Today I thought I heard my phone ringing from the next room. And then I realized that, no, the ringtone I thought I heard was the ringtone from my last phone so there was no way it could be my phone ringing. Anyway… that’s what started this nostalgia upchuck.

Remember when you only had to dial 7 numbers to call a friend? And when you had to dial a 1 before dialing long distance? And a large storage of 7-digit and 10-digit numbers took up a significant amount of space in your brain?

My area code as a kid was 912. At some point during the collision between dialing 1 became no longer necessary but dialing the area code was, and push button cordless telephones became the norm, we had a phone that the 1 button would get stuck and repeat. So I had the constant fear the I would accidentally dial 911.

Remember when it was terribly disappointing when you happened to have access only to a rotary phone and couldn’t call up dial-a-story at your local library? Oh, and that episode of You Can’t Do That on Television where they ask the viewer questions and give you multiple choice answers, leading you to believe that you can touch the screen to pick your answer and they, in turn, changed the outcome of the show according to the results? I “knew” it wasn’t real, but you’d better believe I was up there touching the screen. Oh, and now, with the internet… I just spent 2 minutes of research to find that that episode aired in 1984, is episode 5.11, titled Technology, and you can watch it in its entirety on youtube here. I was probably at home watching this on TV in fourth grade either after school or during a stay at home sick day alone (yes, it was normal for a 9-year old to be at home alone then).

And this would be me circa 1984. With my brother. In my uniform. In my mom’s classroom. The year I had my mom as a teacher. And now you know much more about me than you ever needed to. Egads.

OK, now back to work.

Here’s a look at what I did last weekend. I installed a piece (the far right window) for a space that is, essentially, a storefront window (without the store). The space is called The Temporary because it is indeed, temporary. The new MICA MFA in Curatorial Practice students will be curating exhibits here for the next year before it becomes a dining area (due to renovations). Thank you so much to Catherine Akins who curated this show and to Hyejung Jang who worked as Catherine’s assistant. They both are amazing, talented, and so much fun to work with. Please walk by and see the show! It’s right next to Joe Squared on North Avenue, the bottom level of the MICA studio building. I recommend viewing after sunset because the work all revolves around light.

Thanks, Catherine, for this photo!