Carnival

A weird thing happened to me while in NYC. My daughter and I were at the Gershwin Theater waiting for Wicked to start. It is apparently quite an historic theater with memorabilia displayed and many, many photographs of all the actors that have performed there over the years. Across the second floor lobby I spotted something familiar - I said (out loud) - "There's Horrible Henry!" My daughter followed me, having no idea what I was talking about. There, in a glass case were four worn-out puppets. So what?

During my senior year in high school I had the starring role in the musical Carnival. I played a waif named Lili who wanders into a carnival and befriends the people there. A puppet show was central to the plot and there were four puppets - Horrible Henry, Renardo, Marguerite and Carrot Top. I loved working with the puppets so much that after the show closed my father asked the director if he could buy Horrible Henry for me. He couldn't because they were rented. The fact that he wanted to do that is special to me because people just didn't buy things much back then like they do now.

Anyway, here in the glass case were the original puppets. They had been owned by Jerry Orbach - who worked the puppets and did all the voices. You may know the late Orbach if you've ever seen "Law and Order" on TV. The only famous song from "Carnival" was Love Makes the World Go Round. The original Lili was Anna Maria Albergetti and it was later made into a movie called "Lili" with Leslie Caron.

It was kind of surreal to see those puppets after so many ( and I mean many) years, and strange that they, of all things, would be displayed. There wasn't that much memorabilia! Don't be too impressed though, because "Carnival" was the beginning and the end of my acting career. The photos show me and the puppets then -and now at the Gershwin Theater.

The Cloisters

My trip to New York and spending three days with my daughter was well - priceless - in every way. It can be exhausting being in the city because you walk and walk and walk. But then the next day you get up and you can't wait to go back into the chaos again. The sensory overload is intoxicating to me. We went far uptown to The Cloisters. It is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to medieval art and architecture. Built in a medieval style, it sits atop a hill overlooking the Hudson River. We were there on a perfect summer day. A cloister is in a monastery. It is a square or rectangular open-air courtyard surrounded by covered passageways and situated next to the monastic church. Its use is limited to the monks or nuns. Most of the art and architecture came French and Spanish monasteries. The architecture is actually built into the building, so you feel as if you are in the real thing. There are a number of chapels and cloisters. It was fascinating. We spent several hours there in the peaceful beauty and had an audio tour to guide us. Here are photos of the building itself and one of the cloisters. More highlights tomorrow!

Wicked

After the show last night I was speechless, but now I can think of a few words, well, maybe one - WOW. Also, stunning, incredible, visually spectacular. If you can ever go see it -do. Experiencing it with my daughter was wonderful. Wicked is the story of what happened before Dorothy got to Oz. It's about the relationship between Glinda, the good, and Elphaba (her name is derived from the initials of L. Frank Baum, author of Wizard of Oz.) It explains how Elphaba became wicked and it ties in many elements from the Wizard of Oz, all with a clever twist. I have a lot more to say, but just a little post. The play came from a book by Gregory MacGuire if you're into fantasy. I bought the tickets off of a sort of eBay for tickets and was nervous that they were legitimate - but they were and we had seats in row J in the orchestra section!

New York, New York

I realize that everyone is not as enamored of New York as I am. I trace my adoration back to my teens when I read so many novels set in the New York of the 40's and 50's. I just fell in love with it through other people's eyes. It seemed exciting and romantic. My aunt and uncle lived about an hour north of the city near West Point, so at seventeen I got to experience NYC first-hand, right in the midst of my novel-reading frenzy. My cousin actually lived in Manhattan at the time in an apartment near Central Park with his French girfriend! And he was an artist! How much more romantic could it get for a 17 year-old!

The fascination continued through movies and television and numerous visits. And now I can visit my daughter there. (I hate that she lives so far away - but if it had to be anywhere . . . .)

Last summer I dragged my husband there (he was a good sport, but a beach is his idea of a vacation) because I think New York City is a place everyone should experience at least once in their life. My favorite thing on that trip was taking a ferry boat around Manhattan. It was a beautiful July day and I couldn't get enough of the sites of the Brooklyn Bridge. It's spectacular! I took more pictures of the bridge than anything else. I have a goal of walking across it on one of these trips.

So I'm off to a place I never tire of experiencing. We all have certain senses that dominate what stimulates us - I'm visual and auditory - that's why the excitement never ends for me in New York City. Spending time with my girl is always delicious.

I might be back to blog over the weekend, so check back - but if I don't I'll see you Monday!

Getting Ready to Go

My brain is a little too chaotic right now to think clearly about an intelligent post (why start now?) So here is a poem I wrote after a New York visit last year.

From a Sidewalk

Moving against consciousness
beckoned repeatedly into the crosswalks
of neon-lit, variegated turmoil
going both ways at once

the assault on the senses
diminishes with the days
into a rhythm of walking, smelling
stopping, hearing languages

bodies don't touch or bump
get rammed by a taxi
or knocked down by a bike-weaver
on their personal paths to a million destinations

from the New York sidewalk
I called my daughter's cell phone
she was right across the street
but we couldn't see each other

My Kids

Okay, okay - I have to admit to being old enough to be the mother of these two grown-ups. (Some of you thought they were still 2 and 4.) I'm off to the Big Apple to see the one in pigtails on Thursday. (They're still my babies, of course.)

Gold Dust

These are my children at ages 4 and 2 - Oh, so long ago. I think about the lyrics to a Tori Amos song called Gold Dust:

How did it go so fast?
You'll say as we are looking back
And then we'll understand
we held gold dust in our hands . . . .

Addendum to Making a Joyful Noise

I felt a little guilty after my last post. A long time ago someone gave me a plaque that read -Three reasons to be a teacher - June, July and August. I really didn't like that sentiment and I eventually threw it out. Of course, teachers don't become teachers just for summer vacations. Anyone who believes that isn't a teacher. However, it's a wonderful thing to have a career, earn a living, do something meaningful and still have time for your real life. For me, it's time to write, (my second book will be into heavy revision) see friends and family, maybe paint a picture, catch up on a neglected house, and already I don't feel like there will be enough summer for all the things I want to do. I am truly grateful for all of that.

The impression I do not want to give is that I can't wait to get away from students. I don't. The adults - well, maybe. Here's what we need a break from - unreasonable expectations of us with less time and materials to work with, some administrators that don't trust our judgement or even that we're doing our job, standardized testing that judges our efforts without considering the circumstances, parents that don't show up to conferences but blame us for their child's problems, inadequate working conditions, being subjected to every new education fad that comes down the road and then seeing it disappear in two to three years.

Last week I received a piece of paper in my school mailbox saying my assignment for 08-09 is working in two buildings. No one spoke to me about it. I've been in my present building for 13 years. I don't want to go to another building. I do not want my day split in two. I do not want to be somewhere else when my students need a test read to them or help with something else. It may not sound like a big deal, but every teacher I talked to felt panicked by my news. We have a union, but we are only guaranteed A job, not the job we want or feel we're best at. Basically, it will suck. Suddenly I won't belong in either building. I sent an email to my supervisor about my concerns and the fact that, as a team, the special ed teachers and the principal had already planned next year - but she didn't even acknowledge my email.

At the end of the year we often see retired teachers at certain events. We are always amazed by the fact that they look younger than when they left us - they look rested and relaxed. Hmmmm.

So, I do still like kids and I love seeing them learn - but all the other stuff I can do without. Fortunately, the contentment of summer allows me to sort of forget all that stuff and I always seem to be ready to go back in the fall - hoping for a better year.

Making a Joyful Noise

Elated, felicitous, aglow, joyous, euphoric, merry, exhuberant, blissful, glad, blithe, jubilant, contented, satisfied, pleased, a halcyon moment - ahhhhh - listen to the quiet - SCHOOL IS OVER!

Skywatch Friday - Look Up

Pull your eyes away
from electronic interlopers.
Stave off all urgent replies and forwards.

Gently lay your burdens down
as a baby enveloped in a crib
of blankets and soft comforts.

Guide yourself out
where the humid winds move
through you like shape-shifters,

and the spring peepers
noisily mate in the the twilight.
Look up, look up.

Don't wonder how it happens
every night of your life.
Don't say it's beautiful.

Say nothing at all.
Forsake the moment.
Disremember the day.

Look up, look up.


Visit Tom for more Skywatch photos.

Happy Wednesday

A Dichotomy of Movies

This week I saw two movies at the theater!! It is rare for me to even go to the movies. I've thought about both of them and it's kind of funny how completely opposite they are. One was Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia). I am a C.S. Lewis fan, but not a big fan of fantasy. I admire and respect his theological writings. I saw the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe because I knew the story and was very moved by the Christian allegory. I cried my eyes out when Aslan succumbed. Since I'm too boringly level-headed and grounded in reality I wasn't going to go see Prince Caspian until I heard Lewis's stepson, Douglas Gresham on the radio. He is the heir to Lewis's work and has been a co-producer on both of the movies in order to assure their integrity to Lewis's stories. Late-in-life Lewis married and adopted Gresham and his brother.

The movie Shadowlands is about this part of Lewis's life. Anthony Hopkins plays Lewis. I was fortunate to walk the grounds of Oxford University while on a choir tour in England. C.S. Lewis was a professor there, and after seeing the movie all I could do at Oxford was picture C.S Lewis strolling the Oxford campus - and he looked just like Anthony Hopkins! Sorry, I digress.

Gresham described in detail the moral and spiritual struggle that the four main characters go through in a world of corruption in Prince Caspian and how they each have to find their way back from it. That sparked my interest. But to me the movie was one big battle scene - bows and arrows and swords. I feel like I missed something. Sure there's the battle between good and evil and good wins, but the deeper plot passed me by. If anyone has seen it and gotten more from it I'd like to hear what you have to say. I guess I can read the book too.

The other movie was Sex and the City! I loved it! It's definitely a shallow guilty little pleasure, but it was fun and funny! You should probably like the show if you want to see it. I don't know why so many of us got attached to it. There 's just something about the women's vulnerability I think we can all relate to. I never saw it on HBO so I've only seen the cleaned up version. I went with a neighbor and sat in an entire theater of women (if you really want your hubby to go tell him there is, in fact, sex in the city :)

The other reason I like the show is that New York City is definitely the fifth main character and I have a life-long fascination with New York City. In fact, I'll be heading there again next week to see daughter!

So, two movies that couldn't be more different. One I should have learned more from I think, the other just plain entertainment. And there's my two cents - take it or leave it.

Why Bad Things Happen

This was the sermon topic in church yesterday. I thought I'd share a few points the pastor made since it is perhaps the toughest question we have as human beings. His first point was that - it's a fair question. Don't let anyone tell you that you have no faith just for asking it. Even Jesus asked God why He had forsaken him on the cross. Second - we just don't know. It may be a question we never know the answer to. I think it makes us trust God even more because we have to believe He knows what He's doing. Third - there is goodness. Newscasts and papers announce to us everyday the horrors of earthquakes, the evil of crime, the sadness of misfortunes, but there is goodness too. We have all experienced that as well.

Harold Kushner writes, " I think suffering happens and then, we have the immense, incredible power of conferring meaning on that suffering. We can either make it a cause for despair or cynicism, or we can make it the source of renewed insight and compassion. The experience of tragedy can lead us to self-hate or to a sense of fraternity with suffering people everywhere. This is our point of decision and it is a decision only we can make. We can't decide whether tragedy will happen to us. We can only decide how we will respond to it when it happens."

I posted a photo of my hibiscus plants. They have been lush and beautiful in the past. This winter - not so much. Now they sit on my side deck trying to adjust to warmth and sunlight. They usually lose leaves, but I've never seen them this bad. Yet admidst their suffering and neglect they have both decided to bloom (where they're planted of course.)

Lastly, my blogging friend, Cheryl left a comment on the previous post about my pathetic hair. She noticed in my profile all the things I have been given to do in this life and her comment was - hair is minor in the scheme of things, right? You are SO right, Cheryl.

Basket O' Flip-flops (and other summer stuff)

One thing I love about summer - my Basket O' Flip-flops. My feet are free!! It's all I wear from April through October (if at all possible). I also love going barefoot. When I was a teen I would walk on the steamy asphalt to toughen up my feet for the season. Even though I have a whole basket of flip-flops I have a favorite pair every year - I've been wearing the black Reebok pair all winter as slippers (sometimes with socks if it's really cold.) I bought a pair of black "Born" flippies this spring - they were $95! But at DSW with 80% off they were a steal (and very impressive). Of course they aren't as comfie as my foot-molded Reeboks, so I'll have to break them in.

One thing I hate about summer - that weightless, wispy, lifeless, yellowish stuff on top of my head. Today was the first day that seemed a little humid and when I looked in the mirror I was reminded of how ridiculous my hair looks all summer. How horrible it looks in every vacation photo. Hate, loathe, detest, abhore, despise - these are not nearly strong enough verbs to describe how I feel about my hair. It does absolutely nothing that normal hair does. In the winter I can hold it in a satisfactory human-looking place with hairspray - but summer is hopeless, no matter the products or cut.

Is this why I cannot bring myself to enter a salon? I hate the whole experience, no matter how nice the stylists are. This week I decided that a cut would help. Making an appointment was on my list of things to do all week - but I cannot bring myself to do it - it's like torture to me - having someone focus on my hair, telling me about all the products and styles that work on everyone (but me). I am only capable of cutting my hair on the spur of the moment - so I do it myself. (I know - I see all of you shuddering out there.) I've actually gotten quite good at it. In analyzing myself I think I just don't want to be let down as I have so many times - if it sucks it's my own fault.

So I just cut about an inch and a half off and put in a couple weak layers - and it looks pretty much the same as it's looked since my first grade school picture - a little blond bob - BORING! It's my cross to bear. Maybe in heaven I'll have thick hair.

Salad Days

College street
on the first warm April day,

half-naked young men and women
prancing in the grass like elves,

smoking in plastic chairs,
frisbees slicing the air.

Will they remember
their proud bare bellies

melanoma-free
youth sprouting all around them?

Will they remember afternoons
with nothing to do

but throw beanbags
into wooden boxes,

the sexual tension,
the temptation of beach towels?

Will they remember
these days of bookless learning,
these salad days?

SKYWATCH FRIDAY

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other, nothing is hidden from its heat. Psalm 19:5-6

For more beautiful sky pictures visit Tom at Wigger's World.

Laughing Babies

Please don't give up on some well thought out, well written posts - hopefully coming when these crazy two weeks are over ! In the meanwhile click on this link and if you don't laugh and/or cry check your pulse to see if you're alive.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwriOyQf1EA

Coexist VII - Imagine

Imagine no Memorial Day.

Imagine all children growing up in loving nurturing

homes, children never growing up to become Hitlers

or Husseins or Bin Ladens. Imagine God wiping

every tear from every eye - that will be Heaven,

and we must wait for heaven.

In the last days -they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Isaiah 2:4

Imagine there's no countries. It's easy if you try. Nothing to kill or die for and no religion too. Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us and the world will live as one. John Lennon

John wasn't the only one. If you go to Strawberry Fields in Central Park now you will see other dreamers - every day of every week - just sitting there - imagining.

g

Memorial Day

This is a photo I took on Friday of a cemetery that I go by every day on the way to work. Every year they place thousands of flags throughout the cemetery grounds for as far as the eye can see. It's quite moving. I don't know if the number of flags has any significance, but it makes me remember to be grateful to all who have served or given their lives for our country. I wish the photo could show just how far the flags go.

PS - My Skywatch Friday photo was NOT a tornado as several people wondered - but it sure looked like one!

SKYWATCH FRIDAY

Just out on Saturday errands earlier this month when a storm was ROLLING in! I got scared and headed for home. I think this scripture describes it:

All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll. Isaiah 34:4.

To view more Skywatch photos go to Wigger's World.

Phonics? Fonixs?

Today I sat through yet ANOTHER training session on yet ANOTHER reading program - a new way to teach reading - another new way! I have no idea how many reading programs I have been trained on - have used - have gone by the wayside because something new came along. It is true that many children are not learning to read as they should and I admire those who are trying to unlock the mysteries of their difficulties. But after so many years of teaching it's hard to keep buying into new things. Sometimes it's just a company trying to make money. They hire really convincing spokespeople that amaze you with their ideas and results - but alas, the same children have the same problems. In honor of this day I thought I'd share a very clever poem that was written by the late Dorothy Griswold - a friend of my parents. This poem explains a lot about why English speaking children have it rough.

Phun with Fonix

When I was youngue, my mother toung

seamed eezy as a brease.

In grammer schules they taut us rools

along with a-b-c's.

With eech gnu wird I wred or herd,

my vocabulary grough.

The rools and stough did know seam tuff

two me. Did thay tue yew?

Bigh and bigh I went to hye-

skule whair thay tought me moar

on hough to spell and sheau and tell,

witch I cood knot ignoor.

I set my hart on lurning eart,

lyke hau to peint and draugh.

But tewday I greave to seigh

my talent has a flaugh.

Sew back I'll gow tew what I no,

Inglish and its youse.

We knead gould turse and huyclass virce

and that's what I'll produse.

Faith

She, a little lower than the angels

was sure of what she hoped for

and certain of what could not be seen,

and when she was weak she was strong.

Being an alien, she brought nothing

into this world, and will take nothing away,

even after being polluted by it,

even after it tried dividing her soul and spirit

down to her joints and marrow.

The flowers fade and the grass withers

yet prophetic messages and words

of exhortation are still written on her heart.

Who builds her house?

Can both fresh water and salt water

flow from the same spring?

She does not believe every spirit, but

only the one that makes her stumble,

the scandalous rock that makes her fall.

An idol not of bronze or gold, but the

cornerstone, a living stone

with the power to shut the sky,

to throw a mountain into the sea,

to give or take breath.

Although perseverence must finish its work

she now rests from her labors,

and does not neglect her gift.

What she sees is temporary,

but what is unseen is eternal

and it does not change like shifting shadows.

(a plagiarist poem))

Monday Musings

First of all I've had some kind of annoying stomach virus since last week and it might be affecting my mind - so I'm going to ramble today. At the moment I'm watching Oprah and it is a Mary Tyler Moore reunion show and I'm getting teary-eyed! It brings back so many memories of Saturday nights at home in the living room - with Mary - and the Carol Burnett show - shows the whole family enjoyed and laughed at together. I really loved Mary as Laura Petrie in the Dick Van Dyke Show too (reruns of course). Anyway it's amazing how TV shows can become part of your life. I think more so in the past because there were so many less of them. TV shows were special and I believe the characters were generally written with much more thought and humanity. Now maybe we are too overwhelmed with so many choices - and with shows like Desperate Housewives which make you wonder whether to laugh or be horrified. Nothing seems special anymore. Oh well, I'm sounding like an old fart now.

My book club read For One More Day by Mitch Albom. I bring this up because the book asks you to think about someone you would spend one more day with if you could. In the book, the main character gets to spend one more day with his deceased mother. During that ordinary day he finds out all kinds of things about her that he never knew - including things she sacrificed for him. He, of course, is full of regrets. So it makes you think. The book club ladies had a wide variety of thoughts on the afterlife, reincarnation, ghosts and all sorts of beliefs that kind of took me by surprise.

Anyway, who would you spend one more day with if you could? I first thought of my friend Jacquie who passed on in March - or my friend Maryanne who left before I could say goodbye, or my Aunt Lydia who was warm and bright and special to me. But then I realized that I was fortunate to have many great times with them. So the person I wish I could spend a day with is my maternal grandfather. A man I never spent a day with, but have heard about all my life. I'm pretty sure he was someone special and fun to spend time with. My mom was the last of six children and all I've ever heard all my life was how my grandfather took the time to spend with her when no one else would. Her stories are always humorous too, as he seemed like a man who tried to make everyone around him happy. I was fortunate to know my three other grandparents until my teens. My own children still have three grandparents and I am so grateful for that.

So, think about it. Who would you spend one more day with? Several of the book club ladies insisted that our loved ones are looking down from heaven watching out for us. I said - if they have to look down here on Earth and see us messing up every day then I don't think they're in heaven! That's not my idea of heaven anyway!

What Do You Treasure?

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourself treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

Spring Weekend

Roses are sometimes red
Violets are not blue
I love all my blogging friends
Happy weekend to you.

SKYWATCH FRIDAY - The Suffocating Sky

If it comes any lower
my arms will flail
to get it out of my hair.
De-energized, subdued light,
the earth is suffocating
in the iron gray.
Bird wings weighed down
except for vultures circling
down on the carcass of this day
while God is hiding His eyes.

Logan, the Sky Angel Cowboy

If you've never heard this radio broadcast - do yourself a big favor and click on the link below and let Logan bless your day.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCdZwitrNoY

Gratitude

I love this blogging thing and the way it has become such a part of my life. But on some days, like today, I feel pressure to come up with something intelligent to say. The next few weeks are full of celebrations - birthday, communion, goodbyes to co-workers, end of the year, graduation, retirement etc, etc! And I appreciate that all of those people are in my life - but time to write worthy blogs?? Maybe not. So today driving home I'm thinking - I've got to come up with something before we leave for my mother-in-laws birthday party tonight!!! I began to think how blessed my life is be able to participate in so much - so I'm just going to list a Grateful List today.

I am thankful for these:

1. A slow dance Friday night with my husband at our annual union banquet - I always loved the song Sara Smile - but now it's a lovely memory too.

2. My daughter sent me my favorite perfume and my son gave me a bouquet of lilacs for Mother's Day - so thankful that, amidst their busy lives, they take time to know their mom.

3. That I have a mother - and that I am a mother.

4. My fantastic neighborhood book club. I am fond of every one of those 12 ladies and all their diverse opinions. It's like the big group of girlfriends I never had.

5. My poison ivy is gone.

6. The skunk odor that wafted in the house this morning was NOT coming from my little Stella.

7. There are 16 school days left. :) :) :) :)

8. That joining Skywatch Friday has made me look at the sky everyday.

9. That God still loves me even though I am so slow to learn His ways.

10. Our four parents are with us - ages 78-88.

Happy Mother's Day

I can't let Mother's Day go by without saying that I have a wonderful, amazing mother. I cherish our closeness and admiration for each other more than I can say. She is beautiful and talented and has taught me to appreciate so many things in life. She is a consummate artist and musician and I got a little bit of each of those too because of her. During all of my teenage years my mom was my accompanist as I sang my little heart out at church and in competitions. We spent many, many hours at the piano together. (Unfortunately, I did not inherit her piano talents though.) She taught me more about art and beauty and faith than any teacher I ever had. She's always been a loving, concerned grandma to my children.

My mom and I have sat next to each other (or very close by) in a church choir loft for over 30 years! Both sopranos. And today, Mother's Day, we attended the Village pancake breakfast. I don't know how many years we've eaten blueberry pancakes together on this day - but probably close to 30 as well. My mother has been a supportive friend to me my entire life, and if I am a good mother I know it is in great part due to having a role model in her. I could, of course, go on and on - but you get the picture. Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I love you.

Tagged - Favorite Book

I was tagged by Happyone to write about my favorite book. (You'll have to get her link from my blogger list because I still haven't figured out how to link it on the post - someone help me!!)

Books are scarce in the world. They are illegal in some provinces. They are not easily replaced, if not impossible to replace if lost in many if not most circumstances. If you can replace a book or buy one, it is usually through the black market at astronomical costs that you cannot afford. Yet, you have been able to maintain one of the best collections in the world. If your entire library was about to burn up (think of firefighters in Fahrenheit 451 invading your home) and you could only have one book to take with you other than the Bible, what would it be and why?

Simple rules: answer the question. Offer one quote that resonates with you. Tag five people whose response is of genuine interest to you and inform him or her that they have been tagged. Cheers!

* And it cannot be an entire series of something, that's cheating.

That's a tough question. I've always thought of favorite books as ones that have the biggest impact on you. I've loved so many novels, but I rarely re-read them. The Bible is excluded so I am going to say The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck. The sub-title of this book is A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth. I don't remember how I found this book but it made a tremendous impact on me at a time when I was searching and trying to make sense out of all of those things.

The first sentence in the book is "Life is difficult." Okay, you've got my attention. It goes on - "This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult - once we truly understand and accept it - then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters."

This book has messages of human truths and spiritual truths. It is common sense, the real world and how we must live in it. Peck writes about how much effort it takes to truly love, why falling in love is a passing feeling, the healthiness of depression, the value of psychotherapy, miracles, marriage, grace and consciousness. His writing helped me understand what it means to be human. It helped me accept my weaknesses and believe in myself at a time when I was hating myself.

He writes, "Our lifetime offers us unlimited opportunities for spiritual growth until the end."

I could share about 200 more quotes that I love but I won't.

My technological weakness prevents me from linking some blogging friends (for now - I'll get it eventually) but I tag - Crustybeef, Erin, Lovely Disturbance, Daughter of Eve and Moohaa! Go to my list and check them out!

The Road Less Traveled is on my Shelfari shelf too.

Skywatch Friday - the sun/Son

Maybe it is no coincidence

that sun and Son sound the same.

Life-giving warmth, energy,

both eternal and ever rising

to our need.

Each new morning

I bend my head

towards the Son

as a flower bends its head

towards the sun.

Listening, reaching

for all I cannot exist without.

Bittersweet

It's sort of a strange experience to call your daughter from Ohio and when she answers the phone you hear a cacophony in the background and she is yelling, "I have to call you back, Mom - we're going to our seats at Yankee Stadium! Look for me on TV!" The game was on in Cleveland because the Yankees were playing the Indians (the Tribe won!) I stared at the television thinking - she's there - right now - in that crowd - under that sky - 400+ miles away.

Another time I had that same sense of weirdness was our first Thanksgiving apart. I was tearfully stuffing the turkey and the phone rang. "Mom!" (in more of an eight-year-old voice out of the past) "I just saw Scooby-Doo!" She was at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. After hanging up the phone I watched the TV, gazing at the New York streets trying to imagine her in that crowd.

I love that she's out in the world experiencing things that I never did - soaking up New York City - living her own unique life - but at the same time it doesn't seem right that she's there and I'm here.

So I think the word BITTERSWEET must have been invented to describe a mother's torn feelings about her children in situations like this.

You bitterly miss them - but feel the sweet pride as they find their place in this world.

You ache for the days when you were needed 24/7 - but their independence and growth bring you joy.

You want them to stay - but you rejoice at their singular flight.

Bitter and sweet.

Spontaneous head-crap

standing on a house of cards

in the mercy seat again

due to a brain malfunction -

i never get easier

when lightning strikes

the same spot

hundreds of times

you think i'd move

but i will climb

up on my cross
and sacrifice my dignity
in futile mind-heart

mismanagement

(the only thing worthwhile here is the painting by my Uncle Glen Heberling - but not a good photo either.)

Black Squirrels

The first time I saw a black squirrel I was attending Kent State University. At that time (many moons ago) they were pretty much contained to that area of Ohio. Ten rare black squirrels had been imported from London, Ontario in February of 1961, but I don't know why. The Black Squirrel Festival began in 1981. Now I live about 30 minutes away from Kent but see black squirrels all the time in my neighborhood. Have you seen them around your neck of the woods?

All New Dishes

After thirty years of looking at white Corelle dishes I just couldn't take it anymore. All new dishes! They are purple, orange-gold, aqua and new-leaf green. Kind of unique combination of colors. Now we just have to remember that nothing is as indestructible as Corelle dishes! They were a real bargain at Kohl's - the best store ever.

SKYWATCH FRIDAY

Celestial

Innocent resurrection, blue

radiance in your morning window.

The only blue but for

a robin's egg,

a parakeet feather,

a reflection in the Caribbean Sea.

Bird arrows, hawk's wings,

slashing contrails intersect

the tendons between Earth and forever.

The disconnect of clouds,

opacity blocks our view

of a pure and singular blue.

From this terrestrial ball

sunset meets moonrise

in a sizzle on the horizon.

Then the colorless glow,

the kiss of moonbeams

shining in your night window.

On a Spring Walk . . .

The clouds are spun sugar daydreams.
Squirrels are deep into their hidden nut buffet.
Chipmunks vanish into freshly burrowed soil.
Pink cherry blossoms look like fragile blown glass.

God is everywhere.
The lilacs make me gasp.

No Test Left Behind

So it's Ohio Achievement Test week. Hooray! What we teachers have worked for all year. I'm sure you've heard a lot of horrible things about the No Child Left Behind Act - and they're all true. It's based on a one-size-fits-all approach to learning and assessment. Too bad all children aren't the same size. If a school is struggling because say, many of their children are transient and have attended 5-7 different schools by the time they're in fifth grade - or say the school is too poor to provide resources for all the neglected, abused and foster children that attend there - or say the school can't control how many pregnant teenagers took drugs while pregnant and their children are riddled with all sorts of disorders and learning and behavior problems - say - so what? Does NCLB help a struggling school? No - it punishes - it takes away funding and has the power to "reorganize" the school or shut it down. Billions of dollars go to illegal immigrants and the war - but there doesn't seem to be enough money for American education. Demands are put on schools with minimal funds to achieve them. Surveys have shown that more than half of teachers claim to spend more than 50% of the school year on testing. We have no choice. Learning and discovery are no longer important - only test results. I administer these tests and there are reading selections that even I can't relate to, but we expect urban, suburban and rural children to all understand them in the same way.

Yesterday was the reading portion of the test. (By the way each of the 4 subtests each take an entire morning) One of my students was visibly upset when she came into my room. She wouldn't look at the test and began crying. (We're on a time schedule of course.) I tried to talk to her but she didn't want to talk to anyone. She just kept crying and I could tell it wasn't about the test. This little girl has had a great year, but last year went through a horrible trauma. About two months ago her aunt and uncle were shot by their son- the uncle died, the aunt is still hospitalized. So here I stand trying to tell her how important this damn test is. Then I stopped. She wanted to take it. For awhile her tears fell on the test booklet, but then somehow she continued and did fine. The experience just reminded me how UNIMPORTANT tests are to children compared to what's going on in their real lives.

No Child Left Behind certainly has a good intention behind it because, in fact, no child should be left behind whether they are poor, minority, disabled, immigrant or anything else. But I think the act assumes that teachers are at fault. The act is really testing us to see if we're doing our jobs. I'm sure there are bad, uncaring teachers, but I've worked with dozens of teachers over my career and maybe 1% of them were what I would call bad. Yet, we are blamed for everything. In today's Plain Dealer some moron wrote "The first intelligent action is that the states and cities must stop rewarding the teachers and administrators with endless raises for producing an endless stream of functional illiterates with no hirable skills or training. Until this action is taken we will continuously fall behind all other industrial nations."(States and cities don't pay us - that's negotiated with the school board.)

So we're supposed to work all day with difficult children, under difficult working conditions and the pressure of test scores - earn our Master's degrees and work for free?

Sir, the problem goes way beyond what teachers are humanly capable of in a six hour school day.

Can improvements be made? Sure, but ample personnel for all that a school needs to tackle every day takes money. Keeping up with technology and the way children learn in 2008 takes a whole heap of money.

Who's making money? The school testing and testing service industry is now an estimated $2.3 billion a year enterprise, with just five big companies controlling 90% of the statewide testing revenue. Give that money and the money wasted on school vouchers that goes to charter schools run by businessmen back to the public schools and let us do the job we are yearning to do. See, we really get a kick out of seeing children learn and grow - that's why we became teachers in the first place.

Seven Things About Me

My new blogging friend, Ruth tagged me for this post. I've never done this before so here goes:

1. Four things I've never done: smoked a cigarette, drank a whole cup of coffee, put ketchup on anything, flipped anyone off.

2. I starred in my Senior High school musical. It was called Carnival and I was Lily. I've sung ever since, but that was the beginning and end of my acting and dancing career.

3. I've been paragliding in Cancun and whitewater rafting in West Virginia - loved both.

4. I am a tea addict.

5. I host a family reunion at my house every summer. We have about 35-40 people come from 8-10 states each year.

6. I had breast reduction surgery when I was 40 and have never regretted it for one second.

7. When I was a poor single mother someone anonymously sent me a plant with $1000.

Scroll down to my Beautiful Bloggers and if you're on it consider yourself tagged. If you want to put your link on my list just let me know !

My One True Enemy

There is an enemy

so rude, so invasive.

It forces its way into my life

and takes over.

It looks innocent but

inflicts red heat and torture

to all who dare to come near.

Its essence remains

even when it can no longer be seen.

It robs me of sleep, and

of closeness to the one I love.

It has scarred and abused me
and sullied what's left of my beauty.

When I reach the Pearly Gates

and I meet God face to face

I will ask why, why, O God

did You create poison ivy?

Skywatch Friday

We all know that the sky is changeable - but I never knew how fast it changed until I started trying to capture a photo of it. I would be driving along and think I'll get this shot as soon as I get to a parking lot or to the top of the hill - but it would be too late in just seconds. This was another morning shot on the way to work this week.

Children Singing

The voices of singing children always makes me cry - but in this video they are singing a song by my girl, Tori Amos! It is the PS22 school in NYC. I love the looks on some of their faces - they've been watching a lot of American Idol, I believe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfHXm8F13f8

Go Road Tripping

The advertisement to the right is not any old ad. It is my sister's new website. Anything you want to know about travel in the USA is there. Please take a look and pass it along to your friends and family. Here are a couple enticing pics of Cleveland if you ever are tempted to visit. (I dare you). One is the glorious Severance Hall, home of the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus.

Hoarding God

The prayer chain had a list of requests
that grew longer and longer like the chain
of red and green paper circles we made
at Christmastime; a kindergarten room
encumbered with breakable loops.

How could we word each one differently
so God would stay interested?
We prayed dutifully for each needful
circumstance, fragile body, spirit.
If healed the prayer became praise,

in death God rested their souls.
He got credit for pleasant outcomes.
The others vanished from conversations
as if in His omniscience He'd put egg
on His own face by giving the wrong answer.

Yet, like Dorothy in her ruby slippers
the power always existed
in gifts of intellect, volition,
grace extended but not always taken
the chain of choices in a human lifetime.

Praying- when it doesn't seem like it's working . . .

This is a quote by Harold Kushner, who wrote Why Bad Things Happen to Good People:

God doesn't control everything. God doesn't control and suspend the laws of nature and God doesn't make sure that human beings only do what God wants them to do. Once I realized that God was a God of love and not a God of total power, everything fell into place. Now when I pray to God, I don't bargain, I don't ask, "What can I do for you God, so you'll do this for me?" I don't try to persuade God that I deserve to be given whatever it is I need or want. All I say is, "God, this is a time when I need you. I just need to know I am not alone." This sort of prayer never fails me.

Proud to be an American

Yesterday I had the honor of witnessing eighty people become American citizens. My school's fifth grade classes were able to have a tour of the Federal Court House and witness a naturalization ceremony because the judge is the grandfather of one of our students. Another one of our students saw his mother become a citizen as well. I found myself really holding back tears at the realization of what they were doing. All of the prospective citizens stand, hold up their hand, an oath is read and they say "I do." That's it - although I know there is much preparation ahead of time. The judge then explained why he disliked the oath because it had archaic words in it such as abjure. He made them all stand as he read an oath that he wrote and they said I do again. Some of them looked confused, but I appreciated his convictions. He gave a speech on why we pay taxes and how important their vote is. Then he asked them to never forget their homeland and their heritage and to share it with their children and grandchildren. He felt strongly about this because his own painful Russian Jewish family history had not been spoken of and he did not know where his people came from. I thought that was a beautiful sentiment as well.

Before all of that they students had two scared straight lectures primarily about drugs. They met with a federal marshall and one student was handcuffed and shackled for effect. The marshall emphasized how not fun it was to be in prison. We actually saw the prison and one orange-suited man in shackles being led from a cell in the elevator to his permanant cell a few yards away. Many of the student questions were about people escaping -but all they heard was - no one escapes here.

We sat in the judges court room and heard another lecture on the danger of drug involvement. This judge says he now convicts people to life in prison for multiple drug convictions. We saw the judges chambers - about the same square footage as my entire house - and his view of Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River. If that was my office I'd spend all day staring out the window I'm sure.

The Federal Court House in Cleveland is only a few years old and a spectacular place to visit. The bus ride with 50 fifth graders was pure hell - but it was worth it.

Happy Friday - Skywatch

I had a great skywatch photo to post today - but couldn't upload it for some reason. This is a photo I took last fall on my way to New York City at dawn. I also couldn't seem to make it larger. Check back next Friday!!!
This week in the Cleveland area the sky was perfectly clear every day! Just when you'd like a little drama in the skies - then it decides to be baby blue - not even a baby cloud. We're not complaining though.

Primal Scream Moment

Can I just say AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! If someone ever sweet-talks you into starting a new job when you still have your old one - run screaming in the other direction. My supervisor prefaced her request with "I know you're really a team player and you really care about kids." Well, yes, but I'm considering retiring from the team player part. I feel like everything I worked on, organized and accomplished since last August is slowly swirling around and around in the toilet bowl and about to disappear into the sewer. In short, I feel like my efforts have been treated like a piece of crap. Sorry, but that's all I got right now. I'm heading towards the wine bottle in the refrigerator. Maybe the next post will be of some value if I make it through Friday. In the immortal words of Scarlett O'Hara - Tomorrow is another day.

Rambling Tuesday

Kinda tired today after getting home from neighborhood book club at midnight last night. - oops!We watched "No Country for Old Men" after reading the book - can someone explain to me WHY this won Best Picture Oscar? Maybe I missed something besides the guns and killing. So today was busy - I have to prepare for new students in a different building I'm being sent to every afternoon,(starting yesterday), had a meeting to allow one of my students to receive ESY (extended school year) because he's in fifth grade and only knows 90 words and will most likely forget those over the summer. That same boy cried all morning yesterday when I told him I wouldn't be there in the afternoons anymore.) Then another meeting to write an IEP (Individual Education Plan) for another new student. The mother was crying because she also has a learning disability and doesn't want her child to go through what she went through in school. OH YEAH, I forgot! In the middle of that we had a school LOCK-DOWN. This happens when the principal makes an announcement over the PA saying in code that there is an uninvited guest in the building. I was in the library at the computers with 4 kids. We raced into a nearby office, slammed and locked the door, turned off the lights and hid. Another teacher and about 6 other kids were in there. We waited and waited and pretty soon all of us were saying - Ummm - don't think this is a drill. We sat quietly (hey they can be quiet!) for 25 minutes. Turns out someone was in an empty room rooting around for a teacher's purse. He was buzzed in but didn't check into the office. He's in a building teeming with teachers and kids and has to be buzzed in by the camera by the door to steal from a purse??? What a genious!!! The police were there and he was found. In between all that I had lunch with two friends - and oh yeah, I did some teaching too!

The Wisdom of Willie Wonka

I'm not a big movie person. I like to watch a movie if it's worthwhile and gives me something to think about the next day. I don't see the point in buying movies, and I don't want to spend much time re-watching ones I've seen. Yet, there are movies that, when you're channel surfing, you will always stop and get caught up in - even if you've seen it a dozen times. My husband and I don't typically have the same taste in movies (or anything else), but neither of us can resist watching "Forrest Gump" when it's on. It's like two kids with a video game - we just can't look away. We're fixated. I love the scene when Forrest discovers that he's a father. The look on Tom Hanks' face is stunning. I'm a sucker for Judy singing "Over the Rainbow", and Rhett carrying Scarlet up the staircase to ravish her. I will laugh until tears spill down my face at Jim Carrey beating himself up in the bathroom in "Liar,Liar" or the deer tearing the car apart in "Tommy Boy."

But I've decided my favorite movie scene is from the ORIGINAL Willie Wonka (I adore Johnny Depp -hey, I've still got a hormone or two floating around in there - but even he can't outdo Gene Wilder's Willie Wonka.)

The scene is near the end of the movie when Charlie puts a piece of candy he stole on Willie's desk. Without looking up Willie puts his hand over the candy and says,

"So shines a good deed in a weary world." Love it. Beautiful. Ahhh, now that's a movie scene to remember.

What's your favorite movie scene???? Let me know and I'll make a list.

What Teachers Make

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing careers and salaries. A CEO argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher? Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach," he laughed.

To stress his point he said to another guest, "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"

Bonnie paused, then replied,"You want to know what I make? Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like a Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class when some parents can't make them sit for 5 without an iPod or a DVD or a video game. "

She paused again, "You really want to know what I make? I make kids wonder. I make them question and think critically. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. I teach them to write and then I make them write. I make them read and read some more. I make them show all their work in math. I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their cultural identity. I make them stand when they say the Pledge of Allegiance because we live in the United States of America. I make them understand that if they use the gifts they've been given, work hard, and follow their hearts they can succeed in this life. I make my classroom a safe place for all my students."

Bonnie paused once again, "I make a difference. What do you make?"

The Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus

No matter what anyone erroneously says about Cleveland - we have the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus and Severance Hall. Last night my mom and I heard one of my favorite works - Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. I've had the joy of singing this piece during one of the 15 summers I spent singing with the Blossom Festival Chorus - the summer Orchestra Chorus. It was an amazing experience sitting behind the world famous Cleveland Orchestra for all those years. A highlight was singing under the direction of Robert Shaw, probably the most famous choral director of the 20th century. Ironically, my mom had sung under his direction in Pittsburgh years before. Severance Hall was renovated several years ago. It is impossible to describe the beauty of this concert hall. Inside you feel like you are sitting inside of a diamond. It is the definition of the word luminescent. This picture won't do it justice - but here's an idea.

Skywatch Friday

A while ago I realized that every day on my way to work I was driving over a hill that appeared to be the highest point in the county. I looked it up and I was right (at least for the east side of the city) It is a 1250 elevation - which is nothing for most places - but a veritable mountain for northeast Ohio. I often see beautiful views of the rising sun - so I joined Skywatch Friday and will post a photo each Friday of the heavens. If you want to see more sky photos go to http://womtig.blogspot.com/.

Betsy McCall

Is this the cutest doll you've ever seen, or what?

Her name is Betsy McCall and she has been

preserved from my childhood (long long ago).

McCall's magazine had Betsy as a paper doll every

month. I think my doll was sent away for - not

ever available from stores. She sits in my glass

cabinet in her original adorable outfit. She's only

about 7 inches high.

Writing is Like Parenting

Being a writer is like being a parent. It's part instinct and part crapshoot. You have a deep love and passion for it, but your daily efforts don't always appear to pay off. In writing, like parenting (as well as other arts) you have a lot to say, but sometimes no one is listening. You do both of them out of love.

Everything you produce is, and always will be, your baby. You have vivid dreams for the beloved's future. The rewards can be bittersweet. You let your child go out into the world realizing that was the goal - but your heart aches. You give your words little wings and watch them fly out of your hands (or computer) - and you can get hurt from that too, no matter how hard you worked or what your intentions.

One strangely universal experience of writers is that we proudly launch our books or blogs and they are ignored by those we're closest to. At first we are stunned. Just like with our children - you reject my baby, you reject me! Ouch! Here are a few of my theories:

1. In our writing we've opened a vein and let our guts spill out and it's plain old TMI. It might evoke emotion in the reader, they might not like blood-letting. Some people are afraid of feeling something.

2. The reader can't separate the writer from the writing, and that's understandable. But we writers DO have some imagination you know! We spend time observing other people's lives and take copious notes. So everything we write isn't necessarily from experience.

3. It's a time commitment. If you ask someone to read a book you're asking a lot:

a. The reader may not like to be told what to read - it's not their genre of preference.

b. They're pretty sure your book stinks and THEN what will they say?

c. They resent your accomplishment and do not want to honor it with attention.

d. They're afraid you are smarter than they thought and they're jealous.

e. They are illiterate and don't want you to know. (I think it's mostly a. or b.)

The thing is - we writers are okay with constructive criticism. It helps us improve our craft. We form groups to critique each other's work all the time. We also understand that books are a matter of taste. We're not necessarily brilliant - we just get fulfillment from writing - like someone else might from cooking or decorating or whittling.

We do, I suppose, believe we have something of value to say though, and therefore would like it to be read. If you don't love it, it's okay - just a kind word about the effort or love that went into it will do.

For the most part writers are insecure. We doubt our abilities and motivations on a daily basis. But we have a passion for self-expression that God cursed us with. We can work on a paragraph for weeks and then tear it up screaming My writing sucks and I am the suckiest writer who ever lived! We're much harder on ourselves than the readers.

So if you generously give your time to a struggling word-obsessed writer such as myself - and it does indeed suck - don't be too hard on us. We don't think of ourselves as geniuses. We're not looking for the Pulitzer Prize or Oprah's accolades - we're just doing something we love doing and apparently can't stop doing no matter what you say. Just like we'll always love and be proud of our children - no matter what anyone says.

A Daughter and Son

Beautiful

My girl, a woman.

We talk of love and fights,

work and dreams like girlfriends.

She has infinite patience

with the "when you were little" stories

that are now multiplying, their goodness

and simplicity comforting me

like a soft blanket over a sheet of doubts.

I search for myself in her deep-set eyes

so different from mine, nothing that can be seen

is the same, but maybe our souls.

Where am I in the wondrous thing she's become?

Where did she learn to forgive so well,

to delight in so little,

to love so beautiful,

even though I thought I'd shown her

everything I did not want her to see?

Soon she will fly, her hands

will make beautiful things

and she will be more.

There is no beginning or end to a daughter,

in the endless sychronicity of mothers and daughters

each generation is more and

she will be more than me.

Son

A son makes you laugh

because he is a man

as you never imagined.

You hear manly words

and you giggle with delight

in the surprise of it all.

The joy in the aftermath of anger

is an oracle, its message

is the long-awaited tranquility.

Then the cleaning out of your

overflowing trunk of prayers

is like the ending

of your favorite book.

And when you hear that

manly voice say Mom,

it's the only voice you've ever known.

Blue Skies

This is how I feel right now because my daughter is coming home today. That's all.

The Pregnant Man

I just saw some of the Oprah show about the pregnant man in Oregon. Obviously he WAS a woman, took hormones, grew a beard and a small penis (his words). He kept the female reproductive organs, found a woman he loves, they want a baby and the wife had had a hysterectomy. So he's pregnant. A doctor said it's a normal pregnancy, he stopped taking hormones two years ago, the baby's normal - they're thrilled. These two people love each other. They have a nice home - they want a child.

So after the show the news comes on. There's a lead story about how people think it's a hoax, it's sick, the baby will be a freak - COME ON! The man has a woman's body and is having a baby - SO WHAT? Is is just me or are people so reserved and closed-minded they can't see how normal this really is? As Thomas (the man) said - I'm a human being and I have a right to have a biological child. In my opinion yes, he does.

Back in the Day

A blogging buddy posted a small tirade about how things have changed since she was a child. It is a story we're all accustomed to hearing in our childhood from our elders, but then somewhat shocking when we're old enough to start speaking on it ourselves. It is actually quite frightening how fast things change the older you get. I, for one, NEVER thought I would rush home to spend time on a computer! (Like right now). I don't think I want to list all the ways the world has changed since I was a child - that would be kinda depressing - but here is a small news item that caught my eye this morning from Waycross, Georgia. It says more than enough.

Third graders plotted to attack their teacher, bringing a broken steak knife, handcuffs, duct tape and other items for the job, police said Tuesday. The plot involving as many as nine boys and girld at Center Elementary School in south Georgia was a serious threat, police said. School officials alerted police Friday after a pupil tipped off a teacher. Police said the students apparently planned to knock the teacher unconscious, bind her with the handcuffs and tape and then stab her. It wasn't clear whether they planned to kill her. They were apparently mad because the teacher scolded one of them. Two of the students were arrested on juvenile charges and a third arrest was expected.

That's more than enough change for me, how about you?

Fortuity

Today - just an ordinary Tuesday - or so I thought. After lunchtime the fifth graders were to go to the Middle School for some sort of assembly. I didn't know what it was about and I had no good excuse not to go - so I went along. (It's right next door). On the aging and forlorn auditorium stage were a set of drums, a Hammond B3, and guitar - hmmmm interesting. We sat for awhile trying to keep kids in their seats and calm. Then someone comes out to introduce Brian Auger. Brian Auger? The name is quite familiar. He's arguably a legendary rock and jazz keyboard artist, best known in the 60's and 70's for playing with groups like Led Zeppelin and his own group Oblivion Express. He comes out and speaks to the kids in a kindly British accent, introduces his son on the drums (his name is Karma) and his daughter, Savannah as the vocalist, and a bass player too. They play a couple really incredible songs. The student sitting next to me kept covering his ears and yelling " its' too loud!" and the Middle School kids were extremely rude, but I enjoyed every minute of it. But the coolest part to me, was that you can be at work on an ordinary Tuesday and find yourself at a mini-concert with a rock legend. I love life's little surprises.

(We're not sure why he was there, but he had gigs at a local jazz club, Nighttown and I heard his agent is from the area.)