19 June 2021

 

     Happy Juneteenth Day.  I had another night of about three hours of sleep.  I talked to my parents and wished my dad a Happy Father's Day.

     A couple days ago, Talyn "T.J." Stathopoulos, one of the special needs workers came up to me and said, Sergeant Murphy says we cannot bring your meal tray to your cell anymore. 

     With my compromised immune system they had been trying to keep me away from masses of people.  On the previous unit they had me eat breakfast in the cell, and the other meals early.  This change was out of the blue, and not discussed with me. 

     Today my special needs worker Tony Stelter tells me he can no longer help me clean my cell, per Sergeant Murphy.  Again the sergeant does not bother to talk to me about it.  I go looking for him and ask him what is going on. 

     Our Health Services Unit is supposed to provide a file on what special needs we have due to extraordinary health conditions.  He does not have a file on me.  Considering I have been dealing with this illness since September 2019, and he has watched my decline firsthand from physical specimen for my age to wreck, this sudden change is puzzling.

     With the diminished use of my right arm I do need someone to carry my food try, and, in the last month, help cleaning my cell.  I struggle to lift anything with weight.  I do not like it, but at this point this is where I am.

     What frustrates me is why do I have to expend so my energy, and why am I  constantly dealing with the stress of these bureaucratic messes?  And why do it backhanded, and not talk to me?

     I told Sergeant Murphy to next time talk to me.

     I am working on this paper mosaic.  I want to use a double complimentary color scheme.  Violet and yellow, with blue and orange. 

     I remember Ron English's pieces and his use of the blue and orange compliment.  It talks to me.

     Michael Wilcox's Perfect Color Choices for the Artist suggests that should be blue-green and orange.

     On the warm side of my face I am unsure if I should use the orange, with the blue for areas like bags under my eyes.  Or should I use different valued oranges, saving the blues for the cool side of the face.  So, and I hate time being a factor here, I am thinking of doing multiples to play both color themes out.  I could in fact do even more color studies here.

     The last few days have had my mind working this color problem out.  It is not a bad place to be.

     The problem is this will really take time.  This is a tedious project, as far as measuring the pieces out and cutting them, before gluing them down.  I do not know how much more usable time I have.

     Claude Monet really worked the same idea over and over.  I believe, while color was a big player in those series, he was more interested in atmospheric effects.

     As I piece together my mosaic I believe I will need to work on a larger scale.  My paper mosaic triangles are halved 7.5 mm squares. My support is only 11 inches by 14 inches.  At that size the pixilation might just be too great.

    I have the 18 inch by 24 inch Stonehenge, but I wanted the stiffer bristol board.  I could use the bristol board as a politych.

     When I was at the hospital for the CAR T-cell therapy they asked me where is the happy place I go when in times of stress.

     "Art," I told them.

     I am in a happy place right now.

     I saw a dramatic improvement on the pain level associated with swallowing today.  But my palate Is still messed up and my mouth tastes something akin to a cat litter box.

     I cannot taste spicy.

     I had a group of guys camped outside my cell door as we listened to the end of the thrilling Bucks game on the radio.  That was good fun.