It's been a while I know...

The only way I could bring myself to write was over a root beer float.  Really, I've been craving one of these all day, and it's not that I don't want to write, but I am a little supersaturated on the screen time front. And Nick has been doing an excellent job on the blogging front.   He's kept you all up to date and is so funny (even my mom thinks so!) while he's at it.   Between writing lesson plans and looking up recipes for pear tarts and pizza dough and watching almost all of the episodes of The Wire, I have had enough of my computer these days.  I never thought I'd say that, I love you my laptop, lately though, I have been gracing the keypad a lot and my eyes could use a break.  But not yet, I owe you some words.

School has been good, better than good actually.  Kids are making steps more forward than back, and I feel like I am continuing to get a grip on what my role is.  Not without pain and disappointment though and I was reminded of it first hand the other day, when out of the blue one of my dearest students transfered.  No good bye, no good luck, no gathering of her belongings.  Just gone.  Apparently, her mom "gave" her to her step-dad, who lives a good distance from school, so she is transferring.  And that's it.  I crossed her out of my grade book with some sadness.

Yesterday, among many wonderful things that happened, I (successfully) baked a french pear tart.  It was the highlight of my morning, and the sense of accomplishment I felt was so grand!  Especially after we tasted it.  Bake your own french pear tart from this recipe, and read this food blog too.  FYI, I recommend poaching the pears in sugar and lemon juice and then boiling down the liquid to make a delicious syrup!  I added some mango puree to mine and it is divine.

Behold pear and almond (filling) heaven. 

After we dug in, and then had some more. 

I didn't mean to write only about food, but it's the small pleasures right?  I do have to mention that I am preemptively missing The Wire, and wishing I'd watched it so much slower.  Sadly, I have 1 episode left.  This series has carried me this Chicago winter, and I doubt there will ever be another series like it, that can transport me to another place and time, that causes me to change my vocabulary, and to wonder about the "corner kids" in my current neighborhood.  Please, make a recommendation if you can, but it's unlikely that anyone can live up to McNulty and Stringer Bell, Prop Joe and Bunk.  I love all of it.

Pocketful of Names, by Joe Coomer, is the other, thankful, distraction I am having.  I have been enveloped by this somewhat epic novel that takes place on the coast of Maine.  Those that know me well know about my ocean obsession.  The idea of living on an island, feeling the tides and the seasons, and being surrounded by water is so appealing.  I would drink black tea with milk and have shortbread everyday.


Nick has recapped our quick Spring Break trip so well, I don't need to say much, but I want to leave you with my favorite picture of Nana and I taking in the sun at the Merriweather Post Estate.

Nana is one of the most amazing women I know. 

It's time to get ready for tomorrow, to set out my clothes, and to print my lessons and homework assignments. 

I promise I won't be a stranger. 

Post birthday

Sunday night, tomorrow is ready, lesson plans and homework sheets are printed.  This weekend culminates in the best way: satiation.  I'm going to make this brief, as one more episode of The Wire waits for me, and tomorrow's 5:45am start will arrive sooner than desired.  I am full in so many ways.  Nick orchestrated a birthday surprise for me last night: after I recovered from being stunned, I was so so happy that I got to spend a few hours with some of my favorite people ever.  I was surprised at the Honky Tonk Barbeque under the guise of showing off this eclectic place to Nick's mom Theresa and Aunt Peggy, who were visiting for the weekend.  It was really crowded so our friends ordered take out and brought it back to our place.  This was kind of perfect because I'd been really wanting to to share our apartment with our friends.   Mary Sue brought homemade pistachio cake, and, if you read my birthday post from last week, you know how special that was.  It was delicious, just like Mom's.  Today I took the morning to recover from staying up late last night, and at noon got myself swiftly up to the Contact Jam, in which the combination of Links Hall energy and rolling and flying always rights me.   On the drive up I noticed that when the sky is grey, the lake is lovely light sea foam green, which is the exact color of a new scarf I got yesterday.  Theresa and I split a 2 for 1 deal at a shop in Chinatown and I now have a new scarf to put into the rotation.  There is something so comforting about wearing a soft, beautiful scarf, that can both hide me and act as an undercover security blanket.  I love it. And tonight we've had a bit of an apocalyptic looking lightening storm and audible rain that clears the air.  I love that too. 

Respite for the weary: tv and books and tea

December 15, 2010

Well it’s what, official Day 3 of my winter break (which is an oxymoronish statement because I haven’t been working for that long), and I am clearly milking all of the typical break sorts of activities.  These are some of the things I’ve been doing: 

1) Allowing myself to actually have a cold.  Now that I’ve slowed down a little for the first time in a while, my body seems to be processing all of the latent germs that I picked up in the past few weeks with 9 and 10 year olds.  Rhino virus no longer dormant, I am a little bit miserable, but appropriately so, I couldn’t think of better weather or time of year to be a sicky.

2) Avoiding the sub zero temperatures by catching up on some apparently required classics of the screen.  Yesterday Nick treated me to not one, but several episodes of  Kids in the Hall, season 1 (apparently they're still around, check the link).  This is Nick’s kind of humor, slapstick and ridiculous, usually based in human behavior extremes.  His is the sole laugh heard in the room.  I am mostly appalled, and find it incredibly unfunny.  

http://www.zimbio.com/watch/g3RqiKkvFXz/The+Kids+In+The+Hall+Season+2/Bruce+Mcculloch 

 Clearly, not my kind of humor, which is ironic, because my favorite show is America’s Funniest Home Videos, so it’s okay for elderly people to fall off of chairs, but not okay for men to dress up as women and make fun of each other.  I’m not sure why.  

3) The Dark Crystal.. I had never heard of it, shocking.  Apparently this is a muppet family favorite of Nick’s, and of course I had not had the pleasure of viewing it.  For those of you that know me, this is not a surprise, because you know that my parents kept our telly in the closet during my formative years.   I was one of the lucky few who had to sneak over to friends houses to watch My So Called Life, and hadn’t seen an episode of the Simpsons until college.  I do however have a working knowledge of all of the Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman episodes, and Walker Texas Ranger, because for some reason my parents deemed these convenient Saturday night shows appropriate for family viewing.  Anyway, now you know why I never get TV or pop culture references from the 80’s or 90’s: it’s because I wasn’t there sitting in front of the television, I was outside playing hide and seek :)

Anyway, The Dark Crystal is the real deal, the skecsies are terrifying, I can’t help but see how Avatar drew on some of the movies precepts, and Jim Henson clearly had some foresight into the tyrannical reality of today. 

Gelflings are so cute.  Jim Henson was amazing. 

What child would not be frightened by this monster?

4) I am reading a joy book!  Throw back to our road trip days when we were footloose and fancy free, when we listened to NPR all day long and got countless recommendations on amazing fiction and non fiction to pick up, I am reading The Magicians, by Lev Grossman.  I heard an interview on NPR a few weeks ago and in passing made a mental note to read this book.  Lo and behold, the beautiful Dubuque Library has it, and I can get a library card, and we are all happy.  It’s a beach read for me, light and intriguing, and this wintry vacation day is perfect for tea and books.  All I need now is shortbread.

First vacation book, so far = delightful escape. 

5) Speaking of treats, today I am waiting for the delivery of a new stove.  Nick is at the car shop getting out catalytic converter, oil rim thing, and weird sound in the steering column looked at, and I am here waiting for a stove.  Nick’s mom is replacing her old stove with a new one, whose oven should work, and then I will bake shortbread, because golden, buttery, shortbread with milky earl grey tea is perfect on days like today.  

6) Lastly, yesterday I signed up for a Netflix account.  This is really exciting news for me because I for the first time ever, I feel guiltless about spending winter days reading and watching movies.  Something to do with having a job (that will most likely be ending, but for now I’m counting my blessings), with not having a house to clean up, and with the weather being as undesirable as it is, I don’t feel the magnetic pull of outdoor activity.  I am completely content to have tea and cinnamon toast (until we get the stove!). 

I’m going to check the mailbox for the my latest installation of THE WIRE (thank you Molly Shanahan/ Kristina Fluty/ Bobby Redwood), and if it’s not here, it’s time for more tea and The Magicians.

We're back! (for a little while)

I don’t know where to start.  I am a complete failure at the multitask of writing a blog and teaching.  When I come home from school, in order of priority, my tasks are:  change my shoes (Mr. Rogers style) eat snacks, greet my husband (that sometimes comes first), check my email and facebook (guilty pleasure), and sit down.  Usually once I sit down, it’s hard not to lay down, and then I convince myself to close my eyes for a few minutes. Soon after, dinner is usually ready.  If I don’t have planning, grading, preparing, reflecting, crying and venting to do, we watch an episode of THE WIRE (new favorite way to take my mind off of school, also responsible for the development of new, disturbing dreams).

Seriously, this show has gotten me through my first month of teaching.   It puts everything into perspective. 

I’ve just finished teaching ELL students idioms, so appropriately, “at the end of the day,” my life is great right now.  I am so challenged and fulfilled with my students.  And I am lamenting the possibility of leaving so soon.  Thankfully, our last day of school before their winter break, was a great one.  My plans and activities went off smoothly, my “Compliment Christmas Tree” (students created “compliment” ornaments for each other, and pasted them up on our tree) was successful in fostering increased classroom community and kindness, and our Holiday Party was great.  My students were surprised to find that they actually enjoyed my old fashioned Holiday videos.  At my school, it is tradition for each classroom to get to watch a holiday movie on the last day of school.  Of course my students requested Ironman and other mostly inappropriate movies, and of course I decided to show PBS holiday programs that I checked out from the library.  One was the history of the man who figured out how to photograph the snowflake, and the other was a LeVar Burton (LOVE HIM) Reading Rainbow holiday special.   As they ate their terrible snacks that they brought in to share (flamin’ hot popcorn, doritos, and sweets), I was thrilled to see engaged eyes and quiet voices. 

Nick came in to help me out with a math fraction holiday food lesson on Thursday, and students also got to feast on our creations during their holiday party.  We are learning about fractions: finding equivalent fractions, adding and subtracting fractions, and accurately making mixed fractions from improper fractions.  Earlier in the week, I gave my students a math challenge problem that involved writing out their thinking process while figuring out the correct quantities of Holiday chex mix for 25 children.  It was a simple adding mixed fractions problem, but for some reason when it’s a word problem, students freeze up.  Anyway, after figuring out the math, Nick facilitated actually measuring out the proportions of M&M’s, corn chex and pretzels.  I am so bummed I didn’t take pictures, it was so successful!  Kids were motivated to discover proportion, fractions, and measurement in a real life contextualized experience.  That night, I took the mix home and added the fat to make it delicious.  Butter, peanut butter, and marshmallows completed the treat, and the kids got to sample it during their holiday party.  

This is a slightly gooeyer version, but close to what we/ Nick and the kids  measured out. 

I miss them!  Its only been a few days, and I just wish we were in school, there are so many things they need to learn, and I have so many ideas I want to try out before time runs out. 

Right now we are driving Northwest to Dubuque for a short visit.  It seems like I’m always writing in the car--- it is one of the few times I slow down and process.  As we leave Chicago behind and drive into the sun the differences out here couldn’t be more stark.  Where in Chicago you might see beautiful snow for a few hours, out here it’s pristine.  Driving along the snowdrifts look sculptured, painterly as the sun sets on the whiteness.  Animal tracks leap from the snow, you can see where they’ve come from and where they’re going.  It’s a little bit magical, the snow on the trees making them white on their southern sides.  We are passing through canopied Tapley Woods, and it reminds me of Narnia in the winter.  

(Can't take credit for this internet photo, but this is what Tapley woods looks liked like today.)

Reindeers should be walking through, snow creatures are in bliss.  But my cynic is wakening with all this talk of beauty because it will be most definitely less so when I get out of the car and my eyes are frozen open because its about 1 degree out there.  Our windshield fluid is frozen, and I’d rather stay in the car than do anything else. 

For us, and with the cooperation of weather, the next few days hold a bit of traveling.  We are planning on being in Dubuque for a few days to visit with family, then heading to Cincinnati on Thursday for a brief stop over.  My high school , SCPA, has an annual Alumni Day on the Friday before Christmas, and I can never go because I am always working.  This year, since I have a generous winter break, and because it works with our holiday plans, I get to check out my high schools new building and maybe visit with some old friends. After Alumni Day, we are heading south.  Not sure where, I just know that I am craving sun and warmth, and the possibility of walking through the woods without fear of frostbite.  We might drive south, we might find a last minute flight out of Cincinnati, not sure.  As is our way, we will figure it out when the time is right; the path will be revealed.  

As a side note, we are passing through Galena, IL right now, on the way to Dubuque, and Nick and I agree that this little historic town is one of the more beautiful ones when covered by snow and decked out in holiday cheer.