Stages of child development

Assignment 005

0-3 Months

Newborn babies do not understand what is happening to them. How does this impact on their development? They can easily feel overwhelmed. It is best not to overload newborns with too much activity.
They do not know that they are people.
They are basically happy when they are fed and they cry when they are hungry or in need of a cuddle.
Newborn babies can feel but not think, so they will pick up on the carer's feelings.
The human voice is important to them even though they do not know what you are saying.
Physically, the digestive system is still forming. Babies are only digesting milk or formula.
At this stage, sleep patterns vary greatly. Sucking and grasping are their main reflexes.
They are attracted to bright light, primary colours, patterns, dots and stripes.
Can lift head momentarily whiule on the tummy. Can't roll over or sit up.

Venice Video

Scenes from collage sketchbooks...click on the title above to see the video.

www.vimeo.com/28712318

Lately fingers in different pies, making jewelry, dabbling in an education course, making tiles in stoneware and terracotta, learning how to fix my bike and hiking on the weekends. 

Snoring

Art video is coming together slowly but surely. The curator has not been in touch. Blurry dimensions as to when and how this is happening. Roy is good fun and has lots of stories. The biggest tv and the best sound system I've ever seen. I am technology poor. He used to be a limo bike rider for Virgin. This last visit, I brought Ben and he was in playstation heaven plus the cats who are part wild cat and eat microwaved steak for breakfast. I will not buy a playstation for Ben as I fear I would never see my child again except to take him to McDonalds. Kentish Town is good too. It's a relief to find a meal in a cafe for a fiver instead of the overpriced milky coffees of Holborn. It's been a slow and easy summer with no big trips. Camping is good and bad. I like being outdoors. But it's hard on the back. Inflatable air beds would be kinder, but not easy to pack. It has put me off the idea of trekking in the Sierra Nevadas in October. Glad I did all my travelling when I was younger. Ben has enjoyed the local playscheme nearly every day and I have read a few more Harlan Coben novels and got a bit of art done. Life is mundane but stable. I used to move on when things got stale, but now, this is the test. To live in one place. And the change only has to come from within. Roy thinks I'm recovering well from this breakdown. Maybe I'm impatient. Now, I'm invited to be a show about sex, but there is no sexy at the moment. 

Soup, drill, saddle

A lovely potato soup with garlic, thyme, Greek basil, paprika, turmeric, and carrots, butter and milk. Wish I was sharing it with someone. I made it for the boys, but I bet they prefer pizza. A saddle purchased today for the painted bike. It's a Brooks B17 for the ladies, so it will be comfortable and outlast me. I started a letter to Ilya. Haven't seen him in years. He's in San Francisco at Ideo. Ben was just a baby the last time I saw him. Roy is coming over tomorrow. All set for the shoot. This is exciting to look through the books again and see them with new eyes. A ride up to Camden Town today and a new cordless drill purchased to put up the curtain rod and caulk...heavy duty caulk, not just any caulk. Every house needs a drill. Next will be blue paint to redo the hallway and paint over the pencil and marker Ben made years ago. Kevin is taking Ben and I to the Cars movie next weekend. I'd like to pop down to the seaside at some point. I've not been out of the city since April. Steve has made a list of technical questions about making the video. Americk and Arthur are sleeping over. It will be three in a bed. No need to start cleaning until they leave. They have been shooting birds with water pistols and playing outside on the bikes. I overheard Ben saying he was going to marry somebody. He is very future oriented. 

Video beginnings

Another day sorting dvd's at John's. Film noir, tennis, music, and fifties have their own sections. White wine is ok but doesn't really agree. It makes the sorting smoother along with the radio. I should get a radio. Steve knows someone who will help out with making the video for the Venice Airport. a commission for me to expose my travel sketchbooks and dialogues to people passing through...airports....a better venue than a gallery. Real people real bored-- bored enough to look at art. P-zing. Ambient soundtrack with my voice over.
It's time soon for a trip out of the city at the very least to a wooded area and maybe to the sea. Liking the Bergon Merlot. A trip to Jamie's today to say hi and see the terrapins, fix his internet and washing machine. Handy woman am I. Now I have someone coming to fix my curtains. And if no one comes to stay on the 31st, I'll be busy making the video and doing a mosaic on board for the hallway. Putting some lurrve into the flat. 

Film and travel

A peaceful day sorting through the stuv and w sections of film guy's dvd's. A wee bit boring, but the progress is nice to see. Tennis and music are getting their own sections. I'd estimate he has about ten thousand dvd's if not more. He's passionate about film....watching. He says, "Why make it if you can watch it?" He teaches various genres and eras: Westerns, post war, film noir, sixties, David Lean. I'm tempted to take a course. If I were to teach a course, I'd specialize in travel histories. Women who traveled in the 1800's Early women travelers. The evolution of travel. It is a big topic. Travel as leisure. Travel as work. Travel as pilgrimage. Travel for religion-Catholics, Christians, Mormons. The travel industry. Artists who have traveled. That would be the break down. Elizabeth Gluckstein in Venice has invited me to be part of a video installation at Venice Airport. It will be edits of my sketchbook pages as they relate to the record of my travels. September it has to be done. Shot for poster to be done sooner. A possible exhibition to follow in the spring in Venice. The art hotel also a possible option to decorate one room in a hotel in Venice. 

Chapters, people, and places.

My mother hopes I write a book about my life. I hope I do too. I have written snippets here and there. I have done a timeline. Possible chapters would be as follows:
(don't I sound inspired)

Possible order would be interlacing vignets, possibly not in chronological order although...it is best that way. If I started from the beginning, it would sound too academic. There could be a page with a timeline. There could be graphics from my journals. There could be a map with points crossed. A map of my life thus far. I've already written the timeline so I won't repeat it. Interesting to draw up a list of people I've come across. People who've made an impression on me.

Running Grass-Monk and macrobiotic food caterer. San Francisco Summer
The ex-Falsom inmate-housemate
(Possibly a chapter called housemates and pets....we all can relate. You don't choose your housemate.)
The monk in the hills of South Korea...Hang moon and his bed sized stereo.
Yadwiga Prokopoff, Ilya's grandmother who ran a boarding house in Berkeley.
The people of room 312...the youth hostel in New York City  one summer. The Brasilian model, the the aussie with diamonds for sale, the other aussie, Moma sauna, The lady with the harp on Avenue D and a small child who I met en route to NY. The guy who worked at NBC. Robert Attansio, the photographer, The guy from the Robert Cray band.Kim, Karen. The nude television presenters. Dove bars. The dancer who didn't do ballet.
Ron Cinncinnatti. His scratchi game in the basement. Killing guninea pig...not him, his friend.
Pet deaths.....an absolute must read.
Marco Giorno-escaping the Toronto mafia in Korea. Lawyer Sawyer-"I'm here to make as much money as I can and screw as many women as I can." Stephen Lynch--expert drunk and furniture thrower. Michael Christiansen--superman. The priest. The Malenfant. The rockclimber. The ex-dancer ex-lawyer. and me. and Rob Riski..diplomat wannabe...cocktail always at hand. Chung Hie Lee-fashion designer and Christian.
Jaunts to Indonesia, the Phils, Thailand, Japan, Hawaii and LA while I was in Korea. The Lemon road youth hostel.

My story is different as most of my travel happened before mobiles or the internet or hand-holding gps devices. Now, the travelling is done for you before you even leave your seat. You can see pictures of where you're going or where you might go. And there are no secrets anymore. Although saying that, being in front of a computer is much different than feeling the waves lapping over your toes or the sun setting over the mountains. Location is still important, not just in relation to relestate.

Korea and Italy made a big impression on me. Korea was a success in many ways. Italy was full of love and then some hard times. And London is all about stability and improvement and fitting practically into the world while still being able to carry on with my artistic side which takes up more than fifty percent of my being.

Instead of making an epic book about my life, I could also tell just one part of it...the houseswapping which is something we have done for six years now. It could be my houseswapping tales or a compilation using other people's anecdotes. It is a relatively new idea which is growing due to the internet and I don't think there are many account type books on it. Hopefully not.

Chapter titles- Boring to name a city or place. The incidents which lead up to me leaving to go from one place to another are a tale in themselves. I am now in the unique position of not moving and not being easily moved due to my child. He has anchored me in this place and this is not a bad spot to be in . Historically, it is full of writers and artists. It is a pleasant area and not too hectic. I don't get into "trouble" in this area or meet eccentric strangers like I would if I lived in Hackney or somewhere more colourful. Sometimes I'd rather live there, but I don't know how that would be really and I probably won't be finding out. I like the wafting white buildings of Maida Vale. It is so peaceful there. I like being near water. Soon, we will be staying in Vauxhall for a while and a change of scene, however small, will still be a change and will be good.