Thea Maia - Maia Arts - Thanks so much everyone! Sorry - I am not taking requests at this time

a different kind of Valentine

8 Favorite Subject In School - Meaningful Challenge
This is a hard question to answer for me.
If I go to college, the the answer can not be Art.
My Art classes in college, especially Grad School, Art was awful - stressful, draining and humiliating.
 
The very best class I ever had in College, was in my freshman year at the University if Southern California. It was called: Comedy from Aristophanes to the Modern Sitcom. I thought studying Comedy would be fascinating. Little did I know that it was a senior level Classics class! I was the only Freshman!
 
We read plays and studied, them, wrote papers, analyzed them, watched films and even TV shows. It was so amazing to find out how society uses humor to try to keep individuals in line - to make us conform, with the threat of humiliation.
 
Humor is also the best way to communicate very real and difficult issues to the broadest range of people.
 
I was one of only two students to get an A. The professor tried to talk me into studying Classics. I love history and I did end up studying Art History for half of my degrees.
 
What does this set have to do with the subject? When I was in college, besides dyeing my hair, I often drew with charcoal on my skin and wore spike jewelry and dark makeup - at a time when Preppy was IN. So this made me think of college.

4 Goals in Life - Meaningful Challenge
I want to be happy. Really that is it.
I had goals when I was younger - I wanted to be an art professor. I got to art degrees to do it.
Then I got sick.
Now - I want to live a life with Art, my husband, my friends. I want to be happy.
Blowing bubbles makes me happy

30 Something about myself Meaningful Challenge
So - I have not slept hardly at all since I was 18. Before that, I could sleep so hard that you could yell in my ear and I would not wake up. For some reason after that I couldn't sleep anymore. I would watch a video until I fell asleep, or I just got through the day with Coke for breakfast. I didn't drink coffee because I hate it.
 
This is for all the other insomniacs out there
Who in this world thinks that less than 3 hours of sleep is good? Yeah I thought not...

21 Worst Rejection - Meaningful Challenge
I went on a YMCA trip with kids from 7 - 14 years boys and girls. It was the first time I had ever done anything like it in my 14 years - we were to go to Disneyland. My family was really poor, so it was a huge deal for me. My best friend, who was more my friend because she lived a block away than because we had anything in common, went with me.
Some older teens drove the school bus from Washington state down to California.
My friend, two days into 9 day trip, got a crush on someone and left me to find other people to hand out with.
The fourth day we were in California, at a food stop - I think it was a Safeway or something. I was coming back to the bus, after using the store bathroom.
When I tried to go onto the bus, a group of boys and girls blocked my way in.
"We don't like you." I didn't know what to say - their words were like being punched in the gut.
Before I could think of what to say, I saw my friend behind the group - she was on the bus. She did nothing, just looked at the boy she liked.
"We all talked and we hate your laugh. It sounds like a weird bird. If you want to come on the bus, you have to promise to stop until you can change it." The guy and girl who were the spokes people laughed at the look on my face of shock.
If I wasn't two states away from home, I would have called my parents and asked to go home. I couldn't see any of the chaperons. They had timed it carefully.
I was taller than anyone else, but I was also the oldest. I knew that if I tried to fight, they would all say it was my fault and I would get all the blame.
I swallowed my hurt, humiliation and anger, and walked for a few minutes. I couldn't figure out what to do.
So I went back to where they were all watching me and laughing. I told them I would not laugh.
They let me on the bus, and for the rest of the trip I sat by myself, or with the youngest kids, who had not taken part in my humiliation.
For years after that I was afraid to laugh, and would cover my mouth. And I did change how I laughed.
 
Oddly - I have had professional comedians ask me to come back to their shows for free, because they loved how I laughed. I have had people say they loved my laugh. But I never forget that I was rejected for something so basic as my laugh.
 
I try to never reject people for superficial things.

New Contest in our group: The Icing On Top
Sets with Music!
 
I have loved Barbra's voice my whole life. I love her musicals and I own a ton of her music. She is an amazing woman.

Happy Birthday Cherrylux!