to move to an unknown location (which, I am actually looking forward to. sort of... there is a lot more to this notion..) but because of all of the work that will entail. Basically re-imagining every facet of life as I know it.
Plus my insecurities have comfortably nestled themselves in my belly and are refusing to budge until I engage in some serious Professional Development. The books are sitting on my desk right now, smiling softly, but for some reason I am hesitant. I am not sure if it's because I am being lazy or tired of thinking about the whole thing. I am thinking it's the latter, but I realize it's not a good excuse.

The more I think about it the more I am observing a pattern in my behavior, I have to mentally build up to something, and the build up can be so uncomfortable! Ultimately, I find that this process is useful in being certain of my decisions and to be confident in my actions. I am in my head a lot. Living alone aggravates the symptoms.
Perfect segue.

Dating-
I was just reading about this project in which two friends, after finding themselves single at the same time,  decided that they would date each other exclusively for 40 days and document their experience. It was a really great read and an insightful look at what it means to be single, date, or be in a relationship in modern times.
Interestingly, I found myself relating to the male half as I read through the entries and found the female side to be really overly introspective about the whole situation (sound familiar?!). It really made me think a lot about why I date so much and what am I looking to get out of it ultimately.
I know that dates for me are [have become!?] a way to blow off steam; you make plans with someone you don't know, you talk to them about whatever (yourself, or them, or the weather...), if you are lucky (or if they are) some smooches (+), and then you are done.
It is pretty cut and dry, and more often than not it does not progress from that level, by either my doing (usually) or theirs.
To me that is actively dating, which is what I have been engaging in recently and am currently re-evaluating as a strategy.

This has brought up a series of questions that I have been seriously pondering as of late:
Is this lifestyle what I really want right now?
Is this taking me any where closer to my ultimate goal?
What is my ultimate goal?

I feel like my ultimate goal is to find a partner that I will fall in love with and will be crazy about me, we'll grow together, I'll finally have my blue milkwash spice rack. I have this elusive vision in my head, sometimes there is a wrap around porch and rocking chairs, sometimes it's a cozy apartment with books, a dog and comfy couch.
Those are the imagined physical manifestations of a truth I have honestly yet to fully articulate to myself. What does it mean for me to want that kind of closeness with another human being? What am I willing to give and what do I want in return? Finally exposing the fact that I don't quite have these answers has gotten me closer to understanding what I am looking for. (Thanks Blog!)
In the same breath I know that you can't rush something like that! I feel I believe that such a person exists out there, but I don't know how/if they will find me. I have decided to cool it a bit on the dating, I don't want people to be a hobby. It feels too much like an avoidance tactic.

Having said all that, I recently developed a gnarly crush. :D

hahahahaha
I know. I know.

I had forgotten what crushes feel like; so sweet and nonsensical. Wonderful and terrible things in their own right, they are all consuming in the most delightful of ways. I don't know what will come of it, but I am so grateful to know that I can still feel all those things with such intensity. I know I am not ancient, but it had been a long time. It's also swell to remember that not all attraction has to be strictly physical in nature and to experience what it feels like to really want to know about someone's thoughts and their past. To enjoy their voice and just want to listen to them for hours. The sheer uncertainty of it makes me uneasy, but I can't bring myself to act on it (for a multitude of reasons, most poignant of which is I am just over being an initiator, my next suitor will mean it dammit!). I am trying real hard to be easy going and care free about the whole thing.
I feel funny and cute, like I am going to vomit everywhere. Alright. I guess that's not so cute. Maybe like rainbow diarrhea coming out of a unicorn ass. No?

OK.


This then.


Other things-


Friggen odds and sods! Life is full of them right now! Between having to get rid of my car, my bike conking out, emails, doctor appointments, over due bills, parking citations, etc etc, I am so over everything! It almost renders me immobile, which is just about the best strategy to get all of those things done.


Life and times!

That's me. Right now.

Thanks for stopping by, until next time, expect great things....

These Are the Days

of Miracle and Wonder.. -Paul Simon

Salutations.

So says the cover of a journal I purchased in St Augustine, Florida this past summer whilst on a small vacation with my old folks. It was a two day trip with terrible accommodations. It resulted in being pretty lackluster on account of my unwillingness to play the role of tour guide in a town that I didn't know and didn't really care to visit in the first place. Word to the wise: never select a two star hotel, ever. The vacation came on the tails of my fellowship with the Smithsonian, which took up the first 6 weeks of my summer, directly after graduating from the Master's program.

Needless to say I had an intense and not relaxing summer.

Now here I am back home in my lovely Oakland apartment, back to my pretty plants and colorful wall hangings. I love my little apartment because it feels like an extension of me; warm, colorful, homey, and slightly incomplete.

I am back to "figure things out", except there is a certain clarity in as much as I know what it is I want to be doing (working in a museum doing community engagement and/or evaluation) but I am not sure how to get there. Sure, apply for jobs, intern (some more work w/out pay... sure sure, inevitable), volunteer, more applying. It's exhausting. I am gonna go ahead and bitch about feeling overwhelmed, cause I am. I have an underlying understanding that it will all be ok, but it's not right now. So I am going to feel that discomfort for a moment.

Overall, I feel fine. Really.
I see my friends with their babies and my exes with their marriages, and I don't wish I was them, even though sometimes I dwell on the ramifications of other courses of action. I don't regret any of the decisions I have made and am really proud of where I am right now, I got myself here.
I am just a little bit bewildered.

My job is undergoing a lot of changes that I am finding are a little bit difficult to ride a long with. I just stuck my nose into the experience of a co-worker and got burned for my good intentions. It was a sobering lesson in pulling back, which I am not used to, especially there, a place in which I have always felt valued for my openness and point of view. But I have learned that sometimes even if you want to help someone and try to make their situation better, they may not want your help. Furthermore, your unsolicited inquiries and observations can very easily be taken out of context and be made to seem meddlesome. It was one of those things I was so taken aback by, but at the same time it really good learning instance with little actual consequence. Someone as idealistic as I can definitely benefit from those reality checks from time to time. Hey Ivel, people don't always see eye to eye, and despite your best efforts, it's not in your power to make it happen.

SIGH


That is my response to being back and life and everything right now. I want to run away and crawl into a little hole and come out when things are the way they are meant to be. Arguably, of course, going through this is where I need to be, and I just need to man the fuck up and get shit done. I am just tired and feel slightly like I am treading water is all. It's a stage, those pass and we emerge shiny on the other side, I understand.
I get lonely, go on a lot of dates, which while fun does not combat loneliness. Neither do my friends, bless their hearts. I love spending time with friends, but there is something about that old fashioned male partner companionship which I miss. I know I can't rush any of the things that are coming to me (I sure hope) but that doesn't make it any easier to wait for them to happen. Biding my time. Trying to be graceful.

"There's a tangle thread, in my head, with nothing on either end" My Mirror Speaks, Death Cab for Cutie

Yea.
And my car is broken; it costs too much money to fix it.

We are entering my 31st birthday month.... Things are OK, on track pretty much...

Till next time, expect great things....

Success sounds like...

A cacophonous cascade of confounding thoughts.

Salutations!

This is a reflection post

I graduated last month with my Master's in the Arts, Museum Studies with a focus on Education. I have been doing quite a bit of processing (and celebrating) this past month, thinking about all of the ramifications and expectations accompanying my accomplishment. Many people (more than I expected) have asked me things like "How does it feel?" and "What are you going to do now?".
I guess folks don't really consider this to be rude, and I reckon I wouldn't think it to be rude either if I had not been in the position of hearing this question at the precise juncture when and trying to come up with a satisfying answer.  My answers included a lot of "I don't know!" and "It feels pretty good..." which of course does as much for the recipient as it does for me, namely profess an anticlimactic articulation of a pivotal life event.

It was like a roller coaster that had a massive buildup, many twists and turns, feet up in the air with much frenzy, only to end rather quickly leaving me soaked and wondering how long it will take to dry off so I could enjoy the rest of the park.

I am a little smarter, a little more capable, and under a whole lot more pressure to do something with my life. Which is great, right? Cause I am the kind of person who needs an external force pressed upon me to motivate towards greatness. 

Newton said it best:

• An object that is at rest will stay at rest unless an external force acts upon it.
• An object that is in motion will not change its velocity unless an external force acts upon it.

And all that.

"Other people's lives seem more interesting cuz they ain't mine. Well I'm fed up and need to go, out of existence or just down the road forever" -Modest Mouse off of Building Something Out of Nothing

Fast forward through the post graduation existential mental meanderings and I am in Washington DC for the summer, doing a fellowship with the Smithsonian Latino Center working for the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Which has been intense and interesting on many levels; most poignant of which has been the internal wrestling with the concept of interpretation and representation of identity. Which I still can't make head or tails of and run circles around the ambiguity of it all till my mind just tells me to knock it the hell off and think about string theory or something more palatable, like frilly underwear. Ultimately I feel like it's the kind of thing that doesn't like to be designated into such steadfast parameters and trying to do so for the sake of appeasing someone else's notion of completeness or understanding will unfailingly yield a half-assed assessment of an invariably personal prescribing. 

Word. 

Other than that my time in DC so far has been marked with a rather astonishing level of inactivity. It's completely bizarre and unlike me, especially in a new city with such a vibrant cultural scene. But I am feeling really subdued. Which is great, coming down from the absolute insanity of the last six months (two years!?) calls for a much needed chill the eff out time. 

Now, it's not like I have been completely hermetical, I have been partaking in my [nowadays] quintessentially signature activity, dating. Which has been fun and markedly different from dating in the Bay Area. Perhaps because of the temporal nature of my presence in DC and also because the East Coasts breeds a different sort of man. I must say the crop much less attractive (at least in DC), but delightfully possessing just the right amount of sarcasm and straight forwardness I have much desired from their handsomer West Coast counterparts.

ON THE HORIZON:

A  [paid] researching gig with the New Media and Technology Director of the Smithsonian Latino Center working on a project dealing with gaming and (you know it!) cultural representation and Latino identity. In the realm of immersive video game experiences of all things. It's actually kind of eerie that video games have made their way back into my life in this way, but I am totally into it. My aversion to gaming has to go the same way my aversion to technology has; out the window! My work is going to consist of bridging the gap of understanding the nuances of Latino representation in gaming, pretty rad I think. 

For whatever reason I was lucky enough to pick a niche (underrepresented audiences and STEM) that is really relevant today, unbeknownst to me! But, hey friggen awesome, thanks life! It will be what I make of it of course. This opportunity to do work with such a big name brand is pretty ridiculous, it won't pay much of course and is nothing in the way steady work, but super advantageous none the less.

In other fronts:

I have applied for two jobs fresh out of grad school, one at the Seattle Aquarium, and one at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. I am not expecting replies on any of my endeavors for a while, but I am still positive and hopeful. I know it's a rough market [understatement], and that everyone and their mommas just graduated and are all looking for ways to start paying off their student loans. I get it, and I am not taking it personal. I am going to get more serious about it (and working out!!) when I get back to the Bay. I will be starting out local and up the West Coast, and then widening the scope across the states, cause whatever, I am down for adventure (and becoming gainfully employed), even if it's on a non (gasp) coastal state.

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, I will try to be more dutiful. I know you probably don't care (haha) but I need to keep my writing chops sharp, and I really enjoy adding a voice to the innumerable pictures of myself I post.

  

My first ridiculous Instagram photo collage!

                     

Talk to you next time, until then, expect great things!

I've seen so many ships sail in, just to head back out again and go off sinking

Salutations!

Today I am sharing a beautiful (and thought inspiring) letter from F. Scott Fitzgerald to his daughter, Scottie.

"Things to worry about:
Worry about courage
Worry about Cleanliness
Worry about efficiency
Worry about horsemanship
Worry about…
Things not to worry about:
Don’t worry about popular opinion
Don’t worry about dolls
Don’t worry about the past
Don’t worry about the future
Don’t worry about growing up
Don’t worry about anybody getting ahead of you
Don’t worry about triumph
Don’t worry about failure unless it comes through your own fault
Don’t worry about mosquitoes
Don’t worry about flies
Don’t worry about insects in general
Don’t worry about parents
Don’t worry about boys
Don’t worry about disappointments
Don’t worry about pleasures
Don’t worry about satisfactions
Things to think about:
What am I really aiming at?
How good am I really in comparison to my contemporaries in regard to:
(a) Scholarship
(b) Do I really understand about people and am I able to get along with them?
(c) Am I trying to make my body a useful instrument or am I neglecting it?"

                                                                                             (F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Life in Letters)

I think this advice originally composed for his eleven year old daughter is timeless and certainly can be applied to my life in a number of ways. I tend not to be too much of a "worrier" per say, but I do often find myself being completely preoccupied by things that I don't necessarily hold in high esteem or value.
A great example of that is dating, I find that I can be completely obsessed with the concept of dating, and generally I feel that my returns are not worth the investment. But, for one reason or another I keep doing it
(I should mention that I am specifically talking about internet dating, not dating in general which will obviously be necessary for me to engage in for going from a "single person" to a "person with mate"). And, while I wouldn't say that I don't hold dating itself in high esteem, I think what I am more concerned with is creating a real bond with the person that will ultimately be my life partner. Unfortunately I feel that my approach is somewhat faulty, and that seeking something like that out as voraciously as I am will yield emptiness.
So, why worry about it?
Good point!
I will start my attempts to refocus that energy I place on finding a potential mate to becoming more adept at things I am interested in.
Things like

1. Design thinking
2. Data visualization
3. Museum activism
4. Evaluations
5. Technology and it's applications/implications as manifested in our daily lives
6. Exercise 

That said, Fitzgerald did not imply that Scottie should lead a worry free life, and while I do indeed value and believe in cleanliness, the worry of particular note to me in that set was courage.
I feel I am generally a pretty courageous lady, ready to bound head first into the unknown depths of what have you, but there is a new arena emerging in regards to my personal courage that needs nurturing. I am in dire need of cultivating the courage to put myself out there career-wise. I find that I am often hesitant (scared?) to take risks because I am wary of rejection or failure. This needs to stop now.
Recently I was turned on (by my good friend Ivy) to IDEO's (a San Francisco based design company) slogan of "Fail often to succeed sooner", this has been a revolutionary thought in my life. Eureka! Of course it makes sense! But putting yourself out there and being vulnerable to rejection is never easy... So, I have been critically thinking about how to tackle this internal hiccup. What I came up with is the following: I need to apply my theory on dating to my career obtaining strategy: try a lot, be yourself, and don't be surprised (or discouraged) by failure. All held together by the underlying (supremely reassuring) belief that there is someone/something out there for you after all.

We'll see how that goes.

Conversely, speaking to another one of Fitzgerald's "worthy worries", I had an interesting conversation the other day with my good friends, power couple Casey & Karen, about the concept of efficiency of thought. I have been obsessed with the concept of efficiency for a while now, and found that I could derive a significant amount of satisfaction by maximizing the efficiency of my efforts in my job as a barista. The point in doing that ultimately was to save valuable energy, in the hopes of having more of it to expend. I was thinking about how that translate to thought processes, if one could minimize the traffic of thought and get to your destination quicker, wouldn't that imply that you could achieve more in a shorter amount of time?
Casey had a good point, sometimes the best ideas come up during that fumbling through. If thoughts didn't meander, perhaps the genius would never spring forth, and if you were all caught up in the preoccupation of accomplishment perhaps creativity would remain elusive.

Food for thought.
Do you have any? Leave them below!

Bye till next time! Until then, expect great things!

Summer of Science

Salutations!

I was going to wait to be on the plane to DC to write my first blog post, but then I visited the Natural Sciences gallery at the Oakland Museum of California.
All I can say is, OMG OMCA!

Of course I'll say more, this is my blog after all...
It was just too beautiful. I had been anticipating the opening of this gallery for a while, and even though it opened June 1, I had not made it out there because I was waiting for the right time. This morning when they posted a picture of a tasty looking sandwich from their Blue Oak cafe, I knew the time had come.
I went straight there, got in free with my American Alliance of Museums (AAM) card, and headed straight for their cafe. I sat at a shady table in the outside patio and reveled for a moment in the fact that I am graduating school in about a week.
So much has happened to me in the past couple years and I am astounded at my progress and growth, we are all ever evolving (ideally) beings of course, but a really profound transitional moment such as a graduation can turn a usually pretty introspective lady such as myself into a really contemplative powerhouse. So I ate my ham & brie sandwich (delicious!),  pickled vegetables and salad with my hands (that is so fun sometimes!) and was finally ready to roll.

The first steps into the gallery filled me with such joy, now, I'll start with the disclaimer that i <3 OMCA, and they can really do no wrong (or at least haven't yet) in my eyes. But seriously, it was so beautiful. I spent like, 15 min in the first two panels and then kinda glided the rest of it knowing that I have to come back at least 12 more times to really soak it all in. When I got to the back of the gallery I sat on one of the rocking chairs on the Yosemite wrap around porch (!) and tried to gather my thoughts about why I loved this museum so much.
I came up with the following list:

• Touch me Touch me! One of the things I really appreciate about the OMCA's approach is their penchant for engaging kinesthetic learners. They have tons of things you can touch, smell, play with, listen to, all to get you to understand the message they are trying to convey. Just today I smelled cedar, kelp, and pickle weed, created an animated short about Canadian geese flying over a bus, and rocked in a rocking chair on a porch while reading about Yosemite National Park.
• Creating Connections. They really place an emphasis on making sure the visitor knows that this experience is first, about California, and secondly about them. However you came to California, you are now forever engrained in it's history. I am not even a Californian and I can't help but feel a sense of pride. And that is not an emotion I am too wont to feel either, so good job!
• Share your POV. All over all the galleries there are little posts set up with prompts that ask you questions about the exhibits. Topics range from share your thoughts about your favorite California trail, to what do you think these specimens smell like, to how do you think we can fix the economy. It is simple, just a post it up on a wall, but the effect is a very powerful one. I take the time to read through the notes and at the same time I understand the community around me better.
• Artfully Displayed. They really have an aesthetic sensibility that resonates with me, it is accessible, it is comfortable, classy but not pretentious, polished but not pristine. I dig it.

My face was hurting from smiling so much, I chatted with the security guard, a California native, Eliseo (who I had chatted with on past visits) for a minute about how great the new wing was and what I was up to. He was super warm and very interested in my life, which felt really nice. There is something contagious about elation. I lasted a total of two hours, if that, and had to leave. I was overcome with emotion, which is one of the reasons my preferred museum experience is as a solo flyer. I really like setting my own pace and sometimes it happens that I need to leave right away. I headed over to the gift shop and showed them some more $$ love by purchasing a t-shirt and a travel mug ( I needed one! I lost mine!) and a magnet.
Then I walked home around the lake smiling all the way.

Bye for now! Until next time, expect great things!
:)