Shiney!

While I work away at my various school projects and Reena is at school, Rose spends time in her old co-sleeper that she never slept in as a co-sleeper. Just one of those plans that did not come to fruition. However, it is a good playpen, but she doesn't like being in there for too long.

In art class, we did egg tempera painting. We had the option of doing some gold leaf as well, so I chose to paint a rose surrounded by gold leaf. I am not a painter by any stretch of the imagination, and I experienced that aspect of this art class that was one of the reasons I took it. I like to put myself in positions where I am a novice to really feel what it is like to be a student. I believe teachers can become very separated from the anxiety and feelings of incompetence that students feel every day in the classroom. Well, today I got that in boatloads! The paintings around me were really amazing. There are a few petals on the rose that look like petals, but on the whole it was a novice effort next to people who have trained. I still enjoyed the medium, and I lived the experience though I ducked out a bit early as my students are not allowed to do. hmm.

shake it baby!

I've made some new shakers for Rose. This one has rice in it. Another has small bolts. I see more down the road with different substances.

Magnificent Magnolias and Visitors from the past!

The magnolias have arrived in full form. Gentle shading from purple to white and the faintest of fragrances have appeared all over town. I love these blossoms, though usually my preference in flowers tends toward the smaller ones. I took this photo on a walk with Rose as we passed the church that houses both Kesher and the music class we attend with Rose.
Sarah visited today, the day before her participation in the Boston Marathon. Sarah and I grew up on the same street, and we spent a vast majority of our time together as kids. After St. Louis, we both went different ways, but we have kept in touch. It was wonderful to see her face to face and chat. It nurtures a part of me that goes untended for long stretches.

Longest Break

I have taken my longest break from blogging on the eve of potentially the longest break in which I am able to be healthy and home this year (knock on wood). Last break was supposed to be a time when I could catch up on school work and get some things done around the house. The fairly unpleasant stomach virus that hit us all ensured that did not happen. I am hopeful for better results this week.

On my walk to school on Monday, I came across this section of the cemetery that was covered with bluebells. It was a very beautiful palette of purple and green contrasting the whites and grays of the stone monuments.

Tuesday, I was home with Rose. She found this starfish toy and enjoyed crawling around with the orange ball in its center stuffed in her mouth.

On Wednesday, I went to school, and a local eatery, Matilda's, had my favorite sandwich as its weekly special. Folks from my school call up and order it regularly.

No best way home

The Philly skyline from the car as Reena drove me to the train station where she was picking up Lisa who will be here tomorrow with Reena.
Philly has upgraded its train stations since my college days. There are clear signs that let you know when trains are arriving and on what platform. It is a wonderful modern addition to the very elegant 30th Street Station.
I love the sea coast from the train window. The sun was setting and painting the salt flats that run out to the sea with a golden color. The dried grasses picked up this pallette and reflected it back with subtle variations in hue.


Travel between Boston and Philly happens one of three ways: by car, by train, or by plane. There are bits at the end that can be by regional rail, subway, or taxi. The most comfortable but longest is the train. I like this method except for the very long time it takes to get back. Going to Philly, for some reason, is shorter. No security lines, easy access from home and from Elkins Park, comfortable seats, a quiet car, a snack car, and human sized toilets all contribute to the comfort of this mode. However, it took me from 2:00 P.M to about 10:30 P.M. to travel door to door today. Faster and still with some of the convenience of the train is auto travel. No bathrooms, and getting up to walk around stops the forward progress. Also, there is the stress of the driving itself, and there can be really bad traffic especially around New York. The most stressful for me, but also the fastest is plane. I hate airport security, and I get wigged out about getting to the plane on time. There are more restrictions on what you can take both in content and in quantity. Before I left Philly, I took Rose on a walk to look at the spring flowers that have arrived there ahead of Boston.

In the Pen

Reena's family home in Philly has become childproof by the act of putting up a play pen in the living room. Rose loves to lick the walls to feel the texture of the holes. She also avidly climbed stairs here as well.

forsythia

The first forsythia of the spring always makes me happy. The one in front of our house blooms late because it does not get much sun. I trimmed part of it last year to try to get more flowers. We'll se how that worked soon.

wiki and water

This evening, I went to UMASS Boston and taught a lesson on using a wiki in the classroom to a group of graduate level teachers. I love the location on the bay with tidal flats exposed at low tide, seagulls swooping about, and water moving in the way that mesmerizes me. It brought calm to me. One thing it helped moderate was the missing iPod that disappeared from my desk.
This is a view of the campus center from the bay and through the trees.
There were some sycamore trees with the lovely patched bark that is typical of the tree. I took some photos and admired them as I ate dinner.
Somebody said,

busy busy in a quiet house

Today I showed my class Odd Girl Out, a movie about cliques and friendship issues, as part of our ongoing health curriculum. The students took it well and really delved into the discussion. Tonight I am working on preparing the lesson I will teach tomorrow at UMASS about how to use Internet resources to create collaborative spaces for students. I am feeling better about this lesson that I have presented before. My prep this time feels right. I'll know tomorrow.

Tuesday is Art Day

Tuesday night is art class night, so I am back from art class. The group presenting today was mixed media. There were three stations featuring wax painting, paper mache, and batique. All three projects were very classroom friendly, and I hope to get at least one of them in the room this year. All three definitely next year.

This is a picture of the wax melting apparatus for the wax painting. Paraffin wax was melted in the foil container, and crayons were melted on the hot plate surface. We used mini canvases to play with the technique. Lots of fun and bright colors. The paraffin in the tray slowly got colored and repeated dipping of the canvas gave the work a translucent coating on top.
Here are my three wax paintings and my batique. The resist for the batique was school glue gel which washes out with soapy water. It was very easy, and the results were quite nice.
Our final project of the evening was a construction with any or all of the techniques presented. This is a structure created from cutting and folding a piece of stiff cardstock. I then encased it in plaster of paris bandages, covered that with tissue paper, and attached some string. The base of the board is covered with paper pulp.

Inspired by Tim

As always, I was inspired when reading Art from Pushing Buttons and Turning Dials. Of the many things I could spend a lot more time playing with, fractals and other digital art call to me. This is a five minute exploration of the piece he wrote.

Flowers and a beautiful day

On my way to the Haverford accepted students gathering, I saw an abundance of daffodils. They must have been blooming for days, but these were the first ones I saw this season. I really love the small ones with trumpets of a different shade from the main petals.
Leaf buds are in full blossom. I am sure the pollen will get to me, but they are beautiful. I love these deep red ones that are sanguine drops of life clustered on the branches.
Usually, the photos import oriented correctly. In this case, the mis-orientation leads to a visual illusion. This is a picture of shadows on the sidewalk that looks like a wall because of the orientation.

Another Saturday Night

The Atrium Annual Auction took place tonight. The hallways were transformed with food, wine, and tables of neat things to bid on. I loved that there were many inexpensive items which allowed more people to feel that they could participate. I don't think I won anything I bid on, but it was fun to get away for a night while Reena was out of town singing. Anna stopped by and looked after Rose, and we got to hang out after the auction. What a good evening.

Day of cooking

Today, I went shopping with Rose and put her in the cart seat for the first time. Besides the desire to chew on the metal bar in front of her, she really enjoyed the new perspective. We got basic supplies and ingredients for dinner: chick peas, broccoli, pasta, anchovies, and fresh Parmesan. The resulting dish, though a little too garlicy, was very tasty.The result of lots of cooking was dishes piled high
Rose picked up the covering her face and hiding and then throwing her hands out and laughing from a couple of my students. She thinks it is one of the most hilarious games.

babe at school

My photo for this is on another computer. I'll try to upload it later.

Rose was dropped off at around 2:00 which made the end of the day routine hard to manage. She captivated the attention of the students to the exclusion of what they were supposed to do. If she was there during school hours more regularly, I don't think she would be so disruptive, but who knows.

long day

Today was one of those long days. Started at 7 something at school and ended past 9 at Brandeis. Once a month, I work with a group of new teachers, some not so new anymore, at Brandeis as part of a teacher induction program. It is a great place to do some professional work outside of the classroom.

Other than that, the kids were very energetic and talkative during the day. I was ready to sleep when I got home.