About to turn the calendar

Well, the big wave has passed leaving bizarre assemblages such as boats parked on top of houses. Perhaps not a tsunami, but my life for the last few months has been a force of nature, nonetheless. I have written end-of-year progress reports, gone through a job search process ending up remaining where I am and happy about that, taken my sixth graders to New York City, and fought a pretty persistent illness all the while. I am sure there are other things in there that escape memory right now, but it has been full--full enough to force me to take a break from blogging. I am back, hopefully to the daily level if not weekly.

Here are a few videos and images from the interregnum (yes, there was no king in my head during this time)

Rose has learned how to manage food not already cut up into bite sized pieces. It helps that all four of her front teeth are there. She is currently working on independence in holding her own drinking bottle. In this video, Rose chomps on asparagus, one of her favorite foods right now.


This spring has been glorious. It is amazing how people in Boston ritually complain about there being no or a very short spring. While much of it is obscured by the cold and rainy weather that follows the interminable, and this year snow-filled, winter, spring arrives with the gradual swelling of the tree buds. It is about this time that I really begin to get excited, and the process of life erupting from that moment took months and only just ended with the heat of summer. Flowers are still blooming, and nature is happening. Spring, this year, was glorious. Roses, in particular, had a great season.

The previous owners did very little to maintain the outside property. I have yet to tackle it this spring, see above reasoning, and the result is a wild mixture of intentional and wild plants. A few stray tulips and other flowers mix in with a dense spread of wildflowers along the driveway before it is taken over by the spectacular rose bushes that I spent quite a bit of time last year taming. I especially love the blue-eyed grass.Before we left for our week vacation, the roses were just about ready to bloom. Sprays of buds promised a richness resulting from the pruning I gave them last year.
Rose decided to change up her very convenient sleeping pattern. Formerly 6 to 6 was almost a guarantee except when she was ill. However, a few nights of screaming from 6 to 9 or waking up to screams in the middle of the night convinced us that things, indeed, fall apart, and we have only just begun to see if the center has returned let alone whether or not it can hold.
In the midst of all of this, we took off for Atlantic City. We left the day after professional days were finished at both of our schools and drove to stay at Reena's dad's place by the sea. This is a 180 degree photo stitch of the view from the boardwalk nearby. Click on it for a larger version.We had fun being in and outside. Rose seemed to have the same amount of amusement from this mechanical toy in a country store located in the midst of a casino complex. It was fun to poke around Atlantic City.

We then arrived in Philly to stay with Reena's dad and visit friends and family. Reena's blog will probably highlight visits with Michael and Wendy, her grandparents, and her cousin. This trip, we made sure to create time for visits with Emily & Eliza and the Speer/Zisook household. Rose took quite easily to Emily which was wonderful. Rose has developed a case of not wanting to be held by strangers (again).Eliza showed Rose how to make sounds with a beer bottle, and she cooked us one of her wonderful meals. We had mushroom soup with yummy bread. Their new house is wonderful and smack in the middle of the neighborhood in which I lived after college. I love the atmosphere there.Rose played with Leo at Jim and Helene's house where we got another amazing meal of quiche and fixings! yummy.During dinner, Rose loved to hold hands with Leo, but he got a bit tired of it by the time I got my camera out.When we arrived home, we saw that the roses in the driveway had burst into bloom. Now, I have started my summer list, made a dent on cleaning up my office, and started to wrap my head around priorities. One of those is to stretch daily and get back in shape a bit. I sign off now to see if I can still touch my toes before I go to bed.

And back to the cradle

This summer, I am visiting St. Louis for the first time in two years. Back to the cradle indeed. Home will always at least a little mean St. Louis and especially University City. I had hoped to get some All Star tickets, but they were bought up by professional ticket sellers who are reselling them at $370 minimum for standing room only tickets. A little steep for our budget. It is too bad, and I am sure there are many fans who would love to go but can't afford these crazy prices. I do have tix for some games the next weekend. That should be fun.

It will also be great to see friends and family and the places that carry a bit of my soul.

back in the cradle

Yup, the receiver has been replaced, the beeping is over. The one job outside my school that caught my interest called today and told me that I was out of the running. Not the most fun call to get, but now I have direction for next year.

I don't yet have full perspective on what I got out of this process to end up where I was, but I am sure I ended up here with more than I started. Appreciation for what I have, humility, more reasons to be tired. I dunno.

I am back in the cradle.

Busy signal

One of those soon-to-be anachronisms: the busy signal. I remember when someone would accidentally knock a receiver off the hook or just not put it on squarely in the cradle. That loud, penetrating noise would fill the house and people would shout to get it turned off. It was obnoxiously loud in a time and place when such beeps were not yet part of our everyday life. I also remember the ritual for cutting ourselves off from the outside world. When we wanted no disturbance, and I really can't remember why that might have been, the receiver was taken off the hook and put under a pillow until the busy signal ceased.

There might even be people reading this blog who have never encountered the busy signal. I don't even think cell phones can produce such a loud and invasive sound, but possibly that is my memory when electronic noises did not intrude as they do today. I write this post in front of my computer as it whirs and the voice of my baby carries to me over the wireless connection of the monitor. At least there are many birds outside adding to my soundscape.

Today, however, there seemed to be a busy signal running through my brain. I am waiting to hear from the jobs for which I have interviewed. Do they want me? That vulnerable thought has pulsed through my brain stealing my focus and completely distracting me from work that I need to do when Rose is down for naps and now for a night of sleep. Well, she is not down yet, but she is in her crib happily ehhing and burbling away. She'll nod off soon.

Do they want me?

So I'll eat some junk food, watch some movie, and eventually try to take notes on student work.

Do they want me?

I am not good at this part of the process. I'll try to find some mental and emotional pillow to stuff over me while the busy signal continues.

Still over my head

Hey there,

It is just one of those times. They often happen at the end of the school year, but this one includes job search and infant care. I just can't get the picture taking and blogging going right now.

Cool bike stunts

Longer time no see

It has been a very full and trying several weeks. With a final project and end-of-term project due in my art course, yearbook and recipe book projects coming to conclusion, NY trip planning, and regular teaching duties, I was very occupied. On top of that, the job situation for next year is shaky, so I am starting a job search very late into the hiring season for independent schools. And I got sick this last week just in time for parent conferences for which we worked hard to get student portfolios together. Like I said, lots on the plate. Too much, in fact.

Makes me want to sit and spin.

Long time no see

It has been a very hectic, stressful, and intense couple of weeks. Here are the photos and videos I managed to take during that time. I hope things will return to a daily post at this point.
Rose with her birthday cake.
Cornish Pasties I made.
From my Earth Day walk.
More.
In the children's section of Greenward.

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.

Boxes and Critters

This was art class night. We had some demos and then worked on a found object critter.
This is a box made from pieces of chip board. Not carefully constructed, but done quickly to get the idea.
This foam and string sculpture was also quick and to get the idea of possibilities with this medium. I like the curvy nature of the bound foam.
We also got to play with clay. This box was made from slabs which I rolled with two different textures.
My creature is constructed from dryer vent hose, boards from a hard drive and from some other electronic component, pieces of a broken kid's toy, and cut off corks. It is very centipede-like.

Auction around the corner

The Atrium Auction is next weekend. My class created the four glass plates, and I donated this fractal print. It is always neat to see how they look when printed and framed. This one is called Venus Flytrap.

Pottery

Evelyn Ortiz, a potter from the Southwest, visited Atrium on Sunday and will be in school Monday and Tuesday for the students. Rose and I stopped by to see those folks who wanted to experience more on a Sunday afternoon.

Teeth

Rose has been fussing at night recently. She may be teething or growing or something we just can't fathom. However, she seems to endorse Crest toothpaste!

The Route

Here is a map of the route I take to go to school. Since Google Maps couldn't follow the path correctly because it is missing all the foot paths on its walking feature, I had to use an image editor to fill in the path as best as I could.

Nature's treasures

The way home from school today turned out to be rainy and gray. The morning had been chilly and bright. Now, chilly and wet, I walked along the Fresh Pond Reservoir and came across a wonderful array of animals and plants. In these photos, the gray seems to dominate as it is reflected in the water, but elsewhere, the new spring colors of green and red seemed to pop from the landscape without the sun's light bleaching them out.
I thought this tree trunk emerging from the water was a fascinating shape reminding me of a giraffe. The series of mushrooms up its sides drew me to take this image.
A gray bird on a gray day. Possibly a Great Blue Heron, all the birders out there can correct me. It just hunkered down to wait out the weather.