Tomie de Paola contest

Back in high school my dad thought it was obscenely funny to determine my status each day by asking, "Hey Kim! Are we stoked? Or bummed?" Proud of himself that he was using surfer lingo and knowing that as a teenager I was always at one extreme or another, he was able to get an accurate reading of my life.

I have thought of those days a lot these past few weeks, as I went from "bummed" to "stoked" in very short order. I almost feel like visiting the doctor for whiplash.

First I found out that I lost both of the classes I was slated to teach at the both universities I teach at. Ouch. In the same day. Double ouch. And I found out too late to go find other work. BUMMED! Then, just as I wondered how I was going to structure my non-semester (I am like a migratory bird and am instinctively directed by semester ebb and flows) this wonderful agent called me and wants to represent Surfside Girls and get it sold! STOKED! I will now actually have the time and ENERGY to thumbnail out the rest of the book and do some editorial changes. I adore the young people in my classes (they know how much I love them) but they do require massive amounts 0f my energy.

So I am happy Kim, feeling like I have a fairy godmother. Someone else to help me steer the ship. Thank you thank you.

Here is my Tomie de Paola Competition piece, which got done against all odds as I dealt with the most hyperdramatic group of college students yet getting their finals in. Seriously. I had one student (you know who you are!) who actually sent me a photo of herself from her phone with her artwork standing outside of her car on a shut down freeway, in front of a giant fireball. See what I have to deal with? The poor creature did not fear for her life, as the tanker truck on the 60 freeway caught fire and took out a bridge. No, she had a panic attack that she wouldn't get her final project in.

Enjoy the piece and enjoy some peace! Merry Christmas!