A Signologist's Last Will & Testament

A Signologist's Last Will & Testament 
March 31st, 2018

To My Banker: I leave the hard earned dust that forever sits in My Savings Account; the IRS man can explain it.

(airbrush on truck hood)

To My Family that was there next to me when I was struggling to find the right ending for My story, I leave You My bravery for the mourning that is ahead. Maybe by the time My brushes are immersed in paint thinner, You will realize that My "greatest masterpiece" was the life I shared with all of You during the 70 years of My red road journey. Aho.

       To My Carpenter Son, George Jr., I leave the responsibility of installing the signs I just finished. Though planning ahead was never My forte or even the utmost of importance, here are the resources to complete this job. The hardware is on the top shelf of the paint cabinet; in the Chock Full O'Nuts coffee can, the 2nd smallest to Your left. Although You will have to assemble them, a rough sketch of instructions sits atop My easel. Once drawn, never forgotten. 

To My Fellow Artist but never a competitor, Jeff Smith @ The Sign Depot in Newtown, CT; Our working relationship has always been as complex & simple as Brothers. Brothers in One-Shot Lettering Enamel, sign machines & pounce patterns. Always as a team; sharing as both a teacher & friend. You always wondered why I was so creative, yet You never saw the answer in Yourself. I leave You, with love, the countless milk crates containing every Sign Craft magazine in My collection. You'll notice the lack of dust on the crates & pages, for this, was My "search engine". There are also several completed signs & projects that customers neglected to pick up. I trust that You will have the heart to Re-Purpose, Re-Use & Re-Cycle.

To My Suppliers: I humbly request that You each act as My Pallbearers, as You have always carried Me before.

To the Gravediggers: Don't overdo it, the hole I'm already in should be deep enough.

To the Merchants & the Business People in this United States, I leave a legacy of "fair trade", "cash on the barrel" & the unique signage that You now possess. 

To My Children: I leave all of the unforgotten memories of the old shops that defined My past & created every part of Your future. Vivid memories of the times We've spent together tinkering with handcrafted, elaborate toy cars displaying pinstripes & gold leaf, a high chair fit for a Queen, custom Halloween costumes & the school projects that were collaborated on & always won 1st place. Thank You, for the times You became Daddy's good little helper & soaked out 4-by-8's & filled in those rush banners. The memories most imprinted into My heart are when You mostly sat upon Your Daddy's lap as a baby & just watched for hours.

To My Dear Wife, the most stubborn yet understanding woman that I have ever met. Cheryl, You stayed by My side 'til the very end though many times You questioned Your better judgment. You learned not to wait up for supper, but, surprised Me every now & then with a cold bottle of Heineken at 2:00 in the morning. I always looked forward to seeing Your smile when I came home, even late from a job. Heaven holds a special place for You, My Eternal Sweetheart. When it is time for Us to be together again, You will be guided along the fields of daffodils, directed by My final sign that simply states, "Welcome Home".

(taken March 2003 @ 70th surprise party)

Andy's Sign & Art Studio,
Bait Shop, Grave Pillows

"Let Andy Do It"
George "Andy" Kalina, Sr.,
but the special people in My life call Me
Son, Husband, Daddy, Pop, Brother, "Unk", Tall Man's Medicine, Friend, Colleague...
but most of all;

Signologist

(1933~2003)

#signologist #IRS #LastWillandTestament #bravery #slovakroots #AmericanwithSlovakRoots #artist #Father #Paintthinner #carpenter #ChockFullONutsCoffee #easel #TheSignDepot #OneShotLetteringEnamel #pouncepatterns #signmachine #SignCraftMagazine #goldleaf #rushbanner #Heineken #daffodils  

You can call Me a #bitch

You can call Me a #bitch, you can even call Me a #cunt & it's ok. I will continue to speak My truth. Your lack of ability to exchange with an open heart and an open mind is on You, not Me. Hatred will continue to separate us, not unite us.

🙈🙉🙊

#HATRED, #NEGATIVITY, #BULLYING

#HATRED, #NEGATIVITY, #BULLYING are 3 places where it is easy for our minds to go. where does it get you? #NOWHERE. Each life is a journey, where will YOURS take you?

#BULLYING. In the past, I have had My share. In 8th grade, I was repeatedly bullied by 3 boys. No one including the staff at the school, Wooster Intermediate, would help. One day, I had had enough and retaliated. In art class, they were all there. I reached My boiling point and had no words to fight back only actions. I went up to one of the boys and grabbed the back of His neck. I grabbed it so hard that My nails drew blood. For one mila-second I felt powerful. Quickly he screamed out declaring that He needed to go the nurse for a tetanus shot. The teacher gave Him permission to go see Her. Seemed like only seconds after that I heard these words come over the loudspeaker, "Catherine Kalina. Come to the Principal's office NOW!" In unison, the class made a collective gasp. I walked down to Mr. Hanes' office not knowing what to expect. This is the breakdown of events that then occurred. I was told that I had been #suspended from school. My parents were both at work so they were not there. I was forced to walk home after confirming that I was not #suicidal. As I left the building, kids were peering out of the classrooms' windows hooting and hollering in support of My dismissal. This occurred in 1988 at Wooster Intermediate School in Stratford, CT. There were multiple wrongs here. Was I wrong to retaliate with #violence? Yes, yes I was. Was it wrong that I was the ONLY one to receive punishment? Yes, yes it was. Did it give the 3 students who participated in the #bullying a chance to reflect on what THEY had done? No. It singled out the one person who felt She had no other recourse but to inflict physical pain on the ones who tormented Her mentally AND physically on a DAILY BASIS. It brought My self-esteem to a whole new level of LOW. When I was ALLOWED to come back, I had to come with both of My parents. Again, students peered out of their classroom windows with more hurtful words. Should I have been punished for My role? Yes. However, should those 3 students have been punished as well, even far more earlier? YES. These acts of violence in our schools today CAN BE PREVENTED. It's NOT JUST about gun control, it is about a control on the bullying. If these school leaders would just take the time to step the fuck up and nip these acts in the bud, I can tell you with absolute certainty the violence from the "outcasted", harassed, bullied, and tormented children would cease. We need to make every person accountable for their actions. You can agree with Me, you can disagree with Me. Hell, you can even call Me names if you desire to. It is THIS negativity that we are teaching our children to be acceptable in our society. I can HONESTLY tell you, if the right course of action was taken before My suspension, it would not have even gone to that place. I have kept those feelings with Me all these years later because it hurt Me so very much. I felt so let down by the adults in charge. I am 42 years old now. The "teasing" the physical assaults by those 3 individuals still stay with Me. I will share with you one act of physical bullying that I endured from one of those students. In English class, the room was a homeroom to other students earlier in the day and some brought their own lunch. The desk I was assigned to had a brown bag every day. It contained goldfish crackers. One of the threesome would come up to Me before the teacher had entered and proceed to shove the crackers into My mouth for fun. Physical shit like this occurred on a daily basis. Please, keep in mind that I am telling you the truth. There is no exaggeration in this retelling. It did not matter what they did, no one did anything. To this day, it pains Me to go down the grocery store aisle where their Pepperidge Farm products are sold. Years ago, when I was first exposed to the internet, I located those 3 boys. I sent emails and messages of how their actions still affected Me after all of these years. With each email and message I received this response, " I do not remember doing these things to you, but if I did I am sorry." I try within myself every single day to put the past behind Me and forgive and forget. But when our schools are in a constant state of fear, I speak up. Bullying stays with the bullied for as long as their hearts can stand. I became suicidal during my suspension. I felt defeated. I felt that no one was looking out for my best interest. Those 3 boys acted without kindness or compassion and basically got rewarded for it. They graduated the 8th grade and went on to experience life without a single thought about the trauma they incurred on me. I am not at all saying that physical retaliation from bullying is acceptable. I do however feel for the students that believe there is no other recourse. A lot of things need to change to protect our children. First, education, education & education. We need to learn from these incidents. Everyone should be accountable. Think of it as a food chain if you will. The very moment that a student feels bullied or harassed or unsafe in their own skin, a chain of events needs to happen. The principal or other school leader needs to take action. The students who are infringing on the rights of their classmates to feel safe and have an education need to be punished and not just via a lecture or banishment from afterschool activities. Suspend them & then expel the ones who continue to show disrespect and who are furthering the trauma of others. Next, we need to make sure that our children feel safe at their school. I believe in metal detectors and armed guards. I wish that it wasn't necessary but it is. We need to put these practices in play BEFORE another lost soul feels the need to pick up a weapon and physically show the world how they feel inside. Most child offenders to this degree want their story to be told. I feel for these kids. However, we cannot continue to placate to their demands. By broadcasting "their story", we almost give our consent to let it happen again somewhere else. The abused take from it that violence is the only way to deal with their problems because of news reports & articles about their experiences in school & it validates their behavior. It shouldn't even get to that point. You can "google" this following statement if you so desire. Profilers of "unsubs" are hesitant to put a name to the offender for example "the ... killer". Why? Because it validates their behavior and broadcasts their story. You can agree with Me or You can disagree with Me, it is YOUR prerogative. These thoughts are coming from a very real place in My life & from My heart. Our children are hurting everyday. We need to take preemptive actions. And before there is any criticizing directed at Myself, I will share with all of you this. I have been in therapy since the 7th grade, I have been on various medications that have both helped and hurt Me in various ways. I have been labeled in Rx ways such as "bipolar", "depressive" and also in very hurtful words from former classmates such as "loser", "ugly", "Katalina Krueger- after the blood drawing incident" and a great deal of this DID NOT have to happen. Let's open up not only our minds but our hearts here. If you are reading this and have been bullied, share it. Share the experience. Share just how you felt. And most importantly, share the outcome. It is all fun & games until the next reported school assault & massacre. I am Catherine H. Kalina and this is My story. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to read this. Let our stories be the change, not the problem.

#Rez4Prez

#Rez4Prez

Courtesy of friends, family, TV, radio, podcasts & the internet, I am learning more about politics. People that are "Right" & "Left", the Republicans, the Democrats, the extremists & the Independents.

Call Me crazy, but I have developed My OWN  thoughts, My OWN opinions & at the core; My OWN beliefs.

The 1st "Americans", the very people that kept "their" land conductive, productive, pro-active, peaceful & most importantly; respectful. Respect for others, for nature & the environmental & spiritual cycles of life. The "Circle of Life" is not just a Disney song from "The Lion King"; it is reality & pertinent to Our very core of growth as a family, as a neighbor, as a state, as a region & as a nation. The 1st "Americans"; Our Brothers & Our Sisters, Our Elders & Our Children ailed, bled, suffered & died by the extreme passive-aggressive tactics of the government. The same government who witnessed the indigenous people & THEIR presence on THEIR land. They forcibly eliminated their very existence by sickness, rape, broken treaties & lies. Their hideous & heinous actions are the primal reason for the chaos, the pollution & the utter disregard of the environment. But how can You respect Your Own environment when You don't respect its inhabitants, its humanity? 

Quite simply, the answer is; You can't. We as a nation, need to rally together to succeed & not in power or even money. Money is not solely responsible for this country's demise. We need to embrace "Red" & not "Green". Quite frankly, We need an indigenous president; a president & leader that can restore Our unity. A united front that encompasses ALL of Our needs in a positive way. Let's turn the 'Whitehouse' into #RezRed. We can work together, this is not rocket science.

#Rez4Prez

#WaterIsLife

#MiniWiconi

Stand Up / Stand N Rock #NoDAPL (Official Video)

Taboo 


Published on Dec 4, 2016 

UPDATE - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has denied the easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline route near the Standing Rock Sioux's reservation. The water protectors at Standing Rock are real life heroes. Thank and honor them. ADD YOUR NAME AND THANK THE WATER PROTECTORS at http://PEOPLESCLIMATEMUSIC.COM

Hip Hop Caucus, creator of People’s Climate Music, has partnered with Taboo, solo Hip Hop artist and member of the Grammy Award-winning pop group Black Eyed Peas, to debut “Stand Up/Stand N Rock”. This song and video were created in support of the Standing Rock Reservation and the Sioux Tribe, as they lead a peaceful, powerful, and diverse movement to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). Song produced by Printz Board. Video directed and edited by Johnny Lee, filmed by Baxter Stapelton and includes actress and Divergent series star Shailene Woodley; artists: TABOO of Black Eyed Peas, Tony Duncan (flute), Perry Cheevers (intro/native chant), PJ Vegas (hook), Kahara Hodges (hook), Emcee One (2nd verse), Drezus (2nd verse/pos-hook), Supaman (bridge) Gerald Danforth (bridge), Spencer Battiest (last verse), Doc Battiest (last verse), and MyVerse (verse), Martin Sensmeier, Bethany Yellowtail, Lehi Thunder Voice Eagle, Shalene Joseph, Temryss Lane, Gina Tiger, Indigenous Enterprise, and Jukasa Media Group. Additional footage provided by Heather Rae, Stacey Thunder, Ben Dupris, and Cody Lucich - Thank u all for Standing Up 4 Standing Rock.

Dark History - Native Hip Hop (OFFICIAL VIDEO) - SirReal Marmel Ent.

*Whether You agree or disagree, this chapter has no end & I will not remain silent. We must ALL work for a change, a change for the better. 

Thank You for reading, "Kreating from the Soul", please watch for more to come. 

#spiritroseforever