Hard To Say Goodbye...

Hello all. I know I’ve disappeared for a bit but I’m back. I’m not bearing good news though. Many of you know I work at a museum, which has increased my love of (almost all) art. Well at the NC Museum of Art, a wonderful piece called “To See Jennie Smile” created by Steven Siegel is being taken down on May 18, 2010. Granted, I haven’t ever seen the piece before I began working here but getting to see it regularly is a delight. It’s a piece you can stare at for hours and walk away feeling as though you still have not absorbed it all. Unfortunately, the piece has began to lean and rather than allowing it to fall into the creek below, it is better to let "Jennie" leave with her dignity intact. The pictures at the top are sort of a before and after. As you can see the piece has some serious leaning going on. There’s still a week left for all of us to say goodbye to “To See Jennie Smile.” The piece is located on the walking trail, on the park grounds behind the museum. We have plenty of maps inside to help anyone locate it. I encourage everyone to come and see “Jennie” smile for the last time. The NC Museum of Art is located at 2110 Blue Ridge Rd in Raleigh.

Here are a few links you might enjoy.
The museum website: http://ncartmuseum.org/interim/home.php
Artist Steven Siegel: http://www.stevensiegel.net

That's Not Your Chicken

I work at a museum. We've been "on the move" for awhile because of a new building being built. Well this past weekend was the grand opening. The crowds were insane, and people came from far and wide to see the new building (which easily rivals museums in bigger cities). Everybody worked pretty long hours including security (the department I work in). Anyone who worked a 10 hour day was considered "lucky" by the rest of the staff. The restaurant staff was kind enough to provide free meals for staff, volunteers, and performers (we're talking 150-200 people easily). And I don't mean just one meal, we're talking 3 solid meals a day. Needless to say we were all very thankful that our food was taken care of, and still greediness managed to surface.

It's Saturday evening around 6pm. I'm already an hour past when I was supposed to go home, and I'm realizing my scheduled 10 hour day was going to look more like an 12-13 hour day. But the bright spot is that I know there is dinner prepared downstairs in the cafe. When I arrive at the cafe an co-worker is already down there and she starts talking to the two co-workers who were walking in front of me. Of course since I'm in earshot I can hear her easily, and shes not making an attempt to speak quietly anyway (which means none of this is a secret). She begins to tell the other two that she already had a plate but she's getting ready to fix herself another plate (even though over half of security had not eaten yet and all staff knew that because it was being announced on the walkie-talkie). Dinner consisted of couscous, and a chicken stew/gravy that you can put over it. Despite my best efforts I end up getting to the chicken stew/gravy serving dish at the same time as the greedy co-worker. We both stand there each with a serving spoon in hand. I thought I was safe because we were standing on opposite sides of the table AND the serving dish was clearly divided into two sections (so you clearly know which side is your side). My greedy co-worker decides she only wants the chunks of chicken and proceeds to scoop out the ones on her side. That was fine because there wasn't much left. But then she takes her spoon and proceeds to scoop the chicken chunks out of MY side of the serving dish!! Of course while she does this I'm staring daggers into her. I guess she felt it because she looked at me, smiled and said "oops" and drops three pieces of chicken off her spoon. I know what you're thinking I should have karate kicked her so hard that even hearing the word "chicken" would have caused her to tear up, or maybe I should have done a two step on her forehead or at least said "Hol' up Swoll Up!! That's not YOUR chicken." My reaction: I put my spoon down and left her "offering" of the last pieces of chicken in the serving dish. I moved on to the next table where there was another serving dish and got some chicken stew/gravy from there. Rest assure that my decision to walk away was much harder than the previously mentioned options, but I'm sure it was much more effective, mostly because it would be difficult to explain to friends and family how I got fired over chicken . I have to admit that she hasn't spoken to me since, but I believe it's because she knows that was NOT her chicken.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed and don't take chicken that not yours! :-)